The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

Since everyone wanted Xie Xun, and Shaolin didn't want to see fellow martial artists killing each other, they drew a line: whichever sect wanted Xie Xun would send three people, and they would only compete to see who was better, not fight to the death.

Even the Northern Shaolin Temple declared that they would no longer pursue the matter of the monk Kongjian.

As for the Three Crossings...

This is Shaolin's way of throwing out a brick to attract jade; they've only sent three people at the beginning!

Seeing that Shaolin had lowered its stance, no one dared to criticize it. After all, Shaolin's prestige had plummeted and its reputation was ruined, but its fighting strength had not. Although it had lost masters like Xuanci, and many disciples might have to return to secular life or leave the temple, the hundreds of monks did not immediately scatter like birds and beasts. Moreover... the sweeping monk from yesterday, and the two newly accepted "disciples," although they had not appeared, had not been forgotten by everyone!

However, while they didn't expose his shortcomings, not everyone gave them face...

When Xuan Nan asked if anyone had a different opinion, Chu Luren immediately said, "Wait! Is it only Xie Shiwang? Then what about Yuanzhen, that scoundrel? Shaolin isn't going to give an explanation?"

Chapter 804 Three People

"Indeed! Does Shaolin intend to harbor the treacherous Cheng Kun?"

"No way, no way? Surely there's someone who doesn't know that Xie Xun's murders were all caused by Cheng Kun?"

"What do you mean 'started'? Hey, I doubt many of them are actually framed by Cheng Kun!"

"It wasn't Cheng Kun, it could be some other monk..."

……

Once Chu Luren made his statement, he naturally wouldn't fight alone. Immediately, the knowledgeable people present denounced Shaolin and exposed his conspiracy.

On the contrary, after what happened yesterday, Shaolin's morale has been dampened.

Not only were the disciples of Shaolin scattered, but more importantly, Shaolin's reputation plummeted. At this time, other sects, and even most of Shaolin's branch sects, did not argue with the "enlightened people" as usual, but instead took a more detached, amused stance.

"Didn't Yuanzhen say he was willing to atone with his death? Could it be that Shaolin is trying to cover it up? Our Righteous Alliance will never allow it!" After observing the situation, Chu Luren directly made a harsh statement.

This analysis of the situation from two perspectives: First, Shaolin's prestige has diminished considerably. If we are prepared for a fight, we will only need to face Shaolin and a few collateral sects. Before yesterday, we would have faced half or even most of the righteous martial arts world.

Secondly, Chu Luren was convinced that the Sweeper Monk seemed uninterested in Xie Xun and Yuanzhen; otherwise, the Three Elders wouldn't be present now...

In short, the Southern Shaolin Temple is currently in a hurry to close its gates and would never dare to act arrogantly towards the Righteous Alliance.

In this way, Chu Luren naturally had more confidence in his words.

Hearing Chu Luren's increasingly harsh words, the other knowledgeable people naturally became even more exaggerated, even speculating that "Shaolin has some information that they don't want Cheng Kun to reveal" or "Cheng Kun has already been silenced by Shaolin."

“Amitabha! Since Layman Chu has said so, in the upcoming Lion-Slaying Assembly, regardless of who wins or loses, Junior Brother Yuanzhen will step forward to settle the karmic debt with Xie Xun first!” Fang Zheng then stepped forward and said.

This was something Shaolin had anticipated...

In fact, the three monks had already begun to suspect Yuanzhen before, otherwise they would not have kept him in the thatched hut all the time, no matter how hungry he was or what excuse he made, they would not allow him to leave.

Last night, Xuan Nan and Fang Zheng went to the thatched cottage of the Three Crossings and talked about what happened during the day. After that... Yuan Zhen had no choice but to ask for atonement—Yuan Zhen couldn't say anything else.

After all, he was certain that Shaolin would not hand him over directly. In addition, in order to maintain the trust of the Shaolin monks, he always pretended to have other difficulties and wanted to atone for his sins, and proposed to atone for his sins with his death more than once.

It's too late to change your mind now...

In fact, Cheng Kun had already sensed something was wrong yesterday and tried to escape several times, but San Du did not give him any chance at all!

"However, Yuanzhen is a disciple of Shaolin. No matter how he is punished or interrogated, it should be settled within the temple," Fang Zheng stated his conditions.

Well, I believe that apart from the Righteous Alliance, no one would kill Shaolin disciples inside the Shaolin Temple!

Even the Righteous Alliance would likely ask questions before committing a brutal murder...

"Alright! I wonder which three masters from Shaolin will be making a move?" Chu Luren asked directly.

