High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

The Liaoyuan Long Spear was gripped firmly in his hand, its dark gold shaft gleaming with a cold luster in the afternoon sun.

Wang Hanshan looked at the spear, a flash of approval in his eyes.

”Good spear,” he said. ”But using spears in a spar can easily cause injuries. Let’s do this—use your fists.”

Xu Wuyi froze for a moment.

Use his fists?

He majored in Spear Techniques. Although his unarmed combat skills weren’t bad, they still fell short compared to his spearplay.

Wang Hanshan saw his hesitation and smiled.

”What’s wrong? Do you think you can’t beat me with your fists?”

”No,” Xu Wuyi shook his head. ”It’s just that my Fist Techniques cannot compare to my Spear Techniques.”

”Isn’t that perfect?” Wang Hanshan said with a smile. ”Otherwise, you’d have to hold back for fear of shattering my old bones.”

It was a joke, but it also made his stance clear: go all out, no holding back.

”Alright, please forgive my offense then.” Xu Wuyi took a deep breath and placed his long spear beside the stone table.

He walked over to face Wang Hanshan, coming to a halt ten meters away.

The clearing was devoid of wind. Sunlight filtered through the treetops, casting dappled shadows. A few bird calls drifted from afar, only accentuating the tranquility of the mountain forest.

Wang Hanshan assumed a boxing stance.

It was a very simple Starting Form: knees slightly bent, center of gravity lowered, hands balled into fists and tucked at his waist.

Yet, this single, simple posture made Xu Wuyi feel a heavy pressure.

It wasn’t a suppression of presence, but a tangible sense of ”heaviness.”

It was as if the very ground Wang Hanshan stood upon was a few inches lower than everywhere else.

Xu Wuyi also assumed a stance.

The afternoon sun filtered down through the sparse treetops, casting dappled shadows across the forest clearing. The occasional chirp of a mountain bird in the distance only highlighted the silence.

There were no referees, no rules, not even a command to ”begin.”

Wang Hanshan kept his knees slightly bent, his center of gravity lowered, and his hands balled into fists at his waist.

It was the simplest of Starting Forms, but the exact moment he settled into the stance, Xu Wuyi felt the ground beneath his feet sink slightly.

It wasn’t an illusion.

Where Wang Hanshan stood, the soil seemed to be compacted by an invisible force, with fine gravel even caving inward.

This wasn’t just the suppression of an imposing aura, but a very real ”heaviness”—a profound sense of weight that internalized all power, yet radiated outward at every moment.

Xu Wuyi took a deep breath and mirrored the readiness with his own stance.

He didn’t employ any flashy Martial Arts, instead adopting the most fundamental combat-ready posture from the Basic Body Refining Technique: Holding the Essence and Guarding the One.

Feet planted shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, back straight, and hands hanging naturally by his sides.

He had practiced this posture no less than a hundred thousand times; it had long since seeped into his bones. Now that his Basic Body Refining Technique had reached the realm of Perfection, this simplest of Starting Forms instead carried the charm of Returning to the Essence.

Wang Hanshan’s eyes lit up slightly.

”Interesting,” he muttered softly, a hint of admiration in his voice.

Before his voice even faded, Wang Hanshan moved.

His movements weren’t fast. In fact, they could be considered slow as he stepped forward with his right leg and threw out his left fist.

It was an unremarkable punch without any fancy variations—just the simplest straight punch.

But the moment the fist shot out, the air erupted with a muffled BOOM.

Xu Wuyi’s pupils shrank slightly.

He saw it clearly. As Wang Hanshan’s fist advanced, the surrounding space twisted ever so slightly. That wasn’t a visual afterimage caused by speed, but actual air compression resulting from a tangible increase in mass.

The weight of this punch likely far exceeded that of steel of the same volume!

Xu Wuyi did not retreat.

He drew his right foot back half a step, twisted his waist slightly, and raised his left arm in an equally simple block.

