The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

"Don't speak!"

Zhang Wuji was extremely anxious.

Just then, Chu Luren jumped out and let out an old and sinister voice—they had never heard it before. The tone was very similar to Yuanzhen's, but "Master Yuanzhen" would not have a sinister tone; it was Chu Luren's own interpretation.

"Hahaha! You're Yang Zuoshi's daughter, aren't you? Where do you think you can escape to?"

"You...you are a master of Shaolin, are you trying to make things difficult for a mere woman like me?"

"A master from Shaolin? That's right, I am Master Yuanzhen, but... I am also Cheng Kun!"

Zhang Wuji: !!

Just as Zhang Wuji was stunned upon hearing the name "Cheng Kun," Chu Luren began to recount, from Cheng Kun's perspective, how he killed Xie Xun's entire family in order to take revenge on the Ming Cult, and how he framed his disciple.

However, Chu Luren did not reveal the real reason, because it was not yet time to hand over the command to the Ming Cult according to the late Master Yang's last words. It was only with great difficulty that the Bat King and the Five Wanderers temporarily recognized Yang Xiao's command "before defeating the major sects," since he was also a disciple of the old master who had taught him the "Great Shift of Heaven and Earth."

If they find out now that Xie Xun is the acting leader appointed by Yang Dingtian, who knows how much more trouble they might cause.

Back then, Xie Xun was not only highly skilled in martial arts, but also righteous and had good relationships with other Dharma Kings, wandering monks, and even the Five Elements Banner. That's why Yang Dingtian specifically named him. But now... he's not good enough to cause trouble!

Without Yang Dingtian's last words, Chu Luren couldn't just make things up about Yang Dingtian and his wife, lest he risk getting into a fight with him.

According to the version of Cheng Kun in Chu Luren's version, he was jealous of Yang Dingtian marrying his junior sister and also jealous of Xie Xun's happy family life. So he killed Xie Xun's wife and children, led him to kill people in the martial arts world, and framed him for some cases, so that the major sects would hate the Ming Cult...

"Don't come any closer! What are you doing?" Yang Buhui retreated repeatedly.

"Hehehe, do you know what I did to my good disciple's wife back then? You're a virgin, you probably won't understand, so let me demonstrate for you..."

Zhang Wuji recalled his adoptive father's madness and the fact that his sister Bu Hui was also in danger. He was filled with rage!

"Huh? Is there someone in this bag?" Chu Luren was really about to use his Yin Sheng True Qi to activate the Bone-Melting Palm technique and give Zhang Wuji a good whack.

However, at that moment, I saw...

The Qiankun Qi Bag has already expanded on its own!

Chu Luren: ? ? ?

Something doesn't seem right?

Based on my understanding of the Nine Yang Divine Skill, Zhang Wuji is currently at the "Yang extreme" and has not yet reached the "Yin extreme". No matter how angry he is, he should not have this kind of reaction.

After all, given Chu Luren's aptitude, it's hard to imagine that Zhang Wuji has already gained a certain understanding of the Nine Yin Manual in such a short time.

At this point, it's not a case of "the yang reaching its extreme and then touching the yin," but rather "the yang generating the yin" on its own...

Chapter 619 Yin Arises from Yang

Chu Luren stared blankly as Xiao Zhang's body swelled up, and the Qiankun Qi Bag was already almost the size of a house—thankfully, they were outside.

Now the Chu Lu people are starting to believe that this thing was peeled off from a pufferfish that had expanded to the size of a whale!

"How strange, Chu Taisui hasn't even struck yet?" He touched his bald head.

In the original work, when Zhang Wuji broke through with the "Qiankun Yiqi Bag" and "Huanyin Finger", it was extremely dangerous. It was even specifically emphasized that it was "the most difficult and dangerous moment in the life of a Taoist cultivator", and he was half a step away from the category of a martial arts practitioner.

After the Illusionary Yin Finger "detonated" Zhang Wuji's Nine Yang Internal Energy, Zhang Wuji's true energy dissipated in the Qiankun One Qi Bag. If the Qiankun One Qi Bag had been a little stronger at the end, Zhang Wuji himself would have been the one to perish!

However, Zhang Wuji had not followed the correct method in his previous cultivation. Although his progress was astonishing to Chu Luren, he had only cultivated the Nine Yang Divine Skill for five years at most, yet his internal strength... was something that ordinary people, even ordinary geniuses, could not cultivate in a single sixty years.

Zhang Wuji did indeed cultivate on his own, and he should have been able to break through the final Dragon-Tiger Convergence realm long ago. However, he was unaware of this and continued to accumulate internal energy, using quantity to overcome quality in his fight against the cold poison in his body.

This caused the Nine Yang True Qi within his body to become so excessive that he could no longer control it.

Moreover, it was impossible to break through using conventional methods, otherwise there would be a risk of meridian chaos. After several delays, Chu Luren felt that he had to take the path of stimulating Yin energy!

