Chapter 16

The *Hengshan Breathing Technique* is the introductory practice of the Hengshan School. Even at its highest level of cultivation, it can only help with health and longevity. According to the martial world's standards, any third-rate martial artist who has practiced for two years can easily defeat someone who has spent decades mastering the *Breathing Technique*.

When new disciples join the Hengshan School, they do not primarily focus on this technique. Instead, they follow their masters to practice horse stances and strengthen their bones and muscles. The *Breathing Technique* is merely used to regulate breathing and cultivate a sense of qi, serving as a foundational method.

Upon hearing that Chen Ang wanted to learn this technique, Liu Zhengfeng felt somewhat hesitant. He frankly said, "Sir, this *Breathing Technique* is just a basic method of qi cultivation, and the techniques passed down by various schools, even street martial arts schools, are almost the same. If Sir is interested, I can pass on our family's *Three Yang Heart Method* or even the secret *Hengshan Heart Method* to you!"

"An ancient tree grows from a tiny sprout; a nine-story terrace rises from a pile of earth; a thousand-mile journey begins with a single step," Chen Ang sighed deeply, turning to look at Liu Zhengfeng. "Internal cultivation techniques originate from ancient times! Breathing, ingestion, guidance, and visualization have a history of thousands of years since the *Qi Practice Inscription*, and from the time of the Yellow Emperor, it spans a vast five thousand years!"

"The path of martial arts is not about competing for strength and victory, or engaging in violent fights. That is the way of beasts, not the true path of martial arts. If I wanted to show off my power, the more mysterious and powerful the internal techniques, the better. But I seek the great path, the true path of ancient martial arts, to challenge fate and surpass myself. I must find the answers in the wisdom of our ancestors!"

Liu Zhengfeng was taken aback by these words and asked in a daze, "Sir, did you ask me to find Taoist priests and monks who practice diligently for the same reason?"

Chen Ang smiled and looked at him. "Do you know the *Nine Yin Manual*? Have you heard of the seventy-two skills of Shaolin Temple?"

"I've heard of the *Nine Yin Manual* vaguely. It is said to be an unparalleled martial arts treasure, closely related to the five great masters known as the 'Five Supremes,' and once caused a great upheaval in the martial world! The seventy-two skills of Shaolin Temple are also well-known!" Liu Zhengfeng answered honestly.

These things might not be known by ordinary martial artists, but the Hengshan School, with its centuries of tradition, has some knowledge of these old martial world stories.

This confirmed Chen Ang's suspicion that the world of *The Smiling, Proud Wanderer* is indeed closely linked to the world after *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber*, likely on the same timeline.

"The *Nine Yin Manual* is divided into upper and lower volumes, a supreme martial arts technique that Huang Shang, a compiler in the Northern Song Dynasty, derived from the *Wanshou Daozang*. At that time, it was considered the greatest martial arts treasure in the world. The lower volume of this groundbreaking martial arts technique once fell into the hands of two disciples of Peach Blossom Island, known as the 'Black Wind Duo.'"

Liu Zhengfeng listened intently, his face showing surprise. Such martial world secrets were unknown even to him, and perhaps only the thousand-year-old Shaolin Temple had clear records. This made him increasingly curious about Chen Ang's identity.

"Many touching stories occurred during this process, but they are not relevant to us. Let's just say that Mei Chaofeng, one of the Black Wind Duo, practiced the *Nine Yin Manual* for over twenty years. Her legs were paralyzed due to a cultivation mishap, and she ended up creating the bizarre *Nine Yin White Bone Claw* from the *Nine Yin Divine Claw*!"

"Nine Yin White Bone Claw!" Liu Zhengfeng exclaimed, his face showing great shock! Chen Ang couldn't help but laugh, as many extraordinary martial arts techniques that were not passed down remained unknown, while a flawed and evil technique like the *Nine Yin White Bone Claw* became more famous than the original *Nine Yin Divine Claw*.

"You only need to know that the *Nine Yin Divine Claw* is ten times more powerful than the *Nine Yin White Bone Claw*. If Mei Chaofeng had encountered someone who truly mastered this technique, she would have been turned into bones in just two moves!" Chen Ang said calmly.

"The same goes for the seventy-two skills of Shaolin Temple. Many Shaolin monks spend their entire lives mastering a single skill, while some can learn a dozen in a short time. During the Northern Song Dynasty, Murong Bo and Xiao Yuan Shan were such people. However, in their later years, they had to join the Shaolin Temple to study Zen! Do you know why?" Chen Ang asked.

"Perhaps Shaolin Temple has hidden some key techniques, causing their skills to have hidden dangers?" Liu Zhengfeng, from the Five Mountains Sword School, had no good feelings towards Shaolin and speculated without hesitation.

