bookbashuk Page 102
Page 102
In those once bright eyes, something died forever, while something else sprouted from the ground in a more tenacious and stubborn way.
He kowtowed three times deeply at his parents' graves.
"Father, Mother, your child is unfilial."
"In this world, without ability, even survival is a luxury."
“I’m leaving to find a way to make a living.”
"When I have achieved something in the future, I will return to burn paper money for you two."
After saying that, he resolutely turned around, shouldered a simple bag, and walked into the vast mountains without looking back.
Alone, Xu Xiang began his wanderings in the martial arts world.
He traveled during the day and found a secluded place to meditate at night.
That method of gathering Qi became his only solace and reliance in this chaotic world.
Thanks to the solid foundation laid by Zhang Yunyuan and his own tenacious character, his cultivation level steadily increased amidst his wanderings.
A year later, he wandered to western Hunan and, by chance, stumbled upon a conflict between two sects.
It was a small sect called "Iron Palm Sect" that was being besieged by a bandit force called "Black Wind Stronghold".
The Iron Palm Sect Master was seriously injured, and his disciples suffered heavy casualties; the sect was on the verge of being wiped out.
Xu Xiang didn't want to meddle, but when he saw a bandit from Black Wind Stronghold grinning as he slashed a defenseless woman with a butcher's knife, he couldn't help himself.
He didn't know any fighting techniques; he simply channeled his inner energy into his fists and, relying on sheer courage, charged headlong into the battle.
It was at this moment that his innate ability—human magnetism—truly awakened for the first time in the face of life and death.
He discovered that he could use his own Qi as a guide to influence the "magnetic field" in a very small area around him.
A bandit swung his knife at him, and he instinctively activated his supernatural power. The bandit slipped and his body tilted uncontrollably to the side, the blade narrowly missing him.
Another bandit attacked from behind, and he instinctively activated his supernatural power in the opposite direction. An invisible repulsive force suddenly stopped the bandit's forward momentum.
Xu Xiang seized the fleeting opportunity and threw a punch, hitting his opponent squarely in the chest.
With these unpredictable and bizarre methods, he single-handedly broke through the Black Wind Stronghold's offensive, buying Iron Palm a precious chance to catch his breath.
In the end, seeing that they could not break through after a long siege and with the unexpected arrival of Xu Xiang, the bandits of Black Wind Stronghold had no choice but to retreat in frustration.
The leader of the Iron Palm Sect, surnamed Wang, was an upright man over fifty years old.
He looked at the ragged young man in front of him who had stepped forward at the crucial moment, and was both surprised and delighted.
When he learned that Xu Xiang had cultivated to such a level using only a rudimentary method, he was astonished and immediately developed a desire to recognize his talent.
"Young man, it's a pity that no one is going to teach you your skills."
Sect Leader Wang looked at Xu Xiang with sincerity in his eyes.
"If you don't mind that my Iron Palm Sect is too small, would you be willing to become my disciple?"
Xu Xiang looked at him, then at the Iron Palm Sect disciples around him who were casting grateful glances at him, and remained silent for a long time.
He remembered the wandering Taoist priest who had given him the Dharma.
He recalled the tragic state of his parents before their deaths.
He recalled the days and nights he spent struggling to survive alone in the wilderness.
He needs a place to belong, and he also needs more systematic spiritual practice.
He slowly knelt down in front of Master Wang.
"Disciple Xu Xiang greets Master."
From then on, Xu Xiang officially entered the world of the extraordinary.
Within the sect, he displayed astonishing talent in cultivation and a composed demeanor.
He combined the Qi gathering method passed down by Zhang Yunyuan with his own "human magnetism" ability and actually developed a unique fighting style of his own.
He can attach Qi to the surface of an object, generating a weak attraction or repulsion.
He can even apply this "magnetic force" to his opponents, affecting their balance and movements at extremely close range.
While this tactic may not be earth-shattering, it can often produce unexpected and surprising effects in matches between opponents of similar skill levels.
His progress was rapid, and he quickly grew from a novice into the most outstanding young member of the sect, earning the deep favor and respect of Sect Master Wang.
The Iron Palm Sect and another neighboring sect, the Cloud Piercing Palm Sect, had a huge dispute over the ownership of a mineral vein.
Both sides agreed that each would send three young disciples to the stage to compete, with the best two out of three rounds, and the winner would receive the mine.
In the first two matches, Iron Master won one and lost one.
In the decisive third match, Xu Xiang took to the field.
