Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

Zhang Renfeng remained silent for a long while before finally sighing resignedly. Grabbing those hands was tantamount to admitting that he was currently a "patient" who needed care—he needed help even to get out of a simple bathtub, yet he wanted to fight Lu Aniu again? Wasn't that a joke?

Thinking about this, he felt somewhat disheartened, and his eyes dimmed.

----

"...Sword energy?" The wolf looked somewhat surprised.

"Based on your description, that's the case." Qasim rewrapped Zhang Renfeng's wounds with bandages and said in a deep voice, "Otherwise, given his physique, wounds from ordinary swords and knives should have healed long ago, right?"

Zhang Renfeng lay on the bed that had been made for him, staring blankly at the ceiling of the small wooden house, barely blinking. It was as if the ceiling would collapse on him if he closed his eyes.

Since Lu Aniu drew his sword, he had been left with dozens of wounds, large and small, most of which had already healed. Even the 999 extremely unrestrained moves of "Inverted Well" and the "Insect Chirping" attack that combined feints and real strikes to target his four corners had mostly faded away, leaving only a light-colored bloodstain, which did not require much treatment.

Only the horrific wound caused by that sword strike, "Falling Leaf," remains on his body. It was first thrown into the mouth of some enormous monster, which then bit him hard.

"The opponent's swordsmanship must have reached a state of perfection, a level of mastery that is extremely high. Otherwise, even ordinary sword energy..."

Qasim reached out and pressed on Zhang Renfeng's shoulder and neck, which were as hard as armor. "You can't cut into this body. To be honest, I've lived for so long, but I've never seen such a powerful body many times."

"His body never relaxed, always in a state of readiness for battle. His muscles were taut, like a solid rock, so that even sword energy could not penetrate it."

"When I was taking a shower, my body relaxed unconsciously, which allowed the sword energy to penetrate deeper into my body, causing even greater internal injuries."

"What can we do then?" Wolf's tone was filled with worry. "Will Senior Brother's injury never heal?"

“It will take time,” Qasim said in a deep voice. “Rest and recuperate, and you will get better slowly.”

"No matter how high the cultivation level of the person who unleashed this sword strike, human strength has its limits. Once the destructive power of the sword energy is exhausted, the body will begin to heal itself. During this period, avoid doing too much high-intensity training to prevent the wound from tearing open again."

……

There's a common saying: "I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice, and I've crossed more bridges than you've walked roads."

Qasim may not have had much experience with salt, but he's quite knowledgeable about crossing bridges. Zhang Renfeng hasn't fought him either, so he's unsure of his exact swordsmanship level, but given his long lifespan, he's probably not too bad.

That's why Zhang Renfeng's expression became even more resentful after hearing his "absolutely correct" advice.

“Time again…” He bit his lip, stiffened his neck, and looked at the dilapidated ceiling. “But right now… what I lack most is time.”

“Be content,” Qasim said in a deep voice. “If it weren’t you, any one of your team members, even this little girl, would have taken that sword strike…”

"It was already split vertically in two long ago."

……

Zhang Renfeng sighed somewhat unwillingly and closed his eyes.

Chapter 836: Anchor Point for the Future

"drink!"

"what!"

……

As dawn broke, Wolf faintly heard familiar voices. For a moment, she thought she was still living with her fellow disciples. Every morning, just as the sky began to lighten, Zhang Renfeng and Zhu Kuilong would start their morning exercises. Wolf had lived and eaten with them for a time and was already used to this rhythm of life.

But soon she realized where she was, and with a start, she jumped out of bed.

Looking at Zhang Renfeng's bed again, it was indeed empty.

"Oh my god, senior brother..." Wolf didn't bother to tidy up anymore. He hurriedly washed up, wiped his face, and rushed out of the room. "What are you doing now?!"

----

Bathed in the crisp morning light, Zhang Renfeng removed his heavy outer garments. Bandages were wrapped around his shoulders and neck, covering his wounds. He was practicing his footwork, his jaw clenched, his fists and feet striking out.

His hands, eyes, body, techniques, and steps were all perfectly coordinated, making his performance bold and unrestrained. Every move he made was full of vigor. Coupled with his shouts, although they were not as powerful as before, they had recovered to about 70-80% of their previous strength. He was skilled in both long-range and short-range combat, and his explosive power was extremely strong.

Where fists and feet landed, there were crackling sounds as they cut through the air.

Even though Zhang Renfeng was performing martial arts while injured, he had already reached a level that many self-proclaimed masters could never achieve in their entire lives.

"Taizu Long Fist..."

The wolf recognized the set of boxing techniques and secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but he was not completely at ease.

At least it was just hitting thin air, so there wasn't much of a fierce confrontation. She waited until the entire set of Taizu Long Fist was finished before stepping forward.

