Infinite Fighting

"I concede!"

Wang Pinghong performed a formal salute and conceded to Zhang Ji.

"You let me win," Zhang Ji said, also clasping his fist.

For once, he was being the very model of politeness.

If Wang Pinghong knew that Zhang Ji was actually thinking about how to get the Nine Yin Divine Skill from him, the look on his face probably wouldn’t be very pleasant.

"It’s over already? What just happened?"

"My boy lost just like that?"

"Still just one punch? But why didn’t he send him flying this time? Has One-Punch Zhang gotten so polite? Looks like he treats people differently based on who they are. When faced with the Northern Dao Sect, he certainly knows his manners!"

"Director, please replay that last scene..."

Soon, the previous scene was replayed.

In the replay, Zhang Ji threw a punch at incredible speed. The force of the blow sent the surrounding flags fluttering, broke through Wang Pinghong’s primordial qi, and was strong enough to slightly distort his cheeks and leave a red mark on his ear where it grazed him.

If that punch had landed on Wang Pinghong’s body, there would have been only one outcome.

He would have been turned into paste.

But the audience was still a little confused.

This was the first time in history that a martial arts tournament final had ended so quickly.

Everyone had expected a fierce clash of titans, but who would have thought it would end so anticlimactically?

However, Wang Pinghong had already conceded and the host had announced the winner. Everything was set in stone.

Many in the audience were not satisfied.

"Refund! Did I fucking pay to see this?"

"That’s it? I’ve already taken off my pants and this is all you show me?"

"Hey, hey, hey, even if you’re going to throw a match, you don’t do it this obviously, do you?"

...

Naturally, the Martial Arts Association couldn’t completely ignore the audience’s uproar.

Ma Rui walked onto the stage, presented the award to Zhang Ji, and while handing over the trophy, he also tried to placate the audience.

He said to Zhang Ji, "Young friend Zhang, look at this huge crowd today. Many of them are your fans. Ending things so abruptly does seem a bit hasty. How about you and I have a little spar? We can display some of our skills and give the crowd a proper show."

The president of the Martial Arts Association himself taking action—that would definitely be worth the price of admission.

As soon as he said this, most of the audience quieted down.

Zhang Ji thought it over and decided to agree. It was a good way to do Ma Rui a favor, and it was also a chance to personally test the strength of the man publicly acknowledged as the most powerful figure in the martial arts world. On top of that, he could gauge his own current power level.

"Alright," Zhang Ji said with a nod.

And so, though the final was over, an exhibition match was about to begin.

"Wow, I can’t believe we’re going to see Daoist Shaosi fight in person! The last time I remember him taking action was four years ago," the host immediately exclaimed.

The Grandmasters in the judges’ seats were also surprised that Ma Rui intended to personally step in and instruct Zhang Ji.

"That young man is barely a fledgling, probably not even twenty. Daoist Shaosi must have taken a liking to his talent!"

"To receive guidance from Daoist Shaosi... his future is boundless!"

"A Grandmaster so young... I’d be more than willing to build a good relationship with him myself. I’m just worried I wouldn’t be able to beat these energetic young folks, hahaha~!"

With the exception of the Xian Mountain Sect, the Grandmasters from the other sects all had a friendly attitude. There was no telling how far a Grandmaster as young as Zhang Ji could go in the future, and no one wanted to offend him at a time like this.

Only the people from the Xian Mountain Sect looked displeased.

One Li Long was already enough to keep them on edge. Now with a Zhang Ji on top of that, had the Five Elements Sect’s ancestral tombs started emitting green smoke or something?

On the stage, after some brief preparations, Zhang Ji and Ma Rui performed their salutes and began the match.

Ma Rui’s stance was relaxed, a smile on his face, his entire demeanor calm and composed.

Zhang Ji, however, didn’t dare to be careless. Ma Rui was a veteran Grandmaster-Level figure with a resounding reputation in the martial arts world, something even he was aware of.

