Narration System for the Journey of Martial Arts

Page 151

At this moment, a figure flashed at the door. Benyin had already caught up. After seeing the scene inside the hall, he was slightly taken aback. The expected fight did not occur. Instead, it seemed rather harmonious.

The three monks nodded in greeting and looked at him. He didn't say much, but took a few steps to stand beside them. Only then did the three monks realize that this person was an enemy, not a friend.

Su Yuchen didn't care. He glanced at the four people and immediately saw through their true nature...

"Of the four of you, only the One-Finger Divine Skill of our sect has reached the third rank. The rest of you are only at the fourth rank. You haven't even mastered the One-Finger Divine Skill. It will be difficult for you to comprehend the Six Meridians Divine Sword."

"Although I have not practiced the Six Meridian Divine Sword, I believe that the Duan family's Six Meridian Divine Sword is an extension of the One Finger Divine Skill. Since everyone's finger strength is insufficient, I'm afraid it will be difficult to unleash the power of the Six Meridian Divine Sword."

As he spoke, Su Yuchen tapped his fingers repeatedly, and four popping sounds were heard. Before the four people could react, four streams of pure Yang finger force had already penetrated into their bodies, and the force of the fingers was even faster than the sound.

The four of them shuddered, feeling an exceptionally pure Yang finger force circulate within their bodies. Guided by this, their One Yang Finger True Qi immediately moved, circulating once more. Wherever it passed, it flowed more smoothly than before. As the True Qi returned to their dantian, the four of them felt a surge of energy, simultaneously sensing that their One Yang Finger had advanced by one grade.

"One Finger Zen!!!" The four monks exclaimed in surprise, looking at the calm and composed Su Yuchen.

Su Yuchen said calmly...

"One-Finger Divine Skill is easy to learn but difficult to master. It is easy to get started, but to reach the first rank, one needs extremely high comprehension. The essence of this martial art lies in pure Yang. Reaching the first rank is the ultimate state of pure Yang."

"It's like solving a riddle. My One-Finger Divine Skill is the answer. Working backward from this, it will be easy to advance the rank of your One-Finger Divine Skills."

The four men exchanged glances and immediately asked, "The One-Finger Divine Skill is a direct descendant of the Duan family. May I ask where this young master learned it from?"

Su Yuchen glanced at Ku Rong behind the four and said, "The One-Finger Divine Skill is from me... Master, please show mercy." As he spoke, he flicked his right hand, and a powerful force pushed the four away. The curtains behind them rattled loudly, and Ku Rong, who was sitting facing the wall, groaned and involuntarily moved three feet away.

Su Yuchen flicked his right hand and grabbed, and the six scrolls on the ground flew straight towards him. The four people immediately jumped up and said, "Put down the sword manual."

Ignoring everything, Su Yuchen let the four men attack with their finger strikes. With a few hissing sounds, the finger strikes vanished into nothingness in mid-air. Instead, a powerful force pushed the four men back again and again, until they finally stopped in a sorry state three feet away.

The four looked up and saw that a corner of the diagram in Su Yuchen's hand was charred. It was because Su Yuchen had discovered that Ku Rong was about to burn the diagram with his One-Finger Divine Skill that he intervened.

Su Yuchen opened the manual and glanced at it. There was only a hole burned in the corner, but it was not a big problem. Then he looked up and said, "It's just a mere finger manual. Why are you so stingy, Kurong? The hard work of our predecessors would rather destroy it than pass it on to future generations. With your mindset, Kurong, it will be difficult for you to master the Kurong Zen."

The figure sitting facing the wall moved without wind, turned around, and revealed a terrifying face. Half of his face was as smooth as a baby's skin, while the other half was wrinkled like tree bark. Wang Yuyan covered her mouth and exclaimed in surprise, immediately saying, "Ah... I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. Please forgive me, Master."

Ku Rong didn't even glance at Wang Yuyan. He put his palms together and said, "In the past, Huike knelt outside the cave for three years and cut off his own arm before Bodhidharma was willing to pass on his mantle. This Six Meridians Divine Sword is the culmination of the efforts of my Duan family ancestors. How can it be easily given to outsiders?"

"If we cherish our skills so much, martial arts will only decline day by day," Su Yuchen shook his head and sighed.

Ku Rong snorted coldly and said, "What does this have to do with me?"

