Chapter 77: Swift
Chapter 77: Chapter 77: Swift
"A martial arts technique?"
Zhu Ge was caught off guard for a moment. The great water buffalo charged and gored him, while the hedgehog in the distance shot two long quills into his side. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
But his hands never stopped moving. He beat back the surrounding Demon Beasts one by one, a hint of joy on his face. He asked in his mind, ’What martial arts technique is it?’
In the eyes of the surrounding Demon Beasts, however, this was terrifying.
"This kid actually started smiling in the middle of the fight?!"
"Hiss~ He must be one of those legendary martial arts fanatics! Hiss~ Let me inject him with my venom, hiss~"
"What the hell, is he a martial arts lunatic?! No way, no way, my wife’s about to give birth, I’m outta here! I’m not eating this human!"
"Aren’t you a mantis? You have a wife?"
"You sons of bitches, hurry up and help! My horn is about to break!"
"Who are you calling a son of a bitch?! Are you looking down on our dog tribe... ahem, our canine clan!"
The surrounding Demon Beasts were all startled to see Zhu Ge spitting blood as he fought, yet still managing to smile.
It was too terrifying!
Too insane!
It was fucking scary, even for a Demon Beast!
However, when Zhu Ge saw the surrounding Demon Beasts bickering amongst themselves while fighting, the curve of his lips immediately widened.
’Infighting!’
’There may be a lot of these Demon Beasts, but they’re just a disorganized mob.’
’Divide and conquer is the best strategy!’
"Heh heh."
A grin spread across Zhu Ge’s face. He let out a soft chuckle, then closed the distance again, fighting as he retreated.
"Wrathful Vajra Palm!"
He roared and engaged the Transformation Realm great water buffalo before him.
In his mind, Hua Liusha was flipping through a scroll stored in the fish basket and reading it aloud to Zhu Ge.
"The Martial Dao is divided into Cultivation Techniques and martial techniques. A Cultivation Technique refines essence into qi, transforming the vital force generated by one’s flesh, blood, and bone into qi. This qi then fuses with the body, making it incomparably strong."
"Legend has it that in ancient times, there were Great Powers of the Martial Dao who could form Blood Qi through physical strength alone. Their every punch and palm strike was incomparably fierce."
"Even if their Cultivation was lost and their Blood Qi dissipated, their bodies would remain indestructible and their strength immense, far surpassing others of the same rank. These are known as Body Refiners."
"However, Body Refiners gradually declined. This was because Body Refinement is extremely difficult, requiring a moment of extreme anger to give birth to the first wisp of Blood Qi. This is where the name ’Anger Realm’ originates."
"Thus, although the Body Refining Lineage was far stronger than the Qi Refining lineage, it eventually fell into decline..."
Hua Liusha read the contents of the book to Zhu Ge in his mind, word for word.
Zhu Ge was secretly shocked by what he heard.
’Body Refinement, Qi Refining!’
’So there are two paths in the Martial Dao!’
He had always thought that Blood Qi was something that naturally appeared the more one practiced Body Refinement.
He had previously wondered why he couldn’t produce any Blood Qi despite constantly training in the Great Sun Glaze Body.
It was the rage he felt when the Raincoat Fisherman raped Sui Niang and her mother that finally allowed him to advance to the Anger Realm.
Now he understood.
’It turns out I was missing a catalyst—a catalyst of anger!’
But Zhu Ge also sensed something was wrong.
’If one path is ten times stronger than the other, why doesn’t anyone cultivate it?’
’There must be many reasons.’
’Its difficulty is one reason, of course.’
The primary requirement for cultivating the Great Sun Glaze Body was to be able to have one’s soul leave the body while having no Cultivation.
But how could one’s soul leave the body without any Cultivation?
Therefore, the creator of this Cultivation Technique had likely intended it as more of a theoretical concept; it was incredibly difficult to actually practice.
Even if some prodigy managed to cultivate this technique under accidental circumstances, another problem would arise:
’Progression is too difficult and too slow...’ Zhu Ge had a moment of clarity.
It was like making money.
If one method could earn you 100,000 and another could earn you 10,000, why wouldn’t you choose the one that earns 100,000?
Perhaps it’s because the method to earn 100,000 takes ten years, while the one to earn 10,000 takes only one.
In that case, why bother taking the so-called "stronger" path?
’So what if you’re invincible among Body Refiners of the same realm? You might be invincible against me in the First Realm, but by the time I reach the Third Realm, you’re still stuck in the First Realm. What’s the damn point?’
So, Zhu Ge figured the decline of Martial Arts Body Refinement likely came down to these two reasons.
However, Zhu Ge’s mind couldn’t help but race with new possibilities.
’The Body Refinement speed of the Great Sun Glaze Body... doesn’t seem slow at all!’
As long as his body could withstand it, he could practically charcoal-grill himself to medium-well.
After all, the Great Sun Glaze Body was a method that used the elements of nature to temper the physical body.
Temper, repair, strengthen. Then temper again, repair again, strengthen again.
It involved tearing muscles, grinding bones, and jarring organs, then repairing them to their original state. This cycle would repeat until the body, through prolonged tempering, began to glow, which signified great success.
