The Almighty Martial Arts System

The Nine Swords of Dugu could not only counter sword techniques but also blade techniques, whip techniques, palm techniques…

In essence, the Nine Swords of Dugu could dismantle almost all martial arts manuals—even internal energy (neigong) was no exception. With a total of nine distinct countering techniques, this was precisely the origin of the “Nine Swords” in its name.

Jiang Fei had no doubts about the sword’s ability to break blade or whip techniques, and he was always ready to test its prowess against an opponent.

However, when it came to the “Qi-Breaking Form” of the Nine Swords of Dugu—the technique designed to neutralize an enemy’s internal energy—he was both intrigued and puzzled.

In Jin Yong’s novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, it was indeed mentioned that the Nine Swords of Dugu were not constrained by internal energy. No matter how powerful an opponent’s neigong was, it would simply dissipate against the sword’s refined techniques. For instance, when Linghu Chong, severely injured and devoid of internal energy, faced Huang Zhonggong—the master of Plum Manor—the latter’s profound neigong could not harm him in the slightest under the Nine Swords of Dugu’ brilliance.

Jiang Fei also recalled Jin Yong’s description of the sword style as one that “grew stronger against the strong and weaker against the weak.” If the opponent was too feeble, the sword’s sophistication would remain untapped; but against a formidable foe, its power would escalate dramatically.

“But where in the real world can I find an internal energy master to test this?” Jiang Fei absentmindedly swung his sword, his movements so fluid that the blade seemed an extension of his arm—no trace of a beginner’s clumsiness remained.

“I doubt such masters even exist. Sure, some traditional martial artists are incredibly skilled, almost superhuman—I might not even be a match for them now. But their strength is different from true neigong, right?” he mused.

Take that cold-faced assassin in Jincheng, for example. His raw power had surpassed Jiang Fei’s at the time. If not for Tai Chi’s defensive prowess, Jiang Fei might have been defeated.

Yet, he was certain that assassin had no internal energy whatsoever.

“Whatever. Whether others have neigong or not, I’ll definitely learn it someday!” Jiang Fei shook his head, shelving the thought for now. If internal energy masters existed, he’d cross paths with them eventually.

Until then, his priority was to acquire a neigong manual himself.

The problem? Learning internal energy wasn’t easy. The system’s martial arts store offered many manuals—Nine Yang Manual, Nine Yin Manual, North Darkness Divine Skill, Innate Skill, even the formidable Everlasting Life Art—but all were exorbitantly priced with steep requirements, far beyond Jiang Fei’s current means.

Buying one from the system was out of the question.

That left two options:

Level up and hope for a manual in a level-up reward.
Complete quests, like how he obtained the Nine Swords of Dugu, and pray for a neigong manual as a reward.

“I’m not greedy—I don’t need the Nine Yang or Everlasting Life Art yet. Even Yue Buqun’s Purple Twilight Divine Skill would make me ecstatic!” he grumbled internally.

With neigong, all his abilities would improve—not just his four core attributes, but also his Threefold Cloud lightness skill, Tai Chi fist techniques, and the Nine Swords of Dugu.

Alas, this wasn’t something he could force. Luck would decide.

…

In the following days, Jiang Fei remained in Beijing, splitting his time between:

Practicing swordsmanship at the Central Martial Arts Hall, where his reputation soared as he defeated challengers with ease.
Reforming the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Association, ensuring his proposed changes were implemented.
Preparing for the launch of a pharmaceutical company with Lin Moli, analyzing and refining medicinal formulas using his System-enhanced expertise.

His hectic schedule even drew mild complaints from Bai Ruoxi, his journalist girlfriend, who’d hoped for more time together.

During dinner one evening, Bai Ruoxi mentioned an upcoming high school reunion organized by Gu Kairui—a former classmate who’d once pursued her. Jiang Fei scoffed, unimpressed by the idea of reunion posturing.

Just as he prepared to tease Bai Ruoxi, his phone rang: pop star Qiao Yiyi was calling. With nothing to hide, he answered openly.

After some playful banter, Qiao Yiyi hinted at a request, but Jiang Fei cut her off: “If it’s about another concert guest appearance, count me out.”