Chapter 42: Learning Muay Thai

Volume 1 “Year of Calamity”

The facts proved An Sheng’s speculation correct. Under the threat of death, Xun Lili successfully awakened her superpower. However, Lili’s situation differed from both the Purifiers and Mutants that An Sheng knew about. Mutants were the result of genetic mutation after viral infection, where the body itself underwent tremendous changes. This occurred because the virus activated latent fundamental factors within humans that dominated the original genes, causing mutation into another species. Purifiers, on the other hand, relied on the Deification Factor as their foundation to gain control over elemental energy. Although Lili had absorbed a Purifier’s Deification Factor, she hadn’t developed the means to control energy through Sublimation, instead experiencing a significant enhancement in physical fitness. This was because Chen Mu, whom she and An Sheng had defeated together, was an anomaly among Purifiers. As mentioned before, this guy had used most of his Deification Factor to enhance his own physique, so his elemental control was not outstanding. Therefore, having consumed Chen Mu’s blood, Lili only gained physical enhancement without evolving other superpowers.

“Stop now!Having obtained the answer he wanted, An Sheng saw no need to continue entangling with Lili. After stabilizing his stance, he immediately called for a halt. However, Lili, who had entered a furious state, wasn’t about to let An Sheng off easily – he had just tried to kill her! Being someone who would seek revenge for the smallest grievance like Yazi, Lili directly ignored An Sheng’s proposal to stop.

Although she had only consumed a small amount of Deification Factor, as one of the purest energies in the world, Lili’s physique had been enhanced to a terrifying degree. Due to Chen Mu’s Sharpening Ability, the hardness of her body surface had nearly reached that of steel. If An Sheng in his ordinary state hadn’t also absorbed Chen Mu’s Deification Factor, just that knee strike from earlier would have broken half of his ribs. An Sheng now had to admit that without entering the Demon State, the gap between his current strength and Lili’s was substantial.

While struggling to dodge Lili’s sharp attacks, An Sheng continued to loudly persuade her to stop.

“Young Miss, calm down! That was just to awaken your ability. Can’t you see you’re different from before? Can’t you feel it? Your strength and speed! Also, if you don’t believe me, go find a mirror and look at yourself – your eyes will tell you that you’re no longer ordinary!”

An Sheng’s words finally slowly restored calm to the furious Lili. She then realized the changes in her body. Indeed, she hadn’t been able to budge An Sheng before, yet her recent attacks had sent this monster flying backward. Had her body truly mutated? And what was wrong with her eyes?

Thinking this, Lili no longer cared about entangling with An Sheng. She immediately dashed down the slope, rushing toward the Fortress entrance at such incredible speed it could only be described as a hurricane.”Ghost ah!” One minute later, Xun Lili, who had borrowed a mirror from Su Yao, let out a piercing scream! The sound was so loud it startled small animals within a two-kilometer radius into scattering and fleeing.

“This~~this~~how can I ever show my face in public againsob sob” Xun Lili cried, weeping with utter heartbreak.

She had always been extremely particular about her appearance, but now, those pitch-black eyes made her look exactly like a vengeful spirit. If her hair were just a bit longer, she’d be the spitting image of Sadako from “The Ring” – absolutely terrifying! She’d even frightened herself when she saw her reflection in the mirror!

“Stop crying, girl. I think it looks quite nice actually. See how dark and shiny they are, just like gemstones.” Seeing how miserably the girl was crying, Su Yao couldn’t help but offer comfort. Truth be told, she had also been quite startled when she first saw Xun Lili with black eyes and had only just managed to calm down.

“Really? Sister Su. Sob~~” Xun Lili asked pitifully between sniffles. Su Yao nodded in confirmation. However, when Xun Lili noticed Little Biscuit and her sister hiding behind Su Yao, both looking at her with fearful expressions, she realized Su Yao had lied to her. So she cried again, even more heartbroken than before.

“Ahsob sob sob”

The Butcher, who was about to eat, saw An Sheng and Xun Lili coming down the mountain one after another, with Xun Lili crying as if her heart would break. His gossip-loving heart immediately surged with curiosity. Forgetting his exhaustion from the intense training, he scurried over to An Sheng and asked with suggestive eyes: “Xiao An, be honest with me – did you harass that young girl? Never thought you, who always appears so righteous, would actually be full of wicked schemes.”

“Brother Wang, why can’t you be serious for once? Do I look like that kind of person to you?” An Sheng retorted irritably at the Butcher, his anger from the recent beating still simmering.

