Zen and Martial Arts as One

[Arhat Demon-Subduing Divine Skill], [White Rainbow Palm Power], [Snow-Treading Traceless], [Formless Tribulation Finger].

Wang Xuan took a moment to glance at the several martial arts names that had suddenly appeared on the System Panel. His gaze was sharp as lightning as it instantly locked onto the first one: [Arhat Demon-Subduing Divine Skill].

Shaolin's supreme Buddhist internal art from Ode to Gallantry. In terms of profundity, it could be called the finest internal art in Shaolin's history, far surpassing ordinary martial arts.

Without the slightest hesitation, Wang Xuan's thoughts stirred, and he directly maxed out the skill's proficiency.

The next second, a gentle, rich current of warmth surged out from the depths of his dantian and swept through his entire body along his meridians.

This feeling was utterly unlike cultivating any martial art he had practiced before. The Energy Absorption Technique's soft, lingering True Qi, like a stream winding around silk, and the Indestructible Diamond Divine Skill's supremely yang and unyielding True Qi, like flames roaring within a furnace, had always remained clearly separate within his meridians, each following its own path.

Yet when that Buddhist warmth rushed through them, they became like fine liquor expertly blended by a master bartender. The two utterly different currents of True Qi trembled fiercely several times, then entwined and merged, fusing completely in a naturally harmonious state.

The murderous hostility from days of slaughter, the irritation of being surrounded, and the restless agitation faintly stirring within his meridians all vanished at that moment.

Wang Xuan felt his mind become utterly clear, his thoughts so lucid that he could perceive every movement around him. Yet it was not cold indifference, but a grounded clarity blessed by Zen intent. With no burdens in his heart, all thoughts returned to their source.

The martial art description slowly appeared on the System Panel, the words perfectly clear: [Martial Art: Arhat Demon-Subduing Divine Skill. Traits: Mind-Absorbing Origin Return, Yin-Yang Harmony, Zen and Martial Arts as One.]

Mind-Absorbing Origin Return could banish all worldly worries and distracting thoughts. No matter how bloody and violent the world outside became, one's heart would remain as steady as a boulder.

Yin-Yang Harmony allowed internal force to balance hardness and softness, generating and restraining each other, completely eliminating the danger of deviation caused by an excess of yin or yang. Zen and Martial Arts as One used Zen intent to nurture True Qi; the stronger the True Qi, the firmer the Zen intent. It used martial intent to protect the Zen heart; the clearer the Zen heart, the sharper the martial intent.

As for the hidden dangers that cultivating multiple martial arts might bring—congested True Qi, mutual clashes, or even deviation—Wang Xuan did not fear them in the slightest.

His Unique Rank talent already rendered him immune to all negative effects brought by martial arts. True Qi conflicts, deviation—if there was a martial art, he would cultivate it. He would take in every benefit and discard every hidden danger.

Across from him, the dozen or so remaining Grandmaster Players watched helplessly as another companion turned to flying ash beneath Wang Xuan's palm, leaving behind only a bloodstained garment drifting gently onto the bluestone pavement.

The dead, numb look in their eyes finally rippled faintly, like a stone dropped into still water. Yet they showed no sign of retreat. Palm winds sliced like blades and fist force crashed down like hammers, raining upon Wang Xuan in a dense barrage. Every strike carried the resolve to perish together.

As the battle raged, a bearded Grandmaster took advantage of a gap between punches to force out an almost inaudible whisper. His voice was hoarse like a broken gong, yet it reached Wang Xuan's ears with perfect clarity. "What a pity... If all this had happened outside the Plot World, how wonderful would that have been? Then death would mean real death, and I could go see my Nannan..."

Nannan was his daughter's pet name.

Wang Xuan's body suddenly halted. Even though it was only an instant of distraction, five overwhelmingly powerful palm and fist strikes slammed solidly into his chest. The barrier of his Indestructible Diamond body did not budge, but the immense impact still crashed over him like raging waves striking a shore, forcing him several staggering steps back.

The bluestone beneath his feet shattered with cracking sounds, sending fragments flying and leaving deep footprints behind.

That sentence was like a fine needle unexpectedly piercing the softest corner of his heart. He had been reborn through the womb and possessed a clear sense of self from childhood. Before he turned three, his parents' love had seeped deep into his bones. That warmth had been his only comfort throughout the more than ten years of hardship that followed.

But they had vanished without warning. Thinking of it now, they might well have been secretly controlled by the Royal Clan, their lives and deaths unknown.

That whisper seemed to strike the pain of the other Grandmaster Players as well. Their faces still wore those numb, lifeless expressions, but their eyes gradually reddened. Tears the size of beans spilled uncontrollably from their sockets, rolling down bloodstained cheeks and falling to the ground, where they spread into tiny wet marks.

