Chapter 159 – Fist Overwhelms the World, Wealth Rivals Nations, Iron Flow Palm and Smokeless City

“Since it involves genetic code, why not try to reorder and reprogram it?”

Lu Yuan adjusted the black-framed glasses on his nose. He had been directly pulled out of school by Zhou Ling and hadn’t completely shed his identity as a student.

He was, after all, a top student.

“By integrating elephant genes into an ant, perhaps the ant could indeed possess the size and strength of an elephant.”

“Would an ant fused with elephant genes still be considered a true ant?”

Zhou Ling countered, emphasizing, “What we’re discussing now is pure martial arts, pure and unadulterated human limits.”

“You have a point,” Lu Yuan smiled and continued listening to Zhou Ling.

“Even if we enhance every aspect of the most perfect human genetic samples to the extreme, the results are still unsatisfactory.”

“The currently authoritative human ability limit values are five tons of punching power and a speed of eighty meters per second.”

Lu Yuan silently calculated in his mind.

He currently had 17 strength points, with a basic boxing power of two tons. According to the previously explored pattern of point addition increments, raising it to 19 points would roughly equate to between 4.5 and 5 tons.

As for speed, he hadn’t measured it carefully, but with 18 agility points at full sprint, he should be able to reach forty to fifty meters per second.

To his surprise, the values Zhou Ling mentioned almost perfectly matched his own.

“So, limit break means breaking the theoretical human limit once. What about the second and third times?”

Lu Yuan couldn’t help but mutter.

“What did you say?” Zhou Ling asked him.

“Nothing, go on,” Lu Yuan shook his head and listened to Zhou Ling continue.

“And this is just theoretical. In reality, even if you solely cultivate pure martial arts, even with the maximum dose of gene-enhancing shots, you might never reach these limit values.”

“Has no one ever broken through?” Lu Yuan asked, unwilling to accept it.

“There have been cases, but only barely breaking through in certain aspects.”

Zhou Ling pondered for a moment. The blue 3D figure projected in front of him changed, displaying a familiar-looking figure with thick eyebrows and a broad mouth.

“This person is Xiang Lei, a prominent figure in the ancient martial arts world fifteen years ago. It’s said that he broke through a certain human limit. Later, he committed a crime and was attacked and killed by Mecha. Researchers collected his genetic samples and supposedly made some new discoveries from them. But that’s not the point!”

Zhou Ling pulled the conversation back on track and said seriously to Lu Yuan, “I just want to tell you that if you pursue pure martial arts, you might train yourself to death and still not break through five tons of boxing power. But with new martial arts or modification, it’s a different story.”

“Crack, crack, crack”

Zhou Ling suddenly exerted force, crushing the soda can in his hand into fine gray powder that fell to the ground.

Occasionally, there were tiny popping sounds from between his fingers.

“Not bad at all.”

With a hint of pride on his face, Zhou Ling smiled faintly, “Arm strength exactly five tons.”

“Wow, Lao Zhou,” Lu Yuan praised. “Upgraded from a bird gun to a cannon, huh?”

“What are you talking about!” Zhou Ling snorted lightly, but the pride in his eyes was unmistakable. He pretended to be modest, saying, “Just did some maintenance and upgrades, that’s all.”

Lu Yuan was well aware of Zhou Ling’s capabilities. He hadn’t been this strong before, so it seemed that this “reconstruction” had brought him significant benefits. No wonder he came to pick Lu Yuan up in a shuttle himself.

“I’ll have to check out Lao Zhou’s capabilities in the Consciousness Space later,” Lu Yuan thought to himself.

Then he heard Zhou Ling continue, “What pure martial arts can’t achieve despite all efforts, modification and new martial arts can accomplish with a simple surgery. Moreover, the upper limits are much higher. So, do you think pure martial arts should be eliminated?”

“Not necessarily,” Lu Yuan gently rubbed his fingers, and a faint yellow light flashed between them.

“Martial arts still have inner strength, true skill, and True Intent. These are things that mechanical modifications can’t achieve.”

“Yes,” Zhou Ling nodded, then countered, “But mechanical modifications offer more powerful alternatives! No matter how advanced pure martial arts are, can they control lightning or fire? Both modifications and new martial arts can achieve that! In the face of absolute power, the techniques that pure martial artists pride themselves on become a joke.”

Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered slightly, instantly recalling how his teacher Liu Daoyuan had kicked him in the head while enduring his [Super Killer Move: Death Message on the Way to the Underworld] punch. He stayed silent.

“Moreover, modifications and new martial arts aren’t devoid of techniques. In fact, techniques hold an even greater weight within these systems compared to pure martial arts.”

“I can somewhat understand modifications, but what exactly is new martial arts?” Lu Yuan finally couldn’t hold back his curiosity.

This question had been buried in his heart for a long time. He often heard people talk about new martial arts, but he still didn’t understand what they really were. Was it something like what his teacher Liu Daoyuan practiced? It didn’t seem like it.

“New martial arts involve transplanting a new style of martial arts into your body.”

“Uh…”

Lu Yuan was puzzled.

Zhou Ling thought for a moment, then said, “Have you heard of the ancient martial art ‘Iron Sand Palm’?”

“I’ve heard of it,” Lu Yuan replied. “The guy selling breakfast across from my house uses it. He never uses chopsticks when frying deep-fried dough sticks, always uses his bare hands.”

“…”

Zhou Ling rolled his eyes at him, the blue light emitting from his eyes making the gesture amusing.

“I’m being serious here.”

“I’ve only read about it in novels,” Lu Yuan replied honestly. “It seems like a common martial art that even minor characters in novels can use.”

