Chapter 167 - 152: The Martial Arts and Stories of the Top Three in the World

Chapter 167: Chapter 152: The Martial Arts and Stories of the Top Three in the World

In the sky above the Pure Land Zen Sect, Teng Zijing flapped his wings and hovered within the clouds. His falcon-like gaze fixed intently on the two figures at the sect’s mountain gate below. He harbored a faint hostility toward Yan Chimei. However, until Chen Sha spoke, he naturally had no intention of making a move.

Hearing Yan Chimei’s words, Chen Sha laughed. "Oh? You claim that no one in the world understands the Martial Arts of the world’s top three better than you?"

Yan Chimei said slowly, "I have fought all three of them. In fact, I am the only one who has crossed blows with all three. Saying this doesn’t count as boasting."

Chen Sha couldn’t help but feel a bit interested. Even though he still didn’t think Yan Chimei had good intentions, it didn’t prevent him from listening to what the other party had to say about those three individuals. "Let’s hear it."

After Chen Sha spoke, Yan Chimei stroked his large beard and said, "There is a massive gap even among the top ten in the world. If the top three are considered one closely matched tier, then Long Zaitian, your mother Yun Shouxuan, and I would roughly fall into the second tier. After the three of us..." He glanced up at Teng Zijing circling overhead. "...Teng Zijing, Fengg Changqing, Zhang Shouren, and Bai Zancang can be considered the lowest, third tier."

Chen Sha thought for a moment and did not disagree with Yan Chimei’s classification. Judging solely from the imposing aura Yan Chimei displayed, his ability to rank two spots above his mother Yun Shouxuan and even above Long Zaitian wasn’t because his Power was vastly superior to theirs. It was likely just due to some advantages in his Martial Arts.

Yan Chimei continued, "Sect Leader Chen is, after all, descending the mountain for the first time. Your understanding of the world’s top three is probably limited to their respective residences and a few Jianghu rumors."

Chen Sha did not deny it. He indeed only knew about their addresses and some rumors.

The third in the world, Pang Saint, was originally an important figure in the world’s number one gang from twenty years ago, the Sea Shark Gang. Later, the Sea Shark Gang and another top-tier Major Sect, the Nushen Sect, engaged in a world-shaking battle over the Yin-Yang Treasure Mirror. In this battle, the two transcendent powers—both comparable to the top Major Sects of the Black and White Paths—suffered mutual destruction.

After the battle, only Pang Saint survived. Because he possessed the Sea Shark Gang’s Yin-Yang Treasure Mirror, a secret treasure chased by Martial Artists across the world, he was hunted by several top Martial Arts factions for six years. During those six years, Pang Saint not only survived but also made rapid, triumphant progress. Eventually, in the Jin Country Capital City one year, he killed Red Demon Sealing Night Feather, who was ranked ninth among the world’s top ten over a decade ago. That single battle made him famous and intimidated the world, allowing him to completely break free from being hunted and besieged.

From then on, Pang Saint’s life trajectory skyrocketed. Over the next dozen years or so, relying on a Martial Arts path of constantly Breaking Realm, he faintly surpassed all the top figures of the Black and White Paths. In recent years, he has firmly stepped into the top three in the world. In the eyes of the Black and White Paths, the major Martial Arts Sects, and the Clans, he possesses a deterrent power akin to a Devil.

The second in the world, Wang Zaixiang, was the Prime Minister of Jin Country over thirty years ago, a mere scholar. When he was forty, Jin Country was shocked by the invasion of Ancient Transformation Dragon. Just when the world thought Jin Country would be destroyed, this old Prime Minister, wearing his official robes, single-handedly rode out of Lanjiang Pass to face an army of a hundred thousand. Clad in a loose scholar’s robe, he slaughtered five Yuan Country generals, stopping the disaster of subjugation right outside Lanjiang Pass.

From then on, he became world-famous. The world finally realized that this elderly gentleman was not just a frail scholar but someone with peerless Cultivation, proving that scholars also possessed power that could make the hearts of people across the land sink. For decades since then, with him holding down the fort, no one dared to invade Jin Country.

Chen Sha had heard that his father, Chen Canxuan, had once traveled to Jin Country to meet this person. The two never fought, and when Chen Canxuan left, Wang Zaixiang personally saw him off outside the Capital City. No one knew what they discussed. A few days later, Wang Zaixiang voluntarily admitted to the world’s Martial Arts community the fact of Chen Canxuan’s invincibility.

