I practice martial arts by adding skill points in modern city-Chapter 56: 【053】The Strange Old Monk

Seeing Zheng Dongliang and his wealthy friends rushing into the Guanyin Temple to spend money on incense, Wang Longhu had nothing to do and wandered over to the edge of a cliff.

Here was a protruding rock surrounded by a wooden railing, with a few stones laid as steps for people to ascend.

Spirit immediately came to Wang Longhu, as he noticed a sign next to the steps with the words ’Guanyin Footprint’ written on it.

Walking up the stone steps onto the rock, he saw a giant five-toed footprint on the rock’s surface, about three to four times larger than an adult’s foot.

Wang Longhu placed his own foot inside the footprint, feeling even more amazed by its immense size.

"To create an interesting attraction, they’ve made it quite realistic," Wang Longhu couldn’t help but say.

"Young man, you can’t speak recklessly; who said this footprint was fabricated?"

Suddenly, someone spoke from below the rock.

Wang Longhu looked down to see an old monk in a gray robe standing there, gently smiling while spinning Buddhist beads with one hand.

"Is there a story behind this footprint?" Wang Longhu asked.

"Long ago, Dong County’s island was desolate, with wild beasts roaming. Bodhisattva Guanyin came here searching for a place to preach. From the Fairy Altar Rock, she stepped to Daqu Island, and then to Mount Putuo. The footprint you see originally existed. But over time, due to weathering, it faded, so the government deepened it based on the original. Not only Fairy Altar Rock but Daqu Island across also has Bodhisattva’s footprint."

The old monk looked at Wang Longhu with a smile: "Young man, you look familiar. You’re the Ming Jin Martial Artist famous from Banping Mountain on Douyin, right?"

Wang Longhu hadn’t expected to be recognized here, and nodded: "That’s me. I didn’t expect you to be so trendy, even in old age, using Douyin."

"Keep up with the times and you won’t fall behind. Young man, who taught you Xingyi Boxing?" the old monk asked with a smile.

"An old man I met at the seaside park," Wang Longhu answered casually while gazing at the rocky scenery, just as his voice fell.

The old monk’s cloth shoe touched the ground, and leveraging his foot, he suddenly leapt up, his hand forming a palm, thrusting toward Wang Longhu’s face.

This palm was powerful and forceful; before it even reached him, the wind had already whipped across his face.

Wang Longhu hadn’t anticipated being attacked in broad daylight at such a scenic spot as the Fairy Altar Rock, especially since he wasn’t formally trained as a martial artist and was not very vigilant.

In an instant, the old monk’s aggressive move suppressed Wang Longhu’s momentum, forcing him to retreat in haste to avoid the palm.

Yet unexpectedly, the old monk’s palm was a feint; his other hand clenched into a fist, aimed straight at Wang Longhu’s chest with true force. Seeing the muscles on the old monk’s wrist tense, veins bulging, he was certainly going all out.

Wang Longhu hastily raised his arms, blocking the old monk’s wrist mid-motion, then pushed sideways and simultaneously kicked, aiming for the opponent’s crotch.

The old monk flipped backward, like an agile monkey, easily avoiding Wang Longhu’s counter and stood firmly at the edge of the rock.

He was just half a step from the cliff edge, importantly landing with his back to the edge, making Wang Longhu instinctively worry for him.

If he were to fall, there would be nowhere in mid-air to grasp for survival, even Wang Longhu’s current Lightweight Skill couldn’t save him from falling to his death.

"I haven’t offended you, have I?" Wang Longhu took a Xingyi Boxing stance, bending his knees solidly on the ground, and asked with a frown.

Just now, the old monk’s moves were all life-threatening. Even a passive person would feel anger; Wang Longhu was understandably irritated.

Since achieving Ming Jin, he had never backed down from a fight.

"No Ming Jin Martial Artist has come here for many years. Tell me, who are you representing?" The old monk sighed, suddenly stepping fiercely forward, his right fist aimed directly at Wang Longhu.

