Chapter 659: An Unexpected Turn

“You!” Zuo Lengchan was both embarrassed and furious. Not to mention the Shaolin disciples in the background, even many of his own Mount Song Sect members wore strange expressions, clearly struggling to suppress their laughter.

With Song Qingshu’s unexpected interference, Zuo Lengchan’s offensive came to an abrupt halt. In a battle between experts, even the slightest difference could determine victory or defeat.

This brief pause allowed Ren Woxing to take a deep breath, restoring his inner circulation and instantly rejuvenating his spirit. With renewed vigor, he struck out with three powerful palm strikes.

Zuo Lengchan countered with all his might, but he was secretly shocked.

‘This old man hasn’t been seen in over ten years, yet his martial arts have improved tremendously. If I want to defeat him today, I’ll need to go all out.’

More than a decade ago, the two had already clashed at Fengchan. At that time, Ren Woxing had nearly killed his opponent, but the backlash from foreign True Qi within his body caused his efforts to fail at the last moment. To outsiders, the battle had seemed like a draw, but only the two of them knew the real outcome.

For the past ten years, Zuo Lengchan had been painstakingly searching for a way to counter Ren Woxing’s Cosmic Absorption Technique, determined to erase his past humiliation.

Meanwhile, Ren Woxing had never been able to let go of that battle and had always yearned for a decisive victory in front of the world.

Now, their rematch was taking place before the top martial artists of the land, making the stakes even higher. Neither of them could afford to lose.

Unlike Ren Woxing’s earlier duel with Master Fang Zheng, which had been more measured, this fight was an all-out battle to the death. Ren Woxing launched a fierce assault, his twin palms slashing down like blades, while Zuo Lengchan alternated between fists, palms, grabs, and locks, demonstrating extraordinary adaptability.

As the battle intensified, their movements became faster and faster. Those with lower martial arts skills quickly found themselves unable to follow the action. Earlier, when Ren Woxing had fought Master Fang Zheng, they had at least been able to see the general shape of the techniques, even if they didn’t understand their intricacies. But now, the two fighters were moving so swiftly that even discerning the trajectory of a single punch or palm strike became impossible.

Master Fang Zheng watched in alarm.

‘At first, I thought Ren Woxing was merely using tricks to gain an advantage. But now, after seeing him fight three intense battles in a row and still growing stronger, I must admit that demonic cult members truly defy common logic. If I were to fight him to the death, I am no longer certain who would emerge victorious.’

Jiumozhi also nodded to himself. He had previously dueled Ren Woxing, and while the battle had ended without a clear winner, he had always believed that he could have won if not for his caution against the Cosmic Absorption Technique. However, witnessing Ren Woxing’s performance now, he realized the man’s true martial prowess far exceeded his expectations, especially after his battle with Master Fang Zheng…

Jiumozhi couldn’t help but recall his own duel with Fang Zheng years ago atop Mount Tai. Back then, he had been confident of victory, yet due to a sudden surge of uncontrolled True Qi within his body, he had suffered an unexpected defeat. Fortunately, he had later received guidance from Song Qingshu, who had taught him that mastering the 72 Ultimate Techniques of Shaolin required tempering one’s aggression with Buddhist teachings. Over the past two years, Jiumozhi had secluded himself in Tibet, gradually purging his inner turmoil and greatly enhancing his martial arts.

Returning to the Central Plains, challenging Dongfang Bubai was secondary—his true goal was to reclaim his honor at Shaolin. After all, very few people had witnessed his battle with Dongfang Bubai, and even if he had lost, it was understandable given the opponent’s superior Qinggong. But his defeat to Fang Zheng had been a public humiliation, witnessed by countless martial artists. Thus, his trip to Shaolin was primarily to erase this disgrace. Watching Ren Woxing triumph over two of Shaolin’s top masters filled him with admiration—and a deep sense of satisfaction.

Meanwhile, Song Qingshu, influenced by novels and television dramas from his past life, had always thought Ren Woxing was all talk. In those stories, he frequently suffered setbacks in the martial world—losing to Dongfang Bubai was understandable, but being unable to defeat Fang Zheng had become an irremovable stain on his reputation. As a result, in past-life martial arts debates online, Ren Woxing was often looked down upon.

Now, however, Song Qingshu finally understood: Ren Woxing’s greatest strength—and greatest weakness—lay in his Cosmic Absorption Technique. While it had made him infamous and feared throughout the martial world, it also had a fatal flaw. Against true experts, the backlash from absorbing chaotic energies prevented him from exerting his full potential.

The Cosmic Absorption Technique allowed Ren Woxing to absorb his opponent’s inner Qi, but because different sects cultivated different forms of internal Qi, the absorbed power often clashed within him.

Unlike pure internal cultivation methods, these mixed energies were difficult to harmonize and often erupted unpredictably. Normally, Ren Woxing’s immense internal strength allowed him to suppress these disturbances, but in prolonged battles against elite martial artists, the strain of both offense and internal suppression weakened his effectiveness. As a result, his true combat potential was never fully realized.

With Song Qingshu’s current level of martial arts, he could objectively assess Ren Woxing’s true strength. Whether it was palm strikes, swordsmanship, or combat instincts, Ren Woxing was undoubtedly one of the most formidable warriors in the wulin—far stronger than Song Qingshu had previously believed.

While these thoughts flashed through their minds, Zuo Lengchan had already been forced into a corner.

Ren Woxing continued pressing forward, each palm strike as powerful as a mountain-splitting axe, shaking the very air.

Zuo Lengchan was completely on the defensive, his arms pulling back after every brief attack, as though he was focused solely on defense.

Suddenly, Ren Woxing let out a mighty shout and launched both palms toward Zuo Lengchan’s chest. Their four palms collided with a thunderous boom, sending Zuo Lengchan crashing against the stone wall of the Shaolin Temple courtyard. Roof tiles and dust cascaded down, yet their palms remained locked together.

The Shaolin monks turned pale. If Ren Woxing used the Cosmic Absorption Technique at this moment, wouldn’t Zuo Lengchan’s life be at his mercy?

Jiumozhi smirked. “Cult Master Ren has already won.”

Just then, Zuo Lengchan withdrew his right palm, using only his left to resist his opponent’s power. Meanwhile, his right hand formed a two-finger strike and stabbed toward Ren Woxing’s chest.

With a strange cry, Ren Woxing swiftly retreated.

Zuo Lengchan’s fingers followed closely, forcing him back step by step.

Jiumozhi frowned, muttering to himself, “What’s going on?”

Ren Woxing was equally astonished. When he activated the Cosmic Absorption Technique, he found that Zuo Lengchan’s inner power was completely absent, as if it had vanished. This shocked him to the core. It was one thing for an opponent to resist absorption through profound internal control, but for one’s entire Qi to be hidden instantaneously was unheard of—even in his wildest dreams, he had never imagined such a possibility.

He tried absorbing multiple times, yet still found no trace of Zuo Lengchan’s internal Qi. Seeing his opponent’s fierce finger strikes, he instinctively retreated.

Zuo Lengchan sneered and extended his index finger toward Ren Woxing’s left rib.

Ren Woxing hesitated, thinking,

‘Could it be that this finger strike contains no internal Qi?’

Deciding to test it, he left an intentional opening in his defense. As Zuo Lengchan’s finger closed in, Ren Woxing activated the Cosmic Absorption Technique at his chest.

‘If his attack carries no internal power, it’ll be like a mere poke. But if even a trace of Qi exists, my technique will drain it completely.’

At that moment, Song Qingshu suddenly realized what was happening and shouted, “Beware of Zuo Lengchan’s Frost True Qi!”

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