"Senior brother, you're messing around again." Wolf took out a tissue, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and complained in a low voice, "Didn't Qasim say that you need to rest and recuperate for your wounds to heal?"

“But… I don’t have that much time…” Zhang Renfeng was a little weak and subconsciously wanted to find something to support him, but he immediately stopped himself after realizing this. “After I lose, he… Lu Aniu will definitely take people back to Oak City.”

“My companions, Mike, May, Theon, Sophia… and the civilians of Pike City, so many people, are still there… I hope they are alright.”

Zhang Renfeng clenched his fists unconsciously. "At this time, I can't afford to rest and recuperate slowly. I must, immediately! Improve my martial arts to a level where I can compete with Lu Aniu and annihilate them in one fell swoop!"

"Otherwise... not to mention Oak City's repeated fluctuations, if the Illuminati are given enough time to react, they might just find some excuse to organize an army to march south and attack White Torch Town! Given their nature, they are perfectly capable of doing such a thing."

"Igor painstakingly built up this advantage for us. Sanyuan Timber Company, Sanyuan Electrical Manufacturing Company, Sanyuan Heavy Industry... these are all our own businesses, just starting out, with a bright future ahead!"

"And then there's New Austin, New Elizabeth, and most of Granite State. All the hard work and dedication of countless people could be completely wasted!"

"I can't lose... absolutely... I can't!"

Zhang Renfeng's eyes were somewhat unfocused; this was one of the few times he had lost control of his emotions in front of others.

Wolf hesitated for a long time, afraid of discouraging him, but finally said, "But... but, senior brother, you can barely stand up now. You find it difficult to even perform a set of Taizu Long Fist."

"In this state, what's the point of rushing back? Can you defeat Lu Aniu with his Six Swords enhanced by his profound internal energy?"

……

……

The truth is harsh, but someone has to speak out.

Wolf would rather shatter his illusions now than let Zhang Renfeng stubbornly do something foolish that is highly likely to be like a moth drawn to a flame.

"No, I can sense it... He's not invincible either; he has weaknesses." Zhang Renfeng unconsciously lowered his voice, even though there was no one else around, as if afraid of being discovered by a third person. "Guess what it is?"

"..." The wolf shook its head.

Zhang Renfeng opened his eyes wide, leaned close to her ear, and mumbled two words in a mysterious tone.

"Energy dissipation".

"That's right, he can't deflect force! You should have realized it by now, right? All the previous attacks hit him head-on with his body!"

Zhang Renfeng gestured, "Your sonic fist and my silk-reeling energy are essentially both further applications of force neutralization. When he took those attacks, he seemed very surprised... that momentary astonishment is absolutely impossible to fake!"

Wolf was stunned. On the same battlefield, she was so focused on her opponent's changing moves that she overlooked this aspect.

"If he had ever witnessed force neutralization, he wouldn't have shown such surprise. He could have easily used force neutralization to offset these attacks, but he didn't; instead, he took them with his body. And these attacks did indeed cause him internal injuries!"

"Master knows the Turtle Breathing Technique, and his lifespan is different from ordinary people, measured in hundreds of years. Perhaps the energy dissipation system that Master has mastered, and the [Minor Formless Technique] based on it, were developed and researched in recent decades, and did not exist at all in Lu Aniu's era! So!"

"...So, you plan to use force absorption to deal with his six swords?" Wolf's expression was still full of worry.

Her brilliant intuition told her that this was not a good idea, or rather, a terrible one!

"I don't know, but it seems to be the only hope right now," Zhang Renfeng said in a deep voice. "Wolf, how are you feeling? Have you recovered almost completely?"

"..." The wolf nodded reluctantly.

“Next, you must attack me with all your might! With all your might!” Zhang Renfeng said through gritted teeth. “I will not fight back, but will use various angles to neutralize your force and continuously ‘digest’ your attacks. Only in this way can I improve my force neutralization level in a short period of time.”

……

With Zhang Renfeng's current level of energy absorption, he can absorb the force of ordinary people's fists, feet, swords, and knives without having to use them deliberately; he can do so through the instinctive movements of his muscles.

But Lu Aniu was different. His top-tier internal energy, combined with his top-tier external skills, made each of his attacks like a cannonball. Zhang Renfeng had no time to conserve his energy and could only meet his attacks head-on. Only the wolf's sonic boom could barely rival it.

If it weren't for the fact that each time the wolf uses a sonic boom, it requires a significant amount of time for its body to heal, placing an immense strain on its physical form, Zhang Renfeng might have asked her to use the speed of a sonic boom to attack him. Only this near-suicidal training method offered him a glimmer of hope.

He had to do something to alleviate his inner panic and anxiety.

----

"..."

"Do not."

