Unsheathed

Chen Ping’an’s eyes abruptly sprang open, and he immediately almost swore out loud.

It was already very late at night, and he had slept a little too soundly.

Furthermore, he was in an excruciating amount of pain. Not just any amount of pain would be enough to strike him with the urge to swear out loud.

The blood all over his body had already dried long ago and combined as one with the dirt in the crater, and even the slightest movement was sure to result in immense agony.

However, he still forced himself to take a deep breath before sitting up after taking a moment to assess his own physical condition.

He didn’t understand why the old man that had confronted him hadn’t killed him.

Could it be that the old man had simply been annoyed by the sight of his walking meditation, so he had beaten him up just to teach him a lesson?

A voice rang out from the top of the crater.

“Finally awake, are you?”

Chen Ping’an slowly rose to his feet, and he didn’t even bother to adopt a fist stance, but his fist intent had become even purer and more withdrawn than prior to his ordeal.

The old martial artist from before was standing on the edge of the crater.

The old man was none other than Wu Fengjia, the old steward who had served at the Sweeping Village for many years. Setting aside Li Er, who had come out of nowhere, his true identity was that of one of the Northern Complete Reed Continent’s three tenth tier martial artists, Gu You of the Great Seal Script Empire.

Within the Great Seal Script Empire and all of its neighboring nations, there existed only a single immortal sect in the form of the Golden Scale Palace. Even then, the Golden Scale Palace was considered to be a trash immortal sect that had only survived to this point thanks to the good graces of others, and the reason for this was because Gu You had once destroyed all of the immortal sects within those nations with his own two fists, banishing almost all immortals from the region.

Gu You had once made the bold declaration that all supposed immortals were to be cast out of his territory, and he had certainly put his money where his mouth was.

“You’ve got some decent fist intent,” Gu You remarked with a smile. “You had to have performed over a million repetitions of the six-step walking meditation up to this point, right?”

“Close to 1.6 million,” Chen Ping’an confirmed with a nod.

“I presume that you came from an impoverished household, and you obtained a fist technique manual as a child, one that you cherished as a treasure, and you’ve been practicing the enclosed fist techniques ever since, is that correct?” Gu You asked.

The reason for this assumption was that no one from a privileged clan would pursue the Mountain Shaking Fist, so this young man definitely had to have come from an underprivileged background.

Chen Ping’an shook his head as he replied, “I only started practicing fist techniques at around fourteen years of age.”

Gu You appeared rather pleased to hear this.

“Practicing the fist techniques is not a difficult task. Anyone with a bit of willpower can do that a million times, but what’s most remarkable is that you’ve been practicing the walking meditation for all this time.”

Chen Ping’an felt more perplexed than ever.

At this point, it had become clear to him that the old man had no intention of killing him. In fact, he had benefitted immensely from the punches that had been dealt upon him by the old man, benefitting in very profound ways outside of any form of enhancement to his body, soul, fist intent, or mental state.

Chen Ping’an gently clenched his fists before loosening them again, and in that instant, he felt like his ascent to become the strongest sixth tier martial artist under the heavens was already a certainty, a feeling of confidence and conviction that was very rare for him.

“My name is Gu You,” the old man revealed.

Chen Ping’an was instantly enlightened.

The foundation of his fist techniques was the Mountain Shaking Guide that Gu Can had given him all those years ago.

With that in mind, he asked, “Were you the one who created the Mountain Shaking Guide?”

Gu You nodded as he replied, “A descendant of my Gu Clan must’ve taken a copy with them to your hometown. My clan was subjected to a major ordeal many years ago, and it became fractured into countless pieces, with everyone going their separate ways. The older you get, the more difficult it becomes to feel attached to your clan.

“I can only think to myself that my descendants will be able to make do just fine on their own. What else can I do? If I try to constantly keep an eye on them, I’ll die of frustration before too long!”

“Chen Ping’an of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent pays his respects to Senior Gu,” Chen Ping’an said as he cupped his fist in a respectful salute.

“You’re a cocky little brat, aren’t you?” Gu You chuckled. “It’s not every day that someone dares to sleep for so long in my presence.”

Chen Ping’an grinned in response.

Gu You beckoned to him and said, “I’ll accompany you on your journey for a bit. I still have other important matters to attend to, so I can’t spend too long chatting with you.”

Chen Ping’an staggered his way unsteadily up the slope of the crater to join Gu You, who asked, “How many times have you managed to claim the title of the strongest martial artist of your tier?”