His opponent was the personal disciple of the Cloud Piercing Palm Master, whose Cloud Piercing Palm technique was so refined that his strength had reached the upper-middle level of the second tier, even surpassing Xu Xiang by a level.
On the dueling platform, the disciple's attacks were fierce, his palms whistling, and the resulting energy stung people's cheeks.
Xu Xiang remained calm and composed, his steps steady as he constantly dodged and weaved.
He was looking for opportunities and also familiarizing himself with the other party's methods.
"Kid, all you can do is hide?"
The disciple, unable to gain the upper hand after a long period of attack, grew increasingly impatient and his attacks became even more ruthless.
A glint flashed in Xu Xiang's eyes as he seized upon a tiny flaw revealed by the other party's eagerness to succeed.
Instead of retreating, he advanced, actually taking the initiative to meet the opponent's palm strike.
Just as the two were about to make contact, Xu Xiang's "human magnetism" power was suddenly activated!
An invisible repulsive force instantly acted on the other person's palm.
The disciple felt as if his palm strike had hit a slippery cushion, and he involuntarily veered to the side.
Xu Xiang, taking advantage of the repulsive force, suddenly turned around and snuggled into the other's arms at an incredible angle!
He took a deep breath, poured all the Qi in his body into his right palm, and struck out with his palm!
This palm strike contained no intricate variations, only the purest and most concentrated power.
And, a resolute determination to forge ahead.
The disciple was shocked and tried to defend himself, but he was already too late.
With a muffled thud, he was struck as if by lightning, sent flying backward, crashing heavily off the fighting platform and immediately losing consciousness.
The whole place was in dead silence.
After a brief silence, the Iron Palm Sect erupted in thunderous cheers.
Master Wang was so excited that his face turned red, and he clapped his hands and laughed.
"Well done! Xu Xiang is truly remarkable!"
After this battle, Xu Xiang became famous, and the Iron Palm Sect also gained great reputation and that precious mineral vein.
At the celebration banquet, Sect Leader Wang looked at his steady and capable disciple and grew to like him more and more.
"Xu Xiang, what was the name of that move you just made? It was truly divine skill, something I've never seen before!"
Xu Xiang scratched his head, a simple and honest smile appearing on his face.
He thought for a moment, and the image of the Taoist priest, who had been walking on the official road many years ago, appeared in his mind.
"Master, I haven't named this move yet."
He paused, then said somewhat embarrassedly.
"However... I already have an idea in my mind."
"Oh? Tell me."
"Let's call it... Cactus."
"Cactus?"
Sect Leader Wang was taken aback. "This name... is indeed imposing, but what is its story?"
A deep sense of gratitude and nostalgia flashed in Xu Xiang's eyes.
"Because the person who taught me these skills is like a god in my heart."
Chapter 118 Undercurrents in Tianjin, First Encounter with the Zhao Family
As Xu Xiang rose to fame in the Iron Palm Sect, Zhang Yunyuan and Feng Baobao's travels had already taken them to Tianjin.
This place is a bustling port at the confluence of nine rivers, a thoroughfare connecting waterways and land routes.
During the day, the streets are bustling with traffic and people, and the whistles of foreign trading companies echo the drums and clappers of teahouses.
As night falls, the neon lights in the concession area intertwine with the red lanterns of the old city, creating a bizarre and extravagant spectacle.
Information converges here, and people from all walks of life make a living here; it's a melting pot of all sorts of people, with undercurrents surging.
The two found an inconspicuous inn to stay in.
Feng Baobao was quite interested in the foreigners with high noses and deep-set eyes on the street, and always wanted to go up and see if their noses were real, which made Zhang Yunyuan have to pull her out of the crowd several times.
That evening, Zhang Yunyuan was meditating in his room, his mind sinking into a state of emptiness.
Suddenly, his brow twitched slightly, and an unusual fluctuation of Qi emanated from the direction of the eastern dock.
That energy was mixed and cold, carrying a nauseating aura of blood and evil, as if something was greedily devouring living beings.
He opened his eyes and said to Feng Baobao, who was intently whittling wood with a knife beside him:
"Let's go see what's going on."
The dockside warehouse area was much quieter under the cover of night than during the day, with only a few dim lights flickering in the wind, casting distorted and eerie shadows of rows of huge warehouses.
Following the source of the evil aura, Zhang Yunyuan quietly arrived at the outside of a secluded warehouse.
He was like a shadow pressed against the corner of the wall, peering inside through the crack in the window.
In the center of the warehouse, several blond-haired, blue-eyed foreigners were conducting some kind of transaction with a group of local thugs.