Chinese martial arts: From human punching bags to martial arts mastery

"A bunch of useless trash!"

Water Rat held a thick stack of ledgers made of human skin, his triangular eyes wide open, veins bulging on his forehead, his expression anxious to the point of being ferocious.

His beard and hair stood on end as he unleashed a torrent of abuse on his men, who were grinding and peeling food on the table. His rough, hoarse voice made everyone's eardrums ache: "You all better get to work! You've kept me waiting for so long, and you're still not done? Do you want to die?!"

Before he could finish speaking...

"Whoosh whoosh-"

Two masked figures emerged from below the stage like ghosts, their movements swift as the wind; they were none other than Chen Feng and Hu Mingxuan.

Chen Feng leaped forward, so fast that only a blurry afterimage remained, and stood directly in front of Shui Haozi. His eyes, hidden beneath the black robe and mask, were as cold as ice, instantly locking onto the bandit leader and leaving him no way out.

"Who?"

Water Rat was shocked and furious, and instinctively attacked!

He has already entered the middle stage of Ming Jin in Tongbei Quan, and his boxing style has been partially mastered. He has been immersed in the art of silk reeling for many years and has become highly skilled. He rarely encounters opponents of the same level in the underworld.

"call--"

Suddenly, he swung his right arm, using his shoulder to propel his elbow and then his elbow to power his hand, unleashing a powerful "Mountain-Splitting Fist" that pierced the air with a sharp, piercing sound, aimed straight at Chen Feng's crown!

The force of the punch was fierce and violent; even before the fist landed, the biting wind had already made people's skin sting.

"Hey--"

Instead of retreating, Chen Feng advanced, his body's protective energy, which was at the initial stage of hard qigong, instantly tightened, his muscles bulging like steel plates. At the same time, he slumped his shoulders and dropped his elbows, his right arm straightening like an iron whip, and unleashed a back-piercing palm strike, using hard against hard and speed against speed!

"Bang—!"

The fists and palms clashed violently, and the dull thud caused the ashes of the millstone to fall in a shower!

A surge of hot, powerful energy rushed through Chen Feng's body, making him feel as if his meridians were being thoroughly cleansed and refreshed.

Heaven rewards diligence; success is inevitable.

[Minor Mastery of Hard Qigong: 500/1000]

A head-on clash led to another step forward in hard qigong's development beyond the initial stage.

Chen Feng felt a surge of joy, and old and new grudges welled up in his heart instantly. His eyes grew colder and sharper, and he spoke each word with a sharp edge, each word dripping with blood.

"Dead rat!"

"Do you still remember when you used rotten medicine on the Earth Dragon?"

"Do you still remember how you tried to kill me?"

"I swore to myself right then and there—before I kill you, you'd better do something for me!"

Before he could finish speaking...

"Pfft—"

The force of the powerful shockwave caused the water rat to cough up a mouthful of blood. The force traveled up his arm and slammed into his shoulder and neck, causing his tiger's mouth to burst open and his blood to surge.

That familiar boxing stance, that unique way of generating power, that unforgettable hatred...

Water Rat's pupils constricted sharply, his expression one of utter horror: "It's you! You...you're Chen Feng!"

He couldn't believe that the poor kid who had struggled in the "Earth Dragon" gang was hiding so well!

"Oh no!"

What alarmed him even more was that Chen Feng arrived so quickly that he had no time to react or prepare.

"Just thinking about the rumors circulating in the martial arts world!"

Water Rat's face turned deathly pale instantly, terror washing over him like a tidal wave.

He had already received intelligence that Chen Feng and Qian Hu were fighting at the garbage bridge, and he was already suspicious and somewhat fearful.

Now that he was truly facing Chen Feng, his fear instantly reached its peak.

"Impossible... How could you be so strong!"

Water Rat let out a strange cry, no longer daring to fight head-on. It suddenly lowered its body and lowered its waist, using the Tongbei Flash Step, its feet tapping repeatedly as it desperately retreated, trying to create distance and escape.

As he retreated, he begged hoarsely for mercy, his voice trembling uncontrollably: "Chen Feng! Master Chen! Spare my life! I'll offer a thousand silver dollars, just please spare my life!"

