Physical immortality begins with Bajiquan

Chapter 69 Snake Fist

After breaking through the barrier at night, Qin Heng did not leave the hospital for several days.

He remained on the newly erected wooden stake under the persimmon tree, practicing his stance training over and over again. Sometimes, he would stand on the stake and practice Bajiquan and Wuyingtui in the courtyard, fully integrating the profound mysteries of his newly acquired Huajin (transformation skill) into his actual fist and footwork.

In the past, when he used internal force, the power was only contained within his muscles and bones, and there was a noticeable tremor when he exerted force. Now that he has entered the realm of internal force transformation, with a thought, the power naturally flows throughout his body. It can be so fierce that it can shatter rocks, or so gentle that it can follow the wind.

The "Tiger Climbs the Mountain" move, though unleashed without a violent, tearing sound, caused the blue bricks beneath his feet to tremble slightly before shattering into dust. The "Oriole Embraces the Claws" move, with its extended claws and swirling air around him, caused falling leaves to be held aloft by an invisible force, refusing to fall.

Qin Heng's mind was clear and lucid.

The difference in strength between Hua Jin and An Jin is like heaven and earth.

Hidden strength lies within the muscles and bones, yet its exertion always leaves a trace. Transforming strength unites internal and external forces, blurring the lines between light and shadow; where the intention goes, the strength follows; its release and retraction are entirely at the heart's command, perfectly harmonious and unhindered.

He also secretly realized that the path of martial arts is endless, and the transformation of internal energy is just a new starting point. The internal cultivation methods beyond the transformation of internal energy are unknown and are extremely profound.

In the following days, in addition to practicing boxing and integrating internal energy, Qin Heng chopped wood and carried water in his daily life. Every move he made contained the intention of internal energy, allowing the transformation of internal energy to be silently integrated into his walking, standing, sitting and lying down.

That afternoon, Li Xiaona rushed into the courtyard, her expression anxious: "Senior brother, you should go back to the martial arts school quickly!"

'

Qin Heng stopped punching and turned to look at her: "What happened? Tell me slowly."

"Senior brother, today Sun Dazhu from the Hongmen Martial Arts School personally led his disciples to visit us. It was a friendly sparring match that our two schools had already arranged." Li Xiaona's temples were slightly sweaty, and her breathing was a little rapid. She hurriedly added, "But Fifth Senior Brother went to the match first and lost. Now, Eldest Senior Brother is about to fight Fang Yu, the eldest disciple of the Hongmen Martial Arts School. None of the senior brothers in the school are confident, so they specifically asked me to come and call you back to support our martial arts school!"

Qin Heng nodded slightly upon hearing this.

He and Fang Yu had always been on good terms, and ever since they returned from suppressing the bandits, they had addressed each other as brothers. Now that Fang Yu had come to visit, he should go back and pay his respects.

After quickly changing into a neat set of plain cloth shorts, Qin Heng and Li Xiaona headed towards the martial arts school.

As soon as the two entered the martial arts school, they heard the dull thuds of fists and feet clashing from the direction of the training ground, mixed with the cheers and comments of the crowd, which poured into their ears.

Stepping into the martial arts training ground, one finds it teeming with people, creating an extremely lively atmosphere.

The two men at the head of the table sat high on armchairs, with Mo Guangren on one side, his expression calm and composed, sitting upright like a mountain.

On the other side stood Sun Dazhu, the head of the Hongmen Martial Arts School. He was burly and strong, with a dark complexion, exuding the fierce aura of a martial artist, and his eyes held a hint of arrogance. At this moment, he was all smiles, casually patting Mo Guangren's shoulder, pointing at the disciples in the arena, his face showing a hint of pride.

The disciples from the two schools stood on the left and right sides of the field, each staring intently at the center of the field with tense expressions.

The defeated Li Yiping stood to one side, fiddling with the wine gourd in her hand, her face showing some resentment, clearly not accepting the result of the other party's defeat.

In the center of the training ground, two figures were locked in a fierce battle.

One of them was Zhang Mingyuan, dressed in a dark blue outfit. He was steady and composed, and every move he made was in the authentic Bajiquan style. His moves were wide and powerful, fierce and domineering.

The person opposite was Fang Yu from the Hongmen Martial Arts School. He was dressed in a black short-sleeved outfit, and his movements were agile and elusive. He did not engage in a direct and fierce battle with Zhang Mingyuan. Instead, he moved around and his moves were subtle and tricky, which was the style of Snake Fist.

Snake Fist's essence lies in its techniques of coiling, drilling, sliding, and circling. It does not emphasize direct confrontation but seeks out weaknesses and exploits to enter the fray. It uses softness to entangle hardness and skill to overcome brute force, which is precisely the way to counter the direct and forceful style of Bajiquan.

The two players had already exchanged blows more than ten times.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Zhang Mingyuan's forehead, and his breathing gradually became heavy. His Bajiquan relied entirely on close-range power, but Fang Yu's movements were as slippery as if they were oiled. Every time he lowered his waist and stepped on the ground to prepare to rush forward, the opponent would twist and slide away like a snake, and then strike with a backhand claw straight at the elbow and knee, forcing him to withdraw his fist and defend.

