Republic of China Era: Entering the Dao through Divine Strike.

Li Xin turned to look at his elder brother.

He looked embarrassed, clearly unaware of how much they had just searched; he couldn't count.

"My little sister is really smart. When you grow up, you'll help me manage the money."

"Okay, okay, Second Brother, you'd better earn more money, or I'm worried it won't be enough."

Xiaoyue said seriously.

Li Xin was amused: "Okay, make more money. From now on, I'll make you calculate every day. If you don't finish, you won't get any food."

"Second brother is the best." The little girl raised her head, not afraid at all.

She's so young, yet she can already tell who's good to her and who's bad to her, and she can distinguish between the truth and lies.

They were clever, but their actions were fraught with untold hardships.

Li Xin reached out and touched her dry, sparse hair, sighed inwardly, and said nothing more.

Li Cheng, however, had been frowning the whole time, and only now did he say regretfully, "It's such a pity we didn't find any boxing manuals on that old guy."

……

Chapter Ten: Learn from the Barbarians and the Ancients; Boxing Techniques Must Be Learned

Li Cheng knew his second brother best, and he knew that when he found the Divine Strike Manual on Master Zhao, his skills immediately became incredibly strong, far surpassing his own.

I have no idea how they trained.

The changes are so drastic that they almost seem like different people.

Occasionally, when his mind wandered, Li Cheng even began to wonder if his second brother had been possessed by some evil spirit.

However, seeing that her second brother was still so good to her and her younger sister, even better than before, was a pleasant surprise.

He was clear-headed and showed no signs of mental confusion, so I felt relieved.

He felt that this performance might be what old legends refer to as the mind becoming enlightened.

My second brother was already a very, very intelligent person; even his private tutor said he had the talent to become a scholar. If he were to suddenly become brilliant, he'd be a literary genius!

Oh no, Wuqu Star is more suitable.

Despite being only twelve years old and small in stature, he was incredibly fierce when he attacked his enemies.

This time, it was as if a god had descended to earth, and he even killed that veteran master who had achieved great success in refining his internal energy.

It nearly made his eyes pop out of his head.

When I looked at my second brother again, I felt a sense of awe.

Could it be that this divine fighting manual is so powerful that even after eight years of practicing stance training and leg techniques, it's still far inferior to what my second brother could achieve in a single day?

Li Cheng felt both frustrated and proud; for a moment, he was overwhelmed with mixed emotions.

I was so envious I was practically drooling.

I thought to myself how wonderful it would be if I could learn that too.

However, this secret manual is really selective. Not only could I not understand the manual, but even when I followed my second brother in chanting to invite the gods, I still couldn't invite the ancestral master.

Perhaps I'm just too stupid, because even my masters dislike me.

Li Cheng couldn't learn the Divine Strike technique, but he didn't believe he couldn't learn other martial arts.

When my father passed away, I hadn't yet begun to strengthen my body, so the prescriptions weren't passed down. I also didn't learn the true essence of stances and leg techniques.

Although I have put in a lot of hard work over the years, there are still some shortcomings.

Unfortunately, he had no other master to guide him, nor did he obtain any secret manuals from other schools or sects.

Otherwise, with my own natural talent, perhaps I could have achieved the level of mastery of internal strength that my father spoke of.

He hasn't even mastered the control of his Qi and blood, nor has he developed any strength.

I feel ashamed.

"That was a life-or-death struggle between an eagle and a snake. My father mentioned it a few times when he was teaching boxing."

They said that if this boxing style were combined with our family's Thirty-Six Leg Techniques, it would be unstoppable, even by gods and demons. It's such a pity.

"A life-or-death struggle between an eagle and a snake?"

Li Xin recalled the attack from the short old man earlier. His body was serpentine, his claws sharp as an eagle, his movements unpredictable and ever-changing, each move deadly and complex.

If it weren't for his own mental state being raised to twenty, and the activation of the divine will of Nezha, allowing him to see in all directions and hear from all sides, and to always be the first to act, plus the surprise attack with a revolver, he probably wouldn't have been able to handle it.

The opponent's force was sharp and powerful, with a shockwave effect. The moment his hands and feet touched him, half of his body went limp. This was a manifestation of his strength being honed to the bone.

Among ordinary people, Li Cheng, the eldest brother, is considered a minor expert; he couldn't withstand even a single move from him.

The imposing manner they displayed when fighting the Onsa soldiers was like a wooden stake before that old man.

To be honest, the old man's skills were far superior to those of the imposing Master Zhao on the road.

'Logically speaking, with the three Divine Strike Manuals in my possession, once activated, I should be able to unleash extremely powerful combat strength, not inferior to some ordinary martial arts masters.'

"If we look at it from the perspective of martial arts principles from my previous life, the outcome of a real battle is nothing more than speed and strength, plus nerve reflexes. In this respect, I definitely have an advantage."

In particular, obtaining the power of faith can comprehensively enhance one's physique, agility, and mental strength, potentially allowing one to surpass some martial arts masters in every aspect and avoid being at a disadvantage in combat.

After discovering his own hidden secrets and learning divine techniques, he activated the divine intentions of the Third Prince.

Li Xin had always thought this way.

He believes that he only needs a little time to grow.

