The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 323 Wuji Zhenchan
The "meteors" ultimately survived.

In terms of martial arts, they were naturally no match for Gao Anyu. They were all second- or third-rate, and their training was not of any high quality. Their weapons were shattered as soon as they exchanged blows. After about twenty moves, Gao Anyu struck each of them on the shoulder with a foot's width of force, and they lay on the ground groaning in pain.

By this point, they realized that avenging the kidnapper by force was impossible; their lives were in his hands. If they didn't find a way, none of the five of them would survive.

These were all notorious bandits who had been roaming the outlaw world for nearly twenty years, so they naturally possessed quick wit in life-or-death situations. One of them, remembering what Gao Anyu had just said, quickly spoke up.

"I know, I recognize you!"

"We don't know your name, but we recognize your weapon!"

Those who are human traffickers are naturally skilled at deception. As soon as he opened his mouth, the others immediately understood his meaning. They used a combination of trickery and deception to fabricate an extremely rich and dramatic backstory for Gao Anyu.

The story is filled with love, hate, deceit, and dramatic twists and turns, making it arguably more exciting than 80% of the popular folk tales in the martial arts world.

Gao Anyu listened with tears streaming down his face, and immediately believed it. He then stopped paying attention to the five bandits and turned to run towards the direction where his parents' graves were in the story.

By the time he realized the numbers didn't match and turned back to look for the five people, they were already gone. He didn't bother looking for them anymore, and he never heard of them reappearing in the martial arts world, so he just let the matter drop.

He had almost forgotten about it. If it weren't for the fact that each of the five faces was uniquely ugly, he might not have been able to remember who they were.

But the fact that these five people dared to come to him on their own initiative was something he couldn't understand at all.

What's wrong with you guys?

Gao Anyu slashed a foot at the man's knife. The man groaned and stumbled back more than ten steps, unable to dissipate the force. He slammed against the wall with a thud, his face turning pale.

"I haven't seen any improvement in your martial arts skills either? Are you tired of living?"

Gao Anyu twirled the black ruler in his hand and suddenly thrust it behind him. With a hum, the weapon of the person who had attacked from behind shattered and fell to the ground with a clatter. The person also cried out in pain, clutching his hand and retreating, blood gushing from between his fingers.

Seeing this, Cao Hanyan felt a little strange.

Li Miao stopped him from helping earlier, probably because he realized that the five men's martial arts posed no threat to Gao Anyu at all. But on second thought, didn't those five men know that too?
Gao Anyu didn't recognize them at first, but he took the initiative to come to their door. What was he after?
He turned to look at Li Miao, but saw Li Miao smiling as he took a sip of tea, waved his hand, and as if knowing his doubts, slowly said.

"You'll find out if you keep looking."

Cao Hanyan then turned her head to look in the direction of the battle.

Two of the five men were injured and one of their weapons were shattered by Gao Anyu in an instant, reducing their combat strength by three or four-tenths. They knew that if they did not break the deadlock, they would die at Gao Anyu's hands in less than ten moves.

At that very moment, the "meteor" whose weapon had been shattered suddenly roared.

"Change weapons! Take him down!"

Clang clang—

Upon hearing this, the other four exchanged glances, then simultaneously released their grip and threw their weapons to the ground.

Then he reached into his robes and pulled out five whips!
These five whips were all half a zhang long and two fingers thick, and they were not made of ordinary leather, but rather gleamed with a metallic sheen. The whips were layered like fish scales, stretching to the ends, and when they were flicked in the air, they produced a piercing sound as they cut through the wind.

Cao Hanyan raised an eyebrow and exclaimed in surprise.

"Be careful with this weapon, Brother Gao!"

After spending a few days together, and knowing that Gao Anyu was an honest person, Cao Hanyan learned a lot about his black ruler.

That black ruler has two unique features. First, its material is extremely hard; even a battle between gods and men would have a hard time leaving a mark on it. Second, and crucially, when it collides with other objects, the resulting vibrations are more intense and penetrating.

If it were in someone else's hands, they would probably just find that this thing makes their hands hurt from the vibrations. But when combined with Gao Anyu's unique internal energy, mental techniques, and hearing skills, he can convert the vibrations from his hands into unique information—thereby knowing the weakest point of the opponent's weapon.

Gao Anyu's ability to shatter weapons relies on this very ability.

The harder the opponent's weapon, the more pronounced the vibrations during the clash, and the more advantageous it is for Gao Anyu. Conversely, the softer the weapon, the less effective the black ruler will be.

The five whips the opponent pulled out were not only soft weapons, but the fish-scale-like metal plates on them would also limit the vibration to a very small area, making it impossible for Gao Anyu to know the weakness of these whips.

These five people came prepared!

Gao Anyu frowned, flashed in front of one of them, and slashed down with his black ruler!

Although the opponent has changed weapons, the gap in realm and inheritance remains, and Gao Anyu still has a 99% chance of winning!

