Mountain-Shrinking Fist

The Kaidu Rebellion?

From Zhu Yuanzhang's hazy memories...

It seemed to have been an uprising by Mongol princes in Central and Western Asia and on the Mongolian Plateau, who opposed Kublai Khan's efforts to make the Mongols more like the Han.

They said that three or four Mongol khanates had taken part in the rebellion, making it a truly massive affair.

Then Great Yuan had ground them down like mobs in a game.

But... feeling the damp air inside the Scripture Depository,

"The Kaidu Rebellion," "stationed troops in Dingshui County," "Mountain-Shrinking Fist created by the Boat People who lived on the water"...

"And Mingde standing right in front of me."

Was it really a coincidence?

Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes.

But whatever the truth was, it was far beyond his reach for now.

At present, Zhu Yuanzhang was just a little monk with not much time left, caught in the power struggle between the various factions at Yinglong Temple.

"If there's nothing else, Minghe will take his leave."

As his stomach rumbled, Zhu Yuanzhang clasped his hands and spoke with a straight face.

Seeing the Umbrella Monk nod in assent,

Zhu Yuanzhang strode out of the Scripture Depository.

The moon shone bright overhead.

As Zhu Yuanzhang walked along the mountain path, the smell of meat buns drifted over from the Refectory.

His heart leaped with joy.

"I'm finally going to have my first proper meal since transmigrating."

Turning around the bend in the mountain path, he looked at the brightly lit Refectory.

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed with emotion.

The true fire between his brows stirred, as if warning him.

A shadow shot out from the locust grove lining the road.

Bathed in the light of the true fire and the moon, a blue-faced, fanged visage came into view.

It lunged at Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yuanzhang flung out the true fire.

A wall of fire capable of warding off evil spirits sprang up before him.

In an instant, it consumed a third of his remaining lifespan.

However—

"It didn't work? What a rip-off!"

Zhu Yuanzhang let out a furious cry.

The Fixed Light True Fire, said to be capable of subduing dragons and tigers, seemed completely unable to affect the zombie in monk's robes before him.

The other party was so fast that Zhu Yuanzhang had no time to defend himself.

With a sharp whoosh,

several scarlet characters flashed before his eyes.

[You are dead]

"I think I should ask Master Mingde to help me master the Mountain-Shrinking Fist before setting out."

Zhu Yuanzhang had completely changed from his previous self, who'd looked like a starving ghost eager to eat.

Now he cupped his hands toward Master Mingde, looking eager to learn.

There was no other reason.

Zhu Yuanzhang simply loved learning. He couldn't bring himself to eat until he'd mastered the Mountain-Shrinking Fist.

"Excellent! I'll protect you while you practice."

As if sensing something, Mingde raised the black umbrella in his hand and looked toward the door of the Scripture Depository.

The next moment,

a fishy sea breeze blew in from outside.

The doors and windows of the Scripture Depository all shut tight. The only light came from the candle Zhu Yuanzhang had brought, sitting on a bookshelf.

Three hours later,

Zhu Yuanzhang opened his eyes and assumed a stance.

A series of crackling bone-breaking sounds rang out from every part of Zhu Yuanzhang's body.

"Your qi and blood have coalesced. You can now study the visualization method."

Mingde gestured for Zhu Yuanzhang to take the visualization diagram himself.

Following Mingde's example, Zhu Yuanzhang hooked a finger through the iron ring and then yanked it apart.

Boom!

The world spun!

A huge wave crashed toward him.

Zhu Yuanzhang once again stood atop the familiar reef.

"What exactly is that thing beneath the sea?"

Drawing on what he'd learned last time, Zhu Yuanzhang found his target with incredible speed.

A thick, briny stench rose from beneath the waves, nearly making Zhu Yuanzhang cough.

But he kept his eyes fixed on the sea below.

As black waves churned beneath the gloomy sky, a huge, scaly arm emerged from the water.

"It's coming out!"

A sudden realization dawned on Zhu Yuanzhang.

