The Martial Saint rose to power starting as a substitute bridegroom.

Chapter 65 Getting the Out of the Box

Liang Bai returned to the patrol camp dejectedly, his face ashen and his steps no longer steady.

"Brother Liang?"

Li Yuan, who had just finished his shift, immediately noticed that something was wrong with his expression and went up to him, asking, "You look terrible, what happened?"

Liang Bai looked up and saw that it was Li Yuan. His lips twitched, revealing a bitter smile.

He didn't hide anything, recounting in detail how the Cheng family ambushed and killed people to steal fish, how they forced the Yan family to "fight," and how Chen Qing made excuses and prevarications.

Finally, his throat bobbed, and his voice was filled with heavy apology and helplessness: "Li Xun, I'm afraid that my support for you will have to be reduced by more than half in the future."

If the foundation is destroyed, how can one talk about providing for one's ancestors?

After listening, Li Yuan remained silent for a moment.

Thoughts raced through his mind:

With his current peak of internal strength and perfect inner energy, coupled with perfect martial arts skills and the power boost from the Yuan Sha Gong, he has almost no chance of winning against a martial artist of the same level, even if the opponent is experienced.

At this moment, Liang Bai sighed heavily, patted his shoulder, his hand trembling slightly, revealing a sense of utter exhaustion and helplessness.

He turned around, his steps slightly unsteady as he prepared to leave, his figure appearing particularly desolate in the light and shadow of the corridor.

"Brother Liang, I'll fight."

Li Yuan's voice rang out behind him, calm yet clear.

Liang Bai abruptly stopped, turned around abruptly, and stared at Li Yuan with a glint of disbelief in his eyes: "You—are you serious?"

Li Yuan smiled slightly, nodded, and said with a rare, almost relaxed, ease in his voice, "After eating your offerings for so long, I should put in some effort. Taking things for free is not my style."

Since he broke through to the Ming Jin level, Liang Bai has consistently provided him with precious fish and money without interruption.

When one reaches the level of internal strength, the intensity doubles.

He remembered this act of kindness in his time of need.

"Li Xun—" Liang Bai felt a sudden surge of heat in his heart, a wave of bitterness rushed to his nose, and his eyes instantly reddened.

The Yan family was weak, and the resources they could provide to Li Yuan were nothing in the eyes of those powerful clans.

The initial funding was based more on his diligent and resilient character; it was a long-term "investment in personal relationships." I never expected him to grow to the point where he could turn the tide today.

Compared to those vague potential talents, this sense of responsibility and loyalty in times of crisis is truly as precious as a mountain!

"Good! Good! Good!" Liang Bai said three times, forcibly suppressing his surging emotions. His eyes sharpened. "I will explain Xiao Yichen's background to you in detail. Make sure you know your enemy!"

Xiao Yichen?

Li Yuan's heart stirred slightly; it really was true—enemies are destined to meet.

However, he remained expressionless and simply nodded calmly.

"Xiao Yichen specializes in the Twenty-One Paths of the Heavenly Dragon Martial Arts School's Cloud Piercing Hand technique, and has already reached the peak of Dark Force. His strength flows through his limbs and bones, and it is said that he is only one step away from the threshold of Transformation Force, where 'not even a feather can be added, and not even a fly can land.'" Liang Bai spoke quickly, revealing all the information he knew. "Of course, in a life-or-death battle, besides the level of strength, practical experience, understanding of techniques, and adaptability are also crucial. This person has a sinister personality and is good at finding openings to attack. If he misses his first strike, he will retreat and fight from afar, making him extremely difficult to deal with."

After listening, Li Yuan pondered for a moment and asked, "Brother Liang, is it possible to obtain the manual for the Cloud Piercing Hand technique?"

If someone's strength already surpasses their opponent's, yet they still try to thoroughly understand their opponent's moves and strategies beforehand, no one would believe it if word got out.

But Li Yuan always planned carefully before acting, and the more cards he had up his sleeve, the better.

"That's not difficult!" Liang Bai perked up and immediately agreed. "Although Tianlong Martial Arts School considers this style of boxing as its foundation, the diagrams of the basic stances shouldn't be too hard to find. I have some connections; I'll go find them right away!"

Before long, Liang Bai handed Li Yuan a slightly worn thread-bound boxing manual, the cover of which bore the words "Piercing Cloud Hand".

Li Yuan immediately found a secluded spot, opened the boxing manual, and devoted himself to studying it.

His Dragon-Shaped Fist is agile and unpredictable, combining both strength and gentleness, while his Cloud-Piercing Hand is completely different.

The detailed diagrams and explanations of the force flow indicate that this boxing style aims to condense the body's overall strength to an extreme degree, concentrating it at a single point or line in the fingers and palms, pursuing ultimate penetration and destruction. It emphasizes "gathering power like a needle, breaking through defenses like a cone," and its style is sharp and focused.

Li Yuan's fingers unconsciously traced the trajectory of concentrated energy exertion on his knee, his eyes thoughtful.

【Cloud Piercing Hand (Beginner): 0/200】

In the dead of night, all was quiet.

Li Yuan's courtyard is hidden deep in Wutong Lane in the west of the city. Its high walls isolate it from the outside world's watchmen's clappers and barking dogs.

The cool moonlight spread across the ground like pooled water, reflecting the shadows of the gnarled old trees, which swayed slightly in the wind.