Meanwhile, various factions that had secretly formed an alliance were secretly laughing at Chu Taisui's miscalculation—it was clearly the various factions of the martial arts world who were "forcing" Shaolin together, but Chu Taisui's "jumping" directly turned it into a head-on collision between the Righteous Alliance and Shaolin.

Of course, since Chu Tai Sui was willing to be the first to speak out, others were happy to stay behind and reap the benefits.

"Amitabha... Layman Chu, it's been several days. How have you been?"

Then, the three monks, Du'e and Du'e, came out. Although the three old monks were old and did not know many people, there were many people present. Some of the senior monks recognized them. The news spread quickly, and everyone realized that these were the three Shaolin monks who had competed with Yang Dingtian forty or fifty years ago!

"Are the three masters going to attack together again this time?" Chu Luren said with a barbed tone.

This tone sparked much discussion—could it be that Chu Tai Sui had fought against the Three Elders before? And... was it one against three?

"This old monk and my two junior brothers are all dull-witted, and we can only specialize in the Vajra Subduing Demon Circle, which is a three-person joint practice. Today, Layman Chu, you can also call on two helpers," Du'e said without any embarrassment.

"Hahaha, good! Brother Wuji, Fourth Brother, let's all go together!" Chu Luren called out to Zhang Wuji and Gou Zazhong.

"Thank you very much, Brother Chu!"

"it is good!"

As for the eldest brother and the third brother...

Qiao Feng seems to be fine now, but he is still not suitable for prolonged fighting, otherwise his blood and qi will be more prone to turmoil than usual.

Although even without Chu Luren's request, if Qiao Feng felt that his second brother had no better choice, he would have volunteered to include him, it was not appropriate for Qiao Feng to take action at this time, whether from the perspective of Prince Qing Tingfeng or from the perspective of a family member of a Shaolin monk!

Similarly, Duan Yu was also the Crown Prince of Dali...

However, Zhang Wuji and Gou Zazhong did not have these concerns—Zhang Wuji was determined to save his adoptive father, and even if no one teamed up with him, he would go on his own!

As for the mongrel dog...

Although the monks were very polite to him, they had no problem helping his second brother fight.

"So it's the three laymen coming up together? Indeed, the younger generation surpasses the older..." Du'e stared blankly at Chu Luren and the other two, his one eye lost in thought.

They were already quite surprised by Chu Luren's youth, but now the other two looked even younger than Chu Luren!

Although they haven't made a move yet, it's obvious that Chu Luren wouldn't choose someone much weaker than him to step forward!

"Then the three old monks will learn from you."

The three veterans showed no sign of admitting defeat on the spot.

Chu Tai Sui and his two companions stepped forward, while the three Dus obediently surrounded the three young men in a triangular formation.

Even though the square was crowded, everyone tried their best to make room—after all, judging from the commotion yesterday, getting caught up in it was no joke!

"I, Zhang, have come to rescue my godfather. Please forgive me, three eminent monks!"

"I'm here to help my second brother. We're just having a normal fight; I won't kill him."

"The three of you, please make your move!"

As soon as the words fell, the black ropes in the hands of the three men, resembling three slender black dragons, swept towards Chu Luren and his companions.

At this moment, Zhang Wuji moved his right foot and assumed a stance. An invisible Tai Chi diagram rose from everyone's heart and expanded to the entire square, creating the impression that the Three Elders were surrounded by him.

With a "Ha!" the bastard exclaimed, and a three-zhang-tall Buddha emerged from his chest, enveloping him. The majestic Buddha, visible to the naked eye, caused Sandu to feel flustered even before he could make a move.

Chu Luren formed the Vajra Mudra with his hands, and his entire body swelled up, as if a wise king had descended to earth, or a demon king about to kill gods and break the Dao, exuding both majesty and ferocity...

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 805 Heart to Heart and the Laws of Heaven and Earth

At this moment, in front of the main hall of the Southern Shaolin Temple...

The illusory image of the Tai Chi disc overlapped with the black rope disc, like a dark, monstrous dragon falling into Laozi's Bagua formation, struggling and turning but unable to find a way out, and powerless to shake it.

The Buddha pressed a black rope down beneath his seat, and no matter how the evil dragon twisted and swung, it could not pull out even a single strand.

A colossal figure, resembling both a demonic being and a vigilant king, grasped a black rope and, with the force of a tug-of-war, pulled it straight towards him…

As for the energy stirred up by the three black ropes around them, it was like a demonic dragon stirring up the sea, which was then fixed in place by the Sea-Stabilizing Treasure, leaving no ripples.

Chu Luren didn't give the two any instructions beforehand, nor was it necessary!

A month ago, Chu Luren almost broke through the Three Elders' Vajra Subduing Demon Circle. Now, a month later, Chu Luren's martial arts have improved even further, and he has a 60-70% chance of winning even if he comes alone.

