High-level martial arts: Invincibility starts with basic archery.

Chapter 23 Body Tempering, Flesh Refining, and Energy Infusion

"Uncle Zhang? He's over there."

Wang Ping and the others turned around and pointed to the lame man not far away.

The latter looked calm and glanced at Chen Fan, saying, "You're here? You did well this time. Don't be arrogant. Even if it's a wildebeest, it's still a low-level ferocious beast. If you really encounter a mid-level ferocious beast, you'll realize that the bow in your hand is just a tickle to them."

"Oh, this..."

Wang Ping and the others looked at each other in bewilderment upon hearing this.

Uncle Zhang is such an inhumane person.

Fan Ge is undoubtedly the MVP of the hunting team this time. Everyone in the village praises him. Would it kill him to say a few words of praise?

Chen Fan smiled nonchalantly and nodded, saying, "Uncle Zhang is right. We encountered an armored rhinoceros on this trip out."

"Armored Rhinoceros!"

Holy crap!

Wang Ping and the others were taken aback.

The lame man's eyelids twitched rapidly a few times.

"We took a detour and didn't attract its attention."

The group immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"Brother Fan, you scared me to death! That thing is not something an ordinary person can mess with," Wang Ping said speechlessly.

"Yes, I heard that some villagers provoked a few armored rhinoceroses and were chased all the way back to the village. The walls were even smashed down by the frenzied armored rhinoceroses. They finally left after they had vented their anger."

Chen Fan nodded, then his gaze fell on the lame man. "So, Uncle Zhang, I want to learn some boxing techniques from you to increase my strength, so that if I ever encounter an armored rhinoceros, I can protect myself."

"A fist technique that increases strength?"

Wang Ping and the others gaped, looking at Chen Fan and then at the lame man.

What's going on here? Why did we suddenly start talking about this?

A flicker of surprise crossed the limping man's eyes, then he asked, "You knew all along?"

"Um."

Chen Fan responded, "Uncle Wei and the others must have learned these techniques to go from being able to draw a bow that weighs only sixty jin at the beginning to being able to draw a bow that weighs one hundred jin now, right?"

Wang Ping and the others were stunned, while Zhao Feng's breathing became rapid. He vaguely sensed that he had come into contact with something extraordinary.

"good."

The lame man nodded, glanced at Wang Ping and the others, then fixed his gaze on Chen Fan. "You remember the martial artist I mentioned to you, right?"

"Of course I remember."

Chen Fan nodded hurriedly.

"After the cataclysmic changes in the world, awakened beings emerged among humans, whose combat power was comparable to that of firearms. Ordinary people were not without the ability to protect themselves and could only wait to die."

Before the mutation, ordinary people could strengthen their physique through physical training. After the mutation, the limits of human physical capabilities were broken, and ordinary people could temper their bodies to make their bones and muscles strong and their strength extraordinary. This process is called body tempering.

"Body Tempering!"

"Body Tempering!"

Everyone, including Chen Fan, exclaimed in surprise.

For Wang Ping and his group, this statement was clearly unheard of.

Chen Fan, however, was somewhat prepared. He thought of the realm section on the system, which was currently showing as none. If it were showing as present, it would probably be what Uncle Zhang was talking about: body tempering.

"good."

The lame man looked serious.

"Body tempering is divided into three levels based on muscle strength. There's nothing wrong with dividing it into early, middle, and late stages. Under normal circumstances, the muscle strength of an ordinary person when punching will not exceed 50 kilograms. The vast majority of people in the village are at this level."

If you can reach 100 kilograms, you've reached the first level of Body Tempering and can be called a martial artist. The Wei brothers who left were at that level; they could draw a 200-jin bow with pure strength, but they would be exhausted after one draw. A 100-jin bow would be just right for them. You might not know what this means.

He glanced at Chen Fan and explained, "A bow with a draw weight of 100 jin can penetrate leather armor from 200 meters away. It can also penetrate high-quality chainmail, and even kill an armored rhinoceros."

Chen Fan took a deep breath.

He can only draw a bow weighing 60 jin (30 kg) now, and there is still a considerable distance to go before he can draw a bow weighing 100 jin (50 kg).

"If you reach 150 kilograms, that's the second or third level of body tempering. Your muscle strength can reach 200 kilograms, close to the strength of a human boxing champion before the mutation. This kind of strength can draw a 200-pound longbow and shoot a target within 400 to 500 meters."

Everyone gasped again.

"Uncle Zhang," Chen Fan thought of the 300-pound longbow in the warehouse and couldn't help but ask, "Is body tempering just the beginning?"

"what?"

Wang Ping opened his mouth wide enough to fit several eggs.

This person is already so strong, and this is just the beginning?

The lame man gave him an approving look. "Yes, after body tempering comes flesh tempering. Martial artists at this level have muscles as hard as steel and immense strength. A single punch can have the force of a thousand pounds, and they can draw a five-hundred-pound war bow with one hand. Even an armored rhinoceros would be nothing more than a sitting duck in front of such a martial artist."

Everyone gasped again.

"What happens up there?"

Chen Fan couldn't help but ask.

"Going further up, that's entering the realm of strength."

The lame man seemed lost in thought, and slowly said, "Entering the realm of internal strength is divided into manifest strength, hidden strength, and transformative strength. Before the anomaly, I had only heard of people reaching manifest strength, where a punch delivered by gathering all the power of the body could shatter the air. I've heard of people reaching hidden strength, but most of them are charlatans and not credible. As for transformative strength, I've never even heard of it."

"But now something has changed..." Chen Fan hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

"Yes, something strange has happened. In Anshan City, a hundred kilometers away from here, someone has reached the Transformation Realm, possessing unfathomable power, and even..."

"I've even heard that some people have actually cultivated the true qi that's only seen in martial arts novels."

"What! True Qi!"

"Oh my god? Really?"

Everyone was stunned.

I was mostly excited.

This martial artist sounds quite strong, doesn't he?

Chen Fan couldn't help but recall what his father had said, and connecting it with what was before him, he felt more and more that this Uncle Zhang was probably from Anshan City, and that he had offended someone and was being hunted down.

Could it be that Uncle Zhang is a martial artist who has reached the level of internal strength?

"Don't be too happy yet."

The lame man snorted coldly, pouring cold water on everyone's enthusiasm.

"So what if they are martial artists who have reached the level of internal strength? Let alone in front of an awakened one, even if an ordinary person shoots them in the head, they will definitely die. Even those who have cultivated true qi may not be able to stop a bullet."

"But, in this world, I have the ability to protect myself," Chen Fan said with a smile.

The lame man paused, then nodded. "That's right. Even if it's only the first level of Body Tempering, it's still much better than an ordinary person. So, are you sure you want to learn martial arts from me?"

Chen Fan was about to answer when the other person waved his hand, "Let me finish what I have to say first."

(End of this chapter)