Nine out of ten gamblers lose; I've run into a jerk!

Chapter 24 Purple Qi Arrives from the East, Metaphysics Leads to Victory

It's said that a boy who isn't a bit immature during his youth is wasting his time. Which boy hasn't fantasized about having superpowers or mastering unparalleled martial arts?

When Shen Qing was in elementary school, she and her female classmates would use tree branches to act as "gentleman's sword" and "lady's sword" after school. After becoming an actress, she fulfilled her childhood dream of martial arts, flying around while suspended by wires.

The last time he experienced the Flying Swallow experience card, he felt a freedom and lightness that was different from wire work. That brief battle made his adrenaline surge and his blood boil. Perhaps he was just naturally inclined to enjoy excitement.

So, although he only obtained a manual of lightness skills instead of a powerful martial art, Shen Qing was still very interested. As he always said, there's plenty of time, and he'll get something like the Tathagata Palm someday.

【Σ( ° △ °|||)︴】I feel like I'm being targeted by something dirty.

Shen Qing felt dizzy and overwhelmed by the internal energy cultivation manual. He realized that a tall building starts from the ground up, and he should first master the basics. So, as Shen Shi had suggested, he went to the side courtyard to observe the training of the Shen family's private soldiers.

Just as he expected, they practiced external martial arts. Instructor Yue was indeed skilled, demonstrating to him what it meant to be able to fight against four opponents with two fists.

This didn't fit his image of a master, but he still humbly asked for advice. After all, even if he wanted to pretend to be a genius and create his own martial arts, he still needed to have some basic knowledge, right?

Instructor Yue did indeed teach him something very basic—the horse stance.

Sure enough, all masters start with the horse stance, and from then on, Shen Qingchen got up an hour earlier.

As for internal energy cultivation, Shen Qing found the family physician and spent a lot of money to buy his ancestral acupoint chart, and began to memorize it, something he hadn't done in a long time.

These past few days, my dreams have been filled with: Baihui, Fengchi, Qihai, Dazhui, Tanzhong, Yongquan, Guanyuan, Shenque, Tianshu, Taixi...

After school, they rushed back home, and Li Wan and the others couldn't find anyone to chat with, which made them quite resentful.

His legs trembled from the horse stance, and he walked with a swaying gait. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was doing some kind of unhealthy exercise.

At the dinner table, Li Su saw him eat three large steamed buns. Yes, ever since they took over the Ge family, hard, unleavened steamed buns had been eliminated from the Shen family's dining table.

It is worth mentioning that Shen Shi discovered that making steamed buns was more economical in terms of flour, so he presented it to the emperor to improve the army's rations and was commended for it.

Getting back to the point, Li Su was very worried when she saw that his appetite had increased. What would happen if he became a big fat man? Fat beauties were not popular in this era.

"Maybe we shouldn't practice anymore."

"One should be persistent and determined in one's conduct and work; how can one give up halfway?" Shen Qing swallowed the last bite of steamed bun and hurriedly took his leave.

Li Su shook her head helplessly. Oh well, she could just add more dowry. She glanced at Shen Shi next to her. Wasn't this freeloader enjoying his life to the fullest?

Shen Shi: ? ? ?

Shen Qing returned to the room and began studying the mental cultivation techniques again. The first step was to sink the Qi to the Dantian.

He knew about the dantian, but the problem was how to sink the qi.

Suspecting that her posture was incorrect, Shen Qing tried different breathing techniques every day, inhaling, exhaling, inhaling and exhaling repeatedly, until her lungs felt like they were about to explode, but she still couldn't feel a single trace of true energy.

He couldn't help but wonder if the system had given him a counterfeit product? Or perhaps the martial arts techniques from a high-level martial arts world were incompatible with this world? In any case, he never considered the possibility that he lacked talent.

The system watched him running around doing useless work every day, and from time to time whispered devilish words in his ear.

[Bound system, painless skill transfer, become a peerless master in just 3 seconds]

Shen Qing scoffed, "I never accept charity!"

[...] So, is it okay to get something for free? Oh, he got it for free through his own abilities. The system seems to have figured out some of Shen Qing's thought process.

After numerous unsuccessful experiments and efforts, Shen Qing got up early one morning, before the sun had even risen, to set up the table.

What kind of trouble is he going to cause now?

Shen Qing burned incense and bathed, then devoutly prostrated himself as the first rays of sunlight fell upon him, muttering incantations.

"All the gods and Buddhas above, I wish to live a life of balanced diet, seeking only to cultivate true energy within my body."

[...] Shen Qing finally went mad, choosing to offer incense over his efforts and the system.

After Shen Qing finished bowing, he sat cross-legged and calmed his mind.

The system watched his performance silently.

If you succeed, I'll give you another set of lethal martial arts techniques.

Just kidding, if that were possible, I might as well just go and cultivate immortality!

Time ticked by, and the system was so bored it wanted to doze off. Suddenly, it noticed a change in the aura around Shen Qing. No... no... could it be...?

"Hahahaha~ Young Master, I've succeeded!"

[Damn!] Now who can tell the difference between him and the Heavenly Dao's favorite son?!

"Hehe~" Shen Qing rubbed her hands together like a fly, "I heard everything just now, you said you'd give me a set of lethal martial arts techniques~"

【…】

Shen Qing may not realize it yet, but the system knows that if Shen Qing can truly master it, then the difference in combat power between him and the others in this plane will be like that between Zhang Zhenren and the six major sects!

That's outrageous!!!

The beginning is always the hardest. Once you get the first step right, you'll have a clear direction, and everything else will just be a matter of time.

People are in high spirits when they have good news. Today, on her way to school, Shen Qing was in the mood to chat with Li Wan and the others.

"Cousin, what have you been busy with lately? You haven't been hanging out with us at all."

Hehe, he's saving up for something big. Once he's mastered it, I'll take you flying—literally flying.

But he said on the surface, "There's nothing fun to do. I'm tired of playing shuttlecock, pitch-pot, flower arranging, and playing with fish."

The fourth princess then came over and said, "That's true, but the Qi Kingdom delegation recently visited Xuandu and brought some novelties."

As she spoke, the Fourth Princess took out a cube-shaped wooden block.

"It spins! But how do you play with it?"

The fourth princess said, "There are six colors in total. Turn each side into the same color."

Shen Qing was dumbfounded. Wasn't this a Rubik's Cube?!

It's numb, really numb.

"It is said that this was made by a famous carpenter in the Qi Kingdom, known as the Master Craftsman."

Shen Qing thought in despair, if others can build pistols and cannons, what's the point of her learning martial arts? To throw a flying sword at the muzzle of a cannon?

With such a powerful person in Qi, which country can defeat him? Should we take this opportunity to curry favor with Jingchuan?

While Shen Qing's thoughts were wandering, Qiu Yinong complained, "There's no way we can come together like this. Is the Qi Kingdom delegation playing a trick on us?"

The fourth princess shook her head: "When my second brother saw me off, he said that he personally witnessed the envoy piece together the six sides after he scrambled them."

"Qingxi, you should give it a try too."

Shen Qing wasn't very interested, but she still took it, pretended to study it for a while, and then quickly pieced together a facet.

Wow, my cousin is amazing!

"But no matter how you turn it, it will ruin the pieces that have already been pieced together."

Shen Qing shrugged, indicating that she was powerless to help.

"Qingxi is already very smart; we can't even piece together a single face."

Hehe~ It's not that Shen Qing is hiding his talent. He could solve six sides when he was in junior high school, but now he has forgotten the formulas for the later parts.