Chapter Nine: Internal and External Mastery

The public security situation in this world was far more chaotic than in his previous life. However, being a martial arts student still offered a certain degree of safety on the surface. As for the underlying turmoil, a single student like him had no way of knowing.

After returning to the training ground, the two rested briefly before sparring for another hour.

“Taihang Thirteen Palms, progress: 100%!
Internal energy: 5 years + (upgrade points available)
Acupoint passages unlocked: None yet
Upgrade points: +1
This upgrade point can be used to enhance the purity of internal energy or to open vital acupoints throughout the body.”

As the system panel shimmered with new light, fresh information appeared. Zhao Rui was instantly thrilled—he could actually enhance his internal energy. If he secretly learned a hundred or eighty different martial arts, wouldn’t his power become godlike? The future looked promising indeed!

The moon hung high, a cool breeze swept through the already deserted riverside beach. Seeing that it was getting late, the three packed up and rode away.

Back home, Zhao Rui eagerly slipped into his room and checked the system panel.

“Name: Zhao Rui
Age: 18
...
Martial Arts: Qingyun Palm (Proficient) +
Cloud Hand Star Pluck (Skilled) +
Taihang Thirteen Palms (Proficient) +
Taihang Four Symbols Technique (Copyable).”

Taihang Four Symbols Technique? Isn’t that the internal skill practiced by Cui Jian? Zhao Rui pondered briefly and began to understand.

Martial arts in this world were divided into external and internal skills. External skills, as the name implies, were the techniques and moves, but unlike in his previous life, these were not just flashy postures without real power. Each move was paired with a specific energy manipulation method that unleashed vast internal energy, generating force far beyond the ordinary.

Internal skills, on the other hand, involved breathing techniques, circulating energy through the meridians, and opening the eight extraordinary vessels to form a cycle of internal energy within the body.

This internal energy was commonly known as "neili" or true qi. The deeper and richer the internal energy, the more powerful the external techniques became. Likewise, the more refined the method of running the technique, the faster and more abundant the internal energy output, making the combat power stronger.

The two aspects complemented each other and were both indispensable.

In this world, some martial arts consisted only of techniques and required separate internal skills to support them; others had internal skills but no specific techniques; some possessed both internal and external skills, negating the need to rely on others.

There was no inherent superiority—this was simply due to lost traditions or the fact some methods had never been created.

Currently, Zhao Rui’s Qingyun Palm learned at school was purely external, lacking internal energy support. The signature skill he learned from the martial arts hall, Cloud Hand Star Pluck, came with its own internal energy manipulation method called the Ethereal Divine Technique, representing a balanced cultivation of internal and external arts.

The origin of the Ethereal Divine Technique’s name, according to senior brothers, was that the master disliked the old Cloud Qi method's name and changed it himself—whether this was a betrayal or not was unknown.

The Taihang Thirteen Palms technique he obtained from Cui Jian belonged to this category as well, with its internal skill named Taihang Four Symbols Technique.

Seeing this name, Zhao Rui understood that the system panel likely copied the external technique first, then selected the corresponding internal skill. This probably explained why Taihang Four Symbols Technique appeared on the panel.

With this realization, Zhao Rui decisively added an upgrade point to his internal energy.

“Internal energy: six years!”

Suddenly, warmth surged through his body, as if a master’s internal energy was being poured into him, the gentle heat flowing through every limb and bone.

As his body transformed, the upgrade point quietly disappeared from his mind.

Only one year? Zhao Rui felt slightly disappointed but understood—it was still extraordinary. There was no such thing as an overnight miracle.

He shook his head with a wry smile, chastising himself for being too impatient.

After this upgrade, he roughly understood the panel’s functions. The system allowed him to learn and copy others’ martial arts and mind methods, but likely only up to proficiency.

Each completed martial art granted an upgrade point, which could be used to enhance internal energy or open acupoints throughout the body.

What remained unclear was whether every martial art required the same one-year increment of internal energy—this would have to be researched after the college entrance exam.

Knowing the panel’s capabilities at last put Zhao Rui’s mind at ease.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, involuntarily recalling the energy manipulation methods and movements of the Taihang Thirteen Palms.

After a brief meditation, his eyes snapped open. With a swift step, he unleashed a palm strike like a fierce tiger descending the mountain.

“Thousand-Fathom Cloud Lock, Ten-Thousand Valleys Listening to Pines… Returning Dragon Folding Ravine, Silent Extinction of Thousand Mountains!”

His palm technique surged forth with the majestic momentum of a mountain, as if even facing a sea of blades and fire ahead could not withstand his towering presence.

It carried the flavor of a force capable of breaking all methods.

That relentless, overpowering aura thrilled Zhao Rui immensely.

No wonder Cui Jian fought like a madman, recklessly charging forward—the sheer joy of wielding such a technique must be intoxicating!

Unlike his own Qingyun Palm, which was elusive and focused on soft overcoming hard.

The room was cramped, so after one round of practice, feeling unsatisfied, Zhao Rui ran outside to the small riverside grove in the community and practiced several vigorous rounds.

He immediately felt refreshed, a smoothness in his heart that made him want to raise his head and howl at the sky.

Thankfully, he restrained himself, calming his breath and returning to his center.

After a simple breathing adjustment, Zhao Rui leisurely went back home.

Since entering high school, his parents rarely managed him—partly because he was sensible, partly because he practiced martial arts and was quite independent.

So, when they saw him leave in a hurry and return at a leisurely pace, Mr. and Mrs. Zhao said nothing.

The dull days before the college entrance exam were boring yet fulfilling.

Before he knew it, the weekend arrived. As a martial arts student, he had one day off with no classes, a chance to rest and recuperate.

Early in the morning, while practicing in the grove, his phone rang. It was Bai Xuening.

“Sun Boran is coming tonight. I arranged to meet him at 2:30 this afternoon. Get ready.”

Her voice was as lovely as ever.

Zhao Rui was surprised: “You can contact him alone?”

“I told you, my master and his master know each other. We’ve known each other since we were kids… Ah, just come with me and don’t tell anyone!”

“No problem!” Zhao Rui smiled and agreed, not expecting the girl to have such connections.

After hanging up, he continued his morning practice. Progress in martial arts was a matter of steady accumulation—no matter how extraordinary the art, reaching mastery required diligent training.

In recent days, he sparred every evening, either at the martial arts hall with his third senior brother or with Bai Xuening.

As for Cui Jian, who was useless to him now, he naturally abandoned him.

Because of this, Cui Jian had quarreled with Zhao Rui, accusing him of fickleness—preferring the new over the old, and abandoning him because of Bai Xuening!

After saying that, Cui Jian got to spar with Bai Xuening, only to be beaten senseless.

Through these days of sparring, Wing Chun Inquiry had reached 80 out of 100, and Cloud Hand Star Pluck was at 75 out of 100. In one or two more days, it would be fully copied.

By then, his Cloud Hand Star Pluck would reach proficiency, allowing his internal energy to circulate through the greater cycle of the body.