The Martial Saint of the Defiled World

A dense array of explanations lay before me.

Jiang Shaosheng looked down, line by line, and then back again.

In short.

【Resonance·Disarm】can temporarily disable the enemy's weapon.

[Breakthrough Armor Penetration] can ignore flesh and skin defense and directly attack internal organs.

【Insight & Counterattack】It allows you to see through the signs of your opponent's attack and strike first even after they have already exerted their strength.

The three destinies represent three completely different paths.

He began to consider it carefully.

Disarmament?

To temporarily disable the enemy's weapons.

If you were to face someone wielding a knife or a stick, this would be an incredible skill.

No matter how fierce the opponent's knife skills are, as long as you can parry for a moment, the knife will be no different from a fire poker in the next ten seconds.

In general, it is suitable for defense and counter-attack, especially against ruthless opponents with weapons.

The [Breakthrough Armor Penetration] skill ignores flesh and skin defense and directly attacks internal organs, making it even more ruthless.

Those who practice martial arts develop thicker and thicker muscles, bones, skin, and flesh. Some masters have such thick skin that it's like they're wearing armor, and ordinary punches and kicks don't bother them at all.

But once this destiny is revealed, none of that matters; a punch lands inside, causing the pain.

As for [Insight and Counterattack], it allows you to see through the signs of your opponent's attack and strike first even after they have already exerted their strength.

Jiang Shaosheng stared at the third destiny number, his brows furrowing slightly.

A three-second dynamic insight can seize an opponent's weakness, and a counterattack can throw them off balance.

But if you don't grasp it, you'll end up stiff.

risky.

Which one to choose?

He hesitated for a few seconds.

Then he suddenly opened his eyes and his gaze fell on the second destiny.

He remembered something, and someone.

Of course, these all belong to past lives.

When my master was alive, he said that there are people in this world who practice hard kung fu, people who practice iron shirt kung fu, and people who practice qigong to protect their bodies.

Those people's skin, flesh, and bones were several times harder than those of ordinary people.

If you throw a regular punch or kick at someone, it won't hurt them at all.

"No matter how well you practice Bajiquan, it's all for nothing if you can't break through the opponent's defenses."

His master patted him on the head and said, "When it really comes down to fighting, a punch can be fatal, not just a tickle."

Jiang Shaosheng was still young when his master said these words and didn't understand.

Now he understands.

Disarming is good, but what if the other side is unarmed?

What if there's more than one person on the other side?

Those ten seconds of weapon failure only resulted in the opponent switching to a different knife and continuing to hack away.

Breaking a move is good, but what if the opponent just throws random punches and kills the master, with no strategy to follow?

If you only have three seconds to see through something and then freeze up, that's suicide.

Only armor-piercing!

Jiang Shaosheng stared at the line of text: "Ignore the target's physical defenses based on muscle, fat, or ordinary protective gear...directly attack internal organs or vulnerable areas."

Ignore defenses.

These four words are deadly.

The most frightening thing in this world is not an opponent that is too strong, but an opponent that is too tough.

You can punch him ten times and he'll be fine.

He punches you, and you fall to the ground.

This kind of fight is impossible to fight.

But with armor, things are different.

No matter how thick your skin or how rough your flesh, one punch will shake your heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys.

The pain is inside, not outside.

Jiang Shaosheng raised his hand, his fingers hovering before the second line.

But he didn't rush to click it.

He looked at the third destiny chart again.

[Insight & Countermeasure] This destiny is also very tempting.

Seeing through the flaw in three seconds, striking first despite being behind – how brilliant!

But the sentence, "If you fail to interrupt the opponent's attack, you will be briefly stunned," made his heart sink.

Stiff.

What's the difference between freezing up during a fight and courting death?

He recalled sparring with his senior brother years ago. Once, he threw a punch too hard and lost his balance, falling forward for half a second.

In that half-second, his senior brother's fist had already grazed past his ear.

That was because my senior brother held back; if he hadn't, that punch could have shattered his jaw.

