Chen Ping’an suddenly opened his eyes, frowning, almost cursing aloud.

It was the dead of night, with a bright moon hanging in the sky.

He had slept like the dead.

And for it to hurt so much that Chen Ping’an wanted to curse, it must be truly painful.

His body was covered in dried blood, stuck to the mud of the pit, and even the slightest movement brought excruciating pain.

However, Chen Ping’an took a deep breath, roughly assessed his physical condition, and abruptly sat up.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

He couldn’t understand why that pure martial artist, at the very least a peak mountain realm cultivator, would strike him but not kill him.

Could it be some custom of Northern俱蘆洲, where if one dislikes your footwork, they just randomly give you a few punches?

From the edge of the pit, a voice sounded, “Finally had your fill of sleep?”

Chen Ping’an slowly rose to his feet.

He didn’t even adopt a fighting stance, but the martial intent within him became purer and more restrained.

At the edge of the pit stood a figure in a green robe and cloth shoes, none other than the old martial artist.

The old steward who had lived in seclusion in the mountain manor for many years, Wu Fengjia, or, excluding the sudden appearance of Li Er, was one of the three native tenth-realm martial artists of Northern俱蘆洲, Gu You of the Great Zhuan Dynasty.

Why did the Great Zhuan Dynasty and the surrounding countries only have a weak Nascent Soul cultivator sitting in the Golden Scale Palace? And why was the Golden Scale Palace so weak that it was regarded as a worthless mountain by Floating Duckweed Sword Lake’s Rong Chang?

It was because of the martial artist Gu You, who had dispersed the immortals of dozens of countries with his fists, almost all of whom were expelled from the country by him.

Gu You once said, “Heaven and earth are vast, but the immortals should scram.”

Lofty words must be accompanied by great deeds to be considered true heroism.

The old man smiled and said, “Your martial intent is not bad. Six-step footwork, over a million punches?”

Chen Ping’an nodded. “Nearly one million six hundred thousand punches.”

The old man asked, “Born into a small family, you obtained a tattered boxing manual when you were young and treated it like a treasure, practicing boxing since childhood?”

From the small, one can know the great.

No offspring of any influential clan would practice the Shaking Mountain Fist.

Therefore, this young man’s background would definitely not be good.

Chen Ping’an shook his head. “I only started practicing boxing around the age of fourteen.”

The old man was somewhat gratified. “Everything else is not difficult. Punching is just a matter of hard work. With a little perseverance, anyone can reach a million punches. The only difficulty lies in constantly practicing this footwork.”

Chen Ping’an was completely confused from beginning to end.

However, there was no doubt that the old man had no intention of killing him. In fact, the benefits from the old man’s few punches were unimaginable.

Not even in the body or soul, but in the martial intent, in the heart.

At this moment, Chen Ping’an lightly clenched his fist and then gently released it, feeling that the title of “strongest” in the sixth realm was already within his grasp, which was uncommon for Chen Ping’an.

The old man said, “My name is Gu You.”

Chen Ping’an immediately understood. His boxing foundation was still the boxing manual given to him by Gu Can from Mud Bottle Lane, so he directly asked, “That Shaking Mountain Fist manual?”

The old man nodded. “It should be that my Gu family’s descendants scattered in all directions and brought it to your hometown. We suffered a great disaster in the early years, and the already small family fell apart.”

The old man sighed. “When one’s lifespan is long, it’s difficult to have too much concern for the family. The descendants will have their own fortunes, or what else can be done? Out of sight, out of mind, most people would be angered to death.”

Chen Ping’an cupped his fist and said, “Chen Ping’an from Treasure Bottle Continent, greets Senior Gu.”

Gu You smiled and said, “Having a tenth-realm martial artist protect your sleep for half a day, you have quite the big airs, kid.”

Chen Ping’an grinned.

Gu You beckoned. “I’ll accompany you for a while. I have things to attend to and don’t have much time to chat with you.”

