Infinite Fighting

On October 7th, in the quarterfinals, Zhang Ji once again defeated his opponent in a single move.

On October 8th, in the semifinals, Zhang Ji faced Hu Chang of the Seven Peaks Alliance. They traded a palm strike. Hu Chang’s Palm Skill was indeed quite powerful, but Zhang Ji still sent him flying off the stage with one overwhelming move.

And with that, the finalists were decided.

Wang Pinghong of the Northern Dao Sect versus Zhang Ji of the Five Elements Sect.

In his previous match, Wang Pinghong had also fought Su Yu of the Southern Dao Sect, winning with a significant advantage.

His publicly stated strength of Professional Eighth Rank seemed to be an understatement.

He was likely already at the level of a Professional Ninth Rank.

October 9th was a day of rest, allowing everyone to recover their strength and prepare for the final match on October 10th.

Zhang Ji, however, did not rest. He was still training.

He now had nine "Iron Shirt Skill" crystals and nine essences.

He hadn’t been able to train with his full focus recently because of the tournament; otherwise, he would have formed his tenth Iron Shirt Skill crystal by yesterday.

But with the day off today, he had enough time to cultivate the last essence he needed.

Zhang Ji spent the entire day training.

At ten o’clock at night, a notification appeared before Zhang Ji. He had obtained another essence.

He extracted this essence into his Limited Space.

Immediately, his consciousness also descended into the Limited Space.

Within the pitch-black Limited Space, a green Dragon Form Fist essence, a Raccoon Claw Skill essence, nine Iron Shirt Skill crystals, and the ten Iron Shirt Skill essences were scattered about, like stars decorating the night sky.

With a thought, the ten Iron Shirt Skill essences merged into one, forming a new Iron Shirt Skill crystal.

Now, within his Limited Space, there were ten combat skill crystals of the same grade.

[Prompt: Synthesize 10x Iron Shirt Skill (Common) combat skill crystals?]

"Yes!"

After Zhang Ji confirmed, the ten Iron Shirt Skill crystals began to intertwine, fusing and colliding together in a brilliant flash of light.

’I wonder what kind of advanced skill crystal ten Common Iron Shirt Skill crystals will synthesize into,’ Zhang Ji murmured to himself.

Zhang Ji watched as the ten crystals finally merged into one, forming a skill crystal that was a size larger and emitted a faint green glow.

[Prompt: Successfully synthesized 1x Iron Body Skill (Fine) combat skill crystal.]

Zhang Ji’s eyes rippled with emotion as he looked at the green combat skill crystal.

All he had to do now was integrate it into his body, and he would possess C-Class strength.

With a slight shift of his will, Zhang Ji extracted the crystal from his Limited Space and fused it directly into his body.

The moment it fused, Zhang Ji felt his consciousness blur as a flood of memories surged into his mind.

They were memories of him constantly innovating the Iron Shirt Skill, training it to its absolute limit, and reaching its pinnacle.

He had taken the Iron Shirt Skill at one hundred percent mastery, discarded its impurities while keeping its essence, and innovated a technique that took it to the next level. Working from the outside in, he had deduced an entirely new martial art.

Its name was the Iron Body Skill.

This art no longer merely tempered the skin, flesh, and fascia on the surface. Instead, it used vibrations of a specific frequency to penetrate deep into the flesh, blood, bones, and internal organs, transforming the entire body into a much tougher structure.

While providing superior defense, it also possessed a more powerful rebounding force. At the same time, one could actively vibrate their muscles and Qi and Blood to accumulate power for an instantaneous burst.

As Zhang Ji finished digesting these memories, he became aware of the sensations in his body.

It was the feeling of a water bottle being stretched to its limits.

This time, it was far more intense than before.

A qualitative change in a skill was also a qualitative change in strength; its transformation of the body was much more violent.

It wasn’t as simple as just acquiring one or two skill crystals of the same grade.

Zhang Ji knew very well that even twenty Iron Shirt Skill crystals couldn’t compare to this single Iron Body Skill crystal.

After about ten minutes, the changes in Zhang Ji’s body finally ceased.

He went to the bathroom mirror to examine himself.

