Ming Dynasty: I am truly not the Emperor of Longevity

"I ask you, have you ever competed in internal energy with other masters?"

After trying for about a minute and finding that his mental power could not break through the person's internal force resistance in a short time, Lu Chen withdrew his mental power.

Perhaps because the opposing force suddenly disappeared, Lu Chen clearly saw a noticeable bulge appear in his waist and abdomen where his mental power and internal force had just clashed, and then it quickly subsided.

puff!

The next second, the notorious thief in front of Lu Chen opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Although the opponent's limbs were chained to the wall with thick iron chains, and an iron chain pierced through his collarbone, he probably didn't have the ability to suddenly attack. However, Lu Chen dared not be careless in the slightest when facing such a master, and kept a close eye on his every move.

The moment blood spurted from the other person's mouth, a psychic force blocked Lu Chen's path.

Upon encountering psychic power, the blood seemed to hit an invisible wall, splattering in all directions.

"That so-called martial arts manual, wasn't it deliberately created by you?"

"Ghost's Bane" had blood streaming from the corner of his mouth.

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed that a young man in his early twenties could stand still and use his internal energy to block this mouthful of blood!"

You asked me if I've ever competed with other masters in terms of internal strength?

This is absolutely hilarious!

My internal strength is cultivated from the outside in, not through meditation or other internal martial arts techniques. I can't even project it outwards, so why would I use my weakness to compete with others in internal strength?

If I weren't currently imprisoned, I would certainly be sparring with you using swords and fists.

"You can unleash your inner strength and compete with me from just two feet away, how could you not even know that?"

"I heard that you faced a large army yesterday and did not use any ranged palm strikes, only using this long sword to fight the enemy. I found that a bit strange."

Lu Chen nodded.

"So you don't know how."

It seems that the internal strength you've cultivated from the outside in is mainly used to enhance your power.

"Just now, when we compared internal strength, your internal strength did indeed amount to several tens of kilograms. If you were to use it with both hands during combat, that long saber could be wielded just like an ordinary sword."

"Of course it is. I have roamed the martial world for more than ten years and am known as the 'Ghost's Bane' because of this Mountain-Splitting Saber Technique!"

Even masters of internal martial arts with profound inner strength wouldn't dare to directly challenge me in a swordsmanship contest.

"Ghost's Bane" snorted coldly.

"Your internal strength is so high that I have never seen anything like it in my life."

Judging from your official robes, you're just a lowly seventh-rank military officer.

In my opinion, with your martial arts skills, why should you be bound by the constraints of the imperial court, serving as a lowly official? Why not release me and roam the martial world together freely and happily!

"Giving up an official position to become a bandit?!"

Hearing what the other person said, Lu Chen laughed.

Do you think everyone is as stupid as you?

It seems there are at least two ways to cultivate internal energy.

One type is cultivated from the outside in, which might be called external martial arts.

Another type is internal martial arts, which requires meditation during practice.

The internal energy cultivated through external martial arts techniques should be more inclined to enhance oneself, allowing one to increase physical strength to a level that is difficult for ordinary people to reach when practicing the techniques.

It likely doesn't have an external speaker function.

Of course, it's also possible that this guy just doesn't know how.

The internal strength cultivated by internal martial arts is more profound than that of external martial arts, and it can be applied in more ways, such as the palm strike from a distance that the man surnamed Xie used on me.

However, in terms of enhancing physical fitness, it is probably not as effective as external martial arts techniques.

Otherwise, even a master of internal martial arts with profound internal strength wouldn't be afraid to directly challenge this person in a swordsmanship contest.

After using my telekinesis to break through the opponent's skin barrier, although I clearly felt resistance, I could still go deeper. In another second or two, I would be able to reach the vital organs inside the body.

Once you've reached this point, your life or death hangs in the balance.

This shows that as long as the distance is reduced to within one meter, one's mental power can break through the passive defense of internal energy in the body of an expert in internal strength.

However, this takes two or three seconds, unlike dealing with ordinary people who don't have internal energy, where you can attack vital organs without any obstacles.

Although the time was short, it was enough for the other party to react.

Just as this person's mental energy broke through the skin barrier, he immediately reacted and quickly mobilized his internal energy to resist.

From this point on, what I was facing was no longer passive defense with internal force, but a tug-of-war between mental force and internal force. Before defeating or exhausting the opponent's internal force, mental force could not penetrate deeper into the body.

"Ghost's Sorrow" is chained here with nowhere to escape. If Lu Chen is willing, he can naturally exhaust his internal energy.

However, this condition does not exist when fighting against masters of internal strength outside.

Just now, when the mental power and internal energy were fighting against each other in the body of "Ghost's Sorrow", Lu Chen suddenly withdrew the mental power. The man's internal energy lost its target and hit him hard, causing internal organ injury and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

It's probably what's called internal energy backfiring on oneself.

This move might come in handy when facing masters of internal energy in the future.

After being injured by the backlash of internal energy, can this person mobilize such strong internal energy again?

Lu Chen activated his telekinetic power again, once more penetrating the opponent's chest and abdomen.

Sure enough, the passive resistance encountered this time was much less, and the opponent's active defensive internal force was also much weaker than before. It was defeated in less than ten seconds in the face of mental power.

Before the next surge of internal energy arrived, Lu Chen's mental power had already touched the other party's heart.

It seems that the backlash from the internal energy just now has severely damaged this person's vitality.

"I am about to ask you a few questions. Please answer them truthfully."

Lu Chen gently pinched the other man's heart with his telekinetic power, and sure enough, the notorious thief immediately showed a pained expression.

"Don't try anything funny, or I'll show you what it means to wish you were dead."

Where did you learn your martial arts skills from?

"Your internal strength has reached a level of divine mastery; how could you possibly value my meager martial arts?"

"Ghost's Sorrow" coughed violently a few times.

"It won't hurt to tell you!"

When I was your age, I worked as a bodyguard at a security company.

About twenty years ago, I was escorting goods to the southwestern Yunnan and Guizhou region when I encountered a large group of bandits. The goods were stolen, and most of the escorts were killed or injured.

I was also injured and fainted in the mountains, but fortunately I was rescued by a Miao village. Later, I was recruited by a Miao girl in the village to be her son-in-law.

This "Mountain-Slaying Sword Technique" is actually practiced in that Miao village, and many people practice it.

According to the Miao people in the village, the sword technique was left behind by a general who invaded this area during the Tang Dynasty. Legend has it that if one masters it to a high level, one can become an unparalleled warrior with the strength to lift a tripod.

Unfortunately, most people in the village couldn't even develop a sense of qi, so they could only use it as an ordinary sword technique.

The Miao swords they used weighed only three or four pounds.

Only a few people have developed a sense of Qi and gained some internal strength. Their physical abilities are much stronger than ordinary people, and they can wield a heavy-backed Miao sword weighing seven or eight kilograms, but that's all.

As a son-in-law who has married into the village, I am naturally qualified to learn this sword technique.

I never expected that this sword technique would suit me so well; I was able to develop a sense of qi in just one year.

In less than three years, I surpassed everyone and became the number one expert in the village!