Their hearts were filled with grief, and their tear ducts poured endlessly, yet they could not even move their facial muscles enough to form a complete expression of crying.

Wang Xuan's heart sank as though an icy boulder had been placed upon it, so heavy that he could barely breathe. Yet his attacks became fiercer, crueler, and faster than before, without a trace of hesitation. More than anyone, he understood that for these Players who had been controlled and tortured, death had never been punishment. It was the only way to escape this endless nightmare.

With a flash of his body, Wang Xuan turned into a blurred afterimage. He pushed Snow-Treading Traceless to its limit, yet did not leave the slightest mark on the bluestones beneath his feet.

From the moment the first Grandmaster had been drained of internal force and died, only a few exchanges had passed. Three more Grandmasters fell beneath Wang Xuan's palms in quick succession. As the Energy Absorption Technique circulated, their abundant True Qi and flesh were devoured completely.

Even their martial insights left nothing behind, all of it taken into Wang Xuan's possession.

Beyond the long street, the Brocade Guard had already surrounded the entire area so tightly that not even water could pass through.

Pitch-black cannon muzzles were aimed directly at the street's center, shells already loaded. Bowstrings were drawn taut like full moons, and archers waited with bows ready. At a single command from the Thousand-Household Commander, ten thousand arrows would fly and cannon fire would roar, leveling the entire street center.

"My lord," a Deputy Thousand-Household Commander in an azure bear-patterned uniform cautiously stepped up beside the leading Brocade Guard commander. He kept his voice low, though the tremor in it could not be hidden. "Look at this battle... the brothers are all flesh and blood. If we send them in, I'm afraid the casualties will be countless!"

He stared at the battle in the distance, where every move could collapse houses and shatter buildings, where force surged in every direction. His legs trembled so badly that he could barely stand. Such world-destroying power was not something ordinary soldiers could contend against. Going in would be suicide.

The Thousand-Household Commander's face was as dark as a frozen pool. His fists clenched tightly, his knuckles turning white as fine beads of cold sweat seeped between his fingers.

How could he not understand? The brothers under his command had all been born and raised by their parents, all were the pillars of their families. But did he dare defy the orders from above?

If he did not advance, his entire family would be executed and nine generations implicated. Those lofty officials wielded methods several times crueler than the tyrants recorded in history. Resistance meant nothing but death.

Just as the commander found himself trapped between advancing and retreating, his heart twisting like a knife, a burst of urgent hoofbeats tore through the dead silence of the street.

A Banner Officer in fitted martial attire leaped down from his horse, hurried forward, and dropped to one knee. His voice was loud but carried a hint of urgency. "My lord! Orders from above! The Brocade Guard is to immediately cooperate with the Grandmaster lords. Fire the ballistae, unleash the cannons, and severely wound the rebel. There must be no mistakes. Act at once!"

The Thousand-Household Commander's pupils contracted sharply, and his heart shook. The meaning of the order from above could not have been clearer: there was no need to spare the Grandmaster Players. They were to attack with full force, even if it meant killing them along with Wang Xuan.

But on second thought, those monster-like Grandmasters possessed powerful bodies and abundant True Qi. Cannons and ballistae like these might not be able to kill them at all! If he defied the order, it would still be his own brothers who suffered in the end.

He could not afford to think any longer. The order from above allowed no delay. Any hesitation would bring disaster upon him.

The Thousand-Household Commander gritted his teeth, a flash of resolve appearing in his eyes as he gave the order in a deep voice. "Fire the cannons! Loose the arrows!"

Boom!

Deafening cannon fire instantly thundered across the entire long street. Thick smoke billowed as shattered stones flew everywhere.

Amid the booming cannons came the piercing shrieks of ballista bolts ripping through the air. Dense arrows poured down like a torrential rain, carrying the lingering force of the cannon fire as they blasted toward both sides fighting in the street's center.

With such earth-shaking commotion, not only would the two sides fighting—both peak Grandmasters—notice it immediately, even ordinary martial artists would have sensed it at once.

Wang Xuan dodged the attacks of the Grandmasters before him like a phantom. As the howls of cannon fire and arrows reached his ears, his thoughts stirred. Taking advantage of a gap in the fighting, he tapped the System Panel with a fingertip and directly maxed out White Rainbow Palm Power!

This peerless palm art originated from the Xiaoyao Sect in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils. It specialized in the force behind palm strikes and was driven by abundant True Qi. With one palm, it could bend or straighten as one wished, like White Rainbow Piercing the Sun. Its speed was incredibly swift, yet its force left No Trace to Follow.

The essence of this palm art was neither hard nor soft. Against hardness, it penetrated; against softness, it pierced. It never clashed head-on with external force, instead seeping through every gap to strike directly into the internal organs and shatter the meridians. It was the supreme Daoist principle of "using what has no thickness to enter where there is space."