Li Yuan stood shirtless on the bluestone slab in the center of the courtyard.

His aura was deep and focused, but his gaze was already fixed on the imaginary enemy in the void. It was not a blurry shadow, but a Xiao Yichen whose attacks were swift and sharp, with fingers and palms like cones.

The starting move is still "Azure Dragon Probes", but the meaning is different.

His shoulders and neck were relaxed yet not slack, deliberately leaving a few seemingly tiny openings, which were three inches to the right of the "middle gate" that the Cloud Piercing Hand was best at attacking, to lure the concentrated piercing force to come.

Sure enough, as soon as he had the thought, his body slid half a step to the left and back as if he had known beforehand, the movement was so small and subtle that it was almost perfect.

At the same time, his right arm, like the roots of an old tree, did not block directly, but instead leaned diagonally towards the outside of the wrist that was not there in the void and was stabbing rapidly. This move was just right to deal with Xiao Yichen's "Cloud Piercing Thrust" opening move.

With the knuckles slightly turned inward, this is the initial stance of the "Entangling Dragon Hand," which aims to deflect the sharp, linear force with a gentle touch.

"You seek to break through my target with your Cloud Piercing Hand technique, but I will not allow you to achieve that." Li Yuan thought coldly.

Under the moonlight, his figure suddenly accelerated, no longer just displaying the agility and unpredictability of his fist techniques, but also incorporating targeted countermeasures.

In my imagination, if the opponent misses his first strike, he will quickly change his move, turning a thrust into a slash, cutting across the ribs, and breaking the "Cloud-Sweeping Style" of the Cloud-Piercing Hand.

Li Yuan twisted his waist in a strange way, as if boneless, barely dodging the sharp hand strike. At the same time, his left foot, like an iron plow, silently but heavily stomped towards the instep of his opponent's foot, which he expected to rush in, attacking his lower body and disrupting his continuous power.

This is the "Sleeping Dragon Kick" from the Dragon Form Fist. Normally, it is used for kicking, but now it is transformed into a more concealed and vicious stomp, which is specifically designed to counter the Cloud Piercing Hand's characteristic of needing to firmly establish a horse stance and concentrate power.

A series of sharp sounds echoed through the air.

His hands suddenly formed claws, grabbing at the void as if to seize the wrist that retracted as swiftly as lightning, specifically to counter the Cloud Piercing Hand's hit-and-run fighting style.

At other times, the palm transforms into a blade, not directly clashing with the expected fingers and palm, but instead diagonally slashing at the opponent's arm bend, elbow, and other points where force is generated.

The "cutting off the pulse" approach uses horizontal movement to break through vertical movement.

His footwork was even more elusive, constantly circling around the imaginary enemy, sometimes near, sometimes far, never lingering at any point for more than a moment, making the Cloud Piercing Hand, which needed to lock onto a target to concentrate its power, difficult to grasp.

Suddenly, he paused, imagining his opponent's frustration at being unable to break through his defenses. He unleashed the Cloud Piercing Killer Move, "Cloud Breaking Heaven," concentrating all his strength into a single point, aiming straight for the opponent's chest with devastating force, a move with no chance of return.

Li Yuan's eyes narrowed, and instead of retreating, he advanced!

But it wasn't a direct hit. Instead, at the very moment when the concentrated "point" was about to strike the body, the entire upper body, with the spine as the axis, rotated to the side at a tiny angle, like a willow swaying in the wind. At the same time, the right arm, which had been poised to strike, suddenly rolled, hooked, and pulled from the outside like a whip or a rope. This was a combination of the "Rolling Curtain Hand" and the "Water-Drawing Stance" of the Ape Fist. It wasn't to resist the piercing force, but to add a bit of force in its direction, deflecting and distorting its power!

In his mind, that incredibly concentrated "point" was pulled out of balance, revealing a fleeting flaw.

Li Yuan's left fist had long been filled with a hidden, heavy force at his waist. Now, like a dragon emerging from the abyss, it struck upwards with a short, almost vertical hook, aiming at the gap between the jaw and chest/abdomen of the imaginary enemy, which was slightly exposed due to the excessive force exerted. It perfectly took advantage of the weakness in the upper body and lower body where the Cloud Piercing Hand was gathering power.

The punch is thrown silently, and the intention is conveyed and withdrawn in an instant.

The imagined thunderous "cloud-breaking" attack has been shattered by this seemingly effortless yet powerful deflection, coupled with a ruthless and fierce strike.

Li Yuan slowly withdrew from his stance, and the white steam rising from his body swirled gently in the moonlight.

He exhaled slowly, his breath long and deep, stirring a fallen leaf on the ground.

"The power of the 'Piercing Clouds' technique is concentrated, but it lacks adaptability; excessive rigidity leads to breakage." He muttered to himself, his eyes reflecting the cold moonlight. "The transformation of the Dragon Fist lies not in brute force, but in intercepting its momentum, disrupting its rhythm, and striking when it has no choice but to defend. The day after tomorrow—I'll let your 'Piercing Clouds' technique fail to meet my 'Crossing-the-River Dragon' technique."

He stopped rehearsing and simply stood quietly in the courtyard, reviewing every detail of the mental battle that had just taken place and considering the possible changes.

The moonlight elongated his tall figure, casting it onto the bluestone slabs, where he appeared as serene as a mountain, yet possessed a power that could erupt at any moment.

A power that is both agile and unpredictable.