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

Wang Wu and Cheng Tinghua exchanged a glance, and without hesitation, they climbed over the wall one after the other and chased after him.

Both of them moved extremely fast.

Wang Wu's footwork is based on Northern Leg techniques, characterized by long, powerful strides and firm, solid footwork. Each step carries a deep, forceful energy, making it suitable for straight-line pursuit.

Cheng Tinghua's footwork is the You Shen Bu of Baguazhang, with quick and swift steps, a elusive figure, and he walks close to the walls and eaves, his movements unpredictable, making it impossible for ordinary people to even judge his direction.

The two of them, one walking on the ground and the other on the rooftops, followed Chen Zhan's figure from the left and right, passing through one street and alley after another.

Chen Zhan wasn't fast, at least within his capabilities he was considered slow, but this "slow" was relative to the Core Formation Realm; for an ordinary martial artist, it was already extremely fast.

He deliberately controlled his speed, keeping Wang Wu and Cheng Tinghua at a distance of thirty or forty feet behind him, neither too close nor too far, close enough to catch up but not too far.

Chen Zhan ran all the way from Shunyuan Escort Agency to the city gate, but the city gate was already closed. Instead of going through the city gate, he tapped his toes three times on the cracks in the city wall, leaped up the more than three-zhang-high city wall, flipped over, and landed outside the city.

Wang Wu and Cheng Tinghua also flipped over one after the other.

Once outside the city, there was a wide-open countryside. Moonlight spread across the fields, and in the distance, there was a dark grove of trees.

Chen Zhan ran towards the woods, pursued closely by two men. They chased him from inside the city to outside, covering a distance of forty or fifty miles.

Forty or fifty miles was nothing to Chen Zhan, and even Cheng Tinghua, who was at the peak of the Transformation Realm, could manage it. Wang Wu, who was at the Embracing Core Realm, had even more to do with his stamina.

But after chasing for so long without catching up, they both understood what was going on.

The person in front of them is deliberately leading them around.

At the edge of the woods, Chen Zhan stopped.

Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the treetops, dappling the fallen leaves. The forest was quiet, without even the chirping of insects.

He turned around and looked at the two figures chasing after him from a distance.

Wang Wu arrived first, his steps uninterrupted, a single sword held horizontally in front of his chest, his eyes warily fixed on Chen Zhan.

Cheng Tinghua followed closely behind, his Bagua double swords held at his sides. Surprisingly, his glasses were still on his nose, no one knew how they were held in place, or perhaps he was just used to it, so running fast didn't affect him.

The three stood facing each other at the edge of the woods, about ten feet apart.

Chen Zhan deliberately lowered his voice, making it hoarse and deep, completely different from his voice during the day: "Big Knife Wang Wu."

His gaze shifted to Cheng Tinghua: "And this is?"

Cheng Tinghua held his twin swords in front of him, his tone indifferent: "Gossip Cheng Tinghua."

Chen Zhan nodded, his smile widening. "The two from Shunyuan Escort Agency are the best in martial arts? They don't seem so special after all."

Cheng Tinghua's eyebrows shot up, and his eyes behind his glasses widened in surprise.

He was not a good-tempered person; he was known for his volatile temper in the martial arts world of the capital. He said what he meant and didn't tolerate anyone.

Moreover, the other party broke into the escort agency in the middle of the night, acting like a petty thief. After being discovered, they turned and ran away, and even after running forty or fifty miles, they were still stubborn. This kind of behavior is not just provocation, it's courting death.

"A coward who hides his true colors dares to claim courage?"

Cheng Tinghua raised his hand, pushed up his glasses, and twirled his twin swords at his sides, the blades gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

"Let's see if the sword is good or not!"

He moved as soon as he finished speaking.

He used Bagua Palm and Bagua Saber, and his footwork was the You Shen Bu of Bagua Palm. His figure was elusive, and his steps were quick and swift. He circled Chen Zhan halfway around, and then attacked with both sabers at the same time.

