Chapter 111: Chapter 110: Divine Intent Fist
"Senior Brother!"
In the village, Zhao Xuanqi met with some of the core disciples of the martial arts hall, led by those from the Wind Shadow Hall.
Cai Mingliang, Shanghai Mountain, Li Zhongquan, and about seven or eight other Inner Sect Disciples, along with some of their families—a total of over twenty people—were all settled in the village.
Upon seeing Zhao Xuanqi, everyone looked somewhat emotional.
After all, this incident had left them adrift. Despite their strength in Cross-Training, they had lost their foundation. Not only would they be unable to improve, but they also had no hope of settling down and building new lives under the Giant Spirit Army’s rule. Zhao Xuanqi was their only hope.
"It’s wonderful to see you’re alright, Senior Brother."
Cai Mingliang looked emotional. After the incident, the first thing his clan did was disown him, striking his name from their records. As one of Zhao Xuanqi’s trusted followers, he now had no one to rely on but him.
"It’s over. I’ve taken revenge for the Martial Arts Hall. What do you all plan to do now?"
Zhao Xuanqi asked calmly. Many of them had been his trusted followers, so he felt a responsibility to ask.
"I’m with you, Senior Brother. Wherever you go, I’ll go,"
Cai Mingliang declared, his expression firm.
"We’ll follow you too, Senior Brother!"
Several others immediately spoke up.
All five Inner Sect disciples from the Wind Shadow Hall decided to follow Zhao Xuanqi, but a few others seemed to have grown weary of the Jianghu.
Take Li Zhongquan, for example. He had a wife and child. He had been one of Liu Changfeng’s trusted men, and Liu Changfeng’s death had left him weary of this life. He only hoped that Zhao Xuanqi could arrange for him and his family to leave the Giant Spirit Army’s territory and live a quiet, ordinary life in obscurity.
Zhao Xuanqi promised to fulfill all their requests. No matter where he ended up, he would need followers. For now, however, they could only rest and recuperate.
For the next few days, Zhao Xuanqi remained in the mountain village. He was injured and needed to wait for his wounds to fully heal before considering his next move.
...
...
「Five days later.」
His injuries had fully healed. As for Li Zhongquan and the few Inner Sect disciples who wished to retire, he had already entrusted Sun Yunyong to send them away through the National Salvation Association’s channels.
"The body must be heavy, the Intent light, and the spirit fierce! Elephant feet, bear torso, ape back, Tiger Claw! Cai Mingliang, what is this sorry excuse for a stance!"
In a farmhouse courtyard, the five Inner Sect Disciples who had chosen to follow him were practicing a pile technique. However, they were no longer practicing the Lying Tiger Stake of the Xiaolin Martial Arts Hall, but the Walking Beast Stake from the Fierce Form of the Hundred Beasts Fist.
The Secret Martial Dao of the Xiaolin Martial Arts Hall was, after all, somewhat lacking. Since these men were willing to stay and follow him, he couldn’t let their future strength be too weak. Thus, Zhao Xuanqi decided to teach them the Pile Technique from the Fierce Form of his Hundred Beasts Fist. As for how much they learned or how skilled they became, that would be up to their own aptitude and fortune.
"What exactly is this Fist Technique you’re practicing?"
Sun Yunyong, who was standing to the side, couldn’t help but ask. Over the past few days, Zhao Xuanqi hadn’t tried to hide his teaching of the Pile Skill, so Sun Yunyong had naturally observed. The more he watched, the more he felt this Secret Transmission was incredibly profound.
Elephant Form, Bear Form, Ape Form, Tiger Form, Horse Form...
Within a single Pile Skill, he seemed to see the Forms of numerous beasts fused together. It was vast and profound, endlessly fascinating.
"Hundred Beasts Fist."
Zhao Xuanqi said with a glance.
"Hundred Beasts Fist..."
Sun Yunyong searched his memory but found he had never heard of this Fist Technique’s origins. He simply committed the name to heart, knowing better than to pry into such secrets.
"By the way, now that you’ve recovered, I should mention that the original reason I wanted to meet you was to exchange a few pointers. We were just interrupted by... well, everything. Now that we have the chance, how about a friendly match?"
