Two Books of Changes and Scripture: One as the Root, One as the Bones (7/8)

These days, when Yu Tunzhou was practicing his boxing, he could always sense that there was an invisible force flowing quietly around him, which became more and more profound and solid as he unleashed each punch and each move.

In a recent battle, he was able to clearly feel the presence of that Fist Intent.

Like water, it is formless and intangible, yet solid and profound, as if it springs forth from the depths of one's very bones.

At this moment, he merely assumed a fist stance, and the Fist Intent naturally permeated his limbs and flowed throughout his body.

I wonder if this is what the old Daoist priest meant by "divine will manifesting itself".

But what is the use of Fist Intent? Yu Tunzhou has only figured out so far that it is related to the transformation of Inner Qi.

It is not Inner Qi, but it can merge with Inner Qi.

Now, when he throws a punch with all his might, his Inner Qi can transform into a dragon and a tiger, sweeping across an area of three zhang (approximately 10 meters). This is because he uses the Fist Intent as the bone and his Inner Qi as the skin.

This must be what Senior Lu meant by Inner Qi nurturing Spirit Form.

But this is the Fist Intent that Subduing the Dragon and Taming the Tiger; what about the Taijiquan he practiced diligently for three years?

Yu Tunzhou always felt that there was nothing wrong with the Taijiquan he practiced.

In this sentence, the most important word is "he".

He's fine.

Secondly, there's nothing wrong with the boxing he practices.

It may differ somewhat from what I learned in my previous life, but the style of the boxing still shares the same roots and the same philosophy.

However, this set of boxing techniques is still far from what Old Mo described as somewhat interesting.

He felt that Old Mo must be a master, and a boxing style that could interest a master must be quite extraordinary.

Thinking about it this way, it seems to make sense that I haven't mastered Taijiquan in three years.

After all, even the Bone-Dissolving Soft Palm in The Deer and the Cauldron requires thirty to fifty years of practice to achieve a slight level of proficiency, let alone a martial art like Taijiquan that embodies the Dao.

Especially after mastering the Subduing the Dragon and Taming the Tiger Fist, Yu Tunzhou discovered that the Chain Forming Martial Arts were not as unattainable as he had imagined.

With the combined blessing of his body being like a great elixir and his Primordial Spirit observing, Chain Forming Martial Arts posed no significant barrier to him.

In just seven days, he deduced that it reached the level of dragons and tigers clashing, with dragons roaring and tigers howling.

If we follow this logic, how unfathomable must his Taijiquan, which he hasn't mastered in three years, be?

As for the fact that I have neither attained enlightenment through meditation nor cultivated the Primordial Spirit Inner Form over the past three years, these are trivial matters and not very important.

After all, her natural talent is still the same.

The above is what Mr. Yu said to comfort himself.

Living in a small town for three years with hardly anyone to talk to, if you can't entertain yourself and motivate yourself, you'll really feel suffocated.

At this very moment, Yu Tunzhou finally saw the hope of truly mastering Taijiquan.

The Daoist book in his mind was truly the legendary "Book of Changes"!

The Yin and Yang, the Four Symbols, and the Eight Trigrams were arranged in a row, clearly the very Earlier Heaven Eight Trigrams he knew from his previous life!

In terms of origin, the two characters "Taiji" directly originate from the Book of Changes).

At this moment, he almost instinctively adopted the Taijiquan stance, as if a Daoist classic was slowly unfolding behind him, the infinite Daoist meaning contained in the first page like Revert to Root, Return to Origin, continuously flowing into his Taijiquan stance.

As the Fist Intent flowed throughout his body, it was like going back to the source. The Fist Intent that originally supported the Subduing the Dragon and Taming the Tiger Fist once again became a white painting, untouched by any ink.

Yu Tunzhou focused intently on comprehending the transformation of the Fist Intent.

The stance remains the same, with only subtle adjustments made.

But the Fist Intent was completely transformed.

The boundless Daoist meaning filled the space, and this blank canvas gradually began to take on a magnificent outline.

In the perception of the Yu Tunzhou, the outlines drawn seem to represent the universe, the rising and falling of the sun and moon, wind and rain, mountains and rivers, and the birth and death of all things.

What kind of Fist Intent is this?

Taiji?

