Chapter 41
Hopelessness
Duan Xuan and Song Dayuan simultaneously assumed their stances. Although both were practicing the Breaking Mountain Fist stance, Duan Xuan's stance looked much more agile.
Song Dayuan, on the other hand, was rather rigid. He did everything exactly as Chen Feng had taught him back then, without any changes.
Neither of them spoke. When Wu Hui shouted "Start!", Duan Xuan attacked first, while Song Dayuan, unsurprisingly, went to defense.
Seeing this, Duan Xuan used his Ming Jin strength and started with the first move of the Breaking Mountain Fist, the first stance of Breaking the Earth.
This is a move to test the enemy's strengths and weaknesses, especially against opponents who immediately adopt a defensive stance.
It is most suitable for use, as it can reveal the opponent's true strength.
With a loud bang, Duan Xuan's fist struck like a cannonball.
The impact struck Song Dayuan's wrists hard, and the two forces intertwined, creating a faint, invisible ripple.
Song Dayuan's wrist was visibly red, but he remained expressionless.
Despite the pain, he retreated slightly, but his defensive stance remained intact and unwavering.
Seeing that his attack had missed, Duan Xuan crouched down and twisted his waist sharply.
The second move involves splitting the stone straight out, drawing the bow to the left and right, with both fists still possessing the power to shatter mountains.
Boom boom boom~
A series of powerful hissing sounds rang out.
Song Dayuan actively defended himself, and no matter how many punches Duan Xuan threw, he firmly maintained the Broken Mountain Fist stance, his feet firmly planted on the Broken Mountain Fist stance.
It's like a mountain, trying to buy time for its qi and blood to rise with this ultimate defense.
One set of stone-breaking techniques ultimately failed, and the third technique, the ape-severing technique, followed closely behind.
It was at this moment that Song Dayuan moved; that honest and simple figure instantly transformed into a moving wall.
The two were only an arm's length apart, and he could see that his well-developed muscles were tightly interwoven like those of an old tree.
His punching speed was not as fast as Duan Xuan's, but he had practiced and honed his moves for one or two years.
It still gives it a unique charm.
Similarly, he also used the groundbreaking method.
At this very moment, Duan Xuan channeled his vital energy and aura.
He has progressed from just entering the Ming Jin stage to the middle stage of Ming Jin.
The atmosphere between the two sides instantly became tense, and the tension between them suddenly increased.
Bang, bang, bang—the sounds of collisions rang out one after another.
Song Dayuan used the technique from breaking ground to breaking through the wall in one breath, such a wonderful collision.
Wu Hui felt a pang of bittersweet ache at the sight, but Duan Xuan shook his head.
After a brief separation, Duan Xuan immediately used his third move, Peak Destruction, and his momentum continued to rise.
Although he had been suppressing his strength to the mid-stage of Ming Jin, he had the support of the first move of the Peak-Crushing Technique, the Raging Charge.
The power it unleashes is far greater than that of a typical mid-stage Ming Jin (a type of martial arts skill).
This move involves abandoning defense and focusing all your energy on offense, as long as you can withstand the opponent's damage.
Considering the depletion of one's physical strength and energy, the final outcome will inevitably be a victory for one's own side.
However, Song Dayuan still obediently used the second move, Rift Mountain, unleashing the three moves in succession: Cone Rift, Horizontal Rift, and Collapse Rift.
Completely disregarding the needs of the battle, they were rigid and methodical, as if they were working on a precision instrument, not allowing themselves to make any mistakes.
Duan Xuan had already completed the ascent of his Qi and strength, and the two clashed again.
No matter how fierce the cone crack appeared, Duan Xuan's fist carried real force.
With a thud, Song Dayuan finally felt the pain.
scoff-
His cloth shoes left black marks on the ground, causing him to retreat more than two meters.
After the blow, Song Dayuan felt a tingling numbness in his arm, as if he couldn't exert any strength.
He didn't understand why, but he just shook his hand and continued to meet Duan Xuan's attacking fist.