“The name might sound rustic, but it’s actually quite powerful,” Zhou Ling stood up, grabbed another soda from the nearby beverage cabinet, opened it, and took a sip before continuing. “It’s the core martial art of the Iron Flow Sect in the martial arts world. The Iron Flow Sect’s reputation and status in the ancient martial arts world are much higher than that of your Sky Water Stream Crane Style. Iron Sand Palm is also known as Iron Flow Palm.”

“I once saw a demonstration video of a pure martial artist who had mastered Iron Flow Palm. He could leave a few centimeters deep handprint on Star-patterned Steel. Star-patterned Steel is one of the main materials used in Falcon Mecha.”

Lu Yuan was slightly taken aback.

Zhou Ling was very pleased with his reaction.

“To reach that level of mastery in Iron Flow Palm, one in ten thousand can achieve it. Without extraordinary talent and skill, it’s impossible. However, if you take the new martial arts route, achieving this level…”

Zhou Ling rubbed his fingers together and smiled at Lu Yuan, “All it takes is money.”

“The cost for a level B+ new martial art Iron Flow Palm modification, how much was it again?”

Zhou Ling’s eyes flashed blue light, clearly accessing some data.

As he searched, he continued talking, “And that’s just Iron Flow Palm. There’s also level A Titanium Demon Hand, and even level S Atomic Split Palm. Each one is more powerful than the last, completely outclassing pure martial artists by miles. Whoa, that’s expensive!”

Zhou Ling suddenly exclaimed as if he had found something surprising.

Lu Yuan immediately asked, “How much?”

“Uh…”

Zhou Ling’s eyes darted around, hesitating. Then he waved his hand decisively, “That’s not important.

You’re only seventeen this year, with unlimited potential ahead. Are you worried about not having the money for modifications? At worst, you can start by transplanting a level C new martial art first and upgrade when you have more money. I guess you might not be ready for full-body modifications, but the new martial arts route suits you well. The future is much brighter than that of a pure martial artist.”

Lu Yuan remained silent.

Although Zhou Ling had enthusiastically extolled the virtues of new martial arts, Lu Yuan’s resolve in his martial arts heart remained unaffected. Instead, he found the information Zhou Ling revealed about new martial arts quite intriguing.

“According to Zhou Ling, new martial arts are not just a form of martial arts but more like a new hybrid of ancient martial arts and technology, creating a kind of weapon!”

It helps modifiers skip the training process, only needing to learn how to better control and utilize this power. Strength enhancement also relies entirely on upgrading “martial arts equipment.”

Naturally, this approach is very costly.

The phrase “a rich warrior” seems to be even more fitting for the new martial arts path.

For a new martial arts expert to conquer the world, they must first be as wealthy as a nation!

“Think it over carefully; I’m sure I’m right,” Zhou Ling said, finishing off a can of soda in a few gulps. His demeanor and tone were eerily reminiscent of Lu Yuan’s head teacher wrapping up a motivational speech with a thermos in hand.

Lu Yuan nodded but made no comment or response.

He turned to look out the window. The shuttle was currently weaving through the clouds.

However, it wasn’t flying very high, much lower than an airplane.

The speed wasn’t particularly fast either.

Its main advantages were its lightness and stability.

Lu Yuan saw an eagle flying through the mist and glimpsed the cities and mountains below, but they were faint and indistinct.

He glanced at the time. It had only been half an hour since they took off from Jiaoyan.

The Xia State was vast.

Lu Yuan had heard this countless times in geography class.

But to truly feel it was a first for him.

“From Jiaoyan to Xiabang, the shuttle takes four to five hours. Gao Qing was right. I do live in a very remote place.”

For the rest of the journey, Lu Yuan and Zhou Ling didn’t talk much.

They ate a little, then each went about their own business.

Lu Yuan continued using the Ten Thousand Refined Crane Bone Technique to temper his body.

Although after breaking his constitution limit, the effects of his body training techniques had significantly diminished and no longer increased his attributes, they still had some effect, just less.

How can you reach a thousand miles without taking small steps?

The invincible body Lu Yuan dreamed of, capable of tearing apart mechas, would be built on these tiny incremental improvements.

When he grew tired of body training, he would activate the [Imaginary Enemy] and practice in the Consciousness Space.

When he got bored of consciousness battles, he would look at the scenery outside the window.

Time passed quickly, flowing by like a swift river.

Zhou Ling had picked up Lu Yuan in the afternoon, and before they knew it, the sun was setting and night had fallen.

“We’re almost there!”

Zhou Ling bent over and leaned against the window, pointing in a direction, “Look, that’s Xiabang.”

Lu Yuan followed Zhou Ling’s finger and looked up.

At the edge of the dark sky, there were seven-colored neon lights flowing.

Above the neon lights, a brilliant Milky Way extended upward, spreading out in a magnificent and splendid display.

It lit up the entire eastern night sky with a faint white glow.

Lu Yuan squinted, trying to see more clearly.

He discovered that the so-called Milky Way was actually composed of countless glowing, shuttle-like flying devices.

Dense as stars, who knows how many there were.

Lu Yuan felt a slight tremor throughout his body.

“So this is Xiabang… the new world.”

In that instant, he seemed to understand the meaning behind those last three words.

“Haha.”

Zhou Ling laughed, ready to share something meaningful with Lu Yuan.

Suddenly, it was as if he received a command or some information.

His eyes flashed blue light.

Then, an expression of helplessness appeared on his face.

“Lu Yuan, you might not get to explore Xiabang until after your assessment.”

Lu Yuan turned his head to look at him, “What do you mean?”

The casual look on Zhou Ling’s face disappeared, replaced by a serious and solemn demeanor.

“We just got word. The location for the new blood trial assessment has been announced. We need to turn around now.”

“Where to?”

“Smokeless City No. 3.”