The Butcher glanced at the tear-streaked Xun Lili, then back at An Sheng, before declaring with absolute certainty: “Well, I’m sure you’re not that kind of casual person – you’re just not human when you get casual! Hahahahaha……”

“Nie Chong! Double this butcher’s training this afternoon!” An Sheng flew into such a rage that he nearly exploded, but he still had ways to deal with this sharp-tongued fellow.

“This is using public affairs to settle private scores!” The Butcher immediately became bewildered. More training?! The basic training alone had already worn him out!

“So what? Gonna bite me? Hmph!”

After throwing down these words, An Sheng walked away without looking back, leaving the Butcher behind wailing with tragic determination.

Xun Lili’s body returned to normal after two hours, which brought her immense relief. In her understanding, beauty was more important than power. However, she remained quite unhappy because that detestable An Sheng had come looking for her again.

“What do you want now?” Xun Lili demanded irritably from An Sheng. She had absolutely no interest in this man now. Ever since meeting An Sheng, she’d been plagued by bad luck – this guy was simply her nemesis, her jinx!

“I have something to ask of you.”This was the first time An Sheng had been so meek and submissive toward another woman since his divorce. Of course, the previous Medusa didn’t count—she fell outside the category of women, or even outside the realm of humanity. However, it seemed Xun Lili was also on the verge of transcending human boundaries.

“Go on, what is it?” Although Xun Lili didn’t like An Sheng, this man had saved her life after all, and she wasn’t the kind of person to forget favors.

“I wanted to ask if you could teach me Muay Thai.”

An Sheng looked at the girl before him with devout sincerity. Although his body had become extremely powerful after his mutation, his combat skills were practically nonexistent. This was especially evident during his fight with the Purifier named Chen Mu, which made him acutely aware of his shortcomings. He needed to continue growing stronger to establish himself in this apocalyptic world and protect the people he cared about, as well as the sweet home that was Yushan Fortress.

After consuming Chen Mu’s blood, his Demon Form had mutated once again, particularly the bone spikes protruding from his elbow and knee joints. These could absolutely be called lethal sharp weapons. But how could he maximize the advantages of his body? An Sheng thought of Muay Thai. In his understanding, this martial art primarily used knees and elbows as its main attacking tools, making it the most suitable for his Demon Form. That’s why he had sought out Xun Lili. This young girl seemed highly proficient in Muay Thai, having used its moves during their fight on the mountainside.

“In that case, I have no problem teaching you Muay Thai, but you’ll have to agree to one condition of mine.” After a moment’s thought, Xun Lili decided to instruct An Sheng in Muay Thai techniques, though she couldn’t offer her teachings for free.

“Whatever condition you have, just name it.”

“You also need to train me in how to control my body.”

After calming down, Xun Lili had come to realize what an extraordinary power she had obtained. This power could transform her into a genuine master of the Martial Forest—the kind seen on television, capable of scaling walls and splitting rocks with bare hands.

“No problem. Helping you quickly master your mutation ability is also part of my responsibility. Your becoming stronger would be a blessing for everyone in our Fortress.”

Even if Xun Lili hadn’t made this request, An Sheng would have done everything possible to enhance her combat prowess. Compared to ordinary people with firearms, a Mutant or Purifier’s strength could almost be considered a tactical nuclear weapon, bringing immeasurable benefits to Yushan Fortress.

“If you want to learn Muay Thai, you must first understand its fundamentals…”

Under Xun Lili’s detailed explanation, An Sheng finally gained a comprehensive and systematic understanding of Muay Thai. Also known as “The Art of Eight Limbs,” “The Science of Eight Body Parts,” “Eight-armed Boxing,” “Eight-legged Sport,” or “The Strongest Standing Combat Technique,” Muay Thai allows fighters to use eight points of contact—fists, elbows, knees, and shins—making it arguably the most powerful striking art in stand-up fighting.A skilled practitioner of Muay Thai can utilize all eight limbs as weapons to swiftly defeat opponents within moments. The conditions for a Muay Thai fighter to triumph lie in the comprehensive integration of technique, physical strength, strategic wisdom, and mental energy, with its highest domain manifesting as seamless adaptability and infinite variability—unconstrained by any particular martial arts techniques or fixed forms. This demonstrates Muay Thai as an exceptionally unique, profound, and complete martial arts system.

Some claim Muay Thai is merely Thailand’s combat art without profound mysteries, yet modern Muay Thai has evolved into a combat sport that “originated in Thailand but belongs to the world,” with practitioners spanning the globe. Any martial art that gains global recognition must possess distinctive characteristics and individual value. Muay Thai’s worldwide fame is built upon its brilliant history, and its true essence can never be fully captured in mere words. Through Muay Thai, Xun Lili is opening a gateway to the path of strength for An Sheng.