Chapter 60: Zhang Zhiwei's Supernatural Fist Technique

"Stop talking!" Lü Ren slapped a hand over his younger brother's mouth. Such matters could be discussed behind closed doors at home, but the current occasion was entirely inappropriate.

"There's no need to muzzle him. Let him speak!" the Head of the Lü family said in a deep voice.

Lü Ren let go of his hand and kept shooting warning glances at Lü Ci.

Lü Ci let out a cold snort, turned his head away, and remained silent.

The Lü family head gazed deeply at Lü Ci for a moment, sighed, and said, "You little beast, you're a born rebel, always going against me since you were a child. Fine, fine, I won't care about your cultivation anymore. Practice however you damn well please!"

Lü Ci breathed a sigh of relief. He turned his head back, stammering as he tried to say a few words to ease the tension, but not being one given to backing down, he suddenly had no idea what to say.

The Lü family head glared at him: "Look at that wretched, dirt-stained face of yours. It makes me angry just looking at you. Get the hell out of my sight, and stop lingering in front of me!"

As if granted a royal pardon, Lü Ci quickly retreated to the back and stood at attention.

Meanwhile, on the martial arts arena.

Zhang Zhiwei shook down his sleeve, lightly stepped onto the ground, and with a tremor of earth, filled in the two pits. Just as he was about to step down, another figure leaped up—it was Liu Deshui, who had previously fought with Lu Jin.

Zhang Zhiwei tilted his head. "What are you coming up here for?"

Liu Deshui cupped his fists and said, "Earlier, when Senior Brother Zhang was instructing the Lü brothers, he mentioned the vibration force and bursting force of Bajiquan. This junior happens to practice Bajiquan, but to my shame, no matter how my master teaches me, I have never been able to grasp their true essence. Today, after seeing Senior Brother Zhang's guidance, Lü Ci seemed to experience an epiphany. Though unaccomplished, this junior wishes to experience Senior Brother Zhang's vibration and bursting forces. Please bestow your guidance upon me, Senior Brother Zhang!"

Zhang Zhiwei glanced over at his master.

Zhang Jingqing narrowed his eyes and nodded at him.

Though Zhang Jingqing knew that Zhang Zhiwei practiced some miscellaneous boxing techniques, he had never actually seen him use them, so he couldn't help feeling a bit curious.

What harm was there in offering some guidance? He had already drawn enough attention to himself; one more wouldn't hurt. Let him show off to his heart's content today, and he could slowly deal with him once they returned to the mountain.

Seeing his master nod, Zhang Zhiwei instantly understood. He rolled up one sleeve again—fine, he had already handed out three slaps, might as well dish out a fourth!

"You want to taste my vibration and bursting forces? But I must warn you in advance, the force of Baji is fierce. If you want to experience it firsthand, even if I hold back, I'm afraid you'll find it hard to endure!"

"Senior Brother Zhang need not hold back. No matter the method, no matter the outcome, Liu Deshui can take it!"

Liu Deshui bowed deeply. Taking a lesson from the mistakes of his predecessors, before stepping onto the stage, he had already mentally prepared himself to lose all face and suffer a crushing defeat. But he didn't care; in order to grow stronger, what was mere pride?

Years ago, he had been able to kneel in front of the San-yi Gate for three days and three nights. If he could master the force of Baji from Zhang Zhiwei, let alone losing a bit of face, what was wrong with kneeling before Zhang Zhiwei for three days and three nights?

"Very well then. This is the vibration force. I'll do it in slow motion, watch closely!"

With that, Zhang Zhiwei stepped forward. With just a single stride, the momentum of his advance was as fierce as a collapsing mountain, a roaring tsunami, or a million soldiers charging into battle all at once.

Liu Deshui felt his scalp tingle and goosebumps erupt across his skin; every hair on his body stood on end as he immediately pulled his energy inward into a deep stance, adopting a defensive posture.

"Rumble!"

Zhang Zhiwei thrust out five fingers, pressing down like a falling dome. The force within his palm shifted unpredictably, causing the air to violently tremble and twist as if a piece of the sky were caving in.

"I'm going to die!"