Then you will no longer worry about many external dangers.

However, today's battle was like a bucket of cold water being poured over his head, making him see some truths clearly.

It wasn't just foreign guns and cannons that could threaten us.

Even in a one-on-one fight, a life-or-death confrontation, I am still far from being good enough.

After the widespread use of firearms in my previous life, practicing martial arts could no longer elevate my social standing or protect me.

Ordinary people really don't need to go through that kind of hardship.

But the era I live in is different.

At this point, without martial arts skills, even with a gun, it's not so safe.

It would be foolish not to practice martial arts at this time.

"My method of nourishing the body unlocks its potential. In this respect, I am more scientific and can more quickly enhance the body's fundamental nature and improve its foundation."

The training methods that stretch muscles and bones, transform tendons and cleanse marrow, and enable smoother and more subtle use of one's own body's treasures—I can't do that. Right now, I just use this method to hurt people.

The most important fighting style is the skill that ensures survival. It's about using every bit of effort to inflict maximum damage.

If you don't learn this, you'll become complacent and doomed.

Who knows, one day someone with far inferior physical abilities might unexpectedly defeat me in a single move.

Thinking of the old man's strange attacks and the increasingly advanced firearms of today, Li Xin couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

The saying "Learn the superior techniques of the barbarians to control the barbarians" is not only correct, but its meaning should be expanded.

We must not only learn from the barbarians, but also from the ancients.

Learning more survival skills is always a good idea.

First, settle down, then find a boxing gym that can teach real skills.

You need to learn how to practice, but you need to learn how to play even more.

We can't get our hands on pistol bullets for now. Once we've improved our strength, we'll see if we can get our hands on some foreigners.

……

"Waiter, I need a room."

Li Xin walked into the Gaosheng Inn first, ignoring the several long-robed scholars beside him who were covering their noses and looking disgusted.

Just before the waiter raised his hand to shoo him away, he had already shown five taels of silver and thrown them on the counter.

"Boom..."

The silver ingot flipped over with a muffled thud.

A shallow mark was left on the mahogany counter.

The innkeeper's usually wooden face suddenly became quite interesting; a glint of light flashed in his eyes, and he shoved the waiter aside, saying with a smile, "Young sir, how many? Please..."

"Get a superior room, and prepare plenty of hot water. Oh, and could you please go to the clothing store and buy me a few decent outfits and shoes, brother? Would you like cyan or gray?"

"Blue, blue-green, isn't it?"

Li Cheng stood there dumbfounded, stammering a reply.

He was such a naive and unsophisticated person that when he entered the store, his legs seemed to be tied, and he couldn't take a step.

"Two sets of light blue, and for the younger sister, let's use red for her outer robe, it'll be festive."

Li Xin made the arrangements with a smile, and as he reached up to brush his clothes, he inadvertently revealed the revolver at his waist.

The shopkeeper was all smiles.

Upon seeing the gun, the smile on his face immediately froze.

Turning my head, I saw Li Xin's eyes, bright yet cold, as if they could see into my heart.

Cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

The shopkeeper couldn't help but shudder. He turned around and kicked the waiter in the butt, his voice becoming slightly hoarse: "Dongzi, quickly prepare hot water and take our esteemed guest's measurements. Hurry up!"

We went up to the second floor and entered the room.

The first thing Li Xin did was not, like his elder brother and younger sister, excitedly test whether the big bed was soft.

Instead, it is the thought that sinks into the mind.

Having just gained faith power, I can now receive another boost.

This time, he needs to think about whether to improve agility or physique.

……

Chapter Eleven: Enhancing Roots and Prioritizing Benefits

Li Xin thought of improving his physical constitution or agility.

It was because he discovered that once [Spirit] reached 20 points, it would take two points of Faith to improve the basic attributes by even one more point.

At present, with one's faith power extremely scarce, it is not worthwhile to improve one's [spirit].

It is not possible to improve one's immediate combat strength in the fastest way.

Thus, they gain the means to protect themselves and save their lives.

'After activating the Third Prince's divine intent, my combat strength is actually quite good; among trained fighters, I'm not weak. But my weaknesses are also obvious—my shortcomings are too numerous…'

Thinking back to the previous battle.

Li Xin felt a faint sense of anxiety.

He didn't know which gang or faction the kidnapping den belonged to, or whether they had any accomplices.

Judging from the size of the house and the number of people, it's clear that this place isn't actually a major power.

Or rather, it was just a small stronghold of a powerful force.

The problem is, how could such a small outpost have an old man, a master of the "Eagle and Snake Life-or-Death Struggle" fist technique, who had reached a high level of internal strength? There were also two other trained fighters, whose skills were far from weak.

If I hadn't had a gun, it would have been a fierce and bloody battle.

So, how many experts do the truly powerful forces and gangs have?

'My strength is still insufficient; I crumble at the slightest touch in a direct confrontation—in other words, my skill level is too low. Logically, my physique should be the area most in need of improvement to close the gap with true masters of internal energy cultivation. Wait…'

Just as he was about to improve his physique, Li Xin stopped.

"From the perspective of maximizing benefits, it's still impossible to improve physical fitness. My biggest trump card right now is [Divine Strike]."