Martial Peak: Eternal Void Great Emperor

"Thank you for the opportunity," both fighters said in unison before taking their stances.

Zhao Ding Jun made the first move, closing the distance with a burst of speed. His larger frame belied his agility, and he unleashed a heavy punch aimed at Liu Feiyang's chest. Startled by the sheer force behind the attack, Liu Feiyang narrowly dodged, stumbling slightly as he tried to counter with a quick jab.

The strike landed, but it lacked precision. Zhao Ding Jun smirked, brushing off the blow and retaliating with a sweeping kick that sent Feiyang reeling back. The crowd roared in approval, some already murmuring predictions of an easy victory for Zhao.

'He blocked the move quite well for someone weaker then me.'

Feiyang steadied himself, shaking off the impact. His mind raced as he struggled to sync his movements with the instincts buried in his memories. Zhao Ding Jun didn't waste any time as he pressed the advantage, delivering a flurry of punches and kicks that forced Feiyang into a defensive stance. While he managed to block most of the strikes, a few slipped through, leaving stinging marks on his arms and sides.

"Come on, is that all you've got?" Zhao taunted, his confidence growing. 

Liu Feiyang took a deep breath, his focus sharpening. He couldn't afford to let Zhao control the pace. Remembering the fundamentals, he adjusted his stance and began observing Zhao's movements more closely. When Zhao lunged forward again, Feiyang sidestepped and countered with a palm strike to Zhao's ribs. This time, the blow landed with greater precision, forcing Zhao to stagger back.

The crowd hushed for a moment, sensing the shift in momentum.

"Not bad," Zhao grunted, rubbing his side. But his smirk had faded.

The two exchanged blows again, their movements now more evenly matched. Feiyang's strikes grew sharper, his blocks more fluid. With every exchange, he felt himself adapting, his body responding with a confidence that had been absent at the start. Zhao, on the other hand, began to show signs of strain. His larger frame made him slower to recover, and Feiyang exploited every opening with swift jabs and calculated kicks.

As the fight wore on, the tide turned decisively in Feiyang's favor. He launched a spinning kick that connected with Zhao's shoulder, sending him stumbling. Not giving his opponent a chance to recover, Feiyang followed up with a rapid series of punches, each one landing with increasing force. Zhao's defenses faltered under the relentless assault.

"How is he…?" Zhao muttered, his breaths ragged. His confidence had given way to desperation.

The crowd erupted in cheers as Feiyang unleashed a finishing move—a powerful upward palm strike that connected squarely with Zhao's chest. The impact sent Zhao crashing to the ground, the air knocked from his lungs. He tried to rise but collapsed back onto his knees, his strength spent.

"The winner is Liu Feiyang!" someone declared, and the crowd roared in approval.

Feiyang extended a hand to Zhao, who hesitated before accepting it. "Good fight," Feiyang said, offering a respectful nod.

Zhao managed a weak smile. "You've got guts, I'll give you that."

As the crowd dispersed, Feiyang felt a surge of exhilaration and relief. His first fight had not been easy, but it had also been a great leap forward for him.

.........

Time passed, Liu Feiyang who had now won his first battle was full of confidence and started challenging disciples who were two minor realm or sometimes even three minor realms stronger than him everyday. Each match earned him two contribution points, allowing him to procure herbs for the antique incense burner without worry.

He kept pushing his body to its limit everyday, gradually increasing the time he could train under the incense's effects. After ten days, he could endure over twelve hours of practice each day.

Yang Kai, once visiting to thank Feiyang for the Blood Clotting Cream, coincidentally witnessed one of his matches. He was astonished and deeply impressed by Feiyang's performance and speed of improvement. He even once asked if there was a secret behind his progress, as they could be considered friends now. Feiyang, unable to reveal the truth, attributed it to good deeds in his past lives.

20 Days Later,

[The host has reached Tempered Body 7th Stage.]

"This sensation of breaking through your limits never gets old! And now, I can finally gather Qi within my body which means it's time to take out the black book again."

At home, Liu Feiyang sat cross-legged and carefully opened the black book, turning to the fourth page. Golden text began to appear, sensing its owner's advancement, with the heading: True Yang Secret Art.

[The host has acquired the True Yang Secret Art (Saint Grade).]

[True Yang Secret Art - A Qi cultivation art which allows one to store large amounts of Yang attribute energy within their body's dantain. It's specialty is that when the yang qi in the user's body reaches a certain amount, it will be condensed into a liquid form and stored in the dantain.

In this way, one could go to this reserve when they run out of the normal Yuan Qi flowing through their Meridians, making them appear to have a virtually unlimited amount of Qi.

Though it allows one to store massive amounts of yang qi but the power(output) only depends on what the user's body can handle.]

"The system is pretty good at analyzing secret arts and techniques, listing its pros and cons right away." Feiyang remarked, impressed by system's utility.

"Well then, let's start right away," he said, cracking his knuckles as he left for the most famous cultivation spot in the story

Near Destitute Dragon Ravine,

Feiyang sat cross-legged in a meditative position, closing his eyes to focus his mind and attune to his surroundings.

As began circulating the art, he sensed the abundance of potent Yang Qi in the surrounding. The first step was to create the Yang Origin Seal which helps in accumulation of yang qi and is also very sensitive to it. As long as there is a certain amount of it with the seal's range, there will be a reaction.

Two hours later:

If he had tried forming the seal using the Yang Qi of sunlight, it would have taken days. But in this location, it required only two hours to complete.

As soon as the seal was formed, it gave off a very strong reaction to the immense Yang energy emanating from the ravine. With the help of the seal, Feiyang could feel the vast reserves of Yang Qi, as boundless as an ocean.

After completing the first step, a small rest was in order.

Liu Feiyang lay back on the ground, hands behind his head, stretching his legs as he gazed at the sky.

"The sky is so clear, nothing like the one in my previous life. Before I was powerless but now I am slowly becoming stronger, all of it still feels so unreal." 

He reminisced about his past life as he stretched his hand towards the sky , feeling happy about how things have changed.

"Ever since I awakened my past life memories, I have been working hard which was something I had to do before as well but it didn't have any value to it nor did working hard mean you would be promised a better future, the only thing that kept me hanging on to life and hope for a better future was my sister.

Yan'er... hehe, If she could see me now, she'd probably complain to Mom about me slacking off and dirtying my clothes. I really wish I could see them again." A single tear rolled down his cheek.

Abruptly, Feiyang sat up and resumed his cross-legged position, ready to start cultivating for real now. "As long as I can become strong enough, there is nothing impossible in this world or the other. Now, I will only return home after forming the first drop of Yang Qi in my dantian."

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Comment down if you have any ideas or suggestion, that is the best source of motivation.