Chapter 359: Chapter 359

Amidst the roaring waves, the stern face of middle-aged General Qi showed a hint of appreciation for the first time.

But before Meng Chuan could catch his breath, the more violent three hundred and first move came relentlessly...

As he fell into the water, Meng Chuan cried out angrily:

"Damn, not done yet!"

Meng Chuan shook his head, letting out broken breaths from his throat.

While recovering, he looked at the prompt from the panel within:

[Qi Jiguang’s thirty-two style long fist: Mastery (44%) → Perfection (67%) awaiting Limit Breaking]

[Limit Breaking Trait: War Soul (Intermediate)]

Every time he came out, he needed to take a moment to rest.

Moments later, feeling the surge of Qi Blood and internal energy interwoven within, clarity rose in his heart:

"Three hundred moves are the limit, but the change in General Qi’s spear style is the key.

The long spear is an extension of fists and feet, not just techniques, [change] is the true essence of Qi Jiguang’s long fist..."

His fist skills and routines are already familiar beyond measure.

Now with substantial improvement in proficiency, reaching breakthrough perfection, he understood this crucial layer.

He gazed at the panel’s wildly jumping numbers, feeling something from it:

"The Limit Breaking of Five Elements Qiankun Fist, from mutual generation and restraint to the rotation of the Five Elements.

And the ultimate essence of this long fist is nothing but the four words [Prove Dao through Battle].

From the river battle with the Japanese to practicing spear on rocks, each scene transition corresponds to a breakthrough in fist skills.

General Qi’s existence is precisely this [living] image world that tests me.

Only in life-and-death combat can I truly break the ultimate mystery of this fist skill."

This is the evolutionary law of the image world, Meng Chuan once again introspected the crimson in his mind.

"Three strikes... within three times, I must break limits!"

He had that confidence.

Days later, Meng Chuan challenged General Qi again halfway through recovery.

After three hundred moves, crossing twenty-one styles consecutively, he eventually fell into the water.

Meanwhile, the proficiency panel also increased by 21%.

[Qi Jiguang’s thirty-two style long fist: Perfection (67%) → Perfection (88%)]

Meng Chuan understood that he was close to breaking limits.

This ancient martial long fist has a total of thirty-two styles, breaking the remaining eleven styles will complete the remaining 11% proficiency.

Adding the final 1%, his "counter-kill"...

By then, the War Soul trait would be within reach.

Thinking of this, Meng Chuan felt an urge to buy the Great Pills to restore Spiritual Power and continue fiercely pushing through.

Moments later, he suppressed this impulse.

"If I go in now, I’d be giving in, and drugs to restore spiritual power aren’t cheap.

Better to take advantage of natural recovery time, think and practice more.

Only upon re-entering the image world will I have more confidence."

Turning his thoughts, Meng Chuan recalled another crucial matter recently, learning Horizontal Training True Skill.

Master Dong underestimated him; in horizontal training, his comprehension and body’s strength were superior among peers.

Now he could already do [self-regulate Qi].

Meng Chuan focused and introspected, the chest acupoint responded like a furnace, slightly heating.

Martial Arts will guided Qi Blood, transforming into fine threads and moving around the body.

He took a deep breath, the roar technique’s vibration echoed with breathing, Qi Blood surged like tides, flushing the key acupoints near the throat and neck.

Every horizontal training master is also adept in Chinese medicine.

With a keen memory, Meng Chuan had long memorized the locations of all acupoints and their stimulation effects.

Now "self-striking" himself, seamlessly concentrating.

Suddenly, Meng Chuan furrowed his brow as pain erupted from the key acupoint.

Muscle fibers hummed in the vibration, expelling accumulated impurities through the pores.

This step is the key to [regulate Qi], called "Body Refining".

Time slowly passed, pain from related acupoints got stimulated one after another, eventually healed by the body.

The feeling of this technique was already at its limit today.

Meng Chuan switched to the key acupoint striking of [Doma Iron Body].

This second-tier Hard Skills involved many key acupoints, causing some difficulty in the regulating process.

Qi Blood threads like silver needles, penetrating the body with a "swoosh," his skin surface oozed blood beads.

A few breaths later, accompanied by humming and vibrating muscle, the body’s strong recovery ability healed the acupoint damage caused by striking in an instant.

After the reddish spots disappeared, his skin surface shone with a cold metallic luster again.

This was the color etched deep within Meng Chuan’s soul through countless trials.

No matter how his body grew, the training never stopped.

With continuous striking, like tempered steel undergoing repeated quenching.

This was another major advantage of Meng Chuan; he hadn’t purchased Body Refining Ointment for a long time, saving a lot of money.

Now, except for significant wounds.

Minor external injuries caused by striking could already self-heal.

Speaking in game terms, that’s Meng Chuan’s HP recovery rate.

Now, it caught up with the damage caused by "self-striking injuries".

Pain surfaced and vanished repeatedly, yet Meng Chuan remained unfazed.

Countless silver needles pierced, sharp pains erupted from acupoints, like thousands of ants gnawing the bone marrow.

Even though he wasn’t accustomed to the pain of Qi Blood piercing.

The burning feeling emerging under the skin, intertwined with the dull pain of muscle tearing, the whole process felt like a dull knife scrapes the bone.

If it were a regular person, they wouldn’t last a bit.

But Meng Chuan’s body and mind of a horizontal martial arts family had long been as resilient as a rock!

It’s just a bit of wind and frost, for forging a god after a hundred trials!

Half an hour later, with the end of this session.

