Chapter 17: Mastery of Martial Arts

“As expected of a martial arts grandmaster—truly formidable!” Qingxi’s expression grew increasingly grave as he relied on the enhancements brought by his newly advanced spiritual root, reacting with unprecedented speed.

“Perfection—Vajra Fist!”

His golden palm struck out, pure strength and hardness blocking Qingfeng’s Dragon Capture. Yet, in that instant, Qingxi felt as though his Vajra Palm had landed on cotton, meeting no resistance. Sensing something amiss, he attempted to pull away.

But Qingfeng’s Dragon Capture suddenly shifted, twisting around Qingxi’s arm like a supple ribbon and wrenching it with force. The immense strength spun Qingxi into the air.

“Test complete. Qingfeng’s strength measures five hundred jin, equivalent to a thirteenth-level Qi Refiner. Host cannot overpower him,” the assistant hurriedly warned, but Qingxi, airborne, had nothing to leverage.

Of course—reaction force!

A flash of inspiration brought forth the principles of classical mechanics from his past life. With all his might, Qingxi unleashed his perfected Tempest Palm. Thunder exploded from his palm, a wave of force scattering dust and pebbles in all directions. The massive recoil, combined with the momentum from his waist, finally broke him free from Qingfeng’s grip.

Qingfeng, unwilling to admit defeat, splayed his five fingers and seized Qingxi’s hand, determined to prevent him from gaining distance. As a martial arts grandmaster, he knew that to defeat a Qi Refiner, close combat was essential. Once the distance widened, the scales of victory would inevitably tip toward the Qi Refiner.

“You’ve fallen for it!” Qingxi’s eyes narrowed, a glint streaking across his pupils like a fleeting meteor in the night sky. Leveraging his arm, he swung his body, landing on his feet in a blink. In that same moment, he erupted with all his strength, hurling Qingfeng into the air and smashing him to the ground on the opposite side.

The sudden shift caught even Qingfeng off guard. However, being a true grandmaster, his reaction was swift. His body’s flexibility absorbed much of the impact with a swift bend, and a pulse of inner force freed him from Qingxi’s hold.

The two adversaries quickly separated by more than five meters, halting their attacks.

Spectators exchanged astonished glances.

“This boy Qingxi is full of surprises!” Tu Yongsheng’s lips curled in amusement—he too had not expected the tables to turn so suddenly.

Mingyue’s delicate brows knitted, then her crimson lips parted lightly. “No wonder the master took a liking to him. His combat experience may be lacking, but his reactions are extraordinary.”

Ouyang Changfeng stroked his long beard, shaking his head gently. “If that’s the extent of his strength, he’s still no match for Qingfeng.”

Qingfeng, his personally trained martial arts grandmaster, was only sixteen but had spent months beyond the sect, gaining ample combat experience. Even when pitted against tenth-level Qi Refiners or higher among senior outer disciples, he could at least stalemate them if not win.

By all accounts, Ouyang Changfeng estimated Qingfeng’s chances of victory at seventy percent, while Qingxi’s were a mere thirty.

Qingxi, oblivious to others’ doubts, was exhilarated.

“Test complete: Qingfeng is a true martial arts grandmaster—close-combat style, agile, with an extremely powerful Dragon Capture. Unless you perfect your martial techniques, you cannot defeat him,” the assistant concluded after analyzing the data from their exchange.

“Perfected martial techniques? Impossible. Each one requires an epiphany to reach perfection… Wait—the system’s passive function: Insight!” Qingxi’s eyes lit up, newfound confidence surging within him.

Once a technique reached perfection, its power would increase by a full tenfold, far surpassing the fifty percent boost of mastery. With that alone, his strength would rise to rival a thirteenth-level Qi Refiner, enough to suppress Qingfeng.

“To trigger the passive ‘Insight,’ I must focus intently on one thing.” Qingxi’s mind was clear as a mirror as he launched his attack.

Left hand wielding Azure Dragon Claw, right hand striking with Vajra Fist, his blows were fierce as a tempest.

“To attack first—how bold!” Tu Yongsheng laughed heartily, anticipation gleaming in his eyes.

“Dragon Capture.”

Qingfeng did not delight in Qingxi’s initiative; instead, the seriousness and resolve in his adversary’s gaze weighed on him. As a young grandmaster, he knew it was the calm and focused opponents who were most terrifying. This was not a matter of cultivation, but of state of mind.

Faced with claws that could rend refined iron, Qingfeng dared not confront them head-on. He dodged with nimble arms, but Qingxi gave him no quarter—his hardened, pale-gold fist crashed forward.

With a thunderous boom, fist met palm, the shockwave sending both reeling. Yet Qingxi grew fiercer with every exchange, launching another assault.

Both Azure Dragon Claw and Vajra Fist were techniques of low energy consumption. Even with constant use, his current reserves at the tenth Qi Refining level were more than enough to sustain him.

Especially when fully focused, his thoughts grew sharper, reactions keener, and he began to suppress Qingfeng.

“How odd—why has Qingfeng become so passive?” Mingyue’s lips parted in disbelief. Qingfeng, with his Dragon Capture, had never before been so disadvantaged.

Today, something was amiss.

Ouyang Changfeng, possessing the keenest insight, immediately noticed, “Qingxi is in a mysterious state—utterly focused and without flaw.”

Tu Yongsheng exclaimed, “Isn’t this the legendary State of Emptiness?”

Ouyang Changfeng replied, “Whether it is or not, we’ll see soon enough.”

On the open ground, Qingxi entered a state of flow. Even wielding only the Azure Dragon Claw and Vajra Fist, he suppressed the martial arts grandmaster Qingfeng.

Qingfeng, seasoned in combat, tried every tactic to break free, but the Azure Dragon Claw was too sharp. With his body, a single capture would tear his flesh. The Vajra Fist was open and forceful, impossible for a direct contest. In a flash, his advantage became a disadvantage.

“Is he really just a newly initiated outer disciple? He’s harder to handle than the veterans!” Qingfeng frowned, reduced to pure defense.

By contrast, Qingxi’s eyes shone brighter, like twin moons in the night sky.

“So this is how the Vajra Fist should be used!”

He burst out laughing. The glow around his right fist suddenly retracted, turning his hand a dark gold, swelling larger than a sandbag, brimming with power.

With a resounding bang, Qingfeng was sent flying, a cloud of dust erupting behind him.

“A sudden surge of power, the light retracted, fist as large as a bucket—these are the marks of a perfected Vajra Fist!” Tu Yongsheng’s eyes widened.

Even Ouyang Changfeng’s expression shifted, admiration in his voice. “Even with only a defective spiritual root, this boy’s achievement alone marks him as a genius! Perhaps my choice was the right one after all.”

On the field, Qingxi’s gaze was piercing—left hand wielding a mastered Azure Dragon Claw, right hand a perfected Vajra Fist—utterly dominating Qingfeng.

“I concede,” Qingfeng abruptly stepped back, widening the gap to over ten meters, gasping for breath. At his current stamina, to continue would only lead to exhaustion and defeat. Thus, he chose to admit defeat without hesitation.