Chapter 243

The two exchanged dozens of blows in an instant, and Ye Guhong looked at Hong Ye with a little more respect.

This young monk had extremely solid internal strength, and he was well versed in the Five Elements Fist. He could switch between claws, palms, fists, and fingers with ease, and he was able to conjure up the images of a dragon, tiger, leopard, snake, and crane. Ye Guhong even felt a little dazed, as if he were really fighting five beasts.

He praised in secret: 鈥淚t is true that the world is vast and talented people come from all over. This monk’s martial arts are even better than my brother-in-law Tang Gong’s, and only slightly inferior to Brother Mo’s boxing and kicking. No wonder he dared to challenge me after hearing of my battle record.

And when he used his special move, the Furious Wind, his fists were like sudden rain, his legs like a gale, his internal strength surging like a tidal wave. His momentum was astonishing, and Ye Hongye gradually fell behind. As he struggled to support himself, his eyes shone even brighter, and he exclaimed, 鈥淎mazing! Is this your special move that won nine fights in a row?鈥�

Ye Guhong smiled and said, 鈥淭he nine Shaolin monks each have their own unique skills. How could I possibly win against him with just that? Watch closely, young master…鈥�

He drew in a breath, and suddenly his technique changed. He used the Mirage Snow Flying Cloud Palm, and sent out several slaps of his palm. The palm power gathered but did not disperse, circling in the air uncertainly, until Ye Guhong’s qi guided it, and it all exploded at the same time onto Hongye’s body.

Hongye stood still, feeling the pain in his body. His eyes were full of horror, and he shook his head, saying, 鈥淪uch peerless skills are simply unparalleled in history! Layman Ye, do you mean to say that you are invincible?鈥�

It turned out that Ye’s year at Wudang had not been spent in vain.

In addition to practicing the mysterious Jiuyang technique exclusively, which made his internal strength even more solid, he also studied the theory of Tai Chi movement and stillness. Now when he unleashes his invisible palm power, it not only has the characteristic of the White Rainbow Palm technique of being able to change direction freely, but it can also be condensed for several breaths without dispersing.

Do not underestimate this change. If he is allowed to do as he pleases, unleashing dozens of palm strikes in one go, Ye Guhong alone will be able to create the effect of a group beating the opponent.

This ability is something his master, Master Jie Jie, has never been able to master because she has never studied tai chi.

鈥淚nvincible?鈥� Ye Guhong laughed, 鈥淣ot to mention the vast world, where there are many extraordinary people, just my master here, is more than ten times better than me.鈥�

Hongye nodded slowly, thinking to herself, no wonder Emei and Wudang are such good friends. It seems that Master Miejie’s martial arts skills are probably only comparable to Zhang Zhenren’s, and no wonder she dared to say she could help solve her problems.

Immediately, he bowed to the nun and said, 鈥淎mitabha. I am a young monk with a shallow cultivation, and I have fallen into a barrier of knowledge and views from which I cannot extricate myself. I have treated a master with disrespect. Please forgive me.鈥�

The nun laughed and said, 鈥淲hat you know in your heart is nothing more than what you see with your eyes. You are still young, and you will go far in the future, see a lot, and your horizons will naturally open up. But you don’t need to care about it.鈥�

Hongye was even more convinced by the nun’s words, which were full of Zen wisdom, and nodded in agreement.

She turned around, took her package, untied it, took out a cloth bag, opened it, and found it tightly wrapped in several layers of oil paper. She opened it again, and it turned out to be a book.

Hongye took it in her hands with great care and said, 鈥淪o that you and the benefactor can know, three years ago, I was commanded by my master to deliver a letter to Liurong Temple in Guangzhou. After the letter was delivered, I heard that the site of the naval battle between the Song and Yuan dynasties was not far from here not far away, so I went there alone to pay my respects. I saw that the temporary palace and barracks on the cliff were in a state of complete disrepair. I asked the locals and learned that when the Yuan navy arrived, the Song army, numbering more than 100,000 soldiers, burned the palace and barracks and boarded the warships to fight to the death…鈥�

At this point, Hongye’s voice quickened and she gradually became excited: 鈥淚 walked among the broken walls and columns, imagining the spirit of my ancestors, and I couldn’t help but tear up. Just as I was overcome with grief, there was a thunderclap and the ground caved in. I went to take a look and saw a silver box. I opened it and saw two things inside, one of which was this secret manual.鈥�

After saying this, she held it in both hands and respectfully handed it to Miejie.

