Seventy-Two Chen Sect Arts!

Great Yan World.

The sun and moon alternated.

Unknowingly, another thirty-five years had passed.

It had been one hundred and eleven years since Chen Jichuan had first arrived in this world.

Time flowed on.

Life turned in cycles.

Over these years, Chen Jichuan had seen too much life and death.

Lu Peng, Yang Qing, Yang Xu.

Lu Xiong, Lu Rong.

Lu Zijian, Lu Zikang.

Lu Bai, Lu Yu, Lu Jing.

Four generations had grown old one after another. By now, Lu Changshou, once called "Little Southern Chen," had also reached the end of his life.

This day.

The training platform atop Taiqing Mountain's main peak.

The Chen Sect's master, the heads of each hall, elders, and direct disciples—seventy-two people in all.

Two hundred and eighty-four new and old lay disciples.

The hall was packed with talent.

On the day of the grand lecture, disciples and sect members gathered together. The old sect master, "Southern Fist" Lu Changshou, who had not shown himself for a long time, stood in the center with a head full of silver-white hair.

Lu Changshou was already seventy-six years old.

Yet he still walked like the wind, his voice loud and clear.

He looked around. Seeing the sea of heads and hearing not a sound, pride stirred in his heart. He said in a ringing voice, "Our Chen Sect was founded in the third year of Baoqing under Emperor Lizong. We honor Great Grandmaster Chen Jichuan, 'Chen of the Southern Dynasty,' as our founding patriarch. Forty-seven years have passed since then. Ordinary people only know that our Chen Sect possesses the Seventy-Two Peerless Arts, yet they do not know that the martial arts within our sect have long exceeded that number."

When people grew old.

They always liked reminiscing about the past.

Lu Changshou was no exception.

He thought of the Chen Sect's founding, and of the Tan Sect's meteoric rise.

Several decades had passed.

The name of the Tan Sect's former founding patriarch, Great Grandmaster Tan Jinxuan, "Scattering Flower Legs," had long been buried in old papers.

The Thirteen Guardians, who had once suppressed the martial world north and south and shaken the four seas with their fame, had also grown old one by one.

More than ten years ago.

Internal strife had torn apart the Tan Sect.

The greatest sect in the north no longer existed.

Yet the Chen Sect had surged ahead against the tide. First, "Little Southern Chen," "Southern Fist" Lu Changshou, had fought the Thirteen Guardians to a draw. Then came the direct disciples of "Chen of the Southern Dynasty," the Four Great Vajras, who swept through the southern martial world.

After the Four Great Vajras.

The heads of the Chen Sect's seven halls and the ten lay tigers were all first-rate masters whose fame shook the martial world north and south.

Prosperous and enduring.

Not to mention the martial world's rumors that the Chen Sect hid an "old monster," suspected to be the famed "Chen of the Southern Dynasty" from a century ago.

This made every sect, every school, and masters from every path deeply wary.

The mighty Chen Sect.

Could truly be called flourishing.

As the first sect master, Lu Changshou's prestige in the martial world was likewise among the very greatest.

There was no need to speak of the glory of his life.

Today, on a sudden whim, he had come to lecture on martial arts. The gathered sect members were all wildly excited.

Since they had entered the Chen Sect, they naturally knew of its glory.

Who in the rivers and lakes, who in the martial world, did not know—

All martial arts under heaven came from the Chen Sect!

The Chen Sect's Seventy-Two Peerless Arts had long shaken the rivers and lakes. Take out any one of them, and it would be a first-rate martial art in the world. Masters who had emerged from the Chen Sect were scattered across the great rivers north and south.

Its momentum was grand, its prosperity at its peak, long surpassing the Tan Sect of old.

The martial worlds of north and south both revered it.

Listening to the old sect master's account, the disciples could not help but feel their hearts surge like rolling waves.

