Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

Chapter 197 Truly Renowned Throughout the Land! Inheriting the Seal and Taking Charge!

Chen Zhan had only been gone for less than an hour, and Ye Ningzhen still hadn't fallen asleep.

"So fast?"

"Hmm, just a few corrupt members of the gang, no real experts, easy to deal with."

Early the next morning.

Hong Chen visited, bringing two suitcases with him.

"Brother Chen is indeed a man of his word. He managed to get everything done in just two days. It's truly unexpected."

Hong Chen and Chen Zuyan received a constant stream of messages from various parties over the past two days. Their Qingyi Society's intelligence was quickly revealed, but they couldn't help but be shocked.

They didn't see how Chen Zhan made his move, so they naturally had no way of judging his martial arts skills.

But the time allotted is far too short.

Chen Zhan gave them three days, but to their surprise, they received news on the second day that the entire bandit stronghold of Yanshan had been wiped out.

The news came from Baoding just one day later.

That night, the situation in the capital was also resolved.

If they didn't know that Chen Zhan was an individual, they would have thought it was the work of an organization.

The capital city is 500 li away from the depths of the Yanshan Mountains. From the Yanshan Mountains to Baoding Prefecture, it's another 700-800 li, and then back to the capital...
Not to mention that Chen Zhan didn't have a car, and didn't even have a ride, it would have been difficult for him to complete this process even if he did have one.

Even if the Divine Traveler were resurrected, he could only travel 800 li a day.
However, despite their shock, the two quickly gave Chen Zhan the things that had been delivered yesterday, without daring to open them.

Since Chen Zhan filled in the address as Qingyi Society, he wanted to intimidate the villains and was not afraid of their curiosity.

Chen Zhan packed up the box and said, "The matter is done. Your ancient books are quite good. How about the other matter?"

Hong Chen quickly replied, "A telegram was sent nationwide this morning, and the Nationalist government's newspapers printed it, making it the front-page headline. It should be published by noon."

Chen Zhan nodded, indicating that he understood.

Seeing that Chen Zhan didn't want to have much contact with them, Hong Chen wisely took his leave.

Chen Zhan wasn't in seclusion. Wang Xiangzhai and Ma Fengtu also came over. The two had sparred with Chen Zhan quite a bit in private, and now they were both unconvinced of each other, but they both greatly admired Chen Zhan.

They were all addressed with respectful titles, after all, Chen Zhan was a grandmaster. According to the martial arts world, those who have attained the highest status are called teachers. No one would dare to use the title of "Bao Dan" unless they were a close master or grandmaster.

After chatting for a while, it was noon.

Ruan Zhi ran over with the newspaper in her hand: "Whoosh~ Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, it's in the newspaper! You're really famous now!"

He was holding a stack of newspapers, clearly indicating he had bought them all.

The cards were distributed to everyone, and Chen Zhan took one and glanced at it.

Central Daily News (March 23, 19th year of the Republic of China)
front page!

Extra large font size, bold and black.

The National Government has issued a decree officially appointing Mr. Chen Zhan as the leader of the martial arts alliance, to assume the authority and preside over the sect!
On the right is a portrait of Chen Zhan, sitting upright at a desk, wearing a long blue robe, with a deep gaze and an imposing presence.

The accompanying text was:

Since the founding of the Republic of China, the martial arts world has long lost its order, with frequent disputes between different schools, and the transmission of skills has gradually become sparse.

Today, after verification by the Ministry of the Interior of the National Government, Grandmaster Chen Zhan of Xingyiquan, in recognition of his status as "the number one master in the world," has been awarded the seal of "Martial Arts Alliance Leader" and officially taken charge of all martial arts affairs in the country.

Since the Opium War, the Chinese people have often been ridiculed as the "sick man of East Asia," not only because of their physical weakness, but also because of the decline of martial arts: when different schools looked down on each other, their skills were not passed on, and when private fights continued, their vitality was depleted.

We hereby appoint Mr. Chen Zhan as the leader of the martial arts alliance and set up a competition in Dongsi Hutong. This is not for "martial arts competition and fierce fighting," but for "strengthening the nation through martial arts." Martial arts practitioners are not only skilled in fists and feet, but also for rebuilding the national spirit.

This lengthy text was likely written by the Qingyi Society. Chen Zhan guessed it might have been written by Chen Zuyan himself, as he was a man of both literary and martial talents.

But the only thing not mentioned was their record.

