Chapter 54

"Congratulations to the reincarnated person, Jiang Chen, for completing the main mission: within a decade, that is, within the twelve years of the Earthly Branches, to master the inner and outer true transmissions, become a generation's grandmaster, promote Chinese martial arts, and make its fame awe the four seas. Mission successful, rewarded with one wish-granting dragon pearl and the qualification to initiate the next reincarnation.

"Special Notice: The main mission has been completed. The mission rewards will be distributed upon return to the Reincarnation Realm. Reincarnated person Jiang Chen can stay in this reincarnation world for a maximum of one hundred natural days. Before the deadline, he will be forcibly returned to the Reincarnation Realm."

With Jiang Chen, such a formidable challenger, the prestige of Chinese martial arts was significantly promoted worldwide, and it could be said that it truly intimidated the four seas. After all, this was an era dominated by advanced firearms, so achieving this much was already quite difficult.

Although the main mission in this reincarnation world gave him twelve years, a rough calculation showed that he had already spent nearly a decade. Fortunately, he had achieved success in his cultivation, comprehending Daoist internal martial arts, which made him far superior to ordinary people in health preservation. Therefore, he still maintained the appearance of someone in their twenties, with little change.

In the final hundred days, Jiang Chen decided to return to Hong Kong to meet his master, Yip Man, again. He respected this teacher who had led him into the world of Chinese martial arts. Moreover, he had been diligently practicing and challenging others in this world, so he had no friends or family. Therefore, before leaving, he also wanted to bid farewell.

After nearly a decade, Jiang Chen once again set foot on Hong Kong Island. As the most brilliant pearl in the East, with its unparalleled geographical advantages, the place had developed rapidly. However, since this was not his first visit, he still found the location of the Wing Chun Kung Fu Hall with ease. From a distance, he heard the familiar sound of wooden dummy strikes, with at least a dozen or twenty people practicing together to create such a commotion.

"Brother, are you here to learn martial arts?" As Jiang Chen stood in front of the Wing Chun Kung Fu Hall, lost in thought, a young man in a white short-sleeved shirt walked out. Seeing Jiang Chen, he immediately smiled and introduced himself: "I'm Xu Li, a disciple of Master Yip. If you want to learn martial arts, I can introduce you."

"Oh?" Jiang Chen sized up the young man named Xu Li, who was about twenty-two or twenty-three years old, young and full of energy. He was clearly not one of the familiar junior disciples. After all, he had left too early, and the only ones he truly knew were Huang Liang, Xu Shichang, Wei Guoqing, and Wang Kun, the first batch of disciples to join Master Yip. Now, after more than a decade, everything had changed.

"If it's not too much trouble, I would like to trouble you." Without rushing to reveal his identity as the senior disciple, Jiang Chen smiled, his words tinged with a hint of mischief.

"Not at all, not at all. Follow me, I'll take you inside for a tour. Although Master isn't here today, Senior Brother Xu Shichang can still decide on taking new disciples." Xu Li was very enthusiastic, guiding Jiang Chen while introducing: "Brother, I'm not boasting, but you've come to the right place. Master Yip's Wing Chun is the best in all of Hong Kong, a true master among masters. He is also the best teacher. For example, our senior brother Jiang Chen, who completed his training ten years ago, once defeated the British boxing champion in a Sino-Western boxing match. In recent years, it's said that he has traveled the world, challenging experts from various countries, and has never been defeated. Many people say he is the greatest martial artist in the world!"

The greatest martial artist in the world? Hearing this, Jiang Chen couldn't help but laugh bitterly. What was the point? Although he could defeat anyone with his martial arts, he had little influence on national affairs. During his time in the mainland, he had tried to contact the higher-ups in China and propose some policy suggestions, but most of them were rejected. This left him somewhat disheartened, and he decided to focus more on his own martial cultivation.

As he walked and listened, Jiang Chen observed the martial arts hall. After more than a decade, many things had changed, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of the passage of time:

Birth, aging, sickness, and death; rise and fall, honor and disgrace—everything in the world seemed to be bound by the cycle of reincarnation!

Passing through the central courtyard, they reached the main training hall. Compared to other martial arts halls, Wing Chun's use of weapons was relatively simple, with only the Eight-Cut Sword and the Six-and-a-Half Point Staff. However, the weapon racks on both sides were still filled with the eighteen weapons, as even if they weren't practiced, a martial artist should be familiar with various weapons.

