Their claws swiped and circled, scratching, grasping, tearing, hooking, and clutching!The speed was beyond description, the whistling wind of the claws sounding like a raging storm.Within the enclosed stone cavern, a violent air current arose from the movements of these two supreme masters, demonstrating the pinnacle of each other's arts and their distinguished martial cultivation.
Regarding the lethal prowess of wugong and internal vital energy (Qi), the Grand Monk possessed a cultivation that was superior to Chen Shuyuan, the Master of the Divine Eagle Sect, by a notch.After more than a hundred moves, the Dragon Claw clearly gained the ascendancy.By the time three hundred stances had passed, it was evident that the Grand Monk was on the verge of victory.Master Chen began to gasp for breath, his hands and feet growing sluggish and weak.Seeing this, the Grand Monk remained benevolent, yielding slightly and not pressing forward to destroy his opponent.His way of fighting was dignified, open, and rendered with exceptional magnanimity.
But... in that moment, the valiant and open bearing of Chen Shuyuan abruptly dissolved. He manifested his true colors: a warrior consumed only by the thirst for victory, refusing to succumb or meet his end. He had the audacity to employ any stance, however ignoble! He went so far as to burrow beneath his opponent's legs and roll upon the earth, desperately clawing at the monk's frame in hopes of snatching a chance at triumph!
Beholding this, Venerable Master Huijing merely let out a cold snort at such hypocrisy! Yet, secure in his mastery of Shaolin's Dragon Claw, he maintained the school's elegant and standardized forms. After more than a hundred further moves, the warden of the Shaolin Scripture Hall finally delivered a clean, resounding strike to Master Chen's chest! His claws were extended with eighty percent of his full might, intending to compel Chen into surrender with the "Dragon Claw Heart Extraction" stance!
This palm strength of his usually cleaved gold and pulverized stone with ease, but upon colliding with the Divine Power Armor (Shenli Jia), the Master's powerful fingers snapped! His bones shattered! The armor's preternatural rebound force had reflected his own power back into his system. Furthermore, Chen Shuyuan's Thunderbolt Eagle Claw lashed out at the monk's throat, annihilating his voice box. The Grand Monk could not even raise a hand to clutch his neck; he could only stagger backward in a chaotic mass.
Yet Chen Shuyuan did not stay his hand. He pounced in pursuit, his claws striking again at the nape of the monk's neck. He whirled the elderly frame around and executed a series of strikes along the spine, culminating in a bone-shattering twist that destroyed the vertebrae at the waist!
The Grand Monk's mouth hung agape as if to scream, but not a whisper of sound escaped; he could do naught but gasp for breath in heavy rasps. As his body was about to collapse onto the floor, Chen Shuyuan refused to let him fall. He seized both of the Master's arms and gave a violent pull—tearing sinews and shattering arm bones once more. He then dealt a fierce kick to the monk's abdomen, sending his frame soaring upward. Catching him by the legs, Chen clawed, twisted, and wrenched them until every tendon and bone within was torn asunder and broken into minute dust. Only then did he release his grip, allowing Venerable Master Huijing's frame to slump to the ground, prone and broken like a heap of discarded rags!
Yet, this did not satiate his dark desire; Chen Shuyuan delivered one final, savage claw strike to the nape of the monk's neck, precisely where the skull joins the vertebrae.The Grand Monk's eyes bulged for a fleeting moment before he plummeted into unconsciousness.
This battle left the Grand Monk a broken cripple, incapable of movement or speech—a mere frame possessing breath, but utterly devoid of the ability to communicate or respond. At first, Chen Shuyuan contemplated slaying him to silence his tongue, ensuring the secrets of the mystical regalia would never be spread. However, recognizing that Shaolin was the foremost sect in the land, he realized that murdering such a high-ranking monk would ignite a deep-seated enmity and cause grave strife that would hinder his sect's future movements. Therefore, he stayed his hand from a lethal blow.
The Sect Master rang the bronze bell and strode out of the cavern. Yet, in a turn of events that confounded all observers, Chen Shuyuan emerged cradling the limp body of the Grand Monk and loudly proclaimed that he was the one defeated—that the Grand Monk was the victor!
Given the Master's wretched state, none could believe him a winner; however, with Chen Shuyuan's resounding declaration of defeat and his masterfully crafted masquerade of humility towards Venerable Master Huijing, combined with the signed "Life and Death Agreement" which stated that whether one met their demise or injury, no legal recourse would be sought, it was inconvenient for Shaolin to pursue the matter further. They could do naught but carry away the unconscious frame with its torn sinews and shattered bones, and thereafter, none ever dared to send another to challenge the Master again.
This was the very first occasion upon which he had been compelled to rely on the preternatural virtues of the Divine Power Armor in a duel.