Chen Ping’an staggered and walked up the slope, walking side by side with the peak martial artist.

Gu You said, “How many times have you won the title of ‘strongest martial artist’?”

Chen Ping’an said, “Twice, in the third and fifth realms respectively.”

Gu You shook his head. “In that case, you’re far inferior to that Cao Ci from the Central Continent. That guy is the strongest every time, and not only that, he’s the strongest of all time.”

Chen Ping’an smiled and said, “Take it slow. At the ninth or tenth realm, there’s still a chance.”

Gu You turned his head in confusion. “Was it Cui Cheng from Treasure Bottle Continent who taught you boxing? Otherwise, you shouldn’t have this kind of disposition.”

Chen Ping’an hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Gu You suddenly understood. “No wonder. But you must have suffered a lot in the past few years, right? That’s right, without that tempering, you wouldn’t have reached this point today.”

Gu You suddenly asked, “What did Cui Cheng say about the Shaking Mountain Fist manual?”

Chen Ping’an only dared to speak halfway, slowly saying, “The essence of the martial intent is extremely high.”

Old Man Cui from the bamboo building wasn’t here, so he had no reason to get punched on his behalf.

Even if a peak realm martial artist suppressed his cultivation to the peak of the mountain realm when punching, wouldn’t it still be unbearably heavy for him, a small sixth-realm martial artist?

Gu You hummed. “As expected of Senior Cui, he has excellent vision.”

Cui Cheng of Treasure Bottle Continent had once traveled to the Central Continent single-handedly. Although it was said that his end was extremely tragic, even in the eyes of top martial artists like Gu You from other continents, he was still a true hero.

Leaving aside the question of who’s boxing skill is superior, since they hadn’t fought, Gu You wouldn’t have any admiration for Cui Cheng. Besides that, based solely on age and accomplishments, it was no problem to respectfully call Cui Cheng Senior Cui.

Of course, if it weren’t for the evaluation of “extremely high,” Gu You still wouldn’t have changed his address to “senior.”

Chen Ping’an hesitated to speak.

Gu You said, “Speak freely.”

Chen Ping’an asked, “Senior Gu, are you and Sword Immortal Ji from Ape Howl Mountain mortal enemies?”

Gu You said, “Mortal enemies, of the kind where one of us must die.”

Chen Ping’an stopped speaking.

The affairs of the world are complex.

In that, bad people kill good people, good people kill bad people, and bad people also kill bad people.

In addition to that, good people also kill good people.

Many things that don’t involve great rights and wrongs, without truly knowing the truth, making careless comments or pontificating, are actually not a big problem, but one must not think that right and wrong are truly clear and good and evil are distinct.

Gu You smiled and said, “You probably only heard about the strange phenomenon in the capital of the Great Zhuan Dynasty, something about a jade seal and a great flood dragon, posing a crazy threat to flood the capital and build a dragon palace. But I’m very clear that Ji Yue is using a blatant scheme to force me to show myself. I’ll go, of course. In fact, even if he Ji Yue didn’t look for me, Gu You, I would look for him Ji Yue. Heh, a mountain sword cultivator who almost exchanged lives with me in the early years, is he very powerful?”
Gu You paused, then said to himself, “Of course, he’s formidable. That’s why I damaged the very foundation of my physique back then, hiding for all these years. In the end, it’s still because my boxing skills weren’t high enough. The Realm of Cessation has three stages: Vigorous Qi, Returning to Simplicity, and Divine Arrival. Before the Tenth Realm, I progressed steadily, but after reaching the Realm of Cessation, I couldn’t resist the temptation. I was too eager to enter that legendary realm, even though I didn’t feel any flaws in my state of mind at the time. But in reality, I still practiced boxing for the sake of speed, which was a great mistake. Kid, you must remember that living in the same era as someone like Cao Ci is both despairing and a great opportunity. If you have the chance, you can learn from each other. Of course, the premise is that you don’t get killed by him in a few punches or have your confidence shattered. For martial artists, if their spirit collapses, everything is over. Remember this well.”