It wasn’t a technique from the Shocking God Spear, nor was it any profound Martial Art; it was simply the defensive posture from the Basic Body Refining Technique: Iron Chain Across the River.

With his arm and forearm forming a right angle, his muscles instantly tensed, and his Qi and Blood surged.

BAM! Fist met arm.

The sound was so dull and heavy that it didn’t resemble the clash of flesh and blood, but rather the tremendous collision of two thick stone walls.

Xu Wuyi only felt an unimaginable, tremendous force transmit through his arm. He slid backward uncontrollably for three steps, plowing two shallow trenches into the dirt with his feet.

Waves of numbness and soreness radiated from his left arm. Had he not mobilized his Qi and Blood in time to protect it, this single blow would have fractured his bone.

Wang Hanshan retracted his fist, the admiration in his eyes growing even deeper.

”Great foundation,” he praised. ”I have never in my life seen anyone cultivate the Basic Body Refining Technique to your level.”

Xu Wuyi rotated his left arm. As his Qi and Blood circulated, the numbness quickly faded.

”Your punch is very heavy, Senior.”

”This is just the beginning,” Wang Hanshan smiled and stepped forward once again.

This time, he struck out with both fists simultaneously.

They were still simple straight punches, but with one fist leading the other, one high and one low, they completely sealed off Xu Wuyi’s room to dodge left or right. The howling fist wind swept up the surrounding fallen leaves, sending them spiraling into the air.

Xu Wuyi’s gaze remained incredibly focused.

He chose not to meet the attack head-on. Instead, his footwork shifted as he executed the Step Technique from the Basic Body Refining Technique.

It was a simplified version of the Quicksand Step. While not as agile as the complete version, its advantage lay in its solid foundation—every step was as steady as a boulder.

He slid half a step to the left, evading the first punch. At the same time, he raised his right arm, using a technique known as Pushing the Window to Gaze at the Moon to block the second punch.

This time, he didn’t take the blow completely head-on.

The instant his arm made contact with the fist, Xu Wuyi slightly twisted his waist, guiding the Fist Power out to the side. Simultaneously, with a mere thought, the Great Marsh Heart Image within his sea of consciousness slowly undulated.

Gravity Manipulation, activate.

It wasn’t applied directly onto Wang Hanshan, but rather onto the air between the two of them.

Right as Wang Hanshan’s second punch was about to touch Xu Wuyi’s arm, its speed suddenly lagged by half a beat.

Though it was an extremely minute change, for Martial Artists of their level, it was more than enough.

Xu Wuyi’s arm brushed past the edge of the fist, narrowly avoiding the brunt of the impact. The fist wind scraped against his sleeve, emitting the sound of tearing fabric.

”Oh?” Wang Hanshan let out a soft sound of surprise.

He didn’t pursue. Instead, he withdrew his fists and stepped back, reevaluating Xu Wuyi.

”That move just now... was that Gravity Manipulation?” Wang Hanshan asked.

”Yes,” Xu Wuyi admitted frankly.

”Interesting.” Wang Hanshan laughed. ”No wonder you came looking for me. You’re also walking the path of ’heaviness’.”

Xu Wuyi nodded. ”My Heart Image is based on ’heaviness,’ but my path is different from yours, Senior.”

”I can see that,” Wang Hanshan said. ”Your ’heaviness’ is projected outward; it’s a Domain, it’s control. My ’heaviness’ is internalized; it’s an augmentation, it’s explosive power.”

He slowly clenched his fists as he spoke.

Following his movements, Xu Wuyi clearly saw the air around Wang Hanshan visibly distort. That wasn’t atmospheric refraction caused by high temperatures, but a tangible increase in mass.

Wang Hanshan completely internalized his Power of Heart Image, augmenting his flesh and blood so that every inch of his muscles and every piece of his bones weighed a thousand pounds.

”Again.”