He charged forward, but his feet shifted and he quickly withdrew his hand; this was the feint of Rifting Mountain.
Duan Xuan knew exactly what he was thinking, and kicked out with his right foot when he missed.
Song Dayuan's punch, which had just been gathering power from the side, didn't even have a chance to be unleashed before he was forced to tuck his arms in to defend.
Almost instantly, Duan Xuan's entire body completed its contraction, and his freed left hand shot through the air.
As his blood and qi continued to surge and his momentum continued to rise, he directly connected with the second move of the third move, "Broken Waves".
Layer upon layer, wave after wave, relentlessly striking, yet the power of the blows keeps doubling.
With one or two blows, Song Dayuan raised his hand to block, putting all his strength into it. At first, he was only itchy from the blows.
But when Duan Xuan threw his fifth punch, blood was already seeping from the corner of Song Dayuan's mouth.
His arms, as tough as an old tree, were also beaten until the muscles were loose and covered in bloody welts.
He still wanted to defend, so he completely abandoned the first four words of the Mountain-Crushing Fist philosophy: Go Forward Without Hesitation.
Wu Hui, who was watching from the side, was so anxious that he kept stamping his feet, but he couldn't say anything.
Duan Xuanguan's own strength was enough to make him, despite being only at the mid-stage of Ming Jin, possess the power of the late-stage Ming Jin.
With a whoosh, the punch landed on Song Dayuan's side ribs.
The powerful energy spread out, pushing Song Dayuan away forcefully.
However, it did not damage its roots or its skin.
"Why... are you not fighting anymore?" Song Dayuan asked, panting heavily, puzzled.
Duan Xuan simply shook his head, while Wu Hui said from the side, "Brother Song, you've lost!"
"How could I possibly lose? I'm on defense!"
I've been practicing this defense for half a year, I'm sure I can defend against it. I defended against all those powerful attacks from Junior Brother Duan using hidden force.
How could I not defend against that move?
Song Dayuan immediately became angry, his face turning red.
He felt that both of them were deceiving him, since he had clearly defended against so many attacks from hidden forces.
There's no reason why they couldn't withstand this final blow.
He even felt that as long as he could withstand this blow, he would see the light at the end of the tunnel and have a chance to turn the tables.
Wu Hui quickly used a fan to cool Song Dayuan down: "Brother Song, don't be stubborn."
Junior Brother Duan didn't use any hidden strength at all; he used only visible strength from beginning to end.
Can't you really sense that Junior Brother Duan's strength and power are gradually increasing?
He understands that you want to use him as a whetstone.
So they climbed from the initial stage of Ming Jin to the middle stage of Ming Jin to test your strength.
But in the end…
"In the end, you didn't even use the strength of the late stage of Ming Jin, is that right?" Song Dayuan looked at Duan Xuan as if seeking confirmation, and the latter nodded silently.
In an instant, Song Dayuan seemed to have all his strength drained away, and he staggered to the ground.
"Senior Brother Song, the philosophy of the Broken Mountain Fist is to forge ahead and never give up."
But none of the four characters alone are correct.
You cling to the idea of never giving up, but forget to forge ahead relentlessly, which makes your punches neither fierce nor fast enough.
This makes your punch hesitant.
However, the punches you used were relentless and too extreme.
While martial arts techniques may follow set routines, real combat requires adaptability and unpredictability.
I can sense that your strength is at the mid-to-late stage of Ming Jin.
You didn't lose to me; you lost to the cage you built for yourself!
Song Dayuan's head was buzzing, and he couldn't hear anything; only tears kept flowing down his face.
Wu Hui felt a pang of sadness as he watched. All three people present knew that Song Dayuan had no hope of ever achieving enlightenment again.
Wu Hui helped Song Dayuan to his feet. The latter was crying and laughing at the same time, wiping away tears and snot on his face.
"Junior Brother Duan, you must continue on the path of martial arts for me, you must, you must..."
Duan Xuan remained silent for a long time, watching the two figures depart.
