Untitled

Looking at Mount Hua before him, Wang Ming couldn't help but feel a sense of "things have changed, yet the people are gone."

A wave of melancholy washed over him!

The fellow disciples he'd once fought with for medicinal porridge in the mess hall were likely gone forever;

His master and mistress, he probably wouldn't have the chance to meet them again.

A parting is eternal!!!

Compared to Mount Hua in The Smiling, Proud Wanderer World, the path up Mount Hua in the Condor Shooting World was even more treacherous.

On Mount Hua in the Smiling, Proud Wanderer World, there was a sect that had forcibly built a plank road.

In this era, a road had also been built, but it was difficult for anyone not trained to traverse it.

The winding mountain path, the continuous mountain ranges in the distance, and the familiar scenes conjured up buried memories.

He couldn't help but sigh, Another person, all alone, before he knew it.

No!

It should be said that he had always been alone.

He subconsciously distanced himself from others, maintaining a distance.

Whether it was Old Yue, Guo Jing, or Li Mochou, he kept a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

Wang Ming suddenly realized this issue and asked himself, "Why?"

After a period of contemplation, Wang Ming understood.

"The Buddha said: Life has eight sufferings: birth, old age, sickness, death, separation from loved ones, resentment for what one holds dear, inability to get what one wants, and the agony of the five aggregates."

His subconscious distancing from others was due to his fear of these eight things.

In the life where Yue Buqun adopted him, Wang Ming always acted like a transparent person, minimizing his presence, not wanting them to show him too much affection.

He feared getting entangled, developing true feelings.

Watching them grow old and turn to dust would bring unspeakable grief.

If his emotions for them ran too deep, the reluctance to part would anchor his steps.

Because this parting was eternal!

Wang Ming's subsequent sweeping through The Smiling, Proud Wanderer World could be considered an escape, fearing he would become too deeply involved.

Wang Ming had always disliked killing, In the end, he still went and slaughtered all the experts and elite disciples of the Songshan Sect.

This was to repay Yue Buqun's kindness, not wanting to leave an unpayable debt in his heart later.

Suddenly, Wang Ming felt a sharp wind coming towards him, and he subconsciously dodged to the left.

"Bang"

A sound like steel clashing echoed on the deserted mountain path, startling countless birds.

Then Wang Ming fell from the cliff into the abyss below.

A moment later, A short old man with a white beard, wearing a yellow linen shirt, appeared where Wang Ming had been.

This person was a master no less than the Five Greats—Qiu Qianren.

Qiu Qianren walked to the edge of the cliff and took a look.

"This old fellow, judging by his effortless ascent, his martial arts are in no way inferior to mine. I didn't expect his alertness to be so poor; it's fitting that I easily eliminated an opponent." Qiu Qianren said, smiling and stroking his white beard.

It turned out that Qiu Qianren had spotted Wang Ming ascending behind him. He recognized that Wang Ming's martial arts were not inferior to his own. If Wang Ming were allowed to ascend the mountain, he would become another formidable rival in the Mount Hua Sword Debate for the title of The First Under Heaven.

So, he suddenly devised a plan, using the terrain to ambush and deliver a fatal blow to this mysterious master.

He glanced down again, only seeing misty clouds. Assuming Wang Ming was surely dead, he turned to continue his ascent.

Suddenly, a figure rushed up from below. Qiu Qianren instinctively unleashed a palm strike.

"Slap"

Qiu Qianren, being too hasty, didn't put much force into this palm strike. The moment their palms met, he was sent flying, crashing into a tree as thick as an arm and breaking it.

Without time to focus on the pain in his back, he adjusted his state, preparing to face the enemy before him.

It was Wang Ming who had sent Qiu Qianren flying.

He had managed to deflect his body, causing Qiu Qianren's potentially fatal strike to hit the greatsword strapped to his back.

However, that palm strike was still formidable. The internal energy transmitted through the sword was also extremely powerful.

If he hadn't cultivated the Indestructible Vajra Body, that palm strike would have inflicted considerable damage on Wang Ming.

Although the Indestructible Vajra Body couldn't yet transform him into a golden figure, it allowed him to employ some defensive techniques to block less potent bursts of energy.

