Forge a path to success.

Chapter 294 What Kind of Martial Cultivator Are You?

The masked man was focused and cautious, wondering what kind of tactic this was, as he had no recollection of it. Could it be that Ji Qiufeng had developed some powerful new talisman that required self-mutilation and bloodletting to activate?

Thinking of this, he immediately perked up and said with great interest, "It seems you have your own plans as well. Let me see them!"

Having said that, the masked man stood still, intending to use the power of the Steel Body Talisman for a defensive strategy. Chu Hengkong pointed his fingers, aiming directly at the mask's eye socket. The masked man nodded sharply, smashing the finger strike with his headbutt, and said smugly, "Young man, you used the orthodox and unorthodox methods to break the Steel Body Talisman, your thinking is orthodox but too rigid. You should know that my physique is abnormal from birth, and your unorthodox sealing method cannot strike my acupoints."

Upon hearing this, Chu Hengkong laughed and said, "I haven't learned this."

"...?" The masked man was taken aback. "Then what are you doing?"

Chu Hengkong pointed his fingers and drew a line, and a ten-meter-long blood-red blade of light suddenly burst open above the arena.

"We agreed not to use weapons, but to use our fingers instead of knives." He vibrated the air to make his voice ring out.

The masked man was breaking out in a cold sweat: "You... why did you use such a vicious method during a mere sparring session... oh, dangerous!"

He immediately stood at attention, dramatically leaping to the side to avoid the crescent-shaped slash. The masked man angrily waved his hand: "You reckless brat, don't blame me for teaching you a lesson! Drink up!"

The masked man swung his right arm, his thick arm sweeping down like a tree trunk. Chu Hengkong parried with a finger-blade, then took a half-step back before abruptly switching from defense to offense, unleashing a powerful strike aimed directly at his opponent's shoulder. The masked man charged straight at the blade's edge, a flash of red light appearing on his shoulder, but the blade's edge vanished in an instant as a fleeting spark.

Using the firelight as leverage, he sprang back and kicked out, but deftly deflected Chu Hengkong's counter-attack with a masterful counter-attack. The move was heavy but not fast, clearly visible even to onlookers; he was obviously intent on teaching Chu Hengkong a lesson. Chu Hengkong, however, was delighted, and braced himself against the kick, retreating to the side.

The masked man landed and immediately launched a kick, swift as the wind. Chu Hengkong stood firm, his shoulder striking the blow, but he was strangely sent flying to the side, retaliating with a hand chop. A spark-like flash appeared on his shoulder—the very technique the masked man had used earlier!
The masked man snorted and also struck to his side with a chop to intercept Chu Hengkong's attack. He deliberately created distance and said, "This Burning Night's Sparkling Style is barely passable. How did Ji Qiufeng teach it to be like this?"

"I didn't teach you." Chu Hengkong shrugged. "I learned it from you."

"Heh heh heh, your mouth is tougher than your fist. Then let's see what you're really made of." The masked man didn't believe him at all, and with a flick of his wrist, he revealed another talisman.

The talisman was entirely golden, depicting pebbles placed in a fire. He deliberately held it up to the audience below, proudly proclaiming, "Behold, the talisman of immense power!"

The mercenaries cheered again, their eyes practically filled with admiration. The Si Chen Wan Jun Talisman could establish contact with the enemy to prevent their escape and also greatly weaken their attacks. It was one of the strongest talismans at low quality, truly a symbol of the true teachings of the Chen Jun Palace.

This kind of talisman is a life-saving relic kept at the bottom of the chest on the battlefield. Even experienced Heart Sword cultivators, after preparing all the materials, would need to go into seclusion for several days to draw such a talisman. This person, however, drew it easily using the method of unifying spirit and energy. In the eyes of the mercenaries, he was simply a big shot who could mass-produce trump cards.

Everyone looked at Chu Hengkong again, thinking that even if this martial arts master was hiding his skills, he should at least show some real skill.

Chu Hengkong didn't waste any words and stabbed himself twice more: "Let's continue."

"Alright, let's begin round three..." The masked man slapped the talisman onto himself. "Hey, what are you doing?!"

Chu Hengkong was utterly bewildered: "I'm gathering Qi for a thousand autumns, what are you doing?"

“One Qi Through the Ages, ah, so that’s how it is…” The masked man took a deep breath. “This is a friendly sparring match, you idiot! Do you use One Qi Through the Ages when sparring with your fellow disciples?!”

"Use it?" Chu Hengkong was completely confused. "I use this when I fight with my girlfriend."

Ji Huaisu shouted from below the stage: "Hey uncle, don't cause trouble, okay? What do martial arts practitioners use to fight if they don't use the 'One Qi for a Thousand Autumns' technique?"

The mercenaries looked like they'd seen a ghost. The masked man covered his forehead with one hand, his voice hesitant: "This... doesn't make sense... I just went to the front lines last week. I shouldn't be out of touch with the times..."

He rallied his spirits and demanded, "No! You almost misled me. Where did your talisman go?"

Chu Hengkong remained calm: "I can't draw."

"Are there any martial artists who can't draw talismans? Why would Ji Qiufeng, a master of both talismans and halberds, teach a disciple like you?!"

"The city lord said that the most important thing for martial arts practitioners is still the 'martial arts' of fists, feet, and weapons. As for 'skills,' mastering the four secret techniques of One Qi for a Thousand Autumns, Burning Night, True Profound Qi Armor, and Undying and Undying Technique is basically enough. The rest can be adapted to the situation." Chu Hengkong spoke the truth.

