Republic of China era: Actor? Please call me Martial Arts Master!

Chapter 167 Forging a Hundred Schools of Fist!

"Boom, boom—"

The sound didn't seem like a warship; it sounded more like some kind of large cargo ship, and there were a great many of them.

"Master Lu, something's up!"

The gang leader in charge of steering the ship ran out of the cockpit, sweating profusely and looking pale.

"It seems like we're surrounded by a fleet of ships. The radar is full of dots, and we can't tell what kind of ships they are, but this formation is too eerie."

Several masters, including Liu Wenhua and Yang Chengfu, also went up onto the deck, their brows furrowed.

"Could it be that the Japanese are still up to no good and have sent a water police patrol boat to pursue us?" Cheng Tinghua clenched his fist. Although his internal strength had not fully recovered, the fighting spirit in his eyes was undiminished.

"It doesn't look like it."

Lu Cheng closed his eyes, and his spiritual sense of "seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune" spread along the river mist.

"There's no murderous intent."

"These ships—are merchant ships."

Just as everyone was filled with doubt and uncertainty.

"Waaaaah—waaaah—"

In the thick fog, thirty deep whistles sounded simultaneously, as if they had been rehearsed.

Followed by.

Left, right, front, back —

One after another, massive merchant ships emerged from the thick fog like ghosts and appeared around the steamship.

A full thirty ships!

Every merchant ship flew a huge apricot-yellow flag.

The flag fluttered in the river wind, embroidered with a large black character—【霍】!

"It's the Huo family!"

Old Master Liu Wenhua's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but stroke his beard and laugh heartily.

"What a fine family of martial arts practitioners in Tianjin! That old bastard Huo Qingshan has finally done something a man should do."

Thirty merchant ships, almost identical in size and style.

They did not block the steamship's path, but instead formed an extremely ingenious formation, surrounding the steamship in the very center.

Subsequently, the thirty ships simultaneously went full speed ahead and began to weave and change routes on the wide surface of the Haihe River.

"A maze!"

Mr. Yang Chengfu immediately saw the key to it and was full of praise.

"This is a military formation passed down through the Huo family."

"In this thick fog, thirty identical ships shuttle back and forth. Even if Japanese warships catch up, their radar and searchlights wouldn't be able to distinguish which one is our ship!"

"This is called being unable to distinguish between the real and the fake, and passing off fish eyes as pearls."

This was precisely the path to survival that Old Master Huo had created for Lu Cheng by exhausting the Huo family's wealth.

however.

There is never absolute safety in this world.

Just as the fleet was changing formation in the thick fog, preparing to sail into the estuary and completely shake off its pursuers, at the last moment...

"Buzz"

Lu Cheng's newly formed "fake core" suddenly trembled slightly within his dantian.

An extremely cold killing intent pierced through the thick fog and locked onto Lu Cheng's back.

"They're here."

Lu Cheng's eyes suddenly turned cold.

[Sharp Eyes] instantly pierced through the hundred-meter-thick fog.

Just behind their steamship, a small black speedboat, like a shark skimming the surface of the water, was silently approaching, taking advantage of the blind spots created by the merchant ships.

The bow of the speedboat.

There were two identical people standing there.

They wore tight-fitting black tank tops and half of their faces covered with pale, demonic masks, revealing only the lower half of their bloodless cheeks.

Each of them held two oddly shaped short blades, the edges of which were coated with deadly poison.

They were the brothers, Kazama Tsuki and Kazama Sou.

In the bloody battle at the dock just now, the two were severely injured by Lu Cheng. The older brother, Kazama So, had his chest bones shattered, and the younger brother, Kazama Tsuki, had his meridians destroyed by the Meridian-Severing Technique.

However, to ensure that nothing went wrong, the top brass of the Special Higher Police did not hesitate to use their trump card and performed the forbidden technique "Orochi's Blood Burning" passed down by the Black Dragon Society on them.

