There were twenty slots for martial arts training, and various combinations could produce unique effects. For example, practicing the Nine Yin and Nine Yang techniques simultaneously in the game would trigger the "Forest of All Phenomena" combo. Mastering both the Tai Chi Fist and Tai Chi Sword to their peak would grant the "Tai Chi Mystery" defensive effect. Mastering both the Miao Family Sword and the Hu Family Saber to their peak would unlock the "Saber-Sword Unity" effect. These were all factors he had to consider. After all, this was a real world where there were no do-overs; once started, there was no turning back. His future could not be a decision made on a whim, but a life built step by step, grounded in reality.
Hao Qi carefully scrutinized the various external martial arts in the system, along with the internal cultivation methods that could be linked to them. He also had to weigh the future potential each technique represented. Finally, he chose his path. The first step, naturally, had to be internal force.
Arhat Fist, a Buddhist external martial art. Train it to the peak, and then...
Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic!
Hao Qi felt the system in his mind. The data clearly indicated that his Arhat Fist had reached level ten. With just a little more practice, he could push it one step further to its peak. Once that was done, he would finally be able to practice the Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic.
Excitement surged through him, so much so that he completely ignored the long-haired, beautiful young girl standing nearby watching him punch. He walked right past the stunned girl and headed straight for the canteen.
Nine years! It had taken him nine years to bring this first external martial art to its peak!
Since he had transmigrated into this world and chosen the first external martial art from the game system he’d brought with him, his initial thought had been, "This is too easy." He imagined gaining internal force effortlessly, using it to get married, acquire wealth, and reach the pinnacle of life...
But this was no game. Although he possessed the game system, this was a real world, not a virtual one. In other words, he had found no experience points.
Yes, the most inconspicuous yet critical element in any game: experience points. These points didn't just level up a character; they leveled up martial arts. In the game, reaching level ten and then pushing a technique to its peak through "air-punching" took only a dozen seconds. But in the real world, where was he supposed to find experience points?
At first, Hao Qi thought he could gain them by killing. He volunteered for the lion's share of kitchen work at the orphanage, including slaughtering fish and chickens. While the quantity was small, it existed—yet he received zero experience points. As for killing people... Hao Qi didn't think his nine-year-old body was capable of killing anyone, nor did he ever want to.
The inability to gain experience left him depressed for a month. When he finally pulled himself together, he realized he had only one way to bring the Arhat Fist to its peak: "air-punching."
In his system, there was a mechanic where performing a technique in an open space, without targeting an NPC, granted a tiny amount of proficiency. This wouldn't increase his character level, but it would raise the skill level. In the game, this was a method used to suppress levels to meet certain plot or skill requirements, but here, it was Hao Qi’s only lifeline. Starting from the year he turned nine, he began practicing this punch, which many mocked as "garbage" or "farm-style," a technique with a coefficient of only twenty—the lowest tier in the game—but the only Buddhist martial art he could currently practice: Arhat Fist.
At the start of the game, one could choose a protagonist archetype: Fist, Sword, Saber, or Exotic Weapon. These protagonists received bonuses for practicing arts of their respective categories. Beyond these, there were three special archetypes: Peerless Tiangang, Heaven-Returning Saint, and Benevolent Invincible. These weren't necessarily stronger, but their effects were unique. Peerless Tiangang, for instance, could practice internal arts of any attribute and use them for attacks—a template Hao Qi had drooled over. It was the one he wanted most in the real world, but unfortunately, that wasn't what he had chosen.
Then there was the Heaven-Returning Saint, which automatically restored health, internal force, stamina, and healed injuries or poison. In the real world, this would essentially be an immortal body. Hao Qi had drooled over this one too, but it wasn't his choice either.
He had chosen the Benevolent Invincible archetype, a combination of "the strongest" and "the weakest." Before awakening, it was widely acknowledged as trash. It had no special attributes. In the game, it started with 100 points of "Alignment," which was useless here. It was a blank slate, worse than an NPC.