Upon hearing this, the mercenaries were so shocked that they lost all expression. The masked man covered his face and sighed, "It's my fault... I shouldn't have tried to reason with that idiot who was crammed into a classroom... You, you, sigh!"

He angrily tossed his head and shouted in despair, "You take this first!!" Chu Hengkong decisively threw a punch, intending to test the power of the talisman first. The masked man let the punch hit him, but saw the energy in his fist dissipate upon contact with the body, flying back and scattering like water droplets around the arena. Chu Hengkong saw it clearly; this was not a secret technique from Longquan Township, but the effect of the Sichen Wanjun Talisman.

He instantly accelerated, unleashing three hundred strikes in a flash, a small portion of which utilized the True Mechanism's Netherworld Annihilation Force Field. Yet, only fragments flew across the arena, all attacks deflected by the talismans. The masked man laughed loudly, his aura suddenly spreading out, shattering the numerous tiny needles hidden in the air. Chu Hengkong secretly transformed the ejected aura into "needles" to trigger the chaotic stars, but this counter-strategy was immediately seen through by the masked man!
"Come, come, come..."

The masked man made a grasping motion in the air, and the power deflected by the talisman coalesced in his palm, forming a golden rope. The other end of this rope connected directly to Chu Hengkong, causing him to feel a long-lost weakness. The masked man suddenly pulled on the rope formed by the Wan Jun talisman, and blood-red energy burned fiercely in his other hand, forming a blazing giant fist.

"Since you're so fond of secret techniques, then join me!" the masked man laughed. "Burning Night, Rise!"

A flash of golden light appeared on the rope, freezing Chu Hengkong instantly. He only had time to extend his prosthetic hand forward. The masked man's massive fist, brimming with power, slammed out with the force to split mountains and shatter rocks. Its power increased with his aura, expanding in an instant to engulf the entire arena. Li Ke and Ji Huaisu acted simultaneously, creating a barrier in the center of the arena using dust and trees. However, the barrier was shattered by the aftershock of the massive fist, which, like a scorching sunrise, swallowed the assassin whole.

"Holy crap, this is going to be bad!" Lico exclaimed.

"It's alright." Ji Huaisu relaxed instead. "This is the kind of thing he's least afraid of."

At that moment, the people in the exhibition saw a glimpse of blood.

A strange "dot" rose from the fiery aura, like the single eye of a cold, bloodthirsty demon. Then, the aura swirled like a vortex, and the giant fist shrank at an unbelievable speed. In a mere instant, the blood-red demonic eye devoured everything. The many strange phenomena in the arena vanished, leaving only the unharmed assassin and his steel-like fist!

"——The secret technique of Canxin's anti-soul."

"This is...?!" the masked man exclaimed.

Chu Hengkong strode forward, delivering a solid punch to his opponent's chest. All the power absorbed through his secret technique erupted in this single strike, its terrifying force completely engulfing the masked man's massive body. Caught off guard, the masked man was blasted off the edge of the arena, while the small animals scrambled to make way for the impending onslaught…

But a terrible crushing accident didn't happen! Just before he was about to go out of bounds, the masked man hooked his toes around the edge of the ring, stabilizing himself with a single-leg balance bridge-like maneuver! Even the large package behind him remained slightly off the ground. The mercenaries applauded! Impressive skill!
"Huff...huff...this secret technique...is truly amazing." The masked man panted heavily. "I've never seen such a wondrous skill before. I was careless earlier...but this concerns my precious weapon, so I cannot easily admit defeat in this battle. Wait for me to get up, and we'll have another three hundred rounds!"

Chu Hengkong also clapped and said sincerely, "Your fist techniques and talisman skills are indeed superb. Please be sure to have a serious match with me when you have time in the future. But today's sparring is a loss for you."

The masked man was slightly annoyed by this, but deliberately maintained a high level of difficulty to highlight his skill: "Take a closer look, what makes you say that?!"

"Because the ring couldn't hold up anymore."

"Ah." The masked man was taken aback. "Wait, wait, wait—!"

With a click, an ominous sound came from the masked man's foot. After the chaotic struggle and supporting the masked man's massive body on its own, the small stone could no longer bear such an unbearable weight and finally shattered into dust—causing the man, who had been deliberately maintaining a difficult posture, to lie on the ground in a position like a sleeping baby.

"..." The masked man remained motionless.

Chu Hengkong couldn't help but laugh.

"How could this be?! Hey, this doesn't count! Everyone saw it, right? This, this has nothing to do with martial arts, it can't be included!!"

A burst of laughter erupted from the audience; both the small animals and the mercenaries laughed heartily, filling the exhibition with a lively atmosphere. The masked man rolled to his feet and, like a model student, raised his hand, shouting, "An accident! I demand a rematch! I demand a rematch!"

Trek appeared out of nowhere behind him, pressing one hand on the package: "Okay, okay, we can talk about it when we get to the detention center..."

"Let me go! I'm not having it!"

"You dare to 'disagree' after betting and showing off with kids?"

"No, honestly, I'm worried about the gun. Can I fire it one more time? Just one more round—"

The animal team members drove up in a rather large police car, and the dutiful Captain Trek escorted the mysterious masked man into the vehicle. Chu Hengkong picked up the long gun, weighed it in his hand, and slung it over his shoulder with great satisfaction: "What a fine gun."

Ji Huaisu shaded his eyes and looked into the distance, exclaiming in amazement, "So this is what ordinary martial arts practitioners are like..."

“No, whether it’s martial arts or not is another matter, but I don’t think it has anything to do with ‘ordinary’,” Vande said.

(End of this chapter)