Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Eight days.

For some, it might have been nothing more than a few quick glances at a calendar.

But for Wan Ze, these eight days of arduous training were monumental.

Every morning before dawn, he would rise to temper his qi and blood and break down martial forms. Once the sun was high in the sky, he would bury himself in studying the five Martial Skills he had obtained from Tie Qingyang.

Everything was for the mission, for the sake of getting stronger!

Fortunately, his efforts paid off.

All five Martial Skills had progressed with unstoppable momentum, soaring from Beginner Level to Basic, then from Intermediate to High Level, all the way to [Special Level]!

Wan Ze, however, was calm.

It was all part of his plan.

However, the task to reach the Ultimate Level, which was above Special Level, proved to be more difficult.

It required him to coalesce his own "Momentum."

That was a Realm that couldn’t be achieved just by grinding proficiency. It required the right opportunity and a moment of enlightenment; it couldn’t be rushed.

He didn’t waste time standing still, so he simply continued his search for the next batch of Low Level Martial Skills.

Every little bit counts.

Why the rush?

Because in just these eight days, the attribute values he had acquired were already substantial!

In eight days, he had gained a total of [All Attributes +0.15]. His Strength, Agility, and Endurance had also each increased by 0.02 to 0.03 respectively.

...

That afternoon, in the backyard.

Chen Rong stood opposite Wan Ze, warming up his wrists. His relaxed demeanor held the easy confidence of a senior brother.

"Junior Brother Wan, I’m coming. Be careful."

"Please, Brother Chen."

Chen Rong nodded and said no more. He pushed off his feet, his body exploding forward as he threw a punch straight for Wan Ze’s center.

It was fast.

"BAM!"

Fist met elbow with a dull thud.

Chen Rong had originally planned to use only thirty percent of his strength. After all, he was just sparring with Junior Brother Wan to help him practice; it wouldn’t look good if he hurt him.

But the moment his fist met Wan Ze’s arm, his brow twitched almost imperceptibly.

’Holy crap! Junior Brother Wan’s strength...?!’

Without a second thought, he switched tactics with lightning speed, hooking his left fist upward toward Wan Ze’s chin.

"BAM."

Another thud resounded as Wan Ze raised his right hand, perfectly blocking the punch’s path. He then dropped his elbow in a move that both nullified the attack and set up a counter.

Chen Rong, refusing to believe it, attacked again.

"BAM! BAM! BAM!"

A series of dull impacts exploded through the air. The two figures weaved around each other, a flurry of fists and elbows. They shuffled and spun within a small patch of ground, constantly kicking up dust.

The more Chen Rong fought, the more alarmed he became.

He had started at thirty percent of his strength. Seeing Wan Ze block him with ease, he increased it to seventy percent. But when seventy percent was still neutralized, he pushed it to eighty.

Eighty percent...

And still, Wan Ze showed no sign of faltering.

Eventually, Chen Rong could no longer afford to hold back, unleashing almost everything he had learned during his recent closed-door cultivation.

But the junior brother opposite him was like a bottomless well... It was utterly ridiculous.

’No matter what I throw at him, he can take it!’

’This can’t be right.’

Fine beads of sweat broke out on Chen Rong’s temples.

’Did I train too hard these past couple of days and wear myself out?’

He managed to steal a glance at Wan Ze.

Seeing his junior brother’s calm expression and steady breathing, Chen Rong fell into a state of self-doubt.

「Half an hour later.」

Chen Rong’s arms were aching, his breathing now noticeably heavy. He was cursing his luck internally.

He had a whole speech prepared—phrases like "Junior Brother Wan, you’ve improved so much," "There’s no shame in losing to your senior brother," and "Just try harder next time"... But now, the words were all stuck in his throat, and he couldn’t get a single one out.

Just then, however, Wan Ze suddenly took a step back and cupped his hands. "Your martial arts are superb, Brother Chen. I’m very impressed. How about... we call it a day?"

Chen Rong froze for a moment before nodding almost subconsciously. "...Right, right."

He lowered his stance, his arms still faintly numb.

He couldn’t help but look at Wan Ze.

His gaze was somewhat complicated.

’Seriously... is the gap between people really this huge?’

But when his gaze swept over the red marks on his junior brother’s forearms, the doubt in his heart quickly vanished.

’So that’s it. My junior brother is still in his growth phase; his foundation isn’t as solid as mine. Lasting half an hour must have been his limit.’

’Yes, that must be it!’

With this thought, Chen Rong’s expression relaxed, and he let out a hearty laugh. "Perfect timing. Those last few exchanges gave me a bit of an insight. I’ll head back first. You get some rest. We’ll train again some other day."

"Take care, Brother Chen," Wan Ze said, watching him leave.

Chen Rong nodded and strode away.

As he passed through the corridor, he secretly shook his arms and winced.

’Good thing my skills are a cut above. Otherwise, that would have been a real embarrassment.’

...

「Inside the room.」

Wan Ze glanced down at the red marks on his own arms.

He sank his breath, and his qi and blood surged silently beneath his skin.

A few breaths later, the red marks faded like a receding tide until they vanished completely.

’Brother Chen’s fists are certainly hard enough.’

’But after clashing head-on for half an hour, I’ve more or less figured out his power-generation habits. There’s still a lot of room for improvement.’

Wan Ze looked away, making no further comment.

Lei Ming wasn’t around.

His third and fourth senior brothers were busy with work.

That made Sun Fan and Chen Rong his best sparring partners.

It was just that Sun Fan had only recently reached the Blood Tempering First Transformation. When Wan Ze sparred with her, he had to be much more precise with his strength control, or it would be easy to make her cry.

’This is the good thing about sparring with guys... They’re all stubborn. When it’s time for them to leave, they won’t say a word and will even pretend it was nothing special.’

The backyard fell quiet for a moment.

Wan Ze turned and picked up the sword leaning against the wall.

As the blade left its sheath, it reflected the daylight from the window.

For the next two hours or so, he barely spoke a word.

He simply repeated the same motions... Thrust, withdraw... Thrust, withdraw.

He had already committed the essentials of the Horizontal Sword Technique to heart, and at this moment, it was almost instinctual.

The sword’s edge cut through the air, letting out an extremely faint whistle.

Ten times!

A hundred times!

Two hundred times!

After an unknown amount of time, a flash of light that no one else could see streaked across the edge of his vision.

...

[Illustrated Guide: Horizontal Sword Technique] (Special Level Mastered)

[Effect 3: Burst Skill: Shock (All Attributes +0.03)]