"Ha! Techniques!" Chen Ang laughed loudly. "To say that would be to underestimate martial arts masters like Dharma and Zhang Sanfeng. They would want the whole world to know their martial arts secrets. How could there be any concealment in the understanding of the great path?"

"But what you say is not entirely wrong! There is indeed a secret." Chen Ang saw that Liu Zhengfeng wanted to speak but stopped him with a wave of his hand and continued.

"Whether it's the *Nine Yin Manual* that causes cultivation mishaps or the *Seventy-Two Skills* that lose their essence, the surface reason is that the authors used obscure language and hidden references, but the real reason is that the practitioners lack sufficient martial arts cultivation."

'Martial arts cultivation' is a very subtle concept. Many people measure the strength of martial artists by their combat power, but they do not understand why the sweeping monk and the invincible swordsman are only considered great masters by Dharma and Zhang Sanfeng. Why is the *Northern Sea Divine Skill* and the *Six Pulse Sword Technique* famous, but only the *Yi Jin Jing* and *Tai Chi* can achieve the highest honor in martial arts?

'Martial arts cultivation' is the invisible and intangible factor that truly matters. In Chen Ang's understanding, martial arts cultivation is the combination of all martial arts wisdom, insight, and knowledge. It is like a vast network that connects martial arts with the wisdom of our ancestors.

The *Tai Chi* and *Yi Jin Jing* are the highest expressions of this wisdom. Just as studying *Laozi* does not necessarily mean understanding the wisdom of the *Tao Te Ching*, and studying *Confucius* does not necessarily mean understanding 'benevolence,' these texts are more like reading outlines.

Zhang Sanfeng studied Daoism and wrote the *Tai Chi*, while Dharma studied Buddhism and wrote the *Yi Jin Jing*. They probably only outlined the key points of their martial arts philosophy. The true content must be learned from Buddhist scriptures, Daoist texts, and other classics. Huang Shang's derivation of the *Nine Yin Manual* from the *Wanshou Daozang* follows the same principle.

Therefore, Chen Ang never expected to bring a few 'supreme secret manuals' from the martial arts world and become transcendent through diligent practice. Instead, he decided to immerse himself in this world, to feel its atmosphere, and to absorb its essence. This is the true value of a world.

Learning secret manuals is the path of experts, but learning martial arts is the path of evolution.

Chen Ang spent three months practicing medicine, treating countless martial artists, and studying hundreds of living secret manuals. He mastered most of the third-rate martial arts in the martial world, accumulating a solid foundation of martial arts cultivation before beginning his practice. Liu Zhengfeng was his chosen guide.

He had also considered using modern scientific knowledge of the human body to create martial arts techniques, but he realized that without sufficient scientific knowledge, even if he created such techniques, they would be like the *Northern Sea Divine Skill* and the *Six Pulse Sword Technique*, far inferior to the *Tai Chi* and *Yi Jin Jing* in terms of inspiring a tradition.

Even the *Nine Swords of Dugu*, which accumulates the knowledge of all sword techniques, might not compare.

In terms of power, they might achieve invincibility, but if Chen Ang sought power, why not leave a laser weapon or a human enhancement drug? That way, anyone who obtained it could become the strongest. Martial arts that do not promote the evolution of human life are meaningless to Chen Ang.

Chen Ang did not say more. He picked up a yellowed Song Dynasty book and smiled at Liu Zhengfeng. "If I told you that I could derive the *Yi Jin Jing* from these scriptures, would you believe me?"

Liu Zhengfeng was greatly startled. He cautiously glanced at the *Fa Hua Yan Zhuang Lun* and, after confirming it was just an ordinary scripture, asked in a low voice, "If anyone else said it, I wouldn't believe it, but since Sir said it, I still have some doubts."

"Before Dharma wrote his books, he had a hundred volumes of true scriptures explaining his learning. After he wrote his books, there were ten thousand volumes explaining his insights. If one can learn Dharma's wisdom, could one not derive the *Yi Jin Jing*?" Chen Ang laughed loudly.

Liu Zhengfeng, seeing how easily he spoke, could only inwardly sigh. "Dharma's wisdom is scattered throughout the vast sea of Buddhist scriptures. To compile it would require extraordinary wisdom and astonishing perseverance, perhaps only a god or demon could do it!"

He did not ask more and honestly shared his years of accumulated knowledge about martial arts, including some stories and anecdotes, a few words of advice from his master, and what he considered true teachings. However, Chen Ang was not very interested in what he considered true teachings. Instead, he pointed out a few errors and incomplete areas, and showed great interest in some minor details that were common knowledge in the martial world.

He even discussed the understanding of "qi" in traditional Chinese medicine and asked him to find a knowledgeable doctor. He also wanted a monk, a Taoist priest, a teacher, and a scholar. If not for his extensive network, he would not have been able to gather all the people Chen Ang needed.

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