This forbidden technique, at the cost of exhausting all life force, forcibly stitched up the shattered bones and suppressed the rebellious flow of qi and blood.

This allowed them to recover and even surpass 70% of their peak combat power after marrow cleansing within just a few hours.

But this is like drinking poison to quench thirst; once the effects of the medicine and the secret technique wear off, the two will inevitably die from their flesh and blood disintegrating.

This was a complete suicide attack.

"Whoosh, whoosh."

When the speedboat was still twenty meters away from the steamship.

The Kazama brothers made a move.

Without using any tools, they pushed off the speedboat deck with their legs and, like two light black water birds, performed an incredible "swallow skimming" maneuver directly on the river.

He tapped his toes twice on the undulating surface of the river.

"Swish"

Two black afterimages, carrying the aura of death, shot straight into the sky, like two sharp scissors, crossing and slashing towards Lu Cheng, who was standing at the stern of the ship.

too fast!

Shunzi and Lu Feng didn't even have time to draw their swords before the old masters saw a blur.

This is an assassination technique that surpasses the limits of the human body; every stab is precisely calculated based on the frequency of the steamship's rocking and the resistance of the wind.

"court death."

Lu Cheng did not back down.

At this half-step Core Formation realm, all the killing moves in the world are as easy to see as patterns on the palm of his hand.

His right hand slowly rested on the weapon at his waist.

That ancient sword, which he always kept wrapped in black cloth and rarely drew its sheath, was called [Po Lu].

"Zheng—!!!"

A clear and resounding dragon's roar, seemingly capable of tearing the sky apart, suddenly exploded in the vast river mist.

The sword is drawn!

A blindingly bright blade of light, more dazzling and piercing than a searchlight, flashed like lightning cleaving through the thick fog.

There are no fancy moves.

There was no unnecessary delay.

Lu Cheng merely used the power of the [False Core] to activate the trace of "Core-Embracing Qi" he had just comprehended within his body and infuse it into the blade.

A simple, straightforward upward flick.

"Pfft!!!"

A flash of light appeared.

In mid-air, the older brother, Kazama So, who was at the very front, didn't even have time to let out a scream.

His proud agility on water, and the poisoned dagger in his hand.

Before that unstoppable blade of light, they were like paper toys.

The man and the knife.

In mid-air, it was forcibly split in two!

Blood rained down, mixed with fragments of internal organs, like a crimson rain, falling freely into the murky Haihe River.

"elder brother!!!"

The younger brother, Kazama Tsuki, had eyes that were practically popping out of their sockets; the coldness in his eyes was instantly replaced by endless fear and rage.

He never expected that the Kazama brothers, who were famous throughout Manchuria, couldn't even withstand a single blow from their opponent.

What kind of sword technique is that?

That was divine punishment!

"Give me your life."

He roared and changed direction recklessly, the short blade in his hand like the fangs of a viper, frantically stabbing towards Lu Cheng's heart.

Lu Cheng's eyes were as cold as ice.

"Since you miss your brother so much, then go down and keep him company."

With a flick of his wrist, the [Breaking the Enemy] Blade traced a mysterious semicircle in the air, the back of the blade deflecting the incoming short blade, and then aimed to slash at the assassin's throat.

"Waaah—!"

Just then.

Suddenly, air raid sirens sounded on the distant river.

Immediately afterwards, huge beams of searchlight swept wildly across the river, and several gunboats flying the Rising Sun flag could be vaguely seen forcibly breaking through the outer defenses of the Huo family's merchant ships and approaching at high speed.

"Master Lu, hurry up to the main cabin. The Japanese gunboats are catching up. We can't be sitting ducks on the deck."

The captain, arranged by Master Yuan, was shouting anxiously in the bridge.

There's no time left.

If Lu Cheng had delayed for even half a second to kill the remaining spy, he himself might have been exposed to the firepower of searchlights and machine guns.

"You're lucky to be alive."