The four of them were taken aback by the conversation between the two, and they were even more worried that Su Yuchen would be angered and attack because of Uncle Ku Rong's words. His martial arts skills were so high that they couldn't think of anyone else. Unexpectedly, Su Yuchen laughed and said, "Ku Rong, you are right. What does this have to do with you?"

When the group heard Su Yuchen say this, they were taken aback. They felt strange, but also relieved that they didn't have to fight. Wang Yuyan felt that Su Yuchen was shrouded in a fog, and she couldn't see through his thoughts at all.

Su Yuchen opened all six scrolls and examined them one by one. Then, he closed his eyes and pondered for a moment. With a flick of his right thumb, a powerful and forceful finger strike pierced a large hole in a nearby pillar with a resounding "thud." Immediately afterward, he unleashed a series of finger strikes from each of his five fingers, leaving five holes of varying sizes in the pillar. Each of the five finger strikes possessed a distinct aura: some were powerful and robust, some were agile and unpredictable, some were expansive and sweeping, some were ancient and natural, and some were light and swift.

"Six Meridians Divine Sword!" Benyin and the other three exclaimed in surprise. Although Wang Yuyan had expected it, she couldn't help but be surprised. Even Kurong couldn't help but bow his head and chant a Buddhist prayer.

Su Yuchen shook his head and threw the six scrolls away. The four of them hurriedly took them, still somewhat incredulous. They couldn't believe that someone had learned the Six Meridians Divine Sword technique, which they themselves had struggled to master, with just one glance.

Seeing the four people looking as if they had lost their parents, Su Yuchen shook his head and said, "The Six Meridians Divine Sword is just a further development based on the One Finger Divine Skill, aiming to defeat the enemy. It is an offensive technique, and its purpose is far inferior to the One Finger Divine Skill."

The four looked at each other, unsure how to respond to Su Yuchen's assessment. They felt a sense of unfulfilled desire, while he dismissed it with disdain. Even the usually shrewd and calculating Ku Rong was somewhat stunned.

Su Yuchen was indeed somewhat disappointed with this martial art, as it offered him no inspiration whatsoever. Didn't he see that the narrator didn't even bother to introduce it?

However, after a moment's thought, he looked at Kurong and said, "I've heard that you practice the Buddhist 'Kurong Zen Technique.' Would you be willing to let me see it? If you're willing, I can stay in the temple for a few days and explain the key points of practicing One Finger and Six Meridian Divine Sword to you."

Chapter 313 Tianlong Temple 3

Upon hearing Su Yuchen's words, the four of them were taken aback, but then they were pleasantly surprised. They had already witnessed Su Yuchen's One Finger Divine Skill and Six Meridian Divine Sword, and they did not feel that he was insulting them.

The four exchanged glances and then looked up at Kurong, who was the most senior member of the Duan family, yet they still needed him to make the decisions.

Ku Rong was stunned. He was somewhat disappointed and confused. The Six Meridians Divine Sword, which he had been seeking but could not obtain, was something that others disdained. Meanwhile, the Ku Rong Zen Skill, which he had only practiced as a second choice, was something that others could not obtain.

After a long while, just as the four of them were looking at each other, they heard Kurong sigh, take out a book from his sleeve, and send a finger strike to Su Yuchen. It was the "Kurong Zen Skill" that he had been practicing for many years.

Su Yuchen quickly flipped through the pages and received a narration prompt...

You have attained the Zen Skill of Withering and Flourishing.

When the Buddha entered Nirvana, there were two trees on each of his four sides. Each tree had one withered and one flourishing. This signifies that the Buddha was neither withered nor flourishing, neither illusory nor empty.

Seeing the narration prompt, knowing that this manual was genuine, Su Yuchen didn't hold back and sat directly on the futon: "If you have any questions about the cultivation of these two martial arts, please feel free to ask. As long as I know the answer, I will answer it to the best of my ability."

The four were delighted and immediately began to explain their doubts about cultivation, starting with the One-Finger Divine Skill. Su Yuchen answered every question, explaining the key points of cultivation in a simple and easy-to-understand way. The four listened with great interest, never realizing that cultivation was such a simple and clear thing.

As he got excited, Su Yuchen demonstrated the changes and connections of the nine grades of One Yang Finger one by one, explaining the finger force changes, the pure Yang true meaning, the transformation of meridians and acupoints involved, and the secret methods of true qi circulation.

