"Second-rate martial arts are considered foundational regardless of the force they belong to, at least in our Lin'an County Town. After all, second-rate martial arts can allow one to explore the Blood Transportation Realm."
In the side hall of the Ninth Squad's station, Wang Sanyang said with a smile, holding a wine cup.
Across from him sat Lin Sheng, dressed in a large black robe.
He was dressed this way because after mastering the Raging Bull Fist and White Ape Leg Technique, his Physique had become much stronger than before, especially his hands and legs, which were almost a full size larger.
The White Ape Leg Technique was fine, as he hadn't heard of anyone in the Hunting Beast Hall practicing this martial art, and others would find it difficult to discern anything. However, the Raging Bull Fist was different; almost everyone in the Hunting Beast Hall practiced it, and Wang Sanyang and others had even cultivated it to the level of great mastery.
The changes in his arms after achieving great mastery were significant, and if they noticed anything, he wouldn't be able to explain it well, so he simply covered himself with his clothes.
"Just now, Lin Sheng, you asked about the second-rate martial arts in our Zhenshan Tower. Actually, there aren't many, only three according to my knowledge."
"Thirty-six Striking Hands, Eagle Claw Thousand Jin Force, and finally the Twelve Vajra Forms. Thirty-six Striking Hands and Eagle Claw Thousand Jin Force are hand techniques, while the Twelve Vajra Forms is a saber technique."
Hearing this, Lin Sheng nodded, his gaze falling on Wang Sanyang's hands.
He hadn't seen Wang Sanyang use a saber technique, so the second-rate martial art the other party practiced should be one of the first two.
Noticing Lin Sheng's gaze, Wang Sanyang said with a smile.
"Don't look. I practice the Thirty-six Striking Hands. Among these three second-rate martial arts, this one is considered the least difficult, but it is much stronger than martial arts like the Raging Bull Fist."
As he spoke, Wang Sanyang, as if showing off, extended a finger and placed it on the wine cup in front of him, actually pinching two clear finger marks into the cup.
Seeing this scene, Lin Sheng's eyes narrowed.
Pinching finger marks into a wine cup was nothing. The difficulty lay in doing so without breaking the cup. This level of control over force was quite impressive.
With his current strength, he might not be able to achieve this.
"How about it? Compared to third-rate martial arts, in the Early Stages of Body Tempering and even Forging Tendons Early Stage, the increase in strength and physical quality from second-rate martial arts is not significantly different, at least not as much as imagined. However, the two differ considerably in terms of sophistication, which is the control and application of force."
"There's such a saying?"
Lin Sheng was stunned. This was the first time he had heard about the true difference between second-rate and third-rate martial arts.
"Naturally. Lin Sheng, you haven't been practicing martial arts for long, so it's normal that you're not clear about these things."
Wang Sanyang said with a slight smile, taking another gulp from his wine cup as he spoke.
"Actually, the power contained within the human body is much greater than what we usually display, but we can only unleash a portion of it. The main function of martial arts is to strengthen the Physique and power, and in addition, it allows us to unleash more of the power within our bodies."
"For example, a normal person has a strength of two hundred jin, but they can usually only unleash less than a hundred jin, a proportion of around forty percent or even lower. A Martial Artist who practices third-rate martial arts and reaches the Forging Tendons Early Stage can unleash about sixty to seventy percent of their maximum strength."
"And a Martial Artist who practices second-rate martial arts and reaches the Forging Tendons Early Stage can unleash about eighty percent of their maximum strength."
"This one or two percent difference may seem insignificant, but it provides a huge advantage in actual combat. The maximum strength I'm talking about isn't just limited to brute force; it also applies to agility and speed. This means that the opponent's speed and power can essentially completely suppress a Martial Artist of third-rate martial arts."
As Wang Sanyang spoke, there was a hint of melancholy on his face, as if he had suffered losses in this regard before.
After listening to Wang Sanyang's words, Lin Sheng also nodded thoughtfully.
He hadn't expected that the grade of martial arts also had this difference.
Wang Sanyang was right; in combat between Martial Artists, victory and defeat are often decided in a flash. If your strength is greater and your speed is faster, you can defeat your opponent.
Lin Sheng had a deep understanding of the one or two percent difference in strength and speed, as his Body Integration effect made him particularly sensitive to this aspect.
As for the human limit the other party mentioned, he had encountered scientific discussions on this topic in his previous life.
A normal person's strength could theoretically kill a bull with a single punch, but the density of the human body was not sufficient to support such a burst of force.
In his previous life, news reports said that a woman lifted a truck with her bare hands to save her child who was trapped under a car.
