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

Chapter 216 Sun Lutang may not be as fierce as you!
The four of them arrived at the courtyard, a large courtyard over two hundred meters long, the former site of the Chinese Martial Arts Association, where courtyards are always very large.

Since sparring is an essential part of the martial arts tournament, both Wang Ziping and Han Muxia recalled the scene in this courtyard from back then.

At that time, the courtyard was divided into several sections on the left and right, including areas for hand-to-hand combat, martial arts practice, stone locks, plum blossom stakes, and turning steps, with no distinction between internal and external styles.

It's lively every day.

Now everything has changed. The yard is overgrown with weeds. The people are gone, and not many things remain.

The foxtail grass that grows in the cracks between the bricks is ankle-high, and spider webs still hang on the withered branches of the old locust tree in the center of the courtyard. Under the tree is a chipped bluestone table, and next to the table leg is a half-worn ceramic water vat with a fine crack on the rim, which is half-filled with rainwater.

"Is there still a chance to rebuild the glory of the Martial Sect?" Han Muxia asked calmly.

"Alas, this is the age of guns and cannons. Martial arts training strengthens the country and the race, and it is all about willpower, but it can no longer be the main force on the battlefield."

Ma Yingtu had fought in the Northwest Army and knew that nowadays everything was made up of airplanes and artillery. No matter how skilled one was in martial arts, could one withstand a few bullets but not a howitzer?
Chen Zhan smiled and said, "Martial arts can't really compete with guns and cannons head-on, but assassinating the king and killing the emperor, taking an unorthodox approach, might have a surprising effect."

"The grandmasters of the Boxer Rebellion were like that back then. However, we martial arts practitioners can only play a supporting role. To truly change the world, we need some extraordinary people to descend from the heavens, enlighten the people, and reshape the country from top to bottom."

Everyone agreed with what Chen Zhan said. It was now the 18th year of the Republic of China, from the New Culture Movement and the May Fourth Movement to various uprisings.

The vast majority of people in this era have abandoned the feudal imperial system and turned to the Three Principles of the People.

But it's still hard to say who they'll specifically support.

Because things are still very chaotic, the Nationalist government seems to have united the major warlords and made them all follow the Three Principles of the People, but in reality, they have different intentions.

In another month or two, the Central Plains War will begin.

This is why Chen Zhan is rushing south; if a real war breaks out, and with him, like a butterfly, getting involved, who knows what might happen.

In a battle involving hundreds of thousands or even millions of people, he could only protect himself; the others might face unknown risks.

Take back your thoughts.

Chen Zhan and Wang Ziping walked into the courtyard. Wang Ziping smiled and said, "You and Sun Lutang are both from the Xingyi school. He has been the head of the school for many years, and it's time for you to take over. He published a book called 'On Internal and External Martial Arts' many years ago, did you know that?"

Chen Zhan nodded. This article was very famous and could be considered the culmination of Sun Lutang's ideas. It was a short essay that criticized the prevailing notion of martial arts being divided into internal and external styles, proposing that "boxing has no internal or external aspects, only the methods of strength and mind."

Internal martial arts (Tai Chi, Xingyi, Bagua) emphasize "internal strength," while external martial arts (Shaolin, Chaquan) emphasize "external strength." In essence, both are "based on strength as the core and application as the goal."

Sun Lutang advocated that internal and external schools of thought could learn from each other and should not be opposed to each other.

It also promotes the de-sectification and de-secretization of martial arts, providing support for exchanges, exchanges, and mutual learning between different styles of martial arts.

"At that time, my martial arts skills were not yet fully developed. After reading that article, I was amazed by Master Sun's magnanimity, which is rare in the world. But do you know why I challenged him more than a year ago?"

When Wang Ziping spoke of this matter, his tone was calm, as if he were simply recounting a simple story.

But upon hearing this, everyone's breathing quickened.

Wang Ziping had never mentioned this before. Before that incident, they weren't exactly close friends, but they got along very well. He didn't know why they suddenly became enemies.

"I wonder, surely Uncle Sun and Mr. Wang have no grudge against each other?"

Chen Zhan spoke, and Wang Ziping nodded, then added:

"You say there are no grudges, but since Sun Lutang became the head of Wudang, he has suddenly changed his tune and often promotes the benefits of internal martial arts, saying that people who practice internal martial arts begin to reach their peak at the age of fifty, while people who practice external martial arts will start to decline at the age of fifty."

“His words are a slap in the face to the Shaolin Sect. As the sect leader, I may not care, but my disciples will be treated as inferior, and I cannot stand idly by.”

