Begin your practice with the crane-shaped stance.

Chapter 135 The True Meaning of Martial Arts: Subduing the Dragon!

Xia Dong closed his eyes slightly and focused his mind on his dantian.

In an instant, he released his martial arts blood and qi at the peak of the Transcendent Realm without reservation. The materialized martial arts intent condensed into a long, illusory dragon of blood and qi above his head, its claws outstretched.

The moment this dragon of blood and energy appeared, it was like a drop of ice water being poured into a boiling oil pan, instantly enraging the ancient sword intent that was omnipresent in this space!

Clang!

It was as if a million sharp swords were drawn at the same time.

The surrounding invisible sword energy, like sharks smelling blood, instantly turned around and swept towards Xia Dong's martial arts intent!

"Hiss hiss hiss!"

In an instant, the majestic dragon of blood energy above Xia Dong's head was riddled with holes by the dense sword energy.

"Ugh!" Xia Dong was struck dumb, letting out a muffled groan as two streams of bright red blood flowed down his nose.

The martial arts mind and spirit are closely connected.

The pain of having his mind torn apart was felt deep within his soul.

It was an extreme pain that defied description, as if someone were taking countless rusty knives and slowly scraping at his brain, tearing apart his reason!

"Again!"

Xia Dong gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot.

He frantically drained the vital energy within his body, forcibly repairing the long dragon of martial intent that was about to collapse, and withstood the strangulation of the sword intent, advancing instead of retreating.

The sword intent grew increasingly violent.

Pain! Pain that penetrates to the bone and strikes at the very soul!

Xia Dong's vision began to blur, and countless piercing auditory hallucinations filled his ears. He felt as if his soul had been thrown into a millstone made of countless blades, being ground into mincemeat bit by bit.

Those sword energies were not only cutting through his will, but also frantically destroying his mind.

"Kill—kill everything—"

A bloodthirsty, insane, and tyrannical emotion began to spread wildly deep within his mind.

Xia Dong's body began to tremble violently. His rational defenses were being peeled away layer by layer under the torture that was comparable to being slowly sliced ​​to death. He was about to follow in the footsteps of those mad martial artists.

Just as Xia Dong's rationality was about to completely collapse and his eyes were about to lose the last bit of clarity, at that critical moment when life and death hung by a thread, a simple and ancient bell suddenly reverberated in the deepest part of his mind!

With this resounding bell, as if enlightening the mind, the talent of "one certificate for eternity" was triggered at this moment!

Xia Dong's unfocused pupils instantly refocused, and the madness in his eyes receded like a tide, replaced by ultimate clarity.

"Phew—that was close!"

Xia Dong was panting heavily, his whole body soaked, as if he had just been pulled out of the water.

"Again!" Xia Dong continued after a brief pause.

Moreover, having verified that he would not be mentally destroyed by sword intent, he completely let go of his inhibitions and pushed his martial arts will to its limit.

Within this hellish sword tomb, a chillingly masochistic training session unfolded.

The sword intent surged forth like a raging torrent, tearing his martial arts will to shreds.

The excruciating pain struck, and my mind was on the verge of collapse.

"Clang!" The ancient bell tolled, and "One Proof, Eternal Proof" was activated, instantly restoring the realm.

Summer and winter regrouped, united their will, and rose to the challenge.

Once, ten times, a hundred times —

Each time his will was torn apart and reassembled, the domineering and unparalleled sword intent of the Shangqing Shenxiao Dao around him was like a series of forging hammers, mercilessly smashing Xia Dong's martial arts will, removing and crushing the superficial, chaotic acquired impurities and malevolent energy within it.

In this agonizing cycle, the long dragon of blood and qi above Xia Dong's head grew smaller and smaller.

From its initial length of several feet, it was forcibly "hammered" and compressed to one foot, half a foot, and finally even shrunk to only three feet in length.

Although its size has decreased, its essence is undergoing an astonishing and earth-shattering transformation!

The originally illusory and ethereal martial arts intent has now become incredibly solid, as if it were carved from the purest blood-red glass.

What's even more terrifying is that within this intent, there is a faint trace of the supreme sharpness of ancient great sword cultivators—"unyielding and capable of cutting through everything"!

"This is—the true meaning of martial arts!"

As Xia Dong finally focused his mind again, he suddenly opened his eyes.

He could clearly feel that his essence, energy, and spirit had completed a perfect closed loop of harmonious integration at this moment.

His martial arts intent finally crossed the insurmountable barrier that many Transcendent Realm martial artists could never overcome in their lifetime, and transformed into the true meaning of "Martial Arts Intent"!

An indescribable surge of joy welled up from the bottom of Xia Dong's heart.

He succeeded!

Feeling the martial arts essence within his body, as powerful and invincible as an extension of his own arm, all the inhuman torture he had endured before became incredibly worthwhile at this moment.

People aren't afraid of hardship itself, but rather of enduring hardship without any reward.