Lu Changshou's gaze swept across them. Seeing their expressions and quite a few fresh faces, he knew they must be newcomers. His expression changed, turning stern as he said, "The essential principle behind practicing the Chen Sect's Seventy-Two Arts lies, of course, in strengthening the body, toughening the sinews and flesh, driving out internal evils, and resisting insult and oppression. Yet this cannot be achieved through empty words. You must practice earnestly, without neglect or idleness, before you can succeed."

"Founding Patriarch 'Chen of the Southern Dynasty' once said that those who study Chen Sect martial arts must remember the 'Three Essentials,' the 'Five Taboos,' and the 'Seven Harms.' Have you all committed them to memory?"

As soon as his words fell.

No one dared answer.

Lu Changshou casually pointed at a medium-built youth. "You, speak."

"Yes."

"Patriarch."

The youth was excited. He straightened up by reflex, stared straight ahead, and declared loudly, "There are Three Essentials to training: first, be profound, calm, and steady; second, be precise and meticulous; third, restrain desire and cherish one's reputation. There are Five Taboos to training: first, avoid neglect and idleness; second, avoid boastfulness and conceit; third, avoid impatience and haste; fourth, avoid skipping stages; fifth, avoid wine and lust. There are Seven Harms to training: first, indulgence in lust harms essence; second, violent rage harms qi; third, excessive thought harms the spirit; fourth, habitual worry harms the heart; fifth, fondness for drink harms the blood; sixth, laziness harms the sinews; seventh, impatience and haste harm the bones."

Three Essentials.

Five Taboos.

Seven Harms.

These had been summarized together by Chen Jichuan, Lu Changshou, Lu Qing, Wang Mingzhang, and their four fellow disciples, then included in the general outline of the Seventy-Two Chen Sect Arts.

Every Chen Sect disciple had to remember them, recite them fluently, and carry them out as one.

Seeing that even the immature youth he had pointed to at random could recite them without error, Lu Changshou's face gained a trace of a smile. He looked at the youth. "What is your name?"

"In reply to Patriarch."

"This disciple is called Mao Li. I am eighteen this year. I only came up the mountain last month and am still in Bright Virtue Hall."

Mao Li answered loudly, his voice nearly cracking apart. He was both thrilled and excited.

He had long admired the fame of the Chen Sect's old patriarch, "Chen of the Southern Dynasty," and the old sect master, "Southern Fist." He also knew that the Chen Sect had the Four Great Vajras, seven hall heads, and ten fierce tigers, all Grandmasters and heroes without equal in their age.

So he had begged his father to send him up the mountain to learn martial arts.

He had never expected that only one month after coming up the mountain, he would get to speak with the old sect master and even be asked his name. He felt as though he had fallen into an ocean of happiness, so dizzy that he no longer knew north from south.

"Not bad."

"Train well. In the future, spread the might of our Chen Sect."

Lu Changshou casually offered another word of encouragement, and Mao Li became so happy that he could no longer speak at all.

Lu Changshou smiled and did not mind. He continued, "Only after knowing these Three Essentials, Five Taboos, and Seven Harms are you fit to discuss training. The method of training can be divided into several stages. In the first stage, train the skin and flesh. Then proceed to train the sinews and bones. Once the flesh, sinews, and bones have become solid, go further and train the strength of every part of the body. Once this strength is abundant, proceed further to practice directing qi. If this method can move freely at will, then great accomplishment is achieved. No matter what skill you practice, results will surely come quickly."

As he spoke.

Lu Changshou stood facing east, his legs lowered into a horse stance. With his palms alternating, he pushed flatly forward in upright-palm strikes. There had been no wind in the air, but suddenly wind rose. A rumbling sound began weakly, then steadily grew stronger until it became like thunder, roaring without end.

The crowd saw it.

That sound had clearly come from beneath the old sect master's palms. What seemed slow moved swiftly, carrying boundless power.

Some were terrified.

Some recognized it. "This is the Wind-Chasing Palm Technique!"

