Shooting the Eagle: Starting from Iron Palm Peak

The official road stretched south, passing through rice paddies and villages. The four men rode their horses at a leisurely pace, none of them in a hurry.

Lin Qi had been thinking about one thing these past few days. His martial arts skills had improved too quickly—the combination of three great opportunities—snake blood, the Nine Yin Manual, and the Iron Palm Technique—had allowed him to cover in a single year what others took ten or even twenty years to achieve.

But this progress is illusory; it needs to be verified.

He had already experienced the martial arts of Ouyang Ke from White Camel Mountain and Mei Chaofeng from Peach Blossom Island; now he wanted to try the martial arts of the Northern Beggar.

The Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms is the number one palm technique in the world. Hong Qigong taught it to him personally, and its method is upright and legitimate.

When sparring with Guo Jing, he could confidently test his moves without worrying about underhanded tactics.

More importantly, he wanted to personally experience the changes in the power of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, not to steal the technique, but to verify the Iron Palm Skill.

As Qiu Qianren once said, all martial arts under heaven lead to the same goal, and the more you learn, the further you can go on your path.

That evening, the four of them stopped for a meal at the foot of a mountain. There was an open space in the backyard of the inn, overgrown with weeds, with several bundles of firewood piled against the wall, which was a perfect place for them to practice their skills.

Lin Qi put down his teacup and looked at Guo Jing.

"Brother Guo, if you're free later, how about we spar a few moves?"

Guo Jing was taken aback. Usually, it was him who brought it up, and Lin Qi would agree. Today, Lin Qi spoke first, which surprised him somewhat, then he smiled sheepishly: "Alright! I was just about to ask Brother Lin for some pointers myself."

Huang Rong was slowly sipping her tea when she heard this. She put down her teacup, glanced at Lin Qi, and then at Guo Jing. She recalled how Lin Qi had defeated Ouyang Ke in three moves outside Baoying City, and she understood the situation.

Lin Qi's martial arts skills were far beyond what Guo Jing could match. A slight smile curved her lips, her tone light yet earnest: "Brother Jing, don't be reckless. If Brother Lin gets serious, you won't be able to handle it."

Guo Jing scratched his head: "I know. It's just a friendly spar, we should stop when we've reached our limit."

Huang Rong didn't say anything more. She knew that Lin Qi wouldn't hurt Guo Jing, but she was worried that this silly boy wouldn't know his place and would exhaust himself. But then she thought, it's good for him to be tired, so he won't have trouble sleeping at night.

Mu Nianci stood under the eaves, leaning quietly against a pillar, her gaze fixed on Lin Qi. The moonlight had not yet risen, and the afterglow of the setting sun bathed her profile in a pale gold. She said nothing, made no movement, and simply stood there quietly.

As the sun set, the light turned from white to gold. The two walked to the center of the courtyard, stood three steps apart, and clasped their hands in a gesture of respect. Huang Rong pulled Mu Nianci back to the eaves, took out a handful of melon seeds from her sleeve, and began cracking them open while watching the scene unfold, looking like she was enjoying a show.

Guo Jing moved first. He unleashed the first move of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, "The Dragon Regrets," bending his right arm inward and drawing a circle with his right palm before thrusting it out with a whoosh. The force of the palm strike was fierce, sending the pile of dry firewood in the courtyard tumbling twice.

Lin Qi did not back down. He extended his right palm, meeting the attack with the first stance of his Iron Palm Kung Fu, "Pushing Mountain Stance." The two palm forces collided, producing a muffled thud.

Guo Jing took three steps back, but Lin Qi remained motionless.

Guo Jing paid no heed, his second palm strike, "Flying Dragon in the Sky," already following. He leaped into the air, striking downwards with immense force. Lin Qi dodged to the side, avoiding a direct confrontation. He didn't want it to end too quickly; he wanted to witness a few more moves.

Guo Jing's palm strike missed its mark. He spun in mid-air and launched his third palm strike, "Dragon Appears in the Field," horizontally. Lin Qi used his left hand to deflect the force, redirecting Guo Jing's palm strike to the side. Guo Jing felt as if his palm strike had hit a ball of cotton. He quickly withdrew his force and took a step back.

"Again," Lynch said. His tone was calm, as if he were chatting with a friend over tea.

Guo Jing's spirits lifted, and he unleashed a flurry of palm strikes, one after another. "Hidden Dragon, Do Not Use," "Advantageous to Cross the Great River," "Wild Goose Gradually Approaching the Land"... Each palm strike carried an overwhelming momentum, growing faster and fiercer with each strike, the wind from his palms whipping up the withered leaves in the courtyard, sending them flying wildly through the air.

Lin Qi responded with his Iron Palm technique, sometimes blocking, sometimes dodging, and sometimes using the opponent's force against them, but never launching an attack.

He is feeling.