What is the most important thing for someone to become the leader of the martial arts world?
It wins people's hearts.

The martial arts world admires you. Even without official coronation, you are an uncrowned king, just like Li Cunyi back then.

It was too chaotic back then; no one could telegraph the whole country. Fame was earned through fighting.

If you're not convinced, let's have a fight.

But this time, not only did many people not recognize Chen Zhan, but the newspapers also made no mention of his achievements.

It wasn't that Chen Zuyan deliberately wanted to cause trouble for people in the martial arts world; Chen Zhan's battle record was simply impossible to write down.

None of the Japanese people who were killed can be mentioned.

Wearing his portrait was already an offense to the Japanese, because although the Japanese had closed the case themselves, the "Demon Star" Chen Zhan looked exactly like the "Martial Arts Alliance Leader" Chen Zhan in the newspaper, and their names were almost identical.

Those who understand the situation will naturally know the inside story.

After carefully examining the document, Ma Fengtu and Wang Xiangzhai both exclaimed in admiration:

"Alas, Brother Chen, what you're doing is truly going against the grain of public opinion."

"Trouble will soon come knocking; the waters in the capital are not shallow."

Wang Xiangzhai's first reaction was not to congratulate him, but to worry. The two were close fellow disciples, and without needing to offer empty flattery, he naturally understood the danger of the matter.

By doing this, Chen Zhan offended not only many people in the Chinese martial arts world.

Today, the Chinese mainland is engulfed in war, with eight countries vying for power. The Nationalist government, by taking advantage of the situation, has also diverted many international conflicts.

If any foreign strongmen, boxers, or champions come to challenge Chinese martial arts, Chen Zhan will be the first to be challenged.

What's the point of you beating others when the "universally recognized" number one martial artist is here?

All of this should be attributed to Chen Zhan.

Chen Zhan said calmly, "It's alright. I want to continue the work that my Uncle-Master Cunyi hasn't finished. The world is already chaotic enough. Various countries are dividing it up, and the Japanese are also eyeing the Northeast with covetous eyes. If that night thirty years ago were to happen again, the martial arts community cannot be allowed to be scattered and flee by foreign guns again."

His words surprised the two of them.

"Brother Chen, do you think what happened thirty years ago will happen again?" Wang Xiangzhai asked hurriedly. This was his biggest concern. The Wang family's Xingyi martial arts had been entrenched in the capital for many years; if it happened again, they would have to flee, which would be a disgrace. "It's hard to say, but it might be even more tragic than thirty years ago!"

What could Chen Zhan say? It wasn't that it was more perilous than thirty years ago, but more so than ever before, more perilous than at any moment in the past five thousand years—a perilous situation of national subjugation, genocide, and the annihilation of the nation.

"Ugh"

Ma Fengtu remained silent. Having served in the military for many years, he knew more information. He looked at Chen Zhan with a complex expression.

He admired Chen Zhan's strategic vision, but at the same time, he was also worried.

He feared that Chen Zhan was not content with just the martial arts world!

At Chen Zhan's age, if he truly had a group of fearless martial artists under his command, he might very well become a regional overlord.

Moreover, he himself was a top-notch assassin, and what if the Japanese lesson were to happen to our own people?
Although he was in the Northwest Army, he did not want to see infighting among his own troops. However, the damned warlords were good at causing trouble internally but weak externally. In this respect, the Northwest Army was relatively better.

The Northeast Army, separated from him by a pass, hated him to the core.

Unlike Wang Xiangzhai and Ma Fengtu, Ruan Zhi, Little Fox, Cheng Yong, and others were all very happy.

With official certification, he is the undisputed leader of the martial arts world, the number one in the land.

Regardless of whether others acknowledge it or not, they themselves do. Having been in contact with Chen Zhan for so long, they couldn't give a specific answer as to how high Chen Zhan's martial arts skills were.

Well, anyway, I've never lost.

The National Government has issued a decree officially appointing Mr. Chen Zhan as the leader of the martial arts alliance, to assume the authority and preside over the sect!
Eighteen words, a stone thrown into a pond, stirred up a thousand waves.

The capital city was the first to be abuzz with excitement. Thirteen martial arts schools received the news immediately and it took them a long time to recover from the shock.

"What's going on???"

"What do you mean by 'Number One in the World' or 'Leader of the Martial Arts Alliance'? Who recognizes that title? I don't agree with it!"

