Chapter 087: [Tai Chi]

“Cloud Rolling Hand?”

Tang Mubai recalled the scene when Hu Zonghan had displayed his palm technique, then opened the manual and skimmed through it, confirming without a doubt that this was the martial art in question. Without hesitation, he took all three manuals from the box, left the room, carefully shut the door he had forced open, and quickly departed.

He returned to the Miracle Mercenary Group’s quarters, back to his room, entered the bedroom, and closed the door securely. Only then did he take out the three manuals.

As expected, the martial art Hu Zonghan had used on the hillside was “Cloud Rolling Hand.”

Tang Mubai studied the manual in detail, feeling an inexplicable surge of excitement.

A Fifth-Turn Martial Art!

This “Cloud Rolling Hand” was, astonishingly, a Fifth-Turn technique. Though only the first volume, on the Martial Way Network’s marketplace, there were merely three such manuals available.

Even those three weren’t complete—each had only the upper volume or the first few layers.

Despite this, each was priced at a staggering thirty million federation credits!

A Third-Turn martial art could be purchased for just over a million. But a Fourth-Turn would cost about ten million, and a Fifth-Turn started at thirty million!

As for Sixth, Seventh, or Eighth-Turn techniques… Sorry, none could be found on the Martial Way Network.

From the Sixth-Turn onward, such high-level arts were rarely seen in the public market. Only large organizations, sects, or official entities could collect them.

Ordinary martial artists could only hope to train in them by joining these groups.

Even then, access was far from guaranteed.

Tang Mubai had previously thought to save up for a Fourth-Turn martial art on the Martial Way Network.

But now, with “Cloud Rolling Hand,” it seemed there was no need.

From the Fourth-Turn level, every martial art possessed unique attributes. Once cultivated, a martial artist would gain the corresponding power.

These attributes included metal, wood, water, fire, earth; ice, frost, lightning; wind, snow, cloud, mist, poison; and specializations for body, spirit, or blood refinement.

“Cloud Rolling Hand” possessed the power of wind—a rolling tempest!

Combined with true energy, its might was boundless.

Just as Hu Zonghan had swept across the hillside with that giant palm, it was the force of true energy at work.

Tang Mubai couldn’t yet project true energy outward, but that wouldn’t stop him from learning this martial art.

He memorized the circulation path and prepared to consume lifespan—

Suddenly!

[Incomplete manual “Cloud Rolling Hand” detected. Spend 50 years of lifespan to deduce and complete it?]

A prompt suddenly popped into his mind.

Tang Mubai was overjoyed.

“So the system can deduce martial arts and fill in the gaps! Excellent, this is wonderful!”

“Only 50 years of lifespan? Use it, by all means!”

A hum resounded—

Tang Mubai’s body trembled suddenly as a surge of new information inexplicably appeared in his mind.

“Cloud Rolling Hand!”

Upper, middle, and lower volumes—the complete “Cloud Rolling Hand”—appeared vividly in his mind.

Overjoyed, Tang Mubai immediately spent more lifespan to begin mastery.

Five years for beginner’s attainment; ten for minor achievement; fifteen for proficiency; forty-five for mastery; sixty for perfection; one hundred and twenty for consummation.

From novice to perfection, a total of 255 years spent!

With the art’s circulation—

A whistling sound arose as streams of energy instantly condensed, swirling between Tang Mubai’s hands and stirring his hair.

Even without the boost of true energy, Tang Mubai could clearly sense this power was more than three times stronger than that of “Tiger Roar Fist.”

Were he not in his bedroom, he could have used the energy to strike out, leaving a palm print on the wall or even blasting through it!

Well, how much force it would take to punch through the wall, he’d have to test to know.

In any case, having mastered “Cloud Rolling Hand,” Tang Mubai’s strength had soared once again.

Of the three manuals, the first delighted him.

The second—

The second manual turned out to be “Tai Chi Fist!”

Indeed, after careful examination, it really was “Tai Chi Fist.”

The same technique practiced by elderly men and women on the plaza or at the foot of the mountain every morning for health and longevity!

Though this version of “Tai Chi Fist” began by emphasizing “focus on intent, not form,” the moves and routines were the familiar set.

“What on earth was Hu Zonghan thinking, collecting ‘Tai Chi Fist’ of all things?”

Tang Mubai was baffled.

After a moment’s thought, he decided to spend lifespan to learn it anyway.

After all, with lifespan to spare, mastering “Tai Chi Fist” would cost him little.

One year to reach beginner’s level; as he continued—

[Dao-Resonant Martial Art “Tai Chi Fist” detected. Spend 500 years of lifespan to reach perfection?]

The system prompt flashed.

Tang Mubai’s eyelid twitched involuntarily, shock welling up in his heart.

“Five hundred years of lifespan? Dao-Resonant martial art?”

“Aren’t martial arts classified from First to Ninth Turn? When did ‘Dao-Resonant’ appear?”

Perplexed, Tang Mubai frowned in deep thought.

Pondering for a while to no avail, he simply opened his computer and searched online.

The result made his brows furrow even deeper.

Nothing!

There wasn’t a single record of “Dao-Resonant Martial Arts” online!

There were two possible explanations for this.

First, no one in the New World knew about the existence of “Dao-Resonant Martial Arts.”

Second, someone had deliberately erased all traces of them from the internet!

Tang Mubai inclined toward the second possibility.

Someone, or perhaps a group, did not want the masses aware of “Dao-Resonant Martial Arts.”

“Tai Chi Fist” had likely been overlooked simply because it was so common.

Tang Mubai knew well that the version of “Tai Chi Fist” found in the New World had very little offensive capability and, like “Bronze Gong Art,” was a popular, basic martial art.

Perhaps Hu Zonghan had heard a rumor about some hidden aspect of “Tai Chi Fist” and collected it for that reason.

“A Dao-Resonant martial art like ‘Tai Chi Fist’ requires only a year to begin, but five hundred years to reach perfection?”

Tang Mubai muttered, shaking his head with a wry smile.

Had he not spent lifespan to enhance his blood or willpower, he would have had enough for this.

But as things stood, he could only set it aside for now.

He put “Tai Chi Fist” aside and picked up the third manual—“The Reincarnation Sutra.”

After reading for a while, Tang Mubai’s expression turned strange.

A Buddhist scripture!

The third manual, “The Reincarnation Sutra,” was actually a Buddhist text!

“Could this also be a ‘Dao-Resonant’ martial art?”

Tang Mubai was full of questions.

He tried reciting it and attempted to use the system to master it by consuming lifespan.

But this time, the system did not respond—

For the first time, there was no reaction!

What was going on?

Tang Mubai was dumbfounded.

“Could it be that ‘The Reincarnation Sutra’ isn’t a martial art at all, but just a Buddhist scripture?”

“Did Hu Zonghan, on a whim, hide away a Buddhist scripture?”

“Or perhaps, Hu Zonghan was a Buddhist believer?”

Tang Mubai was at a loss.

The “Tai Chi Fist” earlier could at least be explained by its mysterious connection to Dao resonance.

But this “Reincarnation Sutra” left him completely clueless.

Why would Hu Zonghan secretly stash a Buddhist scripture? No matter how he looked at it, something was off.

“Wait!”

Suddenly, a possibility flashed in Tang Mubai’s mind, his eyes lighting up.

“Could it be that Hu Zonghan treasured ‘The Reincarnation Sutra’ because it contains some secret related to a hidden treasure?”

…

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