Chen Ping’an nodded, “I will.”

Gu You asked seemingly casually, “Since you fear death, why learn boxing?”

It was a strange question.

It seemed logical that fearing death would lead one to learn boxing.

Chen Ping’an replied, “It’s not really fearing death. It’s not being able to die, which is why I fear death. They seem the same, but they’re different.”

Gu You was silent for a moment, “Very insightful.”

In fact, this was the most puzzling thing for Gu You.

When a young martial artist knows he’s about to die, especially when he can say he’s “already dead,” that’s when his boxing intent is at its peak.

This was no ordinary “fear of death.”

So Gu You could be absolutely certain that if this young man died and he allowed his soul to drift, then a powerful spirit would immediately appear in the world. Not only would it not be blown away by the astral winds, but it would also be akin to seeking life in death.

Clinging to life to such an exaggerated extent, how much obsession must this young man harbor?

However, there was no point in saying too much.

His purpose in showing up this time was for this young martial artist who had once walked through the small town of Saoshan Manor.

Only by truly experiencing life and death could his near-bottlenecked boxing intent become more pure.

Gu You said earnestly, “When you get to the North, be careful. Not to mention that old monster in the North, there’s also a Peak Realm martial artist who isn’t a good person and kills at will. You happen to be an outsider, and your martial prowess will be left in the Northern Everbright Continent when you die. If they want to kill you, it’s just a matter of a few punches. You can either cram and learn a superior mountain escape technique, or don’t easily reveal your true martial artist realm. There’s no way around it; good or bad people can still cultivate to the top. It’s the same for martial artists and cultivators. One pursues the purity of boxing intent, and the other seeks the truth of the Dao. There are natural constraints of rules, but every cultivator who reaches a high position is not a fool and knows how to avoid the rules.”

Chen Ping’an sighed, “I will be as careful as possible.”

Gu You stopped and looked into the distance, “I’m glad that the Shaking Mountain Fist could be learned by you and hopefully be carried forward. To be honest, even as the one who wrote the boxing manual, I have to say that this boxing manual isn’t very good. At most, it has a little bit of meaning.”

Chen Ping’an said in a deep voice, “Senior Gu, I sincerely think that the Shaking Mountain Fist has great meaning!”

Even when facing Cui Cheng on the second floor of the dilapidated mountain back then, Chen Ping’an had always highly praised this boxing manual that he depended on for survival.

Gu You turned his head and smiled, “Even if you say such nice things, I, a mere martial artist, have no immortal treasures to give you.”

Chen Ping’an said with a wry smile, “Three punches are enough; I can’t withstand any more.”

Gu You patted his shoulder, “Gu You’s three punches from the Ninth Realm are still quite substantial.”

Gu You suddenly said, “Do you know that I, the old ancestor of this Shaking Mountain Fist, didn’t even know that walking stance, standing stance, and sleeping stance could be combined into one for practice?”

Chen Ping’an was speechless.

Gu You pondered for a moment, “Actually, you can also add the Heaven and Earth Stance.”

Chen Ping’an said helplessly, “Walking with your head on the ground?”

Seeing that the young man seemed to be seriously considering the feasibility of this, Gu You heavily patted Chen Ping’an’s shoulder and laughed, “Don’t be stupid from practicing boxing, kid. We martial artists have to have some dignity when traveling the world, alright? With your way of practicing boxing, girls will run away when they see you. That won’t do. How can someone who practices the Shaking Mountain Fist not have the admiration of beauties all over the world!”

After saying this, Gu You put his hands behind his back and looked up, seemingly reminiscing.

Perhaps every traveler of the world has regrets and concerns.

Chen Ping’an was knocked to the side by the slap and almost fell to the ground.

By the time Chen Ping’an straightened up, that green robe had already risen silently into the air and drifted away.

Chen Ping’an didn’t take his eyes off it for a long time.

Chen Ping’an knew that Gu You was going to his death.

