Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

"4:58! 4:59! Good!"

Wen Yuan turned off the timer. After five minutes of high-knee running, Shangluo on the other side was already dazed.

"Right now, drink. Do you want me to help you?"

"No need. Give me the bottle of Qi Hai and I'll try it."

In his extreme weakness, he drank a bottle. His fatigue seemed to have subsided a little, but it also seemed to have not. It was a strange feeling, different from before. His body was clearly on the verge of collapse, but his mental fatigue was slowly disappearing, and he was becoming more alert.

"Is it effective? Just a little bit will be fine. Let's practice first."

"Yeah," Shangluo nodded.

"Then let's begin training. First of all, don't make any big movements. You're definitely not at the Golden Core stage yet, so your body isn't indestructible. We're not training your body, but your meridians. This is the Lei Xiu method. It's different from regular muscle training, so you'll need to get used to it."

After saying that, he walked to the gun rack next to him and picked up a gun.

"bayonet?"

"Yes, a bayonet, or you can call it a gun sword. Who says that gun swordsmen don't count as sword cultivation?" Wen Yuan practiced using a bayonet and handed it to Shangluo.

It was essentially a short spear, but with a weighted stock at the end. The other end wasn't a true bayonet, but a flat-ended cotton swab for practice.

Shangluo looked around - he only now realized that it seemed that the training here was not about swords and knives. Wen Yuan was the only one holding a knife, and everyone else was training with bayonets.

"So you don't practice swordplay?"

"Soldiers can't carry extra swords on their backs into battle. Currently, the most prominent martial art is the bayonet, as it's often the only weapon available when facing an enemy. However, from Marshal Qi's drill manual to the era of line infantry, bayonet tactics have always been the king's winning strategy. As the saying goes, one Han can defeat five barbarians. Just one of us, armed with a bayonet, can repel five barbarians. Therefore, the martial arts of the garrison are all about bayonet tactics. That's all we practice."

"Then what's that in your hand?"

"This is a family heirloom, the Imperial Guards' saber. I use it for practice. However, bayonet techniques were also first developed by Marshal Qi. His sword techniques incorporate the essence of the staff, spear, knife, and fist, which is similar to bayonet techniques. Using a weapon like a bayonet allows for greater flexibility because, in addition to stabbing, you can also use the buttstock on your back and the magazine to hit people, all of which are actions not available with the original spear. I actually practiced my broadsword using bayonet techniques, and many of the movements are very similar. Want to practice?"

"How do I practice?" Shangluo looked confused as he held the "wooden stick" for practice.

"Just stab me, don't worry about it, leave the rest to me."

"Like this?" Shangluo asked as he handed the practice gun forward.

In an instant, Wen Yuan turned his hand and grasped the scabbard, used the scabbard to swing the gun head away, and pulled the handle forward with his backhand, and the handle stopped an inch in front of Shangluo's chest.

"Did you see clearly?"

"I can't see clearly, but it seems... Wait, try again. Can you draw your sword?"

Shangluo had some inexplicable feeling, always feeling as if... he needed to verify it before he could know.

"Then I'll draw my sword." This time, Wen Yuan drew out the sword first, holding the handle with both hands and chopped it down. He was sure that he could stop before chopping Shangluo.

However, Shangluo deflected the spear head and tapped the center of the falling blade. The sword tilted.

"Huh???" Wen Yuan suddenly pulled the knife back. "How do you know where to hit? Have you learned Iberian swordsmanship?"

"It seems like there's a sense of energy. Yes, there's a sense of energy. I roughly know where to press it, but the pressure isn't quite there. But I haven't learned it."

"How would you know if you haven't learned it? Interesting. Then continue? I suggest you put on some protective gear before continuing. You're constantly moving back and forth, and your balance will be disrupted, making it easy for you to get hit. But this is a bit like the sword master of the inner court. So I'm going to take it seriously, so pay attention."

Chapter 140: Breaking the Trend

“Why do I feel like I’m being ridiculed?”

After practicing for an hour, Wen Yuan finally couldn't bear it anymore.

He felt as if all his years of practice were being "suppressed," because whenever he used his cleaver, Shangluo would always block from a specific angle. Every block was correct and incredibly precise. He never used the blade itself, but rather the bayonet's hilt to strike his blade, with precision that was practically textbook-like.

