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

After saying that, Chen Zhan stopped, stood with his hands behind his back, and deliberately gave Lu Shouyi time to get into position.

I can kill you in ten moves.

Lu Shouyi was stunned for a moment upon hearing those four words.

He lived for sixty years and traveled to most parts of China, and no one had ever dared to say such a thing in front of him.

In the twenty years since he attained the Divine Realm, he has never encountered a single person in the world who could exchange more than ten blows with him.

Chen Zhan was too arrogant, completely disregarding him, the chosen one. The anger that had been suppressed in his chest for too long suddenly surged up with a "boom".

He looked up and laughed loudly: "Good! You better be able to kill me in ten moves."

Before the laughter subsided, his figure changed.

Extend your arms out to the sides and slowly lower yourself down.

With knees bent and hips slumped, the back was not straightened but rather tucked in, the neck was retracted, the shoulders drooped, and the two arms were spread out flat, with the ten fingers neither open nor closed, neither claws nor claws.

Its upper body is like a tortoise, sinking, shrinking, and hiding, with its back arched into a circle, as if carrying a mountain.

But the spine came back to life, loosening segment by segment, as loose as a cold snake lurking in the grass. From the coccyx to the vertebral column, each vertebra was wriggling slightly, as if an invisible worm lived inside.

An old tree with gnarled roots, possessed by a tortoise and a snake.

Her demeanor has changed drastically.

Just a moment ago he was a schoolteacher in an old cotton robe, but once he entered the stance, he seemed to have transformed into a completely different person.

Standing in the moonlight, it became an old creature of indeterminate age, bearing a mountain-like weight, yet exuding a cold, water-like suppleness.

The tortoise and snake symbolize the Black Tortoise of the North.

The tortoise guards.

Bearing a thousand years of burdens, with its head tucked in and tail hidden, its back armor as thick as a mountain, it remains unmoved no matter how powerful the thunder and lightning may be.

The snake transforms.

The spine is like a coiled rope, flexible and boneless. No matter how much force you exert, I will guide it through countless bends until it vanishes into nothingness.

One guards, one transforms, all combined into one.

It is said that this is the oldest defensive stance in the Wudang lineage, existing even before Grandmaster Zhang Sanfeng established Tai Chi Chuan.

Wudang has been established for hundreds of years, and its internal martial arts techniques are vast and numerous, but most of them are evolved by later generations based on the Tai Chi Chuan of Grandmaster Zhang Sanfeng.

This one is the only one that predates Tai Chi and the founding of Wudang Mountain. Legend has it that it originated from an unknown Taoist priest during the Song and Yuan dynasties. It uses stillness to control movement and softness to overcome hardness, making it a true ancient martial art.

What made Chen Zhan squint even more was another change.

As Lu Shouyi sank into this situation, his blood and qi, his breath, and even the bit of sharpness that had just been forced out all receded inward.

It was collected cleanly and without a sound.

Tortoise breathing.

Taoism has a technique called "turtle breathing," which, according to legend, can reduce the heart rate to once per breath when practiced to its highest level, making breathing so subtle that it almost stops, and the whole person becomes like a lifeless shell.

Lu Shouyi combined this technique with the Turtle-Snake Stance, entering the stance and simultaneously breathing like a turtle, concealing his true and false nature, weaknesses, and even that sliver of hope within his turtle-snake body.

From the outside, it looked like an old man with a hunched back squatting there, with no sign of life.

"The ancient tortoise and snake stump".

Chen Zhan recognized it. Back then, when he traveled all over the world to study martial arts, Wudang's techniques were the one he most wanted to collect.

However, Wudang has always kept its secrets and its transmission is extremely strict, making it very difficult for outsiders to obtain it. He had seen some superficial aspects of Wudang boxing, but he had never personally witnessed this level of secret stance training.

"You've managed to get your hands on all the martial arts secrets; you truly have extraordinary abilities," Chen Zhan said with a smile.

Lu Shouyi didn't respond; once he got into this situation, he stopped talking.

