The world is like a prison, my body is holy

Three days later.

Having recovered most of his physical injuries, Wang Wen, dressed in a loose black casual suit, sat high in the main hall of the General's Mansion. He personally stamped three copies of the "Trial Implementation of the Management Regulations for Demons and Ghosts of the Huainan Demon-Slaying General's Mansion" with the General's Seal, summoned Ma Feng, and ordered him to send underworld messengers to deliver them to the Hongze Lake Water Mansion, Chaohu Lake Water Mansion, and Taihu Lake Water Mansion respectively.

After sending out the three management regulations, he inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief, and his body suddenly felt heavy and tired.

Confused, he took out a map of Huainan Road and laid it flat on the table in the hall to study the mountains and rivers of Huainan Road, looking for any unreasonable aspects of the overall layout of the General's Mansion and any potential hidden dangers.

He consulted the map, took out a piece of white paper and started writing and drawing, quickly becoming engrossed in it.

It wasn't until Kim Gu quietly entered and replaced the teapot with a pot of boiling hot tea that he was able to get the tea.

Wang Wen snapped out of his reverie upon hearing his footsteps, and asked without looking up, "What is it?"

The General's Mansion has Demon-Suppressing Guards and servants, so it's not Jin Jiu's place to personally handle trivial matters like serving tea and water.

Jin Jiu poured a cup of amber-colored tea with a honey aroma and placed it beside him with both hands: "General, today is the eve of the Lunar New Year. Someone from home has come to invite you to come home for dinner tonight."

Is today the eve of the Lunar New Year?

Wang Wen looked up in astonishment: "Does that mean it's almost Chinese New Year?"

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly heard the whooshing sound of the wind outside the hall. Surprised, he extended his divine sense, rushing out from under the eaves and rising dozens of feet high. He saw that the world had lost all color at some point, leaving only a black and white expanse. Fine, salt-like snowflakes, as far as the eye could see, were falling gently and steadily across the earth...

His consciousness stood blankly in the high sky, gazing at the pristine heaven and earth. His mind was caught off guard by the stunning beauty of this ink painting, and goosebumps suddenly broke out all over his body.

"what?"

He rubbed his cheeks in surprise: "It's snowing? When did it start snowing?"

Jin Jiu smiled and said, "General, you must have been too engrossed in official business. It started snowing around noon and has been going on for more than an hour."

Wang Wen gazed at the silvery-white snowflakes outside the hall, which resembled drizzle, picked up the steaming tea beside him, took a slow sip, and casually asked, "It seems like it hasn't snowed in Yangzhou for quite some time now, has it?"

Kim Gu's face showed a look of reminiscence: "It's been quite a few years. I remember seeing snow when I was a little kid at home, but the snow was very light. The ground would just start to turn white before the snow stopped..."

Wang Wen suddenly became interested and said, "Snowy days are perfect for eating mutton. Send someone to Old Liu's house to tell him to cook more mutton today and close up shop later. I'll go over later to support his business."

Jin Jiu laughed and said, "There's no need for such trouble. If you want some mutton, I'll send someone to tell Old Liu to bring his cooking utensils and come to the manor to cook it for you right away."

"You do not understand!"

Wang Wen waved his hand with a smile and said, "What we're really into is the contrast between hot and cold at a roadside stall with drafts coming from all sides. You should invite Xu Wu and Yu Shitou to come over later."

"Hey!"

Kim Gu happily agreed, then asked in a low voice, "What about home..."

Wang Wen: "Go back, I'll go home first to spend the eve of the Lunar New Year with your uncle, and then I'll go to Old Liu's house."

Jin Jiu clasped his hands and said, "Then I'll go arrange a carriage right away..."

Wang Wen nodded, and Jin Jiu turned and strode out of the lobby.

Wang Wen held the steaming teacup, sipping the tea slowly, staring blankly at the snowflakes falling outside the hall, his mind and heart empty.

It took him a while to come to his senses, and he smiled and said to himself, "Don't be so tense. The way of cultivation is to balance tension and relaxation!"

What defines a strong person?
As you get stronger, you become a strong person.

Even office workers are like that...

Wang Wen picked up his teacup, drank the tea in one gulp, then got up and slowly walked down from the main hall. Facing the howling cold wind, his clothes fluttered as he walked into the wide, white open space, where he began to practice his Black Tiger Fist.

This powerful boxing style, which his predecessor had practiced diligently for over a decade, evolved into countless variations under his hands after he perfected it. Each move was not bound by any fixed form; the power originated from his heart, and the fist followed the power.