Unexpectedly, his junior sister, who had always been obedient to him, shook her head emphatically at this moment, "This won't work, senior brother."

"Wolves?" Zhang Renfeng was quite surprised.

"True, harmonious, and skillful energy dissipation requires coordinating all the muscles in your body to make every part of your body do what you want to do... You are still injured, and if you force yourself to practice, even if you succeed, it will be deformed."

"How could one possibly reach the Lesser Formless Skill by relying on this abnormal path?"

……

Zhang Renfeng was rarely refuted, and he fell silent, lowering his head slightly.

"However, senior brother, I have an idea..."

Wolf took a breath, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, almost biting his ear.

"I will pass on the [Rama Kung Fu] to you."

"Isn't that enough?"

Chapter 837: Heaven knows, Earth knows, you know, I know!

"??!"

Zhang Renfeng was shocked. He grabbed Lang's shoulder and shoved her away. "What are you saying?!"

"Why not?" The wolf seemed to have anticipated his reaction and wasn't too surprised. He simply said calmly, "Lu Aniu is so difficult to deal with, not only because of his own talent, but also because he has mastered most of Master's techniques, right?"

"The Innate Skill can enhance internal strength; the Qi Hard Skill and the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill can enhance direct combat power; the Toad Skill has terrifying jumping ability, jumping hundreds of meters high in one leap; the Northern Darkness Divine Skill can integrate the internal strength of multiple skills without conflicting with each other; the Wild Goose Skill has agility; the Turtle Breathing Skill has longevity; the Divine Illumination Skill can bring the dead back to life; the Xuanming Divine Palm has ultra-long-range penetration... Putting all these aside, he also has the Nine Yin Manual, the general outline of all martial arts in the world, and the Six Swords, a super weapon of mass destruction!"

Wolf counted on his fingers, one by one, then said seriously, "Senior brother, we're fighting against this kind of monster."

"It was because he taught this monster that his master was filled with remorse, which is why he set restrictions on taking on disciples in the future. Each disciple was only taught one martial art—the most suitable martial art, and they were allowed to improve on it individually, so as to avoid a situation like Lu Aniu in the future."

"But what about Lu Aniu himself? His master banished him from the Divine Continent, saying that he would never see him again, whether in life or death, and then he no longer cared about him."

"In the end, I think the only ones who will truly face him are the two of us. At this point, what's the point of adhering to those rules?"

"It's not a rule, it's an oath!" Zhang Renfeng said solemnly. "Disciples and followers are not allowed to pass on their skills to each other. This is a rule of our sect."

"On the day my master taught me Qi Hard Kung Fu, he made it very clear that everyone's martial arts are different and cannot be passed on privately! He made me bow three times in the direction of Zhongnan Mountain. I swore an oath to the ancestral master."

"He also knows Qigong." Wolf held up a finger and said calmly, "Judging from his skill level, although he is not stronger than his senior brother, he is definitely not much worse. In this aspect alone, the two of you are evenly matched."

"But he doesn't know the Rama method."

……

Zhang Renfeng's pupils widened instantly.

“I should have told this story to my senior brother… It was when my master taught me this martial art that he told me by word of mouth. The reason he turned against that ‘rebellious disciple’ was precisely because of this Rama Kung Fu—Lu Aniu believed that his master had kept it from him and intentionally did not teach him the Rama Kung Fu.”

"Only the master himself knew that at that time, there were still four moves of the Rama Kung Fu that were not perfected. If he were to practice it rashly, he would only suffer from qi deviation."

"Of course, given Lu Aniu's condition, it was only a matter of time before he fell into demonic possession... In short, they broke up over this martial art. In the end, Lu Aniu never learned the Rama Kung Fu. For some reason, he had an almost pathological desire for this martial art."

The wolf felt a chill run down its spine and shuddered as it recalled its recent ordeal.

Lu Aniu's eyes.

Madness, violence, anger, sorrow.

When he saw himself healing himself using Rama Kung Fu, the flames of jealousy he felt were almost indescribable.

Then, he leaped over, grabbed the wolf's body, and tried to use the Northern Darkness Divine Art to directly absorb the Rama Power from her.

If Zhang Renfeng hadn't gone berserk at that moment and smashed the wolf away with a single punch, the wolf would probably have been drained of its life force by now.

"..." Recalling the details of these battles, Zhang Renfeng had a few more thoughts, his expression became uncertain, and his brows furrowed tightly.

His expression remained one of strong resistance.

But the wolf could sense that he no longer had the same resistance as at the beginning.

“My senior brother wants to use attrition to counter him, and I think that’s a good idea – to use our strengths to attack his weaknesses. But the problem is, he doesn’t actually have any real weaknesses. We can only use his strengths that he doesn’t have to attack his other strengths.”

"In this situation, the more strengths you have, the better."

……

……