He let out a sudden, deep shout, stomping his right foot heavily on the ground, cracking the blue bricks. He lunged forward like a tiger pouncing on its prey, his right fist striking out from below with a powerful upward punch—the Bajiquan "Standing Ground Cannon." The hidden force flowed through his arm, the punch as heavy and fierce as a falling stone, carrying a whistling wind, aimed straight at Fang Yu's jaw.

Fang Yu's pupils contracted slightly, neither dodging nor avoiding. Just as the wind from the fist was about to reach his face, he suddenly twisted his body to the right, like a venomous snake swishing its tail, barely dodging the heavy punch. At the same time, his right hand formed a claw, his fingertips gathering hidden strength, and with a move called "Snake Spitting Its Tongue," he stabbed at Zhang Mingyuan's Taiyuan acupoint on the inside of his wrist as fast as lightning.

"laugh!"

The claw grazed his wrist, leaving a deep bloody mark. Zhang Mingyuan felt a chilling force penetrate his skin, and his wrist went numb instantly. He groaned and stumbled back two steps, leaving two clear footprints on the blue brick ground.

Taking advantage of the situation, Fang Yu pressed forward, his figure elusive, using a serpentine walking technique to close in on him once again in an instant.

With its claws flexing and coiling, it sometimes probed, sometimes entangled, and sometimes intercepted, launching a continuous and relentless attack that sealed off all of Zhang Mingyuan's meridians and joints.

He mastered the essence of Snake Fist: coiling force, slippery movement, exploiting gaps, and striking weaknesses.

The air was filled with sharp, hissing sounds as claw shadows flickered between reality and illusion, making it impossible to predict their approach.

Zhang Mingyuan gritted his teeth and brought out the full potential of Bajiquan's hard stance. He lowered his waist and sat in a horse stance, his arms rotating like iron gates, sometimes blocking horizontally and sometimes parrying vertically. Each parry was imbued with hidden strength, attempting to force back Fang Yu's attack.

"Bang bang bang flat——!

""

The dull thuds of impact were incessant, the sounds of fists and claws clashing and internal forces colliding.

However, the clash of their fighting styles was ultimately a fatal flaw. Every punch Zhang Mingyuan threw was powerful and heavy, but Fang Yu always managed to dodge the blows at the last second, following the momentum of his punches and striking his weaknesses. After more than ten exchanges, several shallow claw marks had appeared on Zhang Mingyuan's arms, and his blood circulation was gradually becoming sluggish.

After parrying, Zhang Mingyuan was a little slow to retract his fist, revealing a barely perceptible opening on his left shoulder.

This slight opening, which would be fleeting to an ordinary person, was a fatal flaw in the eyes of a master of internal strength like Fang Yu.

A glint flashed in Fang Yu's eyes. He suddenly pushed off with his foot, executing an extremely tricky "snake-like drill step" to cut into Zhang Mingyuan's left open space. His left arm suddenly lashed out like a soft whip, wrapping around Zhang Mingyuan's left arm, while his right hand formed a claw, tightly gripping his wrist joint. It was the snake fist's killing move, "Golden Snake Entwining Wrist".

Alarm bells rang in Zhang Mingyuan's mind, and he suddenly exerted all his strength to break free. But the snake fist's coiling force was extremely subtle and yin; the harder he tried, the tighter it coiled. He felt a sharp pain in his wrist, and his internal energy was instantly locked, making it impossible to circulate.

Before he could change his move, Fang Yu's knee slammed out, hitting him hard in the abdomen.

"Bang!"

A powerful force penetrated his body, causing Zhang Mingyuan's chest to tighten and his body to instantly curl into a shrimp-like shape. Fang Yu released his grip and gave him a gentle push, causing him to stagger backward.

Zhang Mingyuan could no longer stand, staggered back five steps, and finally sat down on the ground, clutching his lower abdomen and coughing violently, unable to stand up for a long time.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly froze.

Fang Yu slowly finished his stance, his breathing steady, and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zhang Mingyuan: "Senior Brother Zhang, you flatter me."

"I lost."

Zhang Mingyuan took a deep breath, suppressed his surging blood, stood up, clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, and generously admitted defeat.

Fang Yu returned the greeting slightly: "Senior Brother Zhang's mastery of Bajiquan is profound; I admire him greatly."

At this point, Fang Yu had defeated Li Yiping and Zhang Mingyuan in succession, winning two matches in a row and gaining the upper hand.

His gaze swept across the crowd and immediately fell upon Qin Heng, who was standing at the edge of the corner. A glint of light immediately appeared in his eyes.

"Brother Qin! It's great to see you again. Come on! Get down here! The atmosphere's gotten just right, let's have a few moves!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire hall fell silent, and all eyes turned to Qin Heng like a tidal wave. Whispers arose all around, and everyone craned their necks to watch, waiting for the two martial arts scholars to clash in public.