Soon it was the sixth move!
“Fourth Change of the Poisonous Snake!” Zhao Gan’s movements became like the sea. They churned, jumped, and wrapped around Zhao Feng. As the fourth change began, Zhao Gan’s damage increased dramatically.
Zhao Feng felt the pressure increase and remembered that Zhao Kun had only learned the first three forms of Thirteen Changes of the Poisonous Snake.
Zhao Gan, however, had learned the first seven Changes! Every successive Change was harder to learn, but the damage would likewise increase dramatically. Zhao Feng felt as if his opponent had no bones and that he was coming closer and closer…
Shuah!
Zhao Feng, on instinct, used Lightly Floating Ferry to pull away from Zhao Gan. Close combat was the forte of Thirteen Changes of the Poisonous Snake, even Angry Dragon Fists was difficult to use against it.
Teng! Teng!
Zhao Feng, regarding speed, was absolutely faster than Zhao Gan.
The eight move, the ninth move... the tenth move!
The two shadows split apart as the disciples who were watching held their breath.
“You have won.” Zhao Gan looked deeply at Zhao Feng and seemed helpless. He then turned around and left, leaving a crowd of shocked disciples behind.
“Thank you for going easy.” Zhao Feng smiled faintly. He did not use all his strength in this fight, especially his left eye. He also did not use Lightly Floating Ferry or the Air Pushing Breathing Technique to their highest potential.
He had two reasons for this. First, he wanted to see how strong he was without the use of his left eye. Second, he wanted to leave some hidden cards for the family sparring contest.
The result was very obvious. When he restrained himself from using these things, he was on par with Zhao Gan. Obviously, Zhao Feng could not confirm if Zhao Gan had left some hidden moves either, as the two of them had only exchanged ten blows.
“When did he get so strong…?” A few of those who were familiar with Zhao Feng now stared at him with their eyes open. Zhao Kun was even more exaggerated; he opened his mouth like a wooden chicken.
“Big brother, if you cannot beat him in ten moves you can still beat him up for me,” Zhao Kun said as he caught up to Zhao Gan.
“You better give up. Even if there were no restrictions, I could not beat him either. His speed is too fast for me,” Zhao Gan shook his head.
“How is this possible!” Zhao Kun knew that his brother did not lie. It wasn’t his attitude.
“He won…” Zhao Xue’s body turned rigid as she gave a complicated look at the youth not far away. That youth seemed especially handsome, taller than ever before at this point…
“This kid actually has a few tricks,” Zhao Yijian said, looking on coldly. “But he only fought against Zhao Gan for ten moves…while Zhao Gan has already lost to me long ago!” Zhao Xue let out a breath as she heard Zhao Yijian’s words.
She did not understand why she was so afraid of Zhao Feng becoming strong. The stronger he became, the more conflicted she felt.
After the sparring match, the field resumed to its original state. This was because it was nearing noon and the powerful Martial Artist would be giving the lecture soon.
“Coach Chen is here!” The crowd suddenly became excited.
Zhao Feng followed everyone’s gazes and saw a tall and muscular man slowly walk onto the martial arts field.
“That is Coach Chen.” Zhao Feng secretly opened his left eye and saw that there was a faint yellow glow being emitting from his blood. The inner strength was pushed every time he let out a breath, creating an unseen pressure.
Why did powerful people have a different aura and create unseen pressure? Zhao Feng now understood a bit through looking at Coach Chen. Every step Coach Chen took and every glance he made created pressure. This aura belonged to Martial Artists. Any Martial Learner under the fourth rank might not even have the courage to attack him.
“So strong!” The disciples had faces of awe and fear. How many Martial Learners on Green Flower Continent wanted to have the title of Martial Artist? Even Zhao Feng was similar.