The Northern Dao Sect’s current pillar-like status in the martial arts world wasn’t built on pleasantries. This man’s combat record was the real deal.

"BOOM~!"

Having gathered his strength to the absolute limit, Zhang Ji’s body shot forward like a coiled spring. He unleashed a full-power Dragon Form Fist, striking at Ma Rui.

This time, he wasn’t aiming for empty air; he was going straight for Ma Rui’s chest.

Faced with this attack, Ma Rui neither dodged nor retreated. Instead, he met Zhang Ji’s fist with an open palm.

Before Zhang Ji’s fist even made contact with Ma Rui’s palm, he felt waves of primordial qi dissipating his punch’s power. In the end, Ma Rui gently caught his fist and pushed it aside.

With that single push, Zhang Ji’s right arm was deflected, almost completely powerless to resist.

Zhang Ji changed his attack and went after Ma Rui again, unleashing every fighting technique he had ever learned.

Ma Rui showed no intention of dodging, meeting every single move and neutralizing it with ease.

During their exchange, Zhang Ji’s attacks were thunderous. Explosive cracks rang out from time to time, and his feet stamped crater after crater into the stage. Ma Rui, however, stood motionless in place. Within a one-meter radius around him, the stage was pristine. Outside of that circle, everything had been destroyed by the aftershocks of Zhang Ji’s power.

"What is full cannot be sustained. The overly rigid is easily broken. Instead of meeting force with force, let it flow out; ride its wave..." Ma Rui suddenly said to Zhang Ji.

Ma Rui used his primordial qi to focus his voice, making it explode clearly around Zhang Ji.

Hearing this, Zhang Ji seemed to have an epiphany.

It was a technique for utilizing his current external cultivation method.

When taking a hit, you should follow the direction of the force and vent it, rather than just bracing against it.

Kratos had told Zhang Ji something similar, but not in such depth.

Suddenly, a pattern emerged in Zhang Ji’s attacks.

"HUMMM~!"

"HUMMM~!"

"HUMMM~!"

Ma Rui pushed away Zhang Ji’s attacks one by one. Each time, a metallic hum emanated from Zhang Ji’s body, the vibrations growing stronger with each blow, like ripples in a wave, using the opponent’s force against them.

After stacking the effect five times, Zhang Ji swung out with a palm. This time, however, Ma Rui didn’t meet it head-on. Instead, he gently guided it, redirecting Zhang Ji’s palm toward a metal pillar on the side of the stage.

"CLANG~! BOOM~!"

The metal pillar bent instantly, and his Palm Seal was clearly imprinted upon it.

"Holy shit~! That thing’s gotta be solid, right?" a spectator shouted.

"It’s not just solid, it’s special-grade steel!"

"No wonder my boy conceded the moment he saw Zhang Ji throw a punch. Who could possibly take a hit from a monster like that?"

"Daoist Ma Rui is the one who’s truly strong! It looks like that Zhang Ji never even managed to land a real hit on him from start to finish. Look at the ground beneath Daoist Ma Rui’s feet—within a one-meter radius, there isn’t a single sign of damage!"

...

On the stage, Ma Rui relaxed his stance and stood up straight. He smiled and said, "Young friend Zhang, your comprehension is truly extraordinary."

Zhang Ji also withdrew his attack and bowed to Ma Rui. "Thank you for your guidance, Daoist Shaosi."

’The Northern Dao Sect’s foundation is truly profound.’

’I’m still figuring out this skill I synthesized and deduced with my system, yet he saw right through it from the start and even taught me how to better use my own strength.’

The spar between the two ended there, and they did not continue.

At this point, the host stepped onto the stage again.

"That was a truly spectacular performance! Let’s give another round of thanks to our two masters..."