The tortoise does not speak, the snake does not utter a sound.

When you speak, you must control your breath; if you do, you'll reveal your weakness.

Chen Zhan's illusory perception swept over, and for the first time, it slipped away from a living person.

It's slippery and feels like you can't hold it.

Under the tortoise-like breath, Lu Shouyi's vital energy, heartbeat, and physical condition, along with that last glimmer of hope, all shrank into that "shell".

Perceptually, it feels like pressing your palm against a smooth pebble on the seabed, without any sharp edges or corners, and there's nowhere to grip it.

"That's interesting."

The martial arts techniques of Wudang are indeed extraordinary. He wanted to collect them back then, but they kept them a secret, so it was not easy to take them by force.

Lu Shouyi lacked such integrity; the fact that Yiguandao's network could gather such high-level secret teachings suggests he used some unknown methods.

But none of that matters right now.

Chen Zhan, too lazy to investigate further, took a step forward.

The giant spirit took a step.

With a body over two meters tall, it took a single step, causing the pebbles on the hilltop to jump in unison. When it landed, the entire hilltop shook, as if someone had swung a hammer at the bottom of the island.

There are no special moves.

It's just a punch, thrown straight at you from the front, without even a proper stance.

But halfway through the punch, the air in front of the fist exploded first.

With a muffled thud, the shockwave scraped along the ground, plowing out a fan-shaped pattern of dust under the moonlight.

Before the fist even arrived, the gravel in front of Lu Shouyi was already being shaken to the sides by the force of the punch.

Lu Shouyi did not dodge.

Once you enter the Great Tortoise and Snake Stance, hiding means certain death.

The key to this situation lies in the word "guard." Once you move, the defense collapses, the breath ceases, and all the hidden weaknesses are exposed in an instant.

You can only accept it.

He arched his back to its limit, his entire back arching into a rounded arc, his arms coiled in front of his chest, forearms overlapping, palms facing inward, fingertips resting on the opposite elbows—a tortoise shell fist.

A fist slammed into his forearm.

hum!
The sound wasn't like a fist hitting flesh, but like a hammer striking a bronze bell—dull, long, and resonant, making the remaining cement fragments on the bunker ruins vibrate with a buzzing sound.

The force entered Lu Shouyi's body.

The snake-like spine came into play, twisting segment by segment, from top to bottom, from the cervical vertebrae to the thoracic vertebrae to the lumbar vertebrae to the sacrum. Each vertebra was rotating slightly, carrying away the mountain-like force layer by layer.

From the waist to the hips, from the hips to the legs, and from the soles of the feet, it flows into the island.

"Snap—"

The bluestone beneath their feet had cracked, and the cracks spread outwards like a spider web, extending for more than ten feet. The rock surface at the top of the low hill was covered with fine cracks.

Lu Shouyi slid three feet backward, his legs carving two deep furrows in the gravel, turning up the soil at the bottom of the furrows.

The stake didn't break.

I managed to catch it.

But his arms, which were crossed over his chest, were trembling, and his bones were making a buzzing sound. The tiger's mouth of his hands was cracked, and blood dripped down his fingers onto the gravel.

He had never encountered such a powerful punch in his life.

He was not human; he was like a giant god descended to earth.

In the distance, Chen Zuyan was thrown off her feet by the blast wave. She climbed up from behind a rock, her ears ringing, and she couldn't hear the sound of the tide for a long time.

His uniform was covered in dust, his hat had flown off somewhere, his hair was disheveled, and he was crouching behind a rock, only daring to peek out with half his head sticking out.

Chen Zhan was enormous, but incredibly agile.

Like a shadow, the front foot had barely landed before the back foot followed, pouncing like a hungry tiger, and smashing a punch down on Lu Shouyi's tortoise-snake stance.

The goal is to break his stance directly!

It wasn't attacked from the side; it was attacked head-on, squarely and honestly.

Overcome skill with force.

