12 012 Practicing Martial Arts Duge_1

Looking at the members of the Feng Family on the sidelines, Duge sighed inwardly. It seemed that if he wanted to make something of himself in this world, he must prioritize martial arts training.

Who knew how long he'd stay in this simulation arena?

Of course.

Maintenance and backstabbing were not to be neglected; they were the foundation of his security and success. These two keywords were far from being developed to their full potential…

Having secured the top rank in the simulation arena, Duge initially felt quite smug, even looking down on all the heroes. But after this competition, he recalibrated his attitude, curbing his arrogance and impatience, returning to modesty and caution.

He couldn't even defeat a novice village chief, what's there to be proud of?

But then again, thinking it over, he'd only been in this world for three or four hours in total. How could he possibly be invincible so soon?

…

Little did he know.

While Duge was not pleased with himself, Feng Shiren and the others already had eyes red with envy, as if they were about to bleed.

Especially after verifying that Duge had no innate strength, their gazes of envy and hatred could hardly wait to swallow him whole.

Pity the heavens.

They had painstakingly practiced martial arts for twenty to thirty years and couldn't even compare to the Heavenly Demon who had trained for just an hour or two, an hour or two that turned a sickly weakling into a martial talent with exceptional gifts...

What had Feng Qi done?

Other than drawing them a big pie, he had done nothing, and the crux of their plan had still been carried out by the Feng family themselves...

And the outcome?

The Feng Family saw no benefits, while Feng Qi's strength surged upward. Where was the justice in that?

…

However.

Through this competition, the Feng Family gained a comprehensive understanding of the Heavenly Demon. As Duge said, the Heavenly Demon indeed possessed a treasure worth cherishing.

With renewed confidence, the Feng Family also let down their guard around Duge.

This was the conclusion they had validated.

During the competition, Feng Yunming, according to the plan, pretended to make a mistake.

At that moment, due to the previous fight, the weapon rack had fallen, and a long spear on the rack was pointed straight at Duge's back as Feng Yunming thrust his palm towards him.

If Duge dodged, Feng Yunming, having exhausted his strength, would certainly crash into the spear and die.

If Duge did not dodge, he would take Feng Yunming's palm strike and could very likely be pushed onto the spear by the force.

Fact proved.

Duge truly had brought maintenance to the extreme.

He had already dodged, but when he sensed the situation behind him, he hesitated not at all to flash back, standing between Feng Yunming and the spear, absorbing Feng Yunming's strike, and with his actions dispelling any suspicions the Feng Family had about him...

In such a critical moment, apart from instinct, there was no other reason that could explain it.

After all.

Feng Shiren had once said that after a Heavenly Demon took over a body, they became mortal and could die...

To risk his life to protect a stranger, something even Feng Shiren might not do—what Heavenly Demon could be trusted if not this one?

Most crucially, Feng Shiyi's prophecy had sunk deep into the hearts of the people, even Feng Shiren in his heart believed that the Feng Family was destined to prosper, regarded Duge as an auspicious omen, and naturally came to accept him.

…

"Family Head, am I capable of venturing out now?" Duge broke the silence with a smile, "In less than two hours, my strength has grown to this extent. From now on, as long as the Family Head adheres to the previous plan, my strength can only increase, becoming stronger and stronger…"

"Mr. Seven, rest assured, the previous strategy will absolutely not change. Having Mr. Seven join us is an honor for the Feng Family," Feng Shiren replied, growing more satisfied with Duge the more he looked at him, his old face blooming like a chrysanthemum. He stepped forward, "Sir, from this moment forth, you are the Supreme Elder of the Feng Family. All the resources of the Feng Family can be allocated by you without my consent, and the Feng Family will support all your decisions wholeheartedly."

"Thank you, Family Head."

Duge breathed a sigh of relief, having finally played out his part.

The boost in attributes not only increased his strength and speed but also his senses.

The strategies that Feng Shiren and the others discussed in the conference hall were, despite being separated by two walls, somewhat muffled, yet he had heard most of it.

Feng Shiyi's prophecy about destiny almost made him burst with joy.