His originally bronze-colored skin had returned to a normal flesh tone. The muscles that had previously looked somewhat bulky now appeared less conspicuous and perfectly proportioned.

Zhang Ji circulated his breath slightly, and his body let out a humming sound.

BZZZZ!

His muscles vibrated, and his skin took on a metallic luster, like pyrite.

Zhang Ji struck his chest with his fist.

CLANG!

It wasn’t just his skin that produced a metallic sound; it was as if his very organs and bones had turned to metal.

Zhang Ji stopped circulating his energy. When he patted his chest now, it felt no different from normal flesh.

However, if the force reached a certain threshold, his muscles would automatically tense up. Muscle memory would reflexively redirect his Qi and Blood, and he would instantly enter that metallic state again.

Normally, it remained in a concealed, energy-saving state, but it would erupt instantly in response to stress.

Just thinking about it felt insidious.

Others would never guess from his appearance that Zhang Ji was a Horizontal Training Expert. Only when a real fight broke out, at the very moment they attacked him, would they finally realize.

And by then, Zhang Ji would have already attacked his opponent.

It would catch them completely off guard.

’What about the Tremor Art?’

At the thought, Zhang Ji circulated his Qi and Blood.

The muscles and tendons inside his body emitted a taut humming and snapping sound, like a spring being pulled tight.

He tightened them to the absolute limit and then threw a punch into the air.

BOOM! CRACK! WHOOSH!

A gust of wind from his fist swept forward, and the mirror over a meter in front of him was instantly covered in fine cracks.

It wasn’t damage from primordial qi, just the sheer force of the air displaced by his punch.

If that punch had landed on a solid target...

A rare smile touched Zhang Ji’s lips.

He finally felt a sense of security.

At least he no longer had to worry about some random person popping out and killing him off like a common mob.

But he couldn’t relax yet. This was all just the first step.

He still had a long road ahead of him!

.....

.....

At 7:00 PM on the evening of October 10th, the grand finals were about to begin.

The venue was packed to the rafters, and the associated livestreams were buzzing with peak popularity.

At the judges’ table, the Grandmasters were discussing amongst themselves.

"Wang Pinghong is currently the most outstanding disciple of the new generation from the Northern Dao Sect. His primordial qi cultivation is exceptionally high, and he has a chance to become a Grandmaster before the age of thirty. Zhang Ji is relatively younger. Although his strength is not bad, the fighting style he’s shown so far has no real technique to speak of. It’s just pure, brute force. I still think Wang Pinghong has a higher chance of winning," said a Grandmaster from the Lishan Sect.

"I disagree. I actually think Zhang Ji’s chances are higher. To this day, he hasn’t faced a single opponent worthy of a second move. His strength is there for all to see," a Grandmaster from the Seven Peaks Alliance chimed in.

"Li Long, Daoist Shaosi, what are your thoughts?" asked a Grandmaster from the Southern Dao Sect.

"I, of course, still support Wang Pinghong for the win. However, victory or defeat is secondary. The main purpose is mutual exchange and the advancement of martial arts," Ma Rui said, giving a very official-sounding response.

"Zhang Ji is still young, after all, and a bit impetuous. I think it would actually be better for him if he loses this time. It would let him understand that there’s always someone stronger..." Li Long also said politely.

He glossed over Zhang Ji’s past disrespectful behavior with the simple excuse of him being young and impetuous.

If Zhang Ji really did lose, it would also save some face.

One could say that Li Long was genuinely looking out for Zhang Ji.

Given his personality, he would never have said something like this in the past.

It could only be said that the trip to Shanli Island had indeed calmed his once-restless heart. His Grandmaster demeanor was on full display.

Yan Ruifeng, sitting next to Li Long, watched him with great satisfaction. He felt more and more that the Five Elements Sect was on the verge of prosperity.

With Li Long’s talent, it was only a matter of time before he comprehended the unity of the five forms and stepped into the realm of a Terrestrial Immortal.

And Zhang Ji, Li Long’s disciple, was no less talented. Perhaps this generation of the Five Elements Sect would see two Terrestrial Immortals existing at the same time.

Two Terrestrial Immortals in one sect?

Such a thing had only happened a few times in several thousand years of history.

Amidst the discussion, the opening performance came to an end.