Yu Tunzhou quietly immersed himself in the experience, feeling the evolution of the Fist Intent and the changes in the Daoist scriptures deep in his mind, gradually gaining some understanding.

This book of the Book of Changes was passed down from the Dao Venerable, but in order for it to truly manifest in the world, it must first find a suitable medium.

And what it chose was its own Taijiquan.

As expected, once this Book of Changes is used as the foundation and the essence of Tao is filled within it, the Taijiquan Intent can truly take shape, giving rise to Yin and Yang, manifesting the Four Symbols, arranging the Eight Trigrams, and ultimately encompassing all things.

only----

Yu Tunzhou still had a question in his mind.

Is this really just a [Book of Changes]?

Was the previous statement, "All laws are equal, without high or low," also recorded in the Book of Changes?

This seems to be a response to the question posed by Yu Tunzhou.

A string of golden characters, or rather—a scripture—flowed out of the Daoist book like a dragon or snake, circulating before him.

really.

These two are not the same thing!

Yu Tunzhou suddenly had a thought: since "all methods are equal," could this be used to deduce the current Taijiquan and take it to a higher level?

As if one could hear the thoughts of Yu Tunzhou, the golden scripture trembled slightly and merged into the Fist Intent, flowing and rising with the Fist Intent.

It seems to be rooted in the Book of Changes and based on classical texts!

I don't know how much time passed.

Yu Tunzhou finally withdrew his punch.

He looked down at his clenched fist, and could clearly see the Fist Intent flowing through his body.

At this moment, the Fist Intent of his fist is like a cascading waterfall, and it truly deserves the description of "magnificent and varied," with Subduing the Dragon and Taming the Tiger being just one aspect of it.

But this Fist Intent is still not truly complete.

There are two key points.

Firstly, the current Taijiquan Intent on the Book of Changes and uses classical texts as its foundation. However, there is still a subtle gap between the classical texts and the Book of Changes, and they have not been completely integrated. As a result, there is still some stagnation in the flow of Fist Intent.

Secondly, it lies within himself.

With a thought, Yu Tunzhou's Fist Intent transformed into the shape of a dragon and a tiger, suddenly becoming an expression of Subduing the Dragon and Taming the Tiger.

However, the form of the subdued dragon is clearly more magnificent and imposing than the form of the Fuhu.

In other words, he is in harmony with Taiji Taiyin principle, but his understanding of the Yang principle is insufficient.

The reason for this is probably related to his Primordial Spirit Inner Form.

The Kun Fish, also known as the Fish of the Supreme Yin, has not yet reached the point where Yin gives rise to Yang and transforms into the Peng bird.

Yu Tunzhou glanced at the Primordial Spirit Heaven and Earth when he had a moment to spare. Little Black was swimming happily between the sky and the sea, carefree.

The child is quite healthy, but the dream of transforming from a fish into a roc is still a long way off.

Yu Tunzhou is somewhat helpless.

Does this mean we have to wait until Little Black transforms into a Peng before this Fist Intent can truly take shape?

Or perhaps the key is quantity; if one "Yang Tiger" isn't enough, then practice several different Yang-type boxing techniques to fill the gaps and supplement the essence of Yang?

It remains to be seen whether the subsequent absorption of Martial Fortune will also be of any help in this regard.

Senior Lu once mentioned that being blessed with Martial Fortune can the Unseen enhance a martial artist's martial wisdom and understanding of martial arts.

Therefore, Martial Fortune remains something he must fight for.

Yu Tunzhou couldn't help but think of Senior Lu had just mentioned: in the struggle for Martial Fortune, even if one person monopolized it, it wouldn't be enough to nurture Immortal Foundation; the real bulk of the reward was yet to come.

Could this refer to challenging the Martial Ancestor?

To forcibly seize Martial Fortune from that Martial Ancestor through a battle for the Great Dao?

All I can say is that the idea is pretty good.

Instead of relying on that, it's better to advance the [Spark Instruction] to the eleventh level before next week's battle for destiny, and then grab as many as possible.

Even if the gains are small each time, they accumulate and are enough to bring about a qualitative change.

This time, he finally figured out the source of the Daoist text in his mind.

It is indeed the [Book of Changes] that Zhang Qingtong, the Senior Zhang, once mentioned!