There were many such examples, but without exception, there would be unavoidable muscle and bone damage afterward, and even serious illness.
"Team Leader Wang, since second-rate martial arts can unleash eighty percent of one's maximum strength, does that mean first-rate martial arts can unleash all of one's strength?"
Lin Sheng looked at Wang Sanyang and asked.
"That's right. In addition to being extremely powerful in all aspects of physical enhancement, first-rate martial arts can also raise the control of one's own strength to an extremely high level, basically allowing one to fully unleash their own strength. I've even heard that some first-rate martial arts can unleash strength that surpasses one's own limit..."
"Surpassing one's limit!?"
Lin Sheng raised an eyebrow.
"That's right. Furthermore, some secret arts can also achieve this, but surpassing the limit has extremely strict requirements on oneself."
Wang Sanyang said seriously.
"These secret arts are also extremely rare, and their value may even be higher than ordinary first-rate martial arts. Our Zhenshan Tower has been able to reach this point today, in addition to a first-rate martial art, the Nine Bulls Two Tigers Saber, we also have a burst secret technique. Only then could we establish a foothold in this Lin'an County and take down Yangping Mountain."
"Nine Bulls Two Tigers Saber, burst secret technique."
Lin Sheng felt that this trip was not in vain. This information was already considered a secret within Zhenshan Tower.
And this knowledge about martial arts. If he wasn't in Zhenshan Tower, ordinary Martial Artists would probably never know so much.
This was the advantage of being in a major force. In terms of cultivation, they had knowledge far beyond that of rogue cultivators.
"One more question, Team Leader Wang."
Lin Sheng raised his wine cup and toasted the other party, then continued to ask. Taking advantage of this opportunity, he simply asked all the questions he had in his heart.
"Just ask whatever questions you have," Wang Sanyang waved his hand indifferently.
"Since martial arts strengthen oneself by condensing one's vital blood, and third-rate martial arts are inferior to second-rate martial arts in terms of condensation limit and efficiency, can cultivating multiple third-rate martial arts break through the limit and reach the Forging Tendons Late Stage?"
Lin Sheng pondered for a moment before asking.
He hadn't thought about this question before, but now that both his Raging Bull Fist and White Ape Leg Technique had reached great mastery, he had some guesses about this.
"Well?" Wang Sanyang was startled, seemingly not having considered this question, but then he quickly laughed sheepishly and said, "I didn't expect you to ask this, Lin Sheng. Logically speaking, it might be possible, but probably no one has tried it. After all, who would focus all their energy on third-rate martial arts?"
"Doing so is tantamount to cutting off one's own path. Although cultivating multiple third-rate martial arts can also increase one's strength, cultivating third-rate martial arts also requires a lot of time. With such time, why not choose to Cultivate second-rate martial arts or even first-rate martial arts? As long as you achieve something, you can step into a higher Realm."
Speaking of this, Wang Sanyang showed a thoughtful expression, as if recalling something. After a pause, he continued.
"I heard from the team leader Tian that the human body has a limit. The cultivation of each martial art will leave a mark on the body, and this mark affects various parts of the body. While cultivating multiple martial arts can make one stronger in combat, it is not absolute.
Just like fist techniques and leg techniques, one targets the upper body and the other the lower body. To achieve success in these martial arts, every part of your body, from the inside out, needs to cooperate to achieve the best possible strength output. One or two martial arts may not show anything, but if you Cultivate three, four, five, or even six martial arts simultaneously, your body will be subtly changed by these cultivation methods, and this is definitely not a good thing."
"This will make your body's tendons and internal structure a mess, causing changes to your foundation and resulting in half the effort for twice the result. Even a peerless Genius could be completely crippled. By then, it will be difficult to achieve great mastery in any martial art, and that's the mild outcome. In more severe cases, one could suffer from Qi Deviation, or even have their Physique collapse, their lifespan greatly reduced, or even die suddenly, which is extremely normal."
At this point, Wang Sanyang's gaze fell on Lin Sheng, sizing him up seriously and instructing him.
"So, Lin Sheng, you must remember, never be greedy for too many martial arts, otherwise, not only will you waste your talent, but you might not even be able to keep your life in the end."
"I understand, Team Leader Wang, you can rest assured."
Lin Sheng also showed a serious expression and immediately nodded in agreement.
Wang Sanyang's words made his heart tremble. Upon careful thought, it did make a lot of sense.
"Since cultivating multiple martial arts is not advisable, why does the martial arts in the tower all start with the Raging Bull Fist?"
