Chapter 293.2: Innate Martial Technique
One evening when Wu Qi drove him home, others at the martial gym noticed. She was a fairly well-known celebrity in Tianyue City. The news stirred up the martial gym. Everyone began saying Qi Yuan was dating the big star Wu Qi.
Wang Shiqiao gave Qi Yuan a strange look. "No wonder, he is dating a big star."
In their gym circle, aside from people like Xu Tiehua, the rest of the second-generation rich didn’t have the rights to look down on Wu Qi.
The big star picking up and dropping off Qi Yuan every day surprised everyone. Especially Wang Shiqiao, who had already learned from Xing Yu that Qi Yuan was of ordinary background. Xing Yu's view of Qi Yuan also shifted. She felt they were on the same path. She inexplicably felt a bit fond of Qi Yuan.
At dusk, Qi Yuan alighted from Wu Qi's car and entered the residential complex again. The dimly-lit complex was warm with an orange glow.
On a flat stretch of ground, a burly man was practicing punches, his strikes powerful and fierce. Qi Yuan even felt that Xu Tiehua was far behind this burly man.
He walked over to the burly man. "Brother Yang, still training?"
The man was called Yang Shan. He'd moved next door a week ago, essentially making him a neighbor. The man in his thirties had a distinctly soldierly air. In fact, he was one, but was discharged early due to his injury. Since Yang Shan also practiced martial arts, the two ended up becoming acquainted. Since the former was more advanced in martial ways, Qi Yuan would occasionally ask him questions.
Yang Shan glanced at Qi Yuan with a sharp look. "You're back? Hmm, another breakthrough?"
Qi Yuan nodded. "Yeah."
The burly man shot him an odd look. "Your talent is terrifying."
Qi Yuan was not modest at all. "Not really, I'm only third in the world."
Yang Shan grew serious. "You're probably wondering how to break through to become a qualified martial artist?"
"Yes."
With his resonance fist at the sixth level, Qi Yuan was only one step away from becoming a full-fledged martial artist. However, he had many doubts about breaking to the seventh level.
Yang Shan explained, a trace of disappointment in his eyes, "To become one, you must form your own innate martial technique! Since it goes beyond the human body’s limits, the technique can release terrifying power.
"Legend says that in ancient times, reaching a certain realm allowed martial artists to form innate killing moves, like cutting rivers with a finger! Of course, after researching, experts say these are nonsense. Innate martial techniques can't advance to innate killing moves."
In fact, he was a peak martial artist, yet he still stood no chance against those who had taken advanced gene serums. After sustaining an injury, he returned to his hometown, Junan Residential Complex.
Yang Shan's eyes carried a trace of nostalgic emotion. "Talking about innate killing moves now is like telling myths. We’re getting off topic. Let's continue with innate martial techniques. This is the core of every martial artist. Everyone's innate martial technique is different.
"For example, the last martial arts tournament champion had the Illusion Voice Fist. One punch released countless phantoms, making it irresistible. You could say such innate martial arts nearly approach the Dao, exceeding human limits. After all, without advanced gene serums, we carbon-based creatures are actually quite weak."
The first time he displayed his innate martial technique, he felt the charm of the martial way. He even thought he had embarked on an extraordinary path. An innate martial technique was no ordinary fistwork—it was transcendent. At least, that was how Yang Shan defined it. Though this transcendence was weak, it was real.
After wasting over a decade, he had reached the peak of martial arts yet still couldn’t break its limits. As if that weren’t enough, someone else took a single shot of advanced gene serum and defeated him with ease. What had he trained for all his life?
Moreover, gene serums could even awaken gene martial techniques, which utterly dwarfed innate martial techniques. Yang Shan grew disillusioned, thinking the martial path had ended.
Over the years, despite heavy investment from researchers and major figures, no one had succeeded in breaking the limits of martial arts. Thus, martial arts had been reduced to a cultural relic, or simply a sport.
Qi Yuan's eyes lit up. "Transcendent?"
To be honest, he had never seen an innate martial technique. Although there were some martial artists in Mingwu Martial Arts Gym, he didn't know them all that well. Moreover, no one casually displayed innate martial techniques.
Yang Shan smiled wryly. "Calling it transcendent is just gilding the lily."
If martial arts were truly transcendent, then how could taking a gene serum let people perform something akin to innate martial techniques?
Yang Shan’s gaze turned fierce. "Talk a hundred times is less than seeing once. I'll show you my innate martial technique. Thunderous Flood Palm!"
A powerful aura soon spread, and Qi Yuan sensed a force beyond the norm.
He judged, "Stronger than Blue Planet people... by a bit."
Of course, only somewhat stronger. It couldn't block swords and blades.
Yang Shan shot a mighty palm forward. "Ha!"
As the technique’s name suggested, the air quivered, then a dull thunder-like boom echoed. It could even kill an ordinary person in one blow.
Qi Yuan narrowed his eyes, seeing something different in that palm. "It's a pity. If you lived on Blue Planet and performed brick-splitting demonstrations on short video channels every day, you'd become a great qigong master with millions of followers. Shame that we are on Arch Star."
Yang Shan's punch did carry a bit of the transcendent element. Many on Blue Planet would think he had real skill. But on Arch Star, with gene serums so common, some could bend steel with their fingers. Peak martial artists were nothing special.
Yang Shan asked, puzzled, "Blue Planet?"
"It’s my homeland. I am an alien."
The burly man was astonished. "Your psychiatric certificate is real, is it?"
He’d been warned that his neighbor had a psychiatric certificate. Qi Yuan claimed he’d faked it to make things easier and receive subsidies, and Yang Shan had believed him at the time. Now, it seemed that the certificate was not so fake after all.
