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Chapter 427 Using Martial Arts to Practice One's Will

At dusk, in a water prison deep inside the mountain.

A sliver of the setting sun peeked through a crack in the cave ceiling, casting a crooked orange patch of light on the damp stone wall.

As dusk deepened, the light spots slowly faded from warm orange to dark red, and their outlines became increasingly blurred.

In the end, it was completely swallowed up by the boundless darkness.

Once the light disappears, this world is left with only pure darkness and death.

The wisps of cold air rising from the deep pool spread along the rock walls throughout the entire space, turning this place into a veritable ice cellar.

The air seemed to freeze, and even breathing felt icy cold.

On the stone platform in the middle of the pool, a figure sat cross-legged.

He was shirtless, his bronze skin outlining rock-like muscles that concealed a formidable power that could erupt at any moment.

But at this moment, his eyes were closed, he was completely still, and even his breathing was so faint that it was almost imperceptible.

It was as if he had already become one with the stone platform beneath him and the surrounding darkness, becoming part of the water prison.

Suddenly, this utmost tranquility was quietly broken.

A faint red light pierced through the skin and flesh at the center of the figure's brow, blooming faintly in the darkness.

The light was faint yet resolute, like a spark buried deep beneath millennia of ice, struggling to break free from its confinement and attempting to awaken.

....................................

A dark and boundless ocean of consciousness.

Here there is no up or down, no four directions, no distinction between heaven and earth.

Only a cluster of crimson-gold flames burned silently in the void.

Fang Cheng's will was immersed in this.

What he was contemplating was this spiritual fire that symbolized the core of the self.

The first step in Ma Jianguo's visualization method is "establishing a purpose".

What is meaning?
Intent is the foundation, the core, and the condensation of a martial artist's lifelong spirit, will, and martial arts philosophy.

For ordinary martial artists, the goal needs to be gradually explored and understood through rigorous training, starting with focusing on imagination from the ethereal and intangible.

But Fang Cheng was different. He had already condensed the prototype of his own "intention" through countless meditations, cultivation, and life-and-death battles.

That is, the undying "flame" in my mind!
At that moment, theory and practice corroborated each other, and Fang Cheng instantly understood.

Next, what I need to do is to use the methods of a martial artist to thoroughly forge and purify this existing "intention".

According to the cultivation techniques described in the manual, the process of establishing one's intention is essentially about seeking within oneself.

Simply put, the person engaging in visualization needs to actively stimulate the negative emotions hidden deep within their consciousness, as well as the mixed thoughts and ideas accumulated from past experiences.

Then, with the most unwavering martial will, shatter, burn, and refine them one by one.

Therefore, during this period, Fang Cheng had to deliberately suppress the flow of true qi within his body and rely solely on pure spiritual power to suppress all "inner demons".

Once this "intention" reaches its purest and most profound state, it will break through all constraints and dominate the body's essence, energy, and spirit.

This process is one of inspiration, purification, and a battle deep within the soul.

As Fang Cheng's visualization deepened, his consciousness touched the deep blue flame core.

The crimson-gold outer flame suddenly trembled violently.

In an instant, it was as if a bomb had been dropped onto the calm surface of a lake.

Hidden deep within the core of the flames, the mixed consciousness that had been forcibly absorbed and suppressed was completely detonated.

The dark world of consciousness was instantly swallowed up by distorted light and shadow, evolving into a series of dangerous illusions.

Boom——

The first test suddenly arrived.

Fang Cheng stood in a primeval forest he had never seen before.

Towering trees blocked out the entire sky, and thick vines hung down like giant pythons.

The air was filled with a damp smell of humus mixed with the stench of blood.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake violently.

A colossal beast, its size comparable to a mountain, parted the trees and strode toward him with heavy, drum-like steps.

Fang Cheng's eyes narrowed, and he instantly recognized that this was the ancient remains from which he had absorbed life energy.

What is manifesting at this moment is the most powerful imprint of the ancient creature's will during its lifetime.

The behemoth was covered in scales that shimmered with a cold light, and its nostrils exhaled the smell of sulfur. Its vertical pupils were filled with contempt and brutality towards weaker creatures.

It suddenly opened its huge mouth and let out a deafening roar!
Fang Cheng's body trembled violently under the impact of the shockwave, but his eyes remained unchanged.

Faced with this apex predator from ancient times, he chose the most direct response.

boom!
The ground beneath his feet cracked with a thud, and his body, like a cannonball, charged forward fearlessly.

A man and a beast collided violently in the jungle.

There are no tricks, only the most primal clash of strength and will.

Fang Cheng's fist slammed into the giant beast's hard head, producing a metallic clang that made his arm go numb.

The giant beast's claws swept across his body, leaving deep, bone-revealing wounds.

But Fang Cheng didn't care at all, and instead became more and more frantic as the fight went on.

