Chapter 50 of 100

Chapter 50

13 min read3,284 words

The thrilling confrontation between the Toad Technique and the Dragon Subduing Palm between Ouyang Feng and Hong Qigong continued until dusk, when the other three finally persuaded them to stop. Throughout their two battles, in terms of weapons, Hong Qigong's Beggar's Staff Technique had the upper hand; in terms of palm techniques, Ouyang Feng's Toad Technique was superior. In terms of overall combat power, however, the two were evenly matched, and after more than a day of fighting, they still hadn't decided a winner.

This spectacular fight also left the onlookers around them wide-eyed and exhilarated.

Bai Xiaosheng, who had watched the two fight, also gained a lot. With the perspective of a modern person, he saw things more broadly and thought more deeply than people in ancient times. This mindset was sometimes beneficial, but at other times, it could be a hindrance. Over the years, Bai Xiaosheng had always tried not to let this mindset hinder him, but in reality, he was still influenced by his past, which posed some obstacles to himself.

Of course, this modern mindset and knowledge were also very helpful to him. His understanding of sword techniques mainly came from modern knowledge. However, watching the two fight now, the knowledge in Bai Xiaosheng's mind seemed insufficient, or even a hindrance.

Looking at the two fighting, their techniques were very exquisite, but when broken down, they were very simple. In essence, it was about transforming simple moves into exquisite ones. Bai Xiaosheng, who now deeply understood this, had a similar approach to simplifying complexity. However, the two seemed to have taken it a step further, perhaps even reaching the realm of no technique. But there was one thing that puzzled Bai Xiaosheng: their martial arts.

If they had reached the realm of no technique, why were their martial arts still traceable? Could it be that they hadn't reached such a realm? Watching them use their techniques, it was hard to imagine!

'Even in the future, Hong Qigong's martial arts will still be the Dragon Subduing Palm. Could it be that the Dragon Subduing Palm has no weaknesses?' Bai Xiaosheng was puzzled, and these thoughts contradicted the knowledge he had. The key to this was truly beyond his comprehension.

While Bai Xiaosheng was eating dry rations and pondering the previous fight, two more people stepped into the arena—Huang Yaoshi and Duan Zhixing. One had created the Finger Flicking Technique, which was renowned, and the other possessed the family's secret skill, the One Yang Finger, and was also the emperor of Dali, with a noble identity and extraordinary martial arts. When these two faced each other, it was like a collision of Mars and Earth, just like Hong Qigong and Ouyang Feng.

In the arena, Huang Yaoshi moved like a ghost, his lightness and footwork were extremely fast and hard to grasp. His hands formed a sword shape, circling around Duan Zhixing as if there were thousands of swords attacking. Duan Zhixing, however, was as immovable as a mountain, his hands lightly tapping, and the force of his finger strikes created holes in the ground, leaving the onlookers in awe.

Bai Xiaosheng, however, completely missed this spectacular fight. His mind was still on the previous fight between Ouyang Feng and Hong Qigong. Their fight was much simpler compared to the current one. Whether it was the Toad Technique or the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, they seemed to follow a pattern of simplifying complexity. When they struck with a palm, it was just that palm, not a series of follow-up moves. But when faced with it, you couldn't avoid it. Why this was so, Bai Xiaosheng couldn't figure out.

Shaking his head, Bai Xiaosheng looked up at the peak where the storm was raging. At that moment, Huang Yaoshi was using the Finger Flicking Technique, and Duan Zhixing was using the One Yang Finger. The stone and the true qi collided with a "pfft" sound, canceling each other out. The two were only about ten feet apart, but no matter who attacked first, the other could quickly react and counter.

Although the fight between these two was spectacular, it gave Bai Xiaosheng a completely different feeling from the previous two. The previous two were straightforward, and when they struck with their palms or fists, you had a sense that you couldn't avoid it. The attacks of these two, however, were different. They seemed simple but were exquisite and fierce, and their techniques were incredibly fast, but that feeling was gone.

'What's going on? Is it the difference in martial arts, or...?' Shaking his head, Bai Xiaosheng temporarily suppressed his doubts and focused his gaze on the arena, using their fight to verify his own martial arts.