"I don’t understand what you’re saying," Wang Longhu retorted, sidestepping the punch and countering with a horizontal punch to the old monk’s side.

The old monk caught his wrist in reverse, pushing and pulling, making Wang Longhu’s stance wobble slightly—a feat given Wang Longhu could stand firm even underwater.

This showcased the depth of the old monk’s grappling skills; before Wang Longhu could react, he stepped on Wang Longhu’s heel, pressing and swaying, making Wang Longhu lose balance and stagger toward the ground.

Seeing this, the old monk lowered his arms, gathering strength to deliver a forceful punch aimed at Wang Longhu’s chest.

The seamless flow between attack, grapple, and throw was new to Wang Longhu, inevitably putting him on the defensive.

As the old monk’s punch was about to land, Wang Longhu grabbed it, his hand like a dragon’s claw, enveloping the old monk’s fist entirely, preventing any further movement.

The advantage of young strength fully manifested at this moment.

"Moving like a dragon, settling like a tiger, swift like a hare, agile like a monkey, light like a crane, brave and poised, nimble and quick, evading and dodging, adjusting force and speed, clever and adaptable; one hit, two grabs, three throws... You practice Liuhe Fist," Wang Longhu said, staring at the old monk.

"Don’t pretend anymore. To be honest, the pair of statues didn’t fall into my hands back then. If you’re targeting me, you’ll only leave empty-handed. Though I’m old, I’m not senile." The old monk slowly withdrew his punch, once again speaking words that left Wang Longhu puzzled.

Statues? What statues?

"Tell those behind you: Shaolin’s ultimate skills are gained by the destined. If I had gotten those statues years ago, would I have stayed on this island for decades?"

"No, I really don’t understand what you’re talking about. What statues? Why do you think I was sent here to find you today? Are you paranoid? My friends are in the temple burning incense; I just accompanied them here." Wang Longhu said while sitting on the ground, pointing toward the Guanyin Temple.

"At your age, without early foundation training and years of stance practice, how could you develop Ming Jin? I have no interest in your theatrics. Today I’ll say it again: the statues are not with me. Disturb me here again, and I won’t hold back." The old monk shook his head, leaving a warning before turning to leave.

Wang Longhu, though usually disinclined to fight and argue, wasn’t made of clay. Being inexplicably oppressed and attacked, he couldn’t keep his anger in check.

In an instant, he sprang up, launching a quick Beng Fist. The old monk, evidently seasoned, was alert at every moment.

As Wang Longhu attacked, the old monk bent his body into a C shape, timely dodging Wang Longhu’s powerful Beng Fist.

Wang Longhu reacted swiftly as well, transforming the punch into a palm thrust upward, hitting the old monk’s chin and sending him flying backward.

This move in Baji Fist was called ’Tongtian Palm,’ a transitional technique for switching between punches. It could be highly effective in combat if used skillfully.

In fact, many great martial arts grandmasters of the past practiced multiple styles, knowing Xingyi, Tai Chi, Eight Trigrams Palm, and others among them.

In duels, seeing and deciphering moves, and changing techniques on the fly, typically led to victory.

As the old monk fell, he spat out blood, collapsed on the ground clutching his chest, crying out: "I’ve been hit! The young man lacks martial integrity, bullying an old man like me, everyone come over and see, provide me justice."

This naturally attracted the attention of nearby tourists, gathering around intrigued.

Seeing the sudden character reversal, Wang Longhu was almost nauseated by anger.

This old fool dares play innocent now, but where was his deceit when striking me earlier?

In truth, during the old monk’s initial attack on Wang Longhu, he held back, using only four or five parts of his strength, which made their sparring evenly matched.

Otherwise, full Ming Jin exertion, with force of a thousand pounds, could smash stones, and a solid hit would likely demand hefty medical bills.

One reason modern martial arts has declined is because of this. freeweɓnovel~cѳm

Training for ten years, and one fight leads to bankruptcy.

Who can afford such a thing; why train at all?

The source of this c𝓸ntent is fr(e)𝒆novelkiss