The names of palm, finger, fist, claw, and true qi were not introduced by Xuan Bei, and Meng Qi didn’t pay much attention either. Although the period of opening acupoints is the time to lay the foundation and explore one’s own path, and it’s natural to learn and see more, excessive learning can be harmful. Since he had already decided on the path of blades and swords, and had invested a lot of effort into it, plus the urgency of the current reincarnation task, it would be counterproductive to divert his focus to unarmed martial arts.
Moreover, even if his weapon were to break or be lost, forcing him to fight unarmed, he wouldn’t be afraid. There was palm blade for the sword and finger sword for the blade. With the enhancement of the Eight and Nine Mystical Arts and the hardness of the Golden Bell Cover, he could handle most situations. Besides, he had a basic understanding of the “Undying Seal Technique’s” Seven Undying Illusions, which could be considered an unarmed martial art. This was merely a byproduct of his cultivation of the Undying Seal Technique, without significant investment of energy, completely different from specifically studying the palm and finger sections of the “Seven True Classics.”
Of course, it was still good to study them during his spare time to gain insights that could benefit his own cultivation.
After briefly introducing the techniques, Xuan Bei grabbed with his right hand, and a manual flew out from within his meditation room, written on ordinary paper and casually bound.
“You can stay for a few more days. If you have any questions about ‘Floating in Emptiness’ and ‘Star God Acupoint Stabilizing Finger,’ feel free to ask your master,” he said, handing the manual to Meng Qi.
Seeing the already prepared manual, Meng Qi instantly understood. He realized that after knowing he would continue wandering the martial arts world, his master must have started transcribing the “Seven True Classics” with the intention of having Zhen Hui bring it to him when he descended the mountain for his journey. this plan wasn’t formed simply because he had traveled a long distance to Shaolin to deliver the message.
Feeling warm inside, his vision slightly blurred, Meng Qi accepted the manual and bowed deeply once again.
…
Seven days later, at the foot of Lotus Terrace Mountain.
Zhen Hui said with a mix of reluctance and excitement, “Senior Brother, wait for me until I open my nasal acupoint and pass through the Bronze Men Alley, then I will come down the mountain to find you and we will wander the martial arts world together, becoming characters in legends!”
In fact, he already had the ability to pass through the Bronze Men Alley now. However, the “Flower Picking Finger” was a profound finger technique rooted in Chan Buddhism. If one approached it with overly strong desires for victory and competition, its power would be hard to unleash. Thus, Xuan Bei advised Zhen Hui to attempt it after opening his sixth acupoint, when he could act freely and effortlessly.
“Good, by then I’ll probably still be in Jiangdong,” Meng Qi replied with a smile. Jiangdong was the best place for cultivation since it was filled with talented individuals.
After chatting with Zhen Hui for a while, Meng Qi watched him ascend the mountain, then turned and walked along the official road with his hands clasped behind his back. Though his pace seemed slow, he actually moved very quickly.
After delivering the information about the monk behind the scenes to his master, Meng Qi believed that there would be no immediate threat from that direction for now. Firstly, there would be no value in intercepting or blocking him. Secondly, even if there were a desire for revenge over past conflicts, they would have to consider whether it was a trap and whether the Shaolin leadership could use it to obtain clues and evidence. They would wait for the situation to calm down before taking similar actions.
As he walked forward, he had not yet left the Shaolin territory when suddenly a monk jumped out from ahead. The monk wore a yellow monastic robe, looked no older than twenty, had a clear and bright face but appeared rather dull. His eyes were initially expressionless but burned with intense light when he looked at Meng Qi.
“Poor monk Zhen Ben greets Master Su,” the monk said.
It turned out to be the martial arts obsessed Zhen Ben. Meng Qi immediately recognized him. During his time at Shaolin, he hadn’t interacted much with Zhen Ben but had heard many interesting stories about him. If not for the monk introducing himself with his Dharma name, Meng Qi might not have recognized him.
Previously, he had been puzzled. As a martial arts enthusiast, how could Zhen Ben, a fellow “Zhen” generation disciple who had become a top contender on the current leaderboard, restrain himself from challenging Meng Qi upon his return to Shaolin?
Now he understood. Zhen Ben had been waiting here.
“Senior Brother Zhen Ben, your courtesy is excessive,” Meng Qi smiled and returned the greeting.
Zhen Ben honestly and straightforwardly said, “Poor monk wishes to spar with Master Su.”
“I mainly cultivate the Indestructible Vajra Art, and also practice the Vajra Crushing Palm, Prajna Palm, Formless Calamity Finger, Ananda Finger, Thousand Petal Compassionate Hands, and One Reed Crossing the River. Additionally, I can activate the Self-Sacrifice Formula. I humbly request your guidance.”
The Self-Sacrifice Formula was an auxiliary supreme technique that could coexist with any other martial art. Therefore, when Shaolin monks mentioned someone practicing several supreme techniques, they did not include this one.
Upon hearing Zhen Ben list all his supreme techniques in one breath, Meng Qi felt somewhat amused. However, being able to witness Shaolin’s supreme techniques was also a form of cultivation. Thus, he became solemn and said, “Please!”
As he spoke, his demeanor changed. No longer leisurely and smiling as before, he seemed to merge with the environment, deeply immersed in the mundane world, with an added sense of intimidation. His right hand reached toward “Heaven’s Wound,” a motion that harmonized with some mysterious rhythm of the universe, indescribably profound.
The qi resonance pulled, and as Meng Qi grasped the hilt of his blade, Zhen Ben’s exposed skin turned a dark golden hue. His palms seemed to be wrapped in a layer of gold foil, striking Meng Qi with a fierce and forceful blow.
