Infinite Fighting

He opened the porcelain bottle, tipped out a pill that looked like a piece of hard candy, and swallowed it.

Before long, Zhang Ji felt his energy and spirit noticeably recover.

Practicing the *Dragon Form Fist* was much more difficult than the *Iron Shirt*, especially the part about refining Primordial Qi.

Every time he refined his Primordial Qi, he would feel an extreme exhaustion that was both mental and physical.

After a short recovery, Zhang Ji converted the combat skills on his body into crystals and essences, tossed them into the Limited Space, and started practicing the *Iron Shirt* again.

He had a very clear understanding of himself.

’I’m still very weak right now. In a world this complex, the only way to gain a firm foothold is to work hard and constantly improve my strength.’

THWACK, THWACK, THWACK!

As the wooden mallet struck him, Zhang Ji felt that something was different this time.

After the pain, a tingling numbness and a warm current would flow through the corresponding area.

’Primordial Qi!’

Zhang Ji seemed to have an epiphany.

Primordial Qi, a form of bio-energy, had many effects, but its most common use was to nourish the body and heal hidden injuries.

It was energy extracted from within the body, so when used on the body again, the effects were excellent.

In the [True Self Style], fighters of the [Primordial Qi Sect] weren’t necessarily the strongest in combat, but their life-preservation techniques were definitely the best.

As long as one didn’t practice the wrong technique or over-extract their Primordial Qi, there was absolutely no risk of causing serious internal strain. On the contrary, the older they got, the more profound their Primordial Qi cultivation became, the better their physical condition, and the stronger their Combat Power.

This time, it actually took Zhang Ji quite a bit of effort to beat his body until it was red all over.

The Primordial Qi would rapidly repair the damage to his body, forcing him to strike himself for an extra few dozen minutes just to turn his skin red.

Of course, he could also just hit harder.

But for now, Zhang Ji couldn’t quite grasp the right degree of force and didn’t dare to be reckless.

After soaking in the medicinal bath, he could clearly feel the changes occurring within him. This one training session was easily equivalent to three days of effort. As long as he waited for the medicinal power to be fully absorbed, he would definitely be able to condense an essence.

’In other words, while also cultivating the *Dragon Form Fist*, my training efficiency has actually increased instead of decreased?’

Zhang Ji was lost in thought.

He had originally planned to focus on the *Iron Shirt* first and put the *Dragon Form Fist* aside.

But by this calculation, if he cultivated the *Dragon Form Fist* concurrently, he would only need two months to obtain six *Iron Shirt* combat skill crystals ahead of schedule.

That was even faster than he had anticipated.

However, this also meant his demand for Essence Pills would increase.

Zhang Ji could clearly feel that after that last training session, his body was a bit depleted again.

Originally, one Essence Pill a day had been more than enough, but now he felt he would probably need to consume about two a day.

Zhang Ji looked at the Essence Pills in the Five Elements Sect’s online store on his phone, his focus on the upcoming Inner Sect monthly competition sharpening.

...

The next day, the machine Zhang Ji had ordered was delivered to his small courtyard.

That’s right, he now lived in a private courtyard. This was one of the perks of being a True Disciple, and as long as he didn’t die, this courtyard would be his forever.

A drone dropped a wooden crate into the courtyard. After Zhang Ji opened it, he saw a foldable iron cube, about one meter square.

’Connect to Wi-Fi, then open the app to start?’

Zhang Ji operated his phone and tapped "Start."

The next moment, the iron cube emitted a humming sound. Indicator lights on its surface lit up, and it began to unfold automatically, eventually taking a form similar to a wooden training dummy.

However, this wasn’t a wooden dummy. It was a training post Zhang Ji had custom-ordered for practicing the *Iron Shirt*.

It could deliver high-frequency vibrating strikes, and its force could be adjusted to multiple levels. A single charge could power it at full capacity for several days, which was much easier than the strenuous effort of hammering himself.

Zhang Ji then used it for a training session.