He simply abandoned all defense and pushed the speed of his "infinite combo" punches to the extreme.

His arms blurred into afterimages, like two tireless battering sledgehammers, repeatedly striking the same spot on the beast's head.

Finally, after enduring countless heavy blows, a clear crack appeared on the behemoth's hard skull.

"Roar!"

The excruciating pain drove the giant beast completely mad. It lowered its head and rammed its single horn into Fang Cheng.

Fang Cheng neither dodged nor evaded, but grinned and slashed fiercely at the unicorn horn with his right hand, his five fingers pressed together like a knife.

Boom!

The entire primordial world trembled, and eventually crumbled into pieces like shattered glass.

The light kept flashing.

Countless notification messages appeared in another dimension like flowing water.

[You practiced martial arts principles through visualization, honing your willpower. Meditation experience +1]

[Your spirit has been strengthened in the fight against your inner demons, increasing by 0.001]

[You practiced martial arts principles through visualization, honing your willpower. Meditation experience +1]

[Your spirit has been strengthened in the struggle against your inner demons, increasing by 0.001]

………………

The illusion dissipates, and the second trial begins.

Fang Cheng looked around and found himself in a cold, dark, and foggy forest.

It seemed to be the scene from that night in Misty Mountain when they were fighting for the Golden Bamba Bottle.

There were rustling noises all around.

Countless greedy and venomous eyes lurked in the shadows, gleaming with an eerie light.

Soon, one by one, treasure hunters wielding weapons emerged from the mist and surrounded him.

"Stop pretending, Fang Cheng!"

"You're just like us, a murderer!"

"You cultivate to become stronger just to kill more people and seize more treasures, right?"

"Why don't you just join us? Let's all kill them and rob them!"

The foul language, like a demonic whisper, tried to shake his mind.

Fang Cheng remained expressionless, not even lifting his eyelids.

He simply turned his head slowly, his cold gaze sweeping over the distorted faces around him.

"Noisy!"

The moment he finished speaking, Fang Cheng rushed into the crowd like a hurricane.

There are no unnecessary movements, only the simplest and most direct punches, kicks, elbow strikes, and knee strikes.

His body transformed into the most terrifying killing machine.

Where the fist struck, the figure shattered.

The shadow of a leg swept by, and the illusion vanished.

The profanities abruptly ceased, replaced by terrified screams before the illusion shattered. In the blink of an eye, silence returned.

Fang Cheng stood with his fist clenched, his body spotless.

The best way to uphold one's martial will is to completely eradicate the inner demons that these deserving-to-die individuals have transformed into.

The fog dissipated, and the forest vanished.

The scene suddenly changes again.

This time, Fang Cheng found himself sitting on a golden throne in a magnificent palace.

Below, civil and military officials and envoys from all nations knelt in a dense, dark mass, their shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" deafening.

Countless treasures of gold and silver were piled up like mountains, and beautiful women served fine wine and delicacies with utmost care.

This is simply the pinnacle of male power and desire.

Clearly, seeing that killing was ineffective, the inner demon began to use the trick of temptation.

Fang Cheng's gaze swept over everything indifferently, his eyes as still as an ancient well.

He immediately stood up, pushed aside the beauty beside him, and walked straight down from the throne towards the outside of the palace.

Just as I was about to step out of the palace gate, a loud shout came from behind me:
"The tyrannical ruler is incompetent; execute him!"

The kneeling officials below echoed his sentiments, their expressions instantly changing as they transformed into rebel soldiers wielding sharp blades, charging towards him from all directions.

Fang Cheng snorted coldly, stopped in his tracks, and then turned around.

The violent fist wind transformed into a tangible shockwave, centered on itself, completely leveling the entire palace and everyone inside.

Countless notification messages flowed by once again, like a stream.

[You practiced martial arts principles through visualization, honing your willpower. Meditation experience +1]

[Your spirit has been strengthened in the fight against your inner demons, increasing by 0.001]

[You practiced martial arts principles through visualization, honing your willpower. Meditation experience +1]

[Your spirit has been strengthened in the struggle against your inner demons, increasing by 0.001]

………………

As midnight quietly descended, the chill in the water prison reached its peak, almost freezing solid.

The body on the stone platform, however, resembled a red-hot furnace, radiating astonishing heat.

Large amounts of sweat seeped out from the pores, and were then evaporated by the high temperature on the skin's surface, turning into wisps of white vapor.

Upon contact with the chilling air of the water dungeon, it emitted a soft hissing sound.

This is precisely the essence of the "Thunder and Fire Cauldron" method.

Use yourself as the furnace, your inner demons as the fuel, and your will as the raging fire.

Then, draw upon the most yin and cold energy from the outside world as quenching water, forging the purest true self in the extreme clash between ice and fire.

Outside, the moon sets and the sun rises.

