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Chapter 986 Refining the Intent of Fist and Creating One's Own Fist Technique
More than half a year has passed since the end of the great war.

A lot has happened during this period.

After the Ten Demons of the Southeast suffered a crushing defeat, Cang Yao, despite his injuries, took charge of the work and preserved the title of "Ten Demons of the Southeast".

With the help of the dragon demon, the fear demon and the rabbit demon successfully escaped back, while the cunning demon and the beautiful demon also exhausted their demon-transforming power and successfully escaped from Juding Mountain.

Using these four remaining powerful demons as the base, five more powerful demons were promoted to the third tier.

Under such circumstances, they barely managed to reorganize and maintain their reputation as the "Ten Demons of Southeast China".

However, as everyone knows, the power of the Ten Demons of the Southeast has been greatly weakened. If they were strong and healthy before, they are now all old, weak, sick and disabled.

There used to be two first-tier teams, Cang Yao and Cun Yao, and the rest were second-tier teams, including Tuo Yao, who had the potential to advance. There were very few third-tier teams.

Now, half of the third-tier players are substitutes, and even the previously filler character, Long Yao, has become a veteran member.

The second echelon suffered heavy losses. The Fear Demon and the Rabbit Demon were now extremely wary. The Cunning Demon and the Beautiful Demon did not encounter much danger, but after experiencing the residual power of the Demon Transformation Cauldron at Juding Mountain and hearing about the fate of the Inch Demon and others, they dared not face the Demon Transformation Cauldron directly.

Cang Yao's injuries had not yet healed, and being able to do this was already the limit of her ability.

The severe damage to the top-level combat power has led to a chain reaction in which the middle and lower-level combat power of the Hundred Factions Alliance has launched attacks from all sides, killing monsters everywhere. They are now full of energy and are all thinking about exchanging monster corpses for rewards.

The production of demon essence and demon ore directly transforms demons from natural enemies into prey, changing the previous disadvantage of fighting losing battles and bringing the possibility of using war to sustain war and profiting from upgrades.

With hope in their eyes, the warriors launched even fiercer attacks, and several southeastern states launched a full-scale counterattack, recovering lost territory every day.

From a macro perspective, the southeastern states and the Lihu state form two parallel channels.

One group gathers from all directions to Li Huo Zhou, transporting demon corpses of all sizes. The other group, going in the opposite direction, transports demon essence and ore refined from the demon corpses to various corners of the southeastern states.

The cause of this situation is the Demon Transformation Cauldron of Lihuo Prefecture, the mother cauldron of the prefectural governor's mansion, and the child cauldrons distributed in various prefectures and cities. The pharmacists, with the Demon Transformation Cauldron and child cauldrons, are stationed in various cities, refining demon corpses day and night.

During this period, Zhou Nanwang took control of the 'power' and successively subdued many local forces. As for the cost, the number of Demon Transformation Cauldrons increased from three thousand to five thousand.

Five thousand demon-transforming cauldrons are still far from enough for the Great Gentleman and the Hundred Sects Alliance.

However, the conferment of official seals is a matter of power, and it must not be done on a large scale; it must be carried out step by step.

Zhou Nanwang also did something else: he established the "Calligraphy Guardian Army," ostensibly to invite experts from all sides to guard the mother cauldron of the Demon Transformation Cauldron in the event of a demon attack.

In reality, the Protectorate Army was a channel he established for his trusted confidants to enter the ranks of the elite families and sects, who would then send hostages as a pledge of allegiance.

To have the cauldron inscribed with the seal and transformed into the Demon-Transforming Cauldron, outstanding disciples and direct descendants must be sent to join the Cauldron Guard to serve the governor.

As a result, local powers in various prefectures and cities of Lihuo Prefecture were drawn into the trap, and they all sent their descendants to join them.

Yes, the first leader of the Protectorate Army was none other than Zhou Daqian, the son of the governor.

Everyone knew the purpose of this arrangement: the governor was promoting his successor. Moreover, Zhou Daqian had performed outstandingly in the great battle and had gained the favor of the great gentleman, so he was indeed qualified for the position.