"Let's go check out Dongsi Hutong. I remember that's Zhao Hongbao's territory, right?"

“Zhao Hongbao ran away a long time ago. He’s a stray dog. He ran back to the south. When he came to the capital to set up his school, he used the name of Bagua Cheng to give him a place. It’s good that he ran away now. Let’s go and see what this Chen Zhan is up to.”

Upon receiving the news, all the major martial arts schools in the capital quickly dispatched their disciples to investigate.

There have been officially recognized masters of martial arts, the most recent one being Zhang Sanjia, who was in the last martial arts examination of the Qing Dynasty.

The martial arts champion is the officially recognized number one martial arts master in the world.

Chen Zhan was the only one officially appointed by the Qing government after its collapse.

But the extent of the exaggeration makes one suspicious.

If the five grandmasters were officially designated, it might be fine, but Chen Zhan is relatively unknown in comparison. He caused quite a stir in Tianjin, but a long time has passed, and he was mostly wanted rather than having a great reputation in the martial arts world.

The events in Fengtian were almost completely kept under wraps, and few people in the martial arts world knew about them.

Even if they knew, they wouldn't take it seriously. In their eyes, if Gong Baotian could become a king in the barren Northeast, what use would it be to cause trouble in Fengtian?

Chen Zhan and his group were inside the Chinese Alliance when they soon heard a commotion.

Chen Zhan, Ma Fengtu, and Wang Xiangzhai did not show up; instead, they sent Bai Wu and Cheng Yong out to investigate.

As the two emerged from the courtyard, they immediately saw a large crowd gathered at the entrance of the alley.

The arena at the entrance of the alley has been set up. It is made of pine wood, three zhang high and five zhang wide, with a three-inch thick jujube wood board on the surface and a vermilion pillar at each of the four corners.

Notices were posted on both sides of the ring.

Chen Zhan had Ye Ningzhen write it down by hand, probably outlining the rules of the arena and the prizes for winning or losing.

Ye Ningzhen wrote in Chen Zhan's name:

My title of "Number One Under Heaven" does not mean "Dominating the world," but rather "Commanding the world": using the arena as a link, I will ensure that Xingyi and Tai Chi from the North, Hung Kuen from the South, and Tongbei from Western Sichuan all flow together; using official seals as proof, I will ensure that the martial arts world breaks free from the old habit of "private duels" and returns to the right path of "strengthening the race and saving the nation."

In this way, after a few years, our people will surely possess strong physiques and a loyal and courageous spirit. What will we fear from foreign aggression? What will we worry about if our nation does not become strong?

[The martial arts tournament begins today, marking the beginning of a new era for our nation's martial arts community and laying the foundation for a strong and powerful people.]

The entire martial arts world should unite for this rendezvous!

These words were perfectly worded, demonstrating a high level of strategic vision. The people applauded and praised the speaker's insightful perspective.

Those in the martial arts world who knew Chen Zhan's skills also praised his grand vision, saying that no one could match it.

Those who looked down on Chen Zhan thought to themselves, 'All this high-sounding talk and self-righteousness, isn't it just a facade to avoid being challenged and losing face?'

But he couldn't say it aloud, because Chen Zhan was indeed in the right.

No one dares to say that they practice martial arts for personal gain, for enjoyment, or for exploitation.

"Tap tap tap~"

Three sounds rang out in succession, and a person was lifted up from the crowd, taking three steps on the three-zhang-high platform to ascend to the top.

"Enough with the nonsense! You claim to be the best in the world? I don't accept that! Let's fight!"

The man who came on stage was middle-aged, with broad shoulders and a thick waist, dark eyes, and thick, dark arms and hands. He was someone who practiced external martial arts.

Bai Wu and Cheng Yong were about to go back and report.

"No need to alarm the Grand Master, Old Bear will play with you."

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound.

A man walked in from a distance, followed by more than a dozen apprentices, with their families behind them, each carrying packages and boxes.

Xiong Hanshan approached from afar. He was two meters tall, broad and thick, like an old bear, swaying unsteadily, but his pace was surprisingly fast.

He has already mastered the true essence of the bear form; in every movement and stillness, he resembles an old brown bear that has become a spirit!
It quickly left its disciples behind and brought them close. The bear swayed, one foot landing on the ground, the other leaping three zhang (approximately 10 meters) across.
"boom!"

It landed on the stage.

(End of this chapter)