The power of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms was unparalleled, but what truly surprised him was the "momentum" behind it. When he struck out, not only was the force overwhelming, but it also carried a sense of oppression, as if what was coming towards him was not a person's palm, but a wall or a mountain.

Guo Jing was far from mastering the technique, but the essence of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms was slowly taking shape. Lin Qi countered the moves while silently recording them in his mind.

He deliberately suppressed his strength, using less than half of his internal energy. His true martial arts skills far surpassed Guo Jing's; if he went all out, Guo Jing wouldn't last more than a few moves. But he didn't want that. He needed Guo Jing to unleash all eighteen palm strikes, so he could see and understand them completely.

Guo Jing continued striking with palm after palm, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, his breathing becoming heavier. He was unaware that he was being suppressed; he only felt that Lin Qi's movements were too fast. Every time his palm strikes were about to touch Lin Qi's clothes, Lin Qi would effortlessly dodge them. The Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, a palm technique capable of pushing mountains and overturning seas, was useless if it couldn't hit its target; no matter how powerful the force, it was all for naught.

"Don't use all your strength," Lin Qi suddenly said. "You've used all your strength in every strike, leaving no room for retreat. If I just dodge, you won't be able to take it back."

Guo Jing's heart skipped a beat. Hong Qigong had said something similar, but it's easy to know the principle, but difficult to put it into practice. The power of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms lies in its fierceness; if you hold back even a third of your strength, its power is diminished.

He tried to withdraw 20% of his strength, and the change of move was indeed faster, but the palm force was also much weaker.

Lin Qi didn't put pressure on him. He stood within Guo Jing's attack range, unhurried and calm, as if taking a stroll. He could predict the landing point of every palm strike Guo Jing made in advance—by watching the shoulder, the eyes, and the footsteps. Hong Qigong had taught him these things, and Qiu Qianren had also taught him.

Guo Jing's moves were too conventional, lacking variation and deception; they were easily predictable. This wasn't Guo Jing's fault; it was because he practiced too diligently, executing each move meticulously and never taking any shortcuts.

After exchanging more than a dozen blows, Lin Qi used the momentum to leap away, retreating to a distance of ten feet, and withdrew his palm.

"Brother Guo, let's call it a day."

Guo Jing, panting, withdrew his palms, sweat streaming down his face. He had used all his strength in that beating, and although he hadn't landed many blows, his stamina had been far greater than during his usual training. He clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "Brother Lin, your movements are too fast; I couldn't hit you at all."

Huang Rong ran out from under the eaves, took Guo Jing's arm, and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat, but her words were sharp: "Brother Jing, you're just asking for trouble. Brother Lin chased Ouyang Ke away in Baoying in just a few moves, and you're still going to fight him?" She paused, then turned to Lin Qi, her eyes sparkling, "Brother Lin, weren't you going easy on him?"

Lin Qi neither denied nor admitted it; he simply picked up his teacup and took a sip.

After hearing Huang Rong's words, Guo Jing belatedly realized the difference in skill and smiled憨厚ly, "Brother Lin's martial arts are superb; I am far inferior to him."

Mu Nianci carried over two bowls of tea, handing one to Lin Qi and the other to Guo Jing. The tea was lukewarm, neither too hot nor too cold. Lin Qi took the bowl and slowly took a sip.

He reviewed the situation in his mind. He had already grasped some of the nuances of the power variations in the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms. It was a method of "overall power generation," unlike the Iron Palm Kung Fu which concentrated power on the edge and base of the palm. Instead, it condensed the power of the whole body into one force, pushing it out with overwhelming force.

The two paths are different, but they lead to the same goal. He needs more time to digest the information, but he has already found the direction.

After drinking his tea, Guo Jing resumed demonstrating his palm techniques, muttering incantations as if trying to correct all his earlier mistakes. Huang Rong laughed at him, saying he was "possessed," but he ignored her.

Mu Nianci stood beside Lin Qi and asked softly, "Brother Lin, what are you thinking about?"

Lin Qi thought for a moment and said, "I'm thinking about the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms."

Mu Nianci didn't press the matter. She carried the empty bowl back to the kitchen, her steps light and quick. The setting sun cast a long shadow of hers across the bluestone floor.

Lin Qi sat on the stone steps, mentally reviewing the exchange of blows with Guo Jing.

He has reached a bottleneck in his Iron Palm Kung Fu practice; further progress requires accumulating skill and cannot be rushed.

The Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms gave him some new insights about power generation, about "momentum," and about how to achieve the greatest effect with the least amount of force.

He doesn't know yet whether these insights can be applied to his own kung fu, but at least he has a direction.

Mu Nianci brought out a plate of peanuts from the kitchen and placed it on the stone table in the courtyard. She turned around and saw Lin Qi still sitting on the stone steps looking at the moon, so she went over and sat down next to him.