But it was called "Invincible" for a reason. Once the template awakened, it unlocked the game's strongest title skill: Chivalry Walks the World! Any attack would carry one or more "Six-Like" effects, and any defense would do the same. True invincibility!
But again, this was the real world. Without even experience points, Hao Qi had no idea how to awaken it. Without the strongest internal cultivation method, the Six-Like True Dragon Formula, an unawakened "Benevolent" was better off just giving up.
Regardless, he had to survive. Even after wallowing in self-pity for a long time, he started training. Spring turned to autumn, nine years passed. A game skill that only required a hundred air-punches now required eighteen million to bring to its peak in reality. At five thousand punches a day, that meant roughly ten years.
Walking down the road, Hao Qi checked the system in his mind. Even though he knew it by heart, he scrutinized every detail, letting nothing slip. Only as he reached the canteen did he finally exhale and return his consciousness to the real world.
(Arhat Fist is at level ten. One more level to reach the peak. By my calculations, I'll hit it around my nineteenth birthday, just in time to start the Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic. I just hope the classic lives up to the hype. In the game, internal arts don't need experience—you just equip them to level up, and besides the Peerless Tiangang template, no other character can train them via air-punching... I just hope the system doesn't screw me over again. If internal arts require experience too, I might as well die.)
Hao Qi sighed, touched his shriveled wallet, and bought the cheapest food available: a large pile of steamed buns. He couldn't afford meat or eggs. Because his training volume was so high, he needed extra calories, so he also bought a large amount of beans and soy milk.
(My scholarship is almost gone. This appetite is ruinous. Five thousand punches a day, each at full exertion—that's the only way to grind experience. If just waving my arms around worked, I could do hundreds of thousands of punches a day... Sigh, this is heavy manual labor. My body is pushed to the limit; any more and I might start urinating blood. If my body collapses, I’m finished. I just hope my friend’s business picks up so he can support me a bit more.)
Hao Qi was very thin, which was rare for a martial artist. There was a saying: "Literacy is for the poor, martial arts for the rich." It meant material foundation was essential. Without meat or proper nutrition, a body subjected to such heavy labor would collapse in a week. And since internal force in this world was the result of a body pushed to its limit, a poor physical foundation made it impossible to generate. While the world didn't forbid commoners from practicing martial arts, those who succeeded weren't one in a hundred thousand, but one in millions. Aside from the secret techniques monopolized by the wealthy and powerful, the biggest difference was that commoners simply lacked the money to sustain the necessary training.
"Clack!"
A large bowl slammed down in front of Hao Qi. The person who set it down had incredible control; not a drop of the meat broth splashed out. The bowl seemed to stick to the table, not even vibrating. This was a stunning feat of skill that made Hao Qi’s eyes narrow.
Looking up, he saw the same long-haired young girl who had been watching him in the woods. She stared at him, slightly annoyed. "I called out to you, but you ignored me. I thought you were up to something, but you just ran here to eat? What is wrong with you? You’ve mastered a set of fist techniques, yet you’re eating this? Where is the meat? The soup? The bones? Don’t tell me you’re grown up enough to master a hard fist technique but still don't know what a martial artist needs to eat? Are you trying to destroy your own body?"
Hao Qi looked at the girl, then at the bowl of meat bone broth. He chuckled, neither offended nor embarrassed. He picked up the bowl, downed the broth in one gulp, and then chewed the bones and meat to bits, swallowing them all.
Seeing this, the girl didn't find him crude at all; rather, she looked at him with appreciation. This was the spirit of a martial family. An idea struck her, and she couldn't help but say, "Your talent isn't bad. Why don't you learn martial arts from me?"
"Huh? Learn martial arts... not cooking?"
Hao Qi’s joke left the girl blank for a moment. After a long pause, she said strangely, "Learning martial arts is learning martial arts; what does that have to do with cooking? I do know of a sect that specializes in cooking exotic ingredients to absorb their essence and strengthen the body to reach the internal force level, but they are a minority, far away in the Green Sea. I haven't learned their methods. I just want to teach you martial arts."
