Chapter 46 - 41: No Skill, Just Brute Force

Chen Jue was slightly taken aback by Wu Fang’s half-joking reply, but then he relaxed a little.

His [Hidden Weapon Throwing], which he had already raised to Lv. 5, included a Master Level Darts Skill.

It might not be enough to dominate the Jianghu, but it was definitely a genuine skill with considerable power.

The ability to hit any target within 20 meters was nearly on par with an average person shooting a handgun.

If one of those Darts hit someone, wouldn’t it leave a gaping, bloody hole?

’What was genuine skill?’

’It’s a tangible ability that can be both trained and used in a real fight.’

’Not some flashy, empty technique that looks impressive but falls apart the moment you actually fight.’

However, the "genuine skill" Chen Jue was asking Wu Fang about wasn’t limited to Hidden Weapon techniques like Darts. He was looking for something more like Tai Chi, a discipline that could improve his health and strengthen his body.

’It would be best if it’s something esoteric and profound, like Qi Gong or Inner Qi—things ordinary people can’t comprehend.’

"If you know a master like that, please introduce me! After I become their disciple, there will be a generous reward (Grinning)," Chen Jue typed and sent.

Wu Fang replied almost instantly with a (Sweat drop) emoji.

"I think you’ve watched too many martial arts movies! That kind of stuff doesn’t exist in the real world (Tapping head)."

"Even if it did exist, it’s mostly been lost."

"Anyway, I’ve been training under my grandpa since I was a kid, and I’ve never met a master who could use Qi Gong. I never even heard of anyone who could at the sports academy I graduated from. The most people do is practice Internal Martial Arts, and it’s nowhere near as miraculous as the internet makes it out to be."

"It’s getting late, I’m heading off. If you’re really interested, you should talk to my grandpa tomorrow morning. You can find him near the chess tables in the park. He knows a lot more about this than I do."

"It’s not a good time for me to be seen in public, too many creepy stalkers lately (Facepalm)."

...

Wu Fang must have been getting ready for bed. After those few quick messages, she went silent.

Chen Jue checked the time—it was already past 10 p.m. His arms were still aching, so he took the opportunity to turn off the lights and go to bed early.

But his mind kept dwelling on what Wu Fang had said about the state of Traditional Martial Arts.

’Do people in the real world actually achieve tangible results with things like Qi Gong, Inner Strength, or Internal Martial Arts—all these skills that have been mythologized by movies and novels?’

’If they did, why have we never seen any evidence of it in society or the mainstream media?’

Chen Jue was almost 30 years old; he had his own way of telling fact from fiction.

He’d only ever seen news stories debunking fake Traditional Martial Arts masters. Infamous moments, like the so-called "lightning-fast five-hit combo" or the complaint that "young people have no martial virtue," had become legendary internet memes.

Yet there wasn’t a single master who had used Traditional Martial Arts to dominate the global stage.

If Traditional Martial Arts were as incredible as some people online claimed, why hadn’t some grandmaster emerged to bring glory to the nation by challenging fighters from every martial arts circle around the globe?

The excuses about "rules" and "gloves limiting their true potential" were complete nonsense. After all, there was MMA, the no-holds-barred combat sport pioneered by Bruce Lee, and the wildly popular UFC.

An Olympic gold medalist could earn a fortune in the tens or even hundreds of millions.

If someone could actually use Traditional Martial Arts to succeed in either of those arenas, wouldn’t they become an overnight sensation, capturing the entire nation’s attention?

It was a golden opportunity for both fame and fortune!

So why hadn’t anyone from the world of Traditional Martial Arts stepped up?

Perhaps, just as Wu Fang said, those genuine skills had long since been lost. All that remained were the wishful fantasies of ordinary people, fueled by the romantic sentiments of the Huaxia People.

...

His mind filled with doubts, Chen Jue finally drifted off to sleep.

When he woke up the next morning, the soreness in his hands had eased a bit. The hot and cold compresses from the night before had clearly helped.

He went up to the rooftop and performed the [Eye Health Exercises] while facing the rising sun. After thirty minutes, his Constitution Attribute had increased by 0.01, and his vision had improved slightly once more.

By Chen Jue’s estimation, after a few more days of practice, his vision should improve to what it was two years ago when he first got his current pair of glasses.

’I just don’t know if this vision improvement will last.’

’If I can get rid of my glasses and successfully lose weight, my whole image should improve.’ A sense of anticipation grew in Chen Jue’s heart.

He packed his backpack, grabbed the props he used for filming his videos, and headed to the lakeside park.

As soon as he reached the main entrance, he saw the same group of old men from before, gathered around a chess table playing and chatting.

In a nearby clearing, the gray-haired Elder Wu was practicing his spear stances, holding a Red Tassel Spear that was over three meters long.

Flipping, thrusting, sweeping, and then executing a sharp, backward thrust—his movements were crisp and possessed a unique sort of grace.

’He’s probably doing this because of Wu Fang’s obsessed fans,’ Chen Jue thought. ’He must be worried that practicing with the Rope Dart would give away his identity, so he switched to this Spear Technique instead.’

Chen Jue glanced around.

He didn’t see any of the young fans who had been staking out the park yesterday, so when Elder Wu finished a set of his spear routine and paused for a drink of water, Chen Jue seized the opportunity to approach him.

"Hello, sir! Sorry to bother you. I’m a friend of your granddaughter, Wu Fang," Chen Jue said, stepping forward to explain his reason for being there. He also pulled up his WeChat chat history with her.

Elder Wu must have been given a heads-up by his granddaughter that morning, because he didn’t show any impatience when he saw this unfamiliar young man approaching.

On the contrary, he looked Chen Jue up and down with great interest.

He knew his granddaughter well; in all her years, he had never once seen her bring a boy home.

Chen Jue was the very first young man she had ever sent his way.

Although Chen Jue was ostensibly there to inquire about Martial Arts—a perfectly valid reason—in Elder Wu’s eyes, he was already automatically categorized as a potential candidate for a grandson-in-law.

After just a few glances, however, Elder Wu was already starting to feel a bit dissatisfied.