Michael King gripped his saber with both hands, striking a strange pose, like a wild goose flying sideways.

　　"Please, my worthy brother!"

　　Eric Bolton was not polite either. With a loud shout, he stepped forward, his saber slashing fiercely at Michael King. This strike was extremely simple, without any unnecessary moves, full of power. He had practiced hard qigong and could break four bricks with a single punch; the force of this slash was enough to cut through a wooden stake.

　　"Well done!"

　　Michael King was a man of discernment and couldn't help but praise him, but he did not dodge. He swung his saber in a horizontal chop, clashing head-on with Eric Bolton's blade.

　　There was a sharp 'clang!' Eric Bolton's arms went numb from the shock, and his saber almost flew out of his hands. Michael King was also forced back a step by the impact.

　　"Excellent saber technique!"

　　Before Eric Bolton could withdraw his blade, Michael King countered with a backhand slash, the angle cunning and as fast as lightning. Eric Bolton hurriedly raised his saber to block, but when the blades clashed again, Eric Bolton found that Michael King's strength had suddenly doubled. He could no longer hold onto his weapon; the saber flew from his hand, landing more than twenty feet away.

Chapter 0008 Accepting the Terms

　　"I've lost!"

　　Eric Bolton raised his hand and said with a wry smile, "I really was foolish. How could I ever be a match for you, Brother King?"

　　Michael King sheathed his saber and laughed, "You're mistaken. In fact, your strength far surpasses mine; you just don't know how to use it and haven't brought out its full effect."

　　"Then how can I bring out my full potential?"

　　"That's not easy to explain in a few words—"

　　Michael King pointed to several large rocks in the corner of the courtyard and smiled, "Let's go over there and talk!"

　　The two of them sat down on the rocks. Michael King smiled and said, "Actually, I could tell long ago that you, my worthy brother, have never practiced martial arts, right?"

　　How could Eric Bolton have never practiced martial arts? It's just that the martial arts he practiced in later times might be different from those of the Sui Dynasty. Still, he humbly asked, "I'm not quite sure what you mean by practicing martial arts, Brother Michael."

　　"Actually, practicing martial arts is a process of changing one's physique. For example, my own brother Daniel King has never practiced martial arts. He's half a head shorter than me, thinner, his arms are much slimmer, and his tendons and veins are nowhere near as thick as mine. If I hadn't practiced martial arts since childhood, I'd be just like him now."

　　"So, Brother King, you mean that martial arts must be practiced from a young age, right?"

　　"Of course. Practicing martial arts can promote the growth and development of children's bones, making them tall and robust. But there are many tall and robust people in the Sui Dynasty, and not all of them have my kind of strength."

　　Eric Bolton gave a wry smile. "Just like me—a big bag of straw!"

　　"You are too modest, my worthy brother. It's not that you lack strength, but that you don't have the right method and haven't deliberately tapped into your potential strength, right?"

　　Eric Bolton nodded silently. In the era of cold weapons, there were no guns or cannons; everything depended on fighting skills and strength. That's why rulers of every dynasty would cultivate highly skilled warriors from a strategic perspective, investing huge resources. But once guns and cannons replaced swords and arrows, ancient martial arts lost their foundation for survival and became just a form of exercise. Naturally, no one deliberately tried to tap into their strength.

　　Martial arts of later generations and ancient martial skills were indeed not the same thing.

　　"So how does one tap into their strength?"

　　"Let me give you an example. Normally, you can only lift two hundred jin, but in an emergency, you might be able to lift five hundred jin. Have you ever experienced something like that?"

　　Eric Bolton nodded. He had indeed encountered this, and believed many others had too. Some frail women, in order to save their loved ones, could even lift a car. In his era, this was called potential.

　　But how does one tap into potential? He still looked at Michael King in confusion.

　　Michael King smiled, "A person's strength isn't stored only in the arms. There's also shoulder strength, neck strength, waist strength, leg strength, and so on. In fact, every part of the body has strength. The key is to concentrate it in the arms when wielding a weapon. We call this method 'gathering strength,' and some call it 'muscle-changing technique.' The names differ, but the meaning is the same."

　　"I understand!"

　　"The principle is simple; the key is how to actually do it."

　　Eric Bolton felt a sense of foreboding in his heart and tentatively asked, "So how did you do it, Brother King?"

　　Michael King looked at him intently and continued, "Practicing martial arts is a long and arduous process. It requires a lot of sweat and money."

　　"You need a lot of money too?"

　　"Of course! Hard training alone is not enough. Even more important is the aid of medicine. Buying and preparing medicine costs a lot of money. That's why they say 'the poor study literature, the rich practice martial arts.' Moreover, the formulas for these medicines are closely guarded secrets, passed down from father to son, generation after generation. That's the fundamental reason why mediocrities beget mediocrities, and the strong beget the strong."

　　Eric Bolton asked again, "If I start practicing gathering strength, can I also double my power like you, Brother King?"

　　"That depends on talent. It's like finding a big chunk of gold ore—only when you extract the gold does it have value. Some people can extract an ounce of gold, others only a speck. Gathering strength is the same; you have to keep breaking through your own limits. The more times you break through, the more strength you can gather. I've only broken through twice, but the Andrew Carter you've seen is said to have broken through four times. That's why he can become a peerless warrior. That's his talent—not everyone can do it."