But perhaps Ape Cry Mountain would no longer have a Sword Immortal Ji Yue.

This is life.

Chen Ping’an took out the bamboo box and placed it on the ground, sitting down on it. Then, he took out the Sword Nurturing Gourd and slowly drank some wine.

He wasn’t in a hurry to leave. He wanted to recover some strength first.

After three punches, it would be fortunate if he could recover to the early Sixth Realm within a month.

Since he wouldn’t be leaving for a while, Chen Ping’an simply thought about some things.

Regarding pure martial artists, Senior Cui had once mentioned a general saying.

“Seventh and Eighth Realms die in their hometown, Peak Realm dies in their own country. Tenth Realm and Cessation Realm die on their continent.”

On the path of cultivation, one must be focused and sincere.

As Gu You said, one would be unaware of many distractions.

This was actually a very terrifying thing.

In the end, Chen Ping’an held the Sword Nurturing Gourd, lost in thought.

It was good to be alive, with the distant places he wanted to go still waiting for him.

It’s just that some people in some distant places might not be too happy when they see him next year.

Closer to home, the Ma family in Apricot Blossom Lane. The Grand Empress Dowager of Great Li.

Further away, the Mountain Moving Ape of Yang Mountain, the Xu family of Qingfeng City.

There were also some that needed to be re-evaluated.

And even more hidden behind the scenes.

One thing after another, one person after another, one place after another.

That’s why Pei Qian, the first disciple, liked to keep an account book, which was actually like her master.

It’s just that one uses pen and paper to record, and the other only remembers in his heart.

No matter how vast the plains are, one will always encounter mountains.

Gu You landed on a mountain top.
Six black-robed figures wearing snow-white masks. Only one remained standing, while the other five scattered in all directions, distancing themselves rapidly.

Fortunately, the old man in the blue-green robe and cloth shoes seemed to have no intention of pursuing them.

The remaining Gulushān cultivator bowed respectfully, clasping his hands in a salute. “Greetings, Senior Gù.”

Gù Yòu inquired, “Such a grand display, is it for assassination? To say nothing of an about-to-breakthrough Golden Body Realm martial artist, even a Distant Wanderer Realm martial artist wouldn’t warrant this. When did Gulushān begin to disregard the rules? Or is it that you’ve always disregarded the rules, but simply kept things clean?”

The one confronting Gù Yòu was the leader of this group of Gulushān assassins. As a nascent soul cultivator, he was still sweating profusely behind his mask when facing this blue-robed old man.

It was simple. Gù Yòu, the former protector of the Great Zhuan Dynasty, valued rules above all else. Furthermore, whenever he chose to strike and kill, he would inevitably leave no stone unturned, cutting off all roots.

If Gulushān angered Gù Yòu, it wouldn’t just be a matter of six deaths on this mountaintop.

The Gulushān assassin shook his head. “The rules of Gulushān have never been broken since our founder established the sect…”

In the next instant, Gù Yòu, with one hand behind his back, seized the nascent soul cultivator by the throat, instantly lifting him up. Gù Yòu didn’t even raise his head, simply gazing into the distance, “The first to act, dies first.”

The other five, far from the mountaintop, fell silent, frozen in place.

Gù Yòu slowly said, “If you had surrounded this man before I struck, that would have been the end of it. What is the value of Gulushān’s rules? But after I, Gù Yòu, struck, you didn’t hurry to scram, and still dared to harbor thoughts of picking up scraps. Do you take me for a fool? You barely managed to reach the nascent soul realm, why not cherish it?”

Gù Yòu frowned, merely lifting the pitiful nascent soul cultivator who had no intention of resisting. However, he didn’t immediately strike, as if this silent martial artist of many years was hesitating whether to leave one alive to deliver a message to Gulushān. If he were to leave one, which one would be most suitable? Gù Yòu made no attempt to conceal his murderous intent, which was as dense as substance. Primordial qi flowed, turning all plants, trees, and soil within a ten-zhang radius to dust, filling the air with dust.