BZZZZZ!

A humming sound arose as the small, glove-covered fists on the iron post began to vibrate and strike rapidly. Zhang Ji stepped inside and was instantly hit all over his body.

When he did it himself, he could only hit one spot at a time. This was much more convenient.

Time passed. In less than half an hour, Zhang Ji’s entire body was bright red.

’This is more than five times as efficient as doing it myself!’

Plus, he had conserved his stamina.

After his medicinal bath later, he could practice the *Dragon Form Fist* again.

Zhang Ji looked back at the iron post and remarked, "A true fusion of ancient and modern."

For the next few days, Zhang Ji continued to train in this manner.

After finishing his *Iron Shirt* practice, he would move on to the *Dragon Form Fist*, and then take an Essence Pill.

In the process, Zhang Ji discovered that the effect of extracting Primordial Qi while cultivating the *Dragon Form Fist* was best when he was in his "full state."

That is, when all the *Iron Shirt* combat skill crystals were inside his body.

In this state, his constitution was stronger, he could extract more Primordial Qi when practicing the *Dragon Form Fist*, and his absorption efficiency for Essence Pills was at its peak.

So, Zhang Ji had now learned to skillfully switch between states.

He practiced the *Iron Shirt* in his normal state, and cultivated the *Dragon Form Fist* and took Essence Pills in his full state.

Between different martial arts, there was often a complementary relationship.

This was especially true for arts within the same major school.

Just like the five Grandmaster Fist Skills of the Five Elements Sect, they were all complementary.

Therefore, the *Dragon Form Fist* also enhanced the *Iron Shirt*.

The *Iron Shirt* and the *Raccoon Claw Skill* were also complementary.

...

Time passed quickly, and the day of the Five Elements Sect’s Inner Sect monthly competition arrived.

In the Five Elements Sect’s training grounds, five hundred Inner Sect Disciples stood in neat rows, all wearing the Sect’s uniform.

The Five Elements Sect was divided into five halls based on the different Fist Skill paths, so the uniforms were also divided by color and pattern.

Snake was green, Crane white, Leopard yellow, Tiger brown, and Dragon blue.

Furthermore, each colored uniform had a corresponding animal emblem.

But in the current Five Elements Sect, no one practiced the *Dragon Form Fist* from the foundational stage anymore.

So there were no blue uniforms among the disciples on the field.

But there was one on the stage.

And that was Zhang Ji.

He wasn’t wearing the uniform of a True Disciple.

The True Disciple uniform didn’t have just one emblem; it featured all five forms.

Zhang Ji was also wearing an Inner Sect Disciple’s uniform—the blue one for the Dragon form.

Standing next to Zhang Ji was the Core Disciple hosting this Inner Sect competition, a man named Tan Honglang.

He was a professional Seventh Rank master.

In the Five Elements Sect, only those who reached the professional Fifth Rank by age twenty and the professional Seventh Rank before age thirty could become Core Disciples.

They were the backbone responsible for managing the Sect’s affairs.

"Master Zhang, please join the ranks," Tan Honglang said to Zhang Ji with a cupped-fist salute.

Zhang Ji nodded and walked to the end of the line.

Many people sized him up along the way.

After all, his sudden participation in the Inner Sect’s monthly competition, while wearing the uniform of the Dragon Hall—which existed in name only—was certainly food for thought.

However, no one whispered amongst themselves. The Five Elements Sect’s rules for disciplining its disciples were very strict.

After Zhang Ji joined the line, Tan Honglang began his speech on the stage.

It wasn’t much different from the nonsense school teachers spout—just the usual words of encouragement to press forward and boost morale, albeit with a different flavor.

Then came the official competition segment.

The five hundred-plus people were divided into ten groups for simultaneous matches. The winners would advance to the next round.

The rules were simple: unarmed combat, no striking vital points. A win was declared if an opponent was knocked out of the ring, fell and couldn’t get up within ten seconds, or surrendered.

