Bitter Gourd Three Forms: Binding Body, Sea of Suffering, Karma Fire!

Zhang Chu had dealt with the so-called Water Godly Fist in a single palm strike, but he did not leave. Instead, he looked toward the crowd.

"Fellow members of the Martial World, you all witnessed what happened today. Zhang was sitting peacefully at home when calamity fell from the sky. These two villains provoked me one after the other and sought to kill me. Only then was I forced to retaliate."

"I ask you all to bear witness, lest someone later claim that Zhang used his power to bully others and showed no mercy."

Zhang Chu's words struck the ground like iron. No one below dared refute him. Even if they had wanted to, they could find no grounds to do so. After all, Lu Chengfeng and Fan Lingxiao had indeed made the first move.

"Hahaha, exactly! I, Hong, am willing to testify for Daoist Priest Zhang. These two were the ones who provoked him first!"

Hong Shijie was once again astonished by Zhang Chu's strength. With True Martial Temple stationed in Linjiang from now on, the city would surely remain peaceful.

"Hall Master Hong speaks truly. My Tiger Blade Sect can also testify that Lu Chengfeng and Fan Lingxiao deserved their deaths."

"How could Jade Fan Hall be left out of bearing witness?"

Situ Ying, Yu Mantang, and Hong Shijie came forward and greeted Zhang Chu one by one. This youth, no more than eighteen years old, had brought them far too many shocks.

Hearing the three of them speak,

the crowd became even less daring to say anything.

Compared with Lu Family Manor and Lake Heart Pavilion, these three were Linjiang's true local tyrants!

If they still wished to do business in Linjiang, they would inevitably have to deal with these three. They could not afford to offend them.

"Thank you." Zhang Chu nodded slightly.

He remembered their support today.

Though he had once saved their lives,

there were not many grateful people in this day and age.

Moreover, unlike Lu Chengfeng and Fan Lingxiao, these people had all taken part in exterminating the Boat Gang.

It was clear that their character was passable as well.

"Zhang still has matters to attend to, so I will not stand on ceremony. If you have the time, feel free to come to the temple for a cup of tea before you leave."

After dealing with the matter before him, Zhang Chu turned and gave Senior Brother a few instructions before leaving.

As for Senior Brother Li Minghuai and Wang Yuan, they no longer wanted to ask how Zhang Chu had managed it.

They only cared about how powerful the temple would become from now on!

He had not forgotten how those people had kicked them while they were down and bullied them after news of their master's death spread!

Returning to the temple's rear courtyard,

Zhang Chu tidied up briefly.

Then he headed for the back mountain once more.

"Those two old dogs came at just the right time. I was short on Merit Points to practice Bitter Gourd Palm, and they came right over to deliver them!"

Zhang Chu immediately summoned the Merit Points panel.

[Merit Points: 17,200!]

He had previously had 1,200 Merit Points remaining, while Lu Chengfeng and Fan Lingxiao had each exploded with 8,000 Merit Points.

Together, that made exactly 17,200!

"This should be enough to strengthen Bitter Gourd Palm. I'll try to strengthen it straight to perfection in one go!"

"After all, I've already reached the True Gang Realm, yet True Martial Palm is my only method. I need to catch up."

"Besides, strengthening Yellow Court Inner Strength to the Seventh Layer requires 15,000 Merit Points. The Eighth Layer will probably need more than 30,000. These Merit Points definitely aren't enough to keep strengthening it."

With that thought, Zhang Chu immediately began practicing the palm technique.

With his current realm, practicing a palm technique again felt as though the gods themselves were aiding him. After all, he was already a True Gang Grandmaster.

At midnight,

after eating the dinner Senior Brother had brought him,

Zhang Chu stopped practicing.

[Zhang Chu]

[Realm: True Gang]

[Martial Arts: True Martial Palm (Perfection), cannot be strengthened. Yellow Court Inner Strength (Eighth Layer), not strengthened. Bitter Gourd Palm (First Layer), not strengthened.]

[Merit Points: 17,200]

[Consume Merit Points to strengthen martial arts?]

Looking at the panel prompt, Zhang Chu revealed a delighted expression.

"After an afternoon of practice, I've finally entered the gate of this palm technique said to be the most bitter in the world!"

Like True Martial Palm, Bitter Gourd Palm gathered the essence of martial arts into a complete whole, so it too had only three short layers.

However, unlike True Martial Palm's broad, sweeping force, Bitter Gourd Palm emphasized using the heart to command qi. It was incomparably intricate.

One had to endure the bitterness of cultivation that ordinary people could scarcely bear. Its moves were obscure and difficult to comprehend, several times harder to practice than True Martial Palm.

Zhang Chu estimated that ordinary people need not even dream of the Third Layer. Even those capable of reaching the Second Layer would be few and far between.

But that was for others.

Whether it was difficult or not meant nothing to him.

"Strengthen Bitter Gourd Palm!"

Zhang Chu did not wait. With a single command,

[Strengthening Bitter Gourd Palm First Layer requires 300 Merit Points. Strengthen? Please confirm.]

"Three hundred Merit Points for the First Layer?"

"It seems this palm technique truly is far more difficult than True Martial Palm, and requires more Merit Points as well."

Fortunately, he now had plenty of Merit Points. If those two old dogs had not come to deliver themselves that day, it really would not have been enough.

"Confirm strengthening!" Zhang Chu did not hesitate.

Bitter Gourd Palm was said to cleanse hell with three forms.

He wanted to see just how strange this palm technique was!