The robes of the nascent soul cultivator in the old man’s hand emitted a series of fine tearing sounds.

Gù Yòu flicked his finger.

A strand of primordial qi pierced through his forehead, and the Gulushān assassin, purely a martial artist, died on the spot.

The Golden Body Realm martial artist had died just like that.

Gù Yòu said indifferently, “A thought is also an action. The magnitude of the commotion was like thunder in my ears, rather bothersome.”

The nascent soul cultivator could no longer speak, so he could only communicate through ripples in his mind. “Senior Gù, if you kill the six of us, no matter how divine your fist techniques are, you can protect that young man for a time, but not for a lifetime. Gulushān has no fixed mountain, and cultivators wander about. Senior Gù can, of course, pursue and kill at will. No one can stop Senior Gù from striking, and of course, anyone Senior encounters will die. But in the meantime, as long as that young man isn’t by Senior’s side, even for a few days, he will surely die! I can guarantee it!”

Gù Yòu asked, “Gulushān, a den of rats, dares to threaten me? Who gave you the courage? Ji Yuè of Ape’s Cry Mountain?”

The nascent soul cultivator smiled wryly. “Senior Gù, I am merely stating a fact.”

Gù Yòu pondered for a moment. “Very simple. I’ll spread the word that I agree to fight Ji Yuè at砥礪 Mountain. Before that, he, Ji Yuè, must exterminate Gulushān, I’ll give him a year. Ji Yuè’s disciples at Ape’s Cry Mountain will be very happy to play a game of cat and mouse with you.”

The nascent soul cultivator’s expression changed slightly. “Senior Gù, our gathering this time truly did not violate the rules. The previous failed assassination attempt was already the end of it. This is a fixed rule of Gulushān. As for why we came, I cannot reveal it. This is also a rule of Gulushān. I hope Senior understands.”

Gù Yòu asked a question, “If I encounter you on the road, would I punch you to death?”

The nascent soul cultivator didn’t know why this tenth-realm martial artist asked this, but he could only honestly answer, “Of course not.”

Gù Yòu asked again, “You are now telling me about the rules of Gulushān, hoping that I will abide by them. Then why do you not put my rules in your eyes? The other party is someone I struck but didn’t kill, and you know my identity. You are unwilling to even endure for a few days? Do I have to stand here and tell you the rules for you to understand?”

Gù Yòu smiled. “How strange, when did my rules become the basis for you unruly cubs?”

As he spoke, the nascent soul cultivator’s head was twisted off, rolling to the ground at random.

At the same time, his hand behind his back delivered a punch, shattering both the golden core and the nascent soul, leaving no chance of survival.

The qi stirred by a nascent soul cultivator’s golden core and nascent soul shattering would have been comparable to a terrestrial tornado, but Gù Yòu easily dispersed it.

A Gulushān cultivator who had used earth escape techniques was stomped to death by Gù Yòu. A muffled sound came from underground, and then there was no more movement.

There were still three Gulushān assassins scattered far away, but each of them didn’t dare to breathe loudly.

Gù Yòu, with his hands behind his back, turned his head to look in one direction and sighed.

That kid was seriously injured, how could he still have such keen intuition?

Does the Earth-Shaking Fist teach this? How would I, the author of the fist manual, know?

A green figure dashed over and arrived at the mountaintop, bending over, panting heavily, with his hands on his knees. When he stopped, blood dripped all over the ground.

Gù Yòu smiled. “Truly a man who doesn’t know pain.”

Chen Pingan straightened up, his face pale, mixed with blood, and he quickly sat down on the ground, wiping his face. “Senior, this is?”

Gù Yòu said, “You still have the nerve to ask me?”

Chen Pingan said helplessly, “I noticed this group of Gulushān assassins early on. I had already sent a flying sword message to a friend. If I could have dragged it out for a few more days, I could have been the praying mantis stalked by the oriole.”