The force flowed into the point where the fist and palm met, and Lu Shouyi's serpentine spine twisted and coiled desperately, guiding the power to the soles of his feet.

With a "crack," the rock beneath his feet crumbled into powder, sending debris flying. His legs sank half a foot into the rubble, his knees and below completely buried in the rubble and dust. Lu Shouyi's tortoise-snake stance was indeed exquisite.

They caught the first move, and they caught the second move as well.

The method of dissipating force was brought to its extreme. The force of each punch was guided to the soles of the feet by the serpentine spine the moment it entered the body. Although it seemed to cause great damage to the feet, it reduced the burden on the body to a minimum.

But the cost was accumulating; the bones in his arms were buzzing, his shoulder joints were aching from the vibrations, and the feeling of his knees being buried in rubble was getting heavier and heavier.

The energy release channel of the Tortoise-Snake Stance has a capacity limit; with each punch received, the load on the channel increases.

The two punches were almost at their limit.

"Interesting, interesting, two moves already."

Chen Zhan's voice came from above, tinged with laughter.

He took a step up and stood directly above Lu Shouyi, who was already stuck in the rubble pit. Lu Shouyi was a bit lower than Chen Zhan and was in a position to be attacked from above.

He swung his arm up.

When he swung his arm, Lu Shouyi saw three different forces combined together.

The Bagua's millstone-like force, with the arms drawing arcs and carrying a rotating force, is like a millstone turning.

The horizontal strike of Bajiquan originates from the waist and hips and explodes horizontally, traveling in the shortest straight line.

The Xingyi Pi Quan (劈拳) strikes downwards, its force descending from the sky, its momentum like splitting a mountain.

The three forces are combined in one arm, rotating, striking horizontally, and chopping down, all in one.

Incomplete.

Mount Buzhou collapsed, and the pillar of heaven broke.

To Lu Shouyi, this smash was like the sky falling and the earth cracking.

Before the arm could even reach his head, a strong gust of wind pressed down, causing his tortoise-snake stance to shrink down another inch.

The loose soil in the gravel pit was blown about by the wind pressure, and his old cotton robe was pressed tightly against his body.

But there's no escaping it.

There's no way to hide.

The speed is too fast. The Turtle-Snake Stance is a purely static stance, and there is simply no time to finish the stance and leave.

Entering into this deal is a gamble; you're betting that the other side can't break through, and that you can withstand it.

The only option is to take it head-on.

"drink!"

This was the first time Lu Shouyi had spoken since entering the stance. His loud shout interrupted his breathing, but he couldn't care less at that moment.

He suddenly changed the position of his arms from the coiled position in front of his chest, raised them upwards, and crossed them above his head!

They could stop the sky from tilting, raise the pillars of heaven, and set fire to the sky.

This is the last defensive move in the Tortoise and Snake Stance, and it should only be used in dire situations, because once the arms are raised above the head, the chest and abdomen are completely exposed, leaving no room for a second parry.

"boom!"

One arm slams down on both arms.

Lu Shouyi had retreated too far before, and behind him was the edge of a low hill, with a pool of seawater below the reef.

The force of the impact traveled through his arms, through his serpentine spine, and into the rocks from the soles of his feet. The rocks shattered, and seawater surged up from the cracks, propelled skyward by the aftershocks of the force.

Countless water jets exploded, creating a dazzling white spectacle under the moonlight, drenching the three people completely.

After the water curtain fell, Lu Shouyi was still standing.

His arms were held upright, raised above his head. The sleeves of his forearms were torn into strips, revealing the skin underneath, which was bluish-purple. In several places, the capillaries under the skin had ruptured, oozing dark red blood spots.

My arm is trembling slightly.

His gaze was fixed on Chen Zhan, the bloodshot veins in his eyes brighter than the moonlight.

Then, first from the nostrils, two dark red lines of blood slowly flowed down, and blood beads seeped from both the left and right ears at the same time.

Then blood flowed from the corners of his mouth, eyes, and all seven orifices.

