086 Enthusiastic Group Members

"Unverified martial arts techniques—does that mean no one has ever succeeded in practicing them?" Chen Jue wondered, his mind filled with doubts. He opened a few files containing technique manuals, but they were nothing but a jumble of technical jargon and secret codes, leaving him utterly baffled. Some included diagrams of physical movements and routes, but none made much sense to him.

"Something feels a bit off here," he thought, closing the group files. His attribute panel was still updating, so he didn't bother to test these obscure ancient techniques for now.

Seeing the group fiercely debating the video he’d posted earlier, where he demonstrated the explosive force technique, Chen Jue decided to join in.

Martial Arts Enthusiast: "None of you have ever manifested internal force? (stares)"

Group Leader—Please Share Benefits: "Master! You're the only one in the group who can use internal force! Otherwise, why would I invite you here? We hope you can guide us all! (bows)"

Grasshopper: "Just a newbie passing by, barely managed to manifest external force (humble)"

Xingyi Junior: "Master, we've all met offline, and none of us have managed internal force. My grandfather can use it, but at most, he can blast less than half an inch underwater (kneels) Master, could you show us your skills again, let us witness it? (hopeful)"

Tai Chi Newbie: "(holds bowl)"

Old He from Ba Zi Boxing: "(holds bowl)"

Cheng Style Bagua—Yang Jun: "(eyes full of anticipation)"

Martial Arts Enthusiast: "I've recently suffered severe internal injuries, can't manifest internal force for now (scratches head)"

"..."

"..."

"..."

Xingyi Junior: "Master, you must be joking! How could someone as skilled as you get injured? (disbelief)"

Martial Arts Enthusiast: "It's true, the injury is quite serious... Wait a moment, I'll send you something I recorded when I used internal force before."

Suddenly remembering the dumbbell plate in the living room where he had left his fingerprint, Chen Jue went to take a photo, then shared it in the group.

No sooner had he posted the picture than the entire group exploded!

"(confused emoji)"

"(stares at master)"

"Holy—holy—holy—holy!"

"Is that a plated dumbbell plate? Is it iron or alloy steel?"

"Is that an internal force fingerprint left on the iron plate?"

"Internal force can do this?"

"Master, did you eat a hydraulic press for breakfast?"

"Darling! Come and see a living immortal! (movie quote)"

"..."

The group was in chaos, and the leader tagged everyone. Many lurkers emerged to join the discussion.

When they saw Chen Jue’s photo of the dumbbell plate, they were all dumbfounded.

If the earlier underwater force video was shocking enough, this method of leaving an imprint on steel completely overturned the worldview of these martial arts enthusiasts.

Could practicing martial arts truly reach this level?

Leaving imprints on iron, kneading iron into mud—that used to be the wild boasts of old masters in the days of hardship.

Could anyone in this era really cultivate their skills to such a degree?

With such power in his hands, if he were to grip a person, wouldn’t he crush their bones and tear away flesh?

Messages flew by at lightning speed. Chen Jue watched for a while, then posted a message to halt the discussion: "Group leader, are those files in the group folder real? I browsed a bit and saw that each has corresponding high-resolution photos of ancient books and manuals."

Group Leader: "Master! Allow me to worship you first! That photo is incredible! As for the files, they were organized and photographed by Xiao Botao. The ancient books and manuals were found in old family homes, all genuine. Still, some content we can’t verify, since no one can actually practice them @Bookish Botao."

Bookish Botao: "Haven’t been in the group for ages, why is it so lively today? Group leader @ me, what's up? I'm still preparing for exams (studying)."

Group Leader: "Scroll up and check the chat history @Bookish Botao."

Bookish Botao, a long-time lurker, was confused by the mention, but after scrolling through hundreds of messages and seeing the dumbbell plate photo from Chen Jue, was equally stunned.

First, a confused emoji, then a sticker of hugging someone’s thigh: "Master! Those files were collected years ago! The books were contributed by group members, took me a whole summer to photograph and scan. To have them noticed by you, it feels like my hard work was worth it! So excited~ Front row, hugging the thigh of the internal force master!"

Martial Arts Enthusiast: "..."

Group Leader: "Master, aren't you injured? You can check out the medical folder in the group files. There are specialized methods for treating internal injuries, many are old and rare formulas contributed by everyone, some can't be found online, all unique secret remedies (flattering)."

Martial Arts Enthusiast: "Alright! Thanks! I'll take a look later! (scratches head)"

The group’s atmosphere was lively, as if a catfish had been thrown into a school of sardines.

After joining, Chen Jue had a general sense of the current martial arts circle.

A century ago, in those tumultuous times, the famous masters of boxing who rose to prominence amid gunfire and chaos relied on real life-and-death combat. There were plenty who managed to cultivate internal force, even transformative force.

But now, in times of peace, with martial arts heritage fractured, few practice, and with such a small base, even fewer talents emerge. Opportunities for real combat are scarce, so not a single person in the group has managed to manifest internal force, which is the decline of martial arts, unable to resist the tide of the era.

By Chen Jue’s estimation, among the fifty-odd members, the most skilled was only at Li Xiangning's level, able to partially control pore closure and manifest external force.

And their external force was only ordinary, without Chen Jue’s monstrous physique and strength.

With their abilities, they could probably handle several ordinary people, but faced with a dozen or twenty opponents, they'd be overwhelmed, beaten down by sheer numbers.

"So, my martial arts are already considered top level nowadays?"

"I used to think many people could use internal force, and this group is full of famous disciples from major schools, yet not a single one can use it?" Chen Jue stroked his chin, realizing the so-called experts on the forums must be in the same situation—more talk than real skill.

He couldn't help but shake his head and sigh softly, setting aside these thoughts and turning instead to the medical folder the group leader mentioned.

The urgent task was to heal his own internal injury, or it would hinder his cultivation over time.

Upon opening the medical folder, Chen Jue was immediately captivated by several methods for treating internal injuries related to internal force.

"Internal force soft attack to clear acupoints and tendons?"

"Internal force penetration method for the five organs?"

"Secret remedies for trauma and internal injury?"