Ape Arm Mountain Crushing Fist

It was just beginning to get light.

After a quick wash, Li He headed to Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall.

As soon as he stepped inside, a wave of hubbub reached his ears.

Around the Martial Arts Arena, disciples had gathered in small groups. Every one of them had their head lowered, eyes fixed on their phone screens, as they discussed the footage animatedly.

"So that's how exciting the fight was! I was too far away that day. All I saw was blood."

"My god, Senior Brother Li's punch was brutal."

"Say what you will, this video's editing is really good, and the music's professional too. Did someone from our hall make it?"

"Senior Brother Li's here!"

Whoosh!

Countless gazes left their phone screens and focused on Li He. Enthusiastic greetings rang out one after another.

Li He paused briefly and glanced at the glowing screens. The images flashing across them showed him in all his carefully polished glory.

Sun Zhenhai's publicity campaign really was efficient.

Overnight, footage of his fight with Sun Jiaoyang had spread widely across social media.

Every overly bloody scene had been cleverly edited out. The camera focused on his resolute, unyielding gaze, his violent, domineering punches, and how he kept getting knocked down only to stubbornly rise again and again.

The rousing music surged in the background, while the captions were even more provocative: "Five-grade bones, an underdog's rise! The weaker fighter triumphs—fighting to the bitter end!"

But come to think of it, wouldn't Sun Jiaoyang have a problem with this?

Li He nodded to his junior brothers and sisters, then headed straight for the changing room without lingering.

He had just stepped inside when someone called, "Junior Brother Li!"

Li He turned and saw Lin Feng standing nearby, waving him over.

"You're something else, kid! It's only been a few days, and you've already recovered? Looks like that Wine Crystal worked wonders. I can finally relax."

"Sorry for the trouble, Senior Brother."

"Hahahaha! Junior Brother, warm up first. I'll go tell Master you've recovered, then take you to the back mountain."

He was going to teach him the Ape Arm Mountain Crushing Fist.

Li He immediately agreed.

He didn't have to wait long before Lin Feng returned. "Junior Brother, come with me. Master's already waiting at the back mountain."

Li He got up and followed Lin Feng. They walked side by side along a quiet mountain path.

"By the way," Lin Feng said as they walked, "after they took you to the hospital the day before yesterday, the hall held a few more matches. We've tentatively settled on the five people who'll represent Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall at the United Martial Arts Hall Newcomer Competition in October."

"You, Yuan Lingling, Sun Ao, Yuan Ziheng, and Miao Shuwen."

The more Li He listened, the stranger the list seemed.

Noticing his confusion, Lin Feng explained, "After you defeated Sun Jiaoyang, he voluntarily left the hall. Lingling took his place."

"As for Sun Ao, although he lost badly to Sun Jiaoyang in the second round, he's strong-willed. Once he recovered, he immediately applied to the hall master to challenge Yuan Ziheng, who was ranked third."

"Sun Ao had a very hard time in that match. Yuan Ziheng's footwork gave him no end of trouble. But it seemed your fight had inspired him. He relied on sheer grit, trading injury for injury until he defeated Yuan Ziheng and claimed third place."

"Miao Wenshu took the same route, winning the fifth spot through a challenge."

At this, Lin Feng grinned. "So, Junior Brother Li, don't let your victory in the preliminary test make you complacent. The hall master said that anyone dissatisfied with the rankings can challenge at any time. Lingling's been wanting to fight you for a while."

"Don't worry, Senior Brother. I understand. Pressure is motivation, too."

As they talked, they walked along the quiet mountain path and arrived at the old grounds behind the hall.

Three people stood in an open space backed by an enormous rock face.

Hall master Yuan Shan stood before the cliff with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression solemn.

Two people stood a short distance in front of him.

One was Sun Ao, tall and straight in a well-fitted white training outfit. His features were handsome, his gaze sharp.

He stood there with a steady bearing. Although his face was still pale from his recent illness, an unyielding fighting spirit burned in his eyes.

The other was Yuan Lingling, slender in a pale purple training outfit. After her crushing defeat, her presence had clearly become steadier.

Lin Feng led Li He over to Yuan Shan, then bowed respectfully. "Master, I've brought Junior Brother Li."

Li He bowed as well. "Hall master."

Yuan Shan's gaze settled on Li He. After a moment, he nodded slowly and said in a steady voice, "Good. You've recovered well."

His gaze swept over the other two. "Now that everyone's here, I'll teach the three of you one of Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall's signature arts: the Ape Arm Mountain Crushing Fist."