However, his goal was not limited to this. His goal was Martial Master, those that had the seventh rank or higher. And even the rumored Holy Martial Path…
“Today I am going to talk about how the skills for Martial Learners of the third rank or lower should be used. I will also be talking about my experience of Inner Strength…” Coach Chen’s voice was deep but not loud. However, even those that were a few hundred meters away could hear him clearly.
After hearing ‘experiences of inner strength,' Zhao Yijian, Zhao Yufei, and Zhao Yue had their eyes brighten.
Inner Strength of the Martial Path? What a coincidence! Zhao Feng became very expectant.
Chapter 17 – Inner Strength of the Martial Path
“As everyone knows, the Martial Path is split into nine ranks. The first three ranks are known as the Body ranks and have the title of Martial Learners. The fourth to sixth ranks are known as Martial Artists, and the seventh to ninth ranks are known as Martial Masters. Everyone who is a Martial Master has a high status, even the Zhao Sect does not have many of them,” Coach Chen simply explained about the nine ranks of the Martial Path.
“Every three ranks have a huge gap between them.”
Zhao Feng’s mind drew a simple diagram.
First three ranks: Strengthen the body and set up a good foundation.
Fourth to the sixth rank: form inner strength or chi. Every move and action far surpass the power of Martial Learners.
Seventh to ninth ranks: Upgrading Inner Strength to Transformation Strength, which can attack through the air.
There were rumors in Cloud Country of Big Martial Masters, those who had reached the peak of the ninth rank and had the title of Ten Thousand Man Army, who could easily kill their enemies.
In their eyes, normal Martial Artists and deadly beasts were ants.
“First we will talk about the first and second rank of the Martial Path. Through martial art skills, we strengthen our body and blood…” Coach Chen first talked about the foundation of the first two ranks.
Many of the disciples on the field had already reached the third rank, so they did not pay much attention to this. Zhao Feng paid close attention as he had been at the first rank of the Martial Path for a very long time. And the one hundred or so martial art books in his mind were now viewed differently.
He suddenly remembered the first skill he learned, Flaming Metal Fists. Slowly, the moves, experiences, and skills faded out of his memory.
Zhao Feng was shocked as he did not know what this meant. The only thing he knew was that Flaming Metal Fists had reached past the peak level. He did not realize that he had accidentally entered a meditational state. These states were rare, even for geniuses.
“Next we will talk about the skills of the second and third rank, and how to execute them…” Coach Chen didn’t just speak; he also showed how to practice them.
Being a true Martial Artist, any moves Coach Chen showed were all middle ranked martial arts trained to the peak level. Even if Coach Chen used the power of the third rank and middle ranked martial arts, he could still easily beat the top ten disciples.
“Lastly, I will be telling you tricks about Inner Strength. A few of you have already reached the peak of the third rank and are just a bit away from entering the fourth rank.” As Coach Chen spoke up, his lips curled into a smile. The top ten outer disciples had all reached the peak of the third rank.
“Even I cannot fully explain how chi works. The key point is how each of you understands Inner Strength. All I can do is give you some of my experiences…” Coach Chen’s voice turned low. Just as he finished his sentence, he gave off a frightening aura.
At that moment, all the Zhao sect disciples were unable to breathe properly. The unseen pressure flooded over all the Martial Learners.
“What strength! Is this inner strength? If
I had that I could try to break through to become a true martial artist…” The crowd held their breaths as they looked on in awe.
“Inner Strength is, after all, a type of power that forms from within one’s body. Thus, strong blood is the key point in forming Inner Strength. And the strength of one’s blood depends on how strong one’s body and bones are. This is also why the first three ranks are known as the Power ranks. They provide a solid foundation to be built on,” Coach Chen said as he demonstrated.
“Rock Breaking Palm!” A faint yellow glow emitted from the center of his palm.
Peh—-
Before the palm even hit the ground, the force from the palm had already arrived.
“Ah!”
That palm’s power, filled with Inner Strength, was like a mountain that came crushing towards the disciples. The aura alone could make the Martial Learners yield.
