Stone Splitting Jade Breaking Fist

"Master, your disciple does not want anything else. I only wish to learn two more martial arts."

Ji Boying said this with a cheerful smile.

Yue Buqun stroked his long five-willow beard in satisfaction, not thinking Ji Boying overly ambitious.

Had any other disciple said such a thing, he would certainly have reprimanded him and made him first practice his existing skills to mastery.

He had only been learning a new internal art and a new swordplay for a little over a month. Yet Ji Boying was different. In a teacher's eyes, an outstanding student was pleasing no matter how one looked at him.

"You have the desire to learn. How could your master refuse? What would you like to learn next? Another internal art, or a different swordplay?"

The senior disciples all looked at Ji Boying with envy, their fists clenched before their chests. They wished they could make the choice for him. Each silently recited the martial arts they favored: Rising Sun Sword, Gentlewoman Sword, Nourishing Self Sword...

Mount Hua Swordplay had many forms, and each of them had his own favorite.

But Yue Buqun was strict in his teaching. Unless their foundations were firmly laid, he would never casually pass on more techniques.

"Your disciple has yet to cultivate Mount Hua's internal art to completion, and Mount Hua Swordplay still requires further practice. I do not want a new internal art or swordplay at present. I only wish to learn some fist and kicking techniques."

As soon as Ji Boying said this, his fellow disciples exchanged looks, utterly baffled.

"Junior Disciple Brother, our Mount Hua Sword Faction's strongest arts are internal cultivation and swordplay. Why learn fist and kicking techniques?"

Linghu Chong did not want Ji Boying to waste this hard-won chance at a reward, so he offered a reminder.

He had voiced the thoughts of all the disciples.

But Ji Boying was not particularly concerned. With his talent, Old Yue would not be so harsh with him. There would be plenty more chances to obtain new martial arts.

Moreover, Ji Boying did not share Linghu Chong's view.

Ji Boying smiled and explained, "Rest assured, Senior Disciple Brother, I understand. Your junior disciple is willing to study internal cultivation deeply, train his foundations diligently, and prioritize qi. That is the proper path. Whether one uses a sword or fists, one can wield immense power. At Mount Hua, Master protects us, so we can devote ourselves wholeheartedly to sword practice. But when we travel the martial world in the future, we will inevitably face many changing storms."

"If I learn an additional fist art, then I can still face enemies even when I do not have a sword in hand. Senior Disciple Brother, do you not also have an excellent Leopard Tail Kick?"

Linghu Chong smiled awkwardly.

"I only practiced the Leopard Tail Kick casually. It is simply that our Mount Hua Sword Faction bears the name of the sword, so sword techniques are naturally the strongest among our moves. That is why I felt it was somewhat of a pity for Junior Disciple Brother."

Yue Buqun, however, shook his head lightly.

"Chong'er, do you understand now why I do not have you focus solely on sword techniques? This is another example. Although Mount Hua Sect takes internal cultivation as its foundation and our swordplay is powerful, when have we ever competed for supremacy through swordplay alone? Mount Hua has many supreme arts. Swordplay is merely one of them. If you cultivate other aspects well, there is no need to think too highly of the longsword in your hand."

In saying this, Yue Buqun was in fact partially negating both himself and Ning Zhongze. He had realized his past error. Growing up in that environment had ingrained the concepts of the Sword Faction and Qi Faction in him since childhood.

But now that he had spent more time with his youngest disciple, he naturally understood how laughable those old notions had been.

The Qi Faction was the foundation. Why was there any need to divide into a Sword Faction? Following the classifications of Mount Hua's supreme arts, if there was a Sword Faction, would they not also need a Fist Faction or a Saber Faction?

"Our Mount Hua Sect was founded by Patriarch Guangningzi. For hundreds of years, it has enjoyed great renown through every dynasty and stood tall in the martial world. Its fame for swordplay is only a matter of this present dynasty."

Speaking of the past, Yue Buqun felt somewhat wistful, yet also a little proud.

The disciples all pricked up their ears and listened carefully.

"During the same era as Wudang's True Man Zhang, Mount Hua had many famous supreme arts in the martial world, including the Eagle Snake Life and Death Struggle and the Anti-Two Forms Saber Technique. Unfortunately, they have all been lost by the present day. But Mount Hua's Stone Splitting Jade Breaking Fist is likewise boundlessly powerful."

Linghu Chong scratched his head helplessly.

Today, he had thoroughly embarrassed himself before his Junior Disciple Brother. As the Senior Disciple Brother, he did not even understand Mount Hua's origins clearly. His Junior Disciple Brother actually knew more about many of their supreme arts than he did.

"Oh, Master, why have you never told us these things before? Stone Splitting Jade Breaking Fist is also a supreme art—why have we never heard you mention it?"

Yue Buqun snorted coldly at this.

"You are ignorant and unlearned, yet you blame your master? There are so many books in the library, but you never even look through them. All you know is playing and fooling around every day. When I tell you to read a little and learn a few characters, you act as though I am forcing you to your deaths."

"The Fist Technique is indeed formidable, but the more formidable the art, the more formidable the internal cultivation required to support it. Yet all of you have such shallow internal cultivation. Even if you learned these supreme fist arts, what could you possibly achieve with them? You might as well take up a sword. When you encounter an enemy, you can flail the blade around a few times and still wound someone. Unlike your fists—without strength, they are soft and weak and cannot hurt anyone."

"Having you practice swordplay is merely for the sake of rapid results, a shortcut, nothing more."

The disciples all lowered their heads in embarrassment. They truly had come to understand the absurdity of their past behavior.

Having listened to Yue Buqun and Ji Boying discuss the old stories, Laodeno increasingly understood why his master, Zuo Lengchan, was so wary of Mount Hua Sect. Mount Hua Sect truly possessed deep foundations.

"Master, may your disciple learn this Stone Splitting Jade Breaking Fist?"

Yue Buqun felt slightly awkward at those words and even stopped fanning himself with his folding fan.

He quickly put on an unconcerned expression.

"Of course you can. Why not? I will bring you the manual later."

Ji Boying noticed nothing unusual and was delighted in his heart.

"Thank you, Master."

Only Ning Zhongze was suppressing her laughter beside them. She knew that her husband had never mastered this fist art either.

With the youngest disciple's talent, if Yue Buqun tried to teach him a martial art he himself had never practiced, there would probably be nothing left for him to teach within a day or two.

Yue Buqun cared about his reputation and did not wish to lose face like that.

Ji Boying had planned to practice fist arts long ago. He did not want to become a swordsman like Linghu Chong in the original story, relying solely on the Nine Swords of Dugu to get by.

Even a swordsmanship genius like Linghu Chong, on whom Feng Qingyang had placed such great hopes, only reached the peak of his strength after learning the Star Absorbing Great Art.

This showed that for true experts, techniques were certainly important, but the foundation still lay in internal cultivation.

But Ji Boying currently had only one energy point and could only simplify one martial art. Neither his Mount Hua Swordplay nor his Breathing Internal Art had reached the limit yet. Spending that energy point on another martial art of the same type would be somewhat wasteful.

And traveling the martial world truly required a broader range of skills.

After all, had Linghu Chong not been utterly miserable in the original story after losing his sword?