"The Ape Arm Mountain Crushing Fist!" Sun Ao's eyes blazed with excitement, and his breathing quickened. This was a true core inheritance of Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall, a technique of extraordinary power that was never lightly taught to anyone but core disciples.

A flicker of emotion also crossed Yuan Lingling's eyes. Even as the hall master's granddaughter, she couldn't learn this fist technique without first earning his recognition.

Li He was shaken, too.

Seeing the excitement and anticipation in their eyes, Yuan Shan grew even more solemn.

"This fist technique was passed down from ancient times. It takes its inspiration from the giant apes of antiquity, whose arms could reach the heavens and whose punches could shatter mountains and split the earth."

"You've all probably seen the description on the Federation's official website: an ancient martial art with tremendous power, but difficult to master and liable to injure the practitioner."

Yuan Shan changed tack.

"You may be wondering why Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall, along with so many other martial arts halls and schools across the Federation, teaches core inheritances that are mostly external techniques, such as fists, palms, and kicks."

"Why don't we follow the ancient texts and legends, which speak of cultivating both the inner and outer arts, and teach internal cultivation methods?"

He raised a hand slightly, as if brushing away the dust of a bygone era.

"Times change, and martial arts advance with them."

"Ancient methods may be powerful, but they're still merely mortal techniques. They rely on brute strength and bursts of blood and energy, but lack the transcendent power to draw on the energies of heaven and earth or tap into one's own potential."

"I've been in charge of this hall for more than thirty years. Deeply aware of the flaws in ancient methods, I joined forces with several martial arts grandmasters and biotechnology experts from the Federation. Together, we studied them and kept their essence while discarding their flaws."

"We incorporated the Federation's martial arts principles—external cultivation of blood and energy, the transmission of force, and energy resonance—into the ancient fist techniques. We also studied the genetic profiles of Abyss Beasts and refined the techniques' movement patterns and methods for unleashing blood and energy."

"The Ape Arm Mountain Crushing Fist as it exists today is no longer a purely ancient martial art. It combines modern martial arts technology with the essence of the ancient methods. Instead of relying on brute force, it uses a special frequency to vibrate the blood and energy, refining it into Mountain Crushing Power."

"This power is peerlessly forceful, with tremendous penetrating and explosive strength. Master it, and the force will pass through your body from within, shattering mountains and crushing stone. It is even more powerful than the ancient method."

"To practice this fist technique, you must first bathe in the blood of a specific kind of ape-like Abyss Beast. The violent life energy and unique compounds in its blood stimulate your bones and muscles, guide the initial condensation of Mountain Crushing Power, and strengthen your body's ability to withstand it."

"I've already had someone prepare the blood essence of a Four-Armed White Ape. This beast has ferocious strength and powerful bones. The energy in its blood essence is the best suited for the initial tempering required to master Mountain Crushing Power."

"As for internal cultivation, we haven't abandoned it—we've elevated it. Once you've mastered the Ape Arm Mountain Crushing Fist, you'll earn the right to learn the White Ape Breathing Method."

Yuan Shan looked at the three of them, his tone growing stern. "That's enough for now. We'll begin the formal training. I expect you to give it your all. Don't let down the hall—or yourselves!"

"Yes!" the three of them answered in unison, their voices ringing out.

Yuan Shan nodded slightly, stepped forward into the center of the clearing, and faced the enormous, solid rock wall.

"The first move is the Mountain Crushing Style."

"Watch closely!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yuan Shan shifted his feet, moving as lightly and silently as an ape through the trees. At the same time, he slowly raised both arms in a smooth, expansive motion. Each joint relaxed, and his muscles loosened, while his blood and energy flowed steadily within.

Li He, Yuan Lingling, and Sun Ao held their breath and watched without blinking.

They could sense that beneath the hall master's seemingly casual movements, a terrifying force they could scarcely imagine was quietly gathering.

Then, a sudden change came over him.

As Yuan Shan's outstretched arms reached a certain limit, they snapped taut as if an invisible bowstring had been drawn tight!

Hum!

The bones and muscles throughout Yuan Shan's body sounded in unison. The blood and energy in him vibrated wildly at a strange frequency.

He swung his right arm.

Faster than lightning!

It lashed against the rock wall like a heavy whip. With a deafening crash, the solid stone instantly fractured and caved in!

A huge crater appeared in the rock face.

The edges of the crater had been pulverized, and countless cracks spread outward like a spiderweb.

Powder and broken stone pattered to the ground.

The rock wall shuddered, and smoke billowed everywhere.