Infinite Fighting

Chapter 58: Chapter 53: Forever Standing on the Arena

「December 27th.」

At three in the morning, Zhang Ji abruptly opened his eyes, roused from his meditation.

He then raised a finger and released a stream of qi.

SWOOSH!

POP!

CRACK!

A bionic drone, shaped like a bird, crashed to the ground.

Zhang Ji got up and started moving.

The pursuit was growing more intense and relentless.

Every so often, he could sense these things closing in on him.

His pursuers seemed intent on draining his stamina and tormenting his Spirit, giving him no chance to rest.

He couldn’t stay in one place for more than half an hour without being discovered.

The wind and snow raged outside, and Zhang Ji’s ankles were already buried in the drifts.

As he moved, he unconsciously began using Body Techniques from the Crane Form.

With the slightest push, he could launch himself forward with ease.

His steps were the slither of a snake, the dash of a Leopard, the flight of a Crane, the leap of a Tiger, and the glide of a Dragon!

At that very moment, he gained a deeper insight into the true essence of unifying the Five Elements.

The techniques of the five Fist Skills were all interconnected. They achieved their greatest effect only when combined, with the force-channeling technique of a single form serving as the core.

A hint of qi now naturally infused Zhang Ji’s Body Technique.

He wasn’t deliberately trying to unify the Five Elements; the five Fist Skills were simply linking together on their own.

Zhang Ji had a theory. ’True unification of the Five Elements must mean forging the five Fist Skills into a single entity. They should merge seamlessly without any need to consciously perform a unifying technique.’

At that point, it would be equivalent to a blue-tier (Excellent) combat skill, and a Martial Artist would have the foundation to become a terrestrial immortal!

After running for about ten minutes, Zhang Ji no longer sensed any drones. With a flash of blue light from his hand, he casually sliced off a branch. Then he walked to the riverbank and threw it with a flick of his wrist.

SWOOSH!

THWIP!

The branch precisely struck a fish.

Zhang Ji beckoned, and a swell of water tossed the fish from the river into his hand.

After removing the innards and gills, Zhang Ji popped the entire fish into his mouth, bones, scales, and all.

It tasted foul, but he was used to it.

He chewed it to a pulp before starting to swallow.

As his power had grown, his digestive abilities had also improved significantly.

His body could adapt to most environments.

He could probably get a substantial amount of nutrients just by eating grass.

........

Inside the RV, Duan Zichen ate hot pot, his gaze a little lost as he watched the heavy snow fall outside.

He had done nothing but practice martial arts since joining the Xian Mountain Sect.

But he also knew that the times had changed.

It was an era that no longer belonged to Martial Artists like them.

The problem was, he didn’t know what else to do.

All he knew was how to practice martial arts.

He was good at nothing else.

"A bit spicy!" Duan Zichen remarked.

He opened the vehicle’s door, scooped up a handful of snow, and dropped it into a cup. Crimson qi surged in his palm, and the snow quickly melted, forming half a cup of steaming hot water.

"Elder, we’ve found him. He’s heading downstream," a disciple watching a monitor inside the vehicle suddenly said.

"No rush, there’s no hurry! You come eat, too. This weather is perfect for hot pot!" Duan Zichen said.

He was waiting, waiting for the man to reach the point of exhaustion, to grind down his will.

When facing a fellow Grandmaster, one could never be too cautious.

...

The temperature continued to drop.

The snow now reached Zhang Ji’s knees.

If Zhang Ji weren’t using a Body Technique, he would have been sinking with every difficult step.

But with his Body Technique, he left only the shallowest of footprints in the snow.

Now, he never stayed in one place for more than ten minutes.

Under these conditions, he had almost no time to rest.

He even hunted and ate on the move.

He had thought this would hinder his training progress.

In reality, however, his progress hadn’t been hindered at all; it had actually accelerated.

His Five Elements Fist, and even his True Qi Nourishing Spirit Skill, were all circulating smoothly.