The left-handed sword slashed horizontally from the outside in, following the pattern of a waist cut, the blade sweeping past Chen Zhan's waist and abdomen.

With his right hand, he slashed down with the knife, following the path of splitting a mountain, the blade aimed straight for Chen Zhan's shoulder and neck.

With a horizontal and a vertical attack launched simultaneously from above and below, similar to Zhang Dianhua's cross-shaped cannon, it blocked most of the space in front of Chen Zhan.

But a knife is more ruthless than a fist. The blade, with its cold glint and sharp whistling sound, cuts through the air and leaves a bloody gash, unlike a fist which can withstand the blows.

Chen Zhan was unarmed and had no weapons.

He lowered his body slightly, leaned back, and the horizontal slashing knife in his left hand swept across his chest, the blade grazing his clothes and cutting a few strands of fabric.

As the right-hand cleaver came down, he had already slipped out of the blade's reach. His Bagua Palm footwork was incredibly fast, and he circled around to Cheng Tinghua's side and rear.

Cheng Tinghua reacted extremely quickly. With a twist of his waist, he withdrew his two swords from the front and swung them behind him. The swung sword of the Bagua Sword followed an arc, with the blade pointing upwards from the bottom, specifically designed to deal with opponents who circled around behind him.

Chen Zhan sidestepped the slashing knife, then reached out with his right hand, pinching the back of Cheng Tinghua's knife between two fingers.

It clamped down so gently.

Cheng Tinghua tried to pull it out, but couldn't.

He paused for a moment, then exerted force with his right arm, channeling his energy into the blade, trying to twist the knife out from between Chen Zhan's fingers.

Chen Zhan's two fingers remained firmly planted on the back of the knife, as if they were embedded in iron clamps. No matter how Cheng Tinghua twisted or pulled, it was useless; the blade didn't even tremble.

Bare-handed, with a white blade between two fingers.

Cheng Tinghua's expression changed.

He released his right-hand knife, and his left-hand knife suddenly slashed from the side, aiming straight for Chen Zhan's hand that was holding the knife, trying to force him to let go.

Chen Zhan loosened his grip, and the knife in his right hand clattered to the ground. At the same time, he took a step back, avoiding the slash from his left hand.

Cheng Tinghua bent down to pick up the knife from the ground, and with both knives in his hands again, the anger on his face lessened and replaced by a more solemn expression.

He had only ever seen this skill of holding a blade between two fingers on his master, Dong Haichuan.

He adjusted his strategy, no longer launching a fierce attack, but instead using the swirling steps of Baguazhang to circle around Chen Zhan, his two swords alternating between front and back, left and right, with varied and unpredictable sword techniques, embodying the essence of Cheng-style Baguazhang.

It is graceful and expansive, stretching endlessly.

With his hands free, Chen Zhan dodged left and right amidst Cheng Tinghua's double-blade attack. His Bagua Palm technique was extremely agile, with the blades repeatedly grazing his sides, head, and waist, each time missing by only half an inch and never touching his skin.

Occasionally, he would reach out and flick the blade, changing its direction, or tap the back of the blade with the heel of his palm, making Cheng Tinghua's hand go numb. But he never took the initiative to attack; he only defended and maneuvered.

Twenty moves.

Thirty moves.

Forty moves.

Cheng Tinghua's breathing gradually became heavier. He had made more than forty moves, each one with all his might. His opponent neither blocked nor parried, nor retaliated, but simply dodged and circled around. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't land a hit.

This feeling is more infuriating than being defeated.

After fifty moves, Chen Zhan began to fight back.

His right hand shot out, employing the single palm change technique of Baguazhang, the palm tip slipping through the gap between Cheng Tinghua's double swords and striking his right wrist. The force was not heavy, but precise, striking exactly at the wrist joint.

Cheng Tinghua's right hand went numb, his grip on the knife loosened for a moment, and the hilt slipped from his hand, almost causing him to drop the knife.