Liu Deshui was horrified. Beneath this single palm strike, he felt the terrifying sensation of Mount Tai collapsing upon him. His sixth sense screamed frantic warnings: taking this blow might actually kill him.

He instinctively wanted to flee, only to feel as though he had been locked onto, leaving no refuge anywhere in the vast world.

*I only wanted to test the strength of this young pinnacle martial artist, I didn't come here to die...* Liu Deshui roared internally in panic.

At the very last split second, he grit his teeth, tightened his posture, and thrust both arms upward in a desperate attempt to block Zhang Zhiwei's palm.

The moment the two forces made contact!

"Ahhh!"

Liu Deshui roared furiously. He felt an immensely powerful force surging from that palm. Every bone in his body creaked and groaned under a tremendous weight, feeling as though his hard bones might shatter from within at any second.

Fortunately, though the force came fast, it also went fast, vanishing into his body in an instant. Liu Deshui felt his tightly wound nerves abruptly snap into release.

With a heavy thud, his legs buckled, and he dropped to his knees on the ground. At the same time, countless microscopic beads of blood seeped out from his pores, turning him into a blood-soaked figure in the blink of an eye.

Such was the consequence of experiencing the vibration force firsthand. Had Zhang Zhiwei not held back his strength, he could have shattered Liu Deshui to pieces on the spot—and this was still the output adjusted to the absolute limit of what Liu Deshui could endure.

Forcing energy to pierce through the entire body was an extremely risky method because the internal organs were fragile, and the slightest miscalculation would tear one's internal organs to shreds.

Only those with a master-level grasp over their own kinetic force would dare to attempt it. In Liu Deshui's own Yanwu Hall, no one dared to do this because they feared losing control of the force.

In truth, when Liu Deshui stepped onto the stage, he had never expected Zhang Zhiwei to let him experience it in such a manner.

His initial thought was that the two of them would simply cross hands, and through the art of receiving, neutralizing, and redirecting force, he would feel it during the exchange.

Had he known in advance that he would have to take the blow purely with his physical body and let the force pierce straight through him, nothing could have induced him to step onto the stage. He might not care about saving face, but he certainly cared about his life.

"How does it feel?!" Zhang Zhiwei said. "Let's stop here. The bursting force explodes instantaneously and cannot be held back—you wouldn't be able to survive it!"

"This junior has benefited immensely. Senior Brother Zhang is truly a divine being. Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother Zhang!"

Since he was already kneeling, Liu Deshui smoothly lowered his head in a deep, formal bow. As for that bursting force—forget about whether he could survive it or not, even if he could, he wouldn't dare try.

Staggering to his feet, Liu Deshui walked over to the elders of Yanwu Hall to exchange a few words, then quietly left the courtyard.

He needed to return to his room for seclusion, carefully ruminating on his recent insights and capturing that firsthand sensation he had just experienced.

Meanwhile, beneath the martial arts arena, discussions buzzed among the crowd. Among the younger generation, ninety percent of them failed to comprehend the true value of this move.

Let alone them, even among the seating area for the elders, many could not understand it and were whispering in low discussion.

Those who did understand fell silent. Baji might be ordinary, but that single palm strike was anything of the sort.

The Celestial Master Zhang Jingqing was one of those who remained silent. This display caused massive ripples in the heart of even his own master, leaving him inwardly bewildered: *I've never seen him use this before. When did this little brat practice such a seasoned boxing technique?*

*Could it be that the "rats" aren't the only ones burning the midnight oil with hard work in the dead of night, and that even our own family's "lion" does the same? It's truly bizarre—why has this sudden trend swept through Mount Longhu?*

At that moment, Lu Jin, having learned the cause of the argument between Lü Ci and the Lü family head, and having witnessed Zhang Zhiwei guiding Liu Deshui with his own eyes, violently slapped his forehead and muttered in annoyance:

"Master, I got cheated out of a deal!"

"What did you get cheated out of?" Zuotong casting a sideways glance at him.

"They took beatings and received guidance, but I didn't. I... didn't I just take a beating for nothing?"

Lu Jin said with a pitiful, aggrieved expression.