Chapter 26: He Can Afford to Wait, But She Cannot

"General." Chen Mo walked into the study, bowed low, and saluted General Sun.

The study was furnished in a cluttered yet simple manner, clearly reflecting the aura of a martial artist; on the desk lay several official documents and accounts that had not yet been processed.

Seeing him enter, Sun Shouren casually grabbed a book from the side to cover the accounts, then asked amiably, "What is it? Is there something you need?"

It was, of course, not difficult for a Personal Soldier in the camp to see him; as long as one reported it, he would naturally grant an audience.

"General, your subordinate has a puzzle regarding the path of martial arts, and I hope the General can provide an answer." Chen Mo stood up and said honestly.

"Are you having problems practicing the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist?" Sun Shouren's brows furrowed slightly, though he could not help but feel puzzled inside.

By all accounts, Chen Mo had been practicing this fist technique for less than two months at most.

Even if his progress was faster than others by a significant margin, he could at most have reached the second level by now.

Given his physique, it would take at least reaching the second level of perfection or even the third level for it to be possible to encounter problems.

"In reply to the General, it is not that, but a different matter." Chen Mo shook his head and said.

"Oh!" Hearing this, Sun Shouren became even more curious. If it wasn't a problem with this fist technique, then what martial arts question could Chen Mo possibly want to ask him? Could it be that he practiced other martial arts?

"Sit down and speak slowly." He raised his hand to gesture, letting Chen Mo take a seat to the side.

"General, your subordinate once heard some rumors saying that if external martial arts are practiced to the extreme, one can also cultivate Inner Qi. You say, can this Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist technique be used to cultivate Inner Qi if practiced to the end?"

Chen Mo asked with a sincere tone and a look of confusion.

If practicing the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist could produce Inner Qi, then the wisp of Inner Qi born within his own body was nothing special.

If it could not, then it could only be because his constitution was somewhat special after undergoing two rebirths, and combined with the martial arts he practiced, that was why Inner Qi was born.

"Who did you hear this from? Other Martial Artists in the camp?" Sun Shouren first threw out two questions.

However, without waiting for Chen Mo to answer, he lowered his voice and said, "The rumor you heard is correct. If external martial arts are practiced to the extreme, one can indeed cultivate the Inner Qi unique to Inner Family Martial Artists from the outside in.

And because of practicing external martial arts, the Inner Qi cultivated through this method is far superior in quality to that of ordinary Inner Family Martial Artists."

"But..." Sun Shouren's tone paused. Chen Mo raised his eyes; he feared the word "but" most of all, as it indicated there must be an extremely important turning point ahead.

"This method is extremely difficult. Among one hundred Martial Artists practicing external martial arts, it is not certain that even one can cultivate Inner Qi through external means.

And as for the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist, this external martial art is even less likely to produce Inner Qi, because no one can practice this martial art to the point of cultivating Inner Qi."

Inner Family Martial Artists sit in meditation, regulate their bodies, and reach perfection in both body and spirit; only then can they condense Inner Qi in the dantian.

Top-tier external martial artists who practice an external martial art to the extreme may leave hidden injuries in their bodies, but to a certain extent, they have achieved perfection, so they can generate Inner Qi from the outside in.

Of course, this situation is extremely rare; the practitioner needs sufficient talent and must put in abundant effort.

Most importantly, one must be young. Practicing external martial arts is inherently damaging to the body; once a person passes middle age, no matter how well they maintain themselves, their Qi and Blood will slowly decline.

If the body cannot be in a peak state, then it is impossible to condense Inner Qi from the outside in.

Therefore, throughout history, all Martial Artists who could cultivate Inner Qi from the outside in were people of supreme talent.

"Why can other external martial arts cultivate Inner Qi from the outside in, but the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist cannot?" Chen Mo asked with a face full of confusion, though he had a rough guess in his heart regarding this situation.

"I hadn't intended to tell you now, but since you asked, I will tell you. However, you must not tell anyone else."

Sun Shouren's expression was slightly stern. Seeing Chen Mo nod repeatedly, he softened his tone and continued.

"If cultivating Inner Qi from the outside in is an extremely difficult thing for ordinary external martial arts practitioners, then for a Martial Artist practicing the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist, it is an absolutely impossible task.

This martial art requires an extremely strong physical foundation, and the further one goes, the stronger the physical foundation required.

Even if you were born with Divine Power, you could at most practice this technique to the early third level. The physical foundation required beyond that is simply not something a normal person can achieve."

For the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist, the improvement gained at each level is the sum of all previous levels; the effect of this technique can be said to be the top tier among external martial arts.

Likewise, the further one practices, the higher the requirements for the Martial Artist's physical foundation. The strength and robustness of the physical foundation required for the later levels are simply not something a human can reach.

If one insists on trying to cultivate Inner Qi through this technique, the final result will inevitably be that no Inner Qi is cultivated, and the person will be practiced to death first.

Therefore, ever since this technique was created, I have never heard of anyone using it to cultivate Inner Qi; even the creator of this technique likely did not achieve it.

After hearing his words, the confusion in Chen Mo's heart was finally resolved.

It seems the Inner Qi in his dantian indeed came from the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist; originally, practicing this martial art could not condense Inner Qi.

It was just that he had undergone a rebirth, and twice at that; the improvements brought to his flesh, bones, and even his internal organs were far superior to those of ordinary people by an unknown margin.