Once the anticipated reward arrives, the hardships endured beforehand only serve to highlight the satisfaction of the present moment.

After hardship comes happiness!

Xia Dong sat cross-legged on the dark red wasteland, ignoring the raging sword energy around him, which could no longer shake him in the slightest.

He closed his eyes, carefully sensing the newly born, pure martial arts essence within his spiritual center, as pure as blood-red glass.

This power is no longer a simple burst of muscle strength, nor a brutal accumulation of blood and qi, but rather a complete manifestation of his essence, qi, and spirit.

The culmination of American and European fusion.

He slightly activated his qi and blood, and the three-foot-long materialized true meaning flowed throughout his body.

The Shangqing Shenxiao Dao sword intents that had once caused him unbearable pain and a slow, agonizing pain now collided with this true intent, producing a clanging sound like metal striking metal, and could no longer easily tear through his defenses.

"This is the true essence of life—" Xia Dong felt an indescribable surge of joy and peace.

At this moment, his journey through the martial arts world was vividly clear in his mind.

From initially practicing the Crane-Shaped Stance to perfection in a small courtyard in Pingyang County with the help of an ancient bronze bell, laying the most solid physical foundation; to later practicing the Dragon-Capturing Skill to lock in the violently leaking blood and qi, and deducing the "Dragon-Capturing Hand"; and now breaking through the shackles of the mortal world and transcending the realm of transformation, under the life-and-death trials of this ancient sword tomb, finally tempering his will into a substantial true meaning.

All of this accumulation and preparation has culminated in its most perfect moment.

Xia Dong quietly gazed inward at the crystal-clear dragon of qi and blood, constantly deducing the core mysteries of this true meaning in his mind.

"My martial arts do not seek to conform to destiny, but only to seize the creation of heaven and earth and make it my own."

He thought to himself.

This long dragon of qi and blood was originally a vast and unruly qi and blood within his body, which was extremely prone to leaking out uncontrollably. Now, it was being controlled by this true intent.

Lock it tightly, control it completely, and make it as easy as your own arm.

This is what it means to "conquer oneself".

The path of cultivation is inherently a process of defying the heavens, seizing the creation of heaven and earth, and ultimately returning great power to oneself.

Internally, he subdued the unruly dragon of blood and qi within himself; externally, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, the rare treasures of the world, and even the unparalleled opportunities left behind by the ancient sword cultivator before him, are they not also "dragons of creation" coiled between heaven and earth?

To achieve immortality and freedom in an era of depleted spiritual energy, one must reach out and subdue and plunder all the wonders of the world!

The dragon is the embodiment of creation in this world!

His martial arts are about subduing the dragon of creation!

"Since it was transformed from the 'Dragon Capturing Skill' and carries my martial arts philosophy of plundering the creation of heaven and earth—" Xia Dong suddenly opened his eyes, and two beams of light, as if they were solid, shot out from his deep eyes.

He spoke each word clearly and deliberately, his voice carrying an unwavering resolve: "From this day forward, this true essence of martial arts will be called 'Dragon Subduing'!"

The true meaning of subduing the dragon!

With the establishment of this name, Xia Dong felt completely fulfilled.

At this moment, his essence, energy, and spirit resonated joyfully, and the immense joy and sense of accomplishment of becoming a martial arts master flowed through his limbs and bones like warm spring water.

He slowly stood up.

At this moment, although he did not deliberately release any qi or blood, and not even a trace of a cultivator's magical power fluctuations escaped, his whole being was as still and imposing as a mountain.

After roughly stabilizing his realm, Xia Dong stood quietly on the Sword Tomb Wasteland and began to carefully explore the wonderful uses of the true meaning of the "Dragon Subduing" martial arts.

He tried to throw an ordinary straight punch, and in an instant, the crystalline blood-red true meaning automatically attached itself to the tip of his fist.

With a loud "boom," the air within several feet in front was instantly sucked out, and the fierce fist wind actually smashed several strands of invisible sword energy that were approaching.

Xia Dong's eyes lit up, and he suddenly understood.

He realized that the greatest effect of the true meaning of martial arts was not to conjure up any fancy spells out of thin air, but to provide an extremely terrifying boost to martial arts techniques that matched one's own martial arts path.

Martial arts techniques created by others will ultimately bear the imprint of their own cultivation.

Unless he obtains a legendary, mythical level martial art, forcibly applying ordinary moves will be futile.

This unique "Dragon Subduing" essence is brought to its fullest potential.

"Since there's nothing ready-made, let's create our own!"

Xia Dong immediately assumed a fighting stance, his mind racing as he began to review all the martial arts skills he had accumulated along the way.

He recalled the "Dragon-Capturing Skill," a technique specializing in physical strength and capable of locking and seizing the body's vital energy; he also recalled the top-tier body-refining technique, the "Vajra King Skill," which used violent spiritual energy to brutally cleanse his physical body and lay a terrifying foundation for him.

