Ape Arm Mountain Crushing Fist

The sky was just beginning to brighten.

Li He finished a simple wash and headed out toward the Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall.

Stepping into the hall, a wave of noise rushed into his ears.

Around the Martial Arts Arena, disciples gathered in small groups, all with their heads bowed, eyes glued to their phone screens, their discussions rising and falling in waves.

"So that's how spectacular the fight was that day. I was too far away at the time; all I saw was blood."

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

"I have to say, this video is edited really well, and the soundtrack is professional too. Was this made by someone in our hall?"

"Senior Brother Li is here!"

Swish!

Dozens of gazes shifted from their phone screens to focus on Li He, and enthusiastic greetings erupted one after another.

Li He paused for a moment, his eyes sweeping over the glowing phone screens, which were displaying his own heroic image, carefully packaged.

Sun Zhenhai's promotional efforts were truly efficient.

Overnight, the video of his battle with Sun Jiaoyang had spread widely across social media platforms.

All the overly bloody scenes had been cleverly edited out, with the camera focusing on his determined, unyielding gaze, his violent and domineering fist techniques, and the moments he was knocked down only to stubbornly stand back up again.

The background music was stirring and intense, and the subtitles were filled with inflammatory rhetoric: "Fifth-grade aptitude, defying the heavens to counterattack! Defeating the strong with the weak, fighting to the bitter end!"

But then again, would Sun Jiaoyang really have no objections to this?

Li He nodded to his junior brothers and sisters and, without lingering, walked toward the locker room.

Just as he stepped inside.

"Junior Brother Li!"

Li He turned his head to see Lin Feng standing not far away, waving at him.

"Good lad, it's only been a few days and your injuries have already healed? It seems that Wine Crystal was quite effective. I can finally rest easy now, Junior Brother."

"Sorry to trouble you with your concern, Senior Brother."

"Hahaha, Junior Brother, go warm up for a bit. I'm going to tell the Master that you've recovered, and then I'll take you to the back mountain later."

This was it—the time to learn the Ape Arm Mountain Crushing Fist.

Li He immediately agreed.

He didn't have to wait long before Lin Feng came to find him: "Junior Brother, come with me. The Master is already waiting at the back mountain."

Li He stood up to follow, walking side-by-side with Lin Feng as they traversed the quiet mountain path.

"By the way," Lin Feng said as they walked, "after you were sent to the hospital the day before yesterday, the hall held a few more matches to preliminarily finalize the five-person roster representing our 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 this list felt.

Seeming to notice his confusion, Lin Feng took the initiative to explain: "After Sun Jiaoyang was defeated by you, he voluntarily withdrew from the hall, and his spot was taken by Lingling."

"As for Sun Ao, although he was crushed by Sun Jiaoyang in the second round, his spirit is resilient. After recovering, he immediately petitioned the Hall Master to challenge the third-ranked Yuan Ziheng."

"That challenge match was incredibly difficult for Sun Ao; Yuan Ziheng's footwork gave him a lot of trouble. But it was as if he were stimulated by you; he relied on sheer grit, trading injury for injury, to defeat Yuan Ziheng and seize the third spot."

"As for Miao Shuwen, he followed the same path, winning the fifth spot through a challenge."

At this, Lin Feng laughed: "So, Junior Brother Li, you must not slack off just because of your victory in the small test. The Hall Master has stated that any disciple with objections to the rankings can initiate a challenge at any time. Lingling has been wanting to spar with you for a while now."

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

During their conversation, the two passed through the quiet mountain path and arrived at the old site area behind the martial arts hall.

In a relatively open clearing backed by a massive cliff face, three people were standing.

Hall Master Yuan Shan stood with his hands behind his back in front of the cliff, his expression solemn.

Not far in front of him stood two people.

One had a tall, upright posture, wearing a well-fitted white training uniform with handsome features and sharp eyes—this was Sun Ao.

He stood there with a steady aura; although his face still carried a hint of the pallor of someone recently recovered from a serious illness, his eyes burned with unyielding fighting spirit.

The other was Yuan Lingling, dressed in a pale purple training uniform with a graceful figure. After experiencing her crushing defeat, her aura was noticeably much steadier.

Lin Feng led Li He to Yuan Shan and bowed respectfully: "Master, Junior Brother Li has arrived."

Li He also bowed: "Hall Master."

Yuan Shan's gaze landed on Li He. After a moment, he nodded slowly, his voice steady: "Good, you've recovered well."

He swept his gaze over the other two: "Now that everyone is here, I will proceed to teach the three of you one of the core legacies of the Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall: the Ape Arm Mountain Crushing Fist."

