You promised steampunk martial arts, but you've got an internal combustion engine in your chest

In a street-facing inn in the northern part of Shanghai.

Because their cabin had been destroyed, the Baili brothers had no choice but to stay temporarily at this inn after returning to Shanghai.

Fortunately, the money was paid by the canal clerk.

After checking in, Baili Jing slept until late afternoon before finally waking up. He slept very soundly, and the strange internal combustion engine in his body made a faint but rhythmic "whoosh" sound, constantly converting the few kilograms of demon beast meat he had swallowed into pure blood and qi, repairing the dense and shocking wounds on his body.

When he opened his eyes, it was already dusk.

Baili Jing sat up in bed and rubbed his throbbing temples.

He didn't rush to wash up; the first thing he did was to pull out the notebook that Old Man Jia had given him from under his pillow.

On the cover, eight large characters are written in a flamboyant style: "The Secret to Forging Iron in the Furnace of Internal Combustion Engines".

"I've officially embarked on the path of cultivation... but I never expected that my first cultivation manual would have such a name."

Baili Jing muttered something and reached out to turn to the first page.

He became quite engrossed in watching it.

The first half of the book records in detail the mainstream traditional steam cultivation methods of this era, which were officially approved by the Great Jing Dynasty.

Ordinary steam training begins with a miniature steam furnace implanted inside the chest cavity.

Unlike Baili Jing, this miniature steam furnace is invisible from the outside. It is hidden under the skin and flesh, and is connected to the cultivator's meridians through black gold threads. There are only two small openings on the navel, one for adding water and the other for adding black gold crystals when necessary.

Cultivators can add fuel in two ways: one is by eating the flesh of demonic beasts directly, and the other is by adding black gold crystals. They also need to add water to the furnace from time to time to turn the water into high-pressure steam, which drives the mechanical piston inside the furnace to do work, thereby increasing their power and speed.

"So they need to add water... How strange."

Baili Jing couldn't help but marvel at the image of those steam cultivators filling small holes in their bellies with water from a kettle when they had nothing to do.

According to the records in the book, the traditional furnace realm is divided into nine levels. The breakthrough standard is very rigid and depends entirely on the rotation speed of the furnace piston, which is the so-called "cycle per breath".

The first to third stages of the forging process involve adding parts to the flesh and bones.

Once the furnace is lit, the rotation speed reaches approximately 100 revolutions per minute.

The second stage involves embedding a high-precision steel frame in both forearms, with a rotation speed reaching 200 revolutions per minute;

The third realm requires the installation of pressurized mechanical joints in the shoulders and arms. When the rotation speed reaches 350 rpm, it can tear apart jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards.

The fourth realm of the forging furnace represents a qualitative leap. Cultivators must forcibly install a second furnace on their spine, using both furnaces simultaneously. At this point, the furnace speed can reach approximately 400-600 revolutions per minute, resulting in a significant increase in both strength and speed.

In this process, practitioners need to constantly train themselves and hone their integration with mechanical modifications. Once they can perfectly integrate with the modified body without any further obstacles, they can step into the fifth realm of the forging furnace.

However, once you reach the fifth to ninth realm, mechanical modifications are no longer necessary.

At this stage, you can modify your legs, waist, or other parts, or you can choose not to make any further modifications. However, regardless of the method, all practitioners must cultivate the process of "unity of man and tool".

They need to endure the bone tremors and blood surging caused by high-speed operation, gradually pushing the speed from 800 RPM to the peak of 2200 RPM.

During this process, one enters the sixth realm of the forging furnace at 850 revolutions, the seventh realm at 1100 revolutions, the eighth realm at 1400 revolutions, the ninth realm at 1700 revolutions, and only at 2200 revolutions can one be considered to have achieved the Great Perfection of the Forging Furnace.

Only after this can the cultivator implant the heart of the gas chamber and truly enter the state of gas mind. After that, they can achieve self-circulation of energy within their body, greatly reducing consumption and greatly increasing endurance.

Upon seeing this, Baili Jing let out a soft sigh of relief.

Traditional steam-powered workshops are like assembling and polishing a living person as if they were a steam locomotive.

Today they add a connecting rod here, tomorrow they weld a copper armor there, and the day after tomorrow they install an acceleration gear... Just looking at the warnings in the text descriptions such as "forced breakthroughs cause component deformation and jamming" and "blood and qi reverse, tendons and veins are severed," Baili Jing felt a chill run down his spine.

However, this is not the path of cultivation he wants to take.

Baili Jing flipped through the notebook.

Old Man Jia wrote it very clearly: because of his extremely vigorous blood and energy, coupled with the implantation of an internal combustion engine, his starting point was frighteningly high.

According to cultivation standards, he has just entered the first stage of the Forging Furnace Realm. He can only withstand speeds of around 100 revolutions per minute. However, due to the high-pressure compression function of the internal combustion engine, the power he outputs in a single burst is already comparable to that of a first-stage expert in the Automotive Core Realm!