Duge had not expected that the story he made up on the spot, full of loopholes, would convince this group of people to not only buy into it themselves but also to jump headfirst into the circle they had drawn.

As for Feng Yunming's probing?

Knowing their arrangements, it was simply a piece of cake for him to deal with them. He had the Rear Eye, and to him, all their long spears and feigned fumbles were transparent...

...

That evening.

Duge and Feng Jiu, having gained the trust of the Feng Family, moved into the guest rooms of the Feng household.

Duge, holding the Feng Family's "Shattered Gold and Jade Hand" and "Catching Wind and Shadow," sought instruction in martial arts from Feng Yunjie.

With the hands-on guidance of a master, Duge quickly grasped the basics of martial arts.

After all, his agility and speed had improved, and with a high spiritual power of 80, he could easily remember those not-too-complex martial arts moves just by putting in a bit of effort.

The Feng Family's "Shattered Gold and Jade Hand" was an external cultivation technique. By memorizing the moves and combining them with breathing techniques, one could foster Inner Strength from outside in after diligent practice.

It wasn't as specialized as cultivation techniques focused solely on Inner Strength, but it had the advantage of being simple to perform.

"Catching Wind and Shadow" was purely about movement techniques, and being a complementary technique to "Shattered Gold and Jade Hand," it didn't generate Inner Strength.

After practicing for a while, Duge found that "Catching Wind and Shadow" was not even a match for his innate agility and decisively abandoned its study to focus solely on "Shattered Gold and Jade Hand."

Not for the moves, but for the Inner Strength.

That night.

Having tasted the sweetness of martial arts for the first time, Duge was so enthusiastic that he practiced all night long.

Finally, in the early hours of the morning, he felt a faint current of warmth in his Dantian, flowing along his meridians; Feng Yunjie was astonished, proclaiming him a prodigy.

Feng Yunjie said enviously that it had taken him two months to begin feeling the Qi.

But Duge was far from satisfied. After hard practice all night, he had only generated a faint sense of Qi, which was too slow for him, nothing like the rapid improvement brought by keywords.

However, this did not diminish Duge's growing interest in martial arts. After all, Inner Strength only existed in novels and TV shows on Earth; where else could he feel it tangibly!

As for the Qi feeling weak?

Duge concluded that the Feng Family's Cultivation Technique was trash.

For the sake of his dream of becoming a martial arts hero, he decided to prioritize the seizure of more advanced martial arts manuals...

...

Feng Jiu did not practice martial arts, as he had the memories of the host and his Dantian was intact.

The Inner Strength he had developed from practicing martial arts previously was all there, but he did not think martial arts would be of much use on the simulation field.

No matter how powerful his martial arts became, could they be as effective as keywords?

A simple maintenance, a word spoken between parted lips, in just two or three hours, could match twenty years of hard training with an expert and fight on even terms...

Comparing the two, only a fool would practice martial arts!

In his view, Feng Qi was putting the cart before the horse by devoting effort to learning martial arts.

...

Feng Qi's strength made Feng Jiu envious.

And when Feng Qi took a blade for Feng Yunming on the competition ground, it showed Feng Jiu what ultimate protection looked like.

Feng Jiu saw it clearly; at that moment, the spear tip had already pierced through Feng Qi's clothing. If Feng Yunming hadn't restrained his strength, Duge would have faced a piercing death.

If it were him, he would never do what Feng Qi did, sacrificing the precious simulation field slot for a native; he would save himself, even if it meant temporary weakness, for there was always a chance for a comeback.

But Feng Qi had done it, as if by instinct...

At that moment, Feng Jiu truly realized that if he didn't push himself, he might accomplish nothing in his life!

He couldn't turn keywords into instinct, but he could push himself to the limits of madness.

So, he did.

Feng Jiu asked Dr. Hu to prepare a bunch of digestion aids and laxatives for him, and he took two toilets into his room, instructing the kitchen steward to prepare food for twenty people.

He closed the door and began his journey of madness...

In the simulation field, he might not catch up with Feng Qi's ranking, but having comprehended the true essence of keyword training, Feng Jiu felt he still stood a chance to compete for the top ten...