Steam-powered martial arts: My virginity cultivation technique has been broken.

Is this considered demonic magic?

When Ku Ning saw the appearance of the black true energy, he knew he couldn't go back. But he didn't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing.

While it's said to be a good thing, this kind of internal energy is clearly not a good thing.

Despite the bad news, he regained his power and even broke through to the Great Perfection stage, liquefying his true qi and advancing to the ranks of second-grade masters.

The martial arts in this world are no less powerful than the imperial examinations. Its ranking system is based on the official ranks of the imperial court, from high to low, from one to nine ranks, with each rank further divided into upper, middle, and lower levels.

If one surpasses the first rank, one can be called a king; if one surpasses the martial arts king, one becomes a martial god.

Above the God of War lies the realm of the Saint.

Now that he has achieved a breakthrough, if he were to be appraised by the Xingwu Division, he could be classified as a second-rank martial artist, and the imperial court would bestow upon him a red robe and jade belt, and he would receive a monthly salary of three thousand dragon dollars.

This system has been in place for 1,200 years and is an important means for the imperial court to win over martial artists.

Now that things have come to this, Ku Ning shook his head with a bitter smile. He had lost it and then regained it, but it was not what he loved. The situation was complicated and intertwined.

Finally, I don't have to deceive myself anymore.

In fact, he had long anticipated this possibility. The cultivation method might change, but his body remained the same. His innate yang energy had long been completely drained by that woman; he was like a tree without roots—how could he possibly sprout again?

This kind of true energy is nothing more than a variant born from reversing the practice of the Boy's Skill.

Previously, he still had a sliver of hope that if he could restore his primordial yang energy, he could return to the days of the past.

Now he can only compromise: "If I get it, I'm lucky. If I don't, it's my fate. It's time to let go of my obsession."

Ku Ning consoled himself with this thought and decided to accept the black true energy and embrace a new life.

In both his lifetimes, he was not a person with lofty ambitions. As a child, he only longed for a happy family; as an adult, he only hoped for a stable job; and in his old age, he only wished to die without pain.

Later, it was discovered that these were not small wishes at all.

Even those with both parents sometimes struggle to make a good life, let alone an orphan like him. That's why he cherishes everything in Hakuge-ji Temple so much in this life.

Even though he is still an orphan, he has a master, fellow disciples, and a bright future that he can see and touch.

Everything... once again, his heart was breaking.

"I mustn't let you down, I can't let you down. I've regained my strength, and I should live with hope. But before that, I need to understand some cause and effect!"

The winds and clouds stir, dragons and snakes dance, the heart is restless, the sea of ​​suffering is boundless, and a ferry is hard to find.

In the inner quarters, Madam Liu, her fingers twirling Buddhist prayer beads, stared unfocusedly at the soybeans and black beans on the table, the bulging veins on her forehead revealing the turmoil within her.

"You bald monk, how dare you insult me ​​like this!"

In this era, with the rise of merchant groups, many things were objectified, and people's desire for money was unprecedented, which made the status of feudal ethics much lower than before. However, the story of the widow counting beans in the middle of the night was still widely circulated among the people and was used as a joke during tea breaks.

Accompanied by the sound of metal scraping against the ground, Zhang Weiyuan was helped inside by two servants, returning once again completely drunk: "Madam, I'm back."

The moment he entered, he saw Douzi beside Liu Shi, and his sensitive heart was stung. He immediately flew into a rage: "You whore! Are you mocking me?"

Madam Liu remained calm. She first dismissed the servants, then swept the beans to the ground with one hand and retorted, "I'm not one of your canaries. Don't take it out on me."

Zhang Weiyuan gritted his teeth, yet was helpless. Back then, he was able to open his security escort agency entirely thanks to his father-in-law's support. He felt guilty in front of Liu Shi. Over the years, Liu Shi had cheated on him many times. He turned a blind eye to it all, instead monitoring his three concubines like thieves.

The couple's minds were twisted, one more so than the other. Before he could pull himself out of his thoughts about the beans, Liu's next remark made him explode on the spot.

