noveldepot Chapter 65 In-depth Investigation of the Martial Arts of Heaven and Man
Chapter 65 In-depth Investigation of the Martial Arts of Heaven and Man
There are no perfect techniques in the world, but there are perfect systems of martial arts.
A single martial art technique is usually insufficient to handle all combat scenarios. For example, Lin Zhuo is standing still while activating his palm technique. He wanted to chase after his opponent, but he didn't have the strength to use his lightness skill. Forcing a chase would only allow his opponent to nimbly dodge and find an opening in his defense.
Therefore, he remained still as if in motion, and adapted to change by remaining unchanged, simply waiting quietly for his opponent to make a move.
At this moment, Wan Taoxian had a line of cold sweat running down his forehead. He raised and lowered the Ying Shuang sword in his hand, sometimes pointing the blade to the left and sometimes suddenly to the right.
He hadn't experienced this kind of indecisiveness in a long time, only when he first held a knife as a child. He saw the blade of the weapon, but couldn't see a target to slash at.
As a child, facing an empty training ground without even a wooden dummy, he could only try to cut the air, but he felt that was too stupid.
Right now, I have a clear and distinct opponent in front of me, standing as still as a wooden stake, seemingly so easy to cut in two with a single stroke.
But he still felt he couldn't find his goal.
Years of martial arts training and experience in the martial world have honed Wan Tao's keen intuition. He constantly adjusted the angle of his sword strikes and his body posture, but he sensed that no matter what he did, he could only strike at thin air.
He once sat facing off against a notorious bandit in a restaurant. In an instant, he drew his sword and cleaved the wine cup in front of him, without spilling a drop of wine. It wasn't until the bandit reached up to pick up the cup, but only managed to lift the top half, that wine gushed out from the broken end, along with blood from the bandit's chest.
It was precisely because of his swift and fierce swordsmanship that he was able to rank twelfth among the rising stars of the martial arts world, a remarkable achievement. Moreover, in terms of actual combat strength, he was not much different from the top ten young martial artists.
In battles of similar skill levels, the most influential factor is still the belief and willpower on the spot.
Even so, Wan Taoxian already vaguely sensed that his opponent was not on the same level as him at all.
Even though the other party was only ranked sixty-sixth on the Hidden Dragon List, which was theoretically far inferior to him, the martial arts rankings were, after all, compiled by information brokers. People are subjective, and it's not the first or second time that the information has been so severely distorted that people think it's a worthless list.
Especially those wild young heroes like Lin Zhuo who suddenly appear out of nowhere—these are the most cunning. They pretend to have no background in the martial arts world, acting like an easy-to-bully simpleton. As a result, when others curiously come over and step on them, they are instantly sent flying. They are known to grow stronger when facing stronger opponents, and their strength is unknown. Every time they suddenly appear, they cause a major reshuffle of the rankings.
Wan Taoxian did not make a move, and the two of them had been posing for so long that they were met with boos from the crowd.
Suddenly, his footing changed. The yawning onlookers perked up, then looked puzzled, and boos rose again. It turned out that Wan Taoxian had not raised his knife forward, but was instead retreating.
What was he avoiding? Although he wasn't enveloped by Lin Zhuo's palm strike, Wan Taoxian sensed that his opponent's presence was slowly expanding, like an unstoppable hurricane cloud moving from the horizon.
Before the palms even touched the ground, the intent arrived first, filling the vast universe before my eyes with an indescribable sense of crisis and threat.
The more carefully Wan Tao sensed the other party's true energy, the more he could perceive that arrogant and daring spirit.
This sentiment is like a towering mountain; even if one is blind, one can clearly perceive it through the mind alone. It is so vibrant, so solemn, so proud, and so stern.
What kind of thoughts and beliefs can create such pride and arrogance, yet also such humility and perseverance?
The arena was high, but not very big. Wan Tao retreated again and again until his heels were practically touching the ground. Behind him was the vast, unsupported atmosphere, and the wind whipped his clothes around as if to drag him into the abyss.
