"No weapons."

"Agreed." Shao Qi put down his Yong'an and glanced at Zhou You's waist and chest, saying, "You should remove your hidden weapons as well."

Dumping all his concealed weapons aside, Zhou You stretched and quipped, "I almost forgot about them earlier. Maybe with another try, I could win."

"Confidence is good. But only a fight will tell," retorted Shao Qi.

"Bring it on." The two figures darted towards each other in a blur, fists met fists, palms collided with palms. The surging internal energy enveloped them, their movements so swift that only afterimages were visible.

In just a few minutes, despite countless exchanges, it was clear that Shao Qi was on the offense and Zhou You on defense. It wasn't that Zhou You couldn't overcome Shao Qi, but rather, he lacked Shao Qi's repertoire and proficiency in techniques.

Minutes into their spar, Shao Qi suddenly found himself at a disadvantage. To his astonishment, Zhou You was mimicking the moves he had just used.

Truly a martial prodigy!

Shao Qi immediately transitioned into a new palm technique. His palms acted as blades. As the first strike hurtled towards Zhou You, he almost thought Shao Qi was cheating with a weapon.

"Impressive! What's this palm technique called?"

"It's something I created myself. I haven't named it yet."

"Given that your palm strikes feel like blade winds, why not call it 'Palm Blade'?" It was a simple name. Shao Qi nodded in agreement, "Sounds good. I'll document it in a few days."

Zhou You quickly switched to a Tai Chi style, one he had learned while observing Zhang Huaixun's duel. His rendition seemed even more fluid and supple, exemplifying the principle of yielding to overcome force.

"Even Master Qingfeng would admit defeat to this level of Tai Chi."

"Please don't spread that around. I wouldn't want people saying I've stolen from the Wudang martial arts."

"That old man might think I stole their secret manuals on your behalf."

In truth, once one has a deep understanding of martial arts, extrapolating from a few demonstrations isn't rare. What's crucial is mastering the concept of "Qi". For an expert like Zhou You, the results are always amplified, no matter which martial art is used.

A gust from his own strike backfired on Shao Qi, propelling him against a test wall. A gentle punch landed near him, and a beeping sound filled his ears.

"Congratulations, Marshal. Punch strength: 584,631. This breaks the previous record. Would you like to save this result?"

Shao Qi jumped down from the wall, looking up at the testing panel. After pressing a few buttons, a series of records from the past three years appeared, ranging from two hundred thousand to five hundred fifty thousand. But now, Zhou You had shattered the previous records.

However, the record of five hundred fifty thousand was set when he had just returned. If he used all his strength now, it would probably match Zhou You's, but there was no certainty that Zhou You had gone all out.

"I always thought I'd surpass you in terms of power."

"Technically, you did. The punch earlier actually incorporated some of your own force and redirected it back at you. My own punch strength is probably around five hundred thousand."

"Want to give it a shot?" Neither wanted to continue fighting; any further and both might end up injured.

"Sure." Zhou You then asked, "Can I take a running start?"

"Of course, hit it however you want."

Zhou You glanced at his fist, considering how to optimize his punch.

With a layer of internal energy enveloping his fist, he punched the testing wall with all his might.

A resounding "Bang!" echoed, sounding as if a truck had crashed into the wall. The display lit up with a number just above five hundred ten thousand, slightly less than before.

"Try with a weapon," Shao Qi suggested.

Zhou You gripped a curved blade, feeling it wasn't quite right. Such a blade relied on finesse, not brute force.

Shao Qi offered his own blade, "Use this one."

Switching to the Yong An blade and holding it tightly, Zhou You could almost feel the immense power Shao Qi wielded when using this weapon.

A powerful blade wind left a deep mark on the testing wall. Similar marks, of varying depths, were scattered across the wall.

The final reading settled at five hundred seventy thousand, just a bit short of the earlier record.

"Come on, let's test something else." Shao Qi had him use every measuring instrument in his training room and even drew a tube of blood, claiming it could measure the concentration of spiritual energy.

It's said that those with a higher concentration of spiritual energy have better physical conditions, and martial artists typically have values several times that of ordinary people.

"Speed really is your forte. I can't keep up even if I tried," Shao Qi remarked, looking at the updated records.

"Speed is also linked to explosive power. Your explosive power surpasses mine, and our speeds are not much different."

"By the way, based on the Martial Arts Association's ranking, what level are we?"

Zhou You had a hunch, but he was still surprised when Shao Qi mentioned "Senior Martial Commander."

A Martial Commander is already the highest known realm. Had they already reached the senior level?

"Based on my assessment, you're probably at your peak now. Just a little breakthrough and you might step into the Martial God realm. Currently, no one knows what that realm is like, not even a basic hypothetical."

"Then how can one determine if they've reached the Martial God realm?"

"I'm not certain. Perhaps some will understand when they reach that point. Those bound by numerical limits can't be considered gods. In simpler terms, the title 'High-Level Martial Marshal' is quite broad. Until one becomes a god, they remain at this rank."

"That's one way to put it. But who can truly know if they've achieved such a state?" Zhou You gazed down at his hand, feeling his immense power, yet he sensed that he was still far from the elusive realm Shao Qi spoke of.