The advantage of soft weapons lies in their unpredictability, but they cannot be blocked. Gao Anyu had already decided to kill; this foot of force would shatter the man's head!
In that split second, a sinister smile of triumph appeared on the other party's face, and he roared angrily.

"'Ink Dragon Severing Mountains,' is it!"

"Break it for me!"

With this roar, he swung his arm violently, and the whip hanging to the ground rose up as swiftly as a venomous snake, bypassing Gao Anyu's legs and the black ruler, and suddenly stabbed towards his armpit!
Cao Hanyan suddenly stood up: "Another counter-attack!"

"These people not only have weapons that can counter Brother Gao's martial arts, but they also know how to break his moves, and they even know the names of his moves!"

"They know more than that elder of the Kongming Sect!"

Gao Anyu frowned, stepping back to dodge the opponent's long whip, the black ruler grazing the opponent's shoulder as it fell. This move had actually been broken!
The black ruler fell into the air and suddenly slashed horizontally!

"A thousand peaks stand tall and imposing!"
As if it were a replica of the battle with the elder of the Kongming Sect, Gao Anyu made the exact same choice, attempting to cripple the opponent's arm in the same way!

The "Meteor" that was fighting him did not dodge or evade, but raised his hand and lashed out at Gao Anyu's face with a whip!

He shouted angrily.

"Come!"

It seemed like a choice to trade injury for life, but given the difference in their martial arts skills, he would be halved before his whip even reached Gao Anyu—if Gao Anyu's opponent was only him.

The angry shout echoed in the room, and four whips suddenly appeared from the side. Three of them wrapped around the black ruler, while the other snaked along the ground, forming a circle on the ground.

The three people holding the black ruler suddenly pulled hard, actually dispersing the force of Gao Anyu's move! They broke Gao Anyu's move!
Gao Anyu stepped back, dodging the whip tail that was burrowing towards his armpit, a hint of anger flashing across his face. Just as he was about to strike again, his foot was suddenly pulled, causing his body to scatter abruptly.

His step landed right in the circle formed by the whip coiled on the ground!

Cao Hanyan exclaimed in astonishment.

"Not just the moves, but also the footwork!"

"They even have a way to counter Brother Gao's footwork! These people know far more about Brother Gao's martial arts than that elder of the Kongming Sect!"

He suddenly turned his head and lowered his voice.

"My lord, did you already see it?"

"These people look travel-worn, as if they were on their way not long ago, yet they happened to run into Brother Gao. Their martial arts skills are all mediocre, clearly indicating they are wandering martial artists, yet they seem to know Brother Gao's martial arts skills like the back of their hand."

"They may know about Brother Gao's background; at the very least, someone extremely knowledgeable about Brother Gao's lineage entrusted these things to them!"

Li Miao nodded.

Cao Hanyan reached out and grasped the hilt of the knife.

"My lord, I'll go help Brother Gao."

“These people came prepared. Since they took the initiative to attack, they must have some confidence. If we don’t help, Brother Gao, I’m afraid you’ll suffer a loss!”

"But they certainly didn't expect us to be there. I'll go with Brother Gao to capture and interrogate these people! Maybe the Kongming Sect can save themselves this trip!"

Having said that, he was about to draw his sword and stand up. Just as he lifted his buttocks from the stool, a finger pressed against his shoulder. Cao Hanyan felt his inner energy stagnate, his body went limp, and he sat back down.

"No hurries?"

Li Miao withdrew his hand, tucked both hands into his sleeves, leaned back in his chair, and smiled at Gao Anyu, who had been thrown off his stance and was now in danger. "Today was supposed to be a lesson for the two of you. I've finished teaching you, but I haven't even had a chance to teach Gao yet—and someone has delivered themselves as a teaching aid. Isn't that perfect?"

Having said that, he raised his head and spoke loudly.

"Little Gao."

Over there, Gao Anyu inserted the black ruler into the inside of the whip under his feet, loosened the ring around his legs, and then did a somersault in mid-air to dodge the whips coming from all directions. As soon as he landed, he heard Li Miao's greeting.

Even though he was already preoccupied with his own problems, he actually ignored the fact that his aura was being affected and answered.

"Hey, Uncle! What's wrong?"

"Will you listen to me?"

Li Miao said lazily.

"listen!"

Gao Anyu did not hesitate for a moment.

"Okay, then you just do exactly what I say, understand?"

Li Miao said.

Cao Hanyan frowned, sensing that Gao Anyu might not comply. He knew Li Miao's identity and was well aware that in the world, no one was more authoritative in martial arts than Li Miao.

But so far, Gao Anyu still has no idea who Li Miao is, only thinking of him as an old man who doesn't know martial arts. With such unsubstantiated claims, how could Gao Anyu possibly entrust his life to someone who can't even fight?
He was about to explain, "Brother Gao—"

"it is good!"

She had only uttered two words when Gao Anyu readily agreed, silencing Cao Hanyan!

