Everyone knows that one needs martial arts skills and knowledge to practice martial arts and gradually climb to higher levels of martial arts. However, they do not know that there is a fundamental limitation: aptitude!
(The missing setting is still in the "Author's Note")
...
[In the 297th year of the Daqing era, the advanced martial art "Heavenly River Circulation" was introduced.]
[The Heavenly River Flow Technique differs from the Iron Body Skill. Before reaching the second rank, you can only practice this martial art to the "beginner" level, giving yourself a slight boost in flexibility and resilience.]
[Because this martial art primarily enhances internal energy! At the stages of minor success, major success, and perfection, it will provide additional bonuses to your internal strength or the energy of a first-rate martial artist.]
[You marvel at the power of advanced martial arts. After transforming your foundation into the shape of "Heavenly River Circulation," even with only an entry-level bonus, your current strength surpasses that of "Great Completion Water Dragon Skill."]
[Furthermore, the Heavenly River Circulation is equipped with dedicated martial arts techniques, making it far more suitable than those randomly paired ones.]
[In the year 298, you are 43 years old. Your foundation has reached 157%. Your blood and qi are like a furnace. Without any danger, excitement, or life-or-death situations, relying on your pure and powerful foundation and your well-established second-rate martial arts cultivation, you naturally release your internal energy outward, transforming it into internal energy.]
[The Tianhe Martial Arts Academy is hosting a celebratory banquet for you, with most of the martial artists in Yangxue City in attendance. You sit blankly in the main seat, suddenly realizing that you are already considered a very powerful figure, a renowned figure in the region.]
Just as the celebration banquet was about to conclude successfully, someone disrupted the event. The intruder was a martial artist from out of town. Tianhe Martial Arts School hadn't expected that sending out an invitation in good faith would result in welcoming such an unpleasant guest.
The martial artist was named Wang Ye, also known as the Purple Shadow Sword. He was a recent arrival in Yangxue City, and while his exact strength was unknown, it was clear he was at least a first-rate martial artist!
[A first-rate martial artist can be roughly divided into three stages: first, the signature outward release of internal energy; second, the extreme strengthening of internal organs; and finally, the penetration of internal energy into the bones.]
[Extreme Visceral Power only enhances the body's resistance to blows and improves the functionality of internal organs, making up for weaknesses. However, the quality of internal energy and the final step of internal energy penetrating the bones are the main factors affecting the combat power of a first-rate martial artist.]
Wang Ye stepped forward, his gaze unfriendly, and drew a long sword, challenging you to a duel. But everyone present knew his true intention: to humiliate you and defeat you while you were riding high.
[You don't know exactly how far Wang Ye has progressed, but even if he hasn't fully internalized his inner strength, the total amount of inner strength he possesses should be stronger than when he first advanced.]
[But you faced it without fear, and though you've only just broken through and your martial arts are still at the beginner level, you are by no means weak among first-rate martial artists!]
Firstly, your basic foundation is already equivalent to that of an ordinary person. With the 1.57x boost, it far exceeds the breakthrough limit of a first-rate martial artist, not to mention the added bonus of the advanced martial art "Heavenly River Circulation" which transforms your foundation!
Secondly, you are not a top-tier martial artist who forces their internal energy to be released through "combat breakthroughs" or "breakthroughs on the brink of death." You are a breakthrough practitioner whose internal energy is so abundant that it is naturally released!
With both of these enhancements, you won't have to fear even if you become a top-tier expert for several or even ten years!
[Once you accept the challenge, all the martial artists present will immediately step back, clearing a space of several dozen meters for the two of you to fight.]
Wang Ye thrust out his sword, a layer of purple energy coating the blade, which extended by half a foot as a sword beam. Wherever the sword beam passed, even the air itself crackled with a cutting sound.
[And what you've struck is your own steel blade, refined over decades. You've infused a large amount of milky-blue energy into the blade; unlike Wang Ye's exquisite swordsmanship, yours is a bold and sweeping style.]
As swords clashed, a hint of disdain flashed in Wang Ye's eyes. He reversed his sword stance, his longsword moving with the agility of a butterfly flitting between the teeth of a beast, deftly dodging the fierce blade strike, its light already aimed straight for your chest!
However, the vast amount of energy you added, like a sheath clinging to the tempered steel blade, wasn't a clumsy, powerful punch; rather, it utilized a specialized martial art technique from the Heavenly River Circulation—the Breath of Ink!
[Your energy locked onto Wang Ye's energy and longsword. The force you applied in that instant made it difficult for him to control the blade in his hand. The sword's edge suddenly stopped three inches from your chest, and you had already anticipated that moment!]
[Lowering your stance, charging forward, letting the sword's edge pierce your clothes, while your blade strikes Wang Ye's right arm!]
A crimson blade flashed through the air, leaving a long red line on the retinas of the assembled martial artists. The attack wasn't fatal. Wang Ye, too, was a seasoned warrior; momentary underestimation didn't mean permanent disregard. That last strike had only torn a half-inch deep gash in his right arm, forcing him to retreat several steps, shattering any hope of a decisive victory.
The two of you stared intently at each other, carefully searching for weaknesses, before striking again. Purple and pale blue energy clashed, making the entire battle as spectacular as a performance—but if an ordinary person were to stumble onto the stage, they would be sliced to pieces in the blink of an eye!
[As time went on, after more than a hundred rounds, your energy was almost depleted, and Wang Ye's was similarly running low. The sword light and blade edge still gleamed as they slashed, but it wasn't energy; it was just sunlight reflecting off the smooth surface of steel.]
Yun Shou: "They've run out of budget, huh? They're starting to be careful with their money for special effects."
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