In an instant, finger movements danced throughout the hall, sometimes graceful and elegant, like a celestial being's finger strike; other times swift as the wind, fast as lightning, like a god subduing demons. Regardless of the variations, each movement carried an aura that left the enemy nowhere to hide.

The book "Suwen" states: "The first Yang is Shaoyang. Therefore, the Yang Qi is not yet great, hence it is called Shaoyang. Yang governs growth and development, and Shaoyang is the initial stage of Yang Qi. Its organ corresponds to the liver, its element corresponds to wood, and its season corresponds to spring."

"Spring is the beginning of the four seasons, when the first yang energy is born, and life begins to flourish, and all things come to life. Therefore, the One Yang Finger technique can make a person feel the first yang energy, just like the flourishing of all things in spring. This finger technique is actually a way to save lives, not a way to kill."

Seeing that the four of them nodded, Su Yuchen changed the subject and said...

"When used for attack, the One-Finger Divine Skill can be slow or fast. When slow, it is elegant and graceful, and when fast, it is as swift as lightning. This finger technique can strike the enemy's acupoints, or strike from a distance. It has reached the top ranks of the world in acupoint striking skills."

"The Duan family ancestors probably felt that this finger technique was more than enough to save people, but not enough to kill or protect themselves, or to subdue demons and defend the righteous path. That's why they went to great lengths to create the Six Meridians Divine Sword, in an effort to make up for the lack of a way to defeat enemies."

"This may be more important to you, but it seems rather useless to me. We pursue different things, but there's no need to force it. The hard work of our predecessors should still be passed down. Now we will talk about the essentials of cultivating the Six Meridians Divine Sword."

At this point, Su Yuchen waved his right hand, bringing over six scrolls and displaying them in front of the group, starting with the Shaoshang Sword, which involved the thumb.

"The twelve meridians of the human body, the back of the hand and the outer side of the limbs are Yang, the six internal organs are Yang, and the six meridians on the hand are the key to the operation of the Six Meridians Divine Sword."

"This technique, however, is based on the One-Finger Divine Skill, explaining how to store, compress, transform, and use true qi in the six meridians, making the finger force more penetrating and lethal. In terms of ingenuity, it can only be said to have some merits."

"Now that you know the secrets of the circulation of true qi, as long as you improve your One-Finger Divine Skill, the power of this martial art will naturally become stronger."

"This martial art should be usable with both hands, but the one left by the Duan family only involves the right hand. Firstly, it's probably because ordinary people don't have enough internal energy to use both hands; secondly, ordinary people are used to their right hand, which makes it more flexible and unpredictable, making it harder for enemies to break through."

"You only need to understand and remember the principles of true qi transformation, and you will naturally understand everything. I'm too lazy to explain further."

………………

After a long time,

After everyone recovered from Su Yuchen's explanation, Su Yuchen looked at them and said, "Is there anything else you don't understand? Please feel free to ask."

The four looked at each other, then turned to the monk Kurong, who clasped his hands together and bowed his head, saying, "This old monk has no questions for now."

Su Yuchen nodded and said, "In that case, we'll meet again someday."

Seeing that he was about to leave, the four of them stood up to thank him, but Su Yuchen waved his hand and said, "This was all agreed upon. I used the Withering and Flourishing Zen Technique as an exchange. We don't owe each other anything, so there's no need to thank me."

The monk Ku Rong looked at Wang Yuyan and said, "I have no objection to the Duan family's teachings that you have learned, but please do not pass on the One-Finger Divine Skill and the Six Meridians Divine Skill to outsiders."

Unlike Su Yuchen, Wang Yuyan was uninhibited and immediately agreed, promising not to reveal her gains of the day. This relieved Benyin, the other three, and Kurong.

As for Su Yuchen, none of the Ku Rong group dared to make demands of him. As long as he didn't spread the Duan family's martial arts to the whole world, that was fine. As for the rest, let them do whatever they wanted!

Both sides felt they had gained a great deal and were very satisfied. The four of them even personally escorted Su Yuchen and his companion out of the temple. Only after the two had gone some distance did the four exchange a glance before hurrying back to their lodgings to record their day's findings.

………………

When I first arrived it was afternoon, but now that I'm returning, the sun is setting and twilight is falling.

The two hurried along the Diancang Mountains and finally arrived at the outskirts of Dali City as dusk fell, entering the city just before the gates closed.

