So that's what this is all about, Forensic Investigator Xing mused. This kind of method is quite common in science and makes sense, but for humans to actually be able to use it is truly impressive. It seems this is the specialty of martial arts masters!

"Hidden Force... resonance, interesting!" Forensic Investigator Xing muttered, reflecting on Liu Yi's words and silently committing the matter to memory. After thinking for a bit, he turned to Liu Yi and inquired, "Since the principle of Hidden Force is similar to that of resonance, why did you just say that it both is and isn't Hidden Force? Can resonance occur without actually resonating? Also, if it's merely resonance, that couldn't be why these people's organs were shattered to this extent, right?"

Shattering bulletproof glass with sound waves is possible, but it requires the sound waves to resonate at the glass's natural frequency and be powerful enough. Otherwise, it would only cause the bulletproof glass to shake. And if we were to replace both the sound waves and the bulletproof glass with people, logically speaking, no matter how hard one struck, the resulting vibration shouldn't be able to shatter a person's organs to this extent.

But Zhang Beixing did just that.

That's quite an incredible feat!

Hearing Investigator Xing's questions, Liu Yi nodded noncommittally. "I've been pondering the same issue. Zhang Beixing's Hidden Force is truly strange, or rather, excessively powerful! Normally, Hidden Force is a method of exerting energy from the inside out, used in hand-to-hand combat to penetrate external defenses and directly strike internal organs. But as for its power... well... To date, I have never heard of anyone's Hidden Force being strong enough to destroy a person's body to such an extent! Even I..."

Subconsciously, he was about to say, 'Even I, Liu Yi, can only shatter a single organ.' But as the words reached his lips, he suddenly realized the person asking was a police officer. If he'd said that, he might very well have been invited for 'tea' at the station. So, he quickly shut his mouth and amended, "Never mind. It's just that Zhang Beixing's Hidden Force is... unusual, beyond my comprehension."

"Alright then." Seeing that Liu Yi couldn't offer an explanation either, Investigator Xing frowned slightly. He glanced at Commissioner Bai as if they'd reached a silent understanding, then turned his head to look at Zhang Beixing, about to ask something.

However, before he could speak, Li Shuo at the side suddenly turned to Zhang Beixing and gave him a thumbs-up. "Awesome!"

Li Shuo had figured out what Liu Yi meant: Zhang Beixing was strong—darn strong! Far stronger than any ordinary person; otherwise, he couldn't have beaten the traffickers to such a state.

After praising Zhang Beixing, Li Shuo turned to Liu Yi eagerly and asked, "Mr. Liu, Zhang Beixing is so strong, how did he manage to do it?"

Hearing his question, Commissioner Bai and Investigator Xing, who were about to question Zhang Beixing themselves, held back and also turned to look at Liu Yi.

Liu Yi just shook his head, indicating he wasn't sure either.

I'm still wondering how Zhang Beixing's Hidden Force can be so strong! And you're asking me? Aren't you just trying to make things difficult for me, Liu? I just know a lot about martial arts; I'm not an encyclopedia, alright! Even if I were, faced with someone as off-the-charts as Zhang Beixing, an encyclopedia might be useless! If there's no record of it, how could anyone possibly understand?!

Sitting on the hospital bed, Zhang Beixing's interest was piqued by Liu Yi's words. His eyes shining, he asked, "So, Teacher Liu, are you saying I'm very strong now? What's my current level? Is there a specific term for it?"

Even before he learned the Eight Pieces of Brocade of the Northern Sect, Zhang Beixing had wanted to ask this. But then, because Liu Yi had taken him to visit the Chen Family to learn by stealth, Zhang Beixing hadn't asked. After that, he immersed himself in studying the Eight Pieces of Brocade of the Northern Sect, trained in Hidden Force, and then used Hidden Force to radically alter the technique. Zhang Beixing's time had been tight, and amidst the hustle, he'd forgotten about it. Only now that he had mastered Hidden Force and the conversation had led to this point did Zhang Beixing remember.

He was very curious; he wanted to know from his teacher, Liu Yi, how his current strength was regarded within the martial arts circles of Great Xia, and what his status was.

On hearing Zhang Beixing's question, Liu Yi was silent for a moment, then spoke frankly, "Below Grandmaster!"

「 」

"'Below Grandmaster,' also known as a Pseudo Grandmaster, is a prestigious title bestowed only after one has mastered Hidden Force. It's also one of the ways the martial arts community expresses admiration for a martial artist. Although in modern times, martial arts have declined and the old ways are no longer popular, the status of a Pseudo Grandmaster has not depreciated. On the contrary, in this environment, it has become even more precious. After all, not everyone in this restless society can dedicate decades to arduous martial arts training and master Hidden Force. Moreover, Grandmasters are exceptionally rare, which makes Pseudo Grandmasters stand out even more. After all, if Grandmasters are not present, it's the domain of Pseudo Grandmasters. And in this world, how many Grandmasters truly exist? How many have reached the level just 'Below Grandmaster'?

To this day, those in Great Xia who have reached the 'Below Grandmaster' level are few and extremely rare.

Zhang Beixing was completely unaware of this. He was merely very surprised to hear Liu Yi utter the words 'Below Grandmaster.'

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