Plop!
Three disciples of the second rank who stood at the front fell onto the ground.
“Hmph! I can see that your foundation is weak. The wind from my palm has already made you fall. If it was someone of the seventh rank or higher instead of me, you guys would have already been crushed into pieces…” Coach Chen shook his head.
As he was explaining and demonstrating, one youth was like a sculpture that didn’t move. After Coach Chen finished his demonstration, the youth closed his eyes.
“Inner strength is like that…” Zhao Feng closed his eyes. In his mind, the picture of a person’s body once again came up.
At a certain point, a faint yellow glow came from inside the blood. When Coach Chen was demonstrating earlier, Zhao Feng had used his left eye to get a better look…
His eye had caught every subtle change in Coach Chen’s body, including how chi was formed. In his mind, this scene was now being replayed back and forth. Maybe Coach Chen himself could not understand the changes in his body so precisely.
Next, Coach Chen demonstrated some of his own experiences again. Every time he demonstrated, Zhao Feng would use his left eye to observe. While the other disciples could only hear the reasoning, Zhao Feng could fully see how it was formed.
Half an hour later, Coach Chen’s lecture ended.
“You cannot force Inner Strength. To form chi, you must have good talent and a solid foundation.” Coach Chen shook his head as he left. It was obvious that he did not have much hope in these outer disciples.
If his explanation could make one or two of them understand inner strength, it would be unexpected…
After Coach Chen departed, most of the disciples were left with questioning faces. After all, Inner Strength could not be described. It was different for everyone.
The disciples that ranked highly had gained some insights. Zhao Yue, who was ranked first, and Zhao Yijian sometimes had expressions of thought and sometimes expressions of happiness…
Zhao Yufei’s eyebrows were slightly fluttering.
As for Zhao Feng, he closed his eyes while standing still. Inside his mind, the memory of Coach Chen performing was replayed over and over…
A while later...
Zhao Feng let out a breath as he hurriedly returned home.
Bang!
As soon as he got home he closed the room and sat down cross-legged.
“I have finally understood how Inner Strength works…” Inside his mind, the last pages of Lightly Floating Ferry came up once again.
According to the Air Pushing Breathing Technique, if he trained it to the peak of the third level, he would have the foundation to form Inner Strength.
He spent the rest of the day fully absorbing the insights he had gained. At night, Zhao Feng performed the Air Pushing Breathing Technique a few times to confirm that he had reached the peak of the third level.
“It is starting now…” Zhao Feng took a deep breath as he slowly tried to form his chi. Following Lightly Floating Ferry, Zhao Feng slowly pushed his blood together.
Compared to the Air Pushing Breathing Technique, the standards of Lightly Floating Ferry were much higher.
Soon Zhao Feng’s blood passed through his body. Everything went smoothly. However, just at the end, Zhao Feng felt like he had no energy left.
The reason was that, while Zhao Feng’s blood was strong, he lacked in quantity. In terms of blood strength he could be compared to Zhao Yue, but regarding quantity, he was still a ways off.
Zhao Feng had not reached the peak of the third rank, and the way in which Lightly Floating Ferry formed Inner Strength was harder than most other skills.
“If I fail, my blood will fall into a period of weakness, and it will be harder for me to form it next time…” Zhao Feng grit his teeth as he took out a two hundred-year-old blood plant.
Hu!
Zhao Feng sucked in a breath as the energy from the blood plant merged into his bloodstream.
Weng~
At the last moment, Zhao Feng felt the blood rushing within him.
Ha!
A shout as loud as lightning sounded within the room, causing the windows to rattle. The room went became dark due to the fact that the candle had been blown out.
Under the moonlight, there was a youth full of anticipation who slowly opened his palm. A beautiful faint green glow appeared...
Chapter 18 – Ranking
“I did it!” Zhao Feng restrained himself from shouting.