To be honest, Huang Yaoshi's approach was very similar to Bai Xiaosheng's. Watching him fight, Bai Xiaosheng easily associated it with himself. The subtlety of the techniques was also easier to connect, giving him great insights. Duan Zhixing's finger strikes, however, were like the finishing touch, revealing his own shortcomings. This, although not a good thing, actually gave Bai Xiaosheng great insights!

The fight between these two lasted another day, and it was incredibly exciting, but in the end, they also didn't decide a winner. On the second day, it was supposed to be Wang Chongyang's turn, but it wasn't Wang Chongyang who stepped into the arena, but Ouyang Feng and Huang Yaoshi!

Seeing these two, Bai Xiaosheng's somewhat listless spirit was reinvigorated. He wanted to see how these two, whose techniques seemed completely different, would fare against each other.

Ouyang Feng struck with a palm, which seemed to have the power to split the sky, pressing down on Huang Yaoshi's clothes and causing the snow under his feet to scatter. Seeing this palm, Bai Xiaosheng's spirit was lifted, and his gaze was fixed on Huang Yaoshi. Watching him, he took two steps back, seemingly retreating, but when he struck, he actually moved forward, and his sword palm hit Ouyang Feng's palm, completely breaking his momentum.

This move's subtlety made the crowd cheer, and Bai Xiaosheng was also very excited. His mind was clear, and a spark of inspiration in his brain made him understand this move.

The paths these two took were different! And the techniques were not as he had previously understood, that there was only one path.

Indeed, Bai Xiaosheng had summarized the cultivation of techniques into different realms, but in reality, the realm of techniques only represented your understanding of them. In a battle between people of similar skill, the one with the higher realm wasn't necessarily the winner. There were many other factors involved, just like Guo Jing! If you said he had a profound understanding of techniques, would you believe it? Bai Xiaosheng didn't!

Watching the two pairs of fights earlier, he felt he had gained a lot. Now, with Ouyang Feng and Huang Yaoshi facing each other, their different styles and paths gave Bai Xiaosheng even greater insights.

Watching these two fight, Huang Yaoshi's path was similar to Bai Xiaosheng's, reaching the ultimate understanding of techniques, which could be described as "using skill to overcome force." Wasn't the Lone Sword of the Nine Swords of Dugu a representative of this? Ouyang Feng, on the other hand, was different. Although his techniques were also skillful, his strikes were powerful and oppressive, giving the impression that there was no way to avoid them. In essence, he followed the path of "force overcoming skill."

Through their fight, Bai Xiaosheng understood that the subtlety of the Dragon Subduing Palm did not lie in the techniques themselves. The techniques were very simple. Take the most exquisite move, "Repentant Dragon," for example, it was just a palm strike, simple to the extreme. But this one palm strike had caused many to meet their end. Why? The reason lay in the internal force and the technique of applying force.

This was the true subtlety of the Dragon Subduing Palm. Ouyang Feng's path was different but achieved the same effect.

Understanding this, Bai Xiaosheng thought about himself. He followed Huang Yaoshi's path, which was the understanding of techniques. In the past, he didn't have this understanding, but now he did. If he were to use Yue Buqun's words, it would be the difference between the Qi Sect and the Sword Sect.

"I clearly agree more with Yue Buqun's idea of 'focusing on qi,' but I ended up on the path of focusing on the sword..." He laughed bitterly, mocking himself.

Although he said this, Bai Xiaosheng had a new understanding of both qi and the sword. The idea of focusing on qi or the sword was not as rigid as Yue Buqun's. Yes, Bai Xiaosheng now seemed to focus on the sword, but was his internal force weak? Absolutely not. Just like Huang Yaoshi in the arena, did you feel his internal force was weak? Compared to the others, his internal force was no less, but he followed the path of skillful techniques. What could you do about it?

Bai Xiaosheng was the same. Although he followed the path of sword techniques, he did not neglect his internal force. Combining internal and external cultivation was the path of cultivation, and wasn't the Nine Yin Manual also like this?

Watching the fight in the arena, Bai Xiaosheng's mind was filled with various thoughts, deepening his understanding of martial arts, making him unable to resist shouting out loud. Fortunately, here, people didn't just watch; they also cheered.

Seeing such a spectacular fight, if you didn't speak or didn't feel excited, you were either an absolute expert like Wang Chongyang or an ignorant person. Those who cheered were generally those who understood, maybe not completely, but enough to benefit themselves. When the exciting moments came, they couldn't help but cheer. Bai Xiaosheng was like this, and so were the others.

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