Infinite Fighting

On September 30th, Zhang Ji, Li Long, Yan Ruifeng, and the others boarded a plane to the Capital City of the Eastern Extreme Country.

Also traveling with them were some Core Disciples and Inner Sect Disciples of the Five Elements Sect.

In addition, the True Disciples Shen Han and Gu Shuangshuang had also come along.

This grand event of the martial arts world was held every three years, and nearly every Sect with an official lineage still in existence would participate.

In less than half a day, they arrived at the Martial Arts Association headquarters in Yong’an, the Capital City.

The grounds covered a vast area and were constructed with incredible luxury.

The current president of the Martial Arts Association was the leader of the Northern Dao Sect, a man named Ma Rui, whose Daoist name was Shaosi.

People usually called him Daoist Shaosi.

When Yan Ruifeng arrived, Ma Rui personally came to greet him.

Ma Rui wore a purple Daoist robe, which represented the highest status in the Dao Sect. He held a horsetail whisk in his right hand, his long, slightly graying hair was tied up in a topknot, and he wore a Cyan Jade Lotus Crown. Although he was already eighty-nine years old, he didn’t look old at all; in fact, he looked to be in his early fifties at most.

This showed just how formidable the Dao Sect’s life-nourishing arts were.

After they met, Yan Ruifeng and he exchanged formal greetings.

Ma Rui used the Dao Sect’s customary greeting, while Yan Ruifeng formed a Dragon Form with his hand and brought it to his forehead.

This was the highest form of etiquette in the Five Elements Sect.

In the current martial arts world, the number of people worthy of such a greeting from Yan Ruifeng could likely be counted on one hand.

"Daoist Shaosi, it’s been a while," Yan Ruifeng said politely. "I didn’t expect you to still be so vibrant. It seems you’re on the verge of becoming a Terrestrial Immortal."

"Hahaha, Brother Yan, you jest," Ma Rui replied with a laugh. "These old bones of mine will be fortunate just to live past a hundred. How could I dare overreach and seek a breakthrough? You, on the other hand, have taught a fine disciple. Young Friend Li’s three treasures—essence, qi, and Spirit—show signs of converging. One day, when the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown occurs, it won’t be impossible for him to become a Terrestrial Immortal!"

Li Long cupped his hands slightly in response.

Although they were both at the Grandmaster realm, he was still a junior and had to remain modest.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the group was invited inside the association and shown to their accommodations.

The official competition was scheduled for October 1st.

However, the disciples from the various participating sects had already arrived.

The Sects qualified to participate mostly had their travel and lodging expenses reimbursed directly by the Martial Arts Association.

They could even stay right within the association’s compound.

It was quite considerate.

Inside his room, Zhang Ji finished a training session of his "Iron Shirt" skill.

He then applied a medicinal ointment to repair his body.

Just as he was halfway through, there was a knock on the door.

After confirming who it was, Zhang Ji opened the door.

Shen Han was standing at the door.

"Why does it smell so strongly of medicine? Are you training?" Shen Han asked in surprise.

"I had some time, so I got some practice in," Zhang Ji said with a nod.

He then went back to applying his ointment.

"Is that the Horizontal Martial Arts Training from the Vajra Sect? Is it the ’Vajra Indestructible Body Divine Skill’?" Shen Han asked. "I heard that’s a martial art that can lead to becoming a Terrestrial Immortal!"

"No," Zhang Ji said, shaking his head.

"Right, the Vajra Sect’s lineage was broken," Shen Han said. "But speaking of which, our Five Elements Sect also has a martial art that can lead to becoming a Terrestrial Immortal. With your talent, you might even have a chance to master it."

"The Five Elements Sect has one too?" Zhang Ji asked, stunned.

"Terrestrial Immortal" was an ancient term in the Eastern Extreme Country for a B-rank fighter.

With the power of a B-rank fighter, it was no exaggeration to call them a Terrestrial Immortal in ancient times.