Each ring had a referee—the instructors from the various halls, who were also Core Disciples of the Five Elements Sect.

Zhang Ji’s phone chimed with a notification. He opened it and saw that the lots had been drawn. He was in the fourth match of the first round in Ring Five.

He then began to watch the other fights.

The Inner Sect Disciples were all at a professional fighting level, so their matches were quite a spectacle.

Even though their moves couldn’t target vital points, people still frequently suffered broken bones, multiple lacerations, or even had chunks of flesh torn off.

Only at the Five Elements Sect could they practice real combat like this.

The Five Elements Sect’s pharmaceutical technology was quite good. Even a broken bone, as long as it wasn’t too severe, could be healed quickly within a month.

This was the kind of struggle the Five Elements Sect wanted to see.

They didn’t want to raise disciples who had no grit—who would be unable to use their martial arts when they encountered trouble in the outside world and would only know how to flee.

This scene also gave Zhang Ji a glimpse into the headache the government must be having.

No wonder the Eastern Extreme Congress was so adamant about containing these sects as much as possible.

These sects possessed a rather high level of Combat Power, and they had a major impact on social stability.

’But from my perspective, the world has always revered the strong.’

’If the government is incapable of ruling the country properly, then just replace it, right?’

’If they lack the ability, it’s not like the Five Elements Sect couldn’t just elect a council member to help out!’

The stray thoughts flashed through his mind, and Zhang Ji’s gaze returned to the matches.

The Inner Sect Disciples were already practicing the four Grandmaster Fist Skills—Snake, Crane, Leopard, and Tiger—unlike the Outer Sect Disciples who were still working on their fundamentals.

These four Fist Skills each had their own strengths and weaknesses, and even seemed to mutually generate and restrict one another.

But if someone could master all four, they would have almost no weaknesses in any aspect.

Zhang Ji thought of Li Long. Back on Shanli Island, he had demonstrated an extremely profound level of cultivation in the Five Elements Fist.

His techniques had the ferocity of the Tiger and the swift burst of the Leopard. His Body Technique possessed the agility of the Crane, and his parries and grapples had the energy-dissipating and grappling nature of the Snake. He had even mastered the Dragon form’s transcendent Primordial Qi attacks to a profound degree.

But the most shocking thing was Li Long’s age.

He was only twenty-six!

A Grandmaster at twenty-six, and from the feel of it, not just any ordinary Grandmaster.

’Putting other factors aside, his talent could be considered top-tier in the entire world.’

However, Zhang Ji didn’t remember an NPC like him from the later game versions he had played.

He could only guess that perhaps some kind of accident had occurred.

At that moment, the fourth match in Ring Five ended. Zhang Ji received a notification, stood up, and headed for the ring.

After showing his contestant number, he was allowed onto the fighting stage.

After he stepped onto the stage, another person came over.

It was a man with a rather slender build.

He spread his arms, tapped his toes lightly, and leaped directly onto the stage, which was more than four meters high.

Zhang Ji saw the spreading white crane on his uniform and knew which hall he was from.

"Both contestants, bow," the referee said.

"Crane Hall, Xiao Xuan," the man said, cupping his fist in a salute.

"Zhang Ji," Zhang Ji replied, also cupping his fist to return the salute.

"Begin!"

BANG!

In an instant, Xiao Xuan was knocked off the stage by Zhang Ji.

It happened so fast that many of the spectators didn’t even have time to react.

Zhang Ji never had a habit of underestimating his opponents. Facing a Crane Hall disciple who specialized in Body Technique, he unleashed his full power at once and used a shoulder-to-chest blow.

He then saw the man fly off the stage from the impact, landing more than eight meters away.

The medical staff quickly came up to carry the man away, and the referee immediately declared Zhang Ji the victor.

Zhang Ji paid no mind to whether the man was dead or alive; his expression didn’t change in the slightest.

’If you want to compete, you must be prepared to pay the price. This is an eternal truth!!’