40: Chapter 40 Martial Arts Discussion at Bright Summit

Three months passed in the blink of an eye.

Bright Peak in the Western Regions, a mountain Peak once viewed by the entire Central Plains Martial Arts World as the lair of the Demonic Cult, ushered in its most magnificent moment in a thousand years.

Over a hundred Schools from the Central Plains, with thousands of experts gathered here, ranged from white-haired elders to teenage Disciples, shoulder to shoulder.

On the plaza before the mountain gate, banners of various Schools fluttered in the wind; the Taiji flags of Wudang, the Swastika flags of Shaolin, the Flame flags of Ming Cult, and the Lotus flags of Emei complemented each other, creating an unprecedented scene.

Zhang Sanfeng, dressed in a moon-white Daoist robe, walked slowly onto the main stage.

The entire venue fell silent instantly, and everyone's eyes were focused on him.

"Today, heroes from all over the world gather at Bright Peak, and this old Daoist is very gratified."

Zhang Sanfeng's voice clearly spread throughout the entire plaza.

"For a hundred years, the righteous and the evil have stood in opposition, killing has been constant, and countless heroes have died in infighting; it brings pain to those close to them and joy to their enemies."

"Today, we hold the World Martial Arts Discussion Assembly here, not to compete for superiority, nor for the ranking of Schools, but to meet friends through martial arts, release old grievances, and defend against foreign enemies together."

"This old Daoist and the various Schools have agreed on three rules: First, the discussion of martial arts is only to distinguish high and low, not life and death; stop at the point of contact. Second, all past grievances can be settled in one battle on the ring; they must not be mentioned again after the battle. Third, regardless of victory or defeat, no revenge is allowed."

"If there is any violator, the entire Jianghu shall punish them together!"

As the words fell, thousands of people in the audience responded in unison: "We will strictly follow Grandmaster Zhang's orders!"

The first Bright Peak Martial Arts Discussion Assembly officially kicked off.

The first round was the rookie confrontation, where Disciples under the age of thirty from various Schools took the stage to compete.

This was a contest of the new generation of Jianghu, and also the hope of the various Schools in the future Martial Forest.

Countless young Disciples were eager to show their style in front of the world's heroes.

On the competition stage, wonderful duels were performed one after another.

The first to play was Young Hero Song Qingshu of Wudang against the chief Disciple of the Huashan Sect, Feng Buping.

Feng Buping used the Huashan ultimate technique, "Life-Taking Three Immortal Swords."

The sword Moves were sharp and ruthless, each Move fatal.

One sword, "Meteor Chasing the Moon," stabbed straight at Young Hero Song Qingshu's face, followed by "Strong Wind Sweeping Leaves" sweeping the lower body, and the third sword, "Earth-Shattering," split Huashan with force; the three swords were completed in one go, as fast as lightning.

Young Hero Song Qingshu looked indifferent, his long sword dancing slowly, using the Wudang Taiji Sword.

His sword Moves were not fast, but they were like flowing clouds and water, smooth and unobstructed.

Although Feng Buping's sword Moves were fast, they could never break through the three-foot sword circle around him.

Whenever the tip of the sword was about to stab Young Hero Song Qingshu, it would be gently guided by his sword spine, deviating from the direction.

After more than a hundred rounds, Young Hero Song Qingshu caught a flaw, tapped lightly with his sword tip, and flicked away Feng Buping's long sword, arching his hand and saying: "Thank you for the match."

Next, Zhou Zhiruo of Emei faced He Xiuying of the Kunlun Sect.

He Xiuying was famous in the Jianghu for her fast sword, using the Kunlun "Two Instruments Fast Sword."

The sword light fell like raindrops, dazzling the eyes.

But Zhou Zhiruo's Soft Cloud Emei Sword used stillness to control movement; the sword light was like flowing clouds, like thin mist, agile and elegant.

She did not compete with He Xiuying in speed, but used the winding force of the Soft Cloud Sword Intent to guide the opponent's sword Moves, making He Xiuying's fast sword always hit empty space.