Mieji heard that it was a relic of the Song court, and she was extremely curious. However, as a contemporary grandmaster, she naturally had to put on airs, shaking her head and laughing, 鈥淲hat is the meaning of passing it to a poor nun?鈥�

Hongye said, 鈥淎fter obtaining this secret manual, I saw that the kung fu contained in it is extremely profound. According to my master, it is sufficient to recreate the innate and transcend to the saintly! My master and three senior masters, in order to solve this mystery, have been thinking day and night for three years, exhausting every possible solution, until they grew mentally and physically exhausted and passed away one after the other.”

Hongye’s eyes reddened slightly as he spoke with sadness, 鈥滲efore my master passed away, he specifically instructed me to hold onto this secret manual, come to Wudang to ask Zhang Zhenren for help, and if Zhang Zhenren was also unable to solve it, then I was to burn the manual and not let it circulate in the world.鈥�

He sighed, and continued, 鈥淟ittle monk, it is not that I am unwilling to ask Master Tai for advice, but my master once said that the secrets contained in this secret manual are too advanced. Anyone who practices martial arts will find it hard to control themselves when they see it. However, if they are not a high-level person who has achieved great results, it will be extremely difficult to understand the mysteries within. In that case, they may injure their limbs, or, like my master and uncles, exhaust their energy, but it will harm the person viewing it.鈥�

Ye Guhong laughed and said, 鈥淵oung master, I have learned a few powerful kung fu styles since I started practicing martial arts. Why would it be so scary? As for martial arts, if you can practice it, then practice it; if not, then don’t. Why be so obsessed?鈥�

Hong Ye shook his head slightly and looked at Ye Guhong earnestly and said, 鈥淭hat may be the case for martial arts, but what if… one transcends the mortal realm and becomes a saint or Buddha?鈥�

Ye Guhong smiled, and he wanted to say that what he said was too absurd, but suddenly the figure of Zhang Sanfeng standing in midair appeared in his mind. After thinking about it for a while, he put away his smile and nodded, saying, 鈥淚f that’s the case, it really cannot be viewed with common sense.鈥�

Mie Jie also thought of the same scene as his disciple, and his breathing became slightly rapid. He said, 鈥淚f that’s the case, this secret manual is indeed a bit strange, otherwise the several masters of the Southern Shaolin Temple would not be so persistent.鈥�

He reached out and took the secret manual, and saw that on the cover, the ink was exquisitely drawn, outlining a vivid sunflower.

After looking at it for a moment, he flipped it open and saw the sixteen characters written on the title page: 鈥淭o practice this technique, you must first castrate yourself, be pure in body and mind, and empty your mind of illusions.鈥�

He glanced at the words and was suddenly shocked: 鈥淲hat kind of strange requirements are there for martial arts in the world? What kind of evil method is this?鈥�

Ye Guhong was astonished and couldn’t help but lean over to take a look. Ye Guhong exclaimed, 鈥淵ou mustn’t look!鈥�

He turned his body and moved a few paces away, and flipped through the book himself.

Ye Guhong saw that the more she looked, the more absorbed she became, her expression growing more and more solemn, with an underlying excitement and shock that was hard to suppress. He became more and more curious, but since his master would not let him see, there was nothing he could do for the time being. He simply changed the subject and asked Hongye, 鈥淵oung master, you said that there are two things in the silver box, one is this secret manual, but what is the other?鈥�

Hong Ye hesitated for a moment, his expression struggling a little: 鈥淭hat thing, if I were to talk about it, I’m afraid it’s even more important than this secret manual… Well… Never mind, judging from your reputation, I don’t think you’d collude with the Mongols, so I’ll tell you鈥斺€�

He subconsciously looked around and whispered, 鈥淭he other thing in that box is the Imperial Seal.鈥