Train hard in Eight-Step Palm Chases the Wind; in the blink of an eye, thirty winters pass. Push ten thousand palms each day, and when the art reaches its end, the skill will naturally be complete.

This was an exceptionally profound martial art among the Chen Sect's peerless arts.

Lu Changshou had trained bitterly for thirty years before attaining such mastery. With one palm strike, he could knock someone down from eight steps away. Within seven steps, anyone struck in the center would surely die.

Thus, the Wind-Chasing Palm Technique was also called the Eight-Step Wind-Chasing Palm and the Seven-Step Life-and-Death Palm.

"Eight-Step Palm Chases the Wind."

"Seven Steps Divide Life and Death."

"You have trained this art to its peak. Even I am far inferior to you."

Chen Jichuan looked at Lu Changshou, whose face was flushed after the martial lecture, and spoke in praise.

From the rocky platform, he had heard Lu Changshou's lecture clearly and seen through his demonstration of the Wind-Chasing Palm Technique.

Name: Lu Changshou

Age: 76

Level: 5

Arts: Wind-Chasing Palm Technique (Level 5), Crouching Tiger Technique (Level 5), Golden Blade Exchange Palm Technique (Level 5)

For martial artists.

From their forties or fifties onward, their physical functions began to decline, and their strength became difficult to improve.

Back when Lu Changshou was just over forty, he had already trained the Crouching Tiger Technique to the fifth level. Yet more than thirty years had passed since then. Though he had gained more combat experience and his martial foundation had become richer, deeper, and more solid, he still revolved around level five. He had been unable to cultivate Hidden Force or advance the Wind-Chasing Palm Technique and Crouching Tiger Technique to the sixth level.

"The peak?"

"Great-Granduncle, do not fool me."

Lu Changshou's white hair and beard framed a smile on his ruddy face. "Beyond Manifest Force lies Hidden Force. More than ten years ago, my Wind-Chasing Palm Technique could already be called the peak of Manifest Force. But the level of Hidden Force is this art's true peak. Unfortunately, I will not reach it in this lifetime."

Lu Changshou lowered his head and looked at his palms.

The skin was loose.

They looked withered.

They were covered in quite a few age spots.

No matter how his fame shook the martial world, no matter that he was called "Southern Fist," he could not defeat the years in the end.

He raised his head and looked toward Great-Granduncle Chen.

Great-Granduncle Chen was one hundred and twenty-nine years old, yet he looked not merely younger than Lu Changshou. Even if someone said he was only forty or fifty, no one would doubt it.

He had a method for preserving his appearance.

He was robust and healthy.

It made Lu Changshou feel unworthy of the name "Changshou"—Longevity.

Inevitably.

An envious expression appeared on Lu Changshou's face. "Great-Granduncle is strong and healthy. Hidden Force is within reach."

"Hidden Force—"

Hearing this, Chen Jichuan felt somewhat uncertain.

Over these thirty-five years, he had entered for only three hours each day in reality. In other words, he had truly spent only eight or nine years in the Great Yan World.

Back then, in Black Prison.

Though forty-one years had passed, he had only spent twenty-one years in the Great Yan World.

And during Black Prison's month of travel, he had spent less than one month in the Great Yan World.

Calculated this way.

Though one hundred and eleven years had passed in the Great Yan World, and Chen Jichuan was one hundred and twenty-nine years old here, by bone age, he was only forty-eight.

Of course.

Even at a bone age of forty-eight, he had reached the point where decline began.

If he still could not comprehend Hidden Force in these next two years, then afterward, he might end up like Lu Changshou, carrying regret for the rest of his life.

"What a pity."

"Changshou will not live to see that day."

Lu Changshou's face glowed red, the wind brushed past him, and his white hair fluttered, giving him somewhat of an immortal air. He sighed, then suddenly said to Chen Jichuan, "It has been a long time since I last exchanged pointers with Great-Granduncle. Does Great-Granduncle have the refined interest today to offer Changshou a few lessons?"

