Heaven High, Earth Thick

"The simplification cost went from one tael to two taels... As expected, the higher the technique's level, the greater the cost to simplify it."

This was within Chen Yue's expectations. The panel seemed to follow some principle of equivalent exchange.

Just as Chen Yue was about to simplify Mountain Crushing Fist, a somewhat whimsical thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

Last time he had fused techniques, Chen Yue had first trained both Iron Mountain Fist and Wave-Turning Breathing Technique to their peaks, then fused them into Mountain-Climbing Art.

So... if the newly acquired Mountain Crushing Fist was still in an untrained state, could he skip the process of training Mountain Crushing Fist alone and directly use Mountain-Climbing Art to fuse and absorb the essence of Mountain Crushing Fist?

Thus, on the foundation of Mountain-Climbing Art, could he directly deduce an even more powerful new technique?

This idea was tempting. If successful, it would save him a great deal of time spent training the new technique separately. He could directly cultivate the fused technique instead.

As if responding to Chen Yue's thought, the moment this idea arose, the panel trembled slightly. [Mountain-Climbing Art (Break Limit)] and [Mountain Crushing Fist (Not Started)] began to flicker.

"It really works!"

Chen Yue's heart leaped with joy. The panel's functions were far more powerful than he had imagined!

Without any hesitation, Chen Yue issued a command in his mind toward the two clusters of light: "Fuse!"

"Hum!"

The artistic conception and insights of Mountain-Climbing Art, like a vast river, surged into the nascent image representing Mountain Crushing Fist.

The fist principles and force variations contained within Mountain Crushing Fist were swept up, scoured, and reorganized by this mighty torrent!

Removing the dross and retaining the essence, guided by the panel's rules, a flood of new insights poured into Chen Yue's sea of consciousness, rapidly understood and absorbed, becoming his own.

After a few breaths, the storm within his sea of consciousness gradually subsided.

On the panel, the words Mountain-Climbing Art and Mountain Crushing Fist had vanished without a trace. In their place was a line of new text:

[Mountain-Crushing Art (Perfection 11026/20000)]

Chen Yue looked at the name of this new technique, his eyes lighting up slightly. It worked!

Perhaps because the fusion was based on the Break Limit level Mountain-Climbing Art, the newly born Mountain-Crushing Art directly inherited the accumulated proficiency of Mountain-Climbing Art, starting at Perfection 11026/20000!

Chen Yue quickly experienced the new operational trajectory brought by Mountain-Crushing Art. At its current power, Mountain-Crushing Art was roughly equivalent to the previous Break Limit Mountain-Climbing Art.

But the upper limit of Mountain-Crushing Art had undoubtedly been raised.

As long as Chen Yue trained Mountain-Crushing Art's proficiency from Perfection to Break Limit, its power would surely surpass the previous Mountain-Climbing Art.

Just as Chen Yue's thoughts were stirring, the panel flickered again, and a familiar prompt appeared:

"Technique detected. Spend two taels of silver to simplify Mountain-Crushing Art?"

Perhaps this fusion was somewhat special. Mountain Crushing Fist itself had not been simplified; it had directly fused with the already simplified Mountain-Climbing Art in its untrained state. Thus, the newly born Mountain-Crushing Art had not inherited the simplified state and needed to be simplified anew.

Chen Yue silently speculated on the panel's rules. Last time, both Iron Mountain Fist and Wave-Turning Breathing Technique had been simplified before fusion.

While Chen Yue was immersed in the mysteries of the panel and the new technique, Zhou Jingfeng saw Chen Yue frowning slightly, seemingly lost in contemplation. He assumed Chen Yue was struggling with the complexity of Mountain Crushing Fist and having difficulty digesting it.

Zhou Jingfeng smiled warmly and spoke gently: "Chen Yue, the path of martial arts requires gradual progress. If there's anything unclear, just speak up. Yu Kan can demonstrate and break down the key points for you again. It's only natural to find such a fist technique that integrates inner breath difficult on first contact."

Although Zhou Jingfeng had high expectations for Chen Yue's talent, he also understood the difficulty of Mountain Crushing Fist.

After all, this was a martial art that could reach the Bone Forging Realm, not comparable to basic techniques. Chen Yue's quick mastery of Iron Mountain Fist didn't mean he could instantly grasp Mountain Crushing Fist.

Hearing this, Chen Yue turned his attention from the panel, cupped his fists toward Zhou Jingfeng, and said: "Master, this disciple happened to gain some insight while observing Senior Brother Yu's demonstration."

"Oh?"

Zhou Jingfeng was slightly startled. He had seen it once, heard the incantation once, and already had some understanding?

Zhou Jingfeng pondered briefly, then nodded: "Since you've gained insight, then demonstrate it. Martial arts practice lies in action. Go ahead and do your best. Even if there are mistakes, they can be caught in time."

In the distance, Ma Jun heard Chen Yue's words, and the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. He felt Chen Yue was being a bit presumptuous. After all, he had just formally taken a master; there was no need to rush to show off. Building a solid foundation step by step was the right approach.

Father Chen and Mother Chen stood to the side. Though they couldn't understand the profound fist principles and incantation, they could sense the shift in the atmosphere.

They didn't understand martial arts levels, but they were well-versed in human relationships and survival.

In Pearl Village, at the bottom rung, the most taboo thing was not knowing one's place. Their son had just found such a good master; this was the time to be humble and cautious. How could he be so rash?

The two were anxious inside, their lips moving, but seeing Zhou Jingfeng had already nodded in approval, they swallowed their words.

They didn't dare speak out of turn in such a setting, afraid that one wrong word might ruin things. They could only watch Chen Yue in the field with worried expressions.

Chen Yue returned a reassuring look to his parents' anxious gazes, then steadily walked to the center of the field, stopping at the spot where Yu Kan had stood earlier.

He didn't immediately assume the starting stance of Mountain Crushing Fist. Instead, he slightly closed his eyes, as if adjusting his state. The next moment, when Chen Yue opened his eyes again, his entire demeanor underwent a dramatic change!

Before, Chen Yue's aura was calm and restrained. Now, a heavy, mountain-like presence erupted from his upright frame! Then, Chen Yue moved.

His movements weren't fast, but they carried a peculiar rhythm. The starting stance faintly showed the steady foundation of Iron Mountain Fist, yet added the contained explosive tension and the premonition of imminent eruption from Mountain Crushing Fist.

A single punch was thrown, its trajectory no longer a simple straight line, but containing subtle tremors. The sound of breaking air was low and heavy, like a boulder rolling across the ground.

Each move and stance bore the shadow of Mountain Crushing Fist, yet differed from the version Yu Kan had just demonstrated.

Chen Yue's fist technique seemed to have removed some of the deliberate cleverness in Mountain Crushing Fist that sought variation, instead perfectly merging the clumsiness of Iron Mountain Fist with the explosiveness of Mountain Crushing Fist, forming a purer display of "force."

Where the fist wind passed, the air let out a muffled whimper.

Yu Kan stood at the edge of the arena, his eyes involuntarily widening, the expression on his face shifting rapidly from initial surprise to an almost unbelievable shock.

He saw it clearly—what Chen Yue was practicing was indeed the core force and essence of the Mountain Crushing Fist, even the subtle nuances of internal breath coordination were flawlessly replicated.

But... yet it was not merely the Mountain Crushing Fist he himself cultivated. Within Chen Yue's fist technique, there was an added weight of will, as if it could collapse mountains, and a seamless, natural completeness.

Was this something someone who had just encountered the Mountain Crushing Fist could produce?

In terms of artistic conception, it surpassed even his own years of bitter training... by a full measure!