In the 281st year of the Daqing reign, the Qinghe Gang became enemies with the Baiyang Gang, a roving bandit force.

[You went into battle, slaying thirteen men, but also sustaining numerous wounds, bleeding profusely—if your Iron Body Technique were still at its peak, your injuries would be half as severe.]

[In one year, the depth of his Iron Body Kung Fu cultivation has decreased to the minor level, and his overall Iron Body Kung Fu level has dropped to 50%. He will be able to successfully dissipate the cultivation in one year.]

"There are two types of bonuses to martial arts." Yun Shou summarized based on his memories of martial arts and the simulation content in his mind.

One type is that after practicing this martial art, regardless of the depth of your skill, your martial arts cultivation will progress at the same speed, and your foundation will be influenced by the martial art, making you stronger than in an ordinary state.

Another aspect is the depth of skill. Even a third-rate martial artist can achieve "perfect martial arts skills," while a grandmaster can only achieve "beginner skills." Depending on the depth of skill, different martial arts will have different additional enhancements, such as increased strength or greater agility.

[In the 282nd year of the Great Glory, you completely dispersed your cultivation. Although you remain a second-rate martial artist with 141% of your foundation, about 17% (approximately 24%) of that foundation has been transformed into the Iron Body Technique. It is destined that only the remaining 83% (117%) of your attribute-less foundation can reach the first-rate level through a new cultivation method.]

[With an annual increase of only 0.83%, the foundation can be improved permanently; the remaining 0.17% will become the fixed strength of a second-rate Iron Body Technique.]

[Your combat strength has plummeted to its lowest point, equivalent to only an ordinary second-rate martial artist. In the past two years, your "seventh seat" in the Qingqian Gang has dropped to "fifteenth seat".]

"Shallow waters breed many turtles; this tiny gang has amassed over a dozen high-ranking positions." Yun Shou was speechless.

In the 283rd year of the Daqing era, Zhu Baowen leisurely asked you, "Do you regret dispersing your cultivation?"

[Thinking to yourself, "Anyway, I'm just focusing on increasing my lifespan," you replied without hesitation, "I have absolutely no regrets. I trust Master Zhu!"]

Zhu Baowen laughed heartily, touched your brow with his finger, and transmitted to you a copy of the "Hun Yuan Jue" (Primordial Chaos Technique).

The *Hun Yuan Jue* is a martial art, not meant for training or enhancing martial arts cultivation. Its primary function is as a top-tier auxiliary skill: it can dissolve and solidify one's foundation, allowing a foundation that has been weakened by the dissipation of internal energy to continue to progress!

This is an unimaginable divine skill, because Iron Body Skill is just a common technique, not top-tier, while the Primordial Chaos Technique allows you to break free from old techniques without any setbacks and switch to a stronger martial art at no cost!

You bow deeply in the direction Zhu Baowen left. He waved and disappeared from your sight in the blink of an eye.

[After that, you never saw him again at the Hunyuan Life and Death Children's Martial Arts Academy, or even in the entire Qingcheng.]

The thought of the enemy besieging the city five years from now makes you numb.

Fortunately, you still have a full five years. The Qing Kingdom and the Wu Kingdom haven't even declared war yet, so you have a lot of room to maneuver.

[In the 284th year of the Daqing era, you used the Hunyuan Technique to erase all traces of the Iron Body Skill. Now, 100% (143%) of your foundation is a pure foundation that can be improved infinitely. You are also a basic second-rate martial artist with no skill attributes or depth bonuses.]

You request to learn the excellent martial art "Water Dragon Skill" from the gang leader Xu Ruohai.

Xu Ruohai: "So this is why you dispersed your power, kid? Fine, if you want it so badly, then take it!"

Xu Ruohai was secretly pleased, because your dispersal of power was tantamount to crippling your potential, virtually eliminating any possibility of you threatening him. Therefore, it was easier for him to win people's hearts by being more generous.

