Chapter 933: New Martial Way Rising

The players quickly sprang into action. For them, this was indeed the best plan. After all, if the nest is overturned, no egg remains whole. They were inside Caroline; if Caroline died, they would die too. Ultimately, as beings from the same world, specifically the ancient Chinese Buddhist and Taoist forces under the ancient gods, uniting against an external threat was undoubtedly the right move. The Cosmic Garden was nothing significant to them.

"Have the Three Pillar Gods been notified?"

"Someone is being notified already!"

***

Meanwhile.

Scorching golden lava flowed across the land, and the beings of various arcane city-states bustled about, creating a vibrant scene.

Balloonfish, now a deity, wore a special, thin spacesuit made of balloon material. He was researching new technology while watching the live broadcast.

"Internal force... that looks very interesting. If I could integrate the entire gene and cultivate it, it might perfectly amplify my balloon life."

Since the reform, he could not only send private messages but also view external live broadcast forums. He had been living quite comfortably these past few days, having completely adapted to life in this extraordinary world, as if he were a native. While he still followed the online conflicts outside, he vaguely felt that he had fully integrated into this world, becoming one of its sentient beings. His other self on Earth, as if a mortal avatar of a god, had already resigned from work, shifting focus entirely to this side.

"Yes, the Martial Arts Alliance Leader's martial arts perfectly complement my genes!"

At that moment, he watched the live battle, observing every detail with a thoughtful expression. "Even though a balloon is soft and weak, it's unrealistic to generate layers of internal force that overlap like waves... But I can specialize in the defensive aspect of internal force, focusing on deflecting power. Combined with a weak balloon, being specifically hit would make me invincible!"

Du Xue's Corpse Sword Immortal lineage possessed invincible combat power. He, on the other hand, could serve as a balloon shield, deflecting power frantically, which would be a perfect combination. After all, fighting wasn't his strong suit.

He suddenly felt that the applicability and universality of this quantum gene could rival the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique! Currently, everyone, including Emperor Qi, Caroline, and the Three Pillar Gods, practiced the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique; it was a versatile, top-tier cultivation method, and not using it meant falling behind the times. Quantum martial arts, he believed, would also become a new versatile, top-tier cultivation method. For instance, quantum martial arts perfectly complemented his balloon gene, allowing him to unleash his full combat potential!

"Come on, Du Xue, hit me!"

He stood up, looking at the black-haired girl engrossed in her tablet, and excitedly said, "First, hang me up."

Du Xue: "???"

Hang him up... to be hit?

What did he mean? She stared blankly at the balloon creature before her; he had suddenly uttered such strange words, as if some peculiar trait had awakened.

"Come practice with me."

He said seriously, standing up from the sofa and shaking himself off, "The Martial Arts Alliance Leader can throw billions of punches a day, spending 99% of his time cultivating to achieve billions of layers of internal force... So, I can also endure billions of hits a day and cultivate internal force! Each hit will allow me to practice deflecting and resisting!"

Endure billions of hits? Du Xue was utterly dumbfounded.

Nevertheless, she obediently hung Balloonfish from a sturdy metal beam, intending to throw a gentle, symbolic punch to see what would happen.

"Wait!"

Balloonfish, hands bound and hanging from the living room beam, muttered, "But speaking of punching bags, I should really put some cushioning sand inside... That would enhance the buffering force! No, wait... not just cushioning, I could also use a special cushioning silicone material! It could absorb internal force, store energy, and then release it as a counter-shock! The Martial Arts Alliance Leader researches internal force for both offense and defense. If I acquire the gene, I only need to research the defensive aspect of internal force, focusing on deflecting power from each blow I receive... This way, not only will I take hits, but I can also use special energy-storing material within me to counter-shock!"

The more he spoke, the brighter his eyes shone. "I can imagine, if I have their gene and cultivate their martial arts, my defense will be even stronger than the Martial Arts Alliance Leader's! No one will dare to hit me; they'll walk around me!"

