Chapter 20: Mastering the World’s Martial Arts

Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Mastering the World’s Martial Arts

WHOOSH!

Zhou Botong threw a punch!

BANG!

Chen Sha took a step, and the ground before the cave trembled. His eyes were fixed on the incoming fist.

In that instant,

from Zhou Botong’s Fist Technique alone, Chen Sha could tell the Old Mischievous was finally getting serious.

In his bid to learn the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, he had at last revealed his own creation: the Seventy-Two Paths of Void Clarity Fist.

When the Old Mischievous unleashed his self-created Fist Technique,

a punch was clearly heading his way,

yet Chen Sha felt no power from it at all. It didn’t even stir the air, feeling as soft as a woman’s touch.

BOOM!

Chen Sha wanted to test the foundation of the Void Clarity Fist, so he held nothing back. With a flick of his sleeve, he clenched his fist, stirring up a scorching Palm Wind.

The Palm Power in his strike exploded outwards like dynamite!

WOOO~

A strange thing happened. The moment this ferocious Palm Power met Zhou Botong’s Punching Force, it was like punching cotton—the blow landed on nothing at all!

"Haha, never seen this before, have you? This move is called Empty Bowl of Rice!"

Zhou Botong’s fist was already in front of Chen Sha’s face as he laughed smugly.

"This is the Fist Technique I, the Old Mischievous, created myself!"

Zhou Botong’s Fist Technique was soft and seemed to lack substance. Chen Sha countered with the incredibly fierce Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, but his strike hit empty air, neutralized by the other’s Fist Intent.

Meanwhile, Zhou Botong’s own attack seemed to have no strength behind it.

’So this is the Void Clarity Fist?’

"Hmm..."

Chen Sha mused. After that tentative exchange, he had already felt the formidability of this Fist Technique.

It looked soft and powerless, but its Vigorous Qi was faint yet ever-present, making it extremely dangerous.

"A worthy opponent!"

Chen Sha’s eyes lit up. He forcefully circulated his power, agitated his True Qi, and countered with a fist technique from the Great Yellow Court.

"Again!"

The two fists clashed once more!

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The Power Dao of Chen Sha’s strikes grew increasingly fierce and tyrannical, driven by a domineering resolve to overwhelm softness with hardness.

Before they knew it, the two had exchanged over thirty moves with no clear winner.

"What an incredible Void Clarity Fist, the softest in the world!"

Chen Sha didn’t hold back his praise, even as he delivered a flurry of powerful punches.

"In an age before that Zhang Sanfeng fellow has appeared to create the Tai Chi Fist, Old Mischievous, your Void Clarity Fist deserves to be called the softest Fist Technique in the world!"

"Zhang Sanfeng?"

Zhou Botong blinked.

"Is he someone fun? Are you saying his Fist Technique is even softer than mine?"

Chen Sha continued to fight Zhou Botong, not caring whether the man understood him or not.

He spoke as he fought.

"It is widely known that the Tai Chi Fist uses softness to overcome hardness, deflecting a thousand pounds with four ounces. I haven’t seen that Fist Technique myself, but in terms of pure softness, your Void Clarity Fist’s intent is already the pinnacle."

The more Chen Sha fought Zhou Botong,

the more he could sense the profound mystery within this "softest under heaven" Fist Technique.

With every punch he threw, the Fist Intent projected a feeling of the void.

Empty Bowl of Rice,

Empty House Resident,

as open as a valley,

completely empty,

an emptiness within emptiness...

...

The Fist Intent of the Seventy-two Boxing Techniques could be summarized in a single concept: emptiness.

The sea is vast because it can contain everything;

but if one can be empty, one can contain infinity!

Therefore, when Zhou Botong used these Seventy-two Boxing Techniques, the Vigorous Qi in each punch seemed soft, yet it was continuous and inexhaustible.

It was just like a ceaselessly flowing river.

"Hahaha, Little Master, your insight is not bad at all..."

Zhou Botong saw that Chen Sha could perceive the changes in his Fist Intent and adapt accordingly. Chen Sha’s counterattacks with fists and palms began to shift, now attempting to intercept Zhou Botong’s Fist Intent with force.

"My Seventy-Two Paths of Void Clarity Fist was inspired by my senior brother’s Daoism and the Tao Te Ching. It is said that nothing under heaven is softer than water, yet for attacking the firm and strong, nothing can surpass it. This is the highest good."

"You want to sever my Fist Intent? Even a child knows that a knife can’t cut water; it only makes it flow faster."

It was just as Zhou Botong said.

No matter how fiercely Chen Sha attacked the shifts in Zhou Botong’s Punching Force with his fists and palms, no matter how many times he tried to see through the changes in Zhou Botong’s moves and strike at an opening in the instant he retracted and released his power, it was all useless.

A knife can’t cut water; it only makes it flow faster!

The Void Clarity Fist was the softest Fist Technique in the world, just like flowing water. Its Punching Force was continuous, seemingly there and not there, but it never ceased!

’On this Peach Blossom Island, it might seem like Huang Yaoshi has imprisoned Zhou Botong for fifteen years, but after creating the Void Clarity Fist, Zhou Botong has long since reached the level of the Five Extremes, just like Huang Yaoshi. If you add the Dual Hand Fighting Skill to that, even Huang Yaoshi would be no match for him. He just doesn’t know it himself yet.’

After thoroughly probing the essence of the Void Clarity Fist, Chen Sha took a deep breath.