“Twice,” Chen Ping’an replied. “At the third tier and at the fifth tier.”

“In that case, you’re far inferior to Cao Ci,” Gu You remarked with a shake of his head. “He’s claimed that title at every tier, and every single time, he’s been the strongest in all of history.”

“It’s alright, I still have time to catch up,” Chen Ping’an said with a smile. “I’ll have some chances of catching up to him at around the ninth and tenth tiers.”

“Is Cui Cheng your master in fist techniques?” Gu You asked. “That’s the only one I can think of that could’ve instilled this mindset in you.”

Chen Ping’an hesitated momentarily, but ultimately nodded in confirmation.

An enlightened look instantly appeared on Gu You’s face.

“It’s no wonder then. You must’ve really suffered at his hands. Then again, if it wasn’t for all that suffering, you wouldn’t have made it to this point. What does Cui Cheng say about my Mountain Shaking Guide?”

“Senior Cui says that the fist intent tenets enclosed within are extremely lofty,” Chen Ping’an replied, only daring to tell half the truth.

It wasn’t like Cui Cheng was here, so he had no reason to cop a punch from Gu You for him.

Even if Gu You were to restrict his cultivation base to only the Mountain Summit Tier, his fists were still extremely heavy for a mere sixth tier martial artist like Chen Ping’an.

“As expected of Senior Cui to possess such a keen eye,” Gu You remarked.

Cui Cheng had once traveled across the Middle Earth Divine Continent on his own, and while he had suffered a rather horrific fate on that trip, he was still considered to be a true hero by the likes of Gu You and all of the continent’s top martial artists.

Gu You and Cui Cheng had never faced each other in battle before, so the former naturally held no respect for the latter, and he had only referred to Cui Cheng as Senior Cui out of respect for his age and accomplishments.

Of course, if it weren’t for Cui Cheng’s positive appraisal of the Mountain Shaking Guide, Gu You still wouldn’t have been willing to refer to him as senior.

Chen Ping’an wanted to say something, but was a little hesitant.

“What do you want to say? Go ahead,” Gu You prompted.

“I heard that a vendetta exists between you and Sword Immortal Ji Yue of Ape Call Mountain, is that right?” Chen Ping’an asked.

“That’s correct,” Gu You confirmed. “Only one of us can emerge from our vendetta alive.”

Chen Ping’an spoke no further on the matter.

Worldly affairs were often very complicated. Bad people killed good people, and vice versa, but bad people could also kill other bad people, while good people could kill other good people, just the same.

Without studying up extensively on the history between the two, Chen Ping’an was in no position to offer any opinions on the conflict between them.

“I presume you’ve already heard of what’s been happening in the capital of the Great Seal Script Empire,” Gu You said with a smile. “On the surface, it simply appears that some flood dragon of the Jade Seal River has gone on a rampage and seeks to flood the entire capital. However, it’s very clear to me that Ji Yue orchestrated all of this in order to force me to show myself. In that case, I’ll just have to go and meet him.

“Even if he hadn’t come looking for me, I would’ve gone out to search for him. I will admit that he’s quite a formidable foe. That’s why I’ve been hiding from him for so many years, even at the cost of harming my own physical foundation. Ultimately, it all boils down to my own ineptitude. The three sub-tiers for tenth tier martial artists are the Thriving Qi Tier, the Simplification Tier, and the Divinity Tier.

“Prior to reaching the tenth tier, I had forged a solid foundation every single step of the way, but after reaching the tenth tier, I was overcome by my desire to reach the legendary Divinity Tier, and I was unable to remain patient. I didn’t feel like my mental state was compromised in any way at the time, but in reality, I had become too hasty, and as a result, my foundation had been slightly compromised.

“For you, existing in the same generation as Cao Ci may be very disheartening, but it’s also a huge blessing. If the opportunity arises, you two can provide mutual motivation to one another so both of you can strive for greater heights. Of course, that’s only a possibility if you avoid being beaten to death by him or having your confidence shattered by his fists.

“For a martial artist, once you lose your fighting spirit, then all will be lost. Make sure to remember this well.”

“I will,” Chen Ping’an replied with a nod.

“Why are you practicing fist techniques if you’re so afraid to die?” Gu You asked in a casual manner.

This was a very strange question.

Didn’t it make sense that Chen Ping’an was practicing fist techniques precisely because he was afraid of death?

“I’m not truly afraid of death. Instead, it’s more like I can’t die. It seems to be the same as being afraid of death, but it’s actually different,” Chen Ping’an replied.