Duan Xuan didn't wake up until the night breeze gently brushed against his face.
After packing my things, I walked home with an incredibly heavy heart.
Song Dayuan, on the other hand, was rather rigid. He did everything exactly as Chen Feng had taught him back then, without any changes.
Neither of them spoke. When Wu Hui shouted "Start!", Duan Xuan attacked first, while Song Dayuan, unsurprisingly, went to defense.
Seeing this, Duan Xuan used his Ming Jin strength and started with the first move of the Breaking Mountain Fist, the first stance of Breaking the Earth.
This is a move to test the enemy's strengths and weaknesses, especially against opponents who immediately adopt a defensive stance.
It is most suitable for use, as it can reveal the opponent's true strength.
With a loud bang, Duan Xuan's fist struck like a cannonball.
The impact struck Song Dayuan's wrists hard, and the two forces intertwined, creating a faint, invisible ripple.
Song Dayuan's wrist was visibly red, but he remained expressionless.
Despite the pain, he retreated slightly, but his defensive stance remained intact and unwavering.
Seeing that his attack had missed, Duan Xuan crouched down and twisted his waist sharply.
The second move involves splitting the stone straight out, drawing the bow to the left and right, with both fists still possessing the power to shatter mountains.
Boom boom boom~
A series of powerful hissing sounds rang out.
Song Dayuan actively defended himself, and no matter how many punches Duan Xuan threw, he firmly maintained the Broken Mountain Fist stance, his feet firmly planted on the Broken Mountain Fist stance.
It's like a mountain, trying to buy time for its qi and blood to rise with this ultimate defense.
One set of stone-breaking techniques ultimately failed, and the third technique, the ape-severing technique, followed closely behind.
It was at this moment that Song Dayuan moved; that honest and simple figure instantly transformed into a moving wall.
The two were only an arm's length apart, and he could see that his well-developed muscles were tightly interwoven like those of an old tree.
His punching speed was not as fast as Duan Xuan's, but he had practiced and honed his moves for one or two years.
It still gives it a unique charm.
Similarly, he also used the groundbreaking method.
At this very moment, Duan Xuan channeled his vital energy and aura.
He has progressed from just entering the Ming Jin stage to the middle stage of Ming Jin.
The atmosphere between the two sides instantly became tense, and the tension between them suddenly increased.
Bang, bang, bang—the sounds of collisions rang out one after another.
Song Dayuan used the technique from breaking ground to breaking through the wall in one breath, such a wonderful collision.
Wu Hui felt a pang of bittersweet ache at the sight, but Duan Xuan shook his head.
After a brief separation, Duan Xuan immediately used his third move, Peak Destruction, and his momentum continued to rise.
Although he had been suppressing his strength to the mid-stage of Ming Jin, he had the support of the first move of the Peak-Crushing Technique, the Raging Charge.
The power it unleashes is far greater than that of a typical mid-stage Ming Jin (a type of martial arts skill).
This move involves abandoning defense and focusing all your energy on offense, as long as you can withstand the opponent's damage.
Considering the depletion of one's physical strength and energy, the final outcome will inevitably be a victory for one's own side.
However, Song Dayuan still obediently used the second move, Rift Mountain, unleashing the three moves in succession: Cone Rift, Horizontal Rift, and Collapse Rift.
Completely disregarding the needs of the battle, they were rigid and methodical, as if they were working on a precision instrument, not allowing themselves to make any mistakes.
Duan Xuan had already completed the ascent of his Qi and strength, and the two clashed again.
No matter how fierce the cone crack appeared, Duan Xuan's fist carried real force.
With a thud, Song Dayuan finally felt the pain.
scoff-
His cloth shoes left black marks on the ground, causing him to retreat more than two meters.
After the blow, Song Dayuan felt a tingling numbness in his arm, as if he couldn't exert any strength.
He didn't understand why, but he just shook his hand and continued to meet Duan Xuan's attacking fist.
He charged forward, but his feet shifted and he quickly withdrew his hand; this was the feint of Rifting Mountain.