As for Zhang Wuji and Gou Zazhong, they are like "watered-down" versions of Zhang Zhenren and the Sweeper Monk...

When power reaches its extreme, it can reflect the human heart; when the heart reaches its extreme, it can reflect the nature!

In the concepts of mind, body, qi, technique, and momentum, "momentum" and "mind" are the closest.

Simply put, a martial artist's "momentum" is the "heart" of all things in nature...

The ultimate goal of the mind is to interfere with nature by "following the laws of heaven and earth," while the ultimate goal of power is "mutual understanding between minds."

"Power" is about exploring nature, or the "Way of Heaven," and seeking one's own liberation from it; while "Mind" is about exploring the "Way of Man," and using the "Way of Man" to compensate for the "Way of Heaven"!

"Potential" is everything, everything that people can see. Xiao Zhang's Tai Chi plate simply reflects these "Tai Chi" that can be seen in people's minds, presenting the shape of the Tai Chi plate. In reality, it does not exist. If you only look at it without paying attention, you will not see anything.

The "heart" is one's own state of mind, which can compensate for and interfere with the Way of Heaven. When one's "heart" is perfected to the point that it can compensate for the deficiencies of Heaven and Earth, and when it is stimulated to the extreme, it can influence the external world. Everyone can see it. It is real, visible and tangible. Moreover, it consumes more mental energy than internal energy.

Several years ago, given Zhang Wuji's and Gou Zazhong's current level of understanding, they wouldn't have been able to achieve this. Zhang Wuji's grasp of "momentum" was far from reaching the point of "mutual understanding," and Gou Zazhong's current state of mind hadn't reached the point of "following the laws of heaven and earth" and being able to manifest it.

At that time, only those who successfully knocked on the gates of heaven could achieve this step.

Both of them were still some distance from the threshold.

But now...

The gates of power and mind have been opened. Although the two are still outside the gates, the requirements for "heart-to-heart connection" and "following the laws of heaven and earth" have been lowered!

Furthermore, Zhang Wuji was Zhang Sanfeng's precious son, so he would definitely teach him everything he knew, and Gou Zazhong was born with a Buddha-like heart, naturally transforming without any instruction...

After Zhang Sanfeng and the Sweeper Monk knocked on the Heavenly Gate, the requirement of being "a match for ten thousand men" had actually been quietly lowered. Even though Zhang Zhenren was only at the level he had before knocking on the Heavenly Gate, because the Heavenly Gate of "momentum" had been broken, he was able to "connect with his heart," and naturally he could kill hundreds of enemies with just one sword.

The two also differ in the form of being "enemies of ten thousand men"...

Taking Zhang Zhenren and the Sweeper Monk as examples, the former has a Tai Chi disc, and all enemies within its range feel enveloped by the power of Tai Chi in their hearts. With one move, he can instantly kill hundreds or thousands of enemies—just like the legendary Yue Maiden Sword...

It may not be that he possessed superb sword skills, but with a single stroke of his sword, the weapons of thousands of armored soldiers fell from their hands!

It was because they were captivated by the "power" of the Yue Maiden's Sword...

The latter, the Sweeper Monk, unleashed the "Law of Heaven and Earth," using the power of his own "heart" to push aside the natural way and truly exist in the outside world. His defensive power was astonishing. As long as the "Law of Heaven and Earth" continued, he could wade through the army horizontally, and even strong bows and crossbows could not break through him!

There are countless types of "mind" and "momentum," but generally speaking, the ability of "mind" to defeat ten thousand men is based on the premise that "ten thousand armies cannot break through its defenses," while the ability of "momentum" to defeat ten thousand men is based on the premise that "one method can defeat ten thousand armies." In other words, one focuses on defense, and the other on offense.

Of course, both "heart-to-heart connection" and "following the laws of heaven and earth" have their limits. Even pioneers like Zhang Sanfeng and the Sweeper Monk, who personally knocked on the gates of heaven, could not truly be "enemies of ten thousand men" without limit.

The more people who are "heart-to-heart" with him, and the stronger the target's mental strength, the greater the consumption. If the opponent were Chu Luren, Zhang Wuji would have to exhaust all his strength just by using "heart-to-heart" with him. Similarly, the more and stronger the attacks that "follow the laws of heaven and earth" receive, the more devastating they will become...

If it's a battle between masters... yesterday Qiao Feng even demonstrated how to reach the limit of "Law of Heaven and Earth" in one strike and directly break it!

Zhang Wuji and Gou Zazhong, in terms of their combined abilities, are not as good as Chu Luren. If it were before someone knocked on the Heavenly Gate, Chu Luren would not lose to anyone, and would have at least a 70% chance of winning.