Cultivating internal strength requires perception. Even though martial arts flourish in this world, if you don’t have a renowned master’s guidance, it’s perfectly normal to waste three to five years at this stage.

“We agreed to work after graduation and become corporate slaves of our era, but you, kid, quietly trained your internal strength and became a martial artist?”

Benjamin Sullivan was very frustrated.

Grace Thompson glanced at him speechlessly.

“You’re still talking about working? Corporate slave? Aren’t you going to inherit the several hundred million in assets your family has?”

“That’s my dad’s, what does it have to do with me?”

Benjamin Sullivan said, glancing at his fourth uncle: “I was even planning to have you train with my fourth uncle. Now it’s great—you’ve developed internal strength, get a martial artist qualification certificate, and you can be a coach directly.”

“How long have you been training in martial arts?”

James Sullivan took the tea that Manager Su brought over for him, Grace Thompson, and Benjamin Sullivan, and asked.

“I started a long time ago. During university, the pressure was high, so I stopped for a while. I just picked it up again recently.”

Grace Thompson replied.

He also took the tea from Manager Su and thanked him.

“Recently? Half a month ago?”

Benjamin Sullivan quickly thought of something.

Grace Thompson nodded.

James Sullivan was a bit moved.

Stopped for so long, and picked it up again in just half a month?

You know, there’s an old saying in the martial artist circle: before reaching the “embracing the elixir” stage, if you don’t practice for a day, your hands and feet slow down; two days, you lose half your skill; three days, you’re a layman again.

Grace Thompson regained his internal strength in half a month...

Quite a talent.

“Shall I find someone to spar with you?”

James Sullivan said.

“Sure.”

“Coral.”

James Sullivan called out.

Soon, a woman in a body-hugging suit with a ponytail, looking healthy and energetic, walked in.

“Master, you called me?”

“Come, you and...”

James Sullivan paused.

“Grace Thompson.”

Grace Thompson said calmly.

Every martial artist has their own pride.

If he hadn’t developed internal strength, even if Benjamin Sullivan introduced him, this “embracing the elixir” master might not have remembered his name.

“Alright, Grace Thompson, you two spar.”

Chapter 3: Vital Energy and Blood

There were very few people at Changfeng Martial Arts School.

Besides a few staff, there were six people training and three practicing martial arts.

In a 3,000-square-meter space, just over a dozen people made it seem a bit deserted.

Of course, this might be because it just opened.

Coral, standing to the side, seemed to notice what Grace Thompson was thinking and raised her eyebrows slightly: “Ever since my master achieved the ‘embracing the qi to form the elixir’ stage, many of his business friends and relatives wanted to send their children to him to learn martial arts. Many of them have unusual backgrounds, and it was hard for Master to refuse, so he simply opened this Changfeng Martial Arts School.”

She added, “The purpose of Changfeng Martial Arts School is, on one hand, to give those people a unified place to practice martial arts; on the other, when Master’s friends come and want to spar, there’s a venue. Teaching students is just a side business, and only the best are accepted.”

Benjamin Sullivan felt a bit awkward listening.

He felt there was a hidden meaning in Coral’s words.

“Are those the coaches?”

Grace Thompson asked.

“Yes.”

Coral nodded: “My two senior brothers, Lucas Cooper and David Bolton, both have martial artist qualification certificates. Besides practicing martial arts, they also work part-time as coaches. In addition, there are five hired internal strength martial artists. Among them, Sophia Miller and Master Miller have level-three professional qualification certificates, which are intermediate titles certified by the association.”

“A wealth of talent.”

Grace Thompson sincerely praised.

In his previous life, even at his peak, he could only get an intermediate title in this world.

He was even more eager to see how fascinating the martial arts scene in this world would be.

Coral walked to a dark green rubber mat area and stood still.

Looking at Grace Thompson, she reached out and beckoned: “Come.”

At 1.73 meters tall, she was no less imposing than a man, full of heroic spirit.

Grace Thompson wanted to witness the “elixir strength” of a master, but since they weren’t close, why would she show it to him?

Unless, he himself was worth investing in.

At that moment, he gathered his internal strength underfoot. Though he only took a single step, he leapt more than two meters.

Without any extra movement, his upper body still, he propelled himself over 2.3 meters with just one foot. This scene made the usually silent James Sullivan slightly surprised.

“Not bad.”

He commented.

Seeing a match about to happen, the other idle coaches gathered around to watch.

“Please.”

Grace Thompson gestured with a sweep of his hand.

“Please.”

Coral replied, raising her hand to strike.

There was not the slightest hint of the host’s expected courtesy.

Grace Thompson responded move for move, experiencing the differences between this world’s martial arts and those he knew.

Coral was probably a year or two younger than him, but whether it was her boxing, footwork, or responses, she was completely at ease.

Except...

She lacked a bit of ferocity.

Almost as soon as this thought formed in his mind, as the two completed a round of exchanges, Coral suddenly exploded.

With a surge of internal strength underfoot, her movements became as agile as a monkey, pouncing forward.

In a single motion, the power from her toes, calves, thighs, waist, and shoulders merged into a single line. Over ninety percent of her strength was mobilized and concentrated into this one pounce.

The watching Benjamin Sullivan hadn’t even seen clearly before she had already crossed the four-meter gap between them, transformed her fingers into a palm, and struck toward Grace Thompson’s chest.

“Pa.”