After three hundred rounds, Zhou Zhiruo forced He Xiuying back with one sword.

The two shook hands and made peace, drawing thunderous applause from the audience.

In the third match, Shaolin's Zhending faced Tang Yu, the son of Tang Wenliang of the Kongtong Sect.

Tang Yu used the Kongtong ultimate technique, "Seven Injuries Fist."

The fist wind was fierce and powerful.

With one punch, the air even made an explosive sound.

But Zhending did not dodge or avoid, operating the Shaolin Golden Bell Shield technique, with a faint golden light appearing around his body.

With three loud bangs of "Peng, peng, peng," Tang Yu's three punches hit Zhending's chest solidly, but Zhending did not Move at all.

After the three punches, Tang Yu's arm was shaken and bleeding, while Zhending was unharmed.

He put his hands together and said: "Benefactor's Seven Injuries Fist hurts the enemy by a thousand and damages oneself by eight hundred. I hope you will use it carefully in the future."

In just three days, the rookie competition decided the ten new talents of the Jianghu, ranked as follows:

Young Hero Song Qingshu of Wudang, Grandmaster Early Stage, nicknamed "Jade-Faced Swordsman": Taiji Sword has entered the room, both offensive and defensive, never defeated;

Zhou Zhiruo of Emei, Xiantian Realm Perfection, combat power comparable to Grandmaster Early Stage, nicknamed "Soft Cloud Fairy": Soft Cloud Emei Sword is superb, Sword Intent is agile;

Zhending of Shaolin, Grandmaster Early Stage, nicknamed "Immovable Vajra": Golden Bell Shield has been practiced to the eighth level; at the ninth level, one can Cultivate the advanced martial arts Shaolin Vajra Indestructible Body Divine Skill, and the hard skill is the best among peers;

Zhuo Yihang of Wudang, Grandmaster Early Stage, nicknamed "Clear Wind Swordsman": Soft-as-Silk Sword is exquisite, cracked the Huashan Life-Taking Three Immortal Swords;

Shi Yuqi of Beggar Sect, Xiantian Perfection, nicknamed "Little Dragon Subduing": Has practiced the first fifteen palms of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, a genius of the Beggar Sect in a century;

Yue Songxi of Huashan, Xiantian Peak, nicknamed "Carefree Sword": Fusion of Huashan Sword Technique and Wudang Cotton Palm, combining hardness and softness;

He Xiuying of Kunlun, Xiantian Peak, nicknamed "Startled Swan Fairy": Lightness skill is superb, sword technique is as fast as lightning;

Jin Zhushan of Diancang, Xiantian Peak, nicknamed "Diancang One Sword": One sword broke all thirty-six Dog Beating Staff techniques of the Beggar Sect;

Tong Chengzhou of Longmen Escort Agency, Xiantian Peak, nicknamed "Golden Blade Young Marshal": Golden Blade technique is open and close, overpowering the heroes;

Zhu Zikang, a Loose Cultivator, Xiantian Late Stage, nicknamed "Cloth-Clad Divine Fist": Fusion of scattered martial arts from a hundred Schools, created his own Cloth-Clad Fist technique, simple but powerful.

Many of these young Disciples had integrated the martial arts of their Schools with Taiji martial arts, creating their own new Moves, which made the elders off the stage sigh in admiration.

The rookie competition ended, and the much-anticipated Grandmaster competition officially began.

This was a contest between the top experts of the various Schools in the Jianghu.

Every duel represented the backbone of each School and the highest level of current martial arts.

After five rounds of fierce competition, the final four were born: Cult Leader Zhang Wuji of Ming Cult, Yu Lianzhou of Wudang, Abbot Kongwen of Shaolin, and Dugu Yihe of Emei.

In the first semi-final, Yu Lianzhou of Wudang faced Left Emissary Yang Xiao of Ming Cult.

Left Emissary Yang Xiao used the Heaven and Earth Great Shift, his body was elusive, palm shadows were heavy, constantly shifting Yu Lianzhou's strength.

