Chapter 65: The End of Fist Techniques, The Emergence of Sword Techniques

  Hong Qigong burst out laughing, put one hand behind his back and made a beckoning gesture with the other to Linghu Chong: "Alright, I'll let this old monk accompany you for two rounds. Come on, kid, make your move!"

  When Hong Qigong wanted to come and fight with one hand, Ling Yun also didn't think there was anything wrong with it, nor did he feel that it was an insult to him. Through these days of chatting with Huang Rong, Ling Yun had already known that the five absolute under heaven had long since returned to the pre-heavenly realm after entering the post-heavenly realm. Although he had now achieved great success in his cultivation, and seemed to be only one step away from the pre-heavenly realm, this one step was actually a very difficult barrier to overcome in martial arts cultivation, and many people could not cross it their whole lives. The difference between the post-heavenly and pre-heavenly realms may seem like just one word, but it is as different as clouds and mud. That Hong Qigong could accept his challenge already showed that he looked up to him.

  "Seventh Master, take this move!"

  Ling Muyun let out a loud shout, his body suddenly moving like a strong gust of wind, instantly pouncing in front of Hong Qigong. A powerful Fumoquan fist was thrown at Hong Qigong's face, the punch whistling through the air with a faint hint of thunder, its momentum astonishing.

  "Good!"

  Hong Qigong let out a loud cry and did not dodge or evade. He stretched out his palm to meet Ling Miao Yun's incoming heavy fist.

  Ling Muyun's heart skipped a beat at this scene, and he secretly thought: "Is this going to be a hard collision? Well, I'd like to see just how strong the skills of this pre-heavenly realm master are!" With that in mind, Ling Muyun increased his strength, striking even faster.

  If it were a different situation, against an expert who has reached the state of Innate Realm, Ling Muyun would not be so reckless and hard-headed, using his acquired strength to collide head-on with someone in the Innate Realm. This is clearly a stupid thing that he would never do.

  Since it's already been said that this time is to ask for Master Hong Qigong's guidance on martial arts, it can be tried out. After all, with Master Hong Qigong's character, he will definitely not use excessive force to hurt him, which gives him the audacity to act recklessly. This way, he can truly experience the power of innate abilities without worrying about winning or losing, an opportunity that is hard to come by in a thousand years. If it's missed, wouldn't it be a pity?

  A dull thud, Ling Muyun's heavy fist collided with Hong Qigong's palm, but the overwhelming force he had anticipated did not materialize. Instead, Ling Muyun felt as if his fist had struck a cotton bundle, unable to unleash its full fury, and extremely awkward. Suddenly, a surge of pure internal energy burst forth, striking his fist, causing his arm to tremble violently. The originally fierce and powerful force was instantly dispersed, and his body involuntarily retreated backward.

  Ling Muyun was shocked in his heart, is this the innate true energy? Refined and thick, soft and hard, it's indeed a level higher than the acquired true energy. Even the Nine Yin and Nine Yang True Energy he cultivated seemed to have little resistance in front of this innate true energy.

  Hong Qigong was even more surprised than Ling Yun, and the reason he chose to take a punch from him was to test his skills. However, the result of the test left Hong Qigong astonished - Ling Yun's internal energy was incredibly profound. He took a palm strike that was almost as powerful as five successful strikes and only retreated two steps, without showing any signs of injury. Considering his young age, it was even more astonishing. How could someone so young possess such deep and pure internal energy? Had he been practicing since birth?!

  "Kid, you really surprised me! Show off your skills and let me see what you're capable of!" Hong Qigong burst out laughing and said to Ling Muyun, who had been knocked back by his palm. And the way he addressed Ling Muyun changed from "little doll" to "kid", although it was still not a flattering term, but it could be seen that Ling Muyun's position in his heart had quietly undergone a change.

  "Alright, Seventh Master, take this!" Ling Mu Yun was equally ruthless, his body leaping forward once more as he pounced on Hong Qi Gong's chest with a flashing fist.

  Hong Qigong's palm shot out, a large grabbing hand reaching for Ling Muyun's wrist, intending to counter his move with another. Ling Muyun's arm trembled slightly, and several fist silhouettes appeared, making it difficult to distinguish between reality and illusion in the brief moment. The wind from his fists was fierce and powerful. Unexpectedly, Hong Qigong's palm didn't stop, suddenly thrusting forward, directly grabbing at the small arm behind the fist silhouette. After all, a punch is generated by the arm; as long as he grasped Ling Muyun's arm, his heavy punches would be like a poisonous snake with its seven inches pinched off, unable to stir up trouble again.

  Seeing Hong Qigong's swift and fierce attack, Ling Yun would have been caught before his heavy fist landed if he hadn't immediately withdrawn it. He spun around to Hong Qigong's side, a loud crash of thunder in the air as another punch shot out towards his ribs.

