News that Li Qingshan had single-handedly challenged the Might-Shaking Martial Arts School
was like a massive boulder hurled into a tranquil lake, raising towering waves throughout Jinmen's martial arts world.
That night, countless martial arts schools in Jinmen burned bright with lights, and the air was thick with tension and excitement.
"Have you heard? Someone challenged the Might-Shaking Martial Arts School yesterday and beat them!"
"Really? Zhao Tianxiong is a master at the peak of Hidden Jin!"
"It's absolutely true! It was a young man, not even twenty, they say. He defeated School Master Zhao in three moves!"
Conversations like these played out in every corner of Jinmen, from the teahouses by the Hai River to the martial arts schools in the old city.
Among the martial artists, there was not one who wasn't discussing this mysterious master who had suddenly appeared.
Inside the Jinmen Martial Arts Association's meeting hall, the atmosphere was especially heavy.
More than a dozen prominent martial arts school masters sat together, every one of them wearing a solemn expression.
"Just who is this Li Qingshan? Have you found out?"
A white-haired elder asked in a grave voice. He was Old Master Sun, president of the Jinmen Martial Arts Association and a renowned master of Xingyi Fist.
"We looked into him. It's as if he appeared out of thin air.
All we know is that he came from City C. There's no other information at all."
A middle-aged school master shook his head.
"Challenging ten schools in three days? He's clearly trying to smash the signboard of our Jinmen martial arts world!"
Another school master slapped the table and sprang to his feet.
While everyone was busy discussing him, Li Qingshan had already begun his series of challenges.
Early the next morning, he had just stepped out of his lodgings when he found quite a crowd gathered outside.
There were young people hoping to become his disciples, reporters seeking interviews, and, in even greater numbers, scouts sent by various martial arts schools to size him up.
Li Qingshan paid them no heed and headed straight for his first target of the day, the Xingyi Fist Society.
The Xingyi Fist Society was located in Jinmen's old city, a long-established martial arts school with more than a century of history.
Its blue-brick walls and gray-tiled roof bore the marks of age, and the four characters for "Xingyi Fist Society" above the entrance were bold and vigorous.
When Li Qingshan arrived, he found the society's doors wide open. They had clearly prepared for him long ago.
The society's head, Master Chen, was nearly sixty and an authority on Xingyi Fist in Jinmen. His temples bulged high, a clear sign of his profound cultivation.
When he learned that Li Qingshan had come to challenge him, he did not underestimate him as Zhao Tianxiong had. Instead, he solemnly took up his stance to meet the challenge.
"Master Li, please."
Master Chen assumed the Xingyi Three-Body Stance, his breathing steady as a mountain, displaying the profound foundation he had built over decades.
"Master Chen, please."
Li Qingshan responded with the Three-Body Stance as well, but his bearing was sharper, like a sword drawn from its sheath.
The two faced each other for a moment before Master Chen attacked first.
A Crushing Fist shot straight for the centerline, its force heavy and powerful,
carrying the penetrating Jin unique to Xingyi Fist. It struck the air with an explosive crack.
Li Qingshan neither dodged nor evaded, meeting it with a Crushing Fist of his own.
The two fists collided with a dull thud that set the eardrums of everyone present ringing.
Master Chen was driven back three steps, disbelief spreading across his face.
His right hand trembled slightly. He had clearly come off worse in the head-on exchange.
"What powerful Jin!"
Master Chen exclaimed in admiration, his assault growing fiercer.
His Splitting Fist was like an ax cleaving Mount Hua,
his Drilling Fist like a venomous snake darting from its hole,
his Cannon Fist like a heavy cannon firing,
and his Crossing Fist like a great spear sweeping across the field.
In his hands, the Xingyi Five Elements Fist changed endlessly, every punch carrying penetrating Jin as it struck straight for a vital point.
Li Qingshan focused all his attention on meeting the attacks, not only neutralizing them
but also learning Master Chen's methods of issuing force during their exchange, incorporating the essence of Xingyi Fist into his own martial arts system.
After thirty moves, Li Qingshan suddenly changed his technique.
A Splitting Fist came down like an ax cleaving Mount Hua, its Jin condensed until it seemed tangible.
Master Chen hurriedly raised a Crossing Fist to block, only to feel an irresistible force strike him.
His whole body staggered backward against his will, and he retreated seven or eight steps before he could steady himself.
His chest heaved unevenly; he had clearly suffered internal injuries.
"Thank you for yielding."
Li Qingshan withdrew from his stance and stood, his breathing as steady as ever.
Master Chen gave a long sigh and cupped his fists.
"The younger generation is truly formidable! I admit defeat wholeheartedly.
Master Li, your Xingyi Fist is fierce and explosive, yet harmonious and well-rounded. The blue has already surpassed the indigo it came from."