Many scions of prominent families and disciples of powerful sects kept in mind the instructions of their elders and wanted to get close to and befriend the governor's son, but it was difficult to find an opportunity to see 'Zhou Daqian' in person.

As a result, the guards became highly sought after, and each of them received gifts at least hundreds of times.

So, what has Zhou You been doing during this time?

"The Phoenix Infant Devours the Dragon Technique!"

Zhou You practiced his skills in the secret chamber, digesting the gains from absorbing the alligator demon and the monstrous demon. His cultivation level was now stable at the mid-stage of the ninth level of the Strong Martial Realm, only one step away from the peak of the Strong Martial Realm. Having eaten too much and felt too full, he needed to practice his accompanying fist techniques.

His skill level has improved, but his fist, palm, and weapon skills are still far behind.

Since the formidable enemy is a demon, Tiger Fist is out of the question, and Flying Bird Fist must be used with caution.

Zhou You had few choices: the lingering intent and spirit of the Black Cloud Spear, the Zhenbei Halberd, and the Tiannan Divine Sword, as well as the Thirteen Forms of the Primordial Martial Saint and the invincible state of mind of the Myriad Manifestations Martial Saint.

How can these elements be integrated to form Zhou You's own unique fighting style?

Hard!

The Ruyi Double Perfection is a martial art that Zhou You combined and integrated with Tiger Fist and Flying Bird Fist. Essentially, it is an interface. Now that the interface is to be transformed into the main body, the design ideas and workload involved are enormous.

The "Great Nine Heavens Military Dissolution Holy Method" that I had previously seen was derived from the military combat course.

The Formless Bronze King, containing a large handful of Calamity Crystal Cores, was spinning so hard that smoke was billowing from its head, yet it still had no clue what to do.

This incident taught Zhou You that in martial arts, focus is paramount and avoiding complexity; engaging in too many things will only lead to defeat and death.

To reach an even higher level, the two perfections of Ruyi must find a stable core.

"Strengthening the body with martial arts, and honing the intent and mind of the fist, so the future goal is the intent. To what extent must the intent be refined to be integrated into the fist skill and form the intent and mind of the fist?"

Zhou You racked his brains. He had no shortage of materials. As the heir of the Western Branch of the Zhou Clan and now the son of the governor of Li Huo Prefecture, he had plenty of martial arts manuals at his fingertips.

Many of them are even ancient artifacts, said to be the calligraphy and paintings left behind by the Martial Saint and the Heavenly Sect.

Of course, you have to verify the authenticity yourself; no one can guarantee that it will definitely be useful.

Zhou You was proficient in seal script and skilled in seal carving. Starting with his notes and seals, he eliminated many forgeries and works attributed to him, and acquired the most precious texts.

Zhou Nanwang saw the difficulties he was facing and specially gave Zhou You his family's heirloom "The Complete Collection of Hundred Battles" and his own creation "The Great Conquest and Robbery Technique" for reference.

His adoptive father treated him exceptionally well, valuing and caring for him even more than his own son.

Suddenly one day...

A flash of inspiration struck Zhou You: the martial arts of his ancestors were inspired by military strategy, using chess pieces to represent the battlefield and pawns, and the intent and spirit of the fist encompassed the universe and all living things.

Ultimately, the changes and conflicts are... a complex situation brought about by contradictions and conflicts.

What is a contradiction? Offense and defense, the confrontation between two completely different forces.

Using this as a starting point, the clues picked up and connected can be perfectly aligned with the concept of the "Two Perfections of Ruyi". The two perfections represent opposing yet unified positions that can blend and collide, each shining brightly.

Its core was thus established, leading to a clash of contradictions.

Zhou Nanwang's boxing skills use heaven and earth as a chessboard and all things as chess pieces, entering the game with his own body and winning half a move against heaven.

Although Zhou You greatly admired it, he did not intend to copy it. His idea was that "heaven and earth are the stage, and all living beings are the play," and everything that happened was driven by contradictions.

Even if the actors make a grand entrance and their performance is absurd, as long as the logic of plot development is grasped, the development can be driven by conflict.

(End of this chapter)