Madam Liu sneered, "No matter how much you guard against it, it's hard to guard against a traitor within your own family. Don't you know that Xiao Si also made you act like a cuckold for once?"

Zhang Weiyuan's expression changed drastically, and he sobered up considerably. He immediately said, "It's Aku!"

Nobody's a fool. Zhang Weiyuan had long suspected the frequent contact between Ku Ning and the fourth concubine, but he was unwilling to believe it or verify it.

If that's true, then it means he's not even as good as a lowly slave.

Now that Liu had exposed him, he first breathed a sigh of relief, then a raging fire ignited in his chest: "I'm going to kill that lowly slave!"

Zhang Weiyuan charged aggressively toward the stable, but halfway there he heard that heart-wrenching sound.

"Is the master coming to see me?"

Ku Ning stood with his hands hanging limply under the eaves, half his body shrouded in shadow, his right eye gleaming with an eerie, ghostly blue light in the darkness. Zhang Weiyuan, a seasoned镖师 (bodyguard/escort) with years of experience, immediately sounded the alarm: "You know martial arts!"

Ku Ning remained expressionless, lightly touching his right eye, his voice devoid of any emotion: "I know a little."

Zhang Weiyuan said bitterly, "I misjudged you and let a wolf into the house. You seduced my fourth concubine, fine, but get out of here. Let's cut ties and have no more grudges."

At this point, he no longer dared to harbor any thoughts of revenge against Ku Ning.

If he wasn't mistaken, Ku Ning's right eye was a low-grade Earth-level prosthetic body, a high-end item that he could never buy in his entire life. People who could possess this level of prosthetic body were all from noble families or famous martial arts sects. More importantly, the higher the level of the prosthetic body, the stronger its enhancement to the human body. Earth-level and above also possess terrifying special abilities.

His legs were only of inferior quality, incomparable to human legs, and he immediately started to distort the truth.

Ku Ning was surprised that Zhang Weiyuan had backed down after just one encounter, and felt bored. However, this was in line with the guy's bullying the weak and fearing the strong.

"It seems your belief in prosthetics is truly ingrained."

The emergence of mechanical prosthetics has led some martial artists to disregard their cultivation. They train hard in the coldest and hottest winters, but the skill they gain is not as great as the improvement others receive from a single mechanical modification.

I'm a conservative on this matter at Hakugeji Temple. If any monks in the temple attempt to modify the machinery, they will be expelled from the temple.

Zhang Weiyuan is a ninth-rank martial artist, and with the help of his prosthetic body, he can unleash the strength of an eighth-rank martial artist.

Ku Ning gave him a chance: "I'll fight you without using my eyesight. If you lose, you commit suicide. I promise I won't harm your family."

Knowing that things couldn't be resolved peacefully, Zhang Weiyuan immediately retorted angrily, "Fine! I hope you'll keep your promise."

He trained for thirty years to become a ninth-rank martial artist, and he knew how difficult the path of martial arts was. Three years ago, Ku Ning had no true qi at all, so his cultivation level couldn't have been very high.

He channeled his meager inner energy into his steel legs, and the clicking sound of gears turning echoed through the corridor. With a whoosh, a mist of white inner energy shot out, and he moved with lightning speed, charging forward like a tiger descending a mountain.

"I'm going to kick your head off!" Zhang Weiyuan leaped high into the air, delivered a flying kick, and shouted angrily.

Ku Ning remained completely unfazed. In his eyes, the opponent's attacks were full of flaws. Even when he had accompanied this fellow on his escort missions, he had seen that the Vajra Leg Technique, which the man was so proud of, was nothing more than an outsider's martial art and not worth mentioning.

External martial arts essentially limit a person's potential. Human-level external martial arts techniques cannot produce martial artists above the seventh rank.

True Qi is the mainstream of martial arts. The difference between unarmed and armed combat. Any technique involving True Qi, even a relatively complete human-level martial art, is considered a secret manual.

Zhang Weiyuan only knows the simple breathing techniques circulating in the market, and his internal energy is comparable to the hair on a monk's head.

This world is so cruel; ordinary people have no access to advanced martial arts.

"You're too slow."