He had integrated the techniques of the Five Elements Fist into his daily life; every hunt and every step was an exercise. His rate of progress had not only not slowed but had actually increased.

As for the True Qi Nourishing Spirit Skill, these trials had purged most of the restlessness from Zhang Ji’s heart. His mind grew increasingly serene, empty and clear. He could now cultivate without relying on the Limited Space or sitting in meditation.

He was training in every moment, whether walking, sitting, or lying down.

This brought the skill’s rate of improvement to a level comparable to when he had an abundant supply of Lunar Essence and the benefits of the Five Elements Sect’s medicinal pills.

’Is this to be expected of a Dao Sect technique?’

’The closer one is to nature, the more one integrates it into daily life, the easier it becomes to practice.’

Suddenly, Zhang Ji felt a jolt in his Spirit.

He had gathered the final Essence for the True Qi Nourishing Spirit Skill!

His consciousness sank into the Limited Space.

The green Essences shimmered inside, like a cluster of emerald stars.

He had nine Essences for Crane Form Fist, seven each for Leopard Form Fist and Tiger Form Fist, and now ten for the True Qi Nourishing Spirit Skill.

Theoretically, any ten Essences of the same tier could be combined to form a new martial art.

If Zhang Ji wished, he could combine five Essences from Crane Form Fist and five from Leopard Form Fist to synthesize a Grandmaster-level martial art, or he could try other combinations.

For now, however, he had no intention of experimenting.

He would only consider such an experiment once he was completely safe.

After all, there was no telling what the resulting martial art would be like.

What if it turned out to be a useless hybrid, something even worse?

It was better to synthesize ten of the same type of Essence. At least then he would have a clear idea of what to expect.

With a thought, Zhang Ji synthesized the ten Essences of the True Qi Nourishing Spirit Skill.

A green crystal materialized. Its light was deep and dazzling, with a faint blue border.

Zhang Ji had a flash of insight. ’This must be a peak Fine-tier combat skill. With one more qualitative leap, it could reach the Excellent tier.’

’No wonder it was so difficult to master.’

’He had already mastered Snake Form and Dragon Form, and was on the verge of mastering Crane Form, yet he had only just barely managed to master this thing.’

’And that was with the help of the Moonlight Cup, the Limited Space, his supreme talent, and countless medicinal pills.’

’Since you were so difficult to master, your effects had better not disappoint me.’

With a thought, Zhang Ji fused the crystal into his body.

In an instant, Zhang Ji felt as if his mind were expanding.

It felt as if his soul was swelling.

It was difficult to describe. A deluge of information from his surroundings rushed into his mind, yet it wasn’t chaotic. His perception of the world around him grew sharper.

His awareness of his own body became more profound as well.

He could clearly feel the changes in every wisp of qi within him. He could perceive each powerful beat of his heart and trace the path of the blood it pumped.

He was acutely aware of the trembling in his muscles, of every last shred of his strength.

He could now use exactly as much as he intended, no more, no less.

Zhang Ji suddenly circulated his qi. The Five Elements flowed within him, and in the next moment, a palm-sized dragon of qi materialized above his hand.

He maintained the qi construct, not releasing it.

The dragon’s whiskers, scales, and claws were all incredibly distinct, its fine details looking as if they had been laser-etched.

This exquisite Control Power gave Zhang Ji a flicker of special insight.

He retracted the qi dragon into his body, and the next moment, he assumed the Spirit Crane Stance.

Instantly, qi coated his meridians and flesh, enhancing the transmission efficiency of information and energy.

Coupled with Zhang Ji’s now-powerful Spirit...

He had a feeling that everything was under his control.

With a slight exertion of force, Zhang Ji pushed out a palm.

BOOM! BANG!

In an instant, the air cracked, and the force of his palm sent the snow in front of him flying.

In that moment, he had used a technique from Dragon Fist, mobilizing the power within his body, integrating it, and releasing it.

