My autobiography is definitely not a tragedy!
Chapter 401 - 271: The Strongest Homebody in History

Chapter 401: Chapter 271: The Strongest Homebody in History

"In Country Hua, there are numerous schools of National Martial Arts, but there exists a universally recognized ranking system for strength, passed down since ancient times.

That is, the stages of practice for martial artists are divided into Light Force, Dark Energy, and Transformative Energy.

Light Force transforms the bones. At this stage, practicing boxing mainly focuses on using bone power, aiming to return to the origins and transform the body into pure Yang, similar to the vigor of a newborn baby.

The so-called heavens are vigorous, and a gentleman should continuously strengthen himself.

A person at the Light Force stage is spirited, bold, and fearless.

The further one’s practice deepens, the more the person exhibits a remarkable disposition, standing out conspicuously in any crowd, demonstrating brave valor.

Like most of us ordinary folks, we remain at the Light Force stage for our entire lives.

Following Light Force is Dark Energy.

Energy emanates without a form, known as ’dark’; biologically, it involves transforming the tendons, and at this stage, practicing boxing means utilizing muscle and bone power.

Once muscles and bones integrate, one can unleash complete energy, concentrating the entire body’s power at a single point to explode.

Experts who achieve Dark Energy are inwardly focused, gradually appearing less like a martial artist from their physique.

They master their strength to a new level, blending and refining various overt and covert, hard and soft energies to maximize their attacking efficiency with the least physical exertion.

A punch thrown can injure the internal organs of the opponent.

Such experts are undoubtedly the grandmasters in the National Martial Arts Circle.

Placed on an ancient battlefield, they could be said to match a hundred foes.

As for the stage beyond Dark Energy, Transformative Energy...

That exists only in dubious descriptions within ancient books; for hundreds of years, no one has either seen or achieved it.

’Transformative’ in Transformative Energy pertains to spontaneously adapting changes, where at this stage, there is no need to practice physical forms, purely training with intent.

When practicing, one’s movements in limbs must transition smoothly without exerting force, solely focusing on manipulating with spiritual intent.

The energy manifests where the intent goes, controlled at will, impervious even to insects or a feather.

It is said at this stage, the martial skills enter the brain, the brain being the center of human consciousness.

One who reaches such a realm is naturally vigorous and spirited, and a spirited person exhibits unmatched bravery.

With bravery so formidable, even against millions, one would advance without equals, truly a unique hero of the nation!

I always thought that was just a legend, but I never expected..."

Yan Weiwei’s gaze towards Meng Lang was filled with envy, reverence, and a hint of complex emotions that couldn’t be clearly expressed.

As for Fan Shigang...

Well, he had completely turned into a despondent figure with nothing but the number ’666’ left in his eyes...

"Uh..."

Having listened to this explanation, Meng Lang finally understood what Yan Weiwei meant by Transformative Energy.

It was indeed a martial realm above Dark Energy...

However, this completely baffled Meng Lang.

Your associative capabilities...

Even if you adorned it with all these sophisticated descriptors, what I’ve always engaged in is science, not Martial Arts!

But... on second thought, if one carefully considers what Yan Weiwei said...

"At this stage, it is said that the martial skills enter the brain"...

This statement did slightly pique Meng Lang’s interest.

Is this perhaps a curious convergence by a different path?

Masters of Transformative Energy are said to be ’untouched by the merest feather, impervious to insects’?

If I were to hyperactivate my brain, under such enhanced sensory abilities, let alone mosquitoes, nothing could escape my notice.

With a simple shrug or kick, I’d deflect each one, albeit consuming some energy, but I could indeed achieve a similar effect...

Isn’t that just a ’human-shaped mosquito repellent’!

Although labeling it so sounds utterly unimpressive.

But that’s Martial Arts for you!

Inevitably shrouded in mystery, overstated with each retelling, and understanding some exaggeration and mythologizing is reasonable.

After all this explanation.

Even Meng Lang started to believe that he really might be a master of Transformative Energy!

After all, the similarities between the two were strikingly high!

The difference is, a martial artist has to pass through stages of Light Force and Dark Energy, enduring rigorous physical and mental training, and only possibly breaking through the final barrier to achieve Transformative Energy in a minuscule fraction of cases.

Then unlocking the mystical and esoteric realms of the brain.

Whereas I, by relying on successive drug-taking and serendipitous formation of muscle memory...

Was that equivalent to being fast-tracked?

Ah! The end of everything is science, and Martial Arts is no exception!

So, did I skip over the so-called stages of Light Force and Dark Energy, directly reaching the ultimate realm everyone dreams of?

emm...

I unknowingly started at everyone else’s finish line...

Thanks to my brothers’ rich spiritual and cultural heritage!