After the host finished reading the sponsors’ names and the opening remarks, he called for Zhang Ji and Wang Pinghong to come to the stage.

"This is the final of the 8th Martial Arts Tournament! Let’s welcome, from the Five Elements Sect—Zhang Ji!!!"

Zhang Ji slowly walked onto the stage, a spotlight following him all the way to the fighting ring.

As Zhang Ji walked, the host recounted his past achievements—all one-hit victories, a very conspicuous record.

Many of Zhang Ji’s fans were also shouting his name.

Some busybody had even given him the nickname "One-Punch Zhang."

This was because he had defeated his opponents with a single punch several times.

Next up was Wang Pinghong’s entrance.

He wore a modified, plain-colored Daoist robe of the Northern Dao Sect. With a slight smile on his face, he appeared very calm and amiable.

This demeanor also attracted many fans, especially a large number of female fans.

After the two reached the ring, they stood facing each other. Zhang Ji could clearly sense his opponent’s aura.

It was a feeling of a self-contained cycle.

The primordial qi arts of the Northern Dao Sect were not Active Skills, but passive ones. Once one reached minor mastery, their energy would circulate automatically whether they were walking, sitting, or lying down, constantly increasing their primordial qi cultivation.

Compared to Zhang Ji’s Dragon Form Fist, it was much more advanced and far more efficient.

’Of course, their Nine Yin Divine Skill is a Blue (Excellent) grade skill, a tier higher than my own.’

’Sooner or later, I’ll have to pay a visit to the Northern Dao Sect and take a look at it.’

"Fighters, exchange salutes," the host announced.

"Northern Dao Sect, Wang Pinghong!" Wang Pinghong said, clasping his hands in a salute to Zhang Ji.

"Five Elements Sect, Zhang Ji," Zhang Ji replied, returning the salute.

For the rare occasion that he actually wanted something from someone—their martial art—Zhang Ji was being polite for once.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the battle was about to erupt.

BOOM!

With a deafening explosion of sound, Zhang Ji’s fist stopped in mid-air, right beside Wang Pinghong’s head.

The force of the wind from the punch made Wang Pinghong’s right ear ache. His ears were ringing, and his mind went almost completely blank.

He didn’t even have time to react. His Protective Primordial Qi was shattered the instant it grazed the fist. Zhang Ji then restrained himself, stopping his punch in the empty air instead of smashing it into Wang Pinghong’s pretty face.

Zhang Ji considered that he still planned to get his hands on the man’s martial arts in the future, so it was best to show some courtesy now.

Wang Pinghong stood frozen, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He understood that he had already lost.

But the way he lost was just absurd...

’Peak of the first-rate? No, he’s a Grandmaster, isn’t he?’

’Such a young Grandmaster?’

Down below the stage, the crowd was even more astounded.

Those with a discerning eye could already see Zhang Ji’s level.

Li Long’s eyes were also wide with incredulity.

He knew better than anyone how difficult the step from the peak of first-rate to Grandmaster was.

Practicing martial arts was always easier at the beginning; the further one went, the more arduous it became.

It had taken him a full five years to cross that single threshold.

But Zhang Ji seemed to have faced no obstacle at all?

Aside from being astonished by Zhang Ji’s Grandmaster-level strength, Ma Rui was even more shocked by the technique he had used.

"The Tremor Art from the ’Indestructible Vajra Body Divine Skill’?" Ma Rui’s expression shifted slightly.

There was a reason the Vajra Sect had been the first to be eliminated back then.

Besides being a bit too conspicuous, the most important reason was that their martial arts posed the greatest danger to society.

An ordinary martial artist, even a Professional Seventh or Eighth Rank, would have to dodge a handgun.

But a member of the Vajra Sect, once they reached Professional Third Rank or higher, could withstand small-caliber firearms. At Professional Seventh Rank or higher, they could even tank shots from a submachine gun.

If a Horizontal Training Expert like that went berserk, the threat they posed would far exceed that of several martial artists of the same level combined.

The authorities had confiscated all related martial arts very thoroughly. He never expected a remnant like Zhang Ji to appear now. He wondered if the authorities would come looking for trouble with the Five Elements Sect.