He knew he could no longer hesitate. Once the swordsman's weapon was drawn, it had to be used. No matter whose blood it was stained with, even if it broke or rusted, it would still shine. But once it was sheathed, even if the blade was flawless, it would be scrap metal.
Amidst the cacophony of voices and boos, a sudden, sharp shout erupted from the ten-zhang-high platform, like the turbid waves crashing against the precipice of a stormy coastline, so heavy and resonant that it made the listener's heart ache.
Wan Taoxian, whose name is Tao Hai Jing Dao (meaning "Surprising Blade of the Waves"), is skilled in swordsmanship. The word "Jing" describes his speed, while "Tao Hai" describes his dense and powerful nature. This kind of swordsmanship was honed in the chaotic reefs of the sea. Facing the disorderly and chaotic currents and waves from all directions, it is as if one is trapped in a massive army. One must rely on a long sword to break through the waves and carve out a bloody path to avoid being smashed by the seawater onto the rocks, bleeding profusely, and dying on the spot.
As he cleaved through countless waves, the wooden sword he used for practice became covered in salt frost, and his swordsmanship exuded the ferocity of the ocean. Even his surging spiritual energy could make his opponents smell the bitter saltiness of the sea.
"They're fighting! They're about to start fighting!" "Wow! That's a really bright glint in the air!"
A bright silver moon shone in the sky, and clusters of frost blades stood tall in the air like rows of banners. After this powerful shout, the swordsman who had retreated to the cliff finally leaped up and rushed straight into the powerful energy of the Thousand Dragons.
He finally unleashed the frost blade in his hand, no longer caring about timing or angle, but simply pouring out the endless blade light with all his might, cutting through the wind and slaying dragons wherever he encountered them.
Wan Tao felt as if he had stumbled into the ocean currents of the summer typhoons, accompanied by the tidal bores of the new and full moons. It was so chaotic that it felt as if the heavens were unleashing an inescapable calamity to kill him. In front of him, behind him, above him, and below him, there was nothing but surging, unfathomable true energy.
His blade was so fast that water couldn't penetrate it, but the energy it generated was clearly not inanimate, but rather like a hungry and greedy group of sharks in the sea, opening their mouths to bite and make the Ying Shuang sword groan. He had to exert all his mental energy and physical strength to drag the long sword around and ensure that the blade remained perfectly in place.
"Come, let me show you my heart and my intentions!" Wan Tao didn't speak at first, but his two bloodshot eyes, hidden in the flashing cold light, stared at Lin Zhuo, clearly roaring.
All the Anzhou city residents watching from the ground were discussing it endlessly, unable to understand why this swordsman was swinging his sword at the air like a madman.
The martial arts practitioners who were also watching the battle merely frowned, pondered, and sighed softly.
Lin Zhuo focused on controlling the surging destructive true energy around his body, trying to gather all his strength into one place, suppress his opponent firmly, and then unleash the palm force condensed to the limit to defeat him in one fell swoop.
However, the energy surging towards Wan Tao was all cleaved by his swift blade, and the true energy bursting from the blade countered and neutralized it. Thus, he was like an endless abyss of water, and the dragons that Lin Zhuo urged to surge around him were all swallowed up without a trace.
A cold, icy light flickered and danced on Lin Zhuo's body, as if the sharp blade could strike his flesh at any moment and slice him into two halves of a gourd.
The blade flashed and the true energy surged. Lin Zhuo clearly smelled the cold and bitter vapor of the vast ocean. He looked back into Wan Taoxian's eyes and saw a stubbornness like a madman, a martial artist standing between the reefs, cutting through the waves from day to night, from spring to winter.
In the world of "Cangcheng," Qi Masters endure far more trials and tribulations to grow stronger than players on other online platforms. They cannot increase their cultivation level solely through experience, there is no cultivation-based system for rapid skill improvement, and they lack the martial arts wisdom shared by countless powerful individuals.
For them, martial arts training is not like playing a game where effort always yields results.
In the thousands of days and nights, decades of summer and winter, and a hundred years of life, practicing martial arts is mostly a futile effort that leads to stagnation, wasting time without any progress.