Then, using the Nine Yin Divine Claw and Horizontal Void Shift, he climbed up. The first thing he saw was the figure of an old man. Without a doubt, this was the person who had ambushed him. There was no need for pleasantries, so he immediately unleashed a palm strike with his full power.

"Who are you, and why did you ambush me, Wang?" Wang Ming asked after climbing up.

The old man didn't reply, instead launching a palm strike directly at Wang Ming.

Wang Ming received the strike and knew just how terrifying its power was. This palm's force was even greater than Hong Qigong's Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms; it was incredibly fierce and domineering.

He didn't dare to exchange palm strikes with the man, as he hadn't learned any palm techniques himself.

"Nine Yin Divine Claw!"

Wang Ming suddenly used the Nine Yin Divine Claw, intending to use skill to overcome brute force. He didn't want to clash head-on and looked for an opportunity to strike the man's wrist with his claw.

However, the moment they clashed, Wang Ming realized something was wrong.

This person's palm techniques were not only fierce and powerful but also incredibly exquisite in their movements. Wang Ming found he couldn't outmaneuver him with his own skills.

"I know who you are. You're the Iron Palm who floats on water, Qiu Qianren," Wang Ming suddenly declared, revealing the man's identity.

The two separated temporarily, but their bodies remained tense, ready to attack at any moment to eliminate the other.

"How did you guess it was me? We shouldn't have met," Qiu Qianren asked, also confused.

"In this world, when it comes to martial arts at the level of the Five Greats, who else would stoop to such a dishonorable ambush besides Ouyang Feng and Qiu Qianren? I've met Ouyang Feng, so it could only be you."

Hearing this, Qiu Qianren became enraged and engaged Wang Ming in combat once more.

The two began to fight on the mountain path. The domineering and fierce palm winds, along with the sharp and piercing claw energy, caused the surrounding trees to suffer collateral damage.

Where they clashed, earth and stones flew. Qiu Qianren's Iron Palm Technique was actually more potent than Hong Qigong's Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms. The reason it had such a low profile was its overly common name, often leading people to mistake it for the Iron Sand Palm.

The Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms were famous because two generations of protagonists used this martial art, giving it a very high frequency of appearances.

The few people who used the Iron Palm Technique were all supporting characters who met their end. Moreover, just hearing the name made people think the martial art was subpar.

If Hong Qigong hadn't obtained the Nine Yin Manual, he might not have been able to defeat Qiu Qianren at the second Mount Hua Sword Debate.

The offensive methods of the Four Greats were all extremely skillful, but their internal energy was slightly inferior, which held them back.

This was also why they were so eager to obtain the Nine Yin Manual, wanting to break through their own limitations.

To reach a higher level.

The two exchanged blows for nearly a hundred rounds in the mountains, still unable to determine a victor.

Qiu Qianren had lost interest in entangling himself with the person before him. He knew that if he didn't disengage soon, he might be defeated.

The person before him was initially inferior to himself, but for some reason, his claw energy was growing stronger, and the penetrating power of his fingertips was increasing.

If this continued, the claw force would be able to penetrate the Iron Palm he had cultivated for half his life.

Furthermore, the large sword behind this person hadn't been used yet, likely because the narrow mountain path restricted him.

He couldn't delay.

Qiu Qianren feigned an attack towards Wang Ming and then rapidly fled.

Seeing the enemy trying to escape, Wang Ming couldn't let that happen.

"Old bastard, don't run!"

He gathered his energy and pursued.

After a while, he helplessly stopped.

"This old bastard's Lightness Skill is truly remarkable. 'Iron Palm who floats on water' isn't just a boast. I should find a place to recover first," Wang Ming muttered to himself.

Wang Ming's battle with Qiu Qianren had lasted for a significant amount of time, consuming a considerable amount of his energy.

At Wang Ming's level, without ambushing, it was very difficult to instantly kill someone or decide the outcome in a short period.

Keep in mind that thirty to forty years later, Qiu Qianren fought the Golden Wheel Monk, who had cultivated the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill to the tenth level, for a day and a night before a victor was decided. Even then, he escaped heavily injured thanks to his Lightness Skill.

Although he wasn't as strong now, Wang Ming was also not as strong as the Golden Wheel Monk was then; the Golden Wheel Monk at that time had likely entered the Innate realm.