Dual-wielding! 100x proficiency, I'll grind my way to godhood!

Just as dawn broke, Chen Mo was awakened by the noise in the courtyard.

He opened his eyes. The sky outside the window was just beginning to lighten, roosters were crowing, and people were talking.

He sat up; the wooden plank bed hurt his back, far worse than any hotel on Earth.

But I slept soundly last night, even more soundly than in Bangkok.

Maybe it's because they're tired, or maybe it's because this place is too quiet.

Pushing open the door, Stone was squatting on the threshold, holding a rough porcelain bowl in his hand. He quickly stood up when he saw him come out.

"Brother Chen Mo, I've brought you breakfast."

The bowl contained thick porridge, topped with a few pickled vegetables.

Chen Mo took it. Shi Tou didn't leave; he stood there watching Chen Mo eat, his eyes shining.

"Is it tasty?"

"tasty."

Chen Mo took a sip, chewing the pickled vegetables with a crunching sound.

Stone grinned, then turned and ran away.

He hadn't run a few steps when he turned back: "Brother Chen Mo, there are so many people at the village entrance, they're all talking about you killing Hei Zheng!"

Chen Mo carried the bowl towards the village entrance.

He encountered several villagers on the road. They all stopped when they saw him. Some nodded, some called out "Brother Chen Mo," and an old man stood at the door and gave him a thumbs up.

Chen Mo responded to each question, finished the porridge, and held the bowl in his hand.

A dozen or so people gathered under the big locust tree at the entrance of the village.

Several teenagers were gesturing about names when they saw Chen Mo approaching, and they all turned around.

"Brother Chen Mo! How did you kill him? What did you use?"

"I heard it was an eye shot? Blackie's eyes are so small, how did you manage to hit it?"

"How come your fist is so hard? You even knocked Uncle Zhou away!"

Village Chief Zhou, standing to the side, coughed and said, "What's all the shouting about? No manners."

The group shrank back, but their eyes remained fixed on Chen Mo.

Chen Mo smiled and said, "I was lucky. When it pounced, its eyes were right in front of me."

A dark-skinned young man frowned: "The Black Claw is extremely fast; it's very difficult to hit its eyes."

Several people around him were watching him.

Chen Mo was taken aback; he hadn't expected this.

He thought for a moment and told the truth: "It was chasing me, and I ran around the tree. It got dizzy and fired when it looked up."

"gun?"

The group of people looked at each other in bewilderment.

Chen Mo didn't explain, and placed the bowl on the stone mill.

Village Chief Zhou walked over, looked him up and down, and lingered on him for a few seconds.

"The Black Ferocious is a very special monster. Its skin and flesh are as hard as iron and stone. It cannot be cut by a knife or pierced by an arrow. It can be considered to be at the fourth level of Body Refinement. However, even a Qi and Blood Realm martial artist would find it difficult to break through its defenses."

"Body Refinement Level 4? Qi and Blood Realm?"

Chen Mo looked up at him.

Seeing his interest, the village chief said a few more words:

"In the Great Abyss Dynasty, every village has its own martial arts tradition, and every household practices martial arts. If there are any boys in a family, they start practicing horse stance at the age of seven or eight. Why? Because the path of martial arts can make people stronger."

Chen Mo's heart skipped a beat.

The village chief held up one finger.

"Martial arts begin with body refinement, and the body refinement realm is divided into nine levels, which temper the physical body, with each level being stronger than the last."

An ordinary person who doesn't train can only throw a punch that weighs a little over 100 pounds.

The first level of body refinement trains the skin, and with the addition of power generation techniques, one can strike an extra fifty jin. The second level of body refinement trains the flesh, adding another fifty jin.

Layer upon layer, until reaching the fourth level of body refinement, where a single punch can weigh over 350 jin.

"Beyond Body Refinement are the Qi and Blood Realm, the Inner Strength Realm, and the Qi Control Realm. At this stage, one can release inner strength to injure others from a distance. I don't know about the higher realms."

Chen Mo was shocked, and at the same time, he silently compared the two in his mind.

Is internal energy like what you see on TV?

He mastered several skills to the highest level, increasing his strength fourfold. Now, he can deliver a punch that can hit over 500 jin (250 kg), which is higher than the fourth level of Body Refinement.

The village chief continued, "Once you reach the fourth level of body refinement, combined with proper fist techniques, you can shatter bluestone with a single punch."

Several young people nearby gasped.

The fourth level of body refinement was already an unattainable goal in their eyes.

"Then how can one become a martial artist?" Chen Mo asked.

"If you want to learn martial arts, you also need to consider your age, aptitude, and physical constitution."

The village chief sighed.

"Some people are naturally suited to it and can master it in a few years; others practice their whole lives and still can't get past the threshold. I've been practicing for over thirty years and I'm still at the third level of Body Refinement, I can't go any further."