The instant his words fell, pure comprehension of the palm technique pierced straight into his mind. At the same time, a warm current surged along his meridians toward both palms. The bones in his palms crackled softly, and Gang Qi began to churn on its own.

The First Layer of Bitter Gourd Palm was called Binding Body.

This move was difficult and treacherous to practice!

When the palm struck out, Gang Qi split into countless fine streams. Once it hit an enemy, it would rush directly at their acupoints and meridians.

Like thousands upon thousands of steel needles sealing off the circulation of qi and blood, and like iron chains winding around the body to bind the limbs and bones.

Even if one possessed brute strength that could reach the heavens, they would find it impossible to break free in the slightest. They could only become fish upon the chopping block, left to be slaughtered. Once an enemy took this palm strike, they would lose all combat strength in an instant.

This kind of exquisite control was precisely what the fierce and forceful True Martial Palm lacked. The two perfectly complemented each other!

"Whoosh!..."

Zhang Chu abruptly opened his eyes. Binding Body had been achieved!

Gang Qi gathered between his palms without dispersing, as fine as ox hair and carrying a sharp force that slipped through every opening.

He raised a hand and struck out with his palm. Gang Qi shot forth, accurately hitting the Broken Rocks on the back mountain. Yet the Broken Rocks did not shatter. Instead, they were wrapped layer upon layer by Gang Qi!

Those strands of Gang Qi, as fine as hair, were like swimming serpents.

In an instant, they burrowed into the cracks inside the Broken Rocks!

"What powerful binding force!"

A brilliant light flashed in Zhang Chu's eyes as he carefully sensed the changes in his palm. The mysteries of the First Layer Binding Body Realm were fully revealed.

Buddhist Sect martial arts did not often take killing as their goal.

They focused more on restraint and control.

With the delicacy of his Gang Qi manipulation now, even that old bastard Lu Chengfeng would not be able to break free!

"Continue strengthening!"

"The Second Layer of Bitter Gourd Palm—Sea of Suffering!"

Having felt the might of Bitter Gourd Palm, Zhang Chu did not stop. He wanted to learn the remaining two layers in one breath.

[Strengthening Bitter Gourd Palm Second Layer requires 1,500 Merit Points. Strengthen? Please confirm.]

Five times more? Continue strengthening!

Zhang Chu did not feel the slightest regret. The next second, another vast wave of comprehension rapidly flooded his mind.

The true essence of the Second Layer, Sea of Suffering, suddenly became clear.

He sprang to his feet and alternated palm strikes. The palm wind was heavy and fierce, carrying a crushing pressure, as if a boundless Sea of Suffering had descended—vast and surging, impossible to resist.

Zhang Chu stepped forward and struck toward the deep mountains with his palm.

In an instant, the palm force piled up layer upon layer like ocean waves. The mountain's surface rapidly caved in, yet it was tightly imprisoned by the pressure of the palm force and could not crack apart.

Even more terrifying, wherever the palm force reached, it made one feel as if they had fallen into a boundless Sea of Suffering. Their limbs and bones were wrapped in heavy palm force, making even breathing difficult.

"Bitter Gourd's second form—Sea of Suffering. Suppress the realm with force, trap the enemy with momentum. Truly domineering!"

Zhang Chu withdrew his palm, shock filling his heart.

If Lu Chengfeng had been struck by that move just now, he likely would not even have had room to resist!

"Only the final move remains!"

"Today, I'll definitely master them all in one go!"

"Strengthen the Third Layer—Karma Fire!"

The final form of Bitter Gourd Palm, Karma Fire, was the hardest to practice and the very essence of the entire palm technique.

Legend had it that once the palm struck out, it could affect the mind and spirit. It was like Karma Fire burning the body, making one fall into the eighteen layers of hell!

Zhang Chu took a deep breath, his eyes full of anticipation.

[Strengthening Bitter Gourd Palm Third Layer requires 5,000 Merit Points. Strengthen? Please confirm.]

"Confirm!" He still had more than 15,000 Merit Points left, more than enough to cultivate the Third Layer.

As the thought settled, an ocean of palm technique comprehension erupted into Zhang Chu's body like a volcanic explosion.

In the darkness, Zhang Chu felt his Spiritual Power expanding. His body grew hot, and his mind thundered.

Zhang Chu slowly raised his hand. A streak of red radiance churned in his palm, blurring the vision of anyone who looked at it.

This was the Third Layer of Bitter Gourd Palm—Karma Fire!

A martial art capable of affecting one's spirit!

Once even the slightest trace touched someone, it would spread wildly like maggots clinging to the bone. No matter how powerful one's external cultivation was, it would be difficult to block the erosion of Karma Fire. Their spirit could only be worn away without end.

Even more terrifying, this move carried a suppressive might. Evil arts and venomous insects that encountered Karma Fire would have their spirits wiped out completely, unable to offer the slightest resistance.

It followed a completely different path from True Martial Palm's cleansing of the world's demonic bandits, yet it was equally transcendent!

"With this move in hand, even against those old monsters who have cultivated for decades, I have the confidence to clash with them!"

"And the outcome is still uncertain!"

True Martial Palm and Bitter Gourd Palm had both reached perfection.

Zhang Chu's eyes were filled with sharp, cutting brilliance.

Just then, an unexpected system prompt suddenly rang out from the depths of Zhang Chu's mind!

[Detected that True Martial Palm and Bitter Gourd Palm have both reached perfection. They may be fused with each other. Fuse?]