But a line of large characters was also highlighted in red ink on the notebook:

[Limitations: Sufficient explosive power, but lacking overall strategic ability.]

[The "Powerful One-Tier Automotive" boasts comprehensive enhancements and extended range, but due to the limitations of valve transmission in internal combustion engines, Baili Jing can only temporarily boost local capabilities. A significant increase in overall performance would easily lead to energy gaps.]

"No wonder I collapsed to my knees from exhaustion after burning Wu Yan'an's skin on the deck."

Baili Jing suddenly realized and continued reading.

As he looked at it, his eyebrows rose, revealing a look of delight.

His path of cultivation does not require him to weld iron plates or install gears all over his body like ordinary practitioners do.

His advancement essentially involves constantly honing himself and raising his body's tolerance limit to this "multi-stage explosive heat energy".

The process from the first to the fourth stage involves tempering the meridians and muscle fibers through 200 to 600 revolutions, making them thicker and tougher, and enabling them to simultaneously distribute compressed energy to more than three parts of the body.

From the fifth to the seventh realm, a qualitative change begins to occur, with the rotation speed soaring to over 1400 revolutions per minute.

At that time, his flesh and skin will be able to easily break ordinary swords under normal conditions, and his endurance will also increase exponentially.

As for reaching the peak of the ninth realm, under the high-speed compression of 2000 revolutions, his fist, which exploded with all its might... according to the calculations of the Three Friends of Mystery, could easily pose a fatal threat to a fifth-realm expert of the Qi Heart!

The pointer on the dial on his chest displayed the rotation speed.

At the end of the notebook, he was given a detailed list of his daily tasks.

The morning class is called "Silent Kung Fu":

The practitioner maintains the internal combustion engine at a speed of no more than 50 revolutions per minute, and then performs precise control to accurately infuse energy into tiny parts such as the fingertips, the root of the tongue, and the auricle, continuing for the duration of an incense stick without spilling it out.

Its purpose is to hone the precision of energy control, laying the foundation for "point-and-shoot" in combat.

The afternoon class was called "Storage Technique":

The practitioner actively increases the internal combustion engine speed to 80% of its current stable upper limit, then holds their breath, tightens all their muscles, and forcibly compresses the flow rate of energy in their body, causing the internal combustion engine to reduce the intake air volume and the speed to drop on its own.

Repeated operation can train the organs' tolerance to "oil-free" conditions.

This subject directly relates to the speed of energy recovery after a sudden burst of power in combat.

The evening prayer is called "Returning Waste Gas to its Source Exercise".

After a battle or training session, practitioners must guide the expelled steam from their pores back towards their dantian.

This doesn't mean Baili Jing should inhale it through his mouth, but rather that he should operate the internal combustion engine to create a swirling flow of exhaust gas around his body, allowing his skin to absorb the residual heat energy a second time.

This course does not increase the combat power cap, but it can significantly improve the recovery speed after training, reduce energy waste, and with long-term adherence, it can also slightly improve the efficiency of blood circulation.

Snapped.

Baili Jing closed the notebook and let out a long breath.

His fingers tapped lightly on the notebook as he leaned against the headboard, muttering to himself:

"So it seems that with this internal combustion engine, I have actually already subtly crossed a major realm in terms of pure strength, explosive power, and even defense. I no longer need to worry about parts and furnace speed like ordinary cultivators. I just need to honestly train these three subjects every day..."

"The most urgent task right now is to acquire a few legitimate martial arts techniques..."

"If Wu Yan'an hadn't been seriously injured first today, and then the wheel broke, just based on his speed, even if I had the strength to split mountains and shatter rocks, I would have been worn down by him as a sandbag long ago, even if I couldn't hit him. Without any technique or martial arts skills... this is really no good."

"Hmm... I'll ask the Canal Gang for some martial arts techniques later, so I can practice them."

Just then, the door creaked open from the outside.

Baili Jie walked in.

The boy changed into a clean blue cloth outfit and looked much more energetic.

"Brother, you're awake. Someone from Baihuatang just came to say that the Second Master has hosted a banquet at Jiangshan Fengyu Tower, and the sedan chair will be waiting for us downstairs at the inn soon."

He asked with a smile:

"We're going to a big banquet tonight, so... shouldn't we take advantage of the little time we still have and go to a clothing store on the street to buy a couple of decent outfits to change into?"

Baili Jing glanced at his younger brother and laughed heartily:

"Buy clothes? Do we even have a single silver dollar in our pocket? All we're thinking about is buying clothes?"

He got out of bed briskly, grabbed a linen robe, and draped it loosely over his shoulders, covering most of his chest.

Then, he tilted his head at Baili Jie:

"Clothes aren't important at all, people are the most important thing... Let's go!"