He declared that anyone who shares your desire to rebuild their martial arts skills will be personally granted the Water Dragon Skill—newcomers without prior martial arts experience are excluded.

However, it's unlikely that anyone else would follow you and give up their cultivation to obtain a new technique. While the Water Dragon Technique is slightly stronger than the Iron Body Technique, the difference isn't significant, and it's not worth sacrificing your foundation for it.

[After mastering the Water Dragon Technique, you'll find your skin smoother and your water resistance seems to have increased significantly.]

In the 285th year of the Daqing reign, at your urging and with some financial support, many acquaintances secretly left the Qinghe Gang and moved to towns further inland.

[Among them was Old Man Wang, who, under your watchful care as a member of the "Green Harvest Gang" at the time, lived more than a decade longer than his original fate. It seems that his death was either an accident or due to illness.]

Three months later, war broke out.

In the 286th year of the Daqing reign, you heard again the legend of the peerless general on the front lines, possessing the strength of a dragon and an elephant.

As you walk along the shores of Qinghu Lake, you notice that the fishing villages are much less populated these days, as many have been forcibly conscripted and sent to the front lines. Even the Qinghe Gang has become somewhat quieter, with thirty members having joined the army.

The Qinghe Gang is considered a semi-official force, so it naturally needs to contribute during national wars.

[Having achieved minor success in the Water Dragon Skill, you've discovered that your internal energy has gained an added attribute of flexibility.]

[In the year 287 of the Great Qing Dynasty, your martial arts cultivation, which had stagnated for several years due to the dissipation of your internal energy, began to progress again. On this day, you finally completed the blood transfusion and flesh condensation, and only the release of your internal energy remains to become a first-class martial artist.]

[One month later, at the Grandmaster Conference held by the Daoist sect, the Grandmasters from the Wu Kingdom who had been invited were massacred; six died and three were injured.]

The morale of the Qing army soared, and they quickly counterattacked and captured another prefecture.

[Knowing that a Grandmaster of the Martial Kingdom was about to emerge, you seized the opportunity to flee far away, taking the money with you and leaving the Qinghe Gang, far from Qingcheng.]

[Including simulations, after four lifetimes and decades, you are finally about to step out of this small world!]

A wider world, a broader arena, awaits you!

Yun Shou let out a breath: "Finally, I've left the beginner village. Well, a second-rate martial artist has actually reached the standard of strength to travel the martial world."

Most ordinary people, apart from traveling merchants, will live in the same area for the rest of their lives, and their activity range will not exceed a radius of 100 miles.

For a third-rate martial artist, traveling alone on this land is still quite dangerous; bandits, robbers, and the disasters and diseases brought by wind and rain can all destroy their lives.

Most third-rate martial artists are probably positioned as "guards," either responsible for protecting the homes of wealthy families or escorting goods, and often in groups.

Second-rate martial artists, possessing the strange power of "internal strength," not only experience a significant increase in strength, but the internal strength also grants them the effects of "expelling toxins from their bodies" and "temporarily replenishing their stamina."

Internal energy, isn't that amazing?

Many sects and martial arts schools require their disciples to reach a second-rate level before allowing them to go out for training.

As for first-class martial artists, they are already renowned "martial arts masters" or even "heroes of the Jianghu" in their respective regions. Their internal energy is transformed into external force, allowing them to walk on snow without leaving a trace and cross rivers. Many famous first-class martial artists are already in their thirties or forties and are renowned figures in their respective regions!

"Martial arts masters are renowned throughout the city. They can kill people from a hundred paces away with their powerful energy, making them impossible to defend against. They are already capable of dealing with organized armies."

"A Grandmaster can establish a sect, become famous throughout the world, walk on flat ground amidst a hail of spears and arrows, and destroy houses with a flick of the wrist."

"Above that are the 'Supreme Grandmasters' that even the city walls cannot stop, and then there's Zhu Baowen, an even higher being..."