Infinite Fighting

In the game version Zhang Ji played, one of the core foundational skills the Dao Sect taught its new disciples was this very *True Qi Nourishing Spirit Skill*.

It was an auxiliary martial art. Its main function was to purify the Primordial Qi within the body, then use the purified wisps of Primordial Qi to nourish one’s Spirit.

The Dao Sect’s cultivation was primarily of the Primordial Qi school, a discipline that prioritized the cultivation of the Spirit.

This was because circulating and even using Primordial Qi required a powerful Spirit to guide it.

This Grandmaster-level martial art was what laid the foundation for this entire practice.

It could be considered one of the best Fine Level skills for those following the Primordial Qi school’s combat path.

Without much hesitation, Zhang Ji clicked and made his choice.

After he made his selection, a notification appeared.

It instructed him to view the skill in private, not to share it, and to delete it after he had fully mastered it. If it was spread through him, everyone who learned this martial art, including himself, would become an enemy of the Northern Dao Sect and even the Martial Arts Association.

Zhang Ji pursed his lips and clicked "Confirm."

Then he began to read it right in front of Li Long.

Li Long glanced over once before looking away.

He, too, felt that the martial arts world’s rigid sectarianism was an outdated custom, but being a part of it all, he still had a duty to protect his own sect’s interests.

Meanwhile, Zhang Ji was quickly reading through it.

The entire *True Qi Nourishing Spirit Skill* manual was filled with Dao Sect terminology—a mix of classical Chinese and coded phrases, making it very difficult to understand. Fortunately, there were annotations in plain language, so Zhang Ji had no trouble reading it.

Before long, he had read through the entire thing once.

This martial art wasn’t an Active Skill but a meditative one.

Before practicing, he needed to enter a meditative state of selfless, empty visualization, shutting out all external influences. Then, he had to carefully sense the Primordial Qi within his body, mobilize it, and circulate it along the prescribed meridians according to the *True Qi Nourishing Spirit Skill*.

Doing so would gradually strengthen his Spirit.

During this process, he could use the Concentration Incense from the Dao Sect to help him enter the state of selfless, empty visualization more quickly.

Once proficient, he could even replace sleep with this practice. His Spirit would not only recover faster, but he could also advance his spiritual cultivation.

The martial arts of the Dao Sect were fundamentally based on this philosophy.

All their martial arts had to integrate with daily life and nature. One should be able to practice at all times, whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down.

Rather than something that required deliberate practice sessions.

Zhang Ji read it over two more times, then closed his eyes and attempted the visualization.

As soon as he closed his eyes, his mind was flooded with distracting thoughts.

He just couldn’t enter that state.

His mind was too restless, and it was difficult to quiet down in a noisy place like an airplane.

After a moment of thought, Zhang Ji focused his mind and connected to the Limited Space.

The next instant, his consciousness entered the pitch-black Limited Space.

He did not lose perception or control of his physical body.

He felt as if his soul had been separated from his body, allowing him to look down on himself from a third-person perspective with greatly enhanced perception.

Zhang Ji could perceive the specks of Primordial Qi within his body.

It was the Primordial Qi he had refined through the *Dragon Form Fist*.

For now, it was still scarce and thin.

With a single thought, Zhang Ji mobilized the Primordial Qi, directing it along the circulation path of the *True Qi Nourishing Spirit Skill*.

With great ease, it began to flow along his meridians just as he directed.

As it circulated, the Qi was slowly purified. It then flowed near his Mud Ball Palace, sending a cool sensation through his entire brain and jolting his Spirit.

’It worked!’

...

...

「Inside the Northern Dao Sect.」

Wang Pinghong said to Ma Rui, "Grandmaster, he really chose the *True Qi Nourishing Spirit Skill*."

"He’s quite a fortunate one," Ma Rui said with a smile.

He had only added the *True Qi Nourishing Spirit Skill* on a whim. Whether Zhang Ji would choose it or not was up to Zhang Ji himself.

But now, it seemed Zhang Ji was quite clever.

The martial arts of the Vajra Gate focused too heavily on the physical body, lacking any nourishment for the Spirit.

When Ma Rui had sparred with Zhang Ji, he had discovered that Zhang Ji’s Control over his own power was severely lacking, and his techniques were very crude.

That was why he had included this martial art.

If Zhang Ji could learn it and make up for his spiritual deficiencies, he might one day become a figure akin to a terrestrial immortal.

Ma Rui gazed into the distance, his thoughts complex.

The current martial arts world was a shadow of its former self. If it was to flourish again, it needed a few epoch-making geniuses to rise to the challenge.

...

...

Before the plane had even landed, Zhang Ji’s Primordial Qi was completely depleted.

The *True Qi Nourishing Spirit Skill* really consumed a lot of Primordial Qi.

Zhang Ji felt that until his *Dragon Form Fist* reached great completion, it might not be able to provide enough Primordial Qi to nourish his Spirit, let alone allow him to replace sleep with his practice.

After exiting the state of visualizing within the Limited Space, Zhang Ji felt that his mind was much clearer, and his body felt a lot lighter.

A sufficiently strong physical body would indeed nourish the Spirit in return.

But Zhang Ji’s Horizontal Training Power had improved so quickly that his body hadn’t had time to nourish his Spirit to a corresponding level.

As a result, his control over his own body was not actually very high.

After obtaining the *Iron Body Skill* crystal, he even found it difficult to execute techniques using integrated strength.

Although the *Dragon Form Fist* also had the effect of nourishing the Spirit, it was only a secondary benefit. Its main purpose was to integrate power and mobilize Primordial Qi for offensive attacks.