Chen Feng stared at the once high-ranking alleyway boss, his face expressionless, his steps firm and relentless, his initial strength of Tongbei Quan rising steadily.

"You wretched brat! Don't be so ungrateful!"

Seeing that bribery was useless, the water rat was terrified and roared in a weak voice, "Attack! Stop him! Stop him all of you!"

He wanted to use his men as scapegoats so he could escape.

But Hu Mingxuan was already like a tiger descending the mountain. With his fists and feet flying, he held all of Shui Haozi's men firmly on the outside, and a chaotic battle broke out, with no one able to rush over to rescue him.

next second.

Chen Feng shifted his feet, completely blocking Shui Haozi's retreat like an iron gate. His Tongbei Fist technique was taut like a fully drawn bow, and his aura was as deep and solid as a mountain.

Seeing that there was no way to retreat, the water rat's face turned ashen, and all that remained was a desperate roar: "I have no grudge against you, why do you have to kill me!"

His pupils contracted sharply, and he could only grit his teeth and muster all his strength at the mid-stage of Ming Jin to launch a fierce counterattack.

The two instantly transformed into two afterimages, clashing in a lightning-fast exchange in the center of the millstone platform.

Fists collided with fists, forces clashed with forces, and crackling sounds of air explosions rang out one after another, sending wood chips and gravel flying wildly through the air.

After a fierce battle...

Chen Feng's body was filled with surging energy like boiling water, and a powerful force was rising in his meridians. The original sluggish barrier of the early stage of Ming Jin was suddenly broken through after a series of fierce battles and fighting to sustain himself!

The muscles and bones resonated, the blood and qi surged like thunder, every inch of muscle cheered and leaped with joy, the power permeated the whole body, the whole person seemed to grow taller by half an inch, and the momentum surged by a lot!

"good!"

Chen Feng was overjoyed. On his retina, a line of ancient and vigorous golden characters suddenly lit up.

Heaven rewards diligence; success is inevitable.

[Tongbei Quan - Minor Success in Stance Training: 500/1000]

His cultivation has already reached the mid-stage of Ming Jin!

Coupled with the surge in his hard qigong just now, Chen Feng felt a surge of domineering confidence, as if he could look down on everyone and be invincible. He muttered to himself, "If I encounter Qian Hu again, I will have the strength to fight him!"

"Damn it! This kid gets stronger the more he fights, he's practically a monster!" Water Rat was so overwhelmed by Chen Feng's sudden surge of power that he felt a tightness in his chest and could barely breathe. Terrified, he immediately screamed wildly into the thick fog, "Mishima-kun, save me!"

Seeing the fog so still and unresponsive, his last glimmer of hope vanished completely.

A ruthless glint flashed in the water rat's eyes, knowing full well that without a desperate gamble, there was no way to survive today.

Then he suddenly lowered his shoulders and waist, his arms coiled around the tree like a venomous snake, his fingers gripped and his wrists twisted, unleashing the most insidious and difficult move in Tongbei Quan, the "Silk Entangling Arm Lock"!

With a twist and lock of his arms, he tried to forcefully entangle Chen Feng's right arm and then use the twisting force to break his elbow bone!

He had honed this silk-reeling technique for over a decade, and countless martial arts heroes had been ensnared and twisted by it, their arms broken and bones fractured on the spot, leaving them crying and kneeling on the ground.

"Lock it up!"

Water Rat's eyes were bloodshot. He poured all the power of his mid-stage Ming Jin into his arms, his knuckles turning white as he gripped Chen Feng's forearm tightly and twisted his wrist sharply!

With a soft "click," the joints trembled as they were constricted by the binding force.

But the next moment, Water Rat's expression changed drastically.

He felt as if he had been entangled not with flesh and blood, but with a piece of red-hot iron!

Chen Feng unleashed his full power from his minor mastery of hard qigong, his forearm muscles suddenly tensing up as if cast iron and steel were being poured into them. Just as the opponent's silk-reeling force was locking in, he suddenly shuddered, collapsed, and exploded!