The young men lowered their heads; they hadn't even touched the threshold.

The village chief continued, "Thirty li to the north is the town, where there is a martial arts school that recruits disciples."

"Our Stone Village produced a martial artist who reached the ninth level of Body Refinement a hundred years ago. His memorial tablet is still enshrined in the ancestral hall. No one has left since."

Chen Mo followed his hand and looked over.

The dirt road winds and disappears at the foot of the distant mountains.

The village chief looked at him, his gaze scrutinizing: "You've never seriously practiced martial arts, so how did you manage to defeat the Black Crimson, a fourth-level Body Refinement cultivator?"

Chen Mo thought for a moment: "I'm naturally stronger."

The village chief was taken aback and looked him up and down.

Several young people nearby were also whispering among themselves.

"Born with superhuman strength?"

The dark-faced young man muttered, "I heard there's someone in town who's also born with superhuman strength, able to lift a 300-pound stone weight. But he doesn't know how to exert force, so he still gets the short end of the stick when he fights."

The village chief nodded: "It's not enough to just have strength; you also need to know how to exert it. There are men in the village who are born with superhuman strength, but they don't know how to exert their strength, so they have strength but can't use it."

He paused, then looked at Chen Mo, "That punch of yours didn't seem like it was thrown by someone who didn't know how to generate power."

Chen Mo did not respond.

The skills and techniques of those masters on Blue Star were ingrained in their bones, and that punch was delivered after they had already withdrawn their power.

But I can't say that.

Seeing that he didn't say anything, the village chief didn't press him, but muttered, "Your physique doesn't look like someone who hasn't trained before."

Chen Mo smiled and said, "I've practiced some things, but they're different from your martial arts."

The village chief was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke: "You have rendered meritorious service by killing Hei Zheng, and according to the rules, you should be rewarded. The village doesn't have anything good to offer, but I would like to take you to town."

"There will be a small market in town in seven days, and the martial arts school will also open and accept students. I'll take you there; maybe you can become a student and learn something proper."

Chen Mo was stunned for a moment; this was exactly the result he wanted.

"Seven days later?"

"right."

The village chief nodded, "Before it gets cold, I'll take you there."

Chen Mo nodded: "Okay. Seven days from now."

Stone emerged from the crowd and tugged at his sleeve: "Brother Chen Mo, will you teach me martial arts?"

Tie Dan chimed in, "I want to learn too!"

Chen Mo squatted down and looked at them: "What I teach is different from what you teach."

"Even if we're different, we should still learn!"

Stone puffed out his chest. "I want to be like you, sending Uncle Zhou flying with one punch!"

The village chief coughed, his face darkening.

Several adults burst out laughing.

Chen Mo laughed and patted Shi Tou's head: "First, practice the horse stance. If you can hold it for the length of an incense stick without wobbling, then I'll teach you."

Shi Tou immediately squatted down, adopting a crooked horse stance.

Tie Dan squatted down too.

The two children strained, their faces turning bright red.

Chen Mo looked at them and recalled the days he spent honing his skills on Earth.

There are no shortcuts; it all comes down to the liver.

Chen Mo stood up and walked towards the village.

I stopped and took a look when I passed by the ancestral hall.

The door was open, and inside was a memorial tablet, but the words on it were illegible.

A few sticks of incense remained stuck in the incense burner by the door; the smoke had long since died out.

A hundred years ago, the ninth level of the Body Refinement Realm was already a legend in this village.

What about him?

What are the things he mastered on Earth that he reached a high level of mastery compared to what he achieved in this world?

An ordinary person's punch weighs a little over 100 jin (50 kg), but his punch weighs over 500 jin (250 kg), equivalent to the strength of a sixth-level body refinement practitioner.

Back in the room, he sat on the edge of the bed and touched the bronze ring.

Stay calm and thoroughly master the language; seven days should be enough.

Once we get to town, we'll find a way to get involved in martial arts.

Ya Ya's laughter drifted in from outside the window.

He looked out the window and saw Ya Ya leaning on the windowsill, holding two candies in her hand, smiling at him.

"Brother Chen Mo, here you go."

She handed him the candy.

The candy wrapper was crumpled, and dark brown candy chunks were stuck to it.

Chen Mo took it, peeled one, and put it in his mouth; it was sweet but bitter.

Ya Ya leaned on the windowsill, looking up at him: "Is it delicious?"

"tasty."

He put the other one into his pocket.

Ya Ya giggled and ran away.

Chen Mo sat on the edge of the bed, dissolved the candy in his mouth, and swallowed it.

The sweetness spread in my throat, with a hint of astringency.

He closed his eyes, his mind still replaying what he had heard that day.

This world is more interesting than he thought.