https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-84-Xie-Lingfeng-I-ve-Been-Practicing-a-Fake-Martial-Art-/12532782/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-86-Xu-Yan-s-Sudden-Realization-The-Sword-Intent-of-Mountains-and-Rivers/12532818/
Chapter 85: Thunder and Storm, the Wind and Thunder Vajra
Chapter 85: Thunder and Storm, the Wind and Thunder Vajra
Xie Lingfeng took a few deep breaths to calm himself before speaking in a subdued voice, "Brother Xu, please continue."
"You want me to go on?" Hu Yan asked hesitantly.
"Continue!" Xie Lingfeng gritted his teeth.
"Alright," Hu Yan nodded and continued, "After refining the bones, it's time to refine the organs... When your tendons and bones thunder, and your qi and blood surge like a raging river, you've entered the initial stages of martial arts. As for me, I've already perfected the Qi and Blood realm!"
By the time Hu Yan finished speaking, Xie Lingfeng felt like his brain was about to explode. A buzzing sound rang in his ears, and he felt as if his brain were on fire.
His mind seemed to be ablaze!
He panted, his eyes gradually losing their focus as he began to question his life choices.
He had started cultivating martial arts at the age of six and entered the world of swordsmanship at the same age. Everyone praised him as the Sword Sovereign Cliff, the greatest genius of the sword in a thousand years.
He, too, believed this to be true.
Within the Inner Realm, there were few among his peers who could match him.
And when it came to swordsmanship, he was undoubtedly the best of his generation.
However, his trip to the borderlands seemed to have revealed a cruel truth—he had never truly entered the realm of swordsmanship at all.
In fact, the martial arts he had been practicing were nothing but a sham!
Hu Shan panted heavily, his eyes red as he gritted his teeth and growled, "Nonsense! The lineage of Sword Sovereign Cliff cannot be a fake martial art!"
Hu Yan remained calm and instead looked at him with pity. It was truly pitiable; after cultivating for most of his life, he had just realized that he had been practicing a fake martial art.
It was understandable that he couldn't accept this truth.
Hu Yan couldn't help but reflect on his own words. "Have I been too blunt?"
He asked, "Let me ask you this: I've perfected the Qi and Blood realm, which is merely the initial stage of martial arts, while you're already at the Master realm, the pinnacle of martial arts. Yet, your strength is inferior to mine. Isn't it obvious which of us is practicing the true art and which is practicing a fake?"
"I..." Hu Shan was at a loss for words.
One had just entered the initial stages of martial arts, while the other had reached the pinnacle, yet the latter's strength was inferior to the former's. The distinction between true and false was clear as day.
Xie Lingfeng stood up in a daze and bowed, "Brother Xu, thank you for enlightening me. I need some time to process this. I shall pay you a visit another day to express my gratitude properly."
"No problem, Brother Xie, please!" Hu Yan replied with a brilliant smile.
Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan took to the air and headed back to the capital of Qi Country.
Their original purpose for this trip to the borderlands had been to kill Xue Wuxin, but it turned out that someone else had already done the job for them.
To their surprise, there were martial artists in this remote region.
However, after exchanging techniques with them, they realized that the martial arts they had been practicing were a sham?
Their entire understanding of martial arts had just crumbled!
In the capital, the atmosphere was lively and vibrant.
Emperor Qi and his ministers were all awaiting the outcome of the great battle.
Finally, two figures returned.
They headed straight back to their residence in the imperial palace.
Emperor Qi was overjoyed. "Quick, prepare lavish gifts to show our gratitude to the experts!"
He glared at Guo Rongshan, his gaze filled with challenge, as if to say, "Just you wait!"
Guo Rongshan's heart sank.
As soon as Emperor Qi left, the ministers scattered like they were avoiding a plague, keeping their distance from Guo Rongshan and his son. They praised the emperor, exclaiming about his wisdom and valor, and hurriedly followed him.
"Father!" Guo Yun opened his mouth, his face filled with worry.
