Chapter 82 - 73: Lesser Five Elements Fist, Arriving in the Roman Country

Chapter 82: Chapter 73: Lesser Five Elements Fist, Arriving in the Roman Country

Weston saw what was happening with the apprenticeship but had no intention of stopping it.

A deeper bond with Zhang Ji was in both of their interests.

After witnessing Zhang Ji’s strength,

he now fully understood what a gift it was that Zhang Ji was willing to cooperate with them.

If he possessed such power and coveted a weaker territory, there would be no talk of cooperation.

He would simply crush them with overwhelming force.

.....

Zhang Ji offered Hudson some pointers on his wind-manipulation techniques, then began demonstrating the Five Elements Fist and explaining its finer details.

Hudson’s memory and comprehension weren’t bad. After watching Zhang Ji demonstrate it three times, he could more or less perform the moves.

However, he was still very stiff, and many of his force-generation techniques were incorrect.

It was a far cry from how Zhang Ji had basically learned it after watching Li Long perform it just once.

It would likely take Hudson quite some time to truly master the training method for the Five Elements Fist.

As for the more advanced steps of unifying the five forms and practicing them simultaneously, that was even further out of reach.

Zhang Ji could only have him focus on the Dragon Form Fist for now.

This Fist Skill could refine primordial qi and also had the effect of nourishing one’s Spirit.

It would be a great help for him in later utilizing his Wind God bloodline and learning the Wind God Kick.

At the same time, Zhang Ji had an idea.

The current Five Elements Fist was already a simplified version.

But he wanted to simplify it once more.

’At my speed of practicing all five forms simultaneously, it would only take me about two days to obtain ten essences of the Five Elements Fist.’

’Two essences from each of the five Fist Skills could be synthesized into a Grandmaster-level martial art. It would possess the core of all five fist styles, making it easier to practice.’

’Afterward, one could naturally progress to the Five Elements Fist, and after mastering it, they could further cultivate my "Five Elements True Art."’

This experiment was definitely worth a try.

Just as he was thinking about this, Weston brought over some roasted chameleon meat.

They had already tested it for poison and were now feasting on it.

Zhang Ji didn’t stand on ceremony.

He took a piece and started eating.

The flesh of this mutated beast was firm and chewy; an ordinary person might not even be able to bite through it. However, the energy contained within the meat was also higher than that of a normal animal and was easier to absorb and utilize.

After eating it, Zhang Ji could clearly feel that it was like consuming some kind of tonic.

Some ideas began to form in his mind.

’A player’s home space can also produce relevant resources.’

’As long as the environment is suitable, mass-producing all sorts of high-level consumables isn’t a problem.’

’The Ruins Realm on Buci Island is just like that.’

’It’s a bit small, but based on the information I have, its Ruins Realm core is the easiest to obtain in the early stages. Plus, its operating mechanism is different, and its internal environment is special, possessing energy that plants can more easily utilize.’

’It’s perfect for both farming and raising animals.’

’As for what to raise, there are quite a few options.’

’I won’t even mention the later versions, which have all sorts of bizarre creatures—Demonal Creatures, Spirit Beasts, Alchemy Beasts, alien animals... As for the early-game version, I remember on the native island where I obtained the [Great Eater Skill], there was a special type of coconut crab and coconut tree. There was also a special shrub near the Roman Country that grew berries that enhanced one’s constitution and Qi and Blood...’

As his thoughts drifted, Zhang Ji had already eaten over ten pounds of meat.

And he could still keep going.

His stomach was like a furnace, rapidly breaking down the food and converting it into energy to nourish his body.

Only after having Weston and the others roast more than thirty pounds of meat for him did Zhang Ji finally stop eating.

His body had reached a state of saturation.

Then he began to practice his skills, teaching Hudson at the same time.

He performed the Five Elements Fist, each form flowing into the next as if they were one.

The vast amount of physical essence he had just absorbed was converted and finally condensed into an essence.

Unlike before, when he had to train arduously for a full day to obtain a Five Elements Fist essence, this time Zhang Ji only spent two or three hours to cultivate one.

The way he looked at the massive chameleon changed slightly.

’This nutritional supplement method is pretty potent!’

’It’s a shame about that giant sand scorpion back in the Ruins Realm. Even though it was poisonous, it might have been edible if we’d found someone to prepare it properly.’

「The next day.」

Zhang Ji had been training all night and now had ten Five Elements Fist essences.

Just as when he had synthesized the "Five Elements True Art," he had two essences each for Snake, Crane, Leopard, Tiger, and Dragon.

In the Limited Space, Zhang Ji synthesized them.

Amidst a flash of light, the ten essences combined into a fighting crystal that shimmered with green light.

Zhang Ji infused it into his body, and in the next moment, information flowed into his mind.

It was a memory of him, in the middle of his training, suddenly having a brilliant idea to further simplify the Five Elements Fist and create a new martial art.

The entire process went smoothly. The Five Elements Fist was already a high-level martial art created by splitting and simplifying a single whole. Combined with his extraordinary comprehension, he wasted almost no time in creating this new Grandmaster-level martial art.

Its name was the Little Five Elements Fist.

This Fist Skill was easier to start than any single form of the Five Elements Fist, faster to practice, and upon reaching mastery, one could even perform a "little five elements unification."

From there, one could transition directly to the full Five Elements Fist.

Zhang Ji was very satisfied with this.

The group prepared to set off again.