"At seventy-six."

"I fear you may not be able to fight anymore."

Chen Jichuan smiled, slid his foot, and assumed an opening stance.

The moment Lu Changshou saw it, he laughed. "Smooth-Step Single-Whip Stance. Great-Granduncle intends to use Tan Legs against me."

The Tan Sect had Ten-Route Tan Legs.

The Chen Sect had long collected them.

Lu Changshou felt he had no energy to train them, so he had only roughly studied them. Thus, he could tell that the stance Great-Granduncle Chen had assumed was the first route of the Ten-Route Tan Legs, Smooth-Step Single-Whip Stance.

"Springing legs and four hands—men fear them, ghosts behold them with sorrow."

"Let us try it and see whether Tan Legs are stronger, or whether our Chen Sect's Wind-Chasing Palm Technique is stronger."

Chen Jichuan laughed loudly, lifted his foot in a feinting kick, and seized the initiative.

"Good!"

Lu Changshou laughed as well. Dragging his leg and shifting his step, he flipped both palms and charged toward Chen Jichuan.

Chen Jichuan unleashed Tan Legs.

His movements were sharp and forceful, his attacks and defenses swift, his explosive power formidable.

He displayed the Ten-Route Tan Legs one by one.

The moves changed endlessly.

But Lu Changshou was no weaker. The Wind-Chasing Palm Technique combined hardness and softness; whoever was struck would be injured or dead.

He had also trained the Crouching Tiger Technique, and his lower stance was exceptionally steady.

Fists and feet collided.

For a time, neither could gain the upper hand.

Chen Jichuan held back. From beginning to end, he used only Tan Legs.

First route, Smooth-Step Single-Whip Stance; second route, Cross-Rise Spring Kick; third route, Horse-Covering Triple-Punch Form; fourth route, Slant-Kick Support-Wipe Block; fifth route, Planting-Punch Dividing-Frame Strike; sixth route, Hook-Cleave Single Unfolding; seventh route, Armpit-Palm Double-Watch Stance; eighth route, Turning-Ring Chopping Kick; ninth route, Lock-Holding Yin-Yang Palms; tenth route, Flying-Body Arrow-Step Kick.

Again and again.

They fought until the eye could scarcely follow.

Lu Changshou unleashed every method he had—now the Wind-Chasing Palm, now a fierce tiger kick. He was like a savage tiger descending the mountain to devour men; the name "Southern Fist" was no empty boast.

For a time, it was utterly exhilarating.

Unfortunately.

Lu Changshou was old in the end. Chen Jichuan had tended to his body these past years, treating the hidden injuries left behind from his old training. But by now, even that could no longer turn back the tide. His strength was failing; after one round of boxing, he was soon panting heavily, a flush rising across his face as sweat the size of beans rolled down.

He had no strength left.

"Hu!"

"Hu!"

His hands barely managed to block the final kick. Lu Changshou could hold on no longer and staggered back several steps. Bracing his hands on his knees, he gulped down great mouthfuls of air.

In the end, even heroes grew old.

"I'm old."

"I'm old."

Lu Changshou gave a bitter smile. A man who had never admitted old age now wore nothing but desolation on his face.

Watching him, Chen Jichuan asked, "Should I have someone summon Lu Siwen?"

Lu Changshou had never married in his life.

Among his living relatives, apart from the younger generation of sons and nephews, the closest to him was his full brother, Lu Siwen. His other brothers had all grown old and passed away before him.

Yet Lu Changshou had never been particularly close to those brothers.

He had been obsessed with martial arts.

He had devoted his entire life to the Chen Sect, and his ties to the Lu Family had instead become shallow. After his father, Lu Yu, died, they had interacted even less.

"Fourth Brother?"

"Forget it."

Lu Changshou struggled to his feet, walked to one side, and sat down. Smiling, he said, "The Lu Family flourishes with descendants. It won't lack for one man like me. After I die, I want to be buried on Taiqing Mountain, never leaving the Chen Sect for all eternity."