There was another occasion upon which he was compelled to rely on the preternatural virtues of the Divine Power Armor (Shenli Jia)—the time he faced a supreme swordsman from the Land of Riben (日本 : Japan).That "Woren" samurai ( 倭人 the diminutive warrior) was named Wada Gensuke (和田源助).He prided himself on his peerless swordsmanship, having conquered all in the Land of the Rising Sun until none remained to challenge him; thus, he journeyed to the Middle Kingdom (中国 : Zhongguo) to test his blade against the supreme experts of the realm.
To speak truthfully, the way of the blade practiced by this Woren was not intricate, and his stances were limited to only a few; they could not be called flamboyant or unpredictable.However, his strikes possessed a ferocious power and a direct, lethal trajectory beyond compare.Most lethal of all was that his was a "Killing Sword"—designed not for sparring, study, or the seeking of friendship, but for the singular purpose of slaughter.Every time he unsheathed his blade, he struck with the intent to kill, and he spared no thought even for his own life.Consequently, he vanquished and slaughtered a multitude of Zhongguo's warriors as he wandered the land alone, seeking out renowned masters to satisfy his bloodlust.
After defeating and slaying the "Silver Wind Swordsman" (Yinfeng Jianke : 银风剑客), the leader of the "Returning Wind Sword Sect" (Fengxuan Jianpai : 风旋剑派) in the city of Changzhi, this samurai hastened four hundred li across the Taihang Mountains.He arrived to challenge the "Celestial Sword Divine Eagle" at the very gates of the Divine Eagle Sect in Taiyuan—the preeminent power of Shansi Province.
This Japanese samurai's challenge defied the honorable customs of Zhongguo, which required the formal delivery of a letter of challenge.Instead, he simply appeared at the grand gates and planted a wooden board inscribed with only two characters: "Challenge" (Tiaozhan : 挑戰), obstructing the path of all who entered or exited.
To the people of the Middle Kingdom, such conduct from Wada Gensuke was deemed utterly devoid of manners.Initially, many sects barred their doors and refused to receive him; however, this Japanese man was exceedingly stubborn and aggressive.On the first day, he might merely seem rude, standing in stony silence beside his board.But should he be met with no response, by the second day, he would slaughter anyone who dared to cross the threshold!And... if a challenger still failed to emerge by the third day, he would barge in and massacre the entire sect to the last soul!
The tidings of the mortal combat between the Leader of the Returning Wind Sword Sect and Wada Gensuke reached Sect Master Chen Shuyuan from the very outset, for he had dispatched disciples of the Divine Eagle Sect to observe the duel in secret. The duel was appointed for a night of the full moon, as the Leader of the Returning Wind Sword Sect possessed a profoundly refined aesthetic for such contests. Furthermore, his sword style emphasized a fluid and spectral swiftness; when employed in the dim radiance of the night, his movements became an enigma, making it exceedingly difficult for an adversary to discern his trajectory or observe his stances.
The observers recounted that the Woren swordsman stood in stony silence, whereas the "Silver Wind Swordsman" moved with the grace of a jade swallow, circling his foe. The Master well-deserved his moniker, for his lightness skill (Ching-gong) was truly illustrious. Nonetheless, regardless of how the swordsman lunged or hacked, the samurai parried every stroke with effortless ease. Worse still, it was believed that each collision sapped the vital energy of the Returning Wind Master until his frame began to sway and stagger from the sheer weight of the impact.
In the space of a blink, when the Japanese swordsman transitioned from defense to offense, a single strike was all it took to sever his fate. The keen edge of the katana sliced through the center of his right eye, carving across the temple to the very back of his skull. After a mere heartbeat, gore erupted from the wound, and the Sect Leader slumped to the ground, prone and broken.
The blade was fast, sharp, and possessed a monumental power. The observers remarked to Sect Master Chen that this Woren swordsman harbored a supreme power of concentration; he remained resolute, undeterred by external things. The flickering radiance and the wind of the blade born of the moonlight—the very advantages of his opponent—held no sway over him. Thus, he achieved victory! Sect Master Chen listened to these tidings in absolute silence, only offering a slow, slight nod of his head.
When Wada Gensuke arrived before the grand gates of the Divine Eagle Sect (Shen Ying Pai), preparing to stake his wooden board of challenge, the massive portals abruptly swung open.Retainers of the sect filed out in long rows, lining both sides of the path to receive him as though he were a distinguished guest of high honor. Banners fluttered in the wind and drums thundered a revered welcome; then, an interpreter, fluent in both the tongues of Riben and the Middle Kingdom (Zhongguo), came forth to converse. Shortly thereafter, two Hall Masters of the Divine Eagle Sect emerged to act as guides, escorting the swordsman into the inner reception chambers of the complex.
The wandering samurai could not help but be struck with amazement at such a lavish and grand reception, yet his countenance betrayed no emotion. Once the foreign master had been led within, a public placard was posted outside, announcing that Sect Master Chen would duel Wada Gensuke in a secluded cavern, hidden from the eyes of men. Though many heroes of the Jianghu were piqued with interest, none came forward to offer themselves as witnesses or neutral parties to inspect the cavern's conditions as was custom; for the warriors of the Middle Kingdom harbored a deep-seated resentment toward this Japanese swordsman.