Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

"What do you mean by... ’So you were planning to attack me from behind...’?"

Elder Feng chuckled and replied, "It means that I also didn’t know you were going to attack me from there."

"Then your reaction..."

"That? You could call it a conditioned reflex." At this, Elder Feng shook his head and couldn’t help but say, "Forget it. I originally wanted you to figure it out on your own, but on second thought, it’s more practical for me to just tell you directly."

"From our fight just now, I can tell that your Martial Arts Realm, your physical strength, and your control over Primordial Power and force are all nearing the pinnacle for a Martial Artist. However, you’re missing an extremely important component."

"An extremely important component?"

Elder Feng nodded. "That’s right. Have you ever felt that your combat rhythm is very direct? Or rather, that you fight with reason instead of instinct."

Seeing Mu Chen’s bewildered expression, Elder Feng scratched his head sheepishly. Perhaps because his hand had recovered and the Poison had been cleared from his body, Feng Chaoming’s mindset had undergone a huge change. Or perhaps, the Feng Chaoming of now was his true self.

"Ah, I guess there’s a generation gap. Let me put it more simply. So-called rational fighting is when you think about how you’re going to fight before the battle begins. You plan which direction you’ll attack from and how to guarantee a clean escape route while on the offensive. You also predict your opponent’s moves, their attacks, and their potential counters to your techniques. Then, you mentally devise ways to break through each of these possible counters, forming a complete battle strategy. This is the rational combat known as a ’battle replay.’"

"Once someone figures out your combat rhythm, they can lead you by the nose, but that’s a topic for another time. As for instinctual fighting, it’s a much simpler and cruder method. It means you don’t think at all before a fight; you use your instincts, habits, or subconscious to battle. You let every cell and every muscle in your body memorize every possible situation that can occur in combat, allowing them to execute the perfect response to any move without a single thought. That is instinctual fighting."

After speaking, Feng Chaoming gestured to his own wrist. As he clenched his fist, the muscles in his arm instantly swelled, displaying formidable physical strength!

But after hearing Elder Feng’s words, Mu Chen couldn’t help but retort, "How is it possible to make every cell and muscle in your body remember every single thing that could happen in a fight? Combat is ever-changing. Every move and every technique has endless variations. Forget completely memorizing them, it’s hard enough to even witness them all!"

"You’re absolutely right." Unexpectedly, not only was Feng Chaoming not the least bit offended by Mu Chen’s rebuttal, he even nodded in agreement. "Indeed. The Extreme Martial Continent is a fantastical place with more Martial Artists than one can count. To make your muscles remember the execution of every Combat Skill, every fighting style, and every Combat Technique is nearly impossible. It’d be like trying to count the hairs on your own head. But..."

At this, Feng Chaoming gave a kindly smile. "I never said your muscles and cells had to remember the movements of every Combat Skill, every fighting style, and every attack technique. You only need them to remember the most fundamental aspects of combat—a simple punch, a simple kick, ordinary moves without any Primordial Power. But even that isn’t so easily accomplished. In all of Holy Tomb Mountain, at least, only two people are capable of fighting with instinct."

"One is me, and the other is the dean of Holy Tomb Mountain, Nameless."

"Nameless... It’s him?"

In an instant, an extremely ragged figure appeared in Mu Chen’s mind’s eye.

"But what does this have to do with the part I’m missing?" Mu Chen’s focus wasn’t entirely there. His thoughts had clearly drifted to Nameless—that powerful old man, the elder who stood at the very pinnacle of the continent.

Feng Chaoming paid no mind to Mu Chen’s expression and continued, "Of course it’s related. Rational fighting requires a sharp mind and powerful predictive abilities. But do you know what instinctual fighting requires?"

"I don’t," Mu Chen said without hesitation.

"Heh, I quite like your personality." With a light chuckle, Feng Chaoming’s expression suddenly turned serious. He said coolly, "Instinctual fighting requires battle! Constant battle! It requires being tempered by thousands upon thousands of fights! Only by forcing your body to endure countless injuries, by clashing with tens of thousands of different Martial Artists, and by experiencing innumerable fighting styles can you teach your body to remember how anyone will react under any circumstances! This is how you develop a powerful Combat Instinct! And what you lack most of all is battle! It’s combat experience!"

"I... lack combat experience?" For a moment, Mu Chen recalled the countless life-and-death battles he had faced on his journey, a trace of defiance showing in his eyes. But Feng Chaoming’s next words utterly shattered that defiance.

"I know you mentioned the other day that you were once missing your entire right arm. I can only imagine how many life-or-death situations a young man with a crippled body had to face to get where you are today, to reach this level! But battles of life and death do not equal combat experience. They only represent your tenacity and will to survive. Take our fight just now, for example. I can tell you plainly: from start to finish, I wasn’t thinking at all. I didn’t see through a single one of your attacks! They were too fast—so fast that my conscious mind couldn’t even track your movements. What defeated you was simply my subconscious, the memory of battle ingrained in my muscles and cells. Have you," Feng Chaoming’s gaze suddenly sharpened, locking onto Mu Chen, "ever done something unconsciously?"

"Unconscious actions?" Mu Chen was stunned for a second, but he immediately gave a firm nod. "Yes!"

"What?"

"Cultivation! And Body Forging!"

He didn’t hide a thing, because this was something he was proud of.

Feng Chaoming gave Mu Chen a profound look, his earlier suspicion finally confirmed. The fact that a person could cultivate and perform Body Forging unconsciously proved that the sheer volume of his practice had reached a level where his body had completely memorized the actions. He could only imagine what a terrifying level of intensity that required!

"Since you’ve experienced this kind of unconscious action yourself, you should understand just how arduous the process is to develop this instinct. Your combat experience, when faced with mine, is like an ordinary student’s Body Refining Cultivation when faced with yours. How could you possibly have a chance of winning?"