Martial Arts Crossover: My master tricked Huang Rong into becoming my wife!

Before long, the master and his apprentice arrived deep in the bamboo forest.

Chen Yanzhou followed behind Hong Qigong, muttering to himself.

"Master, are we here to pass on our skills or to feed mosquitoes? Why did we have to come to this desolate wilderness? It's so dark, what if I accidentally slap you in the face? That would be a grave crime of betraying our master and ancestors."

"Enough with the nonsense." Hong Qigong stopped walking without turning his head.

This is a clearing deep in the bamboo forest, surrounded by dense bamboo groves, so dense that not even a sliver of moonlight can penetrate.

Chen Yanzhou found some dry grass, then lit it with a tinderbox, and the orange-red flames instantly dispelled the darkness.

"Sit down." Hong Qigong sat cross-legged by the fire and pointed to the seat opposite him.

Chen Yanzhou put away his playful smile and sat down obediently.

"Yanzhou, do you know why the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms can dominate the martial arts world?" Hong Qigong picked up a dry branch and poked at the flames.

"Because it's fierce?" Chen Yanzhou asked tentatively.

"Ferocity is just the surface." Hong Qigong shook his head and threw the dry branch into the fire. "If you only seek strength, then the Iron Palm Clan's Iron Palm Kung Fu is not bad, and the Great Handprint of the Western Regions Tantric Sect is even more powerful. But the wonder of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms lies in the four words 'excessive power'."

"More than enough?"

"Indeed, this palm technique is something I learned from the Book of Changes. It emphasizes the principle that 'the dragon that soars too high will regret it, and fullness cannot last long.'" Hong Qigong stared intently at Chen Yanzhou. "When you're in business, do you aim to make every last penny?"

Chen Yanzhou was taken aback, then shook his head: "That won't do. In business, you have to leave some room for maneuver. If you drive both upstream and downstream companies to their deaths, the business will come to an end. You have to let others have a share too; only a steady stream of income can ensure long-term success."

"Hey! You rascal." Hong Qigong chuckled and continued, "The way of martial arts is also connected to your business acumen. The Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms may look fierce and unparalleled, but in reality, each strike must reserve three-tenths of its power. This three-tenths of power is not unleashed, but rather contained and not revealed, drawn out without being released. If the enemy is strong, this three-tenths of power is the follow-up move; if the enemy is weak, this three-tenths of power is the finishing move."

Chen Yanzhou seemed to be deep in thought.

Isn't this just the "cash flow reserve" and "risk control" of modern enterprises? They seem to be expanding at all costs, but in reality, they always have emergency funds on hand, ready to deal with any unexpected situations.

"Got it?"

"About all of them."

"If you understand, memorize the formula." Hong Qigong's expression turned serious, and his lips moved slightly as a string of obscure and difficult-to-understand syllables popped out of his mouth.

"The Qian hexagram, line 92: The dragon appears in the field; it is advantageous to see a great man... Line 95: The flying dragon is in the sky; it is advantageous to see a great man... Line 96: The dragon that has gone too far will have regrets..."

This formula is not simply a description of the moves, but a method for channeling energy in conjunction with breathing techniques.

Each character corresponds to a node in the body's meridians. How true qi flows, accumulates, and explodes is all contained in these few hundred characters.

Chen Yanzhou closed his eyes and carefully memorized the words. Hong Qigong only read them once, but the words were imprinted in his mind.

As he finished speaking, Chen Yanzhou opened his eyes and smiled.

"Master, I've memorized it."

Hong Qigong had just picked up his wine gourd to moisten his throat when he heard this and almost choked: "Cough cough... You've memorized it all? You've memorized it all?"

"Hmm." Chen Yanzhou nodded, and then began to recite, from the general principles to the methods of channeling energy, without missing a single word. He even corrected a single mispronounced sound by Hong Qigong.

Hong Qigong also realized that this kid had a photographic memory; it would be strange if he couldn't memorize it.

"Memorizing it isn't a skill; you have to practice it." Hong Qigong coughed lightly, stood up, and pointed to a bamboo pole about the thickness of a bowl next to him. "Use the first move, 'The Dragon Regrets,' to strike it."

Chen Yanzhou stood up and took a deep breath.

He recalled the incantation he had just heard, and the true energy in his dantian surged like a river bursting its banks, rushing up his spine to the Dazhui point, then splitting into his shoulders, and finally converging in his right palm.

At that moment, he felt as if his entire right arm had swelled up and was filled with power.

"drink!"

"The dragon that soars too high will regret it!"

Chen Yanzhou slightly bent his left leg, bent his right arm inward, drew a circle with his right palm, and pushed it outward with a whoosh.

This palm strike was straightforward and without any fancy moves.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud.

The bamboo stalk, as thick as a bowl, shook violently, and bamboo leaves fell in a flurry, like a green rain.

However, the bamboo did not break, and there wasn't even a crack.

Chen Yanzhou withdrew his palm, looked at the intact bamboo, and scratched his head somewhat awkwardly: "Master, it seems... I used the wrong force? Is it because my internal energy is not yet sufficient?"

Hong Qigong didn't say anything, but walked to the bamboo with his hands behind his back and gently poked it with his finger.

"Click."