He gritted his teeth and gripped the knife hilt tightly, slashing at Chen Zhan's arm with his left hand, but Chen Zhan had already withdrawn his hand.

Immediately afterwards, Chen Zhan's left hand reached out again, switching palms and thrusting in from another angle, this time striking Cheng Tinghua's left elbow.

Cheng Tinghua's left arm went numb, his sword strike faltered, and the continuity of his attack was broken.

Chen Zhan slapped Cheng Tinghua's arm joints three times in a row. The force was not great and did not injure his bones, but each slap was frighteningly precise.

After filming, Cheng Tinghua's arms were sore and numb, and his knife skills had decreased by 20-30%.

After a dozen or so moves, Cheng Tinghua's twin swords became slower and slower, while Chen Zhan's palm techniques became faster and faster. Eventually, Chen Zhan no longer needed to dodge. He stood still, his hands moving freely through Cheng Tinghua's sword techniques, his palms striking Cheng Tinghua's wrists, elbows, and shoulders one after another, each palm strike perfectly disrupting Cheng Tinghua's power structure.

He fought bare-handed against two swords and gained the upper hand.

And it wasn't just an advantage, it was a complete rout.

Wang Wu, who had been watching from beginning to end, never made a move. He held his single blade horizontally in front of his chest, his expression shifting from initial vigilance to solemnity, and then from solemnity to deep thought.

He couldn't recognize Chen Zhan; his disguised face was completely different from his original one.

But this person's Baguazhang skills are truly exceptional.

Cheng Tinghua's Bagua Double Swords were renowned for their prowess in the capital. When Dong Haichuan was alive, he praised his swordsmanship as "having received the true teachings of Bagua." Over the years, he had sparred with Guo Yunshen countless times, refining his swordsmanship to perfection. Ordinary masters of the Transformation Realm could not withstand more than twenty moves from his double swords.

Facing his senior brother Yin Fu, Cheng Tinghua, with a knife in hand, would almost certainly win more often than he would lose.

But the person in front of him, unarmed, made Cheng Tinghua increasingly passive.

Which master in the capital has such skill? One of the Four Great Masters of the Capital?

Could this be Ao Bai, the one in the Prince's mansion known as "Divine Hand"?

Seeing that Cheng Tinghua was about to lose, Wang Wu could no longer hold back.

He brandished his broadsword, the blade tracing a cold, white arc in the moonlight. He stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Brother Cheng, step back."

He didn't want to gang up on the other side with Cheng Tinghua.

He and Cheng Tinghua were both grandmasters, founders of their own schools. It would be a loss of face for the two of them to team up against one, and it wouldn't sound good if word got out.

Cheng Tinghua naturally understood. He stepped out with his Bagua steps towards the Dui trigram, his body slicing to the side, taking a step out of the battle circle, and at the same time clearing the space in front, leaving a path for Wang Wu to cut in.

His calculations were excellent; his retreat was swift and precise. The Dui trigram belongs to metal and represents the west. His diagonal retreat to the northwest not only freed him from Chen Zhan's attack range but also allowed him to provide flanking support. It was the most standard positional shifting technique in the Bagua footwork.

But he didn't expect that Chen Zhan had already seen through his thoughts.

As soon as Cheng Tinghua took a step forward, Chen Zhan followed, stepping towards the Dui trigram and getting close to him. Their movements were almost synchronized, and the distance between them remained within an arm's length.

Fist becomes palm.

Cheng Tinghua's twin swords were still held in front of his chest when Chen Zhan's palm was already pressed against the blade of his right-hand Bagua sword.

It's not patting, it's not hitting, it's pressing.

With his palm pressed against the blade, internal energy surged from his palm and traveled down the steel blade, causing the entire blade to tremble violently at an extremely high frequency, emitting a buzzing sound.

The force traveled along the blade to the hilt, and then from the hilt to Cheng Tinghua's palm, wrist, and forearm.

