Infinite Fighting

On the hospital bed, Zhang Ji’s right arm was tightly wrapped and immobilized.

He had just undergone surgery to remove the bullet.

Because of his formidable Horizontal Training Power, the surgery had been quite difficult.

In front of Zhang Ji stood a support frame holding a Landscape Painting of a waterfall.

The water flowed rapidly, plunging from the mountain peak like a silver thread.

This was the drawing recovered from the water monster.

When Zhang Ji saw it, he knew it was the skill Visualization Image for "Waterfall Drop," a combat technique from the Flowing Water Sect that he used.

Information conveyed through text is not as clear as through pictures.

That’s why many truly profound combat skills are passed down through such drawings.

The artist often imbues their own artistic conception into the work, allowing the viewer to perceive the very essence of the skill.

This was especially true for the combat techniques of the Profound Heart Stream, which borrowed power from heaven and earth and relied heavily on comprehension.

If one couldn’t grasp the corresponding spiritual resonance frequency, it was impossible to execute these combat techniques.

Zhang Ji’s talent was on the level of a player—in other words, the pinnacle of humanity.

His comprehension was naturally top-notch as well, and after seeing the drawing, he could faintly perceive something within it.

It was just indistinct, preventing him from truly glimpsing its secrets.

He also understood why.

The Profound Heart Stream’s techniques that borrowed power from heaven and earth often required a certain baseline Spiritual Attribute.

His current spiritual strength probably wasn’t up to standard yet.

It would take time to truly comprehend and successfully practice it.

It would be best if he had a technique specifically for tempering his Spirit; otherwise, relying solely on the natural nourishment from Dragon Form Fist’s Yuan Qi and the feedback to his Spirit from strengthening his physical body would take ages.

"KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK! Nephew-disciple Zhang, it’s me!"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Zhang Ji said.

Zhou Hao pushed the door open, holding a large tray in his hands.

On it was sliced roasted duck with a perfect mix of fat and lean meat, along with a staple food portion of unimaginable size.

Zhou Hao helped Zhang Ji place the roasted duck on the meal-assistance arm by his bed. "This meal you asked for was a real challenge to make," he said to Zhang Ji. "The master chef had to study it for a while before he could prepare it. It was a lot of work."

"Couldn’t you have just bought some instant roasted duck rice online? Why trouble the master chef?" Zhang Ji asked.

"That stuff has too many additives. Eating too much isn’t good for you," Zhou Hao explained.

"I’ve troubled you all," Zhang Ji replied.

As he spoke, a thought from him was transmitted by the brain-computer interface attached to his temples to the assistance arm, which put down the Visualization Image, picked up the tray, and began feeding him in large mouthfuls.

While Zhang Ji ate, Zhou Hao added, "This is no trouble at all. I’m the one who feels bad that you got hurt so badly."

Besides the bullet in his arm, the sudden explosive strike he’d unleashed had also strained his muscles and bones, and the excessive force had concussed his internal organs. He hadn’t felt it at the time, even forcing himself to charge out and fight the water monster for dozens of rounds. All he could say was that adrenaline was truly a hell of a thing.

"How are things at the pharmaceutical factory?" Zhang Ji asked between bites.

"We stopped them in time. They hadn’t managed to detonate the bombs yet. Elder Wang Quan also arrived, and he didn’t let them take any people or raw materials," Zhou Hao said.

"That’s good," Zhang Ji said with a nod.

"Oh, right. I brought something for you."

As Zhou Hao spoke, he took out a sealed wooden box about the size of his palm from his pocket.

The wooden box was covered in several layers of packaging and even seemed to have a wax seal.

Zhang Ji really couldn’t imagine what could possibly be stored with such care.

"What is it? A Great Rejuvenation Pill?" Zhang Ji asked.

"You really have a wild imagination. It’s not even known if the Vajra Sect’s Great Rejuvenation Pills still exist. Where would I find a way to get one for you?" Zhou Hao said.

"Then what is it?" Zhang Ji asked.

"A Nine-Turned Tiger Bone Pill!" Zhou Hao said. "It’s something from our Five Elements Sect. Forty years ago, a single one of these could be exchanged for ten million. Nowadays, you can’t buy one even if you have the money."

"What does it do?"

Curious, Zhang Ji took it with his mechanical arm and examined it.

"It’s specifically for healing bone injuries. It won’t leave any lasting side effects, and after taking it, the strength of your muscles and bones will reach a new level. The sect can’t produce these anymore. We can’t even find hundred-year-old fierce tigers, so a Third Transition Tiger Bone Pill is the absolute limit now," Zhou Hao said.

A normal tiger can live for twenty to thirty years at most. A hundred-year-old fierce tiger would be an Exotic Beast born from this world’s special environment.

"Thank you," Zhang Ji said.

"Don’t mention it. Saying thanks makes us sound like strangers," Zhou Hao said with a smile. "Just swallow the Tiger Bone Pill after you finish your meal. The sooner you take it, the better it’ll be for your injuries. I’ve got something else to take care of, so I’ll see you later."

"Go on, take care of your business," Zhang Ji said with a nod.

Zhou Hao nodded, then turned and left.

After finishing his meal, Zhang Ji used the assistance arm to open the packaging of the Nine-Turned Tiger Bone Pill, revealing the wax-sealed pill inside.

The pill was an extremely pure, blood-red color, about the size of his little fingertip.

Zhang Ji held it in front of his nose and sniffed. He couldn’t smell anything, so he tossed it into his mouth and swallowed.

Then Zhang Ji went back to studying the Visualization Image for "Waterfall Drop."