"However, when I think about it afterward, I find this very strange. More than ten years ago, Sun Lutang himself said in his book that 'there is no inside or outside in boxing.' But in recent years he has changed his mind. I always feel that there is something fishy about this."

"Hmm, it does sound a bit strange. I'll ask Uncle-Master Sun when I see him," Chen Zhan said.

"That's fine, but what I want to say is that Sun Lutang is getting old. It's good that he didn't accept my challenge, otherwise it wouldn't be honorable for him to win. You are the new head of Xingyi School, so it's a good opportunity for you to exchange and learn from each other's internal and external styles. We don't have to fight to the death, but you can't be careless."

"That's natural. Just exchanging blows would be too boring. If you practice external martial arts to the point of 'embracing the dantian,' who knows how fierce it would be?"

Chen Zhan stood with his hands behind his back among the grass. The hem of his blue cloth robe swept across the grass without causing the slightest sway. His inner strength, condensed and unreleased at the Core Formation Realm, made the surrounding air seem frozen, and even the wind seemed to swirl around him.

The two were on the verge of a fight.

Wang Ziping, who was opposite him, suddenly stepped forward.

His short, tight-fitting clothes accentuated the definition of his shoulder muscles. Before he could even unleash the "bow stance punch" of Chaquan, the blue brick beneath his feet cracked with a "crack," and the weeds in the crack were violently crushed and scattered all over the ground.

The wind of the fist had arrived, and the force wrapped around the fist was like an invisible iron hammer. Wherever it swept, weeds fell down in patches, and the grass leaves were shredded by the strong wind and scattered in the sky like green mist.

Chen Zhan neither dodged nor avoided, but instead formed a Tai Chi cloud hand gesture with his left arm.

His palm strike, though seemingly soft, was like an invisible net, deflecting Wang Ziping's punch with force, the powerful energy brushing past Chen Zhan's sleeve.

"boom"

It crashed into the broken wall behind it, the earthen wall crumbled and dust fell, and the weeds on the top of the wall, along with the broken bricks, fell down.

The two men watching the two tigers fight suddenly focused their gazes.

Both of them were somewhat shocked. They were not ignorant; they had seen Grandmasters in action before. But these two were not even ordinary Grandmasters. Moreover, they were both at their peak, two top-tier Grandmasters, going all out.

The force that was released was nothing compared to the shaking of the earthen wall caused by the impact.

But you should know that just now, Chen Zhan's cloud hand technique was still a foot away from the earthen wall.
气劲
But you're attacking it from mid-air!
What the hell does this mean? The method for judging Ming Jin is to punch a candle and make a crisp sound. If the force of the punch extinguishes the candle from a distance of one foot, then the person is considered a master of Ming Jin.

The force of their punches caused the earthen wall to shake violently, almost collapsing, even from a distance of one foot!

It was almost as powerful as the "palm wind energy" described in folk tales. At the same time, Chen Zhan had already stepped out with the Bagua Step, his footwork circling around Wang Ziping. With each step, a faint energy rippled across the ground, causing the weeds within the circle to bend down and flatten. He had actually managed to create a neat circle among the tangled weeds, as if it had been cut with a knife.

Chen Zhan practiced Bagua Zhang, but Wang Ziping didn't care. Although external martial arts rely on speed to counter speed and strength to counter power, he had long since moved beyond the limitations of ordinary internal and external strength.

No matter how Chen Zhan moved his fist or palm, he could accurately strike the moment Chen Zhan's palm force was unleashed.

In Wang Ziping's boxing philosophy, the Bagua Step is suitable for group battles, but not for dealing with experts.

Simply put, it's perfect for beating noobs.

Against a master, no matter how fast you walk the Bagua steps, it's not as fast as spinning in place.

However, Chen Zhan's skills were not limited to this, and Wang Ziping was very wary.

Sure enough, Chen Zhan's Bagua Turning Palm suddenly transformed into a triple force. When Wang Ziping punched it, he immediately felt himself being carried away by the force, and his body became unstable.

"The Great Stone-Smashing Hand? No, there's also the swirling force of the Ox Tongue Curling Grass!"

But he wasn't flustered. Chen Zhan didn't fight back; instead, he did what Chen Zhan wanted.

"finally come!"

