Iron Wire Martial Arts Hall.
On the night after the battle with Tu Tiannan and challenging the Ten Elders Wu Qi, Yan Chuan wielded his brush with flair, writing forty challenge letters in total, a full forty letters of challenge.
The next morning, he had the martial arts academy disciples deliver them to Guangling Academy, formally challenging the ’Ten Elites’, ’Four Immortals’, ’Five Absolutes’, ’Seven Marvels’, ’Seven Emotions’, ’Seven Killings’, a total of forty people!
Among them, fourteen were not at the academy.
Of the remaining twenty-six, only five accepted the challenge on the spot. Four outright refused, calling him a ’madman’.
The other seventeen neither refused nor accepted, remaining ambiguous.
The challenge letters had been sent out.
Today is the tenth day of the Martial Arts Competition; it’s November, already the third day.
On November 6th, who will come, remains unknown.
"I’ll fight them all!"
Yan Chuan was unafraid.
And before that, these three days, Yan Chuan needed to organize himself, to prepare for battle with a calm mind!
Iron Wire Martial Arts Hall.
In the outer courtyard.
Yan Chuan practiced martial arts. He never got used to training alone, so he called in his disciples and martial arts academy apprentices—
Yu Jinpeng, Jin Yutang, Wei Quan, and Che Qi.
The martial arts academy apprentices broke the threshold of one hundred; today, as many as 108 came, lined up in rows, thanks to the Iron Wire Martial Arts Hall being located in a remote area, and having once brilliantly expanded, connected all the surrounding spaces; the venue was large enough to arrange them.
Yan Chuan was at the front.
Yu Jinpeng, Jin Yutang, Wei Quan, and Che Qi closely followed.
Then there were the 108 apprentices.
Luo Liang looked at this scene and exclaimed, "How many years has it been! How many years there hasn’t been such a scene among the numerous martial arts halls in Guangling City!"
The Iron Wire Martial Arts Hall revived, but his ’Secret Sect Martial Arts School’ declined, hard to rejuvenate. The contrast was inevitably sigh-worthy.
Cheng Fengxiao also lamented, "The Iron Wire Martial Arts Hall died in my hands, and revived in Yan Chuan’s hands. To revive the martial arts hall, he specially created the ’Seventy-two Skills’, which are easier to learn, and instructed diligently every day, never sparing effort. After more than four months of hard work, the Iron Wire Martial Arts Hall, in the end, came to life!"
There were two factors that revitalized the Iron Wire Martial Arts Hall—
One was the ’Seventy-two Skills’.
Two was Yan Chuan’s teaching ability.
At the root of it all.
It was still Yan Chuan.
It had nothing to do with Cheng Fengxiao.
"Iron Arm Skill, Pushing Mountain Palm, Pai Da Skill, Leg Kicking Skill, Thousand-Pound Gate, Foot Shooting Skill, Snake Formation Skill, Soft Bone Skill, Golden Shovel Finger, Iron Knee Skill, Iron Bull Skill, Whirlwind Palm, Bamboo Leaf Hand, Loach Skill, Flipping Skill, Iron Cloth Shirt Skill, Flying Leg, Roof and Wall Walking Skill, Wave Wrapping Skill, Golden knife Palm Exchange Skill, One-line Through, Leaping Skill, Flying Skill, Running Board Skill, Flash Battle Technique, Light Body Skill, Penetration Skill, Gun and Knife Immunity Skill!"
Shen Mei had a detailed understanding of Yan Chuan’s self-created so-called ’Seventy-two Skills’, which were actually fundamental martial arts, mostly simplified and derived from ’Cheng Family Boxing’.
For example, ’Iron Arm Skill’, is derived from the hardness training methods of the ’Twelve Bridge Hands’ like ’Crash Three Stars’ and ’Iron Ring Upper Arm’.
Or, for example, ’Snake Formation Skill’, is actually derived from the movement technique of the ’Snake Form’ in ’Ten Forms Boxing’, extracting and modifying the skills for training finger and toe strength from the ’Snake Form Boxing’, making it an ’Absolute Skill’ that ordinary people could learn as long as they put in effort.