Originally, because of the original work, Chu Luren didn't think the durability of the "Qiankun Qi Bag" would be a problem, but...

Zhang Wuji's current state of affairs is not due to external Yin energy causing his Nine Yang True Qi to run rampant, but rather an inexplicable "self-indulgence," which has deviated from the original breakthrough. In particular, the Qiankun One Qi Bag is actually made from the skin of a sentient pufferfish, which makes Chu Luren even more uncertain.

"How big can this thing swell to at most?" Chu Luren asked Shuobude.

"I don't know either. After I made it into the 'Qiankun Yiqi Bag', it has never been this big. Moreover... the original Qiankun Yiqi Bag was just tough. Although it was elastic, it should have lost the strangeness that the fish had when it was alive!" Monk Shuobude was also puzzled.

perhaps……

It's because this Qiankun Qi Bag can only expand to such a size by using internal force to counteract it.

Just as this Qiankun Qi Bag was getting bigger than the house next to it, Chu Luren was already hesitating whether or not to break the bag!

Even if the timing is wrong, at worst it will only cause Zhang Wuji to fail in his breakthrough and be unable to make it in one go, which is still better than dying from the reverse flow of his internal energy.

But at that moment, the enormous Qiankun Qi Bag gradually shrank back...

Chu Luren was immediately shocked. If he hadn't heard breathing sounds inside, he would have thought that Zhang Wuji had been killed by Shuobude!

The Qiankun Qi Bag shrank back again, even... shrinking into a seated human figure?

It was tightly bound to her body, much tighter than before, until... even her breathing stopped, and her chest and abdomen didn't rise or fall at all.

Just as Chu Luren was wondering if he would suffocate, the pocket began to swell again.

This time, while expanding, it still maintained a cross-legged posture, and although it was about to become the size of a house, it still retained a human shape...

After it shrank back again, Zhang Wuji was seen standing up.

Chu Luren was taken aback at first, and then tentatively said in Cheng Kun's voice, "Prepare to die!"

Suddenly, Zhang Wuji, wrapped in a cloth bag, threw a punch towards Chu Luren. Chu Luren recognized it as the "Great Subduing Demon Fist" recorded in the Nine Yin Manual.

And as Zhang Wuji moved, the cloth bag wrapped around him silently shattered and fell away, like dried leaves!

When Zhang Wuji threw this punch, a layer of expanding golden fist shadow immediately appeared on his fist, and every finger was clearly visible, but it was several times larger than his real arm and fist.

It was at this moment that Zhang Wuji saw...

Did you not leave the yard?

Brother Chu and Sister Bu Hui were perfectly fine right there beside them?

Moreover... there was no Cheng Kun at all, it was Brother Chu who was punching the spot where his fist was aimed?

It was too late for Zhang Wuji to withdraw his strength, but Chu Luren raised his hand and used the "Buddha's Light Appears" move to meet it!

The two ended up being evenly matched!

Although Chu Luren did not have a sudden enlightenment or activate the ultimate intent of the Fighting Ape with this move, the "Buddha's Palm" he used was definitely close to that of a peerless master.

This "breakthrough" was ultimately the culmination of years of hard work and accumulation...

Was Zhang Wuji's previous accumulation of knowledge and experience really that profound? Five years?

Chu Luren had finally encountered a genuine martial arts prodigy, and at the same time, he couldn't help but think of his dog brother, whom he hadn't seen for several years...

Zhang Wuji, having already understood what had just happened thanks to Yang Buhui's explanation, quickly bowed to Chu Luren and said, "Thank you for your mercy, Brother Chu. I lost my senses just now and actually threw a punch at you..."

Seeing this, Chu Luren quickly helped him up, preventing him from actually bowing down.

The reason Zhang Wuji wanted to pay homage to Cheng Kun was mainly due to the matter of Cheng Kun. In Zhang Wuji's memory, even if people in the martial arts world knew about Cheng Kun and Xie Xun, they had long forgotten. Why would Brother Chu have the idea of ​​impersonating Cheng Kun? And even as a Shaolin monk?

Yang Buhui, knowing this, explained how Chu Luren exposed Cheng Kun's identity at Juxian Manor back then.

Therefore, Zhang Wuji was very grateful to Chu Luren, believing that Chu Luren had spoken up for his adoptive father and exposed Cheng Kun's identity!

As for the favor of improving his martial arts skills, Zhang Wuji didn't care much about it; it was secondary.

"Haha, I promised you, my brother, that if you gained any insights into the Nine Yang Divine Skill, I would definitely pass it on to you. I just didn't expect that you would break through on your own, instead of having to add another palm strike!" Chu Luren exclaimed in amazement.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wuji humbly replied, "It's quite a coincidence. It was precisely the Nine Yin Manual that my elder brother taught me. I feel that its essence and the state of the Nine Yang Divine Skill after it has been practiced to its fullest extent can be subtly transformed..."

