"Since it involves genetic coding, why not try to rearrange and reprogram it?"

Lu Yuan pushed up the black-framed glasses on his nose. Zhou Ling had pulled him straight out of school, and he hadn't quite shed his student persona.

He was a good student, after all.

"If we add elephant genes to an ant, perhaps the ant could truly possess an elephant's size and strength."

"But would an ant fused with elephant genes still be a true ant?"

Zhou Ling retorted, emphasizing, "We're discussing Pure Martial now—the pure, unadulterated limits of the human body, without any other factors."

"You have a point."

Lu Yuan smiled and continued to listen to Zhou Ling.

"Even if we were to enhance every aspect of the most perfect human genetic samples in the existing database to their utmost limits, the results would still be unsatisfactory."

"The currently recognized Authoritative Human Capacity Limit Value is a Fist Strength of five tons and a speed of eighty meters per second..."

Lu Yuan quietly did the calculations in his head. His current 17 points in Strength yielded a Basic Punch Strength of two tons, according to the augmentation patterns he'd figured out. Increasing it to 19 points would put him roughly between 4.5 and 5 tons. As for speed, he hadn't measured it carefully, but with his current 18 points in Agility, he figured he could reach forty to fifty meters per second at a full sprint.

Sure enough, the figures Zhou Ling mentioned really matched his calculations.

"So that's what 'Break the Limit' means... If Breaking the Limit once means shattering the theoretical human limit, what about a second time, or a third?" Lu Yuan murmured involuntarily.

"What did you say?" Zhou Ling asked him.

"Nothing. Please continue," Lu Yuan shook his head and listened as Zhou Ling went on.

"...And that's just the theoretical value. In reality, if you solely practice Pure Martial, even if you take all the gene enhancement injections and train until you die, you still might not reach this limit."

"Has no one really ever broken through?" Lu Yuan pressed, unwilling to accept it.

"Actually, there have been. But they only managed to barely break through in a specific aspect."

Zhou Ling pondered for a moment. The blue 3D figure projected before him changed, displaying a man with thick eyebrows and a wide mouth, a figure Lu Yuan found familiar.

"This person is Xiang Lei, a rather remarkable figure in the Ancient Martial Arts World fifteen years ago. It's said he managed to break some human limit. Later, he got into trouble and was ambushed and killed by Mechas. The Research Institute managed to retrieve samples of his genes. Apparently, they even made some new discoveries from them... Anyway, that's not the point!"

Zhou Ling pulled the conversation back on track, saying seriously to Lu Yuan, "I just want to tell you that if you pursue Pure Martial, even if you train exhaustively your whole life, your Fist Strength might not even exceed five tons. But it's different if you choose New Martial or modification..."

CRUNCH—

Suddenly, Zhou Ling exerted force, and the cola can in his hand was crushed into fine metallic dust that trickled down. Tiny pops of compressed air could be heard from between his fingers.

"A trivial skill..." With a hint of poorly concealed pride, Zhou Ling said with a faint smile, "My arm strength is exactly five tons."

"Well, Zhou," Lu Yuan exclaimed, "you've really leveled up!"

"What kind of talk is that!" Zhou Ling huffed, but the smugness in his eyes couldn't be hidden as he said with feigned modesty, "I just... had some maintenance and upgrades done, that's all."

Lu Yuan knew Zhou Ling's capabilities all too well. He hadn't possessed such strength before. It seemed this "Reforging" had brought him considerable benefits. No wonder he'd come to pick him up personally in a Fly Shuttle.

Later, in the Consciousness Space, I'm going to assess Zhou, Lu Yuan thought to himself.

Then he heard Zhou Ling say, "Things that Pure Martial practitioners could hardly achieve, even with every means possible, can be accomplished through a simple transplant surgery in the realms of modification and New Martial. Besides, their upper limit is much, much higher... Tell me, shouldn't Pure Martial be phased out?"