"Yan'er is back!" Guo Rongshan suddenly spoke up, his entire demeanor softening.
Hu Yan flew over.
"Yan'er, I'm glad you're safe. What's the outcome?" Guo Rongshan asked, relieved.
"Rest assured, Grandfather. Xie Lingfeng and the others are practicing a fake martial art. It's nothing to be concerned about. He has already recognized his shortcomings," Hu Yan said with a smile.
Guo Rongshan was taken aback and turned to look in the direction of the imperial palace, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"Yun'er, send out an order to convene a grand court meeting tomorrow!"
"Yes, Father!" Guo Yun's face lit up with joy as well.
Hu Yan had won!
In the separate courtyard of the imperial palace where Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan resided, the two men sat on stone benches, staring blankly at each other, feeling numb.
Hu Yan's discourse on martial arts had dealt a severe blow to their beliefs, shattering their understanding of martial arts and causing them to question their life choices.
Xie Lingfeng, in particular, couldn't stop replaying Hu Yan's words about martial arts in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more mystical and unbelievable it seemed. He couldn't wrap his head around how such an enigmatic martial art could even be cultivated.
"Expert, expert, has Hu Yan brought back his brain?" Emperor Qi rushed over, excited.
Behind him followed the first prince.
As for the third prince, he had been neglected.
"Expert?" Emperor Qi's face was filled with confusion. Why did these two experts seem a little off?
His men were right in front of him, yet they showed no reaction.
"Expert? Two experts?" He waved his hand in front of Xie Lingfeng's eyes.
"Get lost!"
Finally, the experts reacted, but it was only to grab Emperor Qi by the collar and toss him aside.
The first prince's face turned pale, and he swallowed hard. He scurried away, only to see his father, Emperor Qi, getting up from the ground with a dark expression.
"Your Majesty!"
He hurried forward to help him up.
Emperor Qi hastily closed his mouth and, with the help of the eunuch supervisor, stormed out, his face still grim.
"Your Majesty, the Grand Preceptor will be convening a grand court meeting tomorrow!" a eunuch hurriedly announced.
At this news, Emperor Qi flew into a rage, "That Guo Rongshan...!"
"Your Majesty, Xu Yan has returned!" the eunuch hastily added.
Emperor Qi bit back his words, his face reddening with suppressed anger. He gritted his teeth and ordered, "Summon all the officials. There will be a grand court meeting tomorrow!"
He felt utterly frustrated.
Emperor Qi's frustration knew no bounds, and seeing the First Prince by his side, he took a deep breath and kicked the prince to the ground.
"You unfilial son! Where did you find that expert? He's infuriating!" He kicked the prince several times, venting his anger before finally storming off.
The First Prince was so angry that he felt like spitting blood.
In his mind, he cursed, "You old fool! All you know is to take out your anger on your son. Useless!"
Xu Yan stayed in the Qi Kingdom's palace, awaiting Xie Lingfeng's visit. He was delighted with the turn of events.
His trip had not been in vain; he had exchanged insights with the Inner Realm's Master, gaining new insights into swordsmanship and a deeper understanding of sword intent.
Additionally, he had inadvertently exposed the Inner Realm practitioners to the fact that they had been practicing a false martial art.
In a separate courtyard of the imperial palace, Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan sat motionless, their minds in turmoil. The collapse of their understanding of martial arts had dealt a severe blow to their spirits, leaving them disoriented and lost.
They tried to deny that what they had been practicing was a false martial art, but the moment they thought of Xu Yan's discourse on the subject, they found it too profound and incredible, far surpassing anything they had ever known.
The fact that Xu Yan, who was merely at the initial stage of martial arts, could battle a Master like them seemed to clearly indicate which art was true and which was false.
Emperor Qi's mood had plummeted from the heights of elation to the depths of despair. He had thought he could reestablish his imperial might, but it had all come to naught.
The grand court meeting commenced, with the officials fawning and flattering, bowing more respectfully to the Grand Preceptor than to Emperor Qi himself.