A half-second freeze can mean life or death in many situations.

How many seconds does the blank stare last after a failed attempt to discern one's destiny last?

The panel didn't specify, but the word "brief" means that even a short time could be enough for a skilled opponent to land a punch.

Jiang Shaosheng took a breath.

Disarming is a fancy trick, breaking a move is a risky one, but only penetrating armor is a real punch that hurts no matter what you wear or what you train for.

Jiang Shaosheng fixed his gaze and pointed his finger down.

"Choose the second one."

As soon as he finished speaking, the second destiny suddenly lit up, the light so bright that he squinted.

When I opened my eyes again, the words on the panel had changed.

[Destiny Set: Breaking Limits, Piercing Armor]

Then all the information on the back panel is displayed.

[Technique] Bajiquan

[Level] Proficient (1/500)

[Effect] Improves the flow of energy and significantly enhances explosive power.

[Constitution] Guardian of Life and Conservation of Essence (Second Tier)

[Destiny Chart] Instinct for Danger, Breaking Limits, Penetrating Armor

Jiang Shaosheng nodded in satisfaction, although the three new destinies that broke through his realm this time all required the consumption of proficiency to take effect.

But compared to the gains he made, the time he wasted seemed insignificant.

He stopped thinking about it and continued practicing his skills at home.

As night fell, there was a knock on the door.

Hearing the sound, he went to open the door.

As soon as the door opened, a strong, almost overpowering scent of perfume, mixed with the sultry heat of a late June night, rushed into the room.

Aunt Xue leaned against the door frame.

Today she wore a purplish-red thin silk cheongsam. The fabric was soft and clung to her body, and when the moonlight shone on it, it gleamed with a captivating, watery sheen.

The two buttons on the collar were undone, hanging loosely, revealing a large expanse of pale neck with a few glistening beads of sweat on it.

She held a sandalwood fan in her hand, and with each wave, the fragrance wafted into Jiang Shaosheng's nose.

"Hey, Shaosheng, are you planning to break this roof down this late at night or what?"

Aunt Xue covered half of her face with a fan, her eyes, so alluring they seemed to drip with moisture, sliding down Jiang Shaosheng's broad shoulders to his taut chest muscles, still glistening with sweat.

"I could hear loud banging coming from inside your house before I even got to your door, and it made my heart tremble."

Jiang Shaosheng wasn't wearing a jacket; he was standing there completely naked.

"After practicing for a while, I couldn't stop. Aunt Xue, are you still not resting?"

"What's there to rest about? It's so stuffy in here, like a sauna. I can't sleep no matter how much I toss and turn."

Aunt Xue took half a step forward, her toes almost hitting Jiang Shaosheng's toes. She lowered her voice, speaking so slowly it was as if she were chewing a handful of crushed sugar in her throat.

"I just stewed a pot of old hen on the stove, with some top-quality astragalus and codonopsis in it."

"It's cooked to perfection, the aroma is so enticing I can't sit still. I was thinking that you, a young martial artist, expend a lot of energy, so shouldn't you get some nourishment in the middle of the night?"

Jiang Shaosheng was indeed hungry.

Bajiquan, a powerful and vigorous martial art, is extremely taxing on one's vital energy. After practicing it, one's stomach feels like it's filled with a bottomless pit, with the intestines and stomach twisting and contracting.

"This isn't appropriate, Aunt Xue."

Jiang Shaosheng said it wasn't appropriate, but his eyes didn't leave.

"What's wrong with it? I've already stewed this soup. It's so hot outside. If you don't drink it, it'll definitely spoil by tomorrow morning."

Aunt Xue reached out and grabbed Jiang Shaosheng's wrist. Her nails were neatly trimmed and slightly cool as they brushed against his burning skin.

"Come on, come over and have a couple of drinks with me. It'll break my heart if you overwork yourself like this."

Jiang Shaosheng did not refuse again.

He casually tossed his sweaty towel onto the table, and without even putting on his jacket, he followed Aunt Xue out the door shirtless.