Hao Qi felt awkward. This must be a generation gap, he thought. He adjusted his mindset, bowed, and said, "I am Hao Qi. Thank you for the broth, miss."
"I am Su Shiyan. Consider this broth a return gift for watching you train earlier," Su Shiyan replied, bowing back politely.
"That hardly counts as training," Hao Qi laughed while eating his bun. "Just some crude farm-style techniques, very common."
Su Shiyan said seriously, "The techniques are common, but the person is not. You have mastered this technique, haven't you? Do you know how many people today can endure the loneliness required to master a skill? They all rush straight for internal force, but they don't stop to think: if you haven't mastered the basics, how can you refine your body to the limit? I’ve seen thousands like them; none of them could ever develop internal force. They dabble in one skill, work a few body parts, and then switch to another. After decades, they end up as Quasi-Inner Force fighters, maybe able to take on a hundred men, but still stuck in the mundane world. But you are different. Based on your frame, you can't be more than eighteen or nineteen, yet you’ve mastered a set of techniques. I don't know if you're a genius or if you’ve compensated through sheer diligence, but I can see one thing: you have the temperament for it. Find the right path, and you have a seventy percent chance of developing internal force! Learn from me!"
Hao Qi rubbed his nose, feeling guilty. He didn't have the temperament she described. Truth be told, if his system hadn't locked him into the Arhat Fist, he would have switched to something more powerful long ago.
Su Shiyan, unaware of this, didn't want to see such a dedicated practitioner waste his life. "I saw your technique; it's quite ordinary. Even at the 'Great Achievement' stage, it’s only on par with common third-rate techniques—maybe even worse than what the school gives to freshmen. And your technique mainly focuses on the waist, legs, and forearms. You've neglected the rest of your body. If you continue like this, you will never have internal force. But since you have the patience to master this, you can definitely master others. The road to success is right in front of you. Start practicing the school’s techniques tomorrow, and we’ll see how your progress goes."
Hao Qi’s face flushed. Luckily, his skin was tanned from years of outdoor training, so it wasn't obvious. He struggled to speak. "But..."
"I know, I know," Su Shiyan said, as if confirming something. "You lack the funds. That’s understandable. But you should know about bank loans for martial artists. If you verify that your technique is at the Great Achievement stage, you can easily get a significant loan. In the Lanying Republic, I’m sure it's the same. There aren't many restrictions, just a monthly check-in on your progress. Whether you develop internal force or just become a Quasi-Inner Force expert, you'll easily be able to pay it back."
Hao Qi felt awkward. He knew about those loans, but the requirement for monthly checks on his progress made it impossible, as he couldn't abandon the Arhat Fist.
Seeing his expression, Su Shiyan was understanding. "I get it. It’s a matter of pride. It’s not jail, but having to be checked up on every month—even I wouldn't like that. Martial arts are personal. It restricts the free spirit of a fighter. I understand... But besides banks, large corporations, sects, or martial arts families have similar contracts. They don't check your progress, just that you don't disappear. You sign a contract to work for them after you succeed. It pays less than a loan, but it’s an income. If you're interested, I can help you pick some reputable ones."
Hao Qi had considered this too, but those contracts required you to practice the techniques provided by those organizations. He knew that while guns and artillery existed, the world's focus was still on internal force experts. He couldn't imagine how a martial artist could compete with modern military firepower—it wasn't some immortal cultivation world, after all. But this didn't change the fact that seventy percent of the world's resources were concentrated on internal force experts. Those who failed to develop it existed only to support the experts through cooperative techniques, formations, and the like. Signing such a contract meant becoming a cog in their machine, forcing him to train in their arts instead of his Arhat Fist—something he absolutely could not tolerate.
This path was closed as well. Other options like underground fighting or dojos all had their own drawbacks. After nine years, the only path he found with no major side effects was to study, pass exams, and get a scholarship. It was little money, but it came with no strings attached.