“That makes a lot of sense,” Gu You remarked.

In his eyes, this was the most puzzling thing about Chen Ping’an.

From his perspective, Chen Ping’an’s fist intent had been enhanced by his knowledge that his death was a certainty, and it had reached its peak as he laid “dead” at the bottom of the crater.

This was clearly not the sign of someone who was afraid of death.

Gu You was certain that if Chen Ping’an had truly died, then an extremely powerful yin spirit would’ve immediately descended upon this world. Not only would the yin spirit not have been destroyed by astral winds, its sheer will to live would’ve bolstered its power to incredible extents, even in death.

It was none other than this incredible will to live that bordered on desperation that manifested itself as an apparent fear of death.

Gu You couldn’t help but wonder what it was that made Chen Ping’an cling so desperately onto life, but he didn’t speak any further on the matter.

He had only appeared before Chen Ping’an on this occasion to subject him to this ordeal of life and death in order to make his near-stagnant fist intent even purer.

“Make sure to be careful when you reach the north,” Gu You cautioned. “Setting aside that old monster in the north, there’s also a Mountain Summit Tier martial artist there, and both of them are rather unscrupulous characters who often like to kill others on a whim. You’re a foreigner, and if you die, your martial fortune will remain in the Northern Complete Reed Continent.

“If they want to kill you, then it’ll be nothing more than a matter of a few punches for them. You’ll either have to learn a top-tier immortal movement technique to ensure that you can get away from them should a confrontation arise, or you’ll have to avoid revealing your true cultivation base as a martial artist unless it’s absolutely necessary.

“Unfortunately, unscrupulous individuals can cultivate just as easily as saints, and the same applies to both martial artists and Qi refiners. One pursues purity of fist intent, while the other pursues clarity of the Dao heart, so both are somewhat bound by rules. However, there are no fools among the cultivators who’ve been able to rise to the top, and all of them are very good at skirting around the rules.”

“I’ll make sure to be careful,” Chen Ping’an sighed.

Gu You stopped in his tracks and cast his gaze into the distance and said, “I’m very pleased that you picked up the Mountain Shaking Fist. In all honesty, even though I created these fist techniques myself, I have to admit that they’re very mediocre.”

“Not at all!” Chen Ping’an protested. “I truly think the Mountain Shaking Fist is an exceptional set of fist techniques!”

Even in the presence of Cui Cheng, Chen Ping’an had always extensively sung the praises of the Mountain Shaking Guide.

“Even if you try to flatter me, I am but a mere martial artist with no immortal treasures to bestow upon you,” Gu You chuckled.

In reality, it was obvious to him that Chen Ping’an hadn’t said this solely to flatter him. If he didn’t truly think so highly of the Mountain Shaking Fist, he would’ve already abandoned it long ago for some other fist technique taught to him by Cui Cheng, rather than continuing to practice his walking meditation even after traveling to the Northern Complete Reed Continent.

If anyone else were to try and praise the Mountain Shaking Fist to Gu You’s face, he would’ve immediately struck them down for daring to offering him insincere and disingenuous flattery, so Chen Ping’an was just about the only one under the heavens that could praise the Mountain Shaking Fist in Gu You’s presence and live to tell the tale.

“Three punches are already my limit. Any more than that, and I would’ve truly been dead,” Chen Ping’an said with a wry smile.

Gu You patted him on the shoulder as he said, “Not every sixth tier martial artist can say that they were able to withstand three punches from a ninth tier Gu You. By the way, although I created the Mountain Shaking Guide, I didn’t even know that walking meditation, standing meditation, and sleeping meditation could be carried out simultaneously.”

Chen Ping’an didn’t know what to say to that.

“Now that I think about it, you can incorporate the Heaven and Earth Stance as well,” Gu You remarked.

“How do I do that?” Chen Ping’an asked. “Am I supposed to somehow walk upside-down with my head on the ground?”

It seemed that Chen Ping’an was seriously considering such a possibility, and Gu You burst into laughter at his earnest expression, giving him a firm slap on the shoulder as he chortled, “What are you, an idiot? Have some shame, will you?

“You’ll be scaring away every girl that you meet with the way that you’re practicing your fist techniques! As a practitioner of the Mountain Shaking Fist, you must be elegant and graceful, the target of yearning for all beautiful women, rather than the subject of ridicule!”

As Gu You’s laughter died down, he cast his gaze forward with his hands clasped behind his back and a reminiscent look on his face.