The techniques of the Vajra Crushing Palm were simple and unadorned but possessed terrifying power. Layer upon layer of air currents collapsed under the force, as if a piece of empty space had been sliced away, creating a strange penetrating sensation.
Compared to Zhen Miao, Zhen Ben’s desire to win was clearly not as strong, and his daily judgment was not clouded. He did not immediately use his ultimate moves at the beginning.
Meng Qi’s long blade moved like lightning, slicing through layers of air currents as silently as a sharp knife cutting through tofu, swiftly striking between the two palms and swinging left and right, easily deflecting them.
His sword techniques had reached a level of mastery. Once deployed, they were like a small bird resting on a withered branch or a storm-petrel battling the waves. Soon, his agility overpowered Zhen Ben’s brute force, and within a few moves, Meng Qi suppressed Zhen Ben’s Vajra Crushing Palm.
In the heat of battle, the long blade suddenly darted out from the palm shadows and swept downward, slow yet carrying infinite variations within. Each variation was faster than imaginable, making any attempt to evade or block in any direction feel utterly futile.
Zhen Ben’s expression remained unchanged. Suddenly, his arms expanded, and his palms struck in succession, as if he had grown dozens, even hundreds of arms, methodically blocking Meng Qi’s long blade.
Bang! The countless clashing sounds merged into one, clearly indicating the speed of the changes from both sides!
Meng Qi shifted his steps, bent his long blade, and pushed forward horizontally. The force was as heavy as a mountain, compressing the air in front of him into a vortex, absorbing and eliminating all the palm shadows.
Zhen Ben’s right hand clenched tightly, the knuckle of his index finger bent, its color turning crimson with a jade-like luster, as it slowly tapped toward the blade’s edge. The restrained wind concealed a terrifying explosive force.
This was the Ananda Finger, a fierce finger technique specially designed to break through protective hard qigong. When cultivated to an extreme level, it was reputed to be capable of shattering any defense, ranking among the seventy-two supreme martial arts techniques of Shaolin!
Bang! The vortex, the long blade, and the Ananda Finger collided and simultaneously dissipated.
Meanwhile, Zhen Ben’s left hand, which had been hanging by his side, inexplicably slipped into his sleeve, causing Meng Qi’s perception of the flow of internal energy to suddenly become slightly blurred.
Meng Qi’s intuitive sense stirred, as if sensing an invisible finger breeze approaching, yet it was formless and traceless, making it difficult to grasp its origin!
Was this the Formless Calamity Finger?
Another finger technique of Shaolin, second only to the Flower Picking Finger in terms of difficulty to master?
It was formless and shapeless, like an impending disaster emerging from the void, striking its target unknowingly!
For Meng Qi to have to rely on his intuition to detect it meant that Zhen Ben had reached a minor culmination, grasping the true essence, equivalent to using an external scene killing move!
Meng Qi’s heart tightened, not daring to be careless. He spread his qi and spirit throughout the blade, using the blade as an extension of his hand and heart, elegantly slicing forward in front of him.
Bang! “Heaven’s Wound” rang out on its own, blocking the Formless Calamity Finger.
Seizing this opportunity, Zhen Ben slid across the ground like a shadow and rushed forward. His right palm lifted and suddenly came crashing down. The palm wind was pervasive, seemingly enveloping the surrounding heaven and earth.
This palm strike was ancient and solemn, yet it gave a feeling of profound wisdom, making any subsequent thoughts, evasions, or blocks seem futile and impossible to succeed.
Holding Prajna in hand, possessing the palm of the Buddha Land!
This was the Prajna Palm that Meng Qi had once witnessed. However, compared to Zhen Chang’s, Zhen Ben’s Prajna Palm carried an added sharpness and incisiveness, evoking a sense of severing all afflictions.
He was propelled by the “Indestructible Vajra Art,” thus attaining a different true essence than Zhen Chang had in the past.
Wisdom is like a blade, sharp enough to cut through diamond, thus also severing afflictions and suffering, achieving self-purification!
Facing this palm strike, Meng Qi realized that using the Ananda Breaking Precepts Blade Technique would not be effective under this defensive situation. Therefore, he raised his long blade, executing rapid consecutive slashes. Purple lightning surged, transforming into nine fierce dragons, rampaging through the Buddha Land, overpowering with brute force, and crushing wisdom with sheer strength!
The sound of cracking erupted as the wisdom was shattered, and the diamond essence dispersed.
Relying on his strength and cultivation advantage, Meng Qi broke through Zhen Ben’s ultimate move with a single slash, gaining the upper hand.
Just as he was about to launch a series of blade techniques to press the advantage, Zhen Ben suddenly retreated, saying repeatedly, “No more fighting, I’m out of strength.”
Meng Qi’s expression immediately turned awkward. Indeed, Senior Brother Zhen Ben was a person of many amusing traits…
Since it was just a sparring match, Meng Qi sheathed his blade and did not pursue further.
Zhen Ben sincerely said, “Master Su is stronger than poor monk. Even if I open my seventh acupoint, I still cannot defeat you. Perhaps only when I open my eighth acupoint would I stand a chance. Wait, by then, Master Su might have opened your ninth acupoint. Still no chance of winning…”
He became engrossed in a “complex” calculation problem, looking increasingly troubled, his eyes gradually losing their luster.
Meng Qi did not disturb him and decisively walked past, leaving swiftly. Staying around such a person for too long would make him feel like he was getting dumber!
Half a day later, at dusk, Meng Qi entered a city and checked into an inn. He first cultivated his main martial arts techniques, then pondered over “Floating in Emptiness” and “Star God Acupoint Stabilizing Finger.”
Suddenly, his vision darkened, and then light emerged, with mist and smoke rising in midair.
Another reincarnation task had appeared…
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