Now that Zhang Ji had obtained a martial art that primarily strengthened the Spirit, the help it would provide him was immense.

After returning to the Sect, Shen Han and the others suggested holding a celebratory banquet for Zhang Ji.

Zhang Ji found it hard to refuse, so he had no choice but to go along for the meal.

Unfortunately, all the exotic delicacies still couldn’t replace Zhang Ji’s obsession with roast duck rice.

Heaven knows that the first time he had mustered the courage to kill a living being in this world, it had all been for a plate of roast duck rice.

It wasn’t just roast duck rice; it was his will to fight, his obsession with becoming one of the strong.

After the banquet, everyone went their separate ways.

Zhang Ji returned to his room and began to practice.

As he practiced, he noticed something was different.

’It’s easier!’

Whether it was refining Primordial Qi with the *Dragon Form Fist* or practicing the *Iron Shirt Skill* and the *Raccoon Claw Skill*, everything was much, much easier than before.

The "water bottle" that was his body had been stretched larger again by the *Iron Body Skill* crystal, and it had undergone a qualitative change.

He had withdrawn the *Iron Body Skill* crystal into the Limited Space, but the fundamental nature of his body remained.

The efficiency of "refilling the water" was greatly enhanced.

After practicing the *Iron Shirt Skill* once, Zhang Ji could see with his own eyes that the redness on his body was fading rapidly.

This meant his self-healing ability had improved again. He could now practice the *Iron Shirt Skill* without the aid of medicine and suffer no side effects.

But the most direct effect was on his practice of the *Dragon Form Fist*.

When the *Iron Body Skill* crystal was fully active on his body, a single practice session of the *Dragon Form Fist* refined as much Primordial Qi as four or five sessions did before.

In his *Iron Body Skill* state, his digestive ability was also greatly enhanced.

He even ate four servings of roast duck rice in the middle of the night before he felt barely full.

Zhang Ji drank a glass of fruit juice and sat in the courtyard to calm himself.

Energy is conserved. The stronger a fighter becomes, the more energy they require.

Correspondingly, however, their digestive abilities would also increase.

There were even some special combat skills that were specifically designed to improve the efficiency of food utilization.

In the game from his previous life, Zhang Ji knew of a blue-grade skill from a foreign indigenous tribe called the *Great Eater Skill*.

It could increase the amount of health and stamina recovered from eating food.

When fully maxed out, one portion of food was as effective as ten, like eating a radish and getting the benefits of a ginseng root.

The local indigenous people had scarce food, but they relied on this skill to survive and eventually thrive on their island.

However, that thing was too far away, the local tribe was extremely xenophobic, and they were B-rank experts. Zhang Ji couldn’t afford to think about it now.

But within the Eastern Extreme Country, there seemed to be something that could help restore health and stamina that he should be able to obtain now.

He just needed to make some preparations in advance.

...

The next day, Zhang Ji was summoned by Li Long.

The two of them sparred.

Without a doubt, Zhang Ji was completely dominated.

However, unlike his fight with Ma Rui, Zhang Ji could faintly grasp where Li Long stood.

He felt that if Grandmasters were also divided into ranks, Li Long would probably be around the Sixth Rank.

And he himself would be at the First Rank.

As for Ma Rui, Zhang Ji wasn’t sure.

But he was definitely higher than that.

"As expected, you’ve crossed that threshold," Li Long said to Zhang Ji.

"It was just a fluke," Zhang Ji said.

There was a saying in the current martial arts world that between a D-rank and C-rank fighter, there was a so-called "Grandmaster’s Gate."

Crossing this gate would trigger a qualitative transformation.

Zhang Ji hadn’t really understood this saying before, but now he was beginning to feel it.

If a D-rank fighter was someone who had broken a human limit in some aspect, then a C-rank fighter was someone who had made another breakthrough on top of that broken limit.

It could even be described as a leap in one’s level of existence.

"There’s no such thing as a fluke here." Li Long shook his head. "Your Horizontal Training has reached a certain level. Next, I will teach you the other four Grandmaster-level martial arts of the Five Elements Sect. You can try to practice them all. These five arts complement each other. If you can find how they resonate with you, practicing them together can be even faster than practicing a single one alone."

After speaking, Li Long began to teach him the other four fist skills.

"First is the *Snake Form Fist*. Your body must be supple. The power generation for its moves isn’t fierce and hard, but soft..."

"For the *Crane Form Fist*, your footwork must be nimble, and your power must be applied cleverly..."

"The *Leopard Form Fist* is about swiftness and explosiveness. Use the fastest speed to unleash the most powerful force..."

"The *Tiger Form Fist*. Your punches must be fierce and hard. The moves are powerful and heavy, prioritizing an imposing momentum..."

The four fist skills transitioned seamlessly in Li Long’s hands, almost as if they were a single art. Zhang Ji faintly sensed that when Li Long executed these skills, he mobilized a sliver of Primordial Qi.

This meant the *Dragon Form Fist* was also broadly included within them.

Afterwards, Zhang Ji began to practice, mimicking Li Long’s movements.

The breathing, movements, and power-generation techniques were the most important parts. As long as he memorized these, he would have grasped the essentials of these martial arts.

As for the secret medicines used to aid practice, most of them could be substituted. Even if they didn’t have the effect of the original formulas, the results would be more or less the same.

After all, these weren’t some special, exclusive combat skills, so the restrictions and entry requirements weren’t particularly high.

Zhang Ji’s memory and aptitude were both very strong. After practicing them a few times, he had memorized everything. Although he couldn’t switch between the various fist skills as seamlessly as Li Long, he could at least practice each one meticulously without making a mistake.