But Yu Lianzhou's Taiji Force had already reached the Peak.

He stood still, forming a huge Taiji circular force around him.

No matter from which direction Left Emissary Yang Xiao's palm strength attacked, it was easily resolved by him.

After five hundred rounds, Left Emissary Yang Xiao used his ultimate Move, "Heaven and Earth Throw," sucking up all the surrounding gravel, turning it into countless hidden weapons and shooting them at Yu Lianzhou.

Yu Lianzhou used the Tiger Claw Hand, which fused Taiji Force, waved his hands, caught all the gravel, and then pushed lightly, sending the gravel back along the original path with lightning speed.

Left Emissary Yang Xiao could not dodge in time, was hit on the shoulder by a piece of gravel, and arched his hand to admit defeat: "Yu the Second Hero's martial arts are unparalleled, Yang Xiao is convinced."

Afterwards, Cult Leader Zhang Wuji of Ming Cult faced Abbot Kongwen of Shaolin.

Abbot Kongwen operated the modified Yijin Jing, Buddha light flowed around his body, and he used the Shaolin ultimate technique, "Dragon Claw Hand," with Moves as fierce as peerless, attacking Cult Leader Zhang Wuji's vital points.

Cult Leader Zhang Wuji used Taiji Fist, using Taiji White Crane Spreads Wings to unload the force of the Dragon Claw Hand, and used the masculine power of the Nine Yang Divine Skill to resolve the Shaolin Internal Energy.

After three hundred rounds, Abbot Kongwen used his ultimate Move, "Dragon Capturing Style," his right hand forming a claw, grabbing at Cult Leader Zhang Wuji from the air.

Cult Leader Zhang Wuji did not retreat but advanced, using the Taiji Heaven and Earth Palm, his left hand unloading the force of the Dragon Capturing Style, and his right hand pushing lightly, hitting Abbot Kongwen's chest with an Internal Energy that combined hardness and softness.

Abbot Kongwen took three steps back, stabilized his figure, put his hands together and said: "This old monk has lost. Cult Leader Zhang is young, but his martial arts are so remarkable; he is truly a hero from a young age."

The final was held between Cult Leader Zhang Wuji and Yu Lianzhou.

Both were top experts who studied Taiji deeply.

This duel could be called the Peak battle of Wudang Taiji.

Yu Lianzhou's Taiji Sword Technique was steady and heavy, like Mount Tai pressing down; Cult Leader Zhang Wuji's Taiji Palm Technique was agile and elegant, like flowing clouds and water.

The two went back and forth, fighting to a standstill.

On the stage, Sword Qi surged, and palm wind whistled from time to time, making the audience off the stage dizzying.

After a thousand rounds, the two retracted their Moves at the same time and smiled at each other.

Cult Leader Zhang Wuji arched his hand and said: "Second Uncle Yu's martial arts are strong, Wuji is ashamed of being inferior."

Yu Lianzhou laughed and said: "You are young, yet you can integrate Taiji with Nine Yang and Heaven and Earth. Your future achievements will definitely be above mine. You won this match."

Finally, the ranking of the Grandmaster competition was settled:

Cult Leader Zhang Wuji of Ming Cult, nicknamed "Nine Yang Divine Hero": Fusion of three ultimate skills, combining hardness and softness, unparalleled in the world;

Yu Lianzhou of Wudang, nicknamed "Thunderbolt Loose Hand": Fusion of Taiji Force and Tiger Claw Hand, infinite power;

Abbot Kongwen of Shaolin, nicknamed "Vajra Arhat": Yijin Jing is at Major Achievement, Shaolin Dragon Claw Hand is the best in the world;

Dugu Yihe of Emei, nicknamed "Emei Sword Saint": Holding the heavenly sword, the sword technique is sharp, and no one can stop it.

Just when everyone thought the Martial Arts Discussion Assembly was about to end successfully, three old monks wearing gray monk robes walked slowly out of the crowd.