Later, as the demands of combating enemies increased and the power levels of himself and his enemies continued to rise, this boxing style, which he and his predecessor had devoted the most effort to, was gradually abandoned.

Now that he has mastered martial arts, he has gradually forged his own path based on the foundation laid by his predecessors. Picking up this boxing style again brings a different kind of feeling.

He practiced his punches meticulously, his movements sometimes as agile and fierce as a hunting tiger, and at other times as domineering as a mountain lord surveying his territory. Although there was no light of thunderous true energy around him, an indescribable aura rose from the ground, emitting a series of powerful tiger roars that stirred up the snowflakes scattering all over the courtyard. The snowflakes, which seemed as dense as a rain curtain, did not fall on him at all.

The ability of will to interfere with matter is the mark of mastering martial arts.

Above that is the Grandmaster.

Below them are the warriors.

However, despite such imposing manner, Wang Wen felt particularly disgusted.

Black tiger?

What Black Tiger? Is he even more ferocious than King Tiger?

What tiger's life could be more valiant than that of King Tiger?

Wang Wen was never arrogant, but he was also never self-deprecating.

Just as he never denies that the Mountain God's Decree and the Heavenly Lord have greatly helped him to achieve his current status and success, it could even be said that without the support of the Mountain God's Decree and the Heavenly Lord, the grass on his grave might have withered and flourished for two seasons.

But he never denied his perseverance and struggle along the way. In other words, if the Mountain God Token had a different owner, could that person have achieved the same level of success in the same amount of time? Is it possible?
How many people, with the mere wisdom of a martial arts master, would dare to charge against a vengeful ghost?
How many people, with their mere acquired martial arts skills, would dare to charge towards the summit of Huangshan, which is controlled by the White Lotus Sect?

How many people would dare to charge into a dead city teeming with evil spirits and vengeful ghosts, fighting until dawn?

There may be braver warriors in this world than Wang Wen!

But there may not be a fool like him, full of reckless courage, seeking only peace of mind...

Genius helps those who help themselves!

Even without the Mountain God's decree, Wang Laohu is still Wang Laohu!

Even a dead tiger is still a tiger! His will and ferocity surpass all other tigers in this world!
Is a mere black tiger worthy of his Tiger King Contemplation?

If you're going to visualize, you should visualize him himself!

The moment this thought crossed his mind, his boxing technique underwent a dramatic transformation. He no longer imitated the ferocity and power of a tiger hunting or patrolling the mountains, but instead became like a warrior, a brave, fearless, and resilient warrior as strong as cast iron!
He took off his gun and threw it into his fist, advancing step by step, coordinating with his breathing techniques. Each punch was powerful enough to penetrate the void, tearing through several feet of cold wind, and even the air itself resounded with a muffled, roaring sound.

After a dozen or so moves, his fist technique changed again, becoming more expansive and unrestrained, like a seasoned and invincible general. His single-handed force was like that of a thousand troops, with a powerful and relentless fist that shattered the snow in the courtyard. The sound of his fists could be heard throughout the courtyard, but no snowflakes fell.

This time, he practiced for a long time, as if recalling his past fearlessness and decisiveness, and as if he was gathering strength to soar into the sky!
A full half hour later, his fist technique changed again, from a fierce and ruthless style of "I'd rather die than bend a tile," as if he wanted to perish with his enemy, to a calm and passionate style of "a towering cliff and a boundless ocean."

Gone are the fierce and dense punches and kicks of the past; they have become simple and rounded. But with each punch, a powerful drumbeat, like the beating of a cowhide drum, resounds in mid-air.

That invisible force used the swirling dark clouds in the low sky as a drumhead, punching out waves of air, shaking the snow and wind that filled the city, and clearing the world!
Wang Wen was immersed in that majestic presence, like a towering mountain, unassuming yet invincible, and unleashed his fists and feet with abandon...

Until his mind was enlightened, he gathered all his energy, leaped up, and threw a punch towards the sky: "Inch Force Opens the Heavenly Spirit!"

With a single punch, no dazzling light of energy was released; instead, a huge fist with clearly defined lines suddenly appeared from the low, leaden clouds!

The entire city of Yangzhou saw that enormous fist!

"boom……"

The enormous fist exploded with a deafening roar, slowly spreading out a circle of purple ripples, tearing a huge rift in the boundless leaden clouds.

