Chapter 551: The Move That Breaks the Taboo

When a master makes a move, a single instant becomes eternity.

It is often like a surging tide, pouring out for a thousand miles, irreversible; one knows the outcome is already decided the moment the first signs appear.

Although Bai Shiwu had only made one move, everyone around the Origin Demon Square, whether low-level martial artists or strong warriors, reached a consensus: Zhou You's defeat was inevitable.

The only suspense remaining was whether Yin Sanfen would intervene to save his life.

Yin Sanfen looked at Zhou You's back, lost in thought; he seemed to have guessed Zhou You's intention.

Seeing Zhou You again this time, he was also incredibly astonished; the young man was already an Intermediate Martial Master, his Qi and blood thick and unparalleled, possessing strength on par with a Senior Martial Master.

Precisely because of this, his bottleneck was also far beyond that of ordinary peers, making it even harder to break through to the next realm.

The best method was to bombard oneself with power so strong it was impossible to match, risking death to loosen the bottleneck.

Just like now, Zhou You was facing one of Bai Shiwu's Six Great Forbidden Techniques, rapidly falling into danger.

"Let us see if this ambitious paper kite of yours will rise with the wind and soar into the blue sky, or fall to the ground and be ruined in the mud."

Yin Sanfen made up his mind, retracted his hands into his sleeves, and watched with composure.

"If Zhou You dies, this sin will fall upon me."

Xue Zhengming sighed endlessly, but after thinking for a moment, he let out a long breath, "Bai Shiwu will not kill him."

The Apprentices nearby listened with curiosity, "Hall Master, the Venerable's words are full of killing intent; how can you be so certain he will not kill Zhou You?"

"He studied under me for ten years; although I am dim-sighted and cannot see the true person, I know he has learned the beliefs of the Zhengming Fist."

Throughout his life, Xue Zhengming had done nothing grand, nor did he seek infinite glory; he simply practiced the beliefs of this fist art with conviction.

The two words 'Zhengming' truly had their unique merits, enabling Bai Shiwu to break through the barrier of the strong warrior.

The world only thought that Xue Zhengming had great luck, encountering a once-in-a-thousand-years benefactor like Bai Shiwu, but they did not know that for Bai Shiwu, the philosophy of the Rectification Fist was the final step to breaking through his bottleneck. The question is, what is the philosophy of the Rectification Fist?

Facing the dangerous situation where defeat was already certain, Zhou You's mind raced.

The Six Great Forbidden Techniques were the opponent's famous ultimate technique, and the watershed of Bai Shiwu's fame was precisely the ten years he spent hiding his name in Fucheng, breaking through the strong warrior barrier at Rectification Martial Arts Hall to become a Strong Warrior Venerable.

Therefore, the Zhengming Fist must be a key link for him.

The Six Great Taboos and the Zhengming Fist must have an inextricable connection.

If one used the character-splitting method to break down the word 'Taboo' (ji), there would be two characters...

A flash of inspiration, like lightning on a pitch-black rainy night, streaked across Zhou You's mind, giving him a feeling of sudden enlightenment.

"I understand now; Bai Shiwu used the accumulation of his first half of life, with the Rectification Fist as the primer, to brew his own unique ultimate technique."

"Splitting the word 'Taboo' gives 'Self' (ji) and 'Heart' (xin); the answer is obvious: the Zhengming Fist is for 'Rectifying the Self and Clarifying the Heart'!"

Rectifying the self and clarifying the heart is truly rare! It is precisely because one must correct oneself and dissect one's own heart that countless scruples arise, understanding the obstacles and difficulties on the path ahead.

Bai Shiwu used the Six Great Forbidden Techniques to summarize his own martial arts foundation; it is the manifestation of his strongest power and the presentation of his most difficult obstacles.

One taboo is one major hurdle; breaking one taboo is a step toward instant ascension, moving toward a future of infinite brightness.

The Six Great Taboos are his own greatest obstacles, and when integrated into his fist technique, they are also an extremely sharp killing move.

One might ask, unless the enemy is far superior to him, they are absolutely no match for the hurdles he himself cannot overcome.