The interplay of light and shadow on the stone wall shows the passage of time.

Fang Cheng remained seated cross-legged, as still as a mountain.

Amidst the rising and swirling white steam, a "domain" shrouded in darkness seemed to have formed.

Meanwhile, in the world of consciousness, after successively defeating several powerful inner demons, Fang Cheng finally faced the ultimate challenge.

The entire space of consciousness was completely torn apart by two terrifying forces.

On one side, there was a deep, boundless blue.

That mysterious phantom seemed to transform into the ocean itself, carrying a vast will to encompass all things, wanting to bring this world into its order.

On the other side, there was a ferocious, bloodthirsty dark red.

A colossal crimson eye, obscuring the sky, radiates an essence of destruction, pollution, and chaos, threatening to drag everything into an abyss of madness.

They confront each other like two opposing poles, vying for dominance over this space of consciousness.

"Here we go again, pretending I don't exist?"

Witnessing this scene again, Fang Cheng showed no fear; instead, a smile of excitement appeared on his lips.

The clenched fists cracked with a popping sound, and under the immense pressure exerted by these two wills, the muscles throughout the body bulged rapidly.

Veins, like dragons, meandered beneath his flushed skin.

puff!puff!puff!
With a sound like the tension of a steel cable being untied, the back muscles finally tensed up, revealing a weeping, ghostly face.

"Then I'll blow you all to smithereens!"

Fang Cheng let out a roar that came from his very soul.

His soaring fighting spirit exploded, transforming into a raging fire that engulfed his entire body.

Immediately afterwards, his figure soared into the sky, launching the first attack on the enormous eyeball that blotted out the heavens and the earth.

Thump thump thump thump— Thump thump thump thump—

Like the continuous sonic boom of machine guns, it suddenly exploded throughout the entire space.

In an instant, Fang Cheng's arms transformed into countless afterimages, indistinguishable to the naked eye, weaving into an impenetrable net of flames that covered the enormous eyeball.

The Crimson Eyes immediately launched a counterattack, unleashing a barrage of countless tentacles.

However, upon encountering the storm of fist shadows, they were mercilessly blasted and torn apart, as if caught in a meat grinder.

However, just as Fang Cheng was launching a full-scale attack, the vast blue will on the other side also launched an attack.

There was no earth-shattering noise, only absolute tranquility.

A force carrying the connotations of order and assimilation surged forth like a tidal wave.

Fang Cheng felt as if everything around him began to "freeze".

The violent sonic boom turned muffled, and the speed of the punches visibly sluggish, as if they were sinking into an invisible quagmire.

An icy, chilling will seeped into his senses, attempting to freeze his burning fighting spirit and make him accept that eternal "tranquility" and "destiny".

In this situation, the two behemoths actually chose to join forces to attack their own master.

The pressure on Fang Cheng suddenly increased dramatically.

At that moment, the tentacles of the Crimson Eye seized the opportunity to wrap around his limbs, tearing them apart in a frenzy.

The blue will was coldly eroding his soul, making his ferocious punches increasingly sluggish.

Fang Cheng frowned deeply, finding himself in a perilous situation where he was attacked from both sides.

He was already at his limit after the battle, and now things were only getting worse.

At this critical moment, a strange resonance came from the outside world.

In reality, the inscriptions left by the ancestors of the Ma family on the stone walls surrounding the water prison all emitted a soft white light.

Ancient characters detached from the stone wall, transforming into light and shadow that penetrated the pool and surrounded Fang Cheng's body.

A series of deep, resonant hums followed, as if countless ancestors were cheering him on across time and space.

It wasn't a direct infusion of power, but rather a blessing of will, a transmission and resonance of the spirit of martial arts.

This warm yet unwavering spiritual torrent surged into the world of consciousness, instantly shattering the cold "tranquility."

Inspired by this power, Fang Cheng's spirits soared, his fighting spirit was rekindled, and it reached an unprecedented peak.

"Break it for me!"

He roared to the sky, and the previously suppressed crimson-gold flames on his body suddenly surged.

Interspersed among them are wisps of pure white light representing the will of our ancestors.

Click!

The scarlet tentacles that had been wrapped around him were all severed, and his sluggish body regained its freedom.

Fang Cheng's punches suddenly became even more ferocious and violent than before.

Each punch not only shattered the eyeball's defenses, causing them to crack inch by inch.

The violent fiery fist wind tore through space, causing the deep blue area to ripple violently and evaporate a large portion of it.

One notification message after another rushed by like a waterfall.

[You have resonated with the will of your ancestors and successfully resisted a powerful inner demon. Meditation experience +1]

[Your will has withstood extreme trials; Spirit +0.001]

[You have resonated with the will of your ancestors and successfully resisted a powerful inner demon. Meditation experience +1]

[Your will has withstood extreme trials; Spirit +0.001]

………………

(End of this chapter)