Chen Ping’an was almost knocked to the ground by the firm slap to the shoulder, and by the time he steadied himself, Gu You had already departed into the distance.

Chen Ping’an looked on as Gu You vanished over the distant horizon, and even after that, he continued staring after him for a long time.

He knew that Gu You had set off on this journey, fully prepared to die.

Then again, perhaps he would live, and there would be one fewer sword immortal in this world.

Such was the way of life.

Chen Ping’an set his bamboo case onto the ground, then sat down upon it as he began slowly drinking from his Sword Nurturing Gourd.

He wasn’t in a hurry to continue on his journey, choosing to take some time to recover first.

After those three punches, he would be very fortunate if he could even return to his powers from back when he first reached the sixth tier after a month of recuperation.

Seeing as he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, he decided to take this time to think about some things.

On the subject of pure martial artists, Cui Chan had once made a colloquial statement.

The death of a seventh or eighth tier martial artist benefits their hometown, the death of a Mountain Summit Tier martial artist benefits their nation, and the death of an End Tier martial artist benefits their entire continent.

On the path of cultivation, dedication and focus were key.

Just as Gu You had described, it was often the case that one could become distracted without their own knowledge, and that was a very damning mistake.

With these thoughts running through his mind, Chen Ping’an stared off into the distance in a daze with his Sword Nurturing Gourd in his hand.

He felt truly blessed to be alive and still be able to the distant places that he wanted to see.

However, there were going to be some people in those distant places that wouldn’t be so pleased to see him.

Some of the nearer ones included the Ma Clan on Apricot Blossom Alley and the empress dowager of the Great Li Empire, while some of the further ones included the mountain-moving ape of Sun Scorch Mountain and the Xu Clan of Light Breeze City.

There were also some that Chen Ping’an had to take a closer look at, as well as some who were concealed behind many confounding veneers.

All of these people and things had to be taken into account, so Pei Qian’s habit of recording everything in her little accounts book was actually one that she had learned from her master.

The only difference was that one wrote everything down, while the other only kept a mental account.

————

Even the most vast plains were bound to have some mountains, and at this moment, Gu You was situated on a mountain summit.

There were six figures in black robes and white masks standing before him, and only one remained in his presence, while the other five split up and fled the scene in different directions.

Thankfully for them, Gu You didn’t seem to have any intention of pursuing them.

The one remaining Deer Cutter Mountain cultivator cupped his fist in a salute as he extended a deep bow and greeted, “It’s an honor to be in your presence, Senor Gu.”

“That was quite a formidable lineup!” Gu You remarked. “Were you all here to kill someone? Even a Far Roaming Tier martial artist would’ve been no match for all of you, let alone one that’s still yet to even reach the Vajra Body Tier. Since when did Deer Cutter Mountain become so disrespectful of the rules? Or is it the case that you’ve never followed the rules, but simply haven’t ever been caught because you’re good at covering your tracks?”

The man standing before Gu You was the leader of the group of Deer Cutter Mountain assassins. He was a Nascent Tier cultivator, but he was sweating profusely in Gu You’s presence.

Gu You was widely renowned for being a stickler for rules, and on top of that, anyone that he decided to hunt down would be pursued relentlessly to all corners of the world.

If Deer Cutter Mountain were to draw the ire of Gu You, then the six of them would be the first in a long line of people to fall to their demise under Gu You’s wrath.

The Nascent Tier cultivator shook his head as he said, “Ever since the founding of our Deer Cutter Mountain, the rules established by our founder have never been broken.”

In the next instant, Gu You appeared before the Nascent Tier cultivator in the blink of an eye.

He had one hand casually clasped behind his back as he grabbed the Nascent Tier cultivator by the throat with his other hand, lifting him up off the ground.

He then cast his gaze toward the five other assassins as he declared, “Anyone that moves, dies.”

Even though the other five assassins were already quite far away, they had no doubt in Gu You’s ability to hunt them down at will, and they instantly stopped cold in their tracks.

“If you had gone after him before I confronted him, then so be it,” Gu You continued “It’s not like the rules of your Deer Cutter Mountain are worth a damn anyway, but you’ve certainly displayed a great deal of audacity, sticking around after I beat him to the brink of death!

“Do you think I’ve gone senile and didn’t notice your presence? You thought you could swoop in for an easy kill, is that it? I’m sure it wasn’t easy for a Nascent Tier cultivator like yourself to cultivate to this point, you really shouldn’t be throwing your life away so carelessly!”