Yet, each block was weak, practically ineffective, forcing him to carefully retract the force. He felt as though he wasn't even teaching Shangluo, but rather the other, with a master-disciple "just enough" approach. This was the ultimate irony.

If the two had similar cultivation levels, he would obviously be no match for Shangluo. The reason he could teach him so effortlessly was simply because Shangluo was starving and had no cultivation level.

He had completely lost track of who was teaching whom.

He could actually speed up a bit, and could increase his current speed several times. But then there would be no point in sparring.

"Wait." He suddenly stopped. "Shangluo, I'm going to use my internal energy now. Can you block it? It might speed up several times, or even more. I don't know if you can handle it."

"I'm really hungry so if I don't move too much, I should be able to block it."

"Then let's see what happens with the sword!" He took advantage of the moment, launching a sneak attack before the opponent could finish their sentence. With his focused attention, his lightning skills had already expedited his reaction speed to a point beyond the human body's limits. Because he didn't need to deliberately unleash his martial arts, he could simply unleash it when he felt like it.

With a dull "bang", Shangluo smashed him open with the bayonet lug again, his reaction as fast as his.

Wen Yuan stopped.

"I feel like I'm being mocked. I've been practicing for so many years, how could I be stopped by a newbie like you?"

"I've already told you that I'm the Grand Inner Sword Master."

"How do you feel?"

"It's like... a different body." He tried to find a word, but the feeling was hard to describe. He was already at the limit of his physical capabilities. In theory, he should have collapsed on the ground from starvation. But Wen Yuan's knife was real, after all. Even though Wen Yuan was a trained professional, the sight of a real knife wielding it still made him nervous. Normally, this would have been the adrenaline kicking in.

But adrenaline is not tap water that can be found by turning on the faucet, and it is impossible to rely solely on adrenaline to replace the body's energy reserves to support physical energy consumption.

He felt as if something was constantly supporting him. The fatigue hadn't disappeared; it had been there from the beginning. Yet, instead of becoming more tired, he felt as if he had been fully relaxed and rested.

It's indeed working. I've been monitoring your vital signs, and they haven't declined since the start of training. They're actually recovering. It seems like something is replacing your energy reserves and supporting your circulation. Even your breathing and heart rate have been quite stable, even reaching a resting state at one point.

He tried to stretch his hand out in front of his eyes and clenched his fist. He still had strength left. And he was indeed more energetic than at the beginning.

"Judging from your complexion, it should be effective." Wen Yuan put the knife back. "As expected, if you practice, you will get better results."

"This is the fetal breathing method?"

"That's right. If you reach the Jindan stage, you can maintain this state forever. How do you feel?"

"I feel like even if you throw me into a vacuum, I can still survive for a while?"

"Ah, that's hard to say. The amount of Qi Hai in this bottle is too small, it can only support us for this kind of practice. And throwing it into a vacuum, a place where survival is obviously impossible, is too outrageous. Obviously, it is not something that a few carrots can support."

"So, there really is a play?"

"It's certainly possible. Based on the current situation, if one reaches the Golden Core stage, the fetal breathing from breathing spiritual energy and the self-generated spiritual energy from the Golden Core will reach a balance, and the internal circulation of the small heavenly organs will establish a closed cycle. Theoretically, before the spiritual energy is completely exhausted, being thrown into a vacuum will be fine."

"Then our future is really bright."

"You don't want to launch a Jindan-stage master directly into space, do you? Lan Fang even knew to wear a space suit."

"What I mean is, if the spaceship is suddenly damaged, then the Jindan stage masters can continue to fight in the vacuum state of the cabin."

Wen Yuan blinked. "I underestimated you. You actually thought of starting a war in the universe? I was still wondering which of the imperial court and the Lan Fang would succeed first."

"What is our plan?"

"The court's plan is much more sound."

"Then the court's plan must be rockets, right?"

"Yes, it is a rocket. We have always been very accomplished in rockets. When it comes to entering space, the first way that comes to mind is indeed a rocket."

"So, how far has the imperial court's rocket program progressed?"

"I don't know, it's still classified. But I heard that His Majesty seems to have received some news recently, and the progress of the plan has been greatly accelerated. However, I'm afraid that they will have to choose Qigong practitioners to serve as astronauts at the beginning, and they will most likely be selected from Lei Xiu, because Lei Xiu's ability to adapt to changes is most suitable for dealing with possible emergencies."