At this time, Dali City was a bustling place with a mix of Han and Yi people, and with the constant flow of merchants, it was lively despite the approaching twilight. Su Yuchen and his companion arrived late and finally managed to find a place to stay.

After dinner, Wang Yuyan went to rest, and Su Yuchen finally had time to take out the "Ku Rong Chan Gong" and start reading it.

This internal martial art differs from Tai Chi, which elucidates the Yin and Yang of Taoism. It focuses more on the mysteries of the cycle of life and death, which even reminded Su Yuchen of the internal martial art of the Xiaoyao Sect. The ultimate goal of both seems to be to achieve immortality.

Su Yuchen, however, thought of something more. As he circulated his true energy, it split in two, one alive and one dead, one withered and one flourishing. Su Yuchen's face began to change, half withered and half flourishing on each side, and in an instant, he reached the realm of the withered and flourishing monk.

As he furthered his cultivation, his body gradually turned golden, then the gold became half vibrant and half dim, and the color changed from side to side as his face changed.

Eventually, his skin became withered and dull, like that of a seventy or eighty-year-old man, and the golden color on his body faded even more, like a candle flickering in the wind. Yet, all the vitality lay dormant, waiting to sprout.

With a muffled sound from within, a faint spark of electricity appeared, like spring returning to the earth. The gold became brighter, and finally, it was as if the whole person had transformed into a golden torch. Amidst a crackling sound, gold and lightning intertwined.

Behind Su Yuchen, a purple-blue illusory lotus shadow appeared, with life and death intertwined on it, and lightning flashing. The gold and lightning, like water, poured into the primordial spirit where the lotus heart was located. The primordial spirit flickered during the baptism and became much more condensed.

After a long while, all the strange phenomena on Su Yuchen's body dissipated, and in his open eyes, a lotus shadow flashed by with various colors of purple, blue, gold, white, and black.

You have grasped the principles of flourishing and decay, the changing seasons, and the cycle of life and death; you have gained new insights into the Dao of the Primordial Spirit.

[Your Great Dao Azure Lotus Chapter has made progress, you have gained new insights into the Dao of Refining the Spirit, and the essence of your primordial spirit has been enhanced.]

Chapter 314 Leaving the City

The next morning, when Su Yuchen went out, Wang Yuyan was standing on the second-floor corridor of the inn, looking down. Su Yuchen looked up and saw a monk wearing a tattered robe and holding a broken wooden bowl.

The monk was extremely old and thin, with cloudy eyes. He was sitting in meditation in a corner inside the inn. From upstairs, you could see that there was still half a bowl of water in the broken wooden bowl. No one knew who had given it to him.

"What are you looking at?" Su Yuchen asked.

Wang Yuyan shook her head, gesturing for Su Yuchen to look down. At this moment, the innkeeper had come out, seemingly extremely respectful to the monk, holding some food in his hand and bowing his head to offer it to the monk.

The monk seemed to have fallen asleep, but after a long while, he slowly raised his head. By then, the shopkeeper was drenched in sweat, clearly in great discomfort from being bent over, yet he refused to straighten up.

Only after the monk chanted a Buddhist prayer, bowed slightly in thanks, drank the water from the wooden bowl, and put the food into his robes with his dark fingers, did the shopkeeper finally breathe a sigh of relief. The monk patted his hair before slowly leaving.

As they walked, many people seemed to recognize the monk, and people kept kneeling to worship him. An old woman and her granddaughter waited at the entrance of the inn. When they saw the monk come out, they put a string of copper coins in the monk's wooden bowl and led the child to kowtow repeatedly until the monk was out of sight.

Many passersby bowed and stared at the monk along the way until he had gone far away.

After a long while, when the monk's figure had completely disappeared from sight, the noise inside the inn gradually grew louder, and the people who had been kneeling and praying by the roadside dispersed. The old man, holding the little girl's hand, touched the grain bag on his back, then touched his chest, and then whispered something to the little girl before the two of them helped each other away.

"The old man and the young girl clearly couldn't afford food, so why did they still give alms to that monk? Is giving alms more important than their own lives?" Wang Yuyan frowned.

Su Yuchen, however, did not take it to heart and explained, "Buddhism inherently advises people to let go of this life and focus on the next. What the old man was thinking and asking for was simply to pray for a reward in the next life for that child."

"Will she still be herself in the next life? How does she know that she can be reborn into that child?" Wang Yuyan shook her head.