He actually agreed!
"it is good."

Li Miao said with a smile.

"The first thing to do is throw away your black ruler."

Upon hearing this, even Zheng Yi, who was standing to the side, frowned.

He was already facing a formidable enemy who knew Gao Anyu's martial arts intimately, and he had almost been injured. Now, having thrown away his weapon, wasn't he essentially cutting off his own arm?
Gao Anyu simply tossed the black ruler to the ground without the slightest hesitation.

"And then, Uncle?"

All that could be heard was Li Miao speaking slowly and deliberately.

"Your martial arts heritage appears to be a method specifically designed to destroy weapons. Combined with this black ruler, you would be hard to beat below the pinnacle. But if you keep using this black ruler to fight, you will never reach the Celestial Realm in this lifetime."

"This thing isn't something you'll use until you die. Rather than calling it a weapon, it's more like a teaching tool, meant to help those who haven't yet mastered the martial arts to understand its essence."

Gao Anyu dodged the attack of the five people and slipped out of the encirclement. As if he couldn't see that the black ruler had been picked up by the enemy, he listened attentively to Li Miao's words.

"In my opinion, once you've mastered this martial art to its highest level, it's about time you tried throwing down this ruler and engaging in combat with someone."

"But this process can be brought forward a little."

Li Miao said loudly.

"Martial arts are killing techniques, only effective against weapons. What kind of divine inheritance is that?"

"The second thing is to fully activate your inherited internal energy and ear skills. Listen carefully, I am about to teach you a martial art that is connected to your inheritance. You must learn it in battle. I will not let Xiao Cao help you. If you cannot learn it, you will really die."

Gao Anyu was not annoyed at all; instead, he smiled excitedly and shouted.

"Uncle Li, what are you going to teach me?"

"Wuji Zhenchan."

Li Miao said it casually.

"Listen carefully, this is the mnemonic—"

"Start with the Wuji stance, let the Qi sink to the Yongquan point; let the knees drop like a thousand pounds, and the spine stand upright like a whip."

"Inhale to the Baihui point, exhale to the fingertips; nail the feet to the three points, and hold the palms in a dark, soft mass."

"Sound follows the breath, thunder is hidden in the dantian; after the tremor subsides, stillness returns, Zen and martial arts share the same origin..."

He spoke eloquently, without shying away from mentioning the five "shooting stars," reciting the entire two-hundred-word incantation. Gao Anyu listened intently, memorizing the incantation word for word.

After Li Miao finished speaking, he leisurely picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then said nothing more.

As Gao Anyu frowned and pondered, the five "Meteorites" opposite him exchanged glances and whispered among themselves.

"Second brother, what kind of martial art is this? This incantation... seems real! It connects Baihui and Yongquan, and the true energy flows through the twelve meridians. It sounds like a legitimate and highly skilled martial art that leads directly to the pinnacle!"

"I don't know, but I'll write it down first!"

One of them looked at Li Miao and grinned maliciously.

"Judging from his weak limbs and flabby muscles, he doesn't seem like someone who knows martial arts. If we kill this kid later and capture him, we might even get a few good martial arts techniques!"

"That's right! Let's kill this brat first, lest things get complicated!"

"kill!"

With a furious shout, the five men charged forward, one leading the way and the other four providing support. Their five long whips blocked all of Gao Anyu's room to maneuver, and they were prepared to break through all his moves, ready to strike a decisive blow!
Gao Anyu stood there with his head down, neither dodging nor avoiding, and even closed his eyes, as if he had given up struggling.

The man in the lead grinned maliciously and rushed towards Gao Anyu, lashing out with his whip! The metal blade on the whip suddenly snapped up, about to tear the skin off Gao Anyu's face!
Just at this moment!
Gao Anyu slowly raised his fist and punched straight at his chest.

"Guizhou donkey has no skills!"

He scoffed. Gao Anyu's punch seemed weak and harmless. But he still took precautions, bracing his whip with both hands to block the punch.

Between life and death, the flow of time seems to slow down.

The fist slowly reached in front of him and struck the whip.

Squeak! —

An extremely piercing sound, like metal scraping porcelain, suddenly rang out. A very strange vibration traveled along the whip to the palm of the hand.

The metal encasing the whip deformed extremely slowly, twisting and shrinking—before exploding with a bang!

"Varied!--"

In his horrified gaze, Gao Anyu's fist shattered the long whip that even the Black Ruler couldn't break, and slowly imprinted itself on his chest.

That strange tremor instantly spread from my chest to my entire body.

There was no movement, no sound; he didn't take a single step back, nor did he feel any pain.

With a soft "buzz," it traveled along his meridians and bones, climbing up to his brain. Then something warm rushed out from his seven orifices.

In the last moment before his vision went completely black, he saw Gao Anyu open his eyes, turn his head excitedly, and shout at the man who didn't know martial arts.

"Uncle Li, I understand!"

(End of this chapter)