Once Wind Refining was complete and his body was tempered to the point of glowing, he could begin Water Refining.
"...This old man’s text is a martial arts technique from the Qi Refining lineage of the Martial Dao. Practitioners must remember never to make an enemy of a Body Refiner, or you will be defeated in an instant. Remember this, remember this."
Hua Liusha had just finished reading the manual’s preface.
This preface seemed more like the earnest teachings of an elder to a junior.
A martial arts technique like this was likely an inheritance passed down within a sect or family, serving as a warning to future generations.
Knowing this information was also beneficial to Zhu Ge.
"Little Sister, continue,"
Zhu Ge replied to Hua Liusha.
Hua Liusha had read that last sentence in less than half a second and was already continuing:
"...This is my Xu Family Rain Swift Fist. This old man created it after observing rain swifts. A swift’s body can break through rain and clear away haze, fearing neither thunder nor fire. Neither hawk nor insect can contend with it. This old man had an epiphany while watching the swifts and thus created this fist technique."
’A martial arts technique that emphasizes speed!’
’This is great!’
Zhu Ge’s current martial arts technique, the Wrathful Vajra Palm, was powerful and heavy, but while it had ferocity, it lacked versatility.
’This Xu Family Rain Swift Fist is the perfect way to make up for my shortcomings!’
At the same time, Hua Liusha formed a figure out of Yin Qi in Zhu Ge’s mind. It looked just like him.
"Brother, I’ll demonstrate it for you as I read. I can only look at this book inside the fish basket. I can’t take it out into the real world; you’ll have to do that," Hua Liusha explained.
As Hua Liusha explained, the Yin Qi figure began to perform various movements, leaping and striking, demonstrating the stances of the Rain Swift Fist.
While Zhu Ge absorbed Hua Liusha’s explanation and demonstration in his mind, his physical body sent the great water buffalo stumbling back several steps with a powerful kick. He then slammed into a large wild boar before him with an Iron Mountain Charge.
"BANG!!!!"
The next second, the air was filled with the bellows of the buffalo and the squeals of the boar. And then, he broke free into the open.
"Hahaha, come and get me!"
Zhu Ge’s running form was no longer the typical fixed swinging of arms and legs. Instead, he brought his hands together and thrust them forward, like a breaststroke.
A profound arc traced between his Blood Qi-wreathed fingers, and his figure blurred as a result.
’Rain Swift Rends the Sky!’
"WHOOSH!!"
In the next instant, Zhu Ge’s body appeared over thirty meters away. He performed the move again and reappeared another thirty-plus meters from there.
"This is a mid-grade Spirit Level martial arts technique?!"
Zhu Ge was ecstatic.
’So fast!’
He didn’t know about much else, but he remembered that in his past life, Liu Xiang ran the 100-meter hurdles in just over twelve seconds.
And now, he could cover a hundred meters in just three seconds!
But after those three seconds, he felt an emptiness inside him.
’One move consumes one stream of Blood Qi. No wonder they told their descendants to steer clear of Body Refiners.’
’Even if they’re both Late-First Realm, after three moves, the Qi Refining Martial Artist has the technique but no more Blood Qi, while the Body Refining Martial Artist’s body is still indestructible. How the hell can you fight that?!’
Feeling the emptiness in his body, Zhu Ge immediately understood the drawback of the Xu Family Rain Swift Fist.
It was like a fight between someone practicing Golden Bell Shield and Iron Cloth Shirt and a swordsman. If the swordsman was weak and could only manage three strikes, and those three strikes failed to kill his opponent, he would be killed in return.
However, this was also because he was unfamiliar with the Rain Swift Fist, causing him to instantly drain all three streams of his Blood Qi.
Once he became more familiar with it, his Blood Qi could be generated continuously, and he would be able to use less of it for each move.
The moves wouldn’t be as powerful as they were now, but at least he wouldn’t be left with no Blood Qi at all.
’Still, this is enough for now.’
Zhu Ge glanced back. The Demon Beasts, now a hundred meters away, were closing in on him.
"THWIP! THWIP!!"
Two more of the hedgehog’s quills flew out, striking Zhu Ge in the knee.
"That damn hedgehog needs to die!" Zhu Ge glared at the hedgehog hiding behind a tree after firing its quills. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and continued to run.
He had used up his Blood Qi, but his body itself wasn’t tired. He could keep moving.
Meanwhile, Hua Liusha continued to recite and demonstrate, now reaching the end of the text:
"...Therefore, the Rain Swift Fist is not only suitable for tearing apart an enemy’s body but also for escaping. When you encounter a powerful foe, you must remember not to get drawn into a protracted battle!"
"This old man lived to the age of three hundred and six. I had already touched the threshold of breaking through to become a Great Power, but I was gravely injured because I was unwilling to flee from a strong enemy, and lost all chance of advancement forever."
"Those who come after me and practice this fist technique must not become obsessed with it. You must not condense the ’heart of the Rain Swift Fist’ out of anger. If you wish to condense the True Meaning of Martial Arts and become a Three Realms Venerable, you must walk your own path. Otherwise, you will have no hope of ever becoming a Great Power! Remember this, remember this!"
Hearing Hua Liusha’s words, Zhu Ge was lost in thought.
’Walk my own path, huh...’