"Is anyone going to Lan Fang's place?"

Wen Yuan shook her head. "The obvious problem with Lan Fang is the people. Even if they were Qigong practitioners, being put into a cannon and fired out would be a near-death experience. Who would be willing to go up there and experiment? Lan Fang has Qigong practitioners of their own, so why don't they do the experiments themselves? If this is science, Guo Xing should have let his uncle go up there and try it first. I think the 'cannon project' is still far-fetched. In the end, we still have to rely on the imperial rockets. I'm confident that our generation can reach the moon."

"So the imperial court's target is also the moon?" Shangluo thought that only Lan Fang was developing the "moon cannon", but he didn't expect that the imperial court was also aiming for the moon.

What good things are there on the moon?

"Because there's this hypothesis: if spiritual energy comes from the sun, then the surface of the moon should be filled with billions of years of surging spiritual energy from the sun, and every stone should be a spiritual stone. Our current bottleneck is mainly due to the lack of spiritual energy. Simply relying on growing radishes to develop spiritual roots is simply not enough, because the spiritual energy in the natural environment is too thin. But if we can mine spiritual stones from the lunar surface, then everyone's ascension is not impossible."

"Wait. I suddenly thought of something."

【Rome.】

"Yes, Rome." Shangluo said subconsciously.

"What happened to Rome?"

"Night is the opposite of day; it exists only when there's a cycle of day and night. Night is the Earth's shadow, the world created when the Sun's light is blocked by the Earth. But in space, there's no cycle of day and night, and no moon in the sky. We can easily find sunlight, but where would Rome find night?"

Chapter 141: The Qigong Practitioner's Bayonet

"Why bother with them?" Wen Yuan waved her hand. "We're not Roma's parents, so why should we worry about her starving to death? Roma can take care of herself, there's no need to worry about her. Our journey is to the sea of stars, and the first step is to land on the surface of the moon. If the Romans fall behind, they can only blame themselves for not seizing the opportunity to stand shoulder to shoulder with us again in the sea of stars."

"Yeah, that's true. Who cares."

Shangluo felt that there was really no need to worry about this - and Rome was not a pushover, they should be able to find their own way. But if Rome really fell behind here

Then fall behind.

Practice ends at four o'clock in the afternoon.

Shangluo drank three bottles of Qi Hai in total, and practiced for an hour for each bottle.

"How is it? Have you practiced like this before?"

Wen Yuan didn't breathe. This level of training wasn't even a warm-up for him, because he hadn't really done any big moves.

With the Qi Hai supplying spiritual energy, Shangluo was doing fine and even felt healthier than at noon.

"I have, but I haven't practiced like this in a long time." This reminded him of his training sessions with Shang Buhuan, where he'd also practiced for half a day. It was certainly tiring at first, but with day after day of practice, his sense of Qi was developed. This afternoon's training brought him back to the feeling of his past practice. Whenever his energy was exhausted and he felt numb, he would follow his intuition and continue practicing. This intuitive, transcendent feeling would later become the sense of Qi.

But before, this state could only be maintained for a short time. Now, after a few days of fasting and taking bottled Qi Hai, he could actually maintain this state for several hours. The results of this day's training were comparable to his previous long-term training. Because it took him a long time every day to enter this state.

I have to say that with the assistance of professionals, professional methods and professional props, practice can indeed be very effective.

But recalling Shang Buhuan's training, Shang Luo felt it had worked in another way. On the path of studying the clockwork, the sense of Qi had seeped into his behavior like water dripping through stone. Now he could move and express himself freely, even chatting calmly with Apollonia.

Although the training here is faster, there is still no visible effect in a short period of time.

"Hmm," Wen Yuan thought for a moment, "Did you gain much?"

"I feel like I've become more alert. I'm usually a bit lazy, but this time all the muscles in my body have been mobilized, and I feel like my steps are much easier than before. It's really helpful."

"It seems to be working well. After training with you today, I feel a little... how should I put it? I don't quite understand. Huh? Are you a Xuan cultivator? That's how Xuan cultivators fight. They always try to see through phenomena to the essence, and then make a breakthrough. But it's not like you, because you don't seem to have the relevant knowledge, but you can still do it. I feel like you're not learning at all, but just recalling."

