Chapter 71

Knowing that many strong individuals had come to the ruins this time, Li Hao also began to take it seriously.

Yuan Family Compound.

Li Hao briefly informed them of the situation. He couldn't help, so he could only practice diligently, striving to enter the Doushan realm as soon as possible. Only then would he have the qualifications to participate in battles among the strong.

In the courtyard, Li Hao began his martial arts training again.

Internal energy was transforming into a sword shape.

This was a long process. For Li Hao, it was indeed long. Normally, it would take several months. For many Wushi (martial artists) who had broken the hundred barrier, this was just a transitional period, not particularly difficult.

Who would be anxious after a few months, when they would truly reach the peak of breaking the hundred barrier?

Li Hao was anxious.

Beside him, Yuan Shuo was leaning on a chair, deep in thought.

The rattan chair creaked.

Yuan Shuo suddenly said, "Sun Yifei, the King of the Level Stick, is skilled in stick techniques. His level stick once swept through the Silver Moon, almost invincible!"

"In the past, in the Silver Moon Wushi world, there were seven swordsmen, three spear masters, and two boxing masters from the north and south. For stick techniques... there was only one King of the Level Stick!"

"‘A month for the stick, a year for the saber, a lifetime for the spear...’ Stick techniques are easy to learn but hard to master! Sun Yifei, however, has reached a divine level in stick techniques. Excluding the Doushan realm, at the level of breaking the hundred barrier, he is indeed formidable!"

Li Hao didn't interrupt. He continued practicing his punches, listening quietly.

The teacher rarely talked about the past, but this time he seemed interested, and Li Hao wanted to listen.

"I and Sun Yifei didn't have much enmity in the past. There was no major grudge... But I was younger than him, and he had a disciple who was about my age."

"When we were young, who wasn't impulsive? Once, I and his disciple had a dispute over some trivial matters. I was in my prime at the time, and my punches were too heavy. I killed him with three punches."

Yuan Shuo sighed, "Wushi, once they start fighting, it's often a matter of life and death... It's quite common, so the ban on martial arts in the past was actually justified. Because of this, I and Sun Yifei became bitter enemies. Later, we agreed to a duel in the Transverse Canyon. There was a Transverse Sky Bridge there. We agreed that whoever stepped off the bridge would be the loser."

"Sun Yifei was about ten years older than me at the time. The young are fierce, and I was at my peak. At the start of the duel, I had the upper hand, using the Tiger Combat Technique to break both his arms and his level stick... Sun Yifei, unable to bear the humiliation, jumped off the bridge. The Transverse Sky Bridge was hundreds of meters above the canyon... I thought he was dead."

Yuan Shuo sighed, "I didn't expect him to join the Red Moon. It seems that after being defeated by me, Ying Hongyue formed the Red Moon and might have recruited some Wushi who were defeated by me."

Li Hao couldn't help but feel curious, "Teacher, Ying Hongyue wasn't as strong as you back then, how could he establish such a large organization as the Red Moon?"

Twenty years ago, he wasn't even as strong as the teacher.

"I'm not sure. I fought him about 25 years ago, when I was almost 50. He was younger than me, and he probably thought I was on the decline, wanting to make a name for himself by stepping on me... But at that time, I had already comprehended the Five Animal Techniques, though they weren't yet integrated. Even so, I made him kneel..."

"Teacher, you usually finish off your enemies. Why didn't you kill him that time?"

This was also what Li Hao found strange. How did he end up with so many enemies?

Yuan Shuo was speechless, "I don't kill everyone! You make me sound like a monster. I usually kill during battles when I can't control myself. Either the opponent is too weak, too strong, or evenly matched..."

So, he ended up killing people.

Li Hao thought for a moment, somewhat stunned.

Strong, weak, evenly matched, you killed them all... Then... you're not a monster?

"Ying Hongyue and others didn't die back then for other reasons. Either they surrendered when they saw they were losing, or they were seriously injured, and I was also injured, so continuing would have been a lose-lose situation. Or there was someone behind them... making it hard to kill them."

Yuan Shuo smiled, "Ying Hongyue falls into the latter category. He had someone backing him, I don't know who, but during the fight, I could sense someone locking onto me, watching me. Now, thinking back... it must have been someone who had broken the hundred barrier or even a Doushan!"

He smiled, "I'm not stupid. They might have wanted to train Ying Hongyue. If I really killed him, I would have been in trouble."

Well, that makes sense.

