17 Inner Strength of the Martial Path (1/2)

“As everyone knows, the Martial Path is split into nine ranks. The first three ranks are known as the Body ranks and have the title of Martial Learners. The fourth to sixth ranks are known as Martial Artists, and the seventh to ninth ranks are known as Martial Masters. Everyone who is a Martial Master has a high status, even the Zhao Sect does not have many of them,” Coach Chen simply explained about the nine ranks of the Martial Path.

“Every three ranks have a huge gap between them.”

Zhao Feng’s mind drew a simple diagram.

First three ranks: Strengthen the body and set up a good foundation.

Fourth to sixth rank: Form inner strength, or chi. Every move and action far surpasses the power of Martial Learners.

Seventh to ninth ranks: Upgrading Inner Strength to Transformation Strength, which can attack through the air.

There were rumors in Cloud Country of Big Martial Masters, those who had reached the peak of the ninth rank and had the title of Ten Thousand Man Army, who could easily kill their enemies.

In their eyes, normal Martial Artists and deadly beasts were ants.

“First we will talk about the first and second rank of the Martial Path. Through martial art skills, we strengthen our body and blood…” Coach Chen first talked about the foundation of the first two ranks.

Many of the disciples on the field had already reached the third rank, so they did not pay much attention to this. Zhao Feng paid close attention as he had been at the first rank of the Martial Path for a very long time. And the one hundred or so martial art books in his mind were now viewed differently.

He suddenly remembered the first skill he learned, Flaming Metal Fists. Slowly, the moves, experiences, and skills faded out of his memory.

Zhao Feng was shocked as he did not know what this meant. The only thing he knew was that Flaming Metal Fists had reached past the peak level. He did not realize that he had accidentally entered a meditational state. These states were rare, even for geniuses.

“Next we will talk about the skills of the second and third rank, and how to execute them…” Coach Chen didn’t just speak, he also showed how to practise them.

Being a true Martial Artist, any moves Coach Chen showed were all middle ranked martial arts trained to the peak level. Even if Coach Chen used the power of the third rank and middle ranked martial arts, he could still easily beat the top ten disciples.

“Lastly, I will be telling you tricks about Inner Strength. A few of you have already reached the peak of the third rank and are just a bit away from entering the fourth rank.” As Coach Chen spoke up, his lips curled into a smile. The top ten outer disciples had all reached the peak of the third rank.

“Even I cannot fully explain how chi works. The key point is how each of you understands Inner Strength. All I can do is give you some of my experiences…” Coach Chen’s voice turned low. Just as he finished his sentence, he gave off a frightening aura.

At that moment, all the Zhao sect disciples were unable to breathe properly. The unseen pressure flooded over all the Martial Learners.

“What strength! Is this inner strength? If I had that I could try to break through to become a true martial artist…” The crowd held their breaths as they looked on in awe.

“Inner Strength is, after all, a type of power that forms from within one’s body. Thus, strong blood is the key point in forming Inner Strength. And the strength of one’s blood depends on how strong one’s body and bones are. This is also why the first three ranks are known as the Power ranks. They provide a solid foundation to be built on,” Coach Chen said as he demonstrated.

“Rock Breaking Palm!” A faint yellow glow emitted from the center of his palm.

_Peh—-_

Before the palm even hit the ground, the force from the palm had already arrived.

“Ah!”

That palm’s power, filled with Inner Strength, was like a mountain that came crushing towards the disciples. The aura alone could make the Martial Learners yield.

_Plop!_

Three disciples of the second rank who stood at the front fell onto the ground.

“Hmph! I can see that your foundation is weak. The wind from my palm has already made you fall. If it was someone of the seventh rank or higher instead of me, you guys would have already been crushed into pieces…” Coach Chen shook his head.

As he was explaining and demonstrating, one youth was like a sculpture that didn’t move. After Coach Chen finished his demonstration, the youth closed his eyes.

“Inner strength is like that…” Zhao Feng closed his eyes. In his mind, the picture of a person’s body once again came up.

At a certain point, a faint yellow glow came from inside the blood. When Coach Chen was demonstrating earlier, Zhao Feng had used his left eye to get a better look…