"Mm."

"I'll bury you on the back mountain and plant several cedar trees beside your grave."

Chen Jichuan nodded and agreed.

Lu Changshou's smile grew even brighter. "If Grandmaster manages to cultivate Hidden Force, you must go to my grave and demonstrate it for me."

"Alright."

Chen Jichuan agreed to everything.

Afterward, Lu Changshou spoke of many more things—memories and hopes alike. As he spoke, his voice grew softer and softer. When all sound finally ceased, Chen Jichuan looked over at Lu Changshou and saw that this Grandmaster of the Southern school wore a peaceful expression, his eyes closed.

Yan Duzong, fourth year of Xianchun.

A titan of the martial world, the Chen Sect's first sect master, "Southern Fist" Lu Changshou, passed away at the age of seventy-six.

Appendix:

The Seventy-Two Chen Sect Arts were as follows:

01, Iron Arm Technique 02, Body-Striking Technique 03, Iron Broom Technique 04, Foot-Shooting Technique 05, Leg-Kicking Technique 06, Copper Sand Palm 07, Serpent-Walking Technique 08, Lifting a Thousand Jin 09, Arhat Technique 10, Iron Head Technique 11, Four-Section Technique 12, Iron Cloth Shirt Technique 13, Double Lock Technique 14, Jar-Lifting Technique 15, Stone Lock Technique 16, Iron Bead Bag 17, Thousand-Jin Gate 18, Whip Force Method 19, Water-Splitting Technique 20, Jade Belt Technique 21, Eagle Wing Technique 22, Leaping Method 23, Overlord Elbow Technique 24, One-Finger Vajra Method 25, Nail-Pulling Technique 26, One-Finger Zen Technique 27, Stone Stake Technique 28, Golden Bell Shield 29, Iron Bull Technique 30, Whirlwind Palm 31, Crouching Tiger Technique 32, Mountain-Pulling Technique 33, Joined-Plate Palm 34, Mountain-Pushing Palm 35, Stake-Kicking Technique 36, Eagle Claw Technique 37, Demon-Slaying Sword 38, Void Fist 39, Golden Sand Palm 40, Iron Sand Palm 41, Flying Technique 42, Spear-and-Blade Immunity Method 43, Five-Poison Sand-Chasing Palm 44, Eaves-and-Walls Method 45, Thread-the-Needle Technique 46, Darting Technique 47, Golden Shovel Finger 48, Jiedi Technique 49, Plum Blossom Stakes 50, Flower-Twirling Technique 51, Mantis Claw 52, Wall-Running Technique 53, Flash-Battle Method 54, Golden Blade Exchange Palm Technique 55, Lightness Technique 56, Iron Knee Technique 57, Land-Flying Technique 58, Window-Piercing Technique 59, Swimming Technique 60, Stone-Touching Technique 61, Pipa Technique 62, Flexible Bone Technique 63, Gecko Wall-Crawling Technique 64, Groin-Strengthening Technique 65, Tumbling Technique 66, Cloth Bag Technique 67, Toad Technique 68, Thousand-Layer Paper Technique 69, Marble Fist 70, Finger-Locking Technique 71, Wind-Chasing Palm Technique 72, Soft Void Technique 73, One-Finger Vajra Method 74, Bamboo-Leaf Hand 75, Centipede Leap 76, Cinnabar Palm 77, Meteor Stakes 78, Curtain-Piercing Technique 79, Sunlight Hand 80, Iron Bag Technique 81, Tortoise-Back Technique 82, Rubbing-Inserting Technique 83, Yin-Absorbing Technique 84, Five-Poison Hand 85, Flower-Plucking Technique 86, Saddle Technique 87, Yin Fist Technique 88, Sandbag Technique 89, Guanyin Palm 90, Ten-Route Tan Legs

Note: The above arts are listed in no particular order. Any resemblance is purely coincidental.