Cheng Tinghua's arms jolted violently, and he was propelled backward by the force transmitted from him. His feet left the ground, and he flew back five or six steps, leaving two long tracks on the fallen leaves.

After he regained his footing, a surge of emotion welled up in his chest, and he coughed several times, his face turning pale.

No injuries.

He knew in his heart that he had reduced most of the force of that palm strike on the knife. If he hadn't, that force would have flowed into his body through the knife, shattering his internal organs and meridians.

They showed mercy.

As Cheng Tinghua withdrew from the battle, Wang Wu's knife arrived.

The single blade slashed horizontally, its force heavy and fierce, accompanied by a whistling sound, coming from Chen Zhan's side, precisely at the opening created by Chen Zhan pushing Cheng Tinghua away with his palm.

Chen Zhan turned slightly, and with the momentum of pushing Cheng Tinghua away, he twisted his waist and hips, spinning half a circle in place. Wang Wu's blade grazed half an inch from his chest, severing several strands of fabric fibers.

The two passed each other.

Wang Wu sheathed his sword and stood still, glancing at Cheng Tinghua, who was still coughing in the distance, and then at Chen Zhan, who was slowly turning around in front of him.

He thrust the long sword in his hand into the ground, the blade sinking three inches into the soil, the hilt pointing upwards, swaying slightly.

unarmed.

He could also see that Chen Zhan had held back against Cheng Tinghua. Since the other party wasn't using weapons, he didn't want to take advantage of him with sharp weapons.

Chen Zhan watched him plant the knife in the ground and nodded slightly.

Without exchanging any unnecessary words, the two moved almost simultaneously.

Wang Wu's boxing style is completely different from Cheng Tinghua's.

Cheng Tinghua's style is characterized by the agility and versatility of Baguazhang, with his swordsmanship as fluid as water and his movements as swift as the wind.

Wang Wu is walking his own path.

He was involved in both internal and external martial arts in his early years. As a teenager, he learned Tan Tui and Cha Quan. In his youth, he studied Xingyi and Bagua under several famous masters. He mastered his skills in his thirties and then stopped being confined to any particular school, forging his own path in martial arts.

This path has no name and does not belong to any particular school. It is something that Wang Zhengyi honed through decades of practical experience, integrating the strengths of various schools, discarding the dross and retaining the essence.

His punches have the power and ferocity of Xingyi, his footwork has the agility of Bagua, and his body movements have the suppleness of Taiji, but they are not entirely the same. Every move he makes carries his own unique flavor.

The first punch was aimed straight at Chen Zhan's center. The punching style was based on Xingyi Bengquan, but the way the power was generated was mixed with the springy and shaking force of the spring leg. The angle of the fist's rotation was also different from the standard Bengquan, being larger and faster. The effect of the punch was somewhere between Bengquan and Paoquan.

Chen Zhan met the attack with his right palm, the heel of his palm against the fist, and with a muffled "thud," both men took a step back.

A draw.

With his second punch, Wang Wu changed his approach, taking a half-step around the body and shifting his stance from the front to the side. His right fist transformed into a palm, and the palm blade slashed across Chen Zhan's ribs from the side. The technique was swift and skillful, carrying a touch of the turning energy of Baguazhang.

Chen Zhan stepped aside, then reached up from below with his left hand and grabbed Wang Wu's wrist, twisting it in an attempt to reverse the joint.

Wang Wu didn't struggle. Instead, he flipped his wrist in the direction Chen Zhan twisted, using the force to deflect the attack. His entire arm slipped out of Chen Zhan's control like an eel. At the same time, his left fist came from the other side, the fist aimed straight at Chen Zhan's temple.

Chen Zhan released his grip, tilted his head back to avoid the punch, took a half step forward with his right foot, and thrust his shoulder forward.

The Eight Extremes' Mountain-Pulling Strike. (End of Chapter)