Chu Luren: ...

How long have I been teaching you this general outline?

It seems that Zhang Wuji is not only a martial arts prodigy, but his comprehension is also beyond the reach of ordinary "geniuses"!

Moreover, Zhang Wuji is now relying on the Nine Yin Manual, naturally generating Yin from Yang. At this point, it's hard to say whether he's stronger than Zhang Wuji after practicing the Great Shift of the Universe, but he's definitely much stronger than Zhang Wuji who achieved mastery through external force. In particular, his internal energy has achieved Yin-Yang unity, giving him the foundation of a peerless master...

Even if Zhang Wuji had achieved a breakthrough through external force and mastered the Great Shift of the Universe, he would at most be slightly stronger than the current Zhang Wuji in actual combat. After all, Chu Luren knew how powerful the Great Shift of the Universe was, and the current Zhang Wuji's external skills were still his weakness.

However, in terms of foundation, Zhang Wuji is undoubtedly more solid now. If he cultivates the lower volume of the Nine Yin Manual for another year or two, he will probably be stronger than he was in his original situation!

Chapter 620 Heaven and Earth and Tai Chi

"It's a pity that although Master Zhang passed on Tai Chi Chuan and Tai Chi Sword to me, and you are also Master Zhang's grand-disciple, I still can't pass on this skill to you without Master Zhang's approval. You will have to go to Wudang to pay your respects to Master Zhang and learn from him yourself," Chu Luren said regretfully.

He wanted to see if Zhang Wuji could immediately grasp Zhang Zhenren's "Tai Chi," but he couldn't just teach him without permission—even though Zhang was Zhang's grand-disciple, he couldn't overstep his bounds!

"So my master values ​​Brother Chu so much. He hopes that I can be like Brother Chu in the future and become a useful person to the martial arts world," Zhang Wuji said with emotion.

Perhaps it was because he finally realized that his martial arts skills were very high that Zhang Wuji's mental state also gradually improved... towards the direction of Chu Luren.

"I also want to thank Master Shuobude. He just contributed his Qiankun Qi Bag... We can join forces to help the Bat King solve his meridian problems later." Chu Luren didn't forget to mention Master Shuobude.

Seeing that it was already late, and Zhang Wuji had just broken through, the group said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Some rested, while others savored their breakthroughs. Only Xiao Zhao secretly cooked a midnight snack for Chu Luren.

Meanwhile, Chu Luren was diligently cultivating in his room before the fight broke out—partly because he had just acquired the "Great Shift of Heaven and Earth" manual, and partly because he had been somewhat provoked by Xiao Zhang!

Besides the principle of "using the opponent's methods against them," the "Great Shift of Heaven and Earth" is also a method of spiritual cultivation. After all, it is the sacred skill of the Holy Fire Sect, which can indeed increase comprehension and stimulate physical potential.

Chu Luren has the ability to cultivate the Dao Embryo, so he is not lacking in comprehension. However, more is always better, and what Chu Luren needs is to unleash his physical potential—his meridian aptitude has always been his weakness.

The first two levels, apart from the spiritual guidance and potential stimulation, are not much different from basic Tai Chi; they are just the foundational parts.

Even so, it would take seven to fourteen years for a genius who barely meets the qualification requirements to master the skill.

After the third level, it is not only about guiding energy, but also about transforming yin and yang energies.

Therefore, one's complexion will be half green and half red during cultivation, and the requirements for comprehension are extremely high. It is specifically noted that if one cannot master the second level after 21 years, even if one manages to master the second level through hard work, one must not attempt to master the third level!

Because from the third level onwards, one enters a new realm.

Although it is not internal energy itself, it can only be considered as mastered by transforming the nature of one's own internal energy. As a "technique", this is already the most difficult one, and it will affect "qi".

If it's only the third level, it's just about transforming Yin and Yang energies, somewhat similar to the "Tianshan Six Yang Palms," which can make true energy manifest as either extreme Yang or extreme Yin. However, the Tianshan Six Yang Palms is about changing palm force, while the "Great Shift of Heaven and Earth" allows the nature of one's own true energy to be transformed.

The fourth level goes beyond "yin and yang" and goes deeper, using "yin-yang transformation" to represent "relative transformation," which is similar to the advanced level of Tai Chi.

This is also the origin of the characters "乾坤" (qián kūn). The person who translated this practice was also very "faithful, expressive, and elegant," using "乾坤" to represent the opposite...

Chu Luren estimates that this is probably one of the reasons why Zhang Wuji was able to quickly comprehend "Tai Chi" in the original work.

Based on Chu Luren's current understanding, he has at least realized that Zhang Zhenren's true Tai Chi is no longer as simple as the mutual support of Yin and Yang and the combination of softness and strength.