Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 168 Murong Fu's Second Battle with Kumārajīva
Kumārajīva had just delivered a long and heartfelt speech, which even Jiang Mingzhe listened to intently. No one noticed that he was constantly circulating his qi to activate his acupoints.

Fearing that he would take hostages, Jiang Mingzhe quickly moved to protect Duan Yu and the five women behind him.

Murong Fu was shocked and furious that Kumārajīva had broken through his acupoints so easily. He shouted, "So what if you can't swim? I'll capture you again!"

As he reached for his sword, Kumārajīva shouted and swiftly extended his fingers into claws, aiming for Murong Fu's temples.

With his claw-like hand, the index and middle fingers in front, and the ring and little fingers behind, opposite the thumb, Murong Fu recognized its origin at a glance and exclaimed, "Shaolin Dragon Claw Hand!"

This skill does not rely on variations to win; its essence can be summed up in just eight words: swift and fierce, ruthless and sharp!
The claws will strike either the back of the head or the temples, throat, lower back, or groin—all potentially fatal locations.

Before this move even hits, the intention for the next move is already in mind. Once it strikes, it's like a river bursting its banks, with an exceptionally fierce and powerful offensive.

Murong Fu knew that it wouldn't be difficult to counter this move, but his opponent had a constant stream of countermeasures. If he didn't seize the initiative, he would inevitably be taken advantage of sooner or later.

So he decisively abandoned drawing his sword, shook his body, and saw a blue shadow flash. Kumārajīva's claws fell down, tearing the brocade and silk with a few hissing sounds, ripping the outer robe to shreds. Murong Fu had disappeared without a trace.

As an observer, Jiang Mingzhe saw clearly that Murong Fu's robe had bulged as if filled with air when he shook it. He took the opportunity to crouch down and slip out of the robe, then twisted and circled behind Kumārajīva. This move of "shedding his robe to give way" was so neat and clean that he couldn't help but cheer loudly.

Kumārajīva reacted extremely quickly. As soon as his claws landed, he knew something was wrong. Without thinking, he turned around and struck out with a palm. The palm strike was silent, seemingly slow but actually fast. It was a move from the Shaolin Subduing Demon Palm called "Turning Back is the Shore".

This immediately revealed Kumārajīva's seasoned experience!

Murong Fu circled behind him, and before he could throw a punch, Kumārajīva's palm struck. As their fists and palms collided, Kumārajīva swayed and regained his balance, while Murong Fu also swayed, then staggered back three steps, exclaiming in shock, "What a subtle and yin-like palm strike!"

At this moment, the difference in their skill levels became immediately apparent.

Murong Fu was about to draw his sword again when Kumārajīva pounced forward, unleashing a series of attacks including "Heavenly Demon Subduing" and "Heavenly Dance Treasure Wheel," all exquisite moves from the Demon Subduing Palm Technique. Murong Fu could only parry first.

Mu Wanqing whispered, "The reason that the monk made his move just now, forcing Murong Fu to abandon drawing his sword, was because no one expected him to break through his acupoints, thus gaining the upper hand..."

Azi continued, "But in their fierce fight just now, the one surnamed Murong clearly lost by half a move. This Tibetan bald monk didn't pursue, which is tantamount to giving up the initiative. If he makes another move, he can still force the other to keep his sword from being drawn. Sister Azhu, your young master can't beat this bald monk."

A'Zhu frowned and muttered, "Shaolin martial arts, Shaolin martial arts..."

Abi kept shaking her head: "No, our young master's martial arts skills are also very high!"

After parrying several moves, Murong Fu finally discerned the opponent's martial arts style and exclaimed, "Impossible! Impossible! This is clearly the Demon-Subduing Palm Technique, but since you've practiced the Maha Finger, how can you also practice the Demon-Subduing Palm?"

Everyone was quite surprised to hear this. Kumārajīva then explained that the previous head of the Murong family had given him twenty Shaolin martial arts techniques, so what was so strange about him mastering two of them?
Then Kumārajīva chuckled and said, "Young Master Murong, you must have already read the Shaolin martial arts manual passed down by your father. Hehe, it is indeed clearly recorded that the Demon Subduing Palm was created by the eighth abbot of Shaolin, Master Yuanyuan, and its palm force is yin and soft. The Maha Finger was created by the Seven-Finger Monk who stayed at Shaolin and is unparalleled in its power. The internal energy of the two martial arts is very different. If you practice them together, your internal energy will easily go astray. If you are not careful, you will be seriously injured and vomit blood."