"The Void Clarity Fist might be a Superior Boxing Technique, but in the end, nothing in this world can escape the concept of power. Old Mischievous, if you want to beat me, the subtlety of your Fist Technique isn’t enough. It’s simple: your power is weaker than mine, and my power is stronger than yours!"

BOOM!

Chen Sha roared,

"Show me what you’ve really got!"

His Power and state of mind, already half a step above the level of the Five Extremes, erupted completely.

And in that complete eruption,

WHOOSH!

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

The True Qi in his body roared and surged like a wild horse released from its reins, galloping madly. The force blew the surrounding Peach Blossoms into the sky like a storm of wind and rain.

He charged toward Zhou Botong like a tyrannosaurus, raising his fist high like a heavy hammer and bringing it crashing down as he yelled,

"I want to test your Dual-Wielding!"

Chen Sha’s aura and fighting style changed in an instant.

One moment, Zhou Botong saw a Chen Sha who was endlessly frustrated and entangled by his soft, unending Void Clarity Fist Intent. The next, Chen Sha seemed to lose all patience, transforming into a demonic tyrannosaurus as he brought his fist crashing down.

DANGER!

A huge, blood-red word for "DANGER!" instantly flashed in Zhou Botong’s mind.

BOOM!

The punch came down with the force to shatter mountains. Zhou Botong had no time to wonder how Chen Sha knew about the Dual Hand Fighting Skill; he had to use it first.

Facing the punch aimed at his head, Zhou Botong moved abruptly. Both his hands flipped over. His left fist shot up in a block, preparing to meet Chen Sha’s savage blow.

His right side, however, seemed to become another Zhou Botong.

It, too, simultaneously executed the Void Clarity Fist.

In that moment, it was as if two people were receiving the attack.

One was defending, the other attacking.

BANG!

Chen Sha’s fist crashed down, seemingly breaking Zhou Botong’s arm. But at the same time, another fist appeared before him—one thrown by the "second Zhou Botong."

BANG!

Chen Sha dissipated on the spot.

As for Zhou Botong, his arm was broken.

...

On Dao Yi Mountain, Chen Sha’s eyes flew open. He let out a long breath.

"What a powerful Dual-Wielding. For that one instant, I was facing two different people."

"Zhou Botong is innocent and guileless, so he can focus on two things at once."

’The Void Clarity Fist... the name is composed of two concepts, "Void" and "Clarity." "Void" is just Zhou Botong’s Fist Intent. I can still use my Half-step Grandmaster Power to forcibly break through that empty Fist Intent. But that second concept, "Clarity"... that is what’s truly formidable.’

Chen Sha mulled over the battle, analyzing it.

’If Zhou Botong were to fight Huang Yaoshi or Ouyang Feng using only that soft Fist Intent, he might be outmatched in terms of Power. But this Void Clarity Fist he created can change a person’s mentality, allowing his own consciousness to "stand by and watch" with a god’s-eye view even while he’s in the middle of a fight. That’s what makes it so incredible.’

’In all things, it is always the person involved who is lost, while the onlooker sees clearly...’

’And that’s precisely why he can control his Dual-Wielding. He can forever remain in the "onlooker’s" position, forever innocent and guileless, the Old Mischievous.’

When applied to Martial Arts, this ability becomes terrifyingly powerful.

The Old Mischievous, creator of the Void Clarity Fist, coupled with his Dual-Wielding... when he gets truly serious, he has the strength of two Five Extremes Grandmasters combined.

Chen Sha, at the Half-step Grandmaster Realm, could suppress Hong Qigong by a small margin.

But now, facing an Old Mischievous who was equivalent to two Hong Qigongs, he found himself outmatched.

That was partly because it was his first time seeing the Dual-Wielding. If they were to fight again, Chen Sha was confident he could at least manage a draw.

But it also proved that unless Chen Sha truly stepped into the Grandmaster Realm,

a Half-step Grandmaster could not use pure strength to overwhelm the Old Mischievous, who was equivalent to two Grandmasters.

’Alternatively, I could also learn his "softest under heaven" Fist Technique and integrate both fist and palm styles into the Dao Yi Seal.’

A thoughtful glimmer appeared in Chen Sha’s eyes.

The Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms is the ultimate hard-style Palm Technique in The Condor Trilogy.

The Void Clarity Fist, on the other hand, is regarded as the ultimate soft-style Fist Technique.

And his own Dao Yi Mountain’s Supreme Martial Arts, the Dao Yi Seal, was distinguished by its ability to command all kinds of Martial Arts in the world. It was similar in concept to the Little Wuxiang Skill from Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, but its underlying philosophy was superior.

The Little Wuxiang Skill uses profound, formless, and colorless Inner Strength to imitate the Martial Arts of others.

The Dao Yi Seal, however, uses the True Qi from the Great Yellow Court to command countless Martial Arts.

It unifies all Martial Arts under heaven through the principle of Dao Yi, ensuring that nothing can escape the concept of the Dao.

One is imitation and replication; the other is command and inclusion.

Similar, yet different.

’If I can master both the ultimate hard style, the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, and the ultimate soft style, the Void Clarity Fist, from Legend of the Condor Heroes, and command them with the Dao Yi Seal, then I’m confident I can beat Zhou Botong based on Martial Arts alone, without even competing in True Qi!’

’That was also the source of his old man’s power.’

The more Martial Arts the Dao Yi Seal could command, the more powerful the user became.

A Spiritual Mechanism stirred within Chen Sha.

Without even taking time to restore his spirit, he reappeared in the Peach Blossom Island Chapter once more.