"It's not that absolute." Lu Yuan lightly rubbed his fingers together, and a faint yellow light flickered between them. "Martial Arts also involve Vigor, True Skill, and True Intention... These are things mechanical modifications can't achieve."

"Correct," Zhou Ling nodded, then immediately countered, "But mechanical modifications offer even more powerful alternatives! No matter how skilled you are in Pure Martial, can you control Thunderbolt Flame? Modification and New Martial can! In the face of absolute power, the so-called techniques Pure Martial prides itself on are a joke."

Lu Yuan's eyes flickered. He instantly recalled the moment Master Liudao Yuan had forcefully kicked him in the head even when facing his Super Kill—Netherworld River Notification of Death.

He remained silent.

"...Moreover, it's not like modification and New Martial don't involve techniques. In fact, techniques play an even larger role in their systems than in Pure Martial."

"I can roughly understand modification, but what exactly is New Martial?" Lu Yuan finally couldn't resist asking. This question had been buried in his mind for a long time. He often heard people talk about New Martial, but he still had no idea what it truly was. Was it something like what his master, Liudao Yuan, possessed? It didn't seem like it.

"New Martial means transplanting a new form of martial art into your body."

"Huh..." Lu Yuan was confused.

Zhou Ling thought for a moment, then said, "Do you know of the ancient martial art called 'Iron Sand Palm'?"

"I've heard of it," Lu Yuan replied. "The man who sells breakfast across the street from my house knows it. He never uses chopsticks when frying dough sticks; he uses his bare hands..."

"....." Zhou Ling shot him a sidelong glance. With his eyes glowing blue, the expression looked rather amusing. "I'm being serious with you."

"Then I've only read about it in novels," Lu Yuan answered honestly. "It seems to be a very common martial art; even minor characters in novels use it."

"The name is a bit unrefined, but it's actually not weak," Zhou Ling stood up, took another bottle of cola from the drink cabinet nearby, opened it, and while drinking, continued explaining to Lu Yuan, "It's the core martial art of the Iron Flow Sect in the Martial Arts Circle. And the Iron Flow Sect has a much greater reputation and status in the Ancient Martial Arts World than your... what was it... Heaven Water Crane Sect. Iron Sand Palm is also known as Iron Flow Palm. I once saw a demonstration video of a Pure Martial expert who had achieved Great Achievement in Iron Flow Palm. He could leave clear palm prints several centimeters deep on Star Pattern Steel... Star Pattern Steel is one of the main materials for Falcon-type Mechas."

Lu Yuan was slightly startled.

Zhou Ling was very pleased with his reaction.

"...Someone capable of practicing Iron Flow Palm to this level is one in a million. Without exceptional talent and aptitude, one simply cannot reach it. However, if you take the New Martial path and want to achieve this..." Zhou Ling rubbed his fingers together in Lu Yuan's direction and grinned. "All you need is money."

"What was the transplant and modification cost for the B+ rank New Martial Art, Iron Flow Palm?" Zhou Ling's eyes flashed with blue light; he was obviously looking up information. While looking it up, he muttered, "This is just Iron Flow Palm. Above it, there's the A-rank Titanium Demon Hand, and even the S-rank Nuclear Split Palm... each one stronger than the last, completely dominating Pure Martial practitioners by a long shot... Holy crap, it's so expensive?!"

Zhou Ling seemed to have found something and suddenly exclaimed.

Lu Yuan immediately pressed, "How much?"

"Um..." Zhou Ling's eyes darted around, and he stammered for a moment before suddenly waving his hand dismissively. "That's not important," he said with forced certainty. "You're only seventeen this year, your future is limitless. Are you afraid you won't have money for modifications? Worst case, you can start by transplanting a C-rank New Martial Art first, then upgrade when you have money. I doubt you'd accept full-body modification, but the New Martial path is genuinely suitable for you. The prospects are much brighter than Pure Martial..."

Lu Yuan said nothing.

Although Zhou Ling had rattled on at length about how incredible New Martial was, his Martial Arts conviction remained unshaken.