After that, it was just a matter of going through the motions. Zhang Ji gave a few remarks, said some positive things, thanked the Five Elements Sect for nurturing him and the Martial Arts Association for providing the stage. Ma Rui also said a few words, thanking his peers in the martial arts world and the audience, and so on. Finally, there was the closing ceremony performance.

This time, Zhang Ji gave them enough face to force out a few sentences of thanks.

’If the Northern Dao Sect were willing to let me have a look at the *Nine Yin Scripture*, I bet I could discover a hidden talent for public speaking and give a half-hour speech right here on the spot.’

...

After the competition ended, Zhang Ji gathered his rewards and prepared to head back.

First was the three million in prize money.

That wasn’t particularly important. What mattered were the other things.

Ten Qi Replenishing Pills, a bottle of Snake Gallbladder Clearing Spirit Liquid, a box of Lishan Bone-Strengthening Ointment...

It was a miscellaneous collection of secret medicines from various major sects. Any single one of them was worth around a million, and they couldn’t be bought even if you had the money.

But these weren’t even the best part of the prize.

The ultimate prize was the right to choose and learn one martial art from any of the sects that participated in the tournament.

He could even choose a Grandmaster-Level martial art.

This was the true purpose of the martial arts tournament.

The martial arts world was in decline, so this method of exchange had been created to promote communication and break down the barriers between sects.

On the plane, Li Long handed Zhang Ji a tablet that contained a catalog and descriptions of the martial arts he could choose from.

The Five Elements Sect’s martial arts were also on the list, but there was only one Grandmaster-Level technique: the Snake Form Fist.

’It’s obvious that even when they’re supposed to be sharing their Grandmaster-Level martial arts, the sects are still reluctant and hold quite a bit back!’

"Don’t bother looking at our sect’s techniques. I’ll teach you all of them when we get back. Just check out the martial arts from the other sects," Li Long said.

"Mm, I know," Zhang Ji replied with a nod.

With that, Zhang Ji began to browse.

He took one look at the martial arts from the smaller sects and dismissed them.

They were all hyped up, but mastering them wouldn’t even get you to the level of a professional Fifth Rank. Many were even worse than the foundational techniques of his own Five Elements Sect.

Then, Zhang Ji went straight for the martial arts of the major sects.

The Seven Peaks Alliance’s Grandmaster-Level martial art was called the Divine Radiance Palm.

The name sounded grand, and the description was impressive, claiming that a single palm strike would create a divine radiance that blinded the enemy, making it impossible to defend against.

’All style and no substance,’ Zhang Ji thought instantly.

’Just a bunch of flashy nonsense.’

The Lishan Sect’s technique was similar, a movement art called True Pointing Step.

As for the Xian Mountain Sect, he glanced at it once and immediately looked away.

’The conflict between our sects is too deep. Even if they gave it to me for free, I wouldn’t dare practice it. Who knows what kind of hidden traps they might have buried in it?’

The Grandmaster-Level martial art offered by the Southern Dao Sect was a technique from the [Primordial Qi Sect] called Innate Qi Cultivation.

To be fair, Zhang Ji had heard of this one. It was said to be a primordial qi martial art focused heavily on health cultivation. It nurtured a breath of innate primordial qi, nourished the three treasures of essence, qi, and spirit, and if mastered before the age of fifty, would allow one to easily live past one hundred and fifty.

However, it offered very little in terms of direct combat power, and Zhang Ji wasn’t a fan of health cultivation techniques.

They always required you to restrain your emotions, move less, think less, and even give up heavy oils, salts, and sugars. He would only practice a health cultivation technique if he had absolutely no other choice.

Swiping past that option, Zhang Ji’s gaze was drawn to the Grandmaster-Level martial art offered by the Northern Dao Sect.

"Hm~! Holy shit!" In an instant, Zhang Ji’s expression changed dramatically.

’*True Qi Nourishing Spirit Skill*?’

’For real? They’re actually offering this?’

’This can’t be the same one I remember, can it?’