Chapter 9: Martial Arts Techniques

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Yet, when faced with this issue, Ying remained silent. Even as Shen Xing’s hands began to wander, she bit her lip and refused to speak. This state persisted until her shoulder strap snapped. Shen Xing hadn’t done it deliberately, but despite the awkwardness, Ying still did not utter a word. Shen Xing knew that no matter how far he pushed things, it wouldn’t change her mind.

“You win. Didn’t expect you to be a warrior with faith,” Shen Xing said as he got off the bed and dressed. He then fed her several vitality pills to help restore her energy. While she recovered, he thoughtfully covered her exposed pale skin with a blanket.

“How did you know I have faith?” After a while, Ying’s breathing steadied considerably. The flush on her face had faded, and her calm gaze met Shen Xing’s as she softly asked.

“Besides love, only faith can transcend life and death. Honestly, I admire people like you. If you were a comrade, you’d be someone to trust,” Shen Xing replied, handing her a cup of coffee. Since force hadn’t worked, he needed to ease the tension quickly. After all, Shen Xing was determined not to fall out with the authorities.

“Actually, I didn’t tell you not only because the mission is highly classified, but also to protect you. You saved me before—I can’t just push you into the fire. Knowing about this will bring you nothing but unimaginable misfortune,” he explained.

Ying took a small sip and sighed softly, a trace of melancholy shadowing her brows. Her magnanimity made Shen Xing feel somewhat guilty about his earlier actions.

“My shame tells me I should return the antidote now, but my reason warns me not to. How about this—we change the terms. I won’t ask you anything else, but you owe me some material compensation. Then we’ll be square, and after two months, I’ll give you back the antidote. How does that sound?”

Shen Xing considered this and offered the new proposal.

“Fine. What do you want? Judging by your age, you must have just graduated high school. What’s your aptitude like? Which martial arts academy did you get into?” Ying almost immediately agreed, and the atmosphere between them eased significantly.

“My aptitude is average. The school that admitted me is terrible. I wasn’t planning to attend anyway. Right now, I want to become a proper martial artist as soon as possible, but unfortunately, I have no way to acquire good cultivation methods or martial techniques. Since you’re from Qingbei, this shouldn’t be a problem for you, right? Just give me one cultivation method or martial technique,” Shen Xing said frankly, without a hint of shame.

Ying’s expression brightened as if something came to mind. She suddenly smiled. When Shen Xing raised an eyebrow in confusion, she quickly explained, “Sorry, I just thought of something amusing. Your request is reasonable—I have no reason to refuse. But I can’t give you a cultivation method because that violates school rules, and violators are severely punished. Martial techniques, however, I have many. Which part of the body do you want to strengthen?”

Shen Xing was puzzled. “Parts of the body?”

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“Oh, you haven’t been exposed to this yet, so you don’t know. In the early stages of a martial artist’s cultivation, each upgrade allows you to strengthen a specific body part. And to maximize physical performance, martial techniques are generally designed around these parts.

For example, if you strengthen your fingers, you can learn the ‘Heavenly Eagle Claw,’ which can pierce metal and stone.

If you strengthen your palms, you can learn the ‘Monument Breaker Hand,’ with unparalleled force.

If you strengthen your legs, you can learn the ‘Whirlwind Kick,’ unmatched in attack speed.

So, which part do you want to cultivate first?”

Shen Xing fell into thought. Ying didn’t rush him but silently guessed what he might choose. No one knew she liked playing guessing games like this, as someone like her had no friends.

After a long moment, Shen Xing looked up. “I’ve decided. I want both hands, preferably fist techniques.”

Ying sounded a little regretful. “Fists? You were so close…”

Shen Xing raised an eyebrow. “What did you think I’d pick?”

“Finger techniques.”

“Why?”

“Because your fingers look nice.”

“...” Ying blushed slightly under Shen Xing’s gaze and cleared her throat. “Well, you’re lucky. I do have a fist technique called ‘Fire Fist.’ It’s not high level—only D-rank—but it’s a top-tier D-rank technique with considerable power.”

“Only D-rank? You’re from Qingbei; I thought you’d start at S-rank just by raising your hand,” Shen Xing said, visibly disappointed.

Ying rolled her eyes. “I am from Qingbei, but I’m not the school president. How could I have access to such high-level resources? Besides, do you think S-rank techniques are like cabbages that anyone can cultivate? For someone like you who isn’t even ranked yet, the highest you can learn is D-rank. Higher than that requires strict foundational vitality.”

Shen Xing scratched his head, realizing he knew very little about this. His previous energy, weakened by his frailty, had been spent on various trivial matters, and he’d paid little attention to the proper martial path. Now that he understood, he blushed and said, “I see. Then I’ll learn it!”

Ying nodded, took out her phone, tapped a few times, and handed Shen Xing a QR code.

“Scan this. I’ll grant you access.”

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Shen Xing was puzzled. “Huh? Usually, you just get a key and unlock the technique on the martial arts platform yourself.”

Ying rolled her eyes and urged, “Just scan it, no questions. I’m doing this for your sake. This place not only has all the ‘Fire Fist’ materials but also various user insights, combat videos, and my own study notes. Which would you prefer?”

Shen Xing hurriedly scanned the code, laughing. “You really are a saintly sister.”

Upon scanning, he joined a private space as a guest. The page was dark, with intricate patterns shifting continuously—a very advanced interface.

Soon, Ying approved his application. Shen Xing entered a well-decorated, spacious room filled with household appliances and furniture, resembling reality. Rows of books lined the shelves. Shen Xing controlled a chibi avatar representing himself to touch the books but found none could be opened. The only accessible one was the ‘Fire Fist’ manual on the coffee table.

Opening it, all the information about this fist technique appeared before him, clickable and fully accessible.

Shen Xing exited the room, and Ying advised, “Ordinary people can’t register on this site, but users here can temporarily grant access. As long as you don’t change your phone, you can keep entering as this guest. When you no longer need it, just log out.”

Shen Xing nodded. Just as he was about to speak, Ying’s phone rang. She shushed him and answered. After a brief conversation, she hung up.

“My ride is almost here.”

“Oh. Then… goodbye?”

“Of course. Before you get the antidote, make sure you don’t die.”

As Shen Xing turned to leave, Ying said earnestly.