  "Huh?" A hint of surprise flashed in Hong Qigong's eyes, he hadn't expected Ling Muyun's movements to be so agile and swift. However, Hong Qigong was a seasoned veteran of a hundred battles, with extremely fast reflexes, his body floated back several feet, landing precisely behind Ling Muyun's side, his large sleeve fluttering as he struck out with a fist at Ling Muyun's shoulder.

  Ling Muyun only felt a figure flash by, and the heavy punch that had been thrown lost its target. Immediately following, a fierce gust of wind howled from the side, striking with swift ferocity. Wanting to turn around to dodge was already somewhat too late, so he instantly employed his "Horizontal Empty Shift" movement technique, shifting his body sideways several feet through empty space, causing Hong Qigong's punch that had been destined to hit its mark to fall empty...

  Ling Muyun and Hong Qigong fought together, Ling Muyun displaying the 108-style Da Fumo Fist Technique. His fists flew out like thunder, his Jiu Yin Body Technique fully unleashed as he flashed around Hong Qigong with ghostly agility, suddenly appearing in the east, then suddenly in the west. With the Da Fumo Fist, he coordinated his movements, feinting to the left and striking to the right, his techniques precise and powerful, as if a mighty demon had descended upon the mortal world, his aura shocking and awe-inspiring.

  Hong Qigong, however, was indeed one of the Five Greats, facing Ling Yun's fierce offensive with ease and composure. With only one hand, he showed no signs of distress, his large sleeves fluttering as he danced nimbly, unleashing a set of punches that exuded an air of carefree elegance. Despite being a tattered beggar, he gave off an otherworldly aura, leaving Ling Yun's relentless attacks unable to land even half a hit on him, much to his frustration.

  "Good boy, what kind of fist technique is this? Not bad, really not bad, it's a rare good fist!" Hong Qigong exclaimed while fighting.

  Ling Muyun didn't take pride in Hong Qigong's praise at all, instead he became more and more depressed the more they fought. He could feel that Hong Qigong hadn't used his true abilities yet, not only had he suppressed his internal energy to a level similar to Ling Muyun's, but the martial arts he was using wasn't even his strongest, the renowned "Dragon Subduing Palms" which was said to be the most powerful in the world. Instead, it was a elegant and refined martial art, which although exquisite, was still inferior to his own "Great Demon Subduing Fist". However, in Hong Qigong's hands, it somehow managed to unleash an enormous power, leaving Ling Muyun with only superior techniques but unable to pose any real threat to him.

  From this, Ling Muyun truly felt the gap between him and Hong Qigong. This gap was not only in terms of strength, but also in their understanding of martial arts. The same move could be executed with only 70-80% of its original power by Ling Muyun, while Hong Qigong could bring out 120% of its power. It was precisely because of this that Hong Qigong could still handle Ling Muyun's fierce attacks with ease, even when intentionally suppressing his strength, using a fist technique that was clearly inferior to the Great Demon-Subduing Fist in terms of sophistication.

  As he was about to exhaust his entire set of Big Dipper Fist, Ling Mu Yun still couldn't gain the upper hand against Hong Qigong. Feeling extremely stifled, he knew that Hong Qigong's martial arts skills far surpassed his own and didn't harbor any hopes of winning. He merely wished for Hong Qigong to use both hands at least, otherwise wouldn't it be too humiliating for him?

  Ling Mu Yun suddenly retreated several feet, leaving the battlefield, and bowed his fist to Hong Qigong: "Master Hong's martial arts are profound, I admire you deeply. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to show off my skills earlier. Now, I have a set of sword techniques that I'd like to ask you to critique, may I?"

  "Huh?" Hong Qigong raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly, saying: "Alright, kid, show off your skills if you have any. I'm also curious to see what you're really capable of!"

  "Since Seventh Master has said so, I won't be polite anymore. Then please receive my sword, Seventh Master!"

  Ling Muyun let out a long whistle, "Clang" the treasure sword came out of its scabbard, his body shape leaped forward, like a swift wind sweeping to the front of Hong Qigong, the long sword drew out a dazzling cold light and stabbed rapidly towards Hong Qigong.

  His move didn't seem to be a big deal, but Hong Qigong was suddenly shocked. It turned out that Ling Muyun's sword strike was faster than he had anticipated, and in an instant it had reached his front. Immediately afterwards, the sword light flashed before his eyes, and the blade arrived at his chest. Hong Qigong felt a chill run down his spine towards his throat, and even the skin on his neck felt a slight coldness.

  "Good swordsmanship!" Hong Qigong involuntarily cheered, his foot stomping the ground as he retreated sideways to dodge the sword.

  This sword of Ling Mu Yun was like a maggot in the bone, and with a slight change in direction, it continued to chase after Hong Qi Gong without slowing down, always staying within half a foot of his body. It seemed that if Hong Qi Gong's speed slowed down by even a fraction, he would be in danger of having his throat pierced.

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