I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 1061 New Era

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen glanced at the table full of dishes and could tell that Wang Biao had put a lot of effort into it.

Zhang Chen picked up his chopsticks, stuck a lion's head meatball into his mouth, chewed it slowly, and said under Wang Biao's tense gaze, "The lion's head meatballs are fried well. Sit down and eat with us."

“How could I, a disciple, have the right to sit before you?” Wang Biao said obsequiously, quickly offering Zhang Chen a toast.

As for why Zhang Chen wasn't afraid of Wang Biao's coercion and enticement, it was because Zhang Chen was absolutely certain that he could kill Wang Biao before he could act out. Moreover, after what he had shown last night, he believed that unless Wang Biao was truly ruthless, he would never dare to lay a hand on him.

Zhang Chen finished his meal slowly and deliberately, then looked at Wang Biao, took the tea he was offered, and asked, "What is the strength of the highest-ranking martial artist in the world today?"

"The highest level is to reach the pinnacle of martial arts! The era of martial arts has declined. With the advent of machine guns and cannons, no matter how high one's martial arts skills are, it's difficult to stand out. Decades of hard work in martial arts training, even if one can reach the point where the cicada senses the coming autumn wind before it stirs, ten guns pointed at you are enough to turn you into a sieve. Nowadays, the martial arts world is in decline, and there are fewer and fewer people willing to work hard to practice martial arts." Wang Biao's voice was full of sighs.

Ten years of martial arts training is no match for a single spear thrust. What's the point of practicing martial arts if you can't even beat someone with one spear thrust?

"Do you really think that martial arts have lost their advantage in the face of firearms?" Zhang Chen put down his teacup and looked at Wang Biao across from him.

Wang Biao was taken aback by Zhang Chen's words and didn't know how to respond. The next moment, Zhang Chen pointed to Wang Biao's waist and said, "Lend me your gun."

Although Wang Biao didn't know what Zhang Chen wanted his pistol for, he still took out his pistol and handed it to Zhang Chen.

"Watch closely." Zhang Chen slowly pulled back the safety, raised the spear in his hand, and aimed it at his temple, about fifteen centimeters away.

"My lord...you..." Wang Biao was shocked by what he saw.

The next moment, Zhang Chen pulled the trigger with his left hand without hesitation, while his right hand moved like a blur to grab the bullet as it left the barrel.

Wang Biao was shocked. Time seemed to stand still as he stared blankly at Zhang Chen, waiting for the bullet to pierce Zhang Chen's temple. He felt helpless in his heart. This kid was too arrogant. How could a person's speed be faster than the speed of a bullet leaving the barrel?
However, the scene he was expecting—Zhang Chen's brains splattering—did not occur. Instead, Zhang Chen slowly pushed his right hand in front of Wang Biao, then opened his right hand, and the bullet fell in front of Wang Biao.

Wang Biao stared in astonishment at the bullet casings lying on the ground: "How is this possible?"

He couldn't believe that someone could catch a bullet at such a short distance.

"The only invincible and unbreakable principle in martial arts is speed. This is nothing more than a tiny bullet." Zhang Chen sneered, pointed his pistol at his own forehead, and fired three shots in quick succession to Wang Biao's horrified gaze. The bullets struck Zhang Chen's forehead and then fell to the ground with a series of crackling sounds.

"This..." Wang Biao was stunned and stared blankly at Zhang Chen, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Zhang Chen casually tossed the gun onto the table. Wang Biao picked it up like a zombie, examined it for a moment, and then pointed it at his head. He suspected that his gun had been switched and that something serious had happened.

"I hope you don't do anything foolish, lest you end up cracking your head open," Zhang Chen said, glancing at Wang Biao.

Upon hearing this, Wang Biao seemed to wake from a dream. He quickly turned the gun around and aimed it at the vase next to him. The next moment, he pulled the trigger, and the vase shattered into pieces.

I've confirmed that there's nothing wrong with my gun.

Knowing that he had loaded the bullets himself, Zhang Chen would never have switched them under his nose.

"Please accept me as your disciple. I will go through fire and water for you." Wang Biao threw down his pistol and knelt at Zhang Chen's feet.

Seeing Wang Biao's actions, Zhang Chen calmly took a sip of tea: "You are already old, and your physical constitution is already set. It's a bit too late for you to want to become my disciple. I can only accept you as a nominal disciple and teach you a few skills. I wonder if you are willing?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Biao kowtowed without hesitation: "This disciple is willing."

Zhang Chen nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this: "Get up."

Upon hearing this, Wang Biao respectfully stood up, only to hear Zhang Chen ask, "Have you prepared the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone I asked you to?"

Wang Biao quickly took out a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone from the food box beside him and spread them out on the table. Then Zhang Chen picked up the brush and started writing and drawing on the white paper. Wang Biao's hard qigong was only the most rudimentary skill. Zhang Chen didn't need to see the original version of the technique; he could deduce countless versions and improve upon them simply by thinking about them.

Now that spiritual energy has appeared in the world, it may be possible to break free from constraints and cultivate qi and blood once again.

