Chapter 3: The Xingyi Martial Family!
The Chuanwu Hall—known to the residents of Lanling Base City as the Jiang Family Martial Arts School.
In the HR Alliance, it's common for influential families to recruit martial artists, and especially powerful War God-level fighters are often invited to serve as honored guests or retainers.
But the Jiang Family doesn't need to do that.
The second-generation members—Jiang Zhe's father's generation—are far stronger than ordinary War God-level retainers. Why bother relying on those freeloaders, some of whom have questionable character and even plot to seize power?
The Jiang Family doesn't need to pay for retainers. Instead, they freely train young martial artists.
They established the Jiang Family Martial Arts School to help struggling martial artists grow from students to intermediate warriors. Once they're capable of surviving on their own in the wilderness, they automatically graduate and lose their affiliation with the school.
This selfless dedication has earned the Jiang Family an incredible reputation throughout Lanling Base City—almost like local royalty. When they call, everyone responds.
Branches of Chuanwu Hall are spread across Lanling and its surrounding satellite cities. Each one is housed in a distinctive nine-story alloy tower, easily recognizable by its unique structure.
The tower in the Jiang Family's central compound covers over 2,000 square meters and stands about 70 meters tall. The lower four floors are open to martial arts students, while the upper five are reserved for the Jiang Family's direct members.
It was about 4 p.m.—approaching dusk.
Students were gradually leaving Chuanwu Hall, many greeting Jiang Zhe along the way. He responded with a warm smile.
"That's the youngest grandson of the Jiang Family, right? He's old enough to train now?"
"Yeah, I heard his evaluation this morning almost reached the level of an advanced student!"
"Seriously? That kind of talent?"
"What do you think? He's got the Jiang Family bloodline. Their direct descendants all have strong martial potential—they were a renowned ancient martial arts clan, after all."
…
Jiang Zhe overheard the murmured conversations from nearby students.
He smiled slightly. What man doesn't enjoy a little praise?
He entered the hall and took the internal elevator up to the fifth floor. At the front desk, Butler Wu was handling some chores. When he saw Jiang Zhe step out of the elevator, his eyes lit up and he quickly paused his work.
"Master Zhe, you're just in time. I was about to send someone to give you your monthly allowance."
"Hmm? Didn't I already get my pocket money at the start of the month?" Jiang Zhe asked, surprised.
The old butler chuckled. "Young Master Zhe, things have changed. You're now an intermediate-level student, so your allowance should increase. The family elders left in a hurry and didn't specify the new rate, so I asked Young Master Wen. We decided to temporarily follow the previous standard for your brothers and supplement your July allowance accordingly. As for August's payment, we'll wait until the family elders return."
Jiang Zhe quickly understood—this was the butler's way of showing goodwill. He was getting a bonus month's allowance.
His previous allowance had been 10,000 Hanxia dollars a month. This time, it'd clearly be more—not a fortune, but still better than nothing.
"Thank you, Uncle."
Butler Wu had served the Jiang Family his entire life and was considered one of their own. Jiang Zhe and his cousins all treated him with great respect.
"No need to thank me, young master. The 100,000 has already been transferred to your account. Also, there's something important I need to give you in person."
Right after he spoke, Jiang Zhe's smartwatch pinged with a transfer notification.
100,000 Hanxia dollars—enough to buy two mid-level warrior-grade flying knives outright. It'd make someone like Luo Feng, who just started martial arts, drool with envy.
But Jiang Zhe didn't care much.
Life in a powerful family was as dull and steady as ever.
He was more curious about the "important item" Butler Wu mentioned. Could it be the bloodwine they had discussed before?
With a kind smile, the old butler handed him a porcelain container the size of a ping pong ball. A faint, pleasant aroma escaped from the box, instantly soothing Jiang Zhe's body.
Realizing the item's importance, Jiang Zhe carefully accepted it.
Opening the lid, he found a translucent paste inside.
"The old master called it 'Furnace Dregs,'" explained Butler Wu. "It accelerates the absorption of genetic energy for martial artists."
"Furnace… dregs?" Jiang Zhe raised an eyebrow.
What a strange name…
As he pondered, his mind rapidly connected it with various other known supplements—spiritual herbs, purple dew, wood crystals, nutrient fluids…
Since it was called "Furnace Dregs," could it be residue from an alchemical process? Perhaps a relic from an ancient or interstellar civilization?
Jiang Zhe believed that if he could see how it was made, he might be able to deduce its origins based on his knowledge.
"You haven't reached Pre-Warrior level yet, so you haven't learned the Genetic Energy Cultivation Technique," the butler continued. "For now, you can only use the Furnace Dregs for bathing."
"After intense training, when your body is exhausted, just scrape a tiny bit out with your fingernail, dissolve it into bath water, and soak normally. It'll slightly enhance your physical abilities."
"This is a month's supply—use it wisely."
"Once you've mastered the Five Hearts Toward Heaven cultivation method, you can apply the paste to your soles, palms, and the crown of your head to speed up your energy cultivation."
"Thank you, Uncle." Jiang Zhe nodded sincerely.
He pocketed the Furnace Dregs and headed into the training hall, where only two people remained—his cousins, Jiang Wu and Jiang Sisi.
His burly cousin Jiang Wu wielded a warblade as wide as a door, slicing through the air with deadly precision. Each swing exuded a ferocious killing intent.