After leaving the Xingyi Fist Society, Li Qingshan went on to challenge
the Baguazhang Dong Family,
the Taijiquan Yang Family,
the Bajiquan Wu School, and other renowned martial arts schools in succession.
Every battle was decided within twenty moves, and in every battle he grasped the essence of the school through their exchanges.
At the Baguazhang Dong Family, Li Qingshan moved through Master Dong's attacks with footwork like a roaming dragon.
Every turn and every change of stance was perfectly timed, and in the end he won with a Turning Palm.
Everyone watching exclaimed in amazement.
"Look at him using Baguazhang against Master Dong. It's even more authentic than the Dong Family's direct lineage!"
At the Taijiquan Yang Family, Li Qingshan displayed the ultimate realm of combining hardness and softness,
using softness to overcome hardness and stillness to master movement. In the end, he sent Master Yang more than a zhang away with a Grasp the Sparrow's Tail.
An old boxing master watching the fight exclaimed, "In his hands, Yang Family Taijiquan combines hardness and softness. It's practically reached a divine level!"
At the Bajiquan Wu School, Li Qingshan met force with force, displaying the true essence of Bajiquan's "shattering, shaking, and charging attacks."
In the end, he decided the match with a Leaning Against the Mountain.
School Master Wu admitted defeat wholeheartedly and declared,
"Master Li's Bajiquan sends Jin through the body. He has obtained the true transmission of Baji."
As word spread, Jinmen's martial arts world was shaken.
"He's terrifying. This Li Qingshan is practically a monster!"
"Look at him using the martial arts of each school. He's even more proficient than their own inheritors!"
"Talent like that is seen only once in a hundred years!"
The spectators' discussions grew louder and louder, and Li Qingshan's fame grew ever greater.
On the third day, Li Qingshan arrived at the tenth school, the Tongbei Fist School.
It was the last renowned martial arts school in Jinmen that had yet to be challenged. Its master, Master Bai, was famous for the Tongbei Fist principle of "extending long to strike far."
His arms were exceptionally long, and he was known as the "Long-Armed Ape."
By now, a crowd had gathered outside the Tongbei Fist School.
Martial artists from various schools, reporters, martial arts enthusiasts, and even some ordinary citizens had come, all hoping to witness the decisive battle with their own eyes.
Almost all the leading figures of Jinmen's martial arts world were present,
wanting to see whether the young man who had challenged nine schools in succession could complete the feat of "challenging ten schools in succession."
Master Bai had long been waiting in full readiness.
He was around fifty, with exceptionally long arms and high, bulging temples.
Clearly, he had practiced Tongbei Fist to an exceedingly high realm.
More striking still, his arms were nearly a third longer than an ordinary person's.
This was precisely a characteristic of someone who had cultivated Tongbei Fist to a profound realm.
"Master Li, please."
Master Bai assumed the opening stance of Tongbei Fist, his arms like whips, his bearing fierce.
"Master Bai, please."
Li Qingshan stood quietly, his presence a seamless whole, like a still abyss and a towering mountain.
Master Bai attacked first, sending a Tongbei Mountain Splitting straight at his face.
His arm lashed out like a long whip, tearing through the air with astonishing explosive power.
Li Qingshan neither dodged nor evaded. Only when the fist was almost upon him did he gently raise a hand,
neutralizing the Jin and directing the powerful impact into the ground. The blue bricks beneath his feet shattered at once.
Master Bai changed moves with incredible speed, both arms lashing out one after another like whips.
It was the Tongbei Fist's signature technique, Continuous Whip.
Whip-like shadows filled the arena, and the sound of air being torn apart rang out without pause, displaying the profound skill Master Bai had built over decades.
Li Qingshan used the Bagua Step, his body weaving through the arena like a roaming dragon. Every movement carried him clear of an attack at precisely the right moment,
as effortlessly as willow fluff drifting on the wind.
After a short while, Master Bai gradually began to show signs of fatigue. Sweat appeared on his forehead, and his breathing grew heavy.
Though Tongbei Fist was immensely powerful, it also consumed a great deal of strength. A prolonged assault without victory would inevitably leave him exhausted.
Li Qingshan seized the opportunity and abruptly changed to a Xingyi Crushing Fist,
striking straight for the centerline. His fist shot out like an arrow, tearing through the air with a sharp whistle.
Master Bai hurriedly used the Tongbei Fist's Turning Whip to neutralize it,
but a penetrating force came through, and his entire arm instantly went numb and weak.
Li Qingshan pressed his advantage, immediately following up with a Baguazhang palm strike at his opponent's chest.
The force of his palm advanced in waves like the tide. Finally, he decided the match with Bajiquan's Leaning Against the Mountain, charging like a wild bull with unstoppable momentum.