Feeling the mysterious healing power slowly flowing out from his limbs and bones, Meng Chuan’s expression eased slightly.

The [Rainbow Light Radiance Body] could still be activated. Even if he pounded himself, his greatest advantage in hard skills did not disappear.

Even though he had long suspected this, seeing it with his own eyes allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.

While continuing to practice the remaining hard skills, he pondered to himself:

"I wonder if true skill level horizontal training can be done with four techniques at once. If it can... invincible."

But he thought the possibility was slim, as the human body has its limits.

Unless one is no longer human...

Meng Chuan’s body was now too strong, not only rendering the effects of ordinary hard skills minimal.

While practicing, the force required for training was also not small.

Therefore, he couldn’t increase the number of techniques done at once, and still relied on the Rainbow Light Radiance Body to practice four methods together.

Regarding true skill level horizontal training, Meng Chuan had not practiced it.

But he surmised that it might have to start with two methods, or even one.

As his body became more "monstrous," he would slowly increase the number of techniques practiced.

While adjusting his breathing, Meng Chuan contemplated the future path of his hard skills training.

The [Treasure Appearance Golden Venerable Skill] mentioned by Master Dong is a powerful yet extremely difficult intermediate Buddhist true skill.

For others, focusing on one skill is already incredibly taxing, but his unique body, with its special traits, might allow him to attempt practicing other hard skills simultaneously.

With this in mind, he immediately called Master Dong to schedule an appointment.

This method is difficult to start and might take the entire day, or even several days of his time.

On the other end, Dong Yue laughed after hearing this:

"You’re really quick, getting your energy flowing already.

Alright, prepare two boxes of beer, and tomorrow let’s start!"

Meng Chuan didn’t ask about how many credits were needed.

It would be settled normally according to the duration.

Since they became closer, Master Dong never asked for credits, but Meng Chuan always insisted on transferring money.

Master Dong didn’t mention it out of respect for their relationship.

But Meng Chuan taking the initiative to transfer was also his duty.

Early the next morning, Meng Chuan arrived with a truck full of craft beer, clunking and rattling...

He had long entrusted his uncle to purchase it, as Master Dong loves to drink but finds it troublesome to go down the mountain each time.

It’s not too expensive, just a bit of a hassle...

The mountain roads of United University are rugged, and to maintain the appearance of Lishan, roads cannot be artificially constructed, making cars inaccessible.

This morning at 4 AM, a truckload of beer was parked at the foot of the mountain, and Meng Chuan carried it up.

It wasn’t too heavy; he had enough strength and means...

Master Dong is usually very busy, being the only Martial Arts Master specialized in horizontal training at the Yong’an campus of United University.

His schedule is usually full.

Many students with lesser physical talents come to him for supplementary hard skills training, even if they offer many credits, he often refuses.

Today, he specially set aside the whole day for Meng Chuan. If he couldn’t manage to start, they would continue for two or three days consecutively!

This was Dong Yue’s first time teaching someone horizontal training true skill, and he felt a bit excited.

He stood with his legs apart in the courtyard, practicing stance, while waiting for Meng Chuan, and thought to himself:

"Treasure Appearance Golden Venerable... finally inherited."

Dong Yue was able to progress to a Martial Arts Master, naturally having his fortuitous encounters.

He closed his eyes, his mind drifting to twenty years ago.

It was a deep winter when Dong Yue, in a ruined temple, was given the teachings of a dying old monk.

After a conversation, he learned that this was the last abbot, [Treasure Appearance Zen Master], of the Great Chu’s Hinayana Buddhism [Chengshi Sect].

Seeing Dong Yue’s muscles and bones like cast metal and exceptional condition. Content originally comes from noⅴelfire.net

The Zen master, with a declaration "Buddha saves those destined," handed down the sect’s hallmark [Treasure Appearance Golden Venerable Skill] to him.

"I have little time left, only needing you to take three oaths:

First, this skill must not be passed on to Mahayana Buddhist disciples;

Second, before mastering it to perfection and marking it with the true meaning of the martial arts, you must repaint the script left by me with your own qi blood every year to prevent its fading;

Third, I am well aware that this qi blood era does not belong to the Chengshi Sect, but this method should not be lost. If you cannot master it to perfection, you must find a successor to continue this technique, preserving the... Treasure Appearance Golden Venerable... bloodline."

As a precious original horizontal training true skill, its value is immeasurable.

It was at the time, and still is, to Dong Yue, the most valuable thing from head to toe.

To show sincerity, he indeed made a grand vow!

The Zen master finally warned:

"The Treasure Appearance recognizes bones, not skin; the successor must possess the three calamity body: muscles like twisting dragons, bones like ringing metal, and blood like mercury."

After saying that, he passed away suddenly.

Upon opening his eyes, Dong Yue collected his complex thoughts.

Today, as fate would have it, is exactly twenty years to the day.

Was it not predestined?

Since beginning this method, he had been stuck in great mastery for nearly ten years and had long wanted to pass it down.

"The old Zen master’s talk was mysterious, but ultimately, whether someone can practice this horizontal training depends on their talent in [essence].

Xiaomeng... is the most vigorous person I’ve seen in my thirty-plus years of martial arts experience.

If he can’t master it to perfection... then there’s nothing to be done..."

Not being able to reach perfection would just mean passing down the script with qi blood, which isn’t a difficult task.

He originally wanted to take Xiaomeng as a personal disciple, and they could strive together.

But Grandmaster Luo...

Thinking of this, Dong Yue felt somewhat nostalgic:

"Xiaomeng could never truly apprentice under me, and this is good enough as it is..."