Chapter 666: Killing Intent
“Qingshu, we did not come here to wage war against Shaolin. Our purpose is to find out the whereabouts of your father and the others.” Zhang Sanfeng frowned slightly, clearly displeased with Song Qingshu’s actions just now.
“You are right, Grandmaster.” Song Qingshu smiled bitterly to himself. He had not expected that even his most subtle movements would fail to escape Zhang Sanfeng’s sharp eyes.
Zhang Sanfeng nodded and continued observing the duel in the arena. “Xuan Cheng is indeed worthy of being hailed as Shaolin’s greatest talent in over two hundred years. His mastery of Shaolin techniques has reached the pinnacle. Your senior brother may know the 72 Ultimate Techniques, but he has grasped only their form, not their essence. When pitting Shaolin techniques against Shaolin techniques, he is naturally at a disadvantage.”
Standing nearby, Ren Woxing, seeing Jiumozhi humiliating Shaolin, felt a sense of shared enmity and could not help but interject, “Daoist Zhang, the Maha Cakra Vajra ultimately had to study all seventy-two techniques. If he falls short in one or two, it is not surprising. Shaolin monks, for centuries, have never been able to master more than thirteen at a time, whereas the Maha Cakra Vajra has learned all seventy-two. He has already far surpassed Shaolin.”
Zhang Sanfeng shook his head slightly. “You may not be aware, Mr. Ren, but each of Shaolin’s 72 Ultimate Techniques has its corresponding internal cultivation method. To master the Prajna Palm, one must cultivate the Prajna Palm Heart Method; the Animitta Kalpa Finger requires the Animitta Kalpa Finger Heart Method. Many of these internal arts differ vastly from one another, which is why no one in Shaolin’s long history has ever mastered dozens of these techniques at once.”
Ren Woxing was taken aback. “Then how is Jiumozhi able to wield all seventy-two techniques?” Though he had suffered severe injuries in his previous battle with Zuo Lengchan, and even with Song Qingshu’s assistance in stabilizing his chaotic Qi, he was still somewhat out of breath after speaking so much. However, he was unwilling to let the opportunity to discuss martial arts with the renowned Daoist Zhang slip away.
“The Maha Cakra Vajra’s internal energy does not follow the Buddhist path but rather the Daoist internal cultivation system. The monks of Shaolin have never studied Daoist internal arts, so they naturally failed to recognize it.” Zhang Sanfeng’s explanation thoroughly convinced Ren Woxing. After all, when it came to Daoist martial arts, there was no one in the world more authoritative than Zhang Sanfeng. “The Maha Cakra Vajra has likely only learned the applications of the 72 Ultimate Techniques and uses a unique internal energy to power them. While it appears as if he has mastered them, in reality, it is mere imitation.”
Song Qingshu secretly admired Zhang Sanfeng’s keen insight. He himself knew these intricacies only because he was familiar with the original novel. Yet among all the experts present, only Zhang Sanfeng had immediately seen through Jiumozhi’s illusion of mastery.
Jiumozhi exerted his strength three times in an attempt to free his right hand from Xuan Cheng’s grip so he could unleash his Flame Blade technique. However, as he increased his force, Xuan Cheng’s grip strengthened in kind. In his desperation, a murderous intent suddenly surged within him. His left hand struck out with three rapid palm strikes, which Xuan Cheng deflected. Jiumozhi then swiftly withdrew his hand, bent down, and pulled a dagger from his cloth sock, stabbing it towards Xuan Cheng’s shoulder.