They are almost all disassembled from ’Cheng Family Boxing’.
To achieve this, to select and adapt from the complex and profound ’Cheng Family Boxing’ into the ’Seventy-two Skills’ that ordinary people could easily practice and master, seems easy but is actually difficult.
The ingenuity required in the process, the energy and effort expended, is immense!
Why did Yan Chuan do this?
Of course, it was for Iron Wire Martial Arts Hall!
To sustain the martial arts hall, he delved into these ’Seventy-two Skills’.
Others saw the ’Seventy-two Skills’ as crude and laughable.
But Shen Mei saw Yan Chuan’s struggles and hardships hidden behind the ’Seventy-two Skills’.
"He is not having an easy time!"
Shen Mei felt heartache.
At this moment, observing Yan Chuan, he seemed even more formidable.
In the martial arts hall.
On the practice field.
Yan Chuan indulged in leading more than a hundred disciples to practice stances.
While practicing the stances.
"Guide the Qi with your intent, circulate it within your body!"
"This is the ’Horse Stance’!"
"Where the intent goes, the Qi follows, the strength follows, the body follows!"
"Inner and outer unity is the perfect stance skill."
Yan Chuan stood in the Horse Stance, like a dragon or tiger, imposing without anger.
The ’Horse Stance’ is foundational, with its limit set here; after reaching the Seventh Realm, it’s hard to make further breakthroughs.
The east gradually brightened.
Yan Chuan dissected and explained the ’Horse Stance’ once again, starting from himself, analyzing repeatedly, with feedback pouring in, yet still hard to achieve another breakthrough.
From stillness to movement.
When the first ray of sunlight shone down, Yan Chuan ended the stance practice and started to practice Boxing—
"Hard, Soft, Forcing, Direct, Separate, Fix, Thread, Lift, Retain, Transport, Control, Set!"
"Steel Bridge, hard means solid!"
"Soft Bridge, soft means gentle!"
"Where there is a bridge, pass over it, where there is none, seek one!"
Yan Chuan played the ’Twelve Bridge Hands’ artistically.
Clearly plain and unadorned, but in Yan Chuan’s practice, it always seemed to contain endless mysteries.
"Divine Transformation!"
"His ’Twelve Bridge Hands’ is no longer merely the ’Twelve Bridge Hands’, on this basis, it’s somewhat infused with more skills, more insights."
"Following his guidance in training, just the ’Horse Stance’ and ’Twelve Bridge Hands’ to his level could be on par with famous masters!"
Shao Yancong was also in the martial arts hall. Early in the morning, seeing Yan Chuan teaching Boxing, watching his ’Horse Stance’ and ’Twelve Bridge Hands’, he saw more, deeply impressed.
Divine Transformation!
Easy to understand, difficult to perform!
And Yan Chuan’s ’Copper Bridge Iron Horse’ had evidently entered the Transformation Realm.
"Control Bridge, is the formation of fists with both palms pressing downward."
"Fix means upright, the main practice is of the technique of pulling punches and pressing fingers."
On the field, Yan Chuan meticulously executed the ’Twelve Bridge Hands’ seven times back and forth, explained seven times from deep to shallow—
Divine Transformation!
From deep to shallow, from profound to superficial, explained from different levels and angles to ensure that everyone at each stage practicing the ’Twelve Bridge Hands’ could comprehend something.
"Such deep foundation!"
"Capable of being deep or shallow!"
"Clear from complex!"
"Such a person, a good practitioner in martial arts and Boxing, at the academy, is a rare and excellent teacher!"
Shao Yancong grew more delighted as he watched.
Unfortunately, when he invited him yesterday, offering a treatment package already incomparable, Yan Chuan nevertheless refused. Though not entirely, there seemed to be some concerns, some hesitations.
"As long as I find the crux, Yan Chuan might willingly come to my Taikang Academy!"
Shao Yancong’s heart was ablaze.