A huge wave slammed toward the reef. Amid the churning water,

Zhu Yuanzhang saw the thing beneath the sea.

It was a hundred meters tall, humanoid, and covered in a dense coat of hard, hideous scales.

It lunged toward the reef where Zhu Yuanzhang stood.

No!

Almost the moment Zhu Yuanzhang saw the creature's true form beneath the sea, he was ejected from that space.

But that wasn't what truly shocked him.

It was—

[Dagon (Great Ocean Water)]

[Because you faced an image of Dagon (Great Ocean Water) from history]

[You have received "Dagon's Blessing (Temporary)"]

[You have received "Dagon Visualization Diagram (Temporary)"]

[You have fulfilled all the conditions for learning Mountain-Shrinking Fist]

[Learned Mountain-Shrinking Fist]

Scarlet qi and blood nearly solidified around Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yuanzhang opened his palm and saw a faint blue glow on his fingernails.

A layer of translucent keratin had also formed over his skin.

Mingde had vanished without a trace.

The door to the Scripture Depository stood open behind him, as if to say he could leave whenever he liked.

Zhu Yuanzhang's thoughts shifted.

[Name: Zhu Yuanzhang (Monk Minghe)]

[Profession: Investigator, Imperial Awakening Temple Monks (Fake)]

[Status: Unlucky]

[Skills: Great Wisdom Zen Technique (Fake), Dingguang Demon-Subduing True Technique (Fake), Mountain-Shrinking Fist (Fake)]

[Equipment: None]

[Note: Today's calamity! There is no escape!]

[Reward: Permanently solidify one skill (unused).]

"It's time to see how Mountain-Shrinking Fist holds up in a real fight."

After mastering Mountain-Shrinking Fist, Zhu Yuanzhang found that he no longer minded the damp air inside the Scripture Depository.

The change wasn't just physical. It was psychological, too.

When Zhu Yuanzhang walked outside, he actually found himself longing for the misty, humid air inside the Scripture Depository.

That made him all the more wary of the entity called [Dagon] that he'd seen in the visualization diagram.

Pale eyeballs, long black hair, and tusks as thick and long as a wild boar's.

The system called it a [Shadow Walker].

It suddenly emerged from the shadows of the Locust Wood Forest around the bend in the mountain path and dealt Zhu Yuanzhang a fatal blow.

Just like last time, the monster wasn't afraid of the true fire at all.

It charged straight through the wall of fire, which had consumed half of Zhu Yuanzhang's lifespan, and lunged at him.

But this time,

Zhu Yuanzhang assumed a stance.

His expression was so calm that even the Shadow Walker before him froze in surprise.

"I've been waiting for you."

Zhu Yuanzhang muttered.

At that moment, under the effect of "thirty years of hard labor," the major vessels throughout his body had fused into one.

And as Zhu Yuanzhang visualized Dagon's form once more,

scarlet blood sprayed from his pores like a mist.

"Hm?"

The [Shadow Walker] froze. It warily lowered its body, staring at the blood-soaked man before it, and didn't dare attack rashly.

Zhu Yuanzhang froze, too.

"What's going on?"

"Not right!"

Patches of gray-white scales, like a skin disease, sprouted from his skin.

But before these clumps of scales could join together across his body,

the true fire charged in without hesitation, as if it had found the murderer of its entire family, and began furiously burning the new growth.

And it wasn't just his skin.

At the same time, Mountain-Shrinking Fist was altering Zhu Yuanzhang's internal organs, transforming them into those of another kind of creature.

Yet the true fire still refused to relent, fighting Mountain-Shrinking Fist head-on inside Zhu Yuanzhang.

That was why Zhu Yuanzhang was already gravely wounded before he'd even made a move.

A sound like shattering glass rang out inside Zhu Yuanzhang.

He threw back his head and spat up a mouthful of blood.

Then several scarlet characters flashed before his eyes.

[You are dead!]

"Damn it!"

"This technique is cursed!"