The seemingly intact bamboo stalk shattered inch by inch from the point of force under his finger, turning into bamboo strands scattered on the ground.

Hong Qigong's pupils contracted slightly.

This palm strike wasn't uninterrupted; rather, the force penetrated into the target.

The exterior is undamaged, but the interior is completely shattered.

To achieve this on the first attempt at cultivation demonstrates that one has already mastered the control of internal energy.

"So-so." Hong Qigong suppressed the turmoil in his heart, turned around, and calmly commented, "The force did penetrate, but it's too scattered. If you encounter an internal martial arts master, this force will be neutralized as soon as it enters, and you'll even suffer a backlash injury."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yanzhou immediately and humbly asked, "What should we do then?"

"Withdraw!" Hong Qigong stretched out his palm and grabbed at the air. "Seven-tenths of the palm force should be released, and three-tenths should be left to swirl in the palm. That is the essence of the word 'regret'."

As he spoke, Hong Qigong personally demonstrated it once. His movements were extremely slow, and it was even possible to sense the application of internal energy.

"Did you see it clearly?"

"It seems... I can see it clearly now."

"Again."

Chen Yanzhou stood still again, closed his eyes, and gathered, rotated, and compressed his true energy in his palm.

"The dragon that soars too high will regret it!"

Chen Yanzhou suddenly opened his eyes and struck out with his palm.

This time, there was no earth-shattering sound, only a very low "plop".

The palm strike didn't spread; instead, it condensed into a rope and burrowed straight into another bamboo pole in front of it.

Chen Yanzhou withdrew his palm and stood up, feeling a surge of blood and qi in his chest, with the remaining three-tenths of his strength surging through his meridians.

"Click...click click..."

The bamboo in front of me made a sickeningly crisp sound.

Immediately afterward, starting from the spot where the palm struck, a crack meandered upwards, instantly covering the entire bamboo stalk.

"boom!"

The entire bamboo suddenly exploded, not into bamboo strips, but into countless tiny fragments the size of fingernails, which shot out in all directions.

A few pieces of bamboo flew past Hong Qigong's cheek and embedded themselves in the tree trunk behind him.

Hong Qigong subconsciously touched his cheek, where there was a very faint red mark.

The bamboo forest was deathly silent, save for the crackling sound of the fire.

Chen Yanzhou looked at the broken bamboo scattered on the ground and was startled himself: "Master, this time... did I use too much force?"

Hong Qigong didn't answer, but stared at him for a long time before slowly speaking: "You brat, did you secretly practice before?"

"I'm innocent!" Chen Yanzhou raised his hands. "I've never practiced anything other than the Hun Tian Gong, Xiao Yao You, and Bai Na Gui Yuan Gong that you taught me."

"That would be truly unbelievable."

Hong Qigong circled Chen Yanzhou twice, marveling, "The essence of the 'Regretful Dragon' move lies entirely in the word 'regret.' It took the old beggar three whole months to understand this principle back then."

He stopped and patted Chen Yanzhou's shoulder with great force.

"You're quite something, you got right on your second try. Although your aim was a bit off, that 'leaving room for error' attitude was genuine."

Chen Yanzhou rubbed his shoulder, which had been slapped so hard, and chuckled, "Master, I taught you well."

Upon hearing this, Hong Qigong chuckled.

"You little brat!"

"Since you're so quick to learn, this old beggar will teach you a few more tricks tonight."

Hong Qigong also got interested and casually broke off a bamboo branch, then started drawing on the ground.

"The Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms are interconnected, with each move linked to the next. Now that you understand the principle of conserving strength in 'The Dragon Regrets,' the next move, 'The Flying Dragon in the Sky,' will teach you how to borrow momentum."

"Leveraging existing trends?"

"Not bad." Hong Qigong's figure swayed, and his whole body spread like a roc spreading its wings, instantly rising two zhang high, looking down from above, and slapping down with his palm.

"When one is at a high position, one's momentum is unstoppable; this palm strike borrows the power of heaven!"

boom!

The palm strike landed, instantly creating a palm print half a foot deep on the ground, with radial cracks appearing in the surrounding soil.

Chen Yanzhou's eyes lit up as he looked at it.

……

That night, the wind howled through the bamboo forest, occasionally accompanied by the sounds of an old man and a young man arguing.

"No! This 'Dragon Appears in the Field' move is a defensive counter-attack; you're just offering your face to be hit!"

"Master, this is called luring the enemy deep into your territory; you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub!"

"What the hell are you going to use to put a glove on a broken rib? Start over!"

……

As dawn broke and the first light of day appeared in the east, the morning sun pierced through the bamboo forest and sprinkled its light on the scattered bamboo leaves on the ground.

Chen Yanzhou lay on the ground in a "spread-eagle" position, his chest heaving violently, his clothes soaked with sweat, every muscle aching and trembling, but the radiance on his face was more dazzling than the rising sun.

Overnight, he learned the first ten moves of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms.

Although he had only just begun to understand the basics and was far from mastering them, he could clearly feel that the true energy within his body had found an outlet and was no longer something he could only use for brute force as before.

Hong Qigong sat on a rock to the side, waving an empty wine gourd in his hand, looking at his disciple on the ground, a complex look flashing in his eyes.