Master Bai retreated seven steps, each one leaving a deep footprint in the blue bricks.
He finally stood firm, his face alternating between pale and ashen, his chest heaving violently.
"Thank you for yielding."
Li Qingshan withdrew from his stance and stood, his breathing as steady as ever, as though the fierce battle had been no more than a warm-up.
He looked around and saw gazes filled with awe, admiration, or fear.
That night, inside his room.
Li Qingshan recalled his exchanges with the various masters since arriving in Jinmen, each scene unfolding like a painted scroll.
Without realizing it,
Li Qingshan planted his feet one before the other, his form steady as a mountain, and slowly began to move through his boxing.
His elbows followed his palms, his shoulders drove his elbows forward, and his whole body moved as one, his Jin flowing long and unbroken.
His face was shrouded in a faint, almost imperceptible white vapor. Heat rose from his pores, yet no trace of sweat appeared.
His movements gradually slowed until he became still, like a coiled dragon and serpent.
At that moment, everything suddenly came together for him. Coarse Jin and fine Jin blended, his pores opened and closed with each breath, and the sound of blood flowing through his veins was clearly audible.
Looking inward at himself, he knew his five viscera and six bowels completely. His abdomen stirred slightly, and his intestines croaked like a frog;
with the slightest focus of his mind, his heartbeat immediately slowed.
Everything inside and outside his body responded as readily as an arm obeyed a finger.
The sound of his breathing was especially deep and resonant in the silence. He exhaled as he punched and inhaled as he withdrew his fist, the pores all over his body opening and closing along with his breath.
Gradually, each time Li Qingshan exhaled, wisps of white mist rose from his pores, like clouds and fog.
His movements were unhurried, with no sign of strenuous exertion, yet by regulating his body, he could turn sweat directly into heat and release it evenly.
Just as Xue Dian had said in the True Interpretation of Imitative Boxing,
this was "clouds and mist rising from the pores to become breath," the realm in which the spirit truly breathed.
At last, Li Qingshan had reached Transformation Jin. Every pore on his body opened and closed at will, and his Jin was refined to the finest detail: no fly could land on him, not a feather could be added.
Transformation Jin achieved!
That night, the masters of Jinmen's major martial arts schools gathered at the Sun residence, the atmosphere heavy. Fragrant steam rose from the tea on the rosewood table, but no one was in the mood to taste it.
"Just who is this Li Qingshan? We've searched for three days and haven't found anything."
"Challenging ten schools in three days-it's unheard of!"
"Elder Sun, what do you think we should do? If this goes on, Jinmen's martial arts world will lose all face!"
Old Master Sun pondered for a long time, then slowly set down his teacup.
"This young man's martial arts have already reached the threshold of Transformation Jin. A breakthrough is only the snap of a finger away. His martial arts talent is astonishing.
Do you know that in every battle, he won using the martial art his opponent was most skilled in?
Xingyi against Xingyi, Bagua against Bagua, Taiji against Taiji-what confidence, what strength!"
Everyone looked at one another, only then realizing this detail. The room fell utterly silent.
"In this old man's view,"
Old Master Sun continued,
"rather than make an enemy of him, we should befriend him. A genius like this is bound to achieve great things in the future. If we can establish good relations with him, perhaps we can share in some of his glory."
Everyone fell silent for a moment, then ultimately nodded in agreement.
Thus, Jinmen's martial arts world reached a consensus: treat Li Qingshan with courtesy and avoid the edge of his blade for the time being.
Meanwhile, Li Qingshan was sitting quietly in his lodgings, regulating his breathing and consolidating the Transformation Jin realm he had just broken through to.
Moonlight spilled through the window lattice onto him, as though draping him in a layer of silver gauze.
He could feel that his connection with heaven and earth had grown closer.
"Transformation Jin truly was extraordinary."
Li Qingshan murmured to himself, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
The next day, Li Qingshan noticed a subtle change in the attitude of Jinmen's martial arts community.
The masters of the various schools, who had previously been eager to steer clear of him, now came to visit one after another, treating him with the utmost respect.
Li Qingshan took it in stride, neither going out of his way to befriend them nor keeping them at arm's length.
He knew they were all passing travelers on the martial path; true kindred spirits were few and far between.
In the days that followed, he continued to travel through Jinmen,
but unlike before, he spent more time exchanging insights and sparring than issuing challenges and storming martial arts schools.
He discussed martial arts and tested his skills against experts from the various schools, learning from one another and constantly refining his own martial arts system.
Jinmen's martial arts community gradually accepted this "mighty dragon crossing the river," and even began to take pride in having such a young grandmaster among them.
Li Qingshan's fame spread farther and farther,
until not only Jinmen but the entire northern martial arts community knew of this young grandmaster's existence.