By now, it was common knowledge in the Qi Kingdom that Emperor Qi was merely a figurehead, having lost all real power, while the Grand Preceptor, Guo Rongshan, held the true authority over the country's affairs.
As the First Prince entered the hall and made his way towards the Third Prince, he was tripped by the latter, causing him to stumble and almost fall.
His eyes narrowed angrily at the Third Prince.
"Your Majesty, the First Prince has shown disrespect during the court meeting..." Guo Rongshan stood up, his face stern, and addressed Emperor Qi.
Before he could finish, Emperor Qi interrupted, his anger bubbling over. "Guards, drag this unfilial son of mine out and give him thirty lashes! Hit him hard!"
The First Prince was stunned, his eyes widening in disbelief.
Another thirty lashes?! He cursed inwardly, feeling utterly frustrated with the old fool of an emperor who seemed to know nothing but taking out his anger on his son.
Guo Rongshan's mouth twitched, and he quietly sat back down. He had intended to use this opportunity to permanently strip the First Prince of his status as the crown prince and confine him for a month. But Emperor Qi's harsh punishment took him by surprise.
Indeed, the royal family showed no mercy.
Guo Rongshan sighed inwardly, and the court meeting continued with the discussion of various affairs. Some officials were demoted, while others were promoted, all without any input from Emperor Qi.
Guo Rongshan merely needed to sit and listen, issuing edicts as needed.
After the grand court meeting, Guo Rongshan had firmly established his control over the Qi Kingdom's affairs.
Back in the imperial study, Emperor Qi seethed with anger.
Unable to contain himself, he rushed to the separate courtyard to seek an audience with Xie Lingfeng again, only to be turned away once more.
Emperor Qi was nearly driven to fury.
"How dare that expert treat me like this!" he fumed.
"Bring that unfilial son of mine here and give him another thirty lashes!" Emperor Qi ordered the eunuchs.
The eunuch supervisor softly spoke up, his heart aching for the First Prince, "Your Majesty, if we give him another thirty lashes, I fear the First Prince may not be able to take it."
Emperor Qi fell silent for a moment before replying, "Then wait until his injuries have healed, and give him the lashes then!"
Xie Lingfeng sat in a daze for two days before finally gathering his spirits. He took a deep breath and said, "Hu Shan, I'm going to pay a visit to Xu Yan."
"Go ahead, young master. I need some more time to gather my thoughts," Hu Shan replied listlessly.
Xie Lingfeng ignored him and left the separate courtyard, making his way to the Qi Kingdom's palace to meet with Xu Yan.
"Greetings, Elder Guo," Xie Lingfeng said politely upon seeing Guo Rongshan.
Although the man before him was not a martial artist, he was Xu Yan's grandfather, and thus deserved the proper respect.
"It's you, Master Xie. Xu Yan has been expecting you. Please go right in," Guo Rongshan replied with a smile.
Today, Emperor Qi had invited his sworn brother to enjoy the royal garden together.
"Brother Guo, please have a seat," Emperor Qi said warmly.
After some pleasantries, Emperor Qi's expression turned angry as he said, "Brother Guo, those so-called experts showed no regard for etiquette and respect. They had no regard for our Qi Kingdom's court and should be severely punished!"
Feeling extremely insulted, Emperor Qi seethed, "They even dared to throw me out directly!"
Even Xu Yan hadn't gone that far.
Emperor Qi's anger grew as he thought, "Since those experts can't deal with Xu Yan, I'll get Xu Yan to take care of them instead and vent my frustration!"
However, Guo Rongshan looked puzzled and asked, "How is that possible? Master Xie was very respectful to me, and he didn't show any signs of disrespect. Who's spreading rumors and slandering Master Xie?"
Emperor Qi: !!!
His mental state was starting to crumble as he felt everyone was disregarding him. He shot a silent glare at Guo Rongshan, then suddenly gritted his teeth and roared, "You dog! How dare you slander those experts and spread false rumors! You deserve to die!"