Lu Shouyi's arms were trembling, and his legs were shaking in the rubble pit. His body was pushed to its limit at this moment.

Bleeding from all seven orifices actually became a way to relieve stress.

The pent-up impact was released through the blood from the seven orifices, without actually damaging the internal organs.

The body of the immortal was in excellent condition, and the resilience of his tendons, bones and meridians far exceeded that of ordinary people. Although these three punches were fierce, they only caused shock and did not cause any substantial damage to his internal organs.

He took all three punches.

But Lu Shouyi's mentality collapsed.

Because this is only the third move. There are still seven moves to go.

His tortoise-snake stance had reached its limit; the capacity of his energy release channels was exhausted; the rocks beneath his feet had all shattered; and a buzzing sound emanated from the gaps in his arm bones.

One more punch and the stake will crumble. Once the stake crumbles, he'll be like a turtle without a shell, completely at the mercy of others.

Let alone seven moves, he would have his internal organs ruptured in two punches at most.

Chen Zhan lightly leaped in front of him, his tall figure casting a huge shadow under the moonlight, enveloping Lu Shouyi's entire body.

He raised his palm, palm down, and pressed it onto Lu Shouyi's crown.

Lu Shouyi shouted, "Stop!"

Chen Zhan really stopped.

The palm stopped a foot above Lu Shouyi's head, and the strong wind blew Lu Shouyi's hair to the sides, revealing the skin on his head.

He withdrew his hand, took a step back, and stood quietly to the side.

"Did the Dao Lord have any last words?"

Lu Shouyi slowly lowered his arms from above his head. Once his arms were completely down, he stood up straight in the rubble pit, moved his shoulder joints, and both shoulders made cracking sounds.

He shook his hands and reluctantly put them behind his back. "President Chen's achievements are unparalleled. Shouyi admits defeat."

The sound wasn't loud, but Chen Zuyan, who was dozens of feet away, could hear it clearly.

He stared blankly at Lu Shouyi, frozen behind the rock.

So you're admitting defeat already?
What did I just say?

"You are the best opponent I can find."

Wasn't the point to see if there was still a road ahead? Wasn't the point to push that boundary in a life-or-death struggle?

Aren't you looking for answers?
He gave up after only taking three punches?
From the moment the two met until the fight began, Lu Shouyi controlled the pace of the entire process. He controlled the pace while chatting, while analyzing the situation, and even when he uttered the words "divine connection," he carried a sense of transcendence, as if he were the only one.

Where did that otherworldly air go? Where did that celestial being descend to earth go?
In terms of age and seniority, Chen Zhan was a junior to him.

Then the change happened so quickly that Chen Zuyan couldn't accept it at all.

But Lu Shouyi didn't care at all; in his opinion, shame was nothing.

Winning or losing is not worth mentioning.

He was not a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person of the martial arts world), and he didn't care about martial arts rankings or the hierarchy of sects. What he sought was longevity, long life, and the unseen path after achieving divine status.

Temporary gains or losses are insignificant compared to this goal.

"Chairman, all these secret records, including 'The Great Tortoise and Snake Stance,' 'The Origin of Lingbao,' 'The Secret of Wudang Tai Chi Alchemy,' 'The Yin Talisman Spear,' 'The Thirteen Postures of Practice,' 'The Twenty-Four Principles of the Rootless Tree,' and 'Direct Pointing to the Golden Elixir,' are in my hands."

Lu Shouyi rattled off seven names in one breath, each of which was a top-tier secret technique that was almost impossible to find in the martial arts world.

These items represent the culmination of decades of painstaking research. He acquired them one by one from the archives of various sects, from the caves of hermits, and from the relics of the dead through the Yiguandao network.

Any one of these books, if taken out, would drive the entire martial arts world crazy.

Now we're using it all as leverage.

"President, if we work together to comprehend the profound mysteries of the Great Dao and uncover the secrets of immortality, it will be just around the corner. What's the point of fighting and killing each other then?"

Lu Shouyi's transformation was astonishingly smooth. (End of Chapter)