With a deep shout, the muscles under his short, tight-fitting clothes bulged like blocks of iron. Wang Ziping was already burly, and with the exertion of his strength, his whole body grew a foot taller, his muscles bulging, making him a head taller than Chen Zhan!
As the Chaquan "Black Tiger Digs Out the Heart" began, the moment the right foot stomped the ground, a loud "boom" resounded, and the blue brick beneath the foot shattered into pieces, creating a half-foot-deep pit in the ground. The weeds and soil around the pit were shaken away, turning into greenish-brown dust that scattered all over the sky.

"Come on! Try some external martial arts!"

Before the fist arrived, the force had already reached the target; the wind blew through the wheat fields, and the weeds behind Chen Zhan collapsed one by one.

Chen Zhan's eyebrows twitched as he sensed the power in the punch. His dantian stirred, and he focused his mind and gathered his strength. He blocked with his left arm, drawing a circle with the Tai Chi move of "Grasping the Sparrow's Tail." The seemingly slow palm wind instantly formed an invisible barrier.

Then, fists and palms met.

No loud noise!

However, a terrifying force spread from beneath their feet along the ground, and suddenly spiderweb-like cracks appeared in the courtyard floor, from which wisps of white smoke rose.

The two onlookers stared wide-eyed at the scene.

Anyone could see the power in that exchange, yet it was just a soft sound!
This shows that the two of them had mastered the control of their strength to the extreme, and were able to quietly release their force without making a sound.

He couldn't help but think more highly of Wang Ziping.

Internal martial arts excel at precise control, so it's understandable that they can achieve this. But external martial arts, which rely entirely on strength, can also achieve such feats with ease!
The two were surprised, but Chen Zhan wouldn't sit idly by.

As if unaffected by the punch just now, he hissed...

Chen Zhan took a deep breath, like a whale swallowing the sea, inhaling all the cold air around him, which flowed through his entire body, bringing clarity to his mind and spirit. His muscles and bones vibrated, and a series of crackling sounds rang out.

"Whoo~"

As he exhaled, Chen Zhan felt as if his body had been transformed, his blood surging, and Wang Ziping in front of him could even hear the sound of his blood flowing.

Twist your waist, grip the hammer, "Undersea Hammer!"

Chen Zhan's Tai Chi Five Star Pyramid was even quieter than Li Chunran's. Not only were his own hammers silent, but when he inhaled, it was as if he had absorbed all the sounds around them.

A hammer blow!
Swift as lightning, stealthy as a phantom, Wang Ziping barely had time to react, and his beard bristled with fright.

No matter how strong his external skills were, he wouldn't dare to use his physical body to directly take the "big hammer" of a master like Chen Zhan who had reached the Dan realm!

His arms shot out swiftly, but he was a beat too slow and could only use them to block!

"Oh!"

This incident caused a major commotion, catching Wang Ziping off guard and leaving him no time to deflect the force.

The sound was so loud that Han Muxia and Ma Yingtu's feet trembled, and the sound could be heard for several kilometers.

It sounded like a landmine exploding.

It was still a muffled thud.

Ma Yingtu and Han Muxia exchanged a glance, then quickly walked out along the edge of the courtyard, keeping their eyes fixed on the two combatants as they retreated.

Afraid of missing out on something great.

Wang Ziping was knocked back a few steps, and there was a very obvious hammer mark on his arm, but his arm was not broken!

Chen Zhan was a little surprised, then saw Wang Ziping with a full beard and burst into laughter.

"Your striking skills are excellent, your Bagua is superb. You're so proficient in both Tai Chi and Bagua. And you're a true Xingyi practitioner, your Xingyi skills must be even more extraordinary!"

"Looking for you was definitely the right decision. Sun Lutang might not be as fierce as you now!"

"Then I have to show something real, otherwise people will think that external martial arts can't beat internal martial arts!"

As Wang Ziping spoke, he took a half step back, took a deep breath, and his muscles and bones bulged. His face turned blood red and then purple, like amethyst, becoming extremely terrifying. Blood vessels were also wrapped around his eyes, as if they were about to fall out of their sockets.

At the same time, the tendons and blood vessels in the palm swelled dramatically, turning purplish-black. The blue veins resembled black dragons, wrapped around the hand like iron chains, and the entire palm doubled in size.

His height didn't increase, but his blood and energy exploded, doubling in size!
In an instant, the prince transformed into a demon god with purplish-blue qi and blood swirling around his meridians!
The two people at the entrance of the courtyard immediately felt their hair stand on end. The scene was truly terrifying: a bluish-purple monster with bulging muscles!

Wang Ziping has somewhat lost his human form!
Both of them felt as if they were dreaming.

(End of this chapter)