"remember?"

"Yes, it's like recalling past experience. As long as I see relevant content, I know what to do. This is a bit like thunder cultivation, but thunder cultivation at least requires experience before it can be gained. Is this really your first time holding a bayonet today? Why do I feel like the more you practice, the more familiar you become. By the end, I felt like I was practicing defense and counterattack with a textbook. Have you seen how many moves I have?"

"13 moves? It seems your sword technique doesn't have many moves for active attack. Most of the time you block first, then use a sword to guide the opponent to the position you need, and then the third move is to attack the vital parts."

"Absolutely correct! That's the exact sword technique. You truly deserve the title of Grand Master of the Imperial Swords. I was thinking of inviting you over once in a while to teach the others proper bayonet technique. But you're too busy, so let's talk about it later. I suggest you practice as much as you can when you get home, though, because the weapon of a Qigong practitioner is the bayonet."

"Wait, don't Qigong practitioners carry swords?"

"No martial arts are invincible except speed. No matter how swift a sword is, can it outrun a volley of heavy machine gun fire? Not impossible, but a heavy machine gun can fire another volley, and you can't keep parrying it. So of course, Qigong practitioners use guns, and bayonets in close combat, at least that's how the Jinyiwei do it. So when the Jinyiwei go into battle, you probably won't see us wearing Taoist robes and carrying swords like sages. We use whatever we need to use. A gun sword is still a sword, and the Qigong practitioners in the palace use guns and swords."

"Is it the same when you go to pluck branches?"

"Of course. It's such a rare time, still needing a sword? I wouldn't just go out and chop around with this precious family heirloom sword. When it comes time to go into action, of course we'll have all the guns and ammunition, along with bayonets and grenades. You can choose the guns you want, and you can use more than just modern firearms. Take General Dongshou, for example. He established his foundation very early, back when the imperial court was still using the last generation of muzzle-loading muskets. I heard that back then, the Jinyiwei melted their own bullets and mixed their own gunpowder. The muskets of the Qigong practitioners back then were truly exceptional. That's no longer possible now, because we can't load the bullets ourselves. We've mostly improved in information perception and precision shooting."

"Are there any runes or something like that?"

"I think so. I remember that Rome has this custom. They also said this time that they made bullets specifically for dealing with the Forest King. If we use their bullets, then the guns must also be provided by them. Anyway, as long as we have a bayonet, it won't be a big problem on my side."

"Why do I feel like the style of the painting is different? I really think that Qigong practitioners should have an immortal-like appearance, and it would be best if they also carry a sword on their back."

"Well, a modern Qigong practitioner should act like a modern Qigong practitioner. The strength of a Qigong practitioner lies in their ability to adapt to the environment. They are not so incapable of adapting to modern weaponry. As society's technological level improves, our combat effectiveness will also rise. Of course, the kind of Qigong practitioners you are describing do exist in Wudang Mountain. Because the Qigong practitioners in Wudang Mountain don't need to go out on missions, they are purely for cultivation. If the purpose is purely for cultivation, there is no difference between a bayonet and a sword. Everyone is the same."

Shangluo seems to have discovered a blind spot:

"So now, you can completely suppress the Qigong practitioners of Wudang Mountain in terms of combat power?"

"Of course. The weirder the attire, the faster you die. But the point of your question is this: we can use every possible method to kill our opponents, while the Qigong practitioners on Wudang Mountain can only wear Taoist robes and wield Tai Chi swords. Of course we'll win, but this is inherently unfair. If we can't even win under unfair conditions, how can we even eat the emperor's food?"

Chapter 142 Training

"So, just like when the 13 Guardians were ranked and had to compete in a competition, this was unfair to most cultivators besides sword cultivators and thunder cultivators, because their strengths were difficult to demonstrate in the competition." Wen Yuan didn't think there was anything wrong with the Wudang Mountain path; they practiced Taoism seriously there. But asking them to "maintain" their cultivation state and fight against fully armed combat Qigong practitioners was clearly asking too much.

"But speaking of fighting in a ring." He paused and said, "You are now the Grand Sword Master, right? I will challenge you. Now that the Grand Sword Master is finally someone, I will not let this opportunity go."

"Hehehe~" Shang Luo sneered, "After this afternoon's fight, do you think you can still beat me?"