Chapter 37: A New Perspective

"Hero Zhang, do you find this humble woman beautiful?"

Kang Min slowly loosened her silk garments, revealing half of her fragrant shoulders. Her voice was crisp and melodious, and her eyes were crystal clear, brimming with a tenderness that seemed ready to overflow. With her delicate features and pretty, refined appearance, she looked exactly like a sweet neighbor's widow, bearing no resemblance to the vicious, licentious woman described by Quan Guanqing.

"Very beautiful," Zhang Chengyi said bluntly. "However, stop undressing. We are not in the Shanxi region, and it is the eleventh century. Even if I were to disregard a woman's consent, I wouldn't risk offending the T0 tier."

The smile on Kang Min's face faltered noticeably. Although she had anticipated that this "Golden Mountain Knight-Errant" was eccentric, hearing such mood-killing, bizarre remarks in the midst of such temptation caught even a vixen like her off guard. However, she quickly regained her composure and said in a coquettish voice, "What are you talking about, Hero? How could this humble woman..."

"Stop, stop, stop. I told you, stop undressing," Zhang Chengyi said impatiently. "What on earth are you trying to do? Don't tell me you're just trying to seduce me?"

"Even if I were overcome by lust, I wouldn't go to bed with you. Who knows what kind of filthy diseases you might be carrying?"

*You... you bastard!*

Even the ever-theatrical Kang Min found her composure slipping. She cursed silently in the vernacular of the Northern Song Dynasty, then unhesitatingly pulled her clothes lower, struck a seductive pose, and toyed with a strand of her hair. "Hero, if you would only—"

*Smack!*

Zhang Chengyi casually slapped the woman on the forehead. Her alluring smile froze; blood mixed with bodily fluids leaked from her nostrils as she fell backward onto the floor.

"I told you, stop undressing. What are you mumbling about?"

In his eyes, Kang Min was nothing more than a minor boss carrying a venereal disease—hardly even a person. If he really wanted a woman, why would he have let go of the songstress who had offered to serve him as a beast of burden? She was far superior to the public transport currently lying on the floor.

Zhang Chengyi turned and walked out, looking at Qiao Feng, who was waiting outside. "The one inside is dead. How do you intend to handle Quan Guanqing?"

Su Xinghe entered calmly and carried the corpse away.

***

Qiao Feng, possessing keen ears and sharp eyes, had heard everything that transpired inside. His reaction was simple: *The Golden Mountain Knight-Errant is indeed like this.*

"May I take him and hand him over to the Beggar Sect?" he asked earnestly.

The Beggar Sect was known as the greatest organization under heaven, partly because its members were everywhere; Yangzhou was no exception.

"Go ahead," Zhang Chengyi said without a second thought. "By the way, come back and tell me what methods you've thought of for body tempering."

"Many thanks." Qiao Feng cupped his hands in gratitude and immediately explained the methods he had conceived and tested.

It was not complicated. Along their journey, they had been researching how to temper the body. According to Zhang Chengyi's unconventional theories, training muscles and the like was considered very low-level in the martial arts system of *Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils*.

First, one must understand that *qi* is a real energy existing within the body, and the meridians are real as well—not the unobservable concepts found in the other world he came from. The reason was simple: Duan Yu could use the circulation paths of the Six Meridian Divine Sword to force wine consumed into his stomach out through his fingers. It traveled from the stomach straight to the fingers via the meridians, making these people seem like an entirely different species from the humans of his home world.

In short, because the meridians truly exist within the body, even if there are techniques like Bone-Shrinking, there are no "Giant-Growth" techniques. The meridians that channel *qi* have a fixed length and quantity; if the body were to grow larger, the meridians would be unable to stretch accordingly, snapping instantly and killing the person. Therefore, for the people of this world, the existence of meridians is the foundation of *qi*, but also its limitation. Utilizing internal energy and performing techniques requires the meridians. By the same logic, body tempering cannot avoid the meridians; even supreme martial arts like the North Ocean Divine Art rely on ingenious tricks within the meridian system.

However, Zhang Chengyi’s physique and internal energy had both reached their peak. This proved that meridians have a limit, it’s just that ordinary people never reach it. Thus, the conclusion was drawn: the existence of meridians naturally limits the growth of internal energy and physique.

Simply using *qi* for body tempering is a dead end. *Qi* itself lacks the effect of rapidly or substantially enhancing the physique. While there are long-term effects—after all, experts with deep internal cultivation can prolong their lives and fight well into their eighties or nineties—the process is slow. Those who practice internal arts for years circulate *qi* through their bodies, subtly strengthening their physiques, which is why practitioners are inherently stronger than average people. However, the enhancement is minimal and the speed is glacial.

***

The principle is not complex. Because meridians run in linear paths, the areas they can strengthen are limited. Even with extensive branching, many parts of the body remain untouched. The effect of *qi* enhancement is always slow at the start, accelerates mid-way, and stagnates in the later stages.

As for why *qi* cannot be stored in the muscles and bones for large-scale enhancement, it is because it cannot be retained there. Once *qi* leaves the meridians and enters the muscles and bones, it dissipates. Furthermore, without the containment of the meridians, it is easy to suffer "deviation," causing other injuries. The body is filled with too many meridians; if *qi* leaks out of one and collides with another, it causes internal injury. If it accidentally hits a meridian connected to the vital organs, it could lead to severe injury or even instant death.

For anyone else, this would be an unsolvable problem. In truth, they had no good solutions, and during their travels, they would often discuss meridians and acupoints during their downtime. There was no helping it; internal energy is inextricably linked to meridians and acupoints.

However, Qiao Feng had a sudden inspiration just now. What if one were to actively disperse their internal energy—specifically and directionally—using specific movements to let the *qi* dissipate into the muscles and bones while avoiding the meridians? *Qi* does not vanish the moment it enters the muscle or bone; if one could control the rate and location of the dissipation using specific movements, could that not serve as a way to use *qi* for body tempering?

This method involves the active dissipation of internal energy, leading to a permanent loss of power. Others might not be able to afford such a cost, but could Zhang Chengyi not?

He had returned to his room to test it and confirmed that it was effective. Directional movements and small-scale dissipation allowed the *qi* to linger in the muscles and bones for a longer duration. The strengthening effect was still not ideal—it dissipated too quickly—but based on his trials, it would likely take sixty years of cultivation, continuously performing specific movements for several years, to yield significant results.

But this provided a new line of thinking. Regardless of whether they could eventually develop a true path to transcend martial limits, having a new idea that showed even a glimmer of potential made it worth researching.

"You really are a genius!" Zhang Chengyi slapped Qiao Feng on the back, a smile of excitement on his face. "Good, good, good! I'll record this as a major contribution of yours!"

"Go quickly, and when you return, we shall study this thoroughly."