This wasn't the [Ninefold Thunder Blade].
It was the Jiang Family's own secret technique—[White Tiger Howling Wind Blade].
Jiang Zhe wasn't sure what Earth's ranking system would assign it, but at the very least, it had to be S-tier, on par with high-level War God techniques.
SS-tier techniques belonged to planetary-level fighters.
The rare "Ultimate"-tier techniques were reserved for legends like Hong and Thor.
Meanwhile, cousin Jiang Sisi was practicing her movement technique in a corner, dodging rubber bullets fired from automated launchers.
Her evasive maneuvers aimed to use the smallest movements possible—though a bit clumsy, they showed clear progress.
She was training toward the Subtle level of movement skills.
Compared to Jiang Wu's blade skills, Jiang Zhe was more interested in his cousin's footwork. He paused to observe.
Earth's classification for movement techniques is:
Basic → Subtle → Perfect → Intent Realm.
But in the eyes of advanced interstellar civilizations, both Subtle and Perfect were artificial distinctions based on technique and experience. They weren't fundamentally different from the Basic level.
As Laozi said in the Tao Te Ching:
"A towering tree grows from a tiny sprout;
A nine-story tower begins with a pile of earth;
A journey of a thousand miles starts beneath your feet."
"Subtle" and "Perfect" were necessary stages, but Jiang Zhe knew from Luo Feng's experience that once he awakened his spiritual power, he would progress rapidly.
The real challenges were the Intent Realm and Domain level.
He focused intently on his cousin's movements.
"That's the Chicken Step."
He recognized the technique.
During his first sixteen years, he'd studied ancient philosophy to cultivate his mind and poured over the family's martial texts. Deeply influenced by the family's martial tradition, he had developed particular insight into Xingyi Boxing.
"A chicken stands on one leg—symbolizing balance and fighting spirit."
"These are the two core principles of the Chicken Step. My cousin clearly emphasizes balance, grounding each step as if her feet are rooted to the earth, no matter how tricky the movement."
"But what I need isn't movement techniques—I need to study lower-body power transmission to increase my running speed and break into Pre-Warrior level as soon as possible."
…
Without realizing it, his cousin Jiang Sisi had finished a full set of drills, while Jiang Zhe was still immersed in analyzing her technique.
"Xiao Zhe, try testing your punch again!"
A voice suddenly boomed like thunder from behind.
Jiang Wu, unaware that he had startled his cousin, had set down his blade and called out. His shout earned him a death glare from his sister.
Only then did he realize he'd made a mistake. He quickly clapped a hand over his mouth and mumbled, "She didn't hear it, she didn't hear it…"
"Alright, I'll give it a try," Jiang Zhe replied, unaffected, and walked over to the punch testing machine.
He was curious—after his recent headaches, had his physical strength surged past the Pre-Warrior threshold like Luo Feng?
Taking a deep breath, he relaxed his body completely.
Then, with a focused gaze, he exploded into motion like a crouching tiger pouncing. Power surged from his hips, through his coiled spine like a giant python, and shot into his arm. His right fist rocketed forward like a cannonball.
Boom!
A muffled thud echoed as the target shook violently.
The machine displayed: 958 kg.
Jiang Zhe's eyes lit up. Did that mean he had become a Pre-Warrior?
But before he could celebrate—
"Your roots are weak! You fell before you struck!" came his cousin's sharp critique.
"Do it again! Focus on your footwork. Dig your toes into the ground. Think back to my steps—plant your feet like roots!"
Her words awakened him to his flaws. He nodded and stepped up again.
This time, he dug in with his feet, twisted his hips, and let the power surge smoothly upward. His punch flew like a lightning bolt.
Boom!
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The machine buzzed.
1088 kg!
Jiang Zhe grinned and unleashed a flurry of punches, his body shifting like a boxer.
The numbers climbed one after another:
1010 kg… 1052 kg… 1021 kg… 1060 kg…
Jiang Wu smiled with pride, pleased by his cousin's talent.
Then he felt a chill down his neck. Turning around, he saw his sister staring daggers at him.
"Now that he's going to ask for the Genetic Energy Cultivation Technique, do we give it to him or not?" she asked.
"Of course we give it! It's not some rare secret," Jiang Wu replied, scratching his head, not getting the point.
Jiang Sisi's face twitched. "Grandpa left thinking his grandson was just an intermediate student. When he comes back and sees he's a full warrior… what do you think his face will look like?"
Jiang Wu blinked. "Heh, actually, I kinda want to see that."
Jiang Sisi covered her face, shaking her head in defeat.
End of the chapter
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Note: The protagonist won't rely on boxing techniques—he'll eventually use weapons. Not a blade, not a sword. Stay tuned.
In the original story, some martial artists do belong to the "Xingyi" school—like Luo Feng's enemy, Mo Luo, who created 'Beast Fist' and made it to the Primal Secret Realm. He had incredible talent. At the Universe level, he already had 100x perfect bodily strength, a key requirement for becoming immortal. Some so-called Domain Lords can't even manage that.
Luo Feng, at that stage, only had around 78x spirit amplification. The Golden-Horned Beast reached 80–90x.
Lastly, brothers and sisters, please give me your recommendations and bookmarks. Love you all!