Lu Cheng snorted coldly, and with a slight shift of the blade of his [Breaking the Enemy] sword, he changed his slashing motion to a striking one.

"Bang!"

The blade slammed hard into Kazama Tsuki's chest.

He was struck dumb, coughing up a mouthful of blood. Like a kite with a broken string, he was sent flying more than ten meters away, crashing heavily into the cold waters of the Haihe River. His fate was unknown.

"Walk!"

Lu Cheng sheathed his sword.

He took a deep breath, and the fake elixir within his body began to circulate slightly.

【Ghostly Shadow Walk】!

He didn't take the stairs, but instead lightly touched the deck with his toes.

Like a weightless crane, he rose from the thick fog, his body folding at an incredible angle in mid-air, and "slid" into the second-floor window of the cabin like a ghost.

The movements were fluid and seamless, without making the slightest sound.

The instant he entered the cabin.

"Da da da da da!!!"

A burst of heavy machine gun bullets swept across the deck where he had just been standing, sending up a row of blinding sparks on the metal.

That was close.

Lu Cheng landed steadily on the mahogany floor of the cabin.

He patted non-existent dust off his pale white robe, listening to the distant roar of gunboats outside.

he knows.

Taking advantage of the thick fog and the cover of the Huo family's thirty merchant ships.

They are safe.

They completely shook off that group of Japanese spies and military police who were like mad dogs.

Inside the cabin.

The space was large and decorated in an antique style, with calming sandalwood incense burning.

Liu Wenhua, Yang Chengfu, Cheng Tinghua, and the old master of Tongbei Quan—four figures of unparalleled stature—did not go to rest at this moment.

They sat on mahogany armchairs, their faces still somewhat pale, but their eyes were fixed on Lu Cheng, who had just flown in through the window.

That extremely dangerous stab outside just now.

They could see it clearly through the window.

"Brother Lu————"

-

Old Master Liu Wenhua's voice trembled slightly as he looked at the [Broken Enemy] sword in Lu Cheng's hand, which had already been sheathed, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"That slash you just made—that burst of energy."

"If I'm not mistaken—you, your internal energy cultivation, could it be that you've already crossed the threshold of Transformation Realm and touched that—"

Old Master Liu swallowed hard; he didn't even dare to utter that word lightly, as if saying it would alarm the gods in heaven.

"The Realm of Embracing the Elixir?!"

Upon hearing this, the other three grandmasters also stood up in unison, their breathing becoming rapid.

Embrace the elixir!

That's the legendary realm of a true immortal on land in the world of martial arts!

For decades, apart from those legendary old monsters who secluded themselves in the deep mountains and forests, who in this secular world dares to say that they have touched the threshold of the elixir of immortality?

Lu Cheng looked at the four senior figures who were so excited they couldn't contain themselves.

He did not hide anything.

He walked to the table and poured himself a cup of hot tea.

"It was just luck."

Lu Cheng held his teacup, his tone indifferent.

"Just now at the dock, I saw General Shi force back the Japanese warships, and I saw that the backbone of us Chinese people has not bent. I felt a little moved."

"By a stroke of luck, qi and blood gathered in the dantian, forming a rudimentary 'false elixir'."

"We are still far from truly breaking through the void and seeing the indestructible divine."

"Bang!"

Mr. Yang Chengfu dropped the lid of his teacup onto the table, and his usually smiling, chubby face was now filled with shock.

"False pill - prototype."

"That is also the path to attaining the elixir of immortality."

"Brother Lu, you—you're only in your early twenties!"

"May God bless Chinese martial arts! May Heaven not forsake Chinese martial arts!"

The four venerable masters were so moved that tears streamed down their faces.

In this humiliating era where firearms are rampant and traditional Chinese martial arts are suppressed and questioned, it would be wonderful if a Grandmaster of the Elixir of Immortality could truly emerge.

That will be a towering jade pillar that can support the confidence of the entire nation!

"Brother Lu, I am deeply grateful and cannot express my thanks."