"Ape Arm Mountain Crushing Fist!" A scorching light erupted in Sun Ao's eyes, and his breathing quickened! This was the true core heritage of the Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall, possessing unparalleled power, and it was not easily taught to anyone other than core disciples.

A flicker of obvious emotion also crossed Yuan Lingling's eyes. Even though she was the Hall Master's granddaughter, she could not easily learn this fist technique until she had earned the recognition.

Li He felt a jolt in his heart.

Yuan Shan looked at the excitement and anticipation in the eyes of the three, his expression growing even more solemn.

"This fist technique is inherited from ancient times, inspired by the primordial giant ape. Its arm strength reaches the heavens, and where its force lands, mountains crumble and the earth splits."

"You have all likely seen the introduction to this technique on the Federation official website: a form of Ancient Martial Arts that possesses immense power but is difficult to master and prone to causing self-injury."

Yuan Shan shifted his tone.

"Perhaps you have questions in your hearts. Why do our Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall, and indeed many martial arts schools within the Federation, focus their core teachings on external skills like fist techniques, palm techniques, and leg techniques?"

"Why do we not teach internal energy cultivation methods, as described in ancient legends that emphasize both internal and external refinement?"

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

"Times are changing, and the martial way is progressing as well."

"Though ancient methods were strong, they were ultimately mundane skills. They relied on pure brute force of muscle and bone and the eruption of blood and energy, lacking the extraordinary power to draw upon the energy of heaven and earth or to tap into one's own latent potential."

"I have managed this martial arts hall for over thirty years and deeply felt the flaws of the ancient ways. Thus, I collaborated with many martial arts grandmasters and biotechnology experts of the Federation, dedicating myself to studying them, extracting their essence, and discarding the dross."

"We integrated the Federation's concepts of external blood-energy refinement, force conduction, and energy resonance into the ancient fist technique, combining it with research on the genetic maps of Abyss beasts to optimize its circulation paths and methods of blood-energy eruption."

"The current Ape Arm Mountain Crushing Fist is no longer a simple Ancient Martial Art. It fuses modern martial technology with the essence of the ancient ways. It is no longer about brute force, but about vibrating blood and energy at specific frequencies to condense the Mountain Crushing Power."

"This power is peerlessly fierce, possessing extreme penetrative and explosive force. When practiced to a deep level, the force penetrates through the body, from the inside out, crushing mountains and shattering stones—its power far exceeding the ancient methods."

"To practice this fist, you must use the blood of specific ape-like Abyss beasts as a catalyst. You will bathe in it, using the violent life energy and special factors it contains to stimulate your muscles and bones, guide the initial condensation of the Mountain Crushing Power, and enhance your body's ability to withstand the force."

"I have already ordered the preparation of the essence blood of the Four-Armed White Ape. This beast possesses violent strength and formidable muscles and bones; the energy contained in its blood is the most compatible for the introductory tempering of the Mountain Crushing Power."

"As for internal energy? It is not abandoned, but sublimated. Once you have mastered the Ape Arm Mountain Crushing Fist, you will be qualified to learn the White Ape Breathing Method."

Yuan Shan looked at the three, his tone growing stern: "That is all for now. Next, we will begin formal practice. I hope you will give it your all; do not let down the expectations of the martial arts hall, and do not let down... yourselves!"

"Yes!" the three replied in unison, their voices ringing out clearly.

Yuan Shan nodded slightly, stepped forward, and walked to the center of the open space, facing the massive, solid stone wall.

"The first move of the basics: Mountain Crushing Style."

"Watch closely!"

As the words fell.

Yuan Shan's footsteps shifted lightly, as if an ape moving through the forest, silent and agile. At the same time, his arms slowly rose, his movements fluid. Every joint was loosened, his muscles relaxed, yet his blood and energy flowed slowly within.

Li He, Yuan Lingling, and Sun Ao held their breath, their eyes fixed intently.

They could feel that beneath the Hall Master's seemingly casual movements, a terrifying, unimaginable power was quietly gathering.

A sudden change occurred.

When Yuan Shan's extended arms reached a certain limit, they were suddenly pulled taut like an invisible bowstring!

Hum!

Yuan Shan's entire body's muscles and bones resonated in unison, and the blood and energy throughout his body vibrated frantically at a peculiar frequency.

He whipped his right arm out.

Fast as lightning!

It struck the stone wall like a heavy whip. With a thunderous boom, the solid wall instantly cracked and collapsed!

A massive crater appeared on the wall.

The edges of the crater showed a state of pulverizing disintegration, with countless spiderweb-like cracks spreading outward.

Stone fragments and dust rained down.

The wall trembled, and smoke filled the air.