Lin Sheng asked the question in his heart.
He had wanted to ask this for a long time. Since the Raging Bull Fist's limit was only the Forging Tendons Early Stage, and he would have to switch to cultivating second-rate martial arts to continue upward cultivation, why not start cultivating directly from second-rate or even first-rate martial arts?
As for the concern about the leakage of cultivation methods, it could be avoided by teaching in segments.
"Naturally, the higher the grade of martial art you start cultivating, the higher your starting point and the greater your achievements. However, the difficulty of cultivation will also increase accordingly. For most people with average Aptitude, third-rate martial arts are more suitable. They don't require too many resources, and you can achieve something by just investing time and hard work."
Wang Sanyang replied without thinking.
"Of course, this only applies to ordinary people. For those with outstanding talent, high-grade martial arts are more suitable."
Saying this, Wang Sanyang's voice was slightly lower.
"However, the value of second-rate martial arts far surpasses that of third-rate martial arts. In the black market, you can buy third-rate martial arts for a few hundred taels of silver, but second-rate martial arts cost at least several thousand taels of silver, and they are often hard to come by, even if you have the money, you may not be able to buy them."
"Therefore, second-rate martial arts are also quite important to the major forces in the city, and even if someone has talent, they won't be easily taught."
At this point, Wang Sanyang sighed softly.
"Lin Sheng, do you know how long I've been in Zhenshan Tower?"
"That should be about ten years, right?"
Lin Sheng guessed. He only knew that Wang Sanyang was an old member of Zhenshan Tower and had been in other halls of Zhenshan Tower before entering the Hunter's Hall.
"Hehe... wrong. I've been in Zhenshan Tower for nearly 20 years."
Wang Sanyang showed a hint of self-mockery on his face.
"Although I, Wang, am not a Genius like you, Lin Sheng, I consider myself to have some talent. At the age of twenty-seven, I had cultivated the Raging Bull Fist to great mastery and entered the Forging Tendons Early Stage. It took another three years after that to obtain the initial cultivation method for the Thirty-six Striking Hands. Otherwise, I might have already attempted to enter the Forging Tendons Late Stage, at least not much worse than Ma Long."
Hearing this, Lin Sheng frowned slightly.
Now that he had cultivated both of his third-rate martial arts to great mastery, he planned to obtain second-rate martial arts from Zhenshan Tower next. It seemed that Zhenshan Tower's emphasis on second-rate martial arts was much stricter than he had imagined.
By the time Lin Sheng came out of the station, his mood was increasingly heavy.
From Wang Sanyang, he learned that Zhenshan Tower's control over second-rate martial arts was still the most relaxed among the major forces in the County Town.
Although it required several years of observation, and the cultivation method given was only an incomplete early chapter, at least there was no problem with the cultivation method itself.
Other major forces in the city, even if some didn't have the so-called observation period, the cultivation methods they provided had various restrictive measures.
The deeper one's cultivation in their methods, the greater the restrictions. These could be long-term use of poisonous pills, or even hidden tricks within the methods themselves, capable of easily crippling one's cultivation. Such methods were more malicious than those of Zhenshan Tower.
The situation was better in the Prefecture Yamen or the army. Although they wouldn't use poisonous pills or cultivation method flaws to control people, they would still use other methods to restrict them.
In short, the control over cultivation methods and martial arts was quite strict.
Comparatively, Zhenshan Tower was better in this regard.
Although with the talent he had shown, it was highly likely he wouldn't need to spend an extra two or three years to be taught like Wang Sanyang, the time delayed would still not be short.
To obtain the cultivation method for Zhenshan Tower's second-rate martial arts, he would likely need to have openly cultivated the Raging Bull Fist to great mastery at the very least.
And that would be at least half a year later, as in the eyes of others, he had just broken through Body Tempering.
"It seems I need to change my idea of obtaining second-rate martial arts in Zhenshan Tower."
Walking back, he thought about his next plan.
Given this situation, he couldn't obtain second-rate martial arts from Zhenshan Tower in a short time, let alone higher-grade first-rate martial arts.
This was the predicament of ordinary people without background or resources.
Even with talent, without suitable cultivation methods, they would be buried, or they would have to choose to be tools for those aristocratic families.
"Cultivation methods are also a troublesome matter, and the physical conflict caused by cultivating multiple methods is also a problem."
Originally, he had also thought that he could Cultivate multiple martial arts using the advantage of his Body Integration, so that even if he couldn't improve his Realm, he could horizontally improve his actual combat power.
"Now it seems that I need to consider the cultivation methods I choose in the future."