Chapter 65 Hope

"The third form: Horse stance horizontal strike. Horse stance, strike a horse stance! How can you strike if you don't hold a horse stance?"

Lu Liang walked behind him and pressed her hands onto his waist. "Sink your waist down, sink it down. If your posture is not in place, your meridians won't be in place either. Yes, maintain this position."

Shang Luo's feet were separated slightly wider than his shoulders. It was his first time holding such a standard horse stance. This posture was entirely counterintuitive; the more standard it was, the more agonizing it felt.

"And then?"

"And then you won't feel much soreness in your legs, but a warm current will surge from your elixir field, neutralizing the fatigue in your knees."

"Can there really be such a magical feeling?"

Shang Luo carefully concentrated to feel it. Inside his belly, there was only the sensation of radish soup and braised pork ribs, plus two braised pork meatballs.

And that was it.

Lu Liang tilted her head and leaned in. "Still looks like you don't feel anything... That shouldn't be. Then we have a big problem, because even if you have a Qi Ocean, you wouldn't be able to use it until the Foundation Establishment stage."

"Is that really how it works?"

"You met Wen Yuan before, right? That guy is already considered quite an elite among Qi practitioners. But have you ever seen him project spiritual energy outside his body? You might have encountered even more powerful Qi practitioners, but they are still only able to keep their sharpness restrained within themselves. Only by breaking through the Foundation Establishment stage and ascending to the realm of Heaven and Man can one project true qi outward. Otherwise, spiritual energy merely makes a single tour through the body."

"What's the difference between true qi and spiritual energy?"

"Theoretically, they are the same thing, but only what belongs to a human is called true qi; what does not belong to a human is spiritual energy. As for the specific differences... we've all been through compulsory education, so let's put it bluntly: spiritual energy does not perform work, only true qi does. That's why the immortal-root radish will never explode under any circumstances, unless the radish becomes a spirit. But humans can explode. As for the specifics, you'll find out once you truly enter the path, probably tomorrow. As for the power of true qi, let me demonstrate it for you."

Without any warning, she sidestepped with a flash and delivered a snap kick, her knee heading straight for Shang Luo's lower abdomen—

"Ah!" Shang Luo cried out instinctively, but he immediately realized he felt no pain whatsoever.

Lu Liang's knee stopped less than the width of a finger away from his lower abdomen, holding steady right there. Her other foot remained firmly planted on the ground, her entire body motionless.

When they first met, kicking three times in a second had already surprised Shang Luo. But to be able to execute an explosive action mobilizing the entire body and then retract it with such absolute freedom seemed to step into an even higher realm.

"How on earth did you pull it back?!"

"Freedom in retraction and release—that is martial arts. Because no matter how fast a kick is, it's never faster than a firearm; training your control over your body is the purpose of practicing martial arts. A martial arts duel is not dancing; true martial the way cares nothing for flashy forms, only for victory and defeat. The ultimate destination of all martial arts lies within sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter. Therefore, a true martial artist should learn and master all weapons, including vehicles. 'The gentleman is not different by birth, but is good at making use of things.'"

"Ah... Master... Master Lu, you seem to have become even more powerful! You're much stronger than when we first met!" Shang Luo truly felt it; Lu Liang's entire vital energy and spirit were vastly different from before. Previously, her whole body was packed with explosive force, but in this short moment, she had entered a state of "restraining her divine edge and collecting her brilliance," handling everything with effortless ease, giving off almost the same vibe as the two chief captains aboard the rocket aircraft.

"Want to learn? Next time. Next time I might be able to teach you how to drive a combat vehicle. But right now, it seems you have another guest—Wen Yuan! How long have you been standing there watching?!"

"Ah! Sorry! Sorry! I just didn't dare to come in... Monitor, may I come in?" Wen Yuan poked half his head out from behind the wall.

"Come in! Hanging out behind the wall looks ridiculous, and there are tourists outside. Who are you looking for? Are you looking for Shang Luo or my dad?"

"Both."

"Then you guys chat; I'm going to help my dad wash the dishes... Also, don't touch my wooden dummy!"

"Yes! Absolutely won't touch it!" Wen Yuan stood straight with his heels together, watching her leave.

"Ah... Wen Yuan, what's wrong with her? How did she suddenly become so strong?"

"That's just how she gets after eating a radish. The monitor simply lacks spiritual roots and cannot acquire spiritual energy. But her meridians are unobstructed, so eating radishes still allows her to run the 'refining essence into qi' process. Before the radish is digested, she could take on five of me. If not for her inherently damaged spiritual roots, she might have been able to directly apprentice under the Four Great Generals."

"I seem to have heard a saying—cultivating immortality goes against the heavens, so a Qi practitioner's karmic burden rebounds onto their offspring, meaning the children of Qi practitioners are often unable to cultivate. Are there many people like her?"

"Many, for instance, I count as one. Can't you tell?"

Shang Luo looked the acquaintance up and down—although they hadn't known each other for long, he and Wen Yuan were already quite familiar.

"Is there a problem with you?"

"Sorry!" Wen Yuan immediately bowed. "I should have told you sooner. Have you noticed that ever since you met me, one trouble after another has been happening around you? Getting targeted while concocting pills, biting your tongue even while drinking cold water, and almost getting into an accident even on an airplane. This might be because... because I'm cursed with bad luck."

"Is there such a thing? Does bad luck count too?"

"If you're as unlucky as me, I suppose it counts. Luck is also part of strength. I'm the kind of person who never wins at rock-paper-scissors; for example, we could try it."

After 8 rounds.

"Really... you can't win?"

"Some say it's because of my father. Back in the day, my father was hailed as the next man of Heaven and Earth after General Bai Feng; he even attempted Foundation Establishment earlier than General Bai Feng. But he met with an accidental death during Foundation Establishment, and some people say his bad luck was passed down to me after that accident. So I'm sorry! I am truly, truly sorry!"

"You don't need to apologize," Shang Luo shook his head. "Even if it's true, this isn't something you could decide. You don't need to bear moral condemnation for things that are unavoidable. Ease your mind."

"But not telling you in time was my fault, so I want to do my best to help you. Look, this morning I managed to get these for you! Look, this is the intelligence on all the teams for the Formula Racing Nanzhili Preliminaries! Including the magical engine from the Wuhu Rocket Team, the integrated casting chassis of the Shangyuan Longxiang Team, and the rest... Although they all come from public information, I've categorized and listed each team's winning points for you. Good luck! You'll definitely win!"

With that, he handed a heavy kraft paper bag into Shang Luo's hands.

Shang Luo thanked him, but along with his gratitude, a question popped into Shang Luo's mind:

"By the way, Wen Yuan, how did you know I was going to enter the race?"

"Everyone in the Jinyiwei knows."

"How does news travel among you guys so fast?!"

"Uh... We have a rather convenient way of transmitting messages. Everyone is looking forward to your harvest tomorrow, and everyone is excited—though they haven't said it outright, the one looking forward to it the most is probably my master. He genuinely hopes you can secure a formula so that Lu Liang can awaken her spiritual roots, because the medicinal potency of radishes will eventually fall short one day. Anyway, I'm counting on you. We're all on your side, and we'll do our best to help you."