Everyone was shocked to hear this, and then they understood why Murong Fu had shouted that it was impossible. They were even more puzzled than they were shocked. Since this Kumārajīva knew the seriousness of the consequences, how could he still dare to practice like this?
Murong Fu was somewhat dazed. He practiced a great many martial arts, but only the techniques. His internal energy cultivation remained the Murong family's traditional internal energy cultivation method. He didn't practice techniques like the Demon-Subduing Palm or the Maha Finger, which required a long and arduous period of practice to master. Now, as they fought, although both displayed a variety of martial arts styles, Kumārajīva's moves were all highly sophisticated and skillful, while Murong Fu's techniques, though numerous, were mostly ordinary. In comparison, Murong Fu's style appeared rather petty.

Kumārajīva continued his punches and kicks, finishing one set of the Demon-Subduing Palm and then using the Eight Strikes of the Divine Palm. When he struck, a great wind blew from his palm, which was another powerful and fierce technique.

Murong Fu relied on his skillful maneuvers to maneuver, and for a time he was powerless to fight back.

Kumārajīva said smugly, "Internal energy is very easy to go astray, but it's not inevitable. A slight mistake can lead to serious injury, so why not be more cautious? Hehe, we martial artists should strive for excellence, so how can we be timid and hesitant? Besides, the meridians themselves are divided into yin and yang, and different meridians can accommodate different internal energies. Does internal energy necessarily have to be stored in the dantian? In my opinion, there are 365 acupoints on the human body, and every one of them can be a dantian! When one day we cultivate to perfection, yin and yang will be in harmony, dragon and tiger will be in balance, and yin and yang, hardness and softness will all be just a thought. Impossible? Nothing is impossible!"

These words, though seemingly unremarkable, actually reveal a blatant arrogance.

Azi and Duan Yu were both startled and looked at Jiang Mingzhe.

One thought: "Oh my, all acupoints can be used as dantian. This bald monk's idea is quite similar to our sect's Zhou Tian Xing Su Du Jie Jing!"
One thought: He said that yin and yang, hardness and softness, can change in an instant. Could it be that he has also learned the Northern Darkness Divine Art?

Jiang Mingzhe also showed a hint of surprise, thinking that based on this statement "nothing is impossible", it would be a loss for Adidas not to choose Kumārajīva as their spokesperson!

He couldn't help but whisper in admiration, "This imperial advisor's talent is truly astonishing. The saying 'different paths lead to the same destination'—is this what they mean by 'masters often share a common thread'?"

In fact, in terms of martial arts skills, Jiang Mingzhe's current internal strength and lightness skills are by no means inferior to any top master. With the Seven Child Swords drawn, he is confident that he can fight anyone.

But after listening to Kumārajīva's long discourse today, I realized that my own knowledge is ultimately shallow.

It's like winning hundreds of millions in the lottery after buying dozens of times the bet, or like a pig that flies to the sky by riding the wave of a trend. They may seem to have endless glory and bulging wallets, but compared with those who truly started from scratch, there is still a huge gap in their understanding of wealth.

He recalled the fate of Kumārajīva in the original work and was suddenly moved: Kumārajīva was a man of extraordinary talent and great perseverance. He was determined to find a way out of the impossible. Although the path was difficult, with his abilities, he might not have been unable to succeed. However, he just happened to steal Ding Chunqiu's Lesser Formless Skill!

The Lesser Formless Skill is formless and leaves no trace, which is indeed similar to what Kumārajīva sought.

But since Kumārajīva had decided to follow his own path, his sudden acquisition of this Taoist technique seemed like finding a shortcut, but in reality, it meant losing the possibility of self-creation!
Originally, both Tantric Buddhism and Zen Buddhism belong to the same lineage of Buddhism. Kumārajīva had profound insights into Buddhist teachings and was also highly talented in martial arts. He also mastered the Seventy-Two Arts. Although it was extremely difficult, it was not necessarily impossible for him to succeed.

Once you achieve something, it will be a level that is unprecedented!
However, he switched to Taoism midway, thus cutting off his own path, yet he was complacent and unaware of it. In a sense, this meant he had already entered the demonic path.

So… thinking about this, a thought suddenly arose in Jiang Mingzhe's mind: What is my path?
At this moment, Kumārajīva and Murong Fu had fought for more than fifty rounds. Kumārajīva used some skill again, his palms swelled several times larger, and he struck out heavily one after another.

Murong Fu breathed heavily and used the "Shifting Stars" technique to deflect and neutralize the pull, but Kumārajīva's palm force was so immense that Murong Fu's desire to "return the favor" was wishful thinking.

Kumārajīva's powerful palm strikes were constantly deflected by Jiang Mingzhe, causing the ship's gunwale and planks to shatter and fly everywhere. Jiang Mingzhe frowned and said, "Kumārajīva, you can fight if you want, but if you dismantle the ship, let me tell you, you're the only one on this ship who can't swim!"

(End of this chapter)