Later on, this man served through three reigns in Jin Country, becoming an elder statesman of three administrations. However, in recent years, the Emperor of Jin Country turned out to be an incompetent ruler—so exceptionally foolish that it was rare in history. Without saying a word, in the second year of the new emperor’s reign, Wang Zaixiang voluntarily resigned and retired, distancing himself from the royal court he had managed his whole life. He now lived in Pine Garden at the foot of Shaobai Mountain in Jin Country.

Although he was no longer the Prime Minister after shedding his official robes, he continued to awe the world under the name Zaixiang and his status as the second most powerful person in the world. In fact, for a time after Chen Canxuan’s death, this old man had temporarily ascended to the rank of number one in the world.

However, he was soon pushed back down to the second position by someone who appeared out of nowhere. That person was Yuan Ruhua. No one knew what Yuan Ruhua’s past was like. It was as if during the time when Chen Canxuan suppressed the world, this person didn’t even exist. It wasn’t until half a year after Chen Canxuan’s death that he came ashore from the South Sea and appeared in the Martial Arts world. The moment he debuted, he snatched the title of the ’number one person in the world’ from Wang Zaixiang! He could be considered the very definition of being invincible upon birth.

Regarding his Martial Arts, Chen Sha only knew that he was known to be "invincible within a half-step."

At this time, Yan Chimei explained in detail, "Pang Saint practices the Heaven and Earth Qiankun Yin Yang Copper Furnace Technique from the Yin-Yang Treasure Mirror he obtained back then. It uses the universe as a cauldron, yin and yang as barriers, and water and fire as transformative mechanisms to forge his body into the most terrifying Physique in the world. Every movement he makes contains the profound changes of the limitless yin and yang. He can boil water into magma and turn magma into ice, exhausting the profound mysteries of yin and yang transformation."

Chen Sha’s eyes flashed. "Transforming yin and yang, turning cold into hot, the transformative mechanism of water and fire... that sounds like a mystical Divine Demon ability."

Yan Chimei continued, "The skill of harmonizing yin and yang is his most powerful Martial Arts method. To deal with Pang Saint, unless one crushes him with sheer brute force, the only way is to possess a method of harmonizing yin and yang within one’s own Power. Looking at it now, other than myself, you and Long Zaitian are the most likely candidates in this world to defeat Pang Saint."

Chen Sha raised an eyebrow. "Long Zaitian?"

"The reason is very simple. Even before you, I was very optimistic that Long Zaitian possessed the power to defeat Pang Saint," Yan Chimei said. "This is because his Demon Heaven Tribulation has already been cultivated to the Thunder Tribulation Level, and lightning has the power to govern yin and yang. Unfortunately, his Demon Heaven Tribulation hasn’t reached the final layer yet, so his Power hasn’t reached Great Success, whereas Pang Saint’s Heaven and Earth Qiankun Yin Yang Copper Furnace Technique has already been cultivated to the highest level. Therefore, if he wants to defeat Pang Saint and reach the top three in the world, he has to cultivate his Demon Heaven Tribulation to the final layer, the Heavenly Tribulation Realm."

Chen Sha said calmly, "Then why didn’t you join forces with Long Zaitian? If the two of you teamed up, even if your combined Power isn’t as great as Pang Saint’s, you’d still have a decent chance."

"I did think about finding him, but when I was searching for Long Zaitian, a mysterious man in black approached me," Yan Chimei replied. "He told me that Long Zaitian was his cooperative partner and warned me not to interfere."

Chen Sha was surprised. "A man in black?"

"A mysterious person completely wrapped in black clothing," Yan Chimei said.

Chen Sha asked, "Would you, the fourth in the world, be scared off by a mysterious man in black?"

"Yes," Yan Chimei admitted. "To my surprise, I wasn’t a match for that man in black."

Chen Sha looked at Yan Chimei with a somewhat strange expression at this point. "Just how many people have you actually beaten in your lifetime?"

Previously in Yuanjing, he had heard Emperor Yuan Gu Xuanong mention that Yan Chimei had lost to a Drinking Monk of the Pure Land Zen Sect. Thus, when Chen Sha saw that Lantuo Monk, he wasn’t surprised; he already knew in his heart that the Buddhist Sect had such a person.