Sun Yifei jumped off, and the teacher thought he was dead.

Ying Hongyue had someone backing him, so the teacher didn't dare to kill him.

Li Hao started practicing with a sword, changing from punches to a sword. His internal energy vibrated, and with four layers, the sword pierced the air!

Yuan Shuo frowned, "Don't make that sound. Do you think it's cool? For strong opponents, the sound of your sword breaking the air means they have already locked onto your position. Unless you have a decisive advantage, making a sound when you attack means you will lose!"

Making a sound when attacking is actually simple.

Attacking silently is very difficult for Wushi.

Wushi have powerful internal energy. When it bursts, it breaks through air resistance, and the speed of the sword can exceed the speed of sound, naturally producing a breaking sound.

Unless you maintain that speed, exceeding the speed of sound, by the time the sound reaches, your sword has already finished its attack.

So, to be silent, you must either be extremely fast or extremely slow.

Li Hao attacked again, but it still made a sound.

Without releasing internal energy, just a simple thrust, there was no sound, but the damage was clearly weak.

Li Hao frowned slightly.

Attacking silently... hard!

Yuan Shuo added, "I'm not very proficient with swords. But whether it's punches or sword attacks, the principle is the same. Either be fast, so fast that by the time the sound reaches, I'm already done. Or be slow, so slow that you don't even notice, and I hit you."

Li Hao nodded, this was something he had considered.

"Teacher, to break the sound barrier, I'm still a bit short..."

"Then be slower!"

Li Hao slowly attacked, feeling a bit awkward.

Yuan Shuo was helpless, "Not that kind of slow. Have you seen me practicing the Five Animal Techniques?"

"Yes, it's a health-preserving technique, very slow... but when you fight, you are very fast, not slow."

Li Hao still couldn't understand.

"You still don't get it. Fast and slow don't have to be fixed."

Yuan Shuo explained, "I attack slowly, but burst quickly! For example, now, I am 5 meters away from you. For the first 4 meters, my punches are very slow, so slow that you don't even care. But when I get within 1 meter..."

He stood up and slowly punched Li Hao, making no sound at all.

When he was less than a meter away from Li Hao, suddenly, the speed of his punch exceeded the speed of sight, and in a blink, Li Hao's hair flew up as Yuan Shuo broke many of his hairs with a punch.

"Did you see that?"

Bang!

At that moment, the air suddenly exploded, producing a sonic boom.

Yuan Shuo said seriously, "Fighting is a process of creating killing opportunities! We don't seek to look good during the fight; our goal is to kill the opponent!"

"Or rather, the entire fighting process is to prepare for that final strike, that final punch! Everything before is just a setup, creating opportunities, until the last moment, when you achieve your goal and deliver a fatal blow! That is what fighting is!"

This is the true art of Wushi, the true art of killing!

In Yuan Shuo's words, the entire fighting process is just a setup, all for that final blow.

During this process, you must deliver your punches and sword strikes to the positions they should be, and at the last moment, burst with power to deliver a fatal blow.

Whether it's secret techniques or superpowers, the ultimate goal is to kill.

"Li Hao, remember, the ultimate goal of all fighting is to kill! There is no such thing as sparring, understand? There is no such thing as stopping at a touch! From the moment martial arts were invented, from the moment superpowers appeared, your extraordinary power is used for killing!"

Li Hao nodded.

"Talk about strengthening the body through martial arts... that's nonsense. Talk about superpowers benefiting society, that's also nonsense. Without extraordinary power, can't you benefit society? Can't you strengthen your body? So, the purpose of extraordinary power is to kill!"

Li Hao was solemn and nodded again.

"You are going to the ruins with me this time... blood will be shed!"

Yuan Shuo said solemnly, "And it will be different from before. Before, you could hide, hide behind me, and even ambush others... But this time, you might have to fight alone, face danger alone. I have many enemies, many grudges, and many people want to kill me. Even before you enter the ruins, you might face life-threatening danger."

Li Hao showed a puzzled look, "Before we even enter, they will attack?"

"It's hard to say."

Yuan Shuo was uncertain, "It depends on the situation. You are my last disciple, and everyone knows it. If there are traditional Wushi who insist on following traditional rules, you might have to fight on my behalf... It might not be them personally, but their students, disciples, or successors."

"Although superpowers have risen, and the path of Wushi has declined, if a Wushi insists on following the rules, some rules... still need to be followed... When no one is around, you can ignore them, but when people