Duan Xuan knew exactly what he was thinking, and kicked out with his right foot when he missed.
Song Dayuan's punch, which had just been gathering power from the side, didn't even have a chance to be unleashed before he was forced to tuck his arms in to defend.
Almost instantly, Duan Xuan's entire body completed its contraction, and his freed left hand shot through the air.
As his blood and qi continued to surge and his momentum continued to rise, he directly connected with the second move of the third move, "Broken Waves".
Layer upon layer, wave after wave, relentlessly striking, yet the power of the blows keeps doubling.
With one or two blows, Song Dayuan raised his hand to block, putting all his strength into it. At first, he was only itchy from the blows.
But when Duan Xuan threw his fifth punch, blood was already seeping from the corner of Song Dayuan's mouth.
His arms, as tough as an old tree, were also beaten until the muscles were loose and covered in bloody welts.
He still wanted to defend, so he completely abandoned the first four words of the Mountain-Crushing Fist philosophy: Go Forward Without Hesitation.
Wu Hui, who was watching from the side, was so anxious that he kept stamping his feet, but he couldn't say anything.
Duan Xuanguan's own strength was enough to make him, despite being only at the mid-stage of Ming Jin, possess the power of the late-stage Ming Jin.
With a whoosh, the punch landed on Song Dayuan's side ribs.
The powerful energy spread out, pushing Song Dayuan away forcefully.
However, it did not damage its roots or its skin.
"Why... are you not fighting anymore?" Song Dayuan asked, panting heavily, puzzled.
Duan Xuan simply shook his head, while Wu Hui said from the side, "Brother Song, you've lost!"
"How could I possibly lose? I'm on defense!"
I've been practicing this defense for half a year, I'm sure I can defend against it. I defended against all those powerful attacks from Junior Brother Duan using hidden force.
How could I not defend against that move?
Song Dayuan immediately became angry, his face turning red.
He felt that both of them were deceiving him, since he had clearly defended against so many attacks from hidden forces.
There's no reason why they couldn't withstand this final blow.
He even felt that as long as he could withstand this blow, he would see the light at the end of the tunnel and have a chance to turn the tables.
Wu Hui quickly used a fan to cool Song Dayuan down: "Brother Song, don't be stubborn."
Junior Brother Duan didn't use any hidden strength at all; he used only visible strength from beginning to end.
Can't you really sense that Junior Brother Duan's strength and power are gradually increasing?
He understands that you want to use him as a whetstone.
So they climbed from the initial stage of Ming Jin to the middle stage of Ming Jin to test your strength.
But in the end…
"In the end, you didn't even use the strength of the late stage of Ming Jin, is that right?" Song Dayuan looked at Duan Xuan as if seeking confirmation, and the latter nodded silently.
In an instant, Song Dayuan seemed to have all his strength drained away, and he staggered to the ground.
"Senior Brother Song, the philosophy of the Broken Mountain Fist is to forge ahead and never give up."
But none of the four characters alone are correct.
You cling to the idea of never giving up, but forget to forge ahead relentlessly, which makes your punches neither fierce nor fast enough.
This makes your punch hesitant.
However, the punches you used were relentless and too extreme.
While martial arts techniques may follow set routines, real combat requires adaptability and unpredictability.
I can sense that your strength is at the mid-to-late stage of Ming Jin.
You didn't lose to me; you lost to the cage you built for yourself!
Song Dayuan's head was buzzing, and he couldn't hear anything; only tears kept flowing down his face.
Wu Hui felt a pang of sadness as he watched. All three people present knew that Song Dayuan had no hope of ever achieving enlightenment again.
Wu Hui helped Song Dayuan to his feet. The latter was crying and laughing at the same time, wiping away tears and snot on his face.
"Junior Brother Duan, you must continue on the path of martial arts for me, you must, you must..."
Duan Xuan remained silent for a long time, watching the two figures depart.
Duan Xuan didn't wake up until the night breeze gently brushed against his face.
After packing my things, I walked home with an incredibly heavy heart.