pappabearbooks Chapter 464 - 429: Mount Hua’s Ambition, Eternal Legacy, Shocking Upheaval at Ear-Grazing Cliff!
Chapter 464 - 429: Mount Hua’s Ambition, Eternal Legacy, Shocking Upheaval at Ear-Grazing Cliff!
Meng Chuan applied what he learned to the philosophy of his Five Elements Fist:He recalled that when practicing the Five Elements Fist, he always focused on the changes in fist routes and the speed of maneuvering the five energies.
But he overlooked the essence of resonating with heaven and earth.
For instance, when he borrowed Earth Qi from the spleen, the bricks and stones underfoot would crack and crumble.
Borrowing Wood Qi from the liver would harm the green leaves and flowers.
Driven by the energy field, there was always a "trace left behind".
The manifestation of bamboo shadows sweeping the steps without stirring the dust was indeed a high realm in which the Five Elements Fist draws upon the great power of heaven and earth without leaving any human trace.
From He Zuzhen’s true charm, he realized the next stage of his Five Elements Fist philosophical pursuit.
A Xingyi Sect martial artist deftly uses the natural world to enhance oneself.
If he could achieve leaving no trace, not only would his Five Elements philosophy greatly improve,
but his overall learning and martial theory could also advance to another level.
Not only would his fists and feet receive further natural enhancement, increasing their power,
but it would also drive up his liver proficiency, accelerating the advancement of his cultivation technique.
This point is crucial.
The proficiency of the liver’s fist skill, thus breaking limits to gain traits, is key to where he stands today.
As Meng Chuan continued observing the bamboo marks, he increasingly felt the profoundness of the wisdom of the sages.
If it weren’t constrained by the times, if the Qi Blood Martial Arts Era had started a thousand years earlier,
taoist masters like He Zhizhen would achieve far beyond a Martial Arts Grandmaster.
Reaching the realm of True Sovereign or even Dao Sovereign was not impossible to comprehend.
What a pity, born in the wrong era, all is idle talk.
With his realization complete, Meng Chuan turned back and thanked Grandmaster Yu.
Yu Chenghong waved his hand and said:
"This is because of your strong foundation, even without my guidance, you could eventually grasp the true charm left by He Laozu with just a bit more time."
Watching Meng Chuan leap away from the Reflection Cliff, he internally sighed:
"From this young man, you can see that the gap between our Huashan Martial Arts University and the Four-sided Alliance University is not narrowing but widening..."
The Huashan Sect also inherited the "ambition" of its predecessors, hoping that one day, it could stand among the ranks of Special Martial Arts Universities.
Sadly, who knows how long it will be until that day comes...
...
Returning to the mountaintop, following Wang Chong, Meng Chuan toured all the ancient sites of the Huashan Martial Arts University, gaining substantial insights.
At the peak of the Huashan Sword Arts debate, atop Jade Maiden Peak.
Meng Chuan saw the world, saw everyone, and finally saw himself.
He had an insight that he wanted to express, unable to hold it in.
With the consent of Grandmaster Yu Chenghong, he left his mark on the top of Sword Debate Peak, which was his greatest insight during this trip:
"Not praying to immortals and Buddhas, only cultivating oneself, balance of life and martial truth in fists and feet" — Meng Chuan left.
Perhaps shortly, these two lines might be erased by wind and sand.
Or, like the "He Laozu cave",
they might become ancient sites with true charm that last through the ages.
Yu Chenghong squinted at them, gaining a deeper understanding of Meng Chuan’s determination in martial arts philosophy.
In his view, the probability of them lasting through the ages far exceeds the former.
He murmured:
"Not praying to immortals and Buddhas, only cultivating oneself, perfectly aligns with the development of the Qi Blood Martial Arts Era.
And balance of life and martial truth in fists and feet takes the essence of ancient martial arts dual cultivation, breaking illusions and realizing truth within fist skills.
This vision leads the era, truly profound..."
Meng Chuan didn’t know, after he left,
the two phrases he left behind, like He Laozu’s true martial charm,
became the "memorable motto" for new disciples entering Huashan Martial Arts University.
...
After spending a day at Huashan Martial Arts University, the sky had darkened, and stars densely adorned the night sky.
Fortunately, Meng Chuan’s energy had long surpassed that of a normal person, bolstered by kidney essence and qi.
Even after staying awake for over 48 hours, he remained energetic.
The short trip yielded great rewards, leaving him a bit excited.
As he descended from halfway down the mountain, Meng Chuan contemplated:
"I won’t sleep tonight either, I’ll head to the United University Luoshang Branch earlier, then take a rest and complete the Tianshang Ranking challenge."
He’d been eyeing the monthly credits awarded for ranking for a long time.
He intended to take advantage of this journey to casually complete the challenge.
Within the San Qin, besides the Yong’an Lishan Branch he was at,
there was another branch located at the southeastern gateway of the San Qin, in Luoshang City.
This time, he intended to challenge the 69th rank of the United University Tianshang Ranking.
It was precisely this branch, from the Grandmaster Class second limit elite—
[Dragon and Snake Dance · Li Yuansheng]
This person’s strength was nearly at the second limit peak, an elite of Elephant Form proficient in Dragon and Snake Forms.
He had considerable prestige among the student body, once narrowly missing out on the Martial Extreme True Inheritance.
In others’ eyes, Li Yuansheng was not an easy opponent.
The dominance of Dragon Form and the subtlety of Snake Form, combined, could unleash power far beyond the simple sum of its parts.
But for someone who mastered the rudimentary Intention like himself, it was a small matter.
The reason for not challenging higher rankings,
firstly because the ones ahead could break three limits at any time,
secondly, it was on the way to Luoshang City, where he could continue south afterward.
