I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 1083 Descendants
As Wang Gong and Zhang Jun moved in, Zhang Chen joined the moving team, seeing the two busy at work.

The prince treated Zhang Chen very politely, constantly expressing his gratitude. He showed no condescension, which Zhang Chen found quite agreeable.

"Today I'm hosting a dinner for you all, as a way of thanking you," Prince Wang said politely to Zhang Chen.

Zhang Chen did not refuse and nodded in agreement.

However, Zhang Chen did not eat for free, and he could also foresee that the prince would not be able to get any particularly delicious food. So Zhang Chen directly sent the Five Ghosts to the supply and marketing cooperative in the county town, and they brought over five meat dishes, including mutton, beef, braised meat, and a rooster.

As Zhang Chen's cultivation has made significant progress in recent days, the speed at which the five ghosts move has also greatly increased.

Zhang Chen stewed braised pork, and also stewed mutton and beef. To prevent the aroma from spreading and attracting the attention of the people in the hunting grounds, Zhang Chen ordered the Five Ghosts to seal off the aroma in the pot.

In the evening, Zhang Chen and Bai Ziling finished repairing the machinery. Wang Gong and Zhang Jun invited them into the west room, where they saw a table in the center of the room with a plate of roast chicken and a bottle of old wine.

"Zhang Chen, Xiao Ling, come and eat!" Prince Wang greeted them with a smile.

In this day and age, a meal with roast chicken is considered a truly remarkable staple food.

“What a coincidence! I’ve also prepared some food today. We should eat together. Please wait a moment while I bring the stew,” Zhang Chen said with a smile.

He turned and went into his own house, carrying the stewed dish on a tray, and went to the west room.

As soon as they entered the west room, a steaming aroma of meat wafted over, making Wang Gong and Zhang Jun's eyes widen in surprise.

"That is..." The two looked at the tray in Zhang Chen's hands with shock.

Zhang Chen quickly placed the five main dishes on the table: "Let's eat together!"

Wang Gong was somewhat embarrassed: "Look, it was originally agreed that I would treat you to a thank-you dinner..."

"What are you saying, Your Highness? It's just some meat. Please don't stand on ceremony, eat it while it's hot." Zhang Chen invited everyone to sit down. Wang Gong and Zhang Jun's eyes lit up at the sight of the meat. They didn't stand on ceremony with Zhang Chen and picked up their chopsticks to eat the pork belly.

The two of them had to cut wood every day, which was heavy physical labor, and their stomachs were already empty of oil. They ate with their mouths full of oil, while Bai Ziling, who was standing next to them, had been eating meat for the past few days, only picking out the lean parts to eat.

Zhang Jun didn't forget to pour wine for the three of them. Outside, the wind was biting cold, but inside, the aroma of stewed meat filled the air. As they ate the strong liquor, their faces were soon covered in sweat.

The meal was a pleasant one for both host and guest. Zhang Chen helped the slightly drunk Bai Ziling leave, and although she didn't sleep a wink that night, she had a peaceful night.

The next morning

Zhang Chen was still asleep when he was startled by the noise in the courtyard. The noise in the courtyard was not loud, but with the revival of spiritual energy, the power of the sound law that Zhang Chen had mastered also gradually began to revive. The subtle sound of air being torn apart sounded like thunder to his ears.

Zhang Chen had no desire to sleep. He got up, pushed open the door, and walked out of the courtyard. At this time, the sky was beginning to lighten. Zhang Jun was standing in the courtyard stretching his muscles and bones. Moreover, Zhang Chen found the stance that the other party was practicing very familiar. It was the martial arts secret method of the Zhang family in the past, which Zhang Chen had personally deduced to temper his qi and blood.

Zhang Chen leaned against the door frame, his clothes draped over his shoulders, quietly watching Zhang Jun practice martial arts without any intention of hiding anything. Zhang Jun did not stop either. The true key to the Zhang family's martial arts was breathing. If it could be so easily stolen, it would not be worthy of being called a unique skill.

Zhang Jun stretched for a full hour before he finally stopped, at which point Zhang Chen asked, "Who did you learn your martial arts from?"

"I come from the Zhang family! This is a secret technique passed down through my Zhang family." Zhang Jia put away his airs; there was no sweat on his body, only a hint of frost between his brows.

"Is it very famous?" Zhang Chen asked in surprise.

The other party only mentioned the Zhang family name without specifying the region, which carried a strong implication.

This time, Zhang Jun was stunned: "You don't know the Zhang family?"

Zhang Chen remained silent, but Zhang Jun explained, "The Zhang family is an ancient power with a history spanning countless years, having witnessed the rise and fall of numerous dynasties. Its influence extends throughout the land. The imperial family of the previous Han Dynasty was from the Zhang family. If it weren't for the cannons from the West breaking the monopoly of martial artists, the Zhang family would still be a behemoth dominating the entire land. Unfortunately, as a family with a history spanning countless millennia, the Zhang family was ruined when a certain patriarch couldn't suppress his ambition and participated in the struggle for power, leading to a backlash from the people. Now, the once-great Zhang family has long since disintegrated with the fall of the previous dynasty. Disciples and clansmen have all been imprisoned or forced into hiding. Fortunately, the current ancestor was magnanimous and did not exterminate the Zhang family."