At that moment, there were about forty young disciples in the training hall. About twenty were practicing on the wooden dummies by the wall, while the other twenty were practicing Wing Chun's practical techniques, with the sounds of "hehehaha" and "pilipala" echoing continuously, creating a lively atmosphere.

Jiang Chen's gaze swept across the hall, and indeed, Master Yip was not there, which made him slightly disappointed. However, since he had returned, meeting him was just a matter of time, so he wasn't in a hurry.

"Brother, wait here a moment. I'll go get Senior Brother Xu Shichang." After leading Jiang Chen into the training hall, Xu Li asked him to sit on a chair, not even offering him a cup of tea before hurriedly walking to the back of the hall.

"What a rush, young people!" Seeing Xu Li's hurried figure, Jiang Chen couldn't help but smile and sigh. He then thought about the person Xu Li was going to call, Xu Shichang, who had been a good friend among his junior disciples. Now, after a long separation, he wondered what changes there would be.

After a brief moment of thought, Jiang Chen returned to observing the disciples practicing in the hall. He noticed that they had been practicing for some time, as their wooden dummy strikes and hand techniques were quite well-formed, but that was all.

Regardless of their natural talent, their Wing Chun was at best at the beginner level. As for more advanced techniques like trapping hands, inch power, and thrusting fingers, they clearly hadn't learned them yet. Jiang Chen's improved eyesight allowed him to gauge their skills from their movements and physical characteristics.

"Hey, brother, are you new here?" As Jiang Chen observed the disciples, a young man who had been practicing on a wooden dummy approached him. He eagerly poured Jiang Chen a cup of tea, sat down on a nearby chair, and smiled warmly: "To be honest, I've only been here for a short time."

"Really? You seem to be practicing quite well!" Jiang Chen complimented him slightly, then asked curiously: "Honestly, what do you think of Wing Chun?"

"I think it's great!" The young man responded with a smile: "Wing Chun is very powerful, and Master and the senior brothers teach very well and in great detail. Thanks to their guidance, I was able to master the basics of Wing Chun in a short time. In short, you've come to the right place to learn martial arts."

"That's good to hear." Jiang Chen smiled: "I'd like to learn more about the Wing Chun Kung Fu Hall. Could you introduce it to me?"

"Of course." The young man immediately responded: "Wing Chun is a type of Southern short-range martial art, emphasizing speed and power. In the hall, Master Yip's skills are the highest, making him a true grandmaster. Among his disciples, Senior Brothers Huang Liang and Xu Shichang have the highest skills. Master says they have already started practicing transformational power. There are also Senior Brothers Wei Guoqing and Wang Kun, who were among the first disciples and have very high skills. However, Master says that in terms of natural talent, the best is Senior Brother Li Zhenfan, who joined a few years ago."

"Li Zhenfan?" Jiang Chen was slightly puzzled.

"Yes, Senior Brother Li Zhenfan." The young man corrected: "Master says that although he is young, he is very talented and hardworking. After just a few years of practice, his skills are already very high. Among the senior brothers, only Huang Liang and Xu Shichang can match him. By the way, last year, he defeated the Western boxing champion who had won for three consecutive years at his school. He also acts in movies and has an artistic name, Bruce Lee."

"Hmm?" Hearing this, Jiang Chen was taken aback: "What's his artistic name?"

"Bruce Lee." The young man asked in surprise: "Do you know him?"

"Uh, no, I don't." Just as Jiang Chen was about to ask more, he saw Xu Li leading someone over. The young man, seeing this, quickly jumped up from his chair and ran to practice, making Jiang Chen smile.

Turning to look at the person following Xu Li, he saw a man who looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, wearing a black short-sleeved shirt. Although he wasn't tall, he was very muscular, and there was still a hint of youthful innocence in his features. Who else could it be but Xu Shichang?

As Jiang Chen saw Xu Shichang, Xu Shichang naturally saw Jiang Chen as well. He was suddenly stunned, his expression changing.

"Come, come, come, let me introduce you. This is our Senior Brother Xu Shichang from the Wing Chun Kung Fu Hall. I'm not exaggerating, but Senior Brother Xu Shichang's skills are very powerful, second only to Master..." Xu Li continued to introduce him, completely unaware of Xu Shichang's unusual state.

Jiang Chen slowly stood up and looked at Xu Shichang, who was approaching. Xu Shichang also looked at Jiang Chen, completely ignoring Xu Li. After a moment, Xu Shichang, to Xu Li's great surprise, suddenly stepped forward, grabbed Jiang Chen's arm, and exclaimed with excitement: "Senior Brother... Master has been captured by a monster again..."