’A Spirit Strike? No, not even close!’

Zhang Ji shook his head slightly, dismissing his own guess.

He was not yet capable of a Spirit Strike.

A Spirit Strike was already touching the threshold of "Spiritualization."

A true Spirit Strike was the instantaneous integration and stacking of all the body’s power, released without any negative side effects.

Being able to perform a Spirit Strike meant having B-rank attack power.

While the process of mobilizing his power was now smooth, he still hadn’t mastered the technique of gathering his body’s entire strength to a single point in an instant.

If he could, that one strike would have an explosive force of hundreds, or even thousands, of tons.

Nevertheless, mastering the True Qi Nourishing Spirit Skill had brought him immense improvements in all aspects.

This was especially true for his perception and Control Power.

If someone wanted to launch a sneak attack on him now, they would have to do it from over ten miles away with an attack moving at more than five times the speed of sound for him to have any chance of being hit unaware.

As for his Control Power, it had significantly shored up his technique.

His weaknesses had been further compensated for.

Zhang Ji had a premonition.

If he were to face that high-frequency blade again...

He would no longer need to use the Leopard Claw of the unified Five Elements to counter it. He could use his technique to gather a sliver of qi and gently strike the blade, shattering it.

"Next, I just need to master the remaining three Fist Skills in the next two days."

...

...

「December 31st.」

On the bank of the frozen Five Flavors River.

Duan Zichen’s vehicle was parked in the distance. Clad in armor, he got out alone and walked to the riverbank, looking at the man on the opposite shore.

Zhang Ji had been standing there for two hours.

During that time, those bird-like drones had spotted him many times, but he hadn’t shot them down, instead letting them watch him.

Duan Zichen stared at Zhang Ji from across the river, a grave look in his eyes.

He could see no sign of fatigue or despair on Zhang Ji. Instead, the man exuded a sense of power that was restrained to the absolute extreme.

"You were waiting for me?" Duan Zichen called out.

His voice carried across the dozens of meters of frozen river.

"I thought I’d be met with a few tin cans," Zhang Ji said.

"Am I a disappointment?" Duan Zichen asked.

"No. It’s all the same," Zhang Ji said, shaking his head slightly. "The result will be no different."

"You’re arrogant. But geniuses are always arrogant, especially one like you." Duan Zichen sneered. "But you must understand, the times have changed. There’s no longer a place for pure Martial Artists on the stage."

Hearing this, Zhang Ji couldn’t help but smile.

"There’s no place for *you*. But I am destined to stand on this stage forever. It doesn’t matter who the opponent is, because I am the era itself."

"Let’s see if you have the skill to back that up!" Duan Zichen declared.

Qi erupted from his body as he stepped onto the frozen river.

Where he walked, the ice began to thaw, the intense heat melting the dozens of centimeters thick layer.

Zhang Ji watched calmly as he approached, radiating a powerful aura.

When the two were five meters apart, Duan Zichen lunged forward with a palm strike.

The palm glowed with a crimson light, like a blazing sun in the frozen landscape.

His strike contained eighteen possible variations. He was confident he could defeat and kill Zhang Ji in one fell swoop!

However, he would never get to finish his Palm Skill.

POP!

With a single attack, the armor over Duan Zichen’s brow shattered, and a bloody hole was pecked into his forehead.

Spirit Crane Stance, Crane Peck!

There was no need to use the powerful wave of the Divine Dragon Stance. A casual strike from the Spirit Crane Stance was enough to secure victory.

Duan Zichen’s body fell onto the snow. The blood from his forehead stained the nearby snow red before it was gradually buried by new flakes.

Zhang Ji stepped onto the ice, his feet light and steady as he walked forward, heading down the road away from Wei Mountain.

It was just as he had said.

He would forever stand on the stage. Only those who stepped up to face him would change.

And in the end, they would all be buried by history.

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