The Nascent Tier cultivator knew that resistance would be futile, so he didn’t even try to struggle. However, Gu You didn’t kill him right away. It seemed that he was deliberating whether he wanted to spare a messenger to take the news back to Deer Cutter Mountain, and if so, which one he wanted to spare.

He made no effort to conceal his killing intent, and it was surging out of his body in palpable waves, completely pulverizing everything within a radius of a hundred feet while also raising a massive cloud of dust.

A string of tearing sounds could be heard coming from the Nascent Tier cultivator’s Dao robe.

With a casual flick of Gu You’s finger, a hole was blown straight through the forehead of one of the Deer Cutter Mountain assassins present.

A Vajra Body Tier martial artist had died, just like that.

“Contemplating escape is tantamount to attempting escape in my eyes,” Gu You said in an indifferent voice.

With his throat constricted, the Nascent Tier cultivator was unable to speak, so he could only communicate with Gu You through his mind’s lake.

“Senior Gu, you can protect him this one time, but you can’t protect him forever! Our Deer Cutter Mountain has no set base, and our cultivators are constantly moving from one place to another. Of course, you can try to hunt us down, and anyone of us that you encounter will be sure to perish at your hands, but during this time, if you’re away from that young man for even just a few days, he will die! I swear it!”

“You dare to threaten me? Who gave you the courage? Ji Yue of Ape Call Mountain?” Gu You sneered.

“That’s not a threat, Senior Gu. I’m simply stating a fact,” the Nascent Tier cultivator said with a wry smile.

“If that’s what you want to do, then I’ll just get someone to relay a message to Ji Yue for me. I’ll agree to battle him, but on the condition that he must kill everyone from Deer Cutter Mountain first, and I’ll give him, say, a year to get it done. I’m sure his disciples on Ape Call Mountain would relish the opportunity to hunt all of you down so that they can appease their patriarch.”

The Nascent Tier cultivator’s expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and he explained, “We really haven’t broken any rules here, Senior Gu. We never make second assassination attempts on any targets that we fail to take out the first time, that’s an absolute rule of our Deer Cutter Mountain that is never broken. As for why we came here, that is a secret that I cannot reveal. Please forgive me, Senior Cui, but this is also a rule of our Deer Cutter Mountain.”

“Here you are, telling me about the rules of your Deer Cutter Mountain and asking me to respect those rules, but why don’t you have any regard for my rules?” Gu You asked. “I confronted him, yet spared his life. Does that not tell you anything? You clearly know who I am, yet you weren’t even willing to wait for at least a few days before making your move?

“Do I have to stand here and spell everything out for you to understand what my rules are? How strange. Since when did my rules become something that instills little runts like you with the confidence not to follow the rules?”

He casually snapped the Nascent Tier’s neck as he spoke, sending the latter’s head toppling to the ground.

At the same time, he reached out with his other hand, to crush his victim’s golden core and nascent soul, ensuring that they had no chance of survival.

The destruction of a Nascent Tier cultivator’s golden core and nascent soul resulted in an explosion of devastating power, but it was scattered with ease by a casual sweep of Gu You’s sleeve.

One of the other Deer Cutter Mountain cultivators had fled into the ground using an earth movement technique, but he was killed by a stomp of Gu You’s foot, forever entombed deep within the earth.

The three remaining Deer Cutter Mountain assassins remained completely still in the distance, too scared to move even a single finger.

Gu You clasped his hands behind his back, then turned to a certain direction as he heaved a faint sigh.

I thought we’d be too far away for him to detect us, but his intuition is sharper than I expected. Then again, I suppose this is no surprise, considering both his intuition and fist intent are quite exceptional.

Earlier, Gu You had intentionally pressured Chen Ping’an with his fist intent. If Chen Ping’an had dared to compromise his own fist intent by trying to avoid a direct confrontation or by turning to things like his Dao robe or flying swords, then Gu You would’ve put more power into his initial punch and struck him down on the spot.

He wouldn’t have died, but he would’ve been inexplicably knocked unconscious, and he wouldn’t have derived any benefit from the encounter.

In a battle between combatants of similar cultivation bases, even the slightest point of difference could prove to be the difference between life and death.

Chen Ping’an flew onto the mountain summit, and upon his arrival, he was already gasping for air, standing in a puddle of his own blood with his back hunched over and his hands resting on his knees.

“Your pain tolerance is impressive, I’ll give you that,” Gu You remarked with a smile.