Reminded by the Zhang family, Zhang Chen recalled the historical records he had seen before, and a look of realization dawned on his eyes. The present dynasty was the Great Han, the previous dynasty was the New Han, and before that, the Great Shang. The Great Shang had ruled the world for five thousand years, but its last ruler was tyrannical and oppressive, causing widespread suffering among the people. The Zhang family, an ancient clan with countless generations of history, boldly led their forces to break the Great Shang's autocracy, overthrow its rule, and establish the New Han.

Unfortunately, eight thousand years later, the new Han dynasty followed in the footsteps of the previous dynasty and was overthrown by the current Han dynasty.

Originally, the Zhang family used force to suppress the world and held an absolute advantage. However, with the arrival of machine guns and cannons from the ocean, the foundation of the Zhang family's rule was shaken. In particular, after the three of the Zhang family's patriarchs who had reached the Divine Realm were killed by ten cannons, the Zhang family completely declined. Their disciples and followers became homeless dogs, and the Zhang family clan that had dominated the world for eight thousand years vanished into thin air.

"What a pity!" Zhang Chen sighed softly, his voice full of regret. He regretted that the Zhang family had violated their ancestral precepts. If he remembered correctly, there had been an ancestral precept that no branch of the Zhang family was ever allowed to participate in the struggle for supremacy.

The Zhang Jun standing before me is actually my junior?

“There are eighteen errors in the martial arts you are practicing, and the inheritance is incomplete. At most, you can only cultivate to the level of Transformation Realm. There is no use in continuing to practice.” Zhang Chen looked at the junior in front of him. He felt that he had a connection with his family and had the idea of ​​giving him some pointers.

"How did you know?" Zhang Jun asked, his face full of astonishment. He knew that the previous dynasty had fallen, and he was too young at the time to inherit the complete legacy.

Moreover, when the Zhang family fell from power, countless forces coveted the Zhang family's legacy and directly attacked their doorstep, resulting in the deaths of many of the Zhang family's elders and the loss of many of their traditions.

Zhang Chen ignored Zhang Jun's words and slowly walked into the courtyard. He started practicing, reciting breathing techniques. Zhang Jun stared intently at Zhang Chen's movements, his eyes filled with disbelief as he watched the perfect movements. How old was Zhang Chen? How could he have cultivated his martial arts to such a level?

He would never doubt that he could see gods without being corrupted!
Even at the height of the Zhang family's power, there was never such a prodigy!
After a cup of tea, Zhang Chen stopped what he was doing, turned to look at Zhang Jun, and asked, "How much did you understand?"

Zhang Jun was able to cultivate to the level of Transformation Realm at the age of thirty-something, so his comprehension was naturally not bad. At this moment, he said with excitement, "I understand five-tenths of it."

"Being able to understand even five parts is already quite impressive." Zhang Chen nodded. "Did you memorize it?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jun respectfully replied, "I've written it down."

Martial arts are about cleansing the marrow and nourishing the spirit, strengthening the soul. The opponent already had a foundation, so Zhang Chen's instruction was just filling in the gaps.

"Are you also a member of the Zhang family?" Zhang Jun looked at Zhang Chen with excitement, his eyes even turning a little red.

"I guess so," Zhang Chen said.

Zhang Jun quickly followed up with, "Which branch are you from?"

Looking at Zhang Jun, Zhang Chen felt a sense of kinship and shook his head, saying, "Little Zhang, you should focus on cultivating your martial arts and reach the Divine Indestructibility realm as soon as possible. The Divine Indestructibility realm is the starting point of martial arts, allowing you to see further and glimpse that mysterious world."

"The pinnacle of martial arts is reaching the point of indestructibility; no one has ever reached a realm beyond that—it's all just legend." Seeing that Zhang Chen was unwilling to discuss the past, Zhang Jun assumed that Zhang Chen was afraid to speak out due to the current situation, so he didn't press further and simply changed the subject.

"Who said that seeing a god without decaying is the end?" Zhang Chen looked at Zhang Jun, thinking of the Zhang family's current miserable state, and then at the young man's honest appearance, and felt a surge of interest in helping him.
"Go and bring me that big iron lump!"

Zhang Chen pointed to a steel ingot weighing at least 100 jin (50 kg) twenty paces away and gave an order.

Zhang Jun was quite obedient. Although he didn't know what Zhang Chen was doing, he still obediently stepped forward, took the hundred-pound steel ingot, and placed it at Zhang Chen's feet.

"Kid, watch closely!" Zhang Chen said to Zhang Jun. Although he looked younger than Zhang Jun, he was incredibly old-fashioned, as if he were the older one. And yet, it didn't feel out of place at all. Zhang Jun obediently listened to Zhang Chen's words and stared at Zhang Chen with wide eyes.

The next moment, the steel ingots on the ground twisted and transformed into hundreds of handleless knives that floated around Zhang Chen. Then, with a thought in Zhang Chen's mind, the knives spun rapidly around him, forming a barrier that enveloped him.

"This... is it some kind of trickery in the martial arts world?" Zhang Jun stared wide-eyed at the scene before him in disbelief. Could a human possibly do this? Even if it were a god in the world, it wouldn't be any more impressive than this.
"Whoosh~"

In an instant, countless small knives pierced through Zhang Jun's clothes, turning them into dust without harming him in the slightest. Then, the countless knives transformed into chains, tightly binding Zhang Jun and trapping him in place.

"What is this? This is impossible!" Zhang Jun exclaimed in shock.

(End of this chapter)