Even someone born with Divine Power might not necessarily be better than him, so while others could not cultivate Inner Qi, he could.

"Then can this technique only be practiced to the third level? I heard you have practiced it beyond the third level?"

Having received the General's answer, Chen Mo had other questions.

"I did indeed practice this technique to the fifth level, but I first practiced it to the third level, after which my body could no longer continue practicing this martial art.

So I had to switch to practicing Inner Family Kung Fu to regulate my body and nourish my nature; only after cultivating Inner Qi to nourish my body could I continue to practice this technique."

Sun Shouren shook his head slightly. In fact, it was not just him; the vast majority of Martial Artists who practiced this technique followed this path.

They first practice the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist to quickly increase their strength, and once they have a certain level of strength, they go to practice inner techniques to regulate their bodies, seeking further progress in this technique.

It was just that his talent was relatively high, and he successfully cultivated his first wisp of Inner Qi in only three years, so he was able to practice the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist to the fifth level before his Qi and Blood declined.

It was precisely because he possessed such strength that he was able to achieve success and establish his career on the battlefield.

"However, if someone could truly use the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist to cultivate Inner Qi, the quality of the Inner Qi they cultivated would likely exceed that of the vast majority of Martial Artists," Sun Shouren sighed at the end.

Of course, this was just a sigh; he had practiced this technique and understood that such a thing was simply not something a human could accomplish.

Feeling the wisps of Inner Qi in his dantian, Chen Mo didn't say much. Throughout history, he was likely the only one who could cultivate Inner Qi while practicing the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist.

"Many thanks to the General for clearing up my confusion." Chen Mo stood up, bowed, and saluted.

These things might not be worth mentioning to General Sun, but they had indeed answered his questions.

"You must remember that absolutely no one can practice the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist and cultivate Inner Qi, even if you are born with Divine Power like me, it won't work.

If you feel an obstruction in the flow of your Qi and Blood while practicing this fist technique, then you must not continue practicing. Come find me then, and I will teach you an Inner Qi Cultivation Method to let you regulate your body."

Sun Shouren urged him earnestly and with great seriousness.

New soldiers like Chen Mo, whose natural strength was superior to ordinary people, were already difficult to recruit.

Moreover, he had already spent quite a bit of silver to cultivate him over these past few months; if Chen Mo were to have an accident, all his previous investments would be like stones sinking into the sea.

"Rest assured, I understand," Chen Mo smiled, though inwardly he was pondering whether to reveal a portion of his progress in the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist.

This way, he could obtain an Inner Qi Cultivation Method and know how to utilize Inner Qi.

He had already condensed Inner Qi, and through his daily practice of the fist technique, he could make this Inner Qi continuously grow within his dantian.

But he did not know how to use this power; at most, he could only control the Inner Qi to circle around the Transformation Pearl within his dantian.

As for other miraculous effects, such as using Inner Qi to nourish his physical body, heal injuries, or even defend against enemies, he had no idea how to employ them.

He was currently like someone guarding a vault, holding the key to the vault in his hand, yet not knowing how to turn the key to take out the gold inside.

If he had other Internal Martial Arts, even if he didn't practice them, just by looking at them he would know how to turn the key, rather than being unable to do anything as he was now.

Furthermore, there was one crucial point: the fact that his cultivation had broken through could not be hidden at all.

The increase in his strength and his physical transformation caused him to consume a greater amount of Blood Qi every day.

Consequently, his current appetite was nearly seventy percent higher than before.

Twenty-five steamed buns per meal as a baseline, and he had to eat three meals a day.

Looking across the entire Personal Soldier camp, his appetite was unique; unlike before, when he certainly ate a lot but still had many people who could rival him.

Cultivation could be hidden, but his appetite could not; even a blind man could see that Chen Mo was clearly able to eat much more than before.

And being able to eat is the most subjective factor indicating a Martial Artist's increase in strength.

Because only when the muscles, bones, and Qi and Blood are strong enough can one digest the food consumed completely without suffering from indigestion.

Unless Chen Mo voluntarily starved himself, this point was impossible to hide.

Additionally, the nourishing medicinal soup he needed for his daily practice now had to increase from one bowl to two, otherwise, it could not satisfy the needs of his daily cultivation.

Besides this, Chen Mo had also considered long ago that he would reveal the strength he gained after his physical transformation step by step.

Because he was not a lone individual; Zhao Yu had sold herself as a Slave, and she was still waiting for him to redeem her.

Selling oneself as a Slave, not to mention being extremely dangerous, ultimately involved too many uncertainties.

As a servant, even if one were beaten to death by the master's family, the government would not intervene.

He had to find a way to redeem her as soon as possible; this was a promise he had made previously.

Hiding his cultivation and gradually revealing his breakthrough after three or five months would not be a big deal if he were alone.

It would be nothing more than waiting a few extra months; he could wait.

But he was not alone; he could afford to wait, but Zhao Yu might not be able to.

The sooner he revealed his cultivation and improved his status, the sooner he could redeem her.

In just a brief moment, Chen Mo had already made his decision; considering all these reasons, it was best to reveal a portion of his strength—only a portion, of course, not too much.

The day after tomorrow, the Personal Soldier camp would hold the assessment that couldn't be completed last time, and he could just display a portion of his strength then.

(End of chapter)