In modern society, they were absolute powerhouses capable of challenging a conventional army. In ancient times, a single one of them could have rivaled an entire nation.

The skills capable of reaching this level were Blue (Excellent) grade skills.

But Zhang Ji had never heard Li Long mention anything about it.

"First Senior Brother didn’t tell you? He was probably worried you’d get ahead of yourself," Shen Han explained. "But it’s not really a secret. If you train all five of our Five Elements Sect’s Grandmaster-level Fist Skills to Grand Completion, and then comprehend the ’Five Forms as One’ to merge them into a single, unified whole, you can step into the realm of a Terrestrial Immortal."

"It works like that?" Zhang Ji asked, astonished.

’I never expected the Five Elements Sect’s ceiling to be so high. To think you could reach B-rank this way.’

"But we haven’t produced anyone at the Terrestrial Immortal realm in over a hundred years," Shen Han lamented. "I don’t know if First Senior Brother will be able to do it."

"Has our master achieved Grand Completion in all five Fist Skills?" Zhang Ji asked.

"How could that be possible? First Senior Brother has only reached Grand Completion in the Dragon Form Fist," Shen Han said. "However, the martial arts of the Five Elements Sect complement each other. Once you become a Grandmaster in one, training the others becomes much faster. And since First Senior Brother is exceptionally talented, he’ll surely achieve Grand Completion in all of them quickly."

Zhang Ji nodded slightly.

’If Li Long had achieved Grand Completion in all five Fist Skills at his age, that would be truly heaven-defying.’

’It wouldn’t just be a matter of talent at that point; he would have needed the help of some extraordinary fortuitous encounter.’

"Let’s go for a walk. A lot of people arrived today, and many of them are already warming up with matches on the platforms!" Shen Han suggested, seeing that Zhang Ji had finished applying his ointment.

Zhang Ji agreed, and the two of them went out and headed to the association’s competition grounds.

The area was vast, easily capable of accommodating tens of thousands of people, with four large display screens set up above.

The Martial Arts Association usually held many competitions, both amateur and professional, and even ran a live-broadcasting business.

This Martial Arts Convention would also be live-streamed. They would make a fortune from ticket sales alone.

Did anyone really think the Martial Arts Association was paying out of its own pocket to hold competitions just to promote martial arts exchange?

If you dug deeper, it was all business behind the scenes.

On the competition grounds, there were many disciples dressed in the attire of their various sects.

Some of the young people would exchange a few words, cup their fists to each other, and then get on a platform for a match.

However, they always stopped before things got serious and never went too far.

The official tournament was tomorrow. It would be truly foolish to go all out today and reveal one’s trump cards.

As they walked, Shen Han introduced the various participating sects to Zhang Ji.

"Those guys in the short jackets practice Tongbeiquan. It has powerful bursts of force; at Grand Completion, a single whip-like punch can easily snap a tree as thick as a thigh... Over here are the Tantui practitioners. They’ve declined in recent years and are only really known around the Si River area... The Iron Fist Sect. Their strongest member is currently only a professional Sixth Rank... The Cyan Lion Sect was founded by martial artists who used to be lion dancers, but they’ve been developing pretty well... That one lying on the ground is practicing Earthworm Fist. It’s a type of ground-fighting style, so you should avoid using your legs when fighting them... That guy over there letting someone chop at his outstretched hand is just like you, a practitioner of Horizontal Martial Arts Training. He looks like he’s from the Yiqi Sect. Their Mixed Yuan Qi Skill cultivates both internal and external aspects. It uses primordial qi to nourish the body, so it’s slower than other Horizontal Martial Arts Training methods but has fewer side effects and reduces the need for medicinal aids. Simply put, there are cheaper ways to train..."

Shen Han was clearly well-versed, seeming to know a great deal about all these sects in the martial arts world.

It was mainly because this wasn’t Shen Han’s first time attending the Martial Arts Convention.