Su Yuchen smiled and said...

"She didn't know. But it was the only thing she could do for the child, or at least that's what she thought."

“There are eight or nine out of ten people in this world who suffer like her, and she probably had no other choice. Just then, a Buddhist monk came to her door and comforted her with Buddhist teachings, giving her a little relief. So she believed in him.”

"As for the outcome?"

Su Yuchen revealed a hint of mockery and said, "Does it matter? The monk received alms, the old man found solace, and as for the child, who cares about her thoughts?"

After a long while, Wang Yuyan smiled and said, "No wonder you've always hated Buddhism. Is it because no one cares about that child's own thoughts?"

Su Yuchen shook his head: "Buddhism seeks the afterlife, Taoism seeks this life. Our beliefs are different, but we both seek longevity, so there is no difference. However, I can't stand the Buddhist sect's scheming and deception of the world, yet they put on an air of superiority and charity."

"If I take that child away, will I be able to change her possible fate?" Wang Yuyan asked.

Su Yuchen asked in surprise, "You want to save that child? You can save one person, but can you save thousands? You might show favoritism to this child once, but can you show favoritism to all the suffering people in this world? You can't save them."

Wang Yuyan sighed deeply and said in bewilderment, "I really don't understand you. Sometimes you're like a Taoist priest who plays in the mortal world, willing to save someone's life for half a steamed bun; other times you're like an immortal looking down on the world, coldly observing everything."

“If you’re not satisfied, you might as well go up and see. That child might not appreciate your kindness,” Su Yuchen said as he turned and went downstairs.

Wang Yuyan might not be resentful; she also wanted to try. If there truly was a chance to change her fate, would the old woman be willing to seize it?

When Su Yuchen sat down in the inn's lobby, Wang Yuyan quietly followed him. Around noon, she hurried back, sat opposite Su Yuchen, and shook her head.

Su Yuchen wasn't surprised. In this world, it's not so easy to distinguish between good intentions and bad intentions. You might think you're being kind, but others might be extremely wary of you; you might be trying to send someone to their death, but they might be incredibly grateful to you.

“Along this journey, I’ve shown you all the sights of the world. What insights you gain are for you to experience for yourself. This trip ends here. If you have nothing else to do, we’ll leave the city today and return to Suzhou and Hangzhou,” Su Yuchen said.

Wang Yuyan nodded, and the two got up and left the inn.

………………

The two had barely left the city when they looked up together at a Taoist temple in the woods not far away, where an extremely arrogant voice rang out from afar: "Oh! There are such beautiful young nuns in this temple? Today our luck has arrived, two little beauties, come with me."

You encounter Yun Zhonghe, one of the Four Evils, chasing Duan Yu and his group, and the two sides clash at Yuxu Temple.

Wang Yuyan's beautiful eyes flashed, and she said with a meaningful smile, "Someone is actually causing trouble at the Taoist temple right under your nose. Aren't you going to do anything about it?"

Su Yuchen glanced at it from afar and nodded, saying, "I think I know who it is. In that case, let's go take a look."

After saying that, the two headed towards the Taoist temple together. As they got closer, they could hear people fighting inside the temple.

As Su Yuchen and his companion crossed the gate of the Taoist temple, they saw three people fighting in the front courtyard. A beautiful Taoist priestess and a scholar were ganging up on a tall, thin, and sleazy man. Not far behind the three, a young scholar and a feisty-looking girl were standing by watching the fight.

The tall, thin, and sleazy man wielded two steel claws, striking left and right. Despite being outnumbered two to one, he held his own. The nun struck his left leg with a whisk, but the man simply swayed and dodged it. At the same time, he hooked and pulled with his steel claws, deflecting the whisk from the nun's hand and sending it hurtling towards the scholar.

At the same time, the man took a step and was already in front of the scholar, grabbing at his chest with a claw. The scholar had to avoid the nun's dust, and with two judge's pens in his hands, he inevitably couldn't keep up with both sides, and for a moment he was flustered.

Fortunately, the Taoist nun withdrew her attack in time. As if the two had a tacit understanding, the nun flicked her whisk and struck the man's lower body, while the scholar blocked and sealed the man's two steel claws with his judge's pen, trying to stop his next move.

As the three exchanged blows, the man chuckled coldly, and with a light touch of his toes, he broke free from the encirclement like a crane, leaping backward and landing on a willow branch in the courtyard.