Gù Yòu asked, “What friend? From the mountain? Are they truly unafraid of this group of Gulushān, who are fond of sticking like mosquitoes?”

Chen Pingan smiled. “In any case, it’s a good friend. More patient than me, and least afraid of these people. I’m not embarrassed to trouble him.”

Gù Yòu nodded.
Gu You said, “This time I’m truly leaving. The remaining three… shall I leave them for you to use as punching bags?”

Chen Ping’an forced a smile and replied, “Senior Gu, that’s really not necessary.”

Gu You chuckled and inquired, “Then what do you suggest?”

Chen Ping’an sat cross-legged, resting his hands on his knees. “Then allow this junior to learn from Senior the most authentic Mountain-Shaking Fist technique in the world!”

Assassins from the Deer-Severing Mountain would rather die than reveal secrets. Chen Ping’an had already experienced this firsthand.

Gu You said in a deep voice, “Learning the fist technique while sitting? Stand up!”

Chen Ping’an wobbled as he rose, his body unsteady, but his fist intent was exceptionally upright,

Like copying calligraphy after learning to read and write.

The old man in a blue robe and cloth shoes slightly bent his knees, twisting his wrist, forming a fist, and slowly extending it forward, while his other hand formed a fist and retracted it. “My Mountain-Shaking Fist places the greatest emphasis on one fist to face the enemy and one fist to guard the mind. Therefore, even when facing the ancestral masters of the Three Teachings, as long as the fist intent does not dissipate, one can still unleash another fist even on the verge of death! Let your immortal arts be heaven-defying, even if a mountain presses down on me, my Mountain-Shaking Fist will split it open! This was my understanding when I was at the seventh realm, which allowed me to write the preface to this fist manual. If you, Chen Ping’an, wish to reach even greater heights than me in the future, you must possess this utterly ignorant and audacious ambition!”

The three Deer-Severing Mountain assassins had already begun their desperate escape. Some rode the wind to travel afar, some sprinted close to the ground, and some offered up their divine abilities, transforming into wisps of green smoke.

The old man took a step with his cloth shoes, and then completed the six-step stance in an instant, delivering a punch.

Then he changed his stance and delivered another punch in a different direction, then changed his stance again, still delivering a punch towards the sky.

Chen Ping’an stared intently, following the movements of the old man in the blue robe.

So this was the true Mountain-Shaking Fist.

It wasn’t just Gu You delivering three punches with the cultivation of a tenth-realm martial artist.

But the fist intent of the Mountain-Shaking Fist could actually be so… magnificent!

As for where the fist’s aura landed and what the outcome was, Chen Ping’an didn’t need to and wouldn’t even look.

Gu You retracted his fist and stood still, asking, “How was it?”

Chen Ping’an slowly said, “It felt like watching a fist technique as if practicing swordsmanship.”

Gu You sneered, “Swordsmanship? What’s the use of cultivating a sword immortal? The one I killed in the Grand Seal Capital on this trip was a sword immortal.”

Chen Ping’an scratched his head and said, “Someone once said that practicing the fist is practicing the sword.”

Gu You nodded. “There’s some truth to that. The reverse is still the same. To die ten thousand fist techniques and live out one kind of fist intent is the true meaning of practicing the fist.”

Chen Ping’an’s eyes brightened. “Indeed!”

Gu You suddenly said, “It’s hard to say how good Cui Cheng’s fist technique is, but his punching bag skills are really ordinary. If it were me, Gu You, I guarantee that you, Chen Ping’an, would be the strongest in every realm!”

Chen Ping’an was speechless.

Chen Ping’an’s lips moved slightly, but some words ultimately remained unspoken.

Gu You shook his head, signaling the young man that there was no need to say more.

Chen Ping’an could only clasp his hands in farewell in the end.

Gu You also clasped his hands in farewell.

Regardless of realm, regardless of age.

In the world of Mountain-Shaking Fist, first there was Gu You, then there was Chen Ping’an.