He constantly dissected and refined the essence of these techniques, perfectly blending the blood-locking and qi-controlling methods of the "Dragon-Capturing Technique" with the vast and powerful energy manipulation of the "Vajra King Technique."

His hands traced mysterious trajectories in the air, sometimes fierce and unparalleled, sometimes calm and steady, as he tried to transform his martial arts foundation into a set of palm techniques unique to him.

Since this palm technique embodies the true meaning of "subduing the dragon," it is only natural that it be named "Dragon Subduing Palm."

As a transmigrator with memories of his past life, he naturally drew inspiration from the renowned "Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms" from martial arts novels of his previous life.

He repeatedly sketched the technique in his mind, and first decided on the first palm strike of this set of palm techniques: "The Dragon Regrets".

"The 'soaring dragon' signifies a dragon that flies too high, its power reaching its peak; 'regret' arises because when strength is exhausted, a flaw is left, giving rise to regret," Xia Dong murmured to himself, his eyes growing clearer. "Therefore, the core of this palm strike lies not in the explosive power of that instant, but in the sense of 'leaving room for more.' Only eight-tenths of one's strength is used, reserving two for a follow-up move and a maneuver. Only by maintaining a continuous, layered force can one truly subdue nature!"

This time, Xia Dong didn't rely on the ancient bronze bell for divination, as it was too expensive. He simply didn't have any high-grade spirit stones right now.

Xia Dong completely immersed himself in this tedious yet unknown creative process.

Putting aside the fact that ancient clocks charge fees, in the end, no matter how perfect the things deduced by ancient clocks are, they are still "given". Only what you understand little by little on your own can truly be integrated into your bones and blood.

For future optimizations, we could consider using a bronze ancient bell. Laying a solid foundation in the early stages is the key to building a towering edifice, but ultimately, it's up to him to do it.

Because he created the palm technique entirely based on his own understanding, Xia Dong's understanding of the true meaning of "Dragon Subduing" became increasingly profound and concrete through repeated deliberation and trial and error.

This enlightenment, coming from within, was like pouring the most solid steel and cement to reinforce the realm he had just broken through, making his martial arts essence as solid as a mountain invisibly.

"I'll use you as my test subjects!"

Xia Dong suddenly looked up, his gaze fixed on the omnipresent, violent sword intent within this sword tomb space.

The seemingly endless sword intent of the Shangqing Shenxiao Dao outside was like an inverted waterfall or a surging ocean tide.

They were tireless and continuous, undoubtedly becoming the perfect opponents for him to test and refine his new palm techniques!

"drink!"

Xia Dong lowered his waist and stood at attention, his blood and qi surging, the true meaning of subduing the dragon gathered in his palm, and he unleashed a "Regretful Dragon" move that was in its initial stages!

"boom!"

A dark red palm wind howled out and collided violently with a sword intent that slashed towards him.

The palm technique, created for the first time, was clearly not yet refined enough. The moment the two forces made contact, the true meaning within the palm wind revealed a flaw due to its clumsy execution. The sharp, invisible sword energy instantly tore through the palm wind, leaving a faint red mark on Xia Dong's arm.

His Vajra Wisdom King skill has also improved!

Xia Dong was secretly pleased and continued the experiment.

"You used too much force this time, you can't take it back, let's try again!"

Immediately afterwards, he raised both palms again, facing the tidal wave of sword intent that surged like a tsunami, and pushed out another palm.

Failure! Adjust! Strike again!

In this oppressive sword tomb, only Xia Dong's tireless growls and the violent sounds of collisions echoed continuously.

The process of creating this palm technique was undoubtedly extremely difficult and painful.

Xia Dong's vital energy and blood were also severely depleted due to the crazy experiments.

Several times, he failed to control the "excessive" power, and was violently slapped away by the tide of sword energy, crashing heavily into the pile of rusty broken swords, the shock almost displacing his internal organs.

But he was like a rough blank being repeatedly forged under fire and hammer, and the light in his eyes became increasingly dazzling.

Through hundreds and thousands of confrontations and beatings, Xia Dong gradually eliminated the impurities from his palm techniques.

He gradually found that subtle balance.

Finally, when faced with yet another overwhelming tsunami of sword intent, Xia Dong took a deep breath and slowly pushed out his right palm.

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

This time, there was no earth-shattering sound of blood and qi exploding.

What appears to be an ordinary palm strike actually contains a terrifying, profound, and unending force.

When the violent sword energy tore through eight parts of the palm force in front, the two parts of hidden strength behind it were like a dormant angry dragon that instantly awakened. Not only did it perfectly fill the gap, but it also unleashed an even more amazing double-layered power!

"Bang!"

A dull, loud bang.

The wave of swords in front of them was actually forced back several feet by Xia Dong's palm strike!

"It's done—"

Looking at his hands, which were covered in scars but remained as steady as a mountain, Xia Dong's face finally broke into an irrepressible joy.

This sense of accomplishment from creating something from nothing and overcoming the oppressive sword intent brought his martial arts spirit to an indescribable sublimation.

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