Unfortunately, his Spirit was lacking, and he studied it for a long time without any results.

In other words, the conditions weren’t met, so he couldn’t learn it.

Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly felt a warm current emanate from his abdomen and spread naturally throughout his body.

’The pill is taking effect!’

Zhang Ji knew immediately that the Nine-Turned Tiger Bone Pill had started working.

The warm current was very distinct, and as it reached every part of his body, Zhang Ji felt extremely comfortable.

Especially in his injured right arm, a tingling numbness spread, and the pain sharply decreased.

Zhang Ji closed his eyes and silently enjoyed the sensation.

Before he knew it, Zhang Ji had fallen asleep.

When he awoke, it was already late at night.

By his bed was a freshly delivered roasted duck rice, covered, along with a few bouquets of flowers and some fruit.

He didn’t know who had sent them.

「The next day.」

Zhang Ji felt that the pain in his right arm had lessened significantly, and he even had the faint feeling that he could move it a little.

In that moment, Zhang Ji clearly understood the value of the Nine-Turned Tiger Bone Pill.

Just before noon, Li Long and Wang Quan arrived in Zhang Ji’s room.

"This was my oversight. I just wanted you to come down the mountain to relax a bit. I never expected you to run into something like this," Li Long said.

Of course, Zhang Ji didn’t blame Li Long.

After a few pleasantries, they began to discuss the origins of the attackers.

"They were a group of mercenaries. The trail went cold at the platform they were hired on, but we have a good idea who arranged it," Wang Quan spoke up. "It was most likely people from Kang’an Pharmaceutical."

Zhang Ji didn’t know what kind of power Kang’an Pharmaceutical was, much less how strong they were, so he just looked confused upon hearing this.

Li Long explained, "It’s an enterprise of the Lin family. They also have a scarless ointment."

Zhang Ji nodded in understanding. The Lin family was the one with a council member, and they were also the family backing the Xian Mountain Sect.

He wasn’t interested in the convoluted politics behind these factions. He preferred to let his fists do the talking.

"There’s a martial arts tournament in the Capital City next month. Do you want to participate?" Li Long asked Zhang Ji.

"What’s the skill level?" Zhang Ji asked.

"It’s at the professional level. Don’t worry, there won’t be any Grandmasters. The highest should be first-rate experts. With your strength, you should be able to get a very good ranking. If you make it into the top ten, the rewards are pretty good," Li Long said.

He knew exactly what Zhang Ji was thinking.

In his interactions with Zhang Ji, Li Long felt that Zhang Ji’s perception of the world was a bit skewed.

He always seemed to think Grandmasters were common, even treating them as his hypothetical opponents.

But in reality, Grandmasters were truly rare. Even martial artists above the professional Fifth Rank were seldom seen.

A major sect like the Five Elements Sect, one of the best in the country, only had five or six Grandmasters.

In the entire martial arts world today, there were probably no more than thirty in total, and most of them were old geezers over fifty.

"If my injuries are healed, I’ll go," Zhang Ji replied.

Since even Li Long said the rewards were good, Zhang Ji figured it would definitely be worth his while to go.

"They’ll definitely be healed. You’ve already taken a Nine-Turned Tiger Bone Pill," Li Long said.

Zhang Ji understood. It seemed Li Long had also played a part in getting him this pill.

During their conversation, Li Long glanced at the "Waterfall Drop" Visualization Image that was placed by Zhang Ji’s bed.

"These things are all techniques used by ancient Warlocks. They’re not systematic and are far inferior to orthodox martial arts—they’re unorthodox arts. It’s fine for you to dabble, but don’t go too deep and neglect your own cultivation," Li Long advised.

"Yes, I know my limits," Zhang Ji replied.

’At this stage, it’s true that many of these techniques for borrowing power from heaven and earth lack a proper system.’

’They are mostly just skills and techniques, not Cultivation Techniques.’

’Simply put, techniques are things that help you better utilize your own attributes.’

’Cultivation Techniques, on the other hand, are what strengthen those attributes.’

’In the eyes of a traditional martial artist, one is an ’art,’ and the other is the ’Way.’ The two cannot be mentioned in the same breath.’

’But in reality, the two are complementary.’

’In his past life, when he played the game, a B-rank martial artist had told him a theory.’

’Arts can lead one to the Way.’

’And the Way can give rise to arts.’

’For example, the Spiritualization of the Spiritual Intent Sect was a ’Way’ born from the ultimate technique of integrating strength.’

’Besides, who says practicing techniques doesn’t increase attributes?’

’Isn’t Control Power and the like also an attribute?’

’The various schools within the Profound Heart Stream also slowly increase one’s Spiritual Power through practice.’

’They aren’t just pure techniques.’

’However, compared to combat techniques that mainly focused on raising basic attributes, the upper limits of these skill-oriented techniques were indeed inferior in the early versions of the game.’

...

The recovery process was tedious.

Zhang Ji couldn’t practice martial arts for several days in a row. It wasn’t until the sixth day that he could move around a little.

By the eighth day, however, his injuries had recovered enough for him to move normally.

His body’s recovery ability, boosted by the Nine-Turned Tiger Bone Pill, had reduced an injury that would have originally required at least half a year to heal—and might have left lasting side effects—to less than ten days with no side effects at all.

Afterward, Zhang Ji resumed his training.

He practiced "Iron Shirt" three times a day and felt no discomfort in his body whatsoever.

His execution of Dragon Form Fist was also smoother, allowing him to refine Yuan Qi faster.

Zhang Ji calculated that at this rate, he could accumulate ten "Iron Shirt" combat crystals in twelve days.