Liu Wenhua took a deep breath to calm his excited emotions.

"You risked your life to save us four old bones, and now you have such earth-shattering cultivation."

"We four old guys discussed it."

Liu Wenhua looked at the other three, and all three nodded solemnly.

"Although our old bones are no longer useful, the insights we've gained from decades of practicing martial arts, and the foundation of these secret techniques passed down by various schools, still have some value."

"This long journey home is also quite leisurely."

"Brother Lu, although your skill level is exceptional, you are still young and your knowledge is quite diverse. Perhaps—"

Liu Wenhua's eyes gleamed with a sharp light, a testament to the unreserved dedication of the older generation of martial artists to passing on their knowledge.

"We old folks are sitting right here in this cabin, having a serious discussion with you."

"7

"The bones of Xingyi, the softness of Taiji, the transformation of Bagua, and the strength of Tongbei."

"We've pulled out all our best stuff, the real stuff, to add fuel to the fire for this 'fake pill' of yours."

Upon hearing this, Lu Cheng's eyes flashed with a dazzling golden light.

He showed no signs of fatigue.

Even though they had just survived a series of life-or-death battles.

He put down his teacup and slowly took out the tattered copy of the Tai Chi Manual he had obtained in Tianjin from his pocket.

"That is indeed my wish, but I dare not ask."

Lu Cheng walked up to the four old masters and bowed deeply.

"Junior Lu Cheng."

"Please, esteemed seniors, offer your guidance!"

The next two days and two nights.

This steamship sailing on the vast Bohai Bay seemed to have transformed into a floating martial arts holy land.

The cabin doors were tightly shut, and no one was allowed to disturb the ship.

Shunzi and Lu Feng, along with their disciples, stood guard outside the cabin, listening to the occasional low shouts, muffled thuds of bones colliding, and the explosive sounds that seemed to shatter the air.

In the cabin.

There were no flashy moves to compete in.

Only the purest martial arts philosophies are colliding and merging fiercely.

"Taiji originates from Wuji, is the mechanism of movement and stillness, and is the mother of Yin and Yang."

Mr. Yang Chengfu himself took to the stage. His round body seemed to have turned into a ball of cotton without substance, and his hands slowly drew a perfect circle in the air.

"Brother Lu, your Bajiquan is too forceful, and your Xingyiquan is too direct. Try using the 'listening force' and 'neutralizing force' of Tai Chi to guide the terrifying qi and blood erupting from that 'false elixir' within your body."

"Don't try to fight it head-on; instead, be like water—embrace it, dissolve it, and ultimately—control it!"

Lu Cheng stood with his eyes closed, his [Exquisite Heart] rapidly absorbing the true teachings of this top Tai Chi master.

He reached out and put his arm around Yang Chengfu's.

"Buzz"

A surge of violent, hidden energy erupted from Lu Cheng's body.

But this time, the hidden force did not cause direct destruction as it had in the past.

When Lu Cheng came into contact with Yang Chengfu's Tai Chi power, which was as smooth as water, his muscles instinctively produced a wonderful "silk-reeling" wriggling motion.

The fierce, hidden force was transformed into a gentle, yielding power at this moment.

"That's the feeling."

Liu Wenhua and Cheng Tinghua, who were standing nearby, slapped the table in admiration.

"The domineering nature of Xingyi, the explosive power of Bajiquan, and the smoothness of Taijiquan."

"Brother Lu, are you trying to fuse the three great internal martial arts styles of the world into one?"

Lu Cheng remained silent.

He was completely immersed in a profound and mysterious enlightenment.

The two opposing images in his mind, the "White Tiger Carrying a Corpse" and the "Zhong Kui Catching a Ghost," were now harmonized by the Yin and Yang principles of Tai Chi.

The boundaries have finally been completely broken.

Strength and gentleness.

Killing and suppressing.

Blood and fire.

A perfect Tai Chi circle was drawn inside his body.

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