"So that is it."

Zhou You realized this layer, and looking at the giant palm in front of him, he had the feeling that mountains were no longer mountains, and water was no longer water.

The originally fatal situation, viewed from a different angle, had actually become a test. Bai Shiwu's Six Great Forbidden palm technique encompassed heaven and earth, driving Zhou You into his inner world; if he could not walk out, he would inevitably fall into a catatonic state, his soul unable to guard his body, becoming a muddled, useless person.

But thinking from another angle, if he could rely on his own strength to break through the cage, he would surely undergo transformation and rebirth.

"After breaking the taboo, there are no more taboos!"

Zhou You's thoughts stirred, and the Qi and blood in his body surged instantly; all 7 of his External Profound Hearts poured out their Qi and blood.

Power overflowed from his pores, blowing his robes to flutter without wind; in the blink of an eye, the clothes on his body were torn into shreds by the violent power, revealing the lifelike Hungry Tiger tattoo on his back.

Many eyes gathered on his back, and they gasped repeatedly upon seeing the murderous Hungry Tiger.

This tattoo was too beautiful; the lines transcended the level of a Craftsman and reached an artistic height, the outlined Hungry Tiger's eyes so vivid it seemed as if it could jump to the ground at any moment.

"Which tattoo master could create such a stunning tattoo?"

Qi Qingdi saw the Hungry Tiger on his master's back and suddenly trembled; the countless insights and accumulations from his daily fist practice all resonated with the spirit of the Hungry Tiger before him, and a certain transformation occurred within his body.

At this moment, he could almost see the day he would break through to become a Martial Master.

With the Hungry Tiger upon him, Zhou You's Qi and blood surged nearly tenfold; this was the beginning of the counterattack.

In the void...

Zhou You shrugged and clenched his fists, his muscles bulging like strange rocks; he took a breath, and beneath his skin, it moved like a little mouse, rising from his lower abdomen to his chest, then passing through his throat to enter his nose and mouth.

The harsh breathing sound was like a whistle; martial artists nearby covered their ears with both hands, feeling as if their eardrums were being pierced.

"The Venerable's Six Great Taboos are truly an ingenious design, using oneself as a labyrinth to trap the enemy."

"If I am within the range you defined, I would never be able to escape, but changing the line of thought, why must one clarify the heart to break the taboo?"

"If I have no taboo in my eyes, what does your taboo have to do with me? I will just strike with a punch!"

Fighting is no different from arguing; the most important thing is not to be led by the opponent's rhythm—you argue yours, I argue mine.

It is nothing more than a contest of who has the louder voice; who cares what you are arguing about? Fist fighting is the same.

When the weak face the strong, one must never be conventional or fight along the range defined by the opponent; one must take an unconventional path and seek a breakthrough.

Zhou You thought this through, his heart cleared, and he discarded all distracting thoughts.

He tore open the pocket at his waist, and two large hammers and an Iron Spear fell out in mid-air; a gasp of surprise came from the surroundings, "A Storage Pocket."

This kind of treasure was already famous, but many people had only heard of it and had never seen it.

Many martial arts hall masters, seeing Zhou You use this item to store weapons, scolded angrily, "What a waste of a heavenly treasure."

Zhou You performed the Tiger-Crane Dual Movement; in the tiger form, he held two large hammers, and in the crane form, he gripped the Iron Spear and leaped high—one in the sky and one on the ground, a double pincer attack.

The unreachable giant palm hung before him like a canopy; this was the visual distortion caused by the strong warrior's aura affecting the surrounding area.

Bai Shiwu's action did not count as breaking his word, because he had indeed used the power of a Martial Master level to produce such an effect.

"Does the power of a Martial Master affect the surrounding environment? I can do that too!"

Zhou You let out a roar and a long cry; the Hungry Tiger and the crane were inexplicably ferocious, treating this covered area as their own hunting ground.

Since it was his own hunting ground, how could he allow other wild beasts to set foot in it? With two hammers and one spear, amidst his roar that seemed to yearn to devour the heavens and the earth, he struck into the palms of White Stone Wu.

(End of chapter)