He had attended the previous two competitions and had even achieved respectable results.

"Why do they all seem so weak?" Zhang Ji suddenly asked.

He had watched a few people fight, and he felt the strength of their moves couldn’t even compare to the Inner Sect Disciples back at their own Sect.

If that was the case, wouldn’t this Martial Arts Convention be even less impressive than the "kiddie bracket" of their own Inner Sect’s monthly tournament?

"It can’t be helped. The times are changing, and fewer people practice martial arts. The martial arts world has had to lower its standards. Nowadays, any minor sect that can be considered established and has a professional-level fighter can apply to participate in the convention," Shen Han said.

Zhang Ji nodded slightly, indicating he understood.

’No wonder even amateur fighters could go on TV and pretend to be experts.’

’It’s because there are fewer true masters, and they don’t bother competing professionally anymore.’

"But don’t get complacent. There are a few major sects that are on par with us. For example, the Northern and Southern Dao Sects. In today’s martial arts world, they are the absolute pillar Sects. Especially the Northern Dao Sect; there are even rumors they have a hidden Terrestrial Immortal-level figure. Then there’s the Lishan Sect, whose strength is not to be underestimated. Their few True Disciples are all absolutely first-rate. The Seven Peaks Alliance and the Bright Lake Sect are also very strong... And then, there’s the Xian Mountain Sect. Their method of recruiting True Disciples is completely different now. They don’t do character tests or anything like that. Instead, they’ve started teaching fast-track martial arts that overdraft a disciple’s potential. The sect has many experts who have reached the peak of the second-rate level, or even the first-rate level..."

When he mentioned the Xian Mountain Sect, Shen Han’s tone became more serious.

The enmity between the two sects ran deep, and their conflict was already playing out in the open.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a life-or-death struggle.

Whichever side gained an absolute advantage would show no mercy to the other.

Zhang Ji didn’t pay much mind to Shen Han’s various criticisms of the Xian Mountain Sect.

’Slandering an opponent was a tactic that every power used to some extent.’

’If the Xian Mountain Sect was able to faintly hold the upper hand now, then from a certain perspective, their methods must have some merit. Perhaps they were even better suited to the current era.’

’If the Five Elements Sect didn’t adapt and failed to produce a powerhouse who could define an era, relying solely on slander would eventually get them swept into the dustbin of history.’

However, Zhang Ji didn’t dwell on these issues for too long. He was remembering something else.

’He really did have an impression of the Northern and Southern Dao Sects.’

’In fact, in the version of the game he had played, there was only one Dao Sect in the Eastern Extreme Country.’

’But there was information within the Dao Sect about the Northern and Southern Dao Sects.’

’Apparently, the Dao Sect had originally split into the Northern and Southern Dao Sects before later merging again.’

’Each of the two sects possessed a sect-defining martial art, both of which were Blue (Excellent) grade.’

’The Northern Dao Sect had the Nine Yin Divine Skill, and the Southern Dao Sect had the Nine Yang True Skill.’

’In the later, unified Dao Sect, these two techniques were combined into one by a librarian named Yang Zixiu, evolving into a Purple (Epic) grade martial skill called the Taiqing True Scripture.’

’That martial art was known as the strongest Epic-grade skill of the Primordial Qi Sect, and it was incredibly comprehensive.’

’Zhang Ji had even practiced it on an alt account, and all he could say was that it was insanely powerful.’

’Just thinking about it now made him feel a little tempted.’

’But that all happened after the fourth game version.’

’By his calculations, that was still ten or twenty years away.’

’Zhang Ji figured that rather than wait for the two sects to merge, he’d be better off finding a way to obtain both martial arts and combining them himself.’

Just as he was lost in thought, Shen Han suddenly clapped him on the shoulder.

Zhang Ji turned his head and saw two people in the attire of the Xian Mountain Sect walking over.

From the way they carried themselves, it was obvious they were looking for trouble.