Jack Young was deep in thought.
The limits of human strength, huh? Jack actually knew a thing or two about that. Modern science has shown that a lot of our power is locked away by our subconscious, like a safety lock that keeps us from going all out. And honestly, that lock is there for a reason—if regular folks unleashed their full strength, they’d probably snap their own bones before hurting anyone else.
But in this martial arts world, some masters can train themselves to safely tap into that maximum power without wrecking their bodies. Now that’s seriously impressive.
Jack thought of the second layer of the Titan Spirit Method: the Realm of the Whole Person. That’s the level where you can really go all out, using every ounce of strength you’ve got.
But hold up—a speed and strength that defies common sense? Jack’s mind flashed to that burly eunuch and the super assassin. Those two didn’t seem to have the problem of burning out after one big move. He asked, “So, are there any martial artists who can go all out, all the time?”
Lillian Lee nodded. “Yeah, there are folks who can keep up their max power all the time, but they’re the true masters—the kind you can count on one hand. And even then, most are specialists: some go for speed, some for raw strength. But either way, it’s a pretty exclusive club.”
“Do you know any of them?”
“Of course I do! My grandpa was one—at least when he was young. Not sure about now. Hey, your Dr. Thomas Tang is one too. Talk about searching for something that’s right under your nose!”
Jack asked seriously, “Do you know a eunuch, big bald guy, super buff? And another guy, super fast, killer knife skills, and throws darts like a pro. Ever heard of either of them?”
Lillian thought for a moment, then shook her head. “Nope. Masters like that could be famous all over, but not everyone wants to be in the spotlight. My grandpa’s junior, Grandpa Gong—the ancestor of those Gong Family kids—used to be an imperial bodyguard. He said the Qing court had tons of hidden experts, folks you’d never hear about but who were crazy skilled. Plus, there are always overseas masters. The world’s a big place; there’s always someone out there we don’t know.”
Jack Young nodded with a smile. For some reason, those two guys kept popping up in his mind lately, so he always treated them as imaginary rivals. "Oh, right," Jack suddenly had a lightbulb moment. "You just said martial artists use the energy in their dantian to unleash that kind of attack, right?"
"Yep," Lillian Lee patted her flat belly. "Only if your blood energy is strong enough, and you spend plenty of time storing up energy in your dantian, can you pull off a move like that when it counts."
Blood energy? Jack perked right up. "Can I try to feel it?" He'd never really gotten the hang of Dr. Tang's whole 'qi' thing—had no clue how to sense it. Now that he had a live demo, no way was he missing out.
Lillian Lee generously waved her hand. "No problem!" She grabbed Jack's hand and, without a second thought, pressed it against her own dantian. "Feel it? This is qi in mot—ion..."
The more Lillian talked, the quieter she got. The warmth from Jack's hand on her belly suddenly felt... off. She looked up and saw Jack staring wide-eyed, frozen in place. That’s when it hit her—she’d just let a guy touch her, and she was the one who grabbed his hand!
Sure, martial artists bump into each other all the time in matches, even skin-to-skin. Lillian never cared. But fighting is one thing, and normal life is another. Outside the ring, doing something like this—even Lillian felt dizzy from embarrassment.
In this day and age, honestly—even the wildest party girl wouldn’t pull a stunt like this!
"Uh... Grandpa taught me like this..." Lillian’s face got redder by the second, and her dantian qi started stirring on its own. Just then, Jack’s hand twitched, and Lillian instantly felt it. With a sharp "Yikes!" she shoved Jack away, accidentally using her real strength.
Jack was totally caught off guard and landed hard, but he didn’t seem to notice—he just stared at the hand that had touched Lillian’s belly, looking like he was still savoring the moment.
"You! You! Pervert!" Lillian yelled, her face burning red as she dashed off at a speed that defied logic. Who knows if she used her blood energy to boost her getaway.
Jack reached out, mouth still open, but in the end he said nothing and let his arm drop with a sigh.
He wasn’t actually a pervert, and honestly, he wasn’t stunned because he’d touched Lillian’s stomach. Jack didn’t have the same hang-ups as people nowadays—even if touching someone’s belly was a bit personal, it’s not like bumping into people on a crowded bus hasn’t happened to everyone. Compared to other places, the stomach hardly counts as scandalous.
What really left Jack speechless was that he’d finally, clearly felt the presence of 'qi.'
For that brief moment, even through her clothes, Jack’s hand sensed a vibrant force. No heat, no chill—just pure, surging life energy!
At last, Jack was starting to get what Dr. Thomas Tang meant by 'internal martial arts.'
Jack didn’t see Lillian all day. He tried to find her and explain, but no luck. Not that he really needed to—she was the one who grabbed his hand, after all, so it wasn’t like he was the one being a creep. But come evening, Lillian bounced back, full of energy. Aside from a quick blush when she saw Jack, she acted totally normal.
"Come on, go to the night market with me!"
"Huh?"
"Let's go to the night market!" Lillian grabbed his hand and dragged him along. "Going alone is boring. I don’t wanna go by myself!"
Only then did Jack notice that Lillian looked especially pretty tonight. She’d clearly put in effort, and her feminine side was on full display—totally different from her usual martial arts getup. Suddenly, Jack realized she was actually quite fair-skinned and cute. How did he never notice before?
The old Tianjin night market was bustling with people. Back in those days, night markets weren’t an everyday thing, but whenever one popped up, it felt like a holiday. Lillian dragged Jack all over the place, buzzing with excitement. As Jack watched her, the familiar height, the same happiness, the familiar place and scene—all of it started to bring back memories he’d buried deep.
............
"Hey, we've been walking all day. Your legs look wobbly—bet you’re hungry. Got any place you wanna go? I’ll come with you." The boy took another bag from the girl, even though his hands were already full.
"Alright, I know a great spot for spicy hotpot—just behind the supermarket on Huanghai Road. Let’s hurry over!" The girl led the way.
"Spicy hotpot? I've heard the legends—today’s as good a day as any to give it a shot." The boy shrugged and followed, arms loaded with bags.
"Hey, they’ve got grilled cold noodles! Boss, one order please!" The girl exclaimed like she’d discovered a new continent. "Tianjin’s snacks are legit. I’m telling you, the grilled cold noodles at my school are the best—I wonder how they stack up here. Today, you get to try a famous Northeastern treat!"
"You eat so much, but you never gain any weight." The boy gave her a once-over.
"Of course! That’s just how it is." The girl puffed out her chest, proud as could be.
"Not in the chest either..." The boy gave her a dead-fish stare, still looking—
The girl slapped a hand over her chest, staggering like she’d been shot. "So, so cruel! You’ve got such a poisonous heart..."
............ (After a week, let me shout again: Favorite! Favorite!! Favorite!!!)