C61 The Level of Martial Arts

Tia Jingshan's brow furrowed as he turned his gaze to the man in the duckbill cap.

Within this makeshift team, he had managed to get a sense of each member. The man in the cap hailed from the Thief Sect, living a life of plenty yet plagued by a troublesome habit: a compulsion to steal daily.

The current predicament clearly indicated he'd been caught red-handed.

Tia Jingshan, however, was well aware of the man's peculiar stubbornness. He normally conducted himself well, but when it came to thievery, he was like a bull charging towards a wall, unstoppable.

This was a chance!

A chance to forge a deeper connection with the Thief Sect!

"Friend, step aside," Tia Jingshan urged in a deep voice, recognizing that the man in the cap was no ordinary individual. He was keen to avoid escalating the conflict.

Lee Yu's expression tightened. "I said, return my belongings!"

Was this an overt display of favoritism?

Did everyone see him as an easy target?

But the blame couldn't entirely fall on these individuals. On Blue Star, martial artists, unless they had reached a state of primal simplicity, could easily sense each other's vital energy fluctuations.

In the Otherworld, Lee Yu's spiritual energy would be unmistakable, but here on Blue Star, possibly in the dharma ending age, his power was locked within him. To the martial artists, he appeared no different from an ordinary person.

And so, in times of trouble, it was natural for them to underestimate him.

"Friend, it would be best if you moved now. I'd rather not have any unpleasantness," Tia Jingshan said, his patience wearing thin. Lacking any other solution besides asserting his dominance, he was certain the young man's possessions were indeed with the man in the cap.

He couldn't expect the man to prove his innocence.

"What, you're going to make a move?" Lee Yu asked nonchalantly, shrugging.

"I apologize in advance!" Tia Jingshan declared, his hand slicing through the air towards Lee Yu's shoulder.

His palm strike was abrupt, laced with Covert Power, aimed to immobilize Lee Yu instantly. Time was of the essence, with people waiting outside. Any further delay, and they risked becoming a spectacle.

It might give the impression that he wasn't capable of handling things!

But in an instant, his hand froze mid-air, immobile.

"It's okay, you haven't crossed the line with me," Lee Yu said, shaking his head.

He seized Tia Jingshan's palm and with a sudden burst of strength declared, "But did you know, I'm in a foul mood today?"

Bones cracked thunderously. Tia Jingshan broke into a sweat and collapsed to the ground in agony.

"Ah! My hand!"

He realized his palm was ruined!

Lee Yu remained indifferent. Treat others as they treat you.

Had it been anyone else on the receiving end of Tia Jingshan's blow, they might never regain the use of their arm. Given the other man's mercilessness, Lee Yu saw fit to respond in kind.

Releasing his grip, Lee Yu's eyes settled on the man in the cap. He gestured with a crook of his finger, "My belongings."

"Here you go..."

The cap-wearing man quickly handed over the wallet to Lee Yu, hastily withdrawing his hand as if afraid of suffering the same fate.

His eyes then turned to Tia Jingshan, his expression betraying a hint of intrigue. Tia Jingshan's Iron Sand Palm technique, a testament to his hand's prowess, was now compromised. With his right palm injured, his capabilities were likely diminished by more than half.

Could it even be healed... What if I had been the one to provoke him?

Better you than me.

The man in the cap looked visibly relieved as Lee Yu walked away. He hurriedly helped Tia Jingshan to leave.

What to do about the aftermath was a concern for later. Tia Jingshan had been injured on his account, and if the fiery elders of the Tie Family held him responsible too... Well, that was a worry for another time.

The sooner Tia Jingshan received treatment, the better. Perhaps there was still a chance for full recovery?

...

"I'm back," Lee Yu announced upon returning to his room.

The earlier incident was already out of his mind. Let the wicked sort themselves out. Lee Yu didn't believe he had done anything wrong.

He slid into a chair, the tea before him still pleasantly warm. Lee Yu glanced at Chen Jingfu, then turned his attention to Chen Chengde.

"Elder Chen, I'm curious about how we categorize the different levels," Lee Yu ventured, pausing briefly before speaking.

As his own cultivation progressed, he encountered increasingly extraordinary individuals. He could sense the nuances in strength during each encounter, gauging whether someone was slightly stronger than Chen Jingfu or notably weaker than Chen Chengde.

Though unaware, Lee Yu felt uneasy using others as yardsticks, particularly when their current rapport was quite amiable. It seemed all the more improper to him.

Chen Chengde looked at him in astonishment. "You're not familiar with the classifications?"

Lee Yu gave a nonchalant shrug. "No, I was only taught the training methods."

A wave of emotion nearly overwhelmed Chen Chengde. Perhaps the mentor who instructed Lee Yu saw no point in explaining these basic concepts, omitting them entirely?

His gaze settled on Lee Yu, and realization dawned. Given Lee Yu's youthful age and the profound depth of his abilities, it made sense that his focus was solely on cultivation, allowing these details to fall by the wayside.

"So, what's your method for classifying?" Chen Chengde asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Well, it's like... I consider someone a few points weaker or stronger than you—Ah," Lee Yu blurted out instinctively, then abruptly cut himself off with a gasp.

Did he just voice his inner thoughts?

Lee Yu scrutinized Elder Chen's expression, bracing for anger but instead, he detected a trace of melancholy.

At his side, Chen Jingfu couldn't help but chuckle. Who would have thought her grandfather would become a benchmark for measuring strength?

'You're just three points more formidable than Chen Chengde. No, you're not up to par; you're a full three points below Chen Chengde!'

The imagery was almost too vivid!

Her laughter, however, eased the tension.

Both men cleared their throats and Chen Chengde began to explain.

"In martial arts, there are only a few distinct levels: Clear Power, Covert Power, and Stellar Power. Clear Power is the most basic, focusing on developing bone and muscle strength. There's not much to elaborate on that. If a layperson learns the forms of a boxing style, they could claim to have reached Clear Power."

Lee Yu nodded in understanding. The concept was straightforward.

Strength at this stage varied, and after a mere two days of practicing the Fist Technique, one might see an increase in strength and claim to have achieved Clear Power.

Chen Chengde was unfazed by this, which explained his casual demeanor. He sipped his tea before elaborating.

"Covert Power, the second stage of martial arts training, signifies a level of mastery. This phase involves cultivating both Qi and intent. To reach this stage, one must engage in systematic martial arts practice, honing muscles and sinews to merge essence, energy, and spirit. This fusion is essential to develop inner strength and to manifest the essence of martial techniques, whether it be through the fist or the sword."

"A martial artist must attain this level to surpass physical limitations, unleashing the formidable destructive force inherent in each movement and technique."

Lee Yu nodded, deep in thought. This stage was indeed about cultivating inner strength, yet it posed no threat to him.

"At the Stellar Power stage, practitioners are revered as Grandmasters. Here, intent and energy are intensely focused, enabling one to project force beyond the body, striking targets up to three meters away. This level of control allows one to rip through the air currents, creating Stellar Qi—a power so formidable it's a rarity in the world."

Chen Chengde's eyes gleamed with longing as he spoke.

Despite a lifetime dedicated to martial cultivation, the Grandmaster realm remained elusive. He once came close, a medicinal pill propelling him forward, yet he remained a single step from the threshold—a step that might forever be beyond his reach.

In the vast nation of China, a mere hundred or so have attained this esteemed level.

The journey to the pinnacle, it seems, is exceedingly narrow.