To enter Xiang Province, heading towards Wudang.
...
As he descended the mountain, two figures in nighttime attire, with knives strapped to their waists,
used grappling hooks to hang on the cliff wall, hiding behind Ca’er Cliff.
[Ca’er Cliff], a necessary path for Meng Chuan’s descent.
Because the road was narrow and dangerous, travelers had to stick closely to the cliff, named for brushing past only so narrowly.
In the distance, at the crevice in the middle of Canglong Ridge,
a figure had already set up a large-caliber sniper rifle, lurking in the shadows.
The caliber of this gun is terrifying, nearly as thick as a bowl, which gives an idea of the bullet model that’s loaded.
A three-person squad, precisely from the [Black Water Company].
Meng Chuan can take on official transfer tasks from the United University, and such convenient functions also exist among the Demon Path.
They are the ones who accepted the task from the Demon Summoning Hall, aiming to kill the number one on the list!
The reward is astonishing; not fighting for this would be a disservice to themselves.
Behind the Ear Cliff, two Black Water Company assassins heard a steady male voice.
"Thermal imaging has already detected that guy, currently coming down from Golden Lock Pass.
He’s very fast, his Qi Blood is astonishingly hot, not holding anything in his hands; you two get ready."
"Received, can you lock onto his head from your side, Captain?"
"Half of the view is blocked by rock, plus the intel says this guy’s perception ability isn’t weak; there’s a seventy percent chance."
"Received."
"Prepare for my signal; the target’s speed is too fast, get ready to act in advance."
The earpiece fell into brief silence, with only the steady sound of three breathing.
The team of three is among the few 100% success rate professional assassination squads within the Black Water Company.
The captain is a veteran who switched paths halfway, with Qi Blood nearing two ten thousand.
He is also skilled in sniper techniques.
The remaining two are also five-time ascenders, cultivation experts of Demon Path techniques.
As for the prey descending the mountain, the three are sure of their success.
...
Somewhere on the Central Plains.
Li Xiao looked at the bustling night scene outside the window, listening to his subordinates report the work.
"Hall Master, the Black Water squad is on the move."
"Oh? Where are they acting?"
Li Xiao knows Meng Chuan just came out from the Celestial Shrine, then left the city from Yong’an, seemingly heading towards Huayin.
"Halfway up Huashan Mountain, Meng Chuan is descending."
"Good, I have an impression of these three, their strength is good, never failed since their debut, today is quite fitting to be a pad."
A bewildered voice from the other side of the phone came through:
"...I am slow to understand, what does pad mean?"
"Are you stupid? Meng Chuan left school, didn’t Yang Huan prepare a backup for him?
The strength of these three just can exhaust his backup, then clean up this kid, isn’t it steady?"
"Hall Master wise!"
...
On Huashan Golden Lock Pass.
The three were completely unaware that they had been secretly marked by Li Xiao as sacrifices to "exhaust Meng Chuan’s backup."
Still immersed in dreams of dividing the booty.
"After this job, I plan to retire with a golden bowl and attempt to break three."
"Preemptively congratulate the boss on fulfilling his wish, and you can bring us brothers to make a fortune too.
"Hahaha, certainly. Get ready, ten seconds."
"Received, Captain."
Meanwhile, Meng Chuan gazed at the increasingly narrow mountain path beneath him.
He faintly saw a large rock jutting out onto the steps at the bottom.
"Ear Cliff is almost here, seems not far from the mountain base."
His figure swiftly passed the mountain road, moving dozens of meters with each step.
If not worried about the treacherous cliffs of Huashan beneath his feet, he would have leaped to the base in a hundred meters in one step.
Getting closer to the Ear Cliff, Meng Chuan suddenly frowned.
He caught an unusual energy in the air.
This energy echoed in his mind.
Though deliberately hidden and suppressed, it still allowed him to sense the "Demon Path stench."
Meng Chuan was aware; the smell he sniffed was undoubtedly Demonic Qi.
Looks like someone is lying in wait for him, his whereabouts were exposed.
But he was in no panic, if he wished to conceal his tracks, he could have worn [Thousand Faces Thousand Eyes] to alter his aura upon leaving the city and earlier down the mountain.
However, to allure, possibly lurking Fang Jianxing in the shadows, Meng Chuan decided to use himself as bait.
He wanted to lure the opponent out, directly trigger the Shadow Stone, and strike with Prison Yang Strike to kill them.
But from the feedback of [Qi Observation Skill], what he caught were just two...
No, three small fries.
The entire thought process swept through in an instant.
Meng Chuan’s pace did not slacken, his expression unchanged continued descending.
If they dare to ambush him, they must be prepared to die.
Near Ear Cliff, the two ambushers at the rear listened to the captain’s countdown over the earpiece:
"Three seconds."
"Two seconds."
"Act!"
Simultaneously, the earpiece emitted the roar of a large caliber bullet exiting the chamber.
Boom—!
When the exaggerated three-finger-wide brass shell was ejected, it brought up a wisp of smoke.
The giant armor-piercing bullet tore through the air, buzzing instantly, charging towards the intended target.
This caliber, tearing through True Qi shields is like tearing paper.
Unless Meng Chuan possesses [Celestial Demon Position], there’s no way to block it.
The captain was confident about this.
The mountain wind swayed, and the sky reflected in Meng Chuan’s eyes was gradually swallowed by a rapidly enlarging black dot.
He was expressionless, then extended his right hand, the palm pure black.
The more the Earth energy converges to a point, the higher the defense capability.
The right hand absorbed the impact, trembling backward, then he clenched his fist.
The bullet casings turned to powder, falling down in silence.
Meng Chuan felt the force, nodded quietly:
"Some power here, far exceeds the sniper gun Zhao Jian used before."