But now he was hearing that aside from losing to this unassuming Lantuo Monk, Yan Chimei had also lost to a mysterious man in black. Up to now, there were three people who had the strength to be on the Top Ten list but weren’t: Monastery Master I heard, Lantuo Monk, and the man in black Yan Chimei had just mentioned. He couldn’t beat Pang Saint and ranked fourth in the world, and later, two more people he couldn’t beat appeared. Every single one of them was stronger than him.

Seeing Chen Sha’s strange expression, Yan Chimei’s cheek twitched. "The top ten in the world will always just be the strongest ones on the surface. In every era, there are people hidden in the dark who are unwilling to stand in the light, simply because it’s more convenient to act in secret. What’s so strange about me encountering a few?"

Chen Sha, however, was quite curious about the man in black. "What Martial Arts did that man in black use that you couldn’t defeat?"

"Chess pieces," Yan Chimei said.

Chen Sha’s expression changed slightly. "Chess pieces?"

"That’s right. His Martial Arts are extremely peculiar," Yan Chimei explained. "When I fought him, I just saw him raise his hand and press into the void, and a chess piece landed right on top of my head. After that, it was as if I had fallen into the trap of a chess game. It took me a full day to walk out of that domain, and by the time I came out, he was nowhere to be seen."

Chen Sha pondered for a moment, then took two chess pieces from his clothes. "Like this?"

Yan Chimei stared intently at them. He then looked up at Chen Sha in astonishment. "Yes! How... how do you have these chess pieces? Did you encounter him too?"

Chen Sha slowly put away the chess pieces and said, "I didn’t encounter him personally. I think I encountered his subordinates. I killed them, and they left behind these two chess pieces." One came from Xie Tangyan, and the other came from the middle-aged Swordsman who hunted Lin Qingqing down on that rainy night.

Chen Sha fell deep into thought, thinking, "The person behind these chess pieces actually has a cooperative relationship with Long Zaitian of the Demon Saint Sect. It seems that once I successfully cultivate the new Three Gods this time, I’ll have to personally go to the Demon Saint Sect and seek out Long Zaitian for a battle."

However, he still hadn’t finished hearing about the origins of the last two people’s Martial Arts. "What are Wang Zaixiang’s and Yuan Ruhua’s Martial Arts?"

Yan Chimei also temporarily put aside his thoughts about the mysterious person and said, "The Martial Arts Wang Zaixiang cultivates is more like an application of qi than an actual martial art. It’s somewhat like a martial art born from reading..." He looked at Chen Sha, seemingly feeling that this explanation wouldn’t be convincing enough. But then he heard Chen Sha say thoughtfully, "A martial art born from reading... the Confucian Sect?"

"Confucian Sect?" Yan Chimei frowned. "What kind of Sect is that?"

Chen Sha shook his head. "Just something I mentioned offhand. Keep talking."

He had seen this religious lineage during the Ninth Tribulation Period where Zhang Daoxuan resided. One of those listening to the lecture on Qilin Cliff was Guu Changming of the Confucian Sect, and Chen Sha had even received this Confucian Sect expert’s Spirit Communication Jade as a reward. Later, in the ’Three Religions’ Joint Ascension Chart’ scene from the next Chapter, there were also two elderly men wearing Confucian Hats among the Top Ten Three Religions Innate. It was just that in the Divine Land World, there was currently no inheritance or Martial Arts of the Confucian Sect.

"Regarding Wang Zaixiang’s Martial Arts, he once told me that if he had to give this thing a name, he might as well call it the ’Bright Qi Martial Scripture.’ Its Martial Arts characteristics mainly lie in ’controlling qi’ and ’Qi Transformation,’" Yan Chimei explained. "As for Yuan Ruhua..."

Yan Chimei organized his words for a moment before speaking slowly, "He now lives in the Tide-Watching Pavilion in the South Sea. The Tide-Watching Pavilion is a pavilion built right out of the sea. Such a spectacle certainly suits his status as the number one person in the world. As for the characteristics of his Martial Arts... he is the only one I can’t tell you much about. That’s because saying too much wouldn’t compare to those eight words..."

Chen Sha finished the sentence for him, "Invincible within a half-step?"

"Exactly," Yan Chimei said. "His Martial Arts exist solely within that half-step. No one can get within a half-step of him. Within that half-step distance, no one is his match. Even if your father, Chen Canxuan, were to come back to life, he might not be able to gain an advantage within that half-step."

Conquering the world with just a half-step. Yet, it forged an invincibility across the world. Because it was simple, it was invincible.