Sun Yunyong asked Zhao Xuanqi with a smile.
"Of course."
Zhao Xuanqi readily agreed.
He knew Sun Yunyong’s visit, on behalf of the Divine Martial Department, was about more than just a friendly chat. It was also an opportunity for Sun Yunyong to demonstrate what the Divine Martial Department was capable of.
And he was, in fact, quite interested in the National Salvation Association’s Divine Martial Department.
Leaving Cai Mingliang and the others to their training in the courtyard, Zhao Xuanqi and Sun Yunyong walked to a deserted clearing in the mountain forest and stood facing each other.
"You come from the Xiaolin Martial Arts Hall, so you should know the importance of a School’s Secret Medicine. Let me ask you: without the aid of Secret Medicine, is it possible to cultivate a School’s Secret Transmission to a high level?"
Sun Yunyong asked Zhao Xuanqi, his expression grave.
Hearing the question, Zhao Xuanqi paused for a moment. He thought about his own Hundred Beasts Fist. Even without the aid of Secret Medicine, one could still master it step-by-step; the process would just be much slower.
Secret Medicine is merely an aid. The person practicing is what’s truly important.
"With the techniques of my Hundred Beasts Fist, even without the aid of Secret Medicine, one can reach a high level of cultivation through steady practice, though it will be far more difficult. As for the Xiaolin Martial Arts Hall or other Secret Transmissions, I am not familiar enough to say,"
Zhao Xuanqi replied.
"Then what you practice must be a pure Ancient Secret Transmission. You should be aware that according to Martial History, the Divine Land has undergone three great Mie Wu."
"During these three Mie Wu, in order to centralize their power, monarchs grew fearful of the strength of Martial Artists. The secrets to reaching the realms beyond Divine General were utterly destroyed. Following that, countless Ancient Secret Transmissions were also obliterated. The truly powerful Secret Transmissions that remained all require the aid of Secret Medicine. This might not be apparent in the realms below Cross-Training, but once you reach the level of Inner Cultivation and beyond, the corresponding Secret Medicine becomes increasingly vital."
"The key to Secret Medicine is Rare Beast Materials, and the vast majority of these rare materials are controlled by the Royal Families of the various dynasties. In effect, the monarchs control all the martial power in the world. This monopoly is the root cause of the Divine Land’s current weakness. It’s a poison that has seeped into our land for a thousand years, and worst of all, it has fostered a tradition where every school and sect jealously hoards its own secrets."
"The eight great Warlords of today mostly rose to power under the old imperial court. Though they destroyed the Daqian dynasty, it was just old wine in a new bottle. The Martial Dao, true martial power, remains in the hands of a select few—the Schools, the families, the powerful factions. They monopolize the path to strength, while the vast masses, no matter how talented, are forced to live in their shadow."
"This is a tragedy for the Divine Land and for the Martial Dao itself. We, in the Divine Martial Department of the National Salvation Association, have dedicated ourselves to collecting Ancient Secret Transmissions for one purpose: to create a Fist Technique that no longer depends on Secret Medicine—a Fist Technique that anyone and everyone has the right to learn!"
"If martial arts were available to all, if the people strove for self-improvement, if every person could be like a dragon... how could the Divine Land fail to prosper?! How could the Six Nations dare to bully us, to think our Divine Land is without heroes?"
"And now, that Fist Technique is finally beginning to take shape."
As he spoke, Sun Yunyong slowly settled into his Fist Technique’s stance.
In that instant, his entire demeanor transformed.
The pores on his skin tightened and his hair stood on end. His eyes shone with an incredible light as his Essence, Qi, and Spirit were instantly elevated to a new level.
His gaze was exceptionally firm, and his entire being radiated an uplifting, uncompromising aura, as if no hardship or danger could ever make him retreat or strike him down.
’As Heaven is ever-vigorous, so must a gentleman ceaselessly strive for self-perfection!’
’Part the fog and clear the thorns, to reveal the boundless, clear world!’
"With the world in our hearts, our fists strike for the people! Though our bodies be crushed to dust, our Divine Intent is immortal!!"
"From the Divine Martial Department, this is Divine Intent Fist. I await your instruction!!"