How did Wan Tao first endure this loneliness? How could he walk into that sea without wavering, enduring yesterday's wounds and aches, and begin to suffer today's torment?
The answer to all of this lies in his swordsmanship and in his inner energy.
"My first master was my biological father, and the sea was my second master. It is far more powerful than any teacher and far more beautiful than any woman. The sea is my sunshine, my waves, and my death knell. After each swing of my sword, when I gaze at the end of the sea, it shares its boundless generosity with me. That is why I am always becoming stronger."
Wan Taoxian used to think that he would never encounter an enemy more terrifying than the sea in his life, because he had never seen a martial spirit more magnificent and boundless than the vast ocean.
Now he has met him.
The end of the sea is the beginning of the sky. If a person's only pursuit in life is to become the tide of the sea, then he will never be able to touch the sky.
No matter how high or how turbulent the ocean, can it be higher than the sky? Can it be more ruthless than the passage of time?
His opponent, from the very beginning, scorned everything in the world. All the dull, unchanging, and old things would eventually be crushed and rebuilt, crushed and rebuilt again, by the things he believed in. This historical cycle was endless, more distant than the heavens, more ancient than time itself.
Wan Tao continuously unleashed his spiritual energy. His family's sword technique, "Boundless Chaotic Wave Slash," could repeat its moves endlessly, but its variations were ultimately limited. Even if he added his own variations, it would only add a few more tricks.
However, the clumsy dragon's fall from heaven, which consists of only one move from beginning to end, has unrestrained, unbounded, and limitless changes in its energy. The sky can accommodate clouds of all shapes and sizes, but the sea always returns to calm after the waves rise.
Wan Tao initially felt that each of his slashes was becoming smoother, but this was not a good thing; he was even terrified.
Because the surrounding energy of the Thousand Dragons not only did not oppose his sword technique, but instead propelled the blade forward at high speed, with each move perfectly coordinated.
No matter how much the sea changes, it is ultimately static; once cut open, it loses its power. Lin Zhuo's palm technique, however, absorbs the essence of his opponent's martial arts.
Wan Tao was still the young swordsman standing in the waves, cutting through the water, but the surrounding waves had transformed into serpents, and the Ying Shuang sword, which he trusted most, seemed to come alive. Its power gradually became uncontrollable, and it almost slipped out of his hand, turning into a venomous snake that would devour its master.
The swordsmanship continued, growing faster and faster, and the sword light gradually transformed from rows of silver banners into a full, bright moon.
Now it is no longer people who control weapons, but weapons that control their masters.
The more Wan Tao tried to regain control, the more he was suppressed by the terrifying force. His body involuntarily hunched over, and he tried to hold the precious sword to his chest with both hands, curling up into a ball.
In a daze, he felt as if he was drowning. He tried to look up at his opponent, Lin Zhuo, who seemed to be standing on a towering reef. Against the moonlight, he could not see his face clearly no matter what he did, only his eyes were as fierce as burning embers.
Neither of them spoke, but they could both hear each other.
"I saw your knife, your intention," Lin Zhuo whispered.
"But I can't see why your fighting spirit is burning."
"The world history you and I are familiar with is completely different, so of course you wouldn't understand."
"I truly don't understand, like a blind man trying to see the sun, but at least I know that such intentions and such people exist in this world. Thank you... I concede defeat."
Lin Zhuo withdrew his palm strike, and Wan Tao, who was curled up in front of him, suddenly collapsed and lost consciousness.
The wind and clouds high in the sky stirred his brocade robes, yet they remained perfectly intact.
The servant in the gold shop repeatedly struck the bronze gong, the clanging sound echoing through the street, announcing that the outcome was decided.
[Combat action successfully assessed; [The Fallen Dragon] basic skill level increased by 1%]
[Exquisite coefficient × 4 (acting martial arts between heaven and man)]
[Combat Results Statistics: (Victory +1%) (Overwhelming Power +2%) (Subduing the Enemy +2%)
[Final Calculation Result: [The Fallen Dragon] Cultivation Progress +9%]
【The Fallen Dragon (Medium Grade, White)】
Proficiency: 99% (Base multiplier × 1) (To be broken through)