A fiery red sunset slanted into Yangzhou City through a crack, its dazzling Tyndall effect like a golden Ruyi Jingu Bang (a magical staff) crashing into the seabed!
Wang Wen gently landed back in the courtyard, slightly out of breath, gazing up at the large hole in the sky where the setting sun was pouring down, feeling a sudden sense of enlightenment, like "the golden rope has been broken and the jade lock has been severed; only today do I know who I am."

"I didn't realize I was this good..."

He muttered to himself, recalling his past crude use of his own power, feeling that it was a complicated matter.

He looked down at himself, clenched his fist, and suddenly had a direct feeling about his own martial arts, like looking at the veins of a leaf...

So far, he has created two trump cards.

These two moves also represent two paths in his martial arts.

The first move was the one he used when he fought Zhi Baiqing at Taihu Lake: "breaking the surface with a point".

That move, though seemingly simple, was actually extremely complex; it could even be described as his first comprehensive utilization of all his power.

In that move, he used the Bing Fire Qi within his body as propulsive energy, the Crimson Palace Thunder Qi as acceleration energy, his physically trained body as the equivalent force, and his spear technique as the bullet...

The combined power of many forces condensed into that single shot, shattering Zhi Baiqing's terrifying body, which could treat heavenly lightning like a hot spring, and turning him into a string of candied hawthorns.

It's fair to say that there's no emotion involved, it's all technique!
The punch he was about to deliver, though seemingly complex, was actually quite simple for him. He simply used his own mental image and his own will as a framework to integrate all his power into the punch that had shaken the heavens and the earth.

The visualization method is a magical technique that, upon closer examination, can be described as miraculous. It allows martial artists to visualize another creature over a long period of time, imitate its spirit, and gradually acquire power similar to that creature. Even the flow of qi and blood and temperament will gradually approach those of the visualized creature in a subtle way.

Take the Black Tiger Fist, a not-so-sophisticated but widely circulated boxing style, as an example. Martial artists who can master this boxing style are all somewhat impulsive, easily angered, and brave and fearless.

If he doesn't have it, it only means that his Black Tiger Fist technique has gone astray!

what?
Even a fierce tiger, when faced with an insurmountable enemy, will yield to its instincts and make a strategic retreat!

That is certainly true.

However, the Black Tiger Fist only captures the fierceness of a tiger, that is, the one-sided black tiger. Those who practice this style of boxing must internalize that fierce black tiger in order to truly unleash the power of this style of boxing.

Wang Wen's use of himself as the object of his visualization sounds like an easy, opportunistic trick.

But in reality, it's not as light as you might imagine.

The reason why a martial artist can master the Black Tiger Fist is because the practitioner is not actually a Black Tiger.

If he really is Black Tiger, he would recall his experiences of retreating strategically and decisively when facing insurmountable enemies.

On the contrary, it is not so easy to develop that brave and fearless strength.

After all, deceiving others requires skill.

To deceive oneself, one needs hypnosis...

Wang Wen was able to master this move so easily, of course, because of his past experiences—he was indeed brave and fearless, and he had a clear conscience!
He may have killed people who didn't deserve to die, but he truly never did anything wrong.

He may have considered fleeing, but each time he stubbornly charged forward with his gun.

It's not just about visualization...

For any martial artist, as they progress in their martial arts training, their past experiences become both obstacles and aids!
Having a guilty conscience is an obstacle!
Having a clear conscience is a form of support!
Every thing you do that you feel guilty about is an obstacle.

Every act done with a clear conscience is a boost.

Countless acts of conscience, layer upon layer, converged, supporting Wang Wen's will, like towering mountains and lofty peaks, ultimately transforming into this earth-shattering punch!
A punch filled entirely with emotion, devoid of any technique!
The so-called "inch-force opens the heavenly spirit" refers to the hypothetical enemy being an old devil like Zhi Baiqing.

The full meaning is that this punch could blow Zhi Baiqing's dog head off!
However, the true power of this move may not be enough to "open the heavens with an inch of force".

But Wang Wen dared to guarantee his innocence, and Zhi Baiqing, faced with this move, would definitely not dare to stand still and act carelessly anymore!

Wang Wen stood in the snow, quietly contemplating for a long time...

It wasn't until Kim Gu came out carrying a set of coarse cloth clothes that he bowed from a distance and said, "General, it's time to go home."

Wang Wen snapped out of his reverie, glanced at the clear sky, and muttered to himself as he walked, "The snow has stopped, so the mutton doesn't taste as good anymore..."

Kim Gu tried his best to keep a straight face, but the smile on his lips was harder to suppress than AK's.

Blame it?

Didn't you punch a hole in the sky yourself?
That's more than just awesome.
That's absolutely awesome! (End of Chapter)