Chapter 479: Mechanical Martial Arts

With Fang Xing's current strength—or rather, his essence—any knowledge attempting to corrupt him is merely offering itself up as prey.

Yet, after burning "The Beauty of Machinery," he still carefully savored and comprehended the world's mysteries.

Strip away useless corruption and temptation… focus solely on that core of mystery!

His fingers brushed over the book, and on its pages, charred yellow marks spontaneously appeared as if scorched by fire.

"This 'mystery and transcendent power' is unimportant; what matters is using this transcendent element to understand this world's transcendent system…"

"Then, embed myself into it…"

"Thank you, kind soul, for bringing this catalyst."

Fang Xing relaxed his mind, sensing that longing—his soul seemed to leap into another dimension, revealing another face of the world!

The transcendent face!

It could be called the 'Aether Plane,' or the 'Spirit Realm,' the 'Dark World,' the 'Inner World'…

The name doesn't matter; what matters is that it is the source of the world's transcendence!

It is both detached from and fused with the real world—the world's shadow.

"Hmm? This world's transcendence must be rooted in the Inner World… and the transcendent factors are highly inert, meaning it's nearly impossible to form a fireball in the real world…"

"It seems only through soul out-body travel or in dreams… can one enter that mysterious realm."

"And… it's locked!"

Fang Xing was speechless—even at a macroscopic glance, he saw layer upon layer of light gates sealing that mysterious world in heavy lockdown.

Even he could barely glimpse the scenery beyond each gate.

These layers of gates, like seals, were exceedingly stingy toward seekers in the real world!

"Indeed, a low-magic world…"

"Most transcendent beings in this world likely have less destructive power than a single firearm…"

"Still, don't underestimate them… just from the corruption of this book, this world's transcendence may be weak physically but is formidable mentally…"

In a technological world, summoning fireballs is nothing.

The truly powerful are healing arts or mind-control abilities!

With even a modicum of sense, such transcendent beings could easily gain immense power, even control a nation—or become world leader, not impossible.

"But… it seems I'm immune to it."

Fang Xing smiled faintly; his martial path feared nothing, especially spiritual corruption.

Facing transcendent beings, he'd likely be immune to mental effects, then teach them a lesson with his fists one by one…

"Though I can't yet pass through each of those sealed gates, even the outer fringes of the Aether World offer me immense benefit…"

Fang Xing's consciousness coalesced, suddenly arriving in a gray wasteland.

The sky was a dull gray, the earth parched, and ahead lay a shadow.

Only upon closer inspection did he realize it was a sparse grove.

A metallic machine resembling a bicycle, twisted and rusted, seemed to have grown directly into a shrub.

Fang Xing turned to the other side and saw nails and gear-like objects embedded into the bark.

The ground bore traces of rust, emitting a metallic odor…

"The outermost edge of the Aether World… I consumed the mystery from 'The Beauty of Machinery,' so it points to this mechanical-like region…"

"Different transcendent paths correspond to specific Spirit Realm zones?"

Fang Xing nodded; his powerful consciousness condensed here into a formidable physical form, capable of resisting all negative emotions and senses, advancing steadily.

Even, he reached an ancient tree, stared at a wrench fused into its bark, and extended his palm.

Pop!

The wrench, rusted and oily, was ripped straight from the ancient tree.

Shhhhlalala!

The entire grove seemed to writhe, twist, and scream in agony…

On the tree from which the wrench had been stolen, an eye opened, thick blood pouring forth: "Give it back, shameless thief!"

"You're the thief…"

Fang Xing held the wrench, feeling its weight and grip were perfect: "This isn't a wrench—it's the soul of a mechanical engineer… I can still hear his cries, the agony of the sacrifice…"

This grove was, unmistakably, the 'Forest of Sacrifice!'

Each mechanical object represented the soul of a genius who loved machinery, filled with longing and passion!

"It seems Meng Naqi, when he took me as a student, had no good intentions… he planned to mold my soul into a shape this place favors?"

A thought surfaced in Fang Xing's mind; he raised the wrench and brought it down hard!

Boom!

The wrench struck the ancient tree, splintering wood in all directions; the eye exploded, blood gushing endlessly.

Horrifying illusions, saturated with extreme corruption, surged forth.

For an ordinary soul—even a transcendent being of this world—such backlash would induce madness or at least immediate expulsion.

But Fang Xing's indomitable will remained unmoved; he raised the wrench again.

Boom!

Boom boom!

After a few strikes, the rotting tree shattered completely.

The surrounding shrubs, which had been creeping toward him, recoiled in fear, revealing a radiant light gate.

This gate was pure white, lacking even the concept of a 'door'—just a beam of light, yet unmistakably felt as a threshold.

The moment Fang Xing saw it, a name arose in his mind—'The Gate of the Unfixed!'