After writing for an hour, Zhang Chen stopped and looked at Wang Biao: "This is a newly deduced cultivation method. It involves stimulating acupoints, circulating qi through meridians, and most importantly, a medicinal formula. If you practice according to this method, it will be enough to teach you to cultivate qi and blood. Of course, if you want to cultivate qi and blood, the cost will probably be considerable..."

Now that the world has acquired spiritual energy, many herbs can be used as medicine in martial arts, with remarkable effects. In addition, with the cultivation methods deduced by Zhang Chen, it is not a problem to cultivate martial arts qi and blood.

Of course, the most important part of the entire cultivation method is the prescription. Without the prescription, martial arts cultivation is nothing but a piece of waste paper.

Wang Biao hurriedly and respectfully accepted the cultivation method: "Thank you, Master, for imparting the method. If you have any instructions in the future, I will go through fire and water without hesitation."

Zhang Chen glanced at Wang Biao but didn't say anything. Instead, he beckoned to him and said, "Martial arts cultivation isn't something you can master just by having a technique. Its intricacies and key points require guidance from someone. I'll explain the key points of this technique to you."

Zhang Chen spent a full half-day explaining the entire set of techniques to Wang Biao, delivering a thorough and insightful explanation before finally saying, "I have already taught you the techniques, but the subsequent cultivation will require a large amount of medicinal herbs, many of which are quite valuable. You will need to find a way to obtain them yourself."

Wang Biao nodded respectfully upon hearing this: "Don't worry, as the chief warden of the prison, I am not short of money."

Zhang Chen didn't say much upon hearing this, but simply waved his hand to signal Wang Biao to leave. He then sat alone in the cell, closing his eyes to meditate. He was teaching Wang Biao martial arts not only to plan his escape, but also to test the world around him.

Time flew by, and seven days passed in the blink of an eye. On this morning, Wang Biao excitedly led the staff of the Peace Inn to Zhang Chen's door. After Zhang Chen opened the door, he told the staff to set out the exquisite food and wine on the table. Then Wang Biao dismissed everyone, knelt down in front of Zhang Chen, stretched out his hands, and said excitedly, "Master, your disciple has succeeded!"

Zhang Chen looked at Wang Biao's fingers. His once large and twisted palms were now as delicate as a woman's. Although his palms were now delicate and weak, they were already impervious to swords and spears and water and fire, giving them a hint of the indestructible body in martial arts novels.

"He's only just begun to understand things, what's there to be proud of?" Zhang Chen shook his head, pouring cold water on Wang Biao's enthusiasm, as he looked at Wang Biao's excited face.
"Below the martial arts qi and blood, all are ants. Only by cultivating the martial arts qi and blood can one be called extraordinary. At that time, as long as you are not blocked by spears and cannons, you can come and go freely."

Wang Biao chuckled upon hearing this: "I have only made a breakthrough in my cultivation. I am excited but have no one to share it with. Before I started practicing martial arts, I looked at Master like an ant. After I started practicing martial arts, I look at the sun in the sky and cannot look directly at it."

Zhang Chen picked up a pill and put it in his mouth, ignoring Wang Biao's flattery. Instead, he asked, "Your next stage of cultivation will depend entirely on the old medicine. It will cost a lot of money, so you need to prepare in advance."

“I have long been prepared to resign from this prison guard position and venture out into the world,” Wang Biao said.

"Are you willing to give up this peaceful life? Is it worth it for the sake of martial arts?" Zhang Chen asked.

Upon hearing this, Wang Biao replied without hesitation, "This disciple is willing to give up everything for the sake of martial arts cultivation."

"He's quite the martial arts fanatic," Zhang Chen said, swallowing a meatball.

Wang Biao chuckled and then said, "I have been working tirelessly for Master's sake these past few days, and there is already some progress on Master's matter."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen looked at Wang Biao. He really didn't know that Wang Biao had gone to great lengths for him. He had thought that he would make demands after Wang Biao's martial arts cultivation had been verified, but he didn't expect that Wang Biao would take the lead.

Zhang Chen chewed the meatballs slowly, gesturing for Wang Biao to continue.

“We are in a special period right now. Your matter is neither a big deal nor a small one, but it is impossible to be released completely unscathed. Through my efforts, I have secured a quota for you to be sent down to Loulan in the north. You just need to stay there for five years, and then you can come back,” Wang Biao said respectfully.

Zhang Chen glanced at Wang Biao, knowing that the young man had done a lot of work. He knew that the country had just been pacified and the laws were very strict. In an era where even harassing a young woman was considered a "crime of indecent assault" and could result in being shot, his crime was definitely not small. The fact that the other party had the ability to only exile him to the north for service showed that he had put in a lot of effort.

"Shanghai is the key to 'change,' and the tide of the future will rise here. You should stay away from this place of great upheaval." Wang Biao then lowered his voice and added:

"Your disciple has bailed you out and paid the bail. You can go out and visit your relatives. You have a month to prepare. Just come back on time after a month. Your disciple has made all the arrangements for you."

(End of this chapter)