Killing Monks

Guangyuan remained silent, simply watching the old Taoist priest quietly, waiting for him to continue.

The old Taoist priest said, "The arrogance of your idea lies in the phrase 'accepting it for one's own use'."

"Catch the enemy's attacks, neutralize them, accumulate strength, and then combine it with your own power to strike back..."

He smiled slightly and glanced at Guangyuan.

Have you ever thought about this question?

Guangyuan did not answer.

He knew the old Taoist priest would continue on his own.

Sure enough, the old Taoist shook his head and said, "If you can absorb the enemy's strength into your own, it means that your strength is not weaker than the enemy's."

He raised his cloudy eyes.

At this moment, a faint yet extremely bright light shone through those murky eyes.

"Strong is strong, and weak is weak."

"When the weak face a full-force attack from the strong, even taking it head-on is a luxury, let alone 'defusing,' 'accumulating strength,' or 'counterattacking.'"

"The moment they come into contact with the force, their meridians will be destroyed like dry leaves, and their internal organs will be shattered."

He shook his head.

"When someone is dead, what's the point of talking about using their strength against them?"

Guangyuan remained silent.

That's the truth, and he can't refute it.

"But what if your strength is no weaker than your enemy's?" the old Taoist continued.

"You're clearly evenly matched with him, or even stronger. Why not just cut him down cleanly?"

"Why expend so much effort and take such great risks to simply adopt someone else's moves, store them up, and then retaliate with double the force?"

"It should be known that once a martial artist reaches the Earth Realm, he will be able to mobilize the power of heaven and earth."

"Other people's moves contain their own power and the power of heaven and earth. To receive their moves, you also have to fight back?"

"How dangerous is this?"

He looked at Guangyuan and stated the paradox: "That's its weakness."

"Even if you train with all your might, there are very few occasions where you can actually use it. When it really comes down to a life-or-death struggle, you might not have the luxury of it."

He spoke very clearly. Clearly, like a bowl of perfectly cool water, you could see right to the bottom.

Guangyuan lowered his head.

He recalled the knife strike in the Lu family courtyard just now, the instant Lu Fei and Lu Chengyu passed each other, without any fancy moves, without any leverage, without any preparation.

Only a resolute decision, a single stroke to decide life or death.

In such a situation, there is indeed no room for maneuver to "take over the opponent's power".

He took a soft breath.

The moves you imagine are completely different from real combat.

"This is my idea," he said honestly.

The old Taoist priest looked at him and asked, "What do you two think is the most powerful martial art in the world?"

"Horizontal training?" Guangyuan said.

In the Northern Zhou Dynasty, layered armor was a powerful weapon!

Chu Kuangjun shook his head.

The old Taoist priest smiled briefly, so briefly that it was almost invisible.

"Martial arts skills that can kill enemies."

He paused.

"The most powerful martial art is the one that can kill the enemy."

"A thousand tricks, if they can't kill anyone, they're useless."

That's an oversimplified statement.

There are no quotations from classic texts, no profound "martial arts principles," and no Zen koans that leave the listener only vaguely understanding.

It's all in plain language!

If you can kill someone, that's good kung fu; if you can't kill someone, then no matter what you say, it's useless.

Chu Kuangjun was stunned for a moment, then blinked.

Guangyuan also raised his head.

He neither nodded nor spoke.

He suddenly realized something: why there had never been a rumor of "the greatest martial arts skill in the world" in the martial arts world.

It's not that no one has mastered earth-shattering skills; it's that those skills have never been able to remain at the top forever.

Today, someone has created a sword technique that is invincible.

Tomorrow, a second person will study day and night to find the flaws in this sword technique.

The day after tomorrow, a third person will create a new sword technique based on that flaw, and cut down that invincible person.

The greatest under heaven for all eternity?

It never existed.

Because as long as there are people walking, thinking, and practicing in the martial arts world, there will be new ideas and new martial arts techniques.

Just like him at this moment, even though he has not yet stepped into the Earth Realm, he is practicing Buddhist skills in reverse, attempting to create a fantasy martial art called "One Qi Transforms into Nine Hundred".

In his previous life, he had heard that war spurred innovation in weaponry.

But in this world of martial arts, conflicts have never ceased.

He suddenly realized that this world of martial arts was different from what he had imagined, yet it made perfect sense.

"I understand," Guangyuan said. "This direction is indeed somewhat of a double-edged sword."

"Eek~"

The old Taoist priest dragged out the last syllable, as if savoring some flavor.

"It is indeed somewhat of a double-edged sword."

He said, "But what if one day you actually succeed?"

He didn't say, "I believe you."

It didn't say "You definitely can".

There were no hot, tear-jerking words.

He simply said: What if one day you actually manage to get through this?

Guangyuan looked at him.

The old Taoist's eyes were cloudy, with yellowish whites and fine lines at the corners.

But there is light beneath that murky surface.

It's not sarcasm, it's not suppression, it's expectation.

"In this world of martial arts, no one has defined what it should be like."

"No one has defined what martial arts are like."

His voice softened: "What our predecessors could not do, our successors may not be unable to do."

"If everyone who comes after simply follows the path of their predecessors, then the martial world is truly meaningless!"

After speaking, he withdrew his gaze and lowered his eyelids.

Then, with a slight movement of his lips, he transmitted a mental cultivation technique.

The text is short and unremarkable.

Guangyuan memorized it after hearing it once, and Chu Kuangjun also memorized it.

"I said I would teach you a move or two," the old Taoist priest stood up. "If I were to just answer two questions and then dismiss you with this fighting method, wouldn't I be breaking my promise?"

He smiled and prepared to walk out.

He found the two of them agreeable because, just like him back then, they were willing to risk their lives to help Lu Chengyu resolve his family issues.

This moment is just like that moment!

In the world of business, the new generation pushes the old one aside, and the new generation is no different from the old one.

"senior."

Guangyuan spoke from behind.

The old Taoist priest paused, but did not turn around.

"Why are there such divine weapons in the martial world..."

Guangyuan carefully considered his words.

"Always 'weird'?"

Whether it was the Mirror of Observation in his arms, the Righteous Words Knife that made people tell the truth, or the eerie black knife of the Lu family.

Each piece exudes an inexplicable and sinister aura.

It was as if they were not inanimate objects, but living things.

The old man's voice drifted over my shoulder, unhurried and gentle.

"Because divine weapons are for a purpose."

Human strength has its limits.

"When a person cannot do something on their own, they must seek help from external things."

"The reason for the appearance of divine weapons is precisely this."

"Seeking fame, seeking fortune, seeking immortality, seeking revenge for an irretrievable grudge!"

He turned his head and said, "It can't really be for... saving the world, can it?"

He didn't wait for a reply; the hem of his Taoist robe swept across the threshold, stirring up a wisp of very light dust.

A moment later, footsteps could be heard at the courtyard gate.

Gradually fading away.

Gradually lighter.

He left, having traveled a thousand miles, only to bid farewell to his friend.

Now, my friend is gone, and he has also left.