At this moment, he only needed one thought to emit a faint green glow from his palm. If one did not look closely, one would not be able to see it. This was the first thread of Inner Strength that Zhao Feng had formed. He had never thought that his dream would be so close to him.
Once someone formed their first thread of Inner Strength, the bottleneck to the fourth rank would be almost nonexistent.
For Zhao Feng, it was now only a matter of time. He only needed to reach the peak of the third rank, and he would be able to step into the fourth rank, becoming a true Martial Artist.
“There are no other outer disciples in the Zhao sect that have formed their first thread of Inner Strength yet. Not even Zhao Yue and Zhao Yijian…” When Zhao Feng realized that, he had a satisfied expression.
Being able to form chi at the third rank meant that he was unstoppable for his cultivation level.
“The two-hundred-year-old blood plant cannot go to waste.” Zhao Feng felt that his body still had remnants left from the blood plant, so he formed a few more threads of chi.
Inner strength was one’s strength compressed into a higher level. To consolidate his chi, Zhao Feng meditated for one day and one night.
The moment he stepped out of his room he felt that every breath of his could instantly conjure great pressure.
Zhao Feng’s parents were also aware of this.
“Feng’er seems a bit different. It seems he has more energy nowadays,” Zhao Shi smiled.
“It is time for his growth spurt.” His father Zhao Tianyang even felt a faint pressure emanating from Zhao Feng.
Their feelings were not wrong. These changes indeed did occur to Zhao Feng.
After merging with the mysterious eye, Zhao Feng’s blood had started to change slowly.The most obvious point was his strength, it had increased at a rapid rate. His height and mental energy were also growing. Adding on the change of his heart state, his whole aura had changed.
“Even my parents can see that I have changed. This means that Martial Artists can easily see that I have formed Inner Strength.” Zhao Feng went into deep thought. There was still one month left until the family sparring contest, and his goal was to enter the top three!
“I need a way to hide my chi.” Soon, the one hundred martial art skills popped up in his mind.
He quickly chose a skill named Hiding Air Technique.
The Hiding Air Technique was not a combat skill; it could not even increase one’s cultivation. The reason why Zhao Feng picked it up before was that it was a peak middle ranked martial art, the same level as Angry Dragon Fis
ts.
If Hiding Air Technique was trained to the low level, it could hide one’s inner strength and cultivation. When it reached the high level, one could control one’s aura. When it reached the peak level, one could erase one’s aura, which could be used for tracking and spying. Even a dog would be unable to smell one’s presence.
Zhao Feng began to train in the Hiding Air Technique on the same day. Although it was a peak middle ranked martial art it was easy for to Zhao Feng to train in it.
Using just half a day worth of time, Zhao Feng had already trained the Hiding Air Technique to the low level, which meant that he could now conceal his inner strength. Even true martial artists of the fourth rank or higher would be unable to find out that Zhao Feng had inner strength.
“According to the book, one needs at least a few months to train it to the low level.” Zhao Feng was slightly shocked, but then he thought about how he had even learned Lightly Floating Ferry, which was a high-rank martial art.
Since the Hiding Air Technique was now at the low level, Zhao Feng could now openly walk around.
After a few more days it was the time for signing up for the family sparring contest.
“Feng’er, you can sign up for the family sparring contest now. Do not forget to register,” Zhao Tianyang warned him.
“Ok, I will go right now.” Zhao Feng was very confident.
Zhao Tianyang nodded his head, “You have already reached the third rank. You should be able to reach the top one hundred.”
“Top one hundred?” Zhao Feng laughed as he shook his head. His parents did not have much confidence in him. Zhao Feng felt certain that if he could not place first, he could still place in the top three.
Soon after, Zhao Feng arrived at the registering place.
The family sparring contest was held once every three years and the signup time was one month before the contest itself.
Many other disciples were lining up when Zhao Feng arrived.
King of Gods_Book 1_Chinese Translation Page 10