Chen Ping’an stood up straight with a deathly pale complexion, only to quickly collapse onto his backside, unable to remain on his feet.

“What’s happening here, Senior?”

“You’re asking me? Don’t tell me you were completely oblivious to these people following you,” Gu You scoffed.

“I knew these people were following me, and I already sent out a flying sword letter to a friend,” Chen Ping’an explained. “Just a few more days, and they would’ve had these people taken care of.”

“What kind of friend is this? A cultivator? Are they not afraid of making enemies out of these annoying gnats?” Gu You asked.

“I can tell you that this friend of mine has even more patience than I do, and he’s great at dealing with these types of people, so I don’t feel guilty at all getting him involved,” Chen Ping’an replied with a smile.

Gu You accepted the answer with a nod, then said, “I’m really leaving this time. Should I leave these three to serve as sparring partners for you?”

“That would spell the death of me, Senior Gu,” Chen Ping’an replied with a wry smile.

“What do you want to do then?” Gu You asked with a smile.

Chen Ping’an crossed his legs as he sat on the ground and requested, “Please allow me to learn from the most authentic practitioner of the Mountain Shaking Fist under the heavens!”

Assassins of Deer Cutter Mountain valued secrecy above their own lives. This was a lesson that Chen Ping’an had already learned first-hand.

“You want to learn from me? You better stand up then!” Gu You snapped.

Chen Ping’an clambered unsteadily to his feet, and despite his swaying body, his fist intent was extremely stable and upright.

Gu You bent his knees slightly to lower his center of gravity, then clenched a hand into a fist in a deliberate fashion before slowly extending it forward. His other hand was also clenched into a fist, but this one was pulled back to his side.

“An important key of my Mountain Shaking Fist is that one fist is to be used against the enemy, while the other fist guards your will. If you can ensure that, then even if you’re facing one of the founding fathers of the Three Teachings, you’ll be able to unleash one final punch even in death as long as your fist intent hasn’t dissipated!

“Even if an immortal possesses unfathomable power and can summon mountains to crush me, I will simply split the mountains with my fists! This is something that dawned on me back when I was a seventh tier martial artist, and it’s what allowed me to write the introduction of the Mountain Shaking Guide. If you want to climb to even greater heights than me in the future, then you should have the same reckless arrogance in your own fists!”

The three Deer Cutter Mountain assassins were already frantically running for their lives. One of them was flying away like the wind, another was racing over the ground, while the third one’s body had disintegrated into a plume of smoke through the use of some mystical ability.

Gu You took a step forward, instantly completing the six-step meditation sequence before throwing a punch.

He repeated the process and threw a second punch elsewhere, then did it a third time, this time directing his fist at the heavens.

Chen Ping’an stared intently at Gu You the entire time, latching onto his every move.

This was the true Mountain Shaking Fist.

Only now did Chen Ping’an come to realize that the fist intent of the Mountain Shaking Fist could be so magnificent!

As for where those punches landed and what the outcomes were, Chen Ping’an didn’t even have to look.

After throwing those three punches, Gu You turned to Chen Ping’an, then asked, “What do you think?”

“Observing your fist techniques is akin to practising sword techniques,” Chen Ping’an replied.

“Practising sword techniques?” Gu You scoffed. “Where’s the future in that? So what even if you become a sword immortal? A sword immortal is precisely what I’m setting out to slay on this trip to the capital of the Great Seal Script Empire!”

“Someone once told me that fist technique and sword technique practice are one and the same,” Chen Ping’an said.

“I suppose that makes sense, and the reverse is also true,” Gu You acknowledged with a nod. “Fist techniques are nothing more than sequences of movements. You’re only truly practicing the way of the fist by harnessing fist intent.”

Chen Ping’an’s eyes lit up as he nodded vigorously in agreement.

“I don’t know how formidable Cui Cheng’s fist techniques are, but I can say that he’s a very mediocre master,” Gu You suddenly scoffed. “If I were in his place, I would’ve ensured that you were the most powerful martial artist of your tier at every tier!”

Chen Ping’an had no response for this. He opened his mouth to say something, but was unable to find the words.

Gu You shook his head, indicating that there was no need for him to say anything.

In the end, Chen Ping’an could only cup his fist in a parting salute, one that was returned by Gu You.

When it came to the lineage of the Mountain Shaking Fist, this was a moment symbolizing the passing of the torch.

First, there was Gu You. Then, there was Chen Ping’an.