Fuming, Emperor Qi pointed at one of the eunuchs waiting outside and ordered, "Drag him here and behead him!"
The eunuch was shocked and pleaded, "Your Majesty, please spare my life! I didn't..."
The chief eunuch clamped his hand over the eunuch's mouth, and several others quickly rushed forward to restrain and drag him away.
Guo Rongshan's lips twitched as he felt Emperor Qi was acting strangely, perhaps due to receiving too many shocks and having his mental state affected.
"It seems the Emperor is getting old. Maybe it's time for the Crown Prince to ascend the throne. At least he's young and can handle these surprises better!"
Guo Rongshan thought to himself.
"Your Majesty, thirty lashes should be enough. There's no need to take a life," Guo Rongshan advised.
"Hmm!"
Emperor Qi grunted in agreement.
Being an emperor was frustrating. If this was the case, it wasn't worth it!
In the An Wang Manor, the First Prince had given up.
He lay on his bed, being served by two beautiful women, looking like he was just waiting for death.
He didn't even bother looking for experts anymore.
Before finding experts, he got thirty lashes. After finding them, he still got thirty lashes. It seemed that whether he found experts or not, he would get punished either way. So, the First Prince had completely given up.
...
In Yunshan County, Li Xuan returned from the capital.
He was waiting for Xie Lingfeng to visit him, the so-called expert.
As for Meng Chong, he was still trying to comprehend the Wind and Thunder Vajra Fist, but for now, he didn't seem to have made much progress.
On this day, dark clouds covered Yunshan County.
Meng Chong was outside the county, on a hillside.
His mind kept replaying the scene of his master demonstrating the Wind and Thunder Vajra Fist, trying to grasp the essence of wind and thunder within it.
Suddenly!
A gust of wild wind swept through!
Whoosh!
Boom!
Thunder tore through the dark sky, flashing briefly through the clouds.
A storm was coming!
Meng Chong abruptly looked up at the sky.
Boom!
In an instant, a blinding bolt of lightning tore through the thick clouds, illuminating the sky. A violent wind suddenly swept through.
In that moment, Meng Chong's mind seemed to spark with inspiration, and he vaguely captured the essence of wind and thunder!
Crackle!
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck, and in the distance, a large tree was instantly split and fell.
A strong gust of wind picked up, swirling up the fallen leaves from the gaps in the trees, causing them to dance in the air.
"I understand now!"
In that moment, Meng Chong's eyes lit up as if he had an epiphany. He finally grasped the concept of wind and thunder!
As his blood and qi surged, a lustrous golden light appeared, and the Blood Qi Bell shone brilliantly. Meng Chong threw a punch, and the violent power resembled thunder, fast and fierce.
Immediately after, he threw another punch, like a raging wind, seemingly penetrating all defenses.
Boom!
In an instant, he threw another punch, like a flash of lightning, and the powerful force of the punch directly toppled a large tree.
"The Wind and Thunder Vajra Fist, I've understood it! This is the power of wind and thunder!"
Meng Chong was thrilled, and his figure moved as he threw a series of punches.
Crackle!
Huge raindrops began to fall, and a violent storm arrived.
In the rain, a robust bald youth was punching in the wind and rain. His punches were like thunder and lightning, stirring up the rain so that it couldn't fall.
Each punch he threw seemed to carry a bolt of lightning and a gust of wind, scattering the falling rain and dispersing the raging wind!
A golden light radiated from his body, and his mighty figure resembled a Vajra Arhat, with each punch generating wind and thunder.
The Wind and Thunder Vajra Fist had been successfully comprehended!
"What a heavy downpour!"
Li Xuan sat under the eaves, watching the pouring rain, the flashing lightning, and the raging wind that seemed ready to blow off the eaves.
"I hope my second disciple isn't struck by lightning in the mountains!"
Li Xuan suddenly felt a bit worried.
He wondered if Meng Chong's Great Sun Golden Bell was strong enough to withstand a lightning strike.
(End of Chapter)
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