【The yearning wanderers of the Hungering Forest, by sacrificing the souls of the yearning, may open the 'Gate of the Unfixed'!】A message surfaced spontaneously in Fang Xing's mind.

"What did I sacrifice? I didn't sacrifice anything…"

Fang Xing was speechless, then extended both hands.

Crack!

In the void, something shattered.

He pushed open the 'Gate of the Unfixed,' his body vanishing deep into the Hungering Forest…

…

In his apartment in Black Ring City, Fang Xing suddenly opened his eyes; his pupils shimmered with an unusual glow: "This world's transcendent system is truly strange—like it deliberately prevents pursuit, layering barriers, sealing with gates… without the 'key,' you'll never enter, and they even use riddles to lock the doors…"

Fortunately, he had finally entered the 'Gate of the Unfixed'—for a transcendent being of this world, this would count as 'glimpsing the threshold,' wouldn't it?

But the most crucial thing wasn't that…

Fang Xing raised his hand and saw, in his palm, a rusted… wrench?

"I can bring physical objects back from the Inner World? This soul has clearly been sacrificed and transformed into an irreversible form…"

From that inner world, one can actually bring external objects back? This soul seems to have been turned into an irreversible form, sacrificed as an offering...

This wrench was now a mechanical marvel, carrying innate mechanical knowledge.

A farmer unfamiliar with mechanics might simply find it perfectly suited for tightening screws.

But a true mechanic would immediately sense its difference—upon picking it up, he'd gain Level Six mechanic experience, plus countless inspirations, accelerating mechanical research exponentially…

For a mechanical academy student, this was a true treasure.

Yet now, Fang Xing tossed it aside without hesitation.

He clenched his fists, inhaling and exhaling steadily…

"This world's transcendent path is merely a catalyst…"

"Having entered the Gate of the Unfixed, I now hold the rank of a transcendent being—I can do many things…"

With each breath, Fang Xing felt himself drawing the 'mystery factors' from the Inner World, aiding him in breaking through human limits!

With each breath, Fang Xing felt himself drawing in the inner world's "mystical factors," aiding him in breaking through human limits!

To transcend, one must break those limits!

Yet without 'transcendent power,' one cannot break human limits!

This was a paradox, a vicious circle!

Fortunately, Fang Xing had finally found this world's transcendent path—and it now fed back into him.

Fortunately, Fang Xing had finally found the path to transcendence in this world, and it now nourished him in return.

With each breath, he channeled the mechanical transcendent knowledge that had surfaced in his mind after entering the Gate of the Unfixed, weaving it into his martial path, crafting a new 'Transcendent Martial Art' suited to this world's transcendent system through his own martial wisdom!

In the next instant, Fang Xing's skin turned crimson, as if steam were building within him, ready to erupt!

"Steam Breathing Method!"

"Treat the human body as a steam engine… drive it with blood and qi, burn moisture, generating immense kinetic energy and heat!"

"View the human body as a steam engine... drive it with blood and qi, burn away moisture, generating immense kinetic energy and heat!"

His physique could barely withstand the steam's extreme heat and pressure; his skin began to crack.

But in the next instant, a steel-like sheen emerged, massively enhancing his body, rendering him impervious even to small-caliber firearms.

"Steel Body—literally, a hardening art, ultimate goal: transforming the body into steel!"

"The body becomes a steam machine, the dantian becomes the boiler, blood vessels become steam pipes, the physique becomes cast steel… the mind must also evolve—this is the 'Mechanized Mind' technique, which not only coordinates the body but also resists external mental interference and corruption…"

"These three arts complement each other; ultimate goal… to cultivate the human body into a steam-powered exosuit? Pfft… no—martial arts breaking limits!"

"Perhaps… it can be named 'Mechanical Martial Arts!'"

Perhaps it could be named "Mechanical Martial Arts!"

"Today, in Heihuan City, I establish the 'Mechanical Martial Flow,' opening a path to transcendent martial arts in this world—I am the supreme grandmaster of martial arts!"

Fang Xing let out a low roar, stepped to the window, and suddenly sensed a gaze.

Perhaps once he had been insensitive to such things, but now, having just broken through into transcendence, he could easily perceive the malice in that gaze!

Crash!

He smashed through the window and leapt out like a ferocious tiger.

In the alley beside the window, a man in a gray overcoat, high collar, and a low-brimmed hat gaped in shock, then pulled a revolver from his coat.

Whizz!

In a flash, Fang Xing stood before him and raised his hand for a strike.

Thud-thud!

His heart pounded violently; high-temperature steam seeped from his palm pores and scalded the gray-clad man's face.

Mechanical Martial Flow—Steam Press Palm!

In essence, it is a palm technique infused with a cluster of high-temperature steam.

"Ahh!"

The gray-clad man screamed as his face was utterly disfigured, covered in horrific burns and blisters…

(End of Chapter)