"Gulp~" Fan Shigang swallowed hard.

"So... Master Meng, are you really the legendary master of Transformative Energy that appears once in a thousand years?"

Well! The formalities are out.

But the accomplished are masters, right, Master Meng?

Not going to lie, the title does feel quite impressive...

"Once in a thousand years? Is it really that exaggerated?" Meng Lang, feeling somewhat abashed, scratched his head.

Listening to it always felt like a certain kind of awkward business hype.

For example, like the "once-in-a-millennium beauty" or something...

"Not an exaggeration at all!" Yan Weiwei was, however, dead serious.

"According to historical records, the only person confirmed to have achieved the transformation of energy was one, and he appeared over 1500 years ago during the Southern and Northern Dynasties."

"Uh... who was that remarkable?" Meng Lang asked curiously.

"Have you ever heard the saying, ’All martial arts under heaven originated from Shaolin’?"

"Of course, the next line is ’Guilin’s landscape is the best under heaven’!"

Yan Weiwei: "..."

Can’t defeat them, must endure!

"Then you should know who the Shaolin Ancestor is, right?"

Meng Lang, who had read "Snow Flies Across the Sky and Hits the White Deer," naturally found this no challenge at all.

"It should be Dharma Ancestor, right? Uh... are you saying that this person is Dharma Ancestor?

Oh! No wonder you call the transformation of energy ’Dharma Realm’?"

He also figured it out.

"Correct! Although it’s quite different from various novels, Shaolin martial arts probably do indeed originate from Dharma Ancestor.

The world-famous ’seventy-two ultimate techniques’ of Shaolin do exist indeed, but most of the documents about these techniques have been lost today.

According to legend, after Dharma Ancestor crossed the river with a single reed, he came to a cave in Shaoshi Mountain and faced the wall for nine years, creating the seventy-two ultimate techniques, and became famous throughout the world.

He is the only grandmaster recorded in ancient books who reached the peak of transforming energy!"

Uh... why does it sound more and more mysterious?

Nine years to create seventy-two ultimate techniques, averaging eight a year...

The ancestor was human too, wasn’t he unusually prolific?

Unless he was also cheating!

But then, if he was also some sort of superman with brain overclocking abilities, that wouldn’t be entirely impossible, right?

Medical technology back then was basically not likely to interfere with human brain technology or drugs.

The only way they could cheat was by exploring on their own and thus unlocking human forbidden zones.

The difficulty of that...

To have just one in 1500 years, how small a probability is that?

Is this really something humans can achieve?

The ancestor of Zen, huh...

It is said that because Dharma often faced the wall year-round, the sun and moon cast his shadow on the rock wall, embedding his essence into the stone, thus creating a faint image of Dharma on the stone.

This is what’s known in legend as "Dharma’s Wall Shadow Stone."

This historical figure made a transformative contribution to both the religion and martial arts of Country Hua, truly legendary.

Even more legendary is that he changed the major consciousness of Country Hua, and he only used nine years.

And during those nine years, he spent most of his time just facing the wall...

Definitely the strongest homebody in history!

emm...

Homebodies always have a special rapport with other homebodies.

If it weren’t for his autobiography, Meng Lang might have just considered Dharma a divine figure. However, Yan Weiwei mentioned the only person who, like himself, achieved the transformation of energy in a thousand years.

And there turns out to be some sort of peculiar "similarity" with him...

That made Meng Lang think even more!

Light Force, Dark Energy, Transforming Energy...

If hundreds of billions of people through the ages couldn’t do it, why should Dharma be able to?

So... could he be like me?

Not fighting alone?

Knowledge can accumulate, and so can martial arts experience, of course!

After countless trials, who says that with a human body one can’t kick open that door to the forbidden zone?

Meng Lang fell into deep thought.

But... why Buddhism again?

Tang Seng with his eighty-one difficulties, Dharma with his seventy-two ultimate techniques...

Even some Buddhist verses and Buddhism doctrines somehow feel mysteriously connected to that autobiography...

One coincidence might be just coincidence.

So many coincidences... are they really still coincidences?

If they were all once owners of the "autobiography," could everything then be explained?

As the saying goes, ’A thousand readers have a thousand Hamlets,’ I read "scientific self-rescue" from the book.

And they, one mastered ’escape artistry,’ and another mastered ’martial arts mastery’?

"What are you thinking about?"

Seeing Meng Lang deeply lost in thought and not speaking for a long time, Yan Weiwei spoke up.

"Hmm... I was just thinking that there actually exist in this world others like me, so gifted and brilliant, I am not alone in my path..."

Meng Lang stood with his hands behind his back, looking up at a 45-degree angle, his face full of sighs.

Yan Weiwei: "..."

Although unable to defeat him, she really still wanted to strike...