Yan Chuan kept going.
He continued further.
The ’Twelve Bridge Hands’, after seven times, the wonders were fully expressed.
Yan Chuan shifted again—
"Imitating the form of the tiger, adopting the skills of the tiger, merging it into Boxing intent, this is the ’Tiger Form Boxing’!"
After the ’Twelve Bridge Hands’, he advanced into ’Tiger Form Boxing’.
Three Battles and Four Gates, Fierce Tiger Descending Mountain, Corner Short, Scissors Hand, Thousand Character Strike, Fierce Tiger Washing Claw, Tiger Cub Stretching, Falling Tiger, Prince City Tour, Grand Ancestor’s Beard Pulling, Arhat Dragging Force, Sun and Moon Linked Feet, Tiger Form Five Skill Fist!
Yan Chuan is like a fierce tiger, with a chilling Boxing wind, might of a tiger!
Demonstrating the exercises and techniques of ’Tiger Form Boxing’ one by one, still the old way—
From deep to shallow!
"Guiding Qi with intent, force follows Qi out, form, Qi, force, intent unified completely!"
This is ’Prince City Tour’!
"Variable hand techniques, many foot movements, breaking bridges when encountering bridges, creating bridges where none exist, filling gaps, focusing on close combat short strikes, defense with attack, obvious defense with clandestine attack, using hardness against hardness."
This is ’Thousand Character Strike’!
"Seeing the force and borrowing it, seeing the force and transforming it, rigidity contains softness, true hardness in the hand, true softness in transformation!"
This is ’Tiger Cub Stretching’!
"Leg techniques are used cautiously, three elements of empty before the leg is raised, no contact no leg raise."
This is ’Sun and Moon Linked Feet’!
A set of Tiger Form Boxing, Yan Chuan’s force is fierce. With a roar from his throat, a lion’s mouth reflects the city’s sight. Screaming and exhaling, he powers his might with his breath, shaking the feet to enhance the momentum.
Han Yerou, small and fragrant, watched intently, seeming to understand something until suddenly, she saw Yan Chuan turn back, releasing a tiger’s roar—
This is ’Fierce Tiger Turning Head’!
Han Yerou was scared stiff, her small face flushed, almost screaming out loud.
"Hundred schools’ competition."
"Yan Chuan’s set of ’Tiger Form Boxing’, upon reaching profoundness, already transcends ’Cheng Family Boxing’, becoming inclusive and absorbing the essence of Hundred Schools Tiger Boxing, innovating beyond constraints, this is—"
Cheng Fengxiao watched as Yan Chuan executed the ’Tiger Form Boxing’ sixteen times.
From deep to shallow.
From shallow to deep.
Repetitively doing it sixteen times, exhaustively explained the profundities of ’Tiger Form Boxing’, even expanding, continually extending, integrating more intents and more insights into this set of ’Tiger Form Boxing’.
"Imitating the form of the tiger, adopting the skills of the tiger, infusing it with reason, merging it into Boxing intent!"
Cheng Fengxiao saw clearly, ’Divine Transformation’ was inadequate to describe Yan Chuan’s ’Tiger Form Boxing’, ’Peak’, was Yan Chuan!
"A set of intermediate Boxing, unexpectedly practiced to such a realm!"
Shao Yancong was also shocked.
A few days earlier at the Martial Arts Competition, watching Yan Chuan’s matches, his Boxing skills were profound, but ’Tiger Form Boxing’ was not much exposed, at that time casually displayed, worthy of ’Divine Transformation’.
But today, here in the practice field, Yan Chuan repeatedly practiced, seemingly understanding something, like gaining more insights, in short, going another level up, very hard to describe with words, already reaching the peak of the world.
At this time, he wasn’t ’practicing’, wasn’t pursuing on predecessors’ foundations, but ’creating’, continuing to innovate on the basis of ’Tiger Form Boxing’, the mountain was there, he long surpassed climbing, already standing at the peak!
"The end of Tiger Boxing, I am the peak!"
Yan Chuan claimed supremacy!