Honestly, he was among the oldest players. Besides the three giants—Moe Girl, Alchemy Emperor, and Autumn Mountain Speed—he was the oldest, but his gene creature... was genuinely subpar! It was all flash and no substance. It lacked the significant value of the other three, which was why he had been overlooked for years and hadn't achieved much renown. But now, he felt it might be his turn to rise. His balloon gene had always been mediocre, but combined with this quantum gene, it would form a qualitative transformation... By then, he would become incredibly powerful!

"Yes, exactly! The universe is wondrous and magnificent! It's incredible! When two genes that were initially mediocre collide, they can produce a special chemical reaction, becoming incredibly powerful! Endless gene combinations, countless possibilities!"

Balloonfish was filled with confidence, completely forgetting that the quantum gene on the other side wasn't mediocre at all... only his own gene was.

Du Xue, standing nearby, found his words strangely peculiar.

"Yes! I now have the qualifications to negotiate with the Three Pillar Gods!" Wearing his thick balloon spacesuit, Balloonfish cheered, grabbing Du Xue's hand and exclaiming excitedly, "I will become very promising! I will be an irreplaceable founder of a lineage, just like Mother Earth Qing Teng, Alchemy Factory, and Primordial Alchemy, possessing significant influence... I need to negotiate with the Three Pillar Gods! There's a chance for us to be together now!"

"You have a way to make the Three Pillar Gods compromise?" Du Xue looked at him skeptically, knowing that Balloonfish's survival was due to the Three Pillar Gods using him to control her.

"Yes, I have a way. I've seen our future!" He gazed into the distance, as if envisioning a fantastic scene from the future.

"It's the rise of a new martial arts path!"

He saw a vision: a sacred martial arts palace. In the ethereal training grounds of the martial arts palace, the passionate sounds of practice filled the air: grunts, flesh colliding, and punches landing squarely. The classical palace with its bluestone-floored training ground exuded an otherworldly aura, much like Mr. Cat's martial arts sect, the "Free and Easy Gate."

In the training arena, he, acting as a balloon punching bag, hung high with his hands bound above his head, and declared coolly, "The essence of martial arts lies in internal force... Do you feel the force on your bodies? Try to endure it, adjust everything to cushion it."

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

Below, disciples, also acting as punching bags, hung neatly from beams, their hands bound by ropes, receiving powerful blows from skilled practitioners. Their abdomens, heads, arms... They were human punching bags, swinging violently back and forth like pendulums due to the immense force they endured.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

Balloonfish, meanwhile, was suspended even higher. "You should know, 'It is because he does not contend that no one in the world can contend with him...'" He taught by example, adopting the demeanor of a grandmaster, and said coldly: "Furthermore, you should know that our Three Pillar Gods... have begun cultivating Buddhism and Taoism. Recently, Buddhist and Taoist philosophies have flourished among us. What is the essence of Buddhist thought? Reincarnation, destiny, and the law of cause and effect.... Do not be disheartened. Endure the beatings of your next several hundred lifetimes now, and no one will strike you in the future... Such is life: endure all hardships ahead of time, and your future will be filled with blessings."

*Thump! Thump!*

One by one, the suspended disciples were systematically struck like punching bags, their vigorous sounds echoing throughout the martial arts hall.

"We will heed Master's teachings!"

Balloonfish, having observed the Martial Arts Alliance Leader's techniques, had already foreseen the future. He grew increasingly excited. He could guarantee an unimaginable number of disciples, and this sect's combat utility would be immense, with high popularization potential!

"Then, I'll be the second strongest direct combatant after Pan Xuexian! After all, people like Alchemy Emperor and Moe Girl rely on knowledge and wisdom to research cultivation methods for a living. Moreover, this is the most convenient martial art; I just have to lie still, and others do the work." He chuckled, looking at the bewildered Du Xue beside him. "To be with you, what's a little beating? Besides, becoming strong naturally requires sacrifice and effort."

He had always wanted to work hard before, but it had been useless. For many, success isn't simply achieved through effort; there are countless hardworking people, yet who truly transcends in this era? But now, he could reach the peak simply by diligently enduring blows, and he was quite content with that.

Just as he was lost in his wonderful future fantasies, he suddenly received a private message. He paused, then said in astonishment, "It wants me to summon the Three Pillar Gods to these coordinates?"