They couldn’t take the entire giant chameleon with them, which was a real waste.

Zhang Ji suggested, "Everyone carry a bit more, and let’s try to eat as much as possible. This is good stuff."

Weston took Zhang Ji’s advice.

The camels were now burdened with extra loads.

The rest of the group chose to get down and walk.

The meat wouldn’t keep for long, so to speed up its consumption, Zhang Ji directly taught the Little Five Elements Fist to the group for them to practice.

He had them practice it whenever they rested each day.

Training was the most draining activity for one’s essence. For Martial Artists, this amount of food wouldn’t last long at all.

Hudson was also practicing the Little Five Elements Fist, and his progress was the fastest. He got the hang of it in just two days. Zhang Ji estimated he could probably master the basics in about half a month.

From this, it seemed Hudson’s talent was only one tier below Li Long’s.

He was probably on par with Shen Han and the others.

Considering his bloodline, Hudson might even be stronger.

-----------------

The border of the Roman Country.

Jona Town.

After traveling for twelve days, Zhang Ji and his group finally emerged from the Zenar Desert.

They had arrived at this small town.

They had eaten every last bit of the chameleon, with Zhang Ji being the main consumer.

Relying on the essence extracted from its flesh and blood, Zhang Ji reaped a great harvest. He managed to cultivate one Iron Body Skill crystal and eight essences, as well as one True Qi Nourishing Spirit Skill fighting crystal and one essence.

His overall strength had increased significantly again.

After the group arrived in town, they all looked around curiously, taking in their surroundings.

This was their first time leaving the Ruins Realm, and everything outside was new and amazing to them.

The cars that honked their horns as they drove by drew gasps of amazement from the group.

The townsfolk looked at their group with scrutinizing eyes. Many began to talk amongst themselves, assuming they were illegal immigrants.

And it wasn’t an unfounded suspicion. People did illegally cross the desert into the Roman Country, and this wasn’t the first time the townsfolk had seen such a group.

Zhang Ji calmed everyone down, then used the Roman language he had learned before to approach a local man.

"Hello, sir," Zhang Ji asked politely. "We’re tourists from the Guning Country. We were caught in a sandstorm in the desert, lost our phones and navigation devices, and got lost. Could you please tell me where we are? And where is the nearest embassy?"

Of course, this identity was fabricated. He only asked about the embassy as a part of his cover; Zhang Ji had no intention of going even if he found out where it was.

"Oh, so that’s what happened. I was wondering," the man said, understanding dawning on him. "This is the Roman Country, and you’re in Jona Town. As for the embassy’s location, I’ll have to search for it on my phone. Man, it looks like you guys were really unlucky."

"We were pretty unlucky, but at least we made it out alive." Zhang Ji said with a look of lingering fear, then asked, "Are there any banks or hotels nearby?"

"Yeah, they’re right over there," the man said, pointing toward a building in the distance.

....

After a brief conversation, Zhang Ji quickly learned his location.

He was on the border of the Roman Country, still over 1,600 kilometers from Lanz.

Fortunately, there was a high-speed train nearby. If he forged an identity and took the train, he could get there in a single day.

Before that, he needed to exchange some currency and get everyone a good meal.

Exchanging currency was easy.

There was no shortage of gold in the Wind God Ruins Realm, and nowhere to spend it. When Weston and the others left the Ruins Realm, they had brought some gold with them.

It was a hard currency.

It could be exchanged for cash through both legal and illegal channels.

After he took out two pieces of gold, the town bank didn’t even ask about their origin. They simply had an Appraiser use an instrument to verify them and then directly exchanged them for cash for Zhang Ji.

Thirty-two thousand five hundred Romance Coins.

The currency of the Roman Country was even more widely accepted than the New Fren Coin.

This was not a small sum of money.

Once Zhang Ji had the money, he first went to a phone store in town and got a cell phone.

Only then did he take everyone to a restaurant to eat.

The camels were temporarily left outside, blocking the way.

They definitely wouldn’t be riding the camels from here on out, so they would have to be sold.

At less than half the market price, they could be disposed of easily, which would also add to their starting capital.

The town’s restaurant didn’t have any fine cuisine, just the usual steak, salad, mashed potatoes, and burgers.

The dishes, written in large font on the menu, couldn’t even fill a single page.

The restaurant’s television was broadcasting news from the Roman Country, reporting on this year’s election.

But Zhang Ji wanted to laugh when he saw it.

’According to the historical timeline...’

’The Roman Country has long been under the complete control of the Saint King named Elaven Uth.’

’Those public figures are all just his puppets.’

’His ambitions don’t even stop there. He established the World Fighting Association in Lanz to train fighters and recruit talented individuals.’

’Later, he even held the [World’s Number One Fighting Tournament] in Antarctica, sending out invitations to all the world’s greatest fighters to come and compete.’

’This [World’s Number One Fighting Tournament] is the so-called Saint King War.’

’One’s ranking in this tournament, to a certain extent, determines their future social status.’

’Because the purpose of holding this competition was for Elaven to display his military might, to show the world his power, to conquer all other fighters, and to lead them in ruling the world.’

’What he didn’t expect, however, was that besides him, there were four other A-rank Saint Kings in the world, all of whom were also extraordinarily powerful.’

’His plan to rule the world alone fell through, but he still went on to form the Saint King Council. Thus, the world came to have five Saint Kings who jointly ruled Origin Star.’