Instead, he was quite interested in the information about New Martial that Zhou Ling's words revealed.

According to Zhou Ling, New Martial is less a martial art and more like a new type of... weapon, born from the fusion of Ancient Martial Arts and technology?!

It allows the modified individual to directly skip the cultivation process; they only need to learn how to better master and apply this power. The improvement of strength also relies on the upgrade of "Martial Arts Equipment." That, naturally, consumes a lot of money.

The saying 'scholars are poor, warriors are rich' was even more applicable to the New Martial path. For New Martial powerhouses to dominate the world with their fists... first, they'd have to be wealthy enough to rival a nation!

"Think it over carefully. What I've told you is definitely right..."

Zhou Ling gulped down the can of cola. His demeanor was strikingly similar to Lu Yuan's homeroom teacher summarizing after a study motivation meeting, thermos in hand, clearing his throat.

Lu Yuan nodded but made no comment or commitment.

He turned to look out the window. The Fly Shuttle was currently weaving through the clouds. But it wasn't flying very high, certainly not as high as an airplane. The speed wasn't particularly fast either. Its main advantages were its lightness and stability.

Lu Yuan saw an eagle soaring through the clouds. Far below, the cities and mountain ranges were hazy and indistinct.

Lu Yuan glanced at the time. It had only been half an hour since they departed from Burnt Rock.

Sum Country was vast. Lu Yuan had heard this countless times in geography class. But this was the first time he had so tangibly felt its immensity.

From Burnt Rock to Sum Nation, the Fly Shuttle takes four to five hours. Gao Qing was right about one thing... I really do live in a remote place.

For the rest of the journey, Lu Yuan and Zhou Ling didn't talk much. They ate something in between, and otherwise, each minded their own business.

Lu Yuan continuously tempered his body using the Ten Thousand Refining Crane Bone Strength. Although after his constitution Broke the Limit, the effects of his various body-tempering methods had greatly diminished, and breakthroughs no longer granted attribute points. But it still had some effect, albeit reduced.

How could he reach a thousand miles if he didn't accumulate every single step?

The invincible physique he dreamed of, capable of tearing Mechas apart with his bare hands... wouldn't that have to be built up from these tiny accumulations of progress?

When he grew tired of tempering his body, he would activate the [Imaginary Enemy] system and enter the Consciousness Space for a few rounds. When he tired of consciousness battles, he would gaze at the scenery outside the window.

Time passed quickly, like flowing water.

It had been afternoon when Zhou Ling picked Lu Yuan up. In what felt like a blink, the sun set, and night descended.

"We're almost there!" Zhou Ling leaned close to the window, pointing towards a certain direction in the distance. "Look, that's Sum Nation."

Lu Yuan followed Zhou Ling's finger and looked.

At the distant edge of the darkened sky, a seven-colored river of neon light flowed. Above the neon, a brilliant river of silver seemed to stretch upwards, fanning out in a display of breathtaking, magnificent beauty. It bathed the entire eastern night sky in a pale, whitish glow.

Lu Yuan squinted, trying to see more clearly.

Only then did he realize...

That so-called river of silver was actually formed by countless shining, Fly Shuttle-like aircraft.

They were as dense as the stars; Heaven only knew how many vessels were actually traversing the skies.

A shiver ran down Lu Yuan's spine.

Is this Sum Nation... The new world...

In that instant, he felt as if he finally understood the true meaning behind those words: "New World."

"Haha..." Zhou Ling chuckled, about to elaborate further to Lu Yuan.

Suddenly, he seemed to receive a command or a piece of information. A blue light flickered in his eyes. Then, a helpless expression appeared on his face.

"Lu Yuan, it looks like you might only get a chance to explore Sum Nation after the assessment is over."

Lu Yuan turned his head to look at him. "What do you mean?"

The lazy look on Zhou Ling's face vanished, replaced by a serious and solemn expression.

He began, "I just received an update. The location for this New Blood Trial has been announced. We have to turn around now..."

"Where to?"

"Smokeless City No. 3."

...

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