He guessed that the following scriptures were from Buddhist School classics.

Using the Book of Changes as the root of Fist Intent and scriptures as its Fist Intent, could this be considered a unique form of the shared origins of Buddhism and Daoism?

He chuckled.

You'll find out as you walk down this road.

The Book of Changes has only been turned to its first page, and even on the first page, it records the scene of chaos before the separation of heaven and earth. It is unknown what will be recorded in the following chapters.

He eagerly awaits the day when the Taijiquan Intent is truly perfected, and he waits for that day—

Perhaps I really do have a chance to challenge that Martial Ancestor?

That concludes the discussion.

The second battle for destiny has come to a satisfactory conclusion.

After tonight, he anticipated that no more villains would dare to try and take his head.

Yu Tunzhou walked into the courtyard.

The room was ultimately cramped, and once one started to unleash their fists and feet, they were constrained in every way, making it difficult to fully express their Fist Intent.

He concentrated and performed a set of Subduing the Dragon and Taming the Tiger Fist.

As soon as the fist strike began, a yin dragon and a yang tiger faintly appeared beside him, their energy as swift as the wind, whistling within a three-zhang radius.

As Senior Lu said, after drawing blood, his tiger form did indeed become more ferocious and domineering, but it was still far from the "Path of the Sun" that he needed.

I spent a sleepless night.

In the small courtyard, only the sound of fists rising and falling, never ceasing.

The next day at dawn.

Lu Huaiqing finished his meditation and stepped out of the house. He immediately saw a figure throwing punches non-stop, seemingly tireless and feeling exhilarated.

--

He gazed silently at the Fist Intent flowing around Yu Tunzhou, his expression gradually becoming solemn.

Before long, Yu Tunzhou stopped, his breathing steady, and strode up to Lu Huaiqing. His expression was serious as he said, "Senior Lu, I have mastered the Subduing the Dragon and Taming the Tiger techniques. I would like to learn some more masculine martial arts from you."

Lu Huaiqing didn't refuse, but asked Yu Tunzhou, who had been practicing his boxing for a long time, one question, "Do you want to rest?"

"No need!" The young man's face was resolute, his eyes filled with fervor for Martial Dao.

Lu Huaiqing said no more, but raised his right arm and punched Yu Tunzhou straight in the chest, sending him flying on the spot.

Lu Huaiqing then slowly stepped into the courtyard.

Those eyes, which had always been as calm as an ancient well, unmoved for millennia, suddenly began to ignite with a long-lost spark.

He sighed softly, "Yu Tunzhou, seeing your unwavering dedication to Martial Dao today, I suddenly realize that I've been making a mistake all along."

"I want to pass on my pure martial arts self to you, but I've somewhat forgotten what it means to be my pure self."

"And now, just looking at you, I'm starting to remember."

"You want to learn a martial art with a masculine style?"

"Good."

I'll teach you everything.

"As long as—you can handle it."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Huaiqing's demeanor changed abruptly.

Like shedding all the dust and shackles, one returns to one's true self, to one's original nature.

A vast Martial Intention of "my fist is the best" suddenly rose up, as bright as the sun and sky, suppressing Yu Tunzhou by more than one head!

Yu Tunzhou rubbed his chest, his eyes growing increasingly fervent, and a rare air of arrogance emanating from his brows. He laughed and said, "If we can't even defeat Senior Lu, what are we talking about challenging that one?"

Lu Huaiqing was taken aback at first, then truly moved, and laughed heartily, genuinely delighted. "Well said, well said! Yu Tunzhou! You have finally truly stepped into the gate of Martial Dao!"

"This punch—I, Lu Huaiqing, challenge you!"

The next moment.

The green mountains beneath our feet suddenly trembled!

There was a martial artist named Lu Huaiqing who challenged the heavens with his fist techniques!

Heaven above, the fortune of Martial Fortune shines upon the green mountains.

A battle of destiny that is not a battle of fate.

Participants----

Only one person!

Lu Huaiqing, who had bestowed upon Yu Tunzhou a shower of Martial Fortune, smiled and said, "Yu Tunzhou, I beg you one last time, please don't die."

Yu Tunzhou uttered no boastful words; he simply stood still, raised his hand, and responded with a fist parry:

The strong prevail!