dkrc Chapter 43 Eight Extremes Fist: Never Afraid of Any Challenge
Chapter 43 Eight Extremes Fist: Never Afraid of Any Challenge
The night was silent.
Ma Cong sat cross-legged in his dormitory at the base, his consciousness sinking into the depths of his mind. A pale blue virtual panel floated in front of him, visible only to himself.
Main Quest: Rehabilitating Traditional Chinese Martial Arts (In Progress)
[Mission Description: Chinese martial arts have been tarnished, and masters have faded into obscurity. As a successor of Chinese martial arts, you have a duty to use your skills to vindicate it, break down societal prejudices, and restore the glory of Chinese martial arts!]
Current task progress: 2.5%
[Task Rewards: Depends on task completion rate.]
Looking at the 2.5% progress bar, Ma Cong smiled. When he first got the system and went to challenge the Lion Boxing Gym, the progress bar was only 0.1%; after posting the video online and gaining initial attention, it only slowly increased to 1.0%. Unexpectedly, just yesterday, after a small-scale "exchange meeting" in the military, the progress jumped by a whopping 1.5%!
"It seems the 'quality' of influence is more important than the 'quantity'," Ma Cong thought to himself. Millions may have seen his videos online, but most are just there for the spectacle; very few truly believe in martial arts or have the ability to promote it. But those present yesterday—General Zhou, Elder Qin, the special forces elites, even the American soldier he defeated—each wields significant influence in their respective fields. The impact of them conveying the power of martial arts is naturally far greater.
Just as Ma Cong was pondering, a new notification suddenly popped up on the system panel.
【Ding! 】
[The host has been detected to have completed the "Glory in the Army" phase event, which has significantly boosted the "Rectification of Martial Arts" mission.]
[Mission completion rate receives an extra boost!]
[Current task progress: 2.5% → 5.0%]
[Congratulations, host! You have received a stage reward!]
[Rewards being distributed...]
[1. Gain 5000 Martial Arts Points.]
[2. Unlock the new system section: "Ancient Martial Arts Heritage".]
[3. Gain one "Martial Arts Initiation" opportunity (Advanced).]
Upon seeing this series of reward notifications, Ma Cong's eyes lit up—the rewards this time were incredibly generous!
Martial Arts Points are the system's hard currency, which can be exchanged for various cultivation techniques, pills, and even entry into the "Martial Arts Space" where time flows ten times faster for cultivation. He had painstakingly saved up only a few hundred points before, and now he suddenly received five thousand!
The second reward, the "Ancient Martial Arts Heritage" section, ignited his passion even more. He used his mind to open this new section, and an antique-style scroll interface slowly unfolded before him, listing names he had only ever heard of in legends:
Baguazhang (Unlockable)
Tai Chi (Unlockable)
[Xin Yi Liu He Quan (Unlockable)]
[Tongbei Quan (incomplete, to be completed)]
[White Crane Fist (incomplete, to be completed)]
……
Looking at these names, Ma Cong's heart began to pound uncontrollably. He only knew Bajiquan and Xingyiquan, and he had already achieved this level. If he could master all these equally profound internal martial arts, what terrifying realm would his strength reach? He didn't even dare to imagine it.
He suppressed his excitement and turned his gaze to the third reward—"Martial Arts Initiation (Advanced)." He had experienced this once before when he unlocked the complete Bajiquan inheritance. It was a magical experience where the system forcibly "infused" all the essence and profound meaning of a martial art into his mind and body, allowing him to instantly master a skill and reach an extremely high level, saving him decades or even hundreds of years of arduous training.
"Use the 'Martial Arts Initiation' opportunity now?" the system prompted.
"Use!" Ma Cong confirmed without hesitation.
"Please select the martial art to be initiated."
On the system panel, the options for 【Baguazhang】 and 【Taijiquan】 were highlighted. Ma Cong pondered for a moment: Baguazhang is proactive and offensive, with unpredictable footwork and agile movements, adept at hit-and-run tactics and overcoming the strong with the weak; Taijiquan emphasizes stillness and defense, focusing on using softness to overcome hardness and borrowing force to strike, adept at listening to and neutralizing force. These two styles perfectly complemented the powerful and violent Bajiquan and the expansive Xingyiquan that he had already mastered. If he could integrate the essence of these four national martial arts, known as the "Four Great Internal Martial Arts," his martial arts system would become incredibly complete, with no obvious weaknesses.
"I choose... Baguazhang!"
Ma Cong made a decision. Compared to the "defense" of Tai Chi, he currently needs the "change" of Baguazhang more—he needs more varied and unpredictable body movements and footwork to cope with the more complex combat environments he may encounter in the future.
[Selection successful.]
[The Baguazhang (original transmission by Dong Haichuan) initiation ceremony is about to begin.]
The initiation process will have a significant impact on the host's mind; it is recommended to conduct it in an absolutely quiet environment where no one will disturb them.
[Do you want to confirm starting?]
"confirm!"
With a thought, an overwhelming torrent of information, too vast to be described in words, surged into Ma Cong's mind! In that instant, Ma Cong felt as if his head was about to explode, countless images, insights, and figures flashing through his mind. He seemed to transform into Dong Haichuan, the founder of Baguazhang—from his youthful days when he mistakenly entered the deep mountains and received instruction from a strange master, to his middle-aged years when he secluded himself in a royal palace, integrating various schools of thought to create Baguazhang, and finally, in his later years, establishing his own school and passing down this unparalleled martial art that has shaken the ages. Dong Haichuan's life, insights, and understanding of martial arts were displayed before Ma Cong without reservation at this moment.
At the same time, streams of mysterious, spiraling "force" began to circulate within his body on their own, causing his body to twist, coil, and entwine uncontrollably on the bed in extremely bizarre postures. His bones, muscles, and even internal organs underwent profound transformation and reorganization under the influence of this force.
The process was excruciating. Ma Cong felt as if every bone in his body was being shattered and then reassembled, and every meridian was being repeatedly washed by scorching magma. His consciousness gradually blurred amidst the intense pain, but he still clung tightly to that last bit of clarity in his mind—he knew this was a golden opportunity for a complete transformation, and he couldn't afford to faint! He had to remember this feeling, remember how the "energy" of Baguazhang circulated within his body, and remember the core principle of this peerless martial art: "change"!
He didn't know how much time had passed—perhaps a moment, perhaps an eternity. When Ma Cong regained consciousness, the sky outside the window was already turning a pale white.
He slowly opened his eyes, a tangible glint of light flashing within them. He felt that his body had become completely different from before—if his previous body was a piece of refined steel forged through countless hammer blows, then his current body was a peerless divine weapon that could be twisted and deformed at will, yet possessed unparalleled resilience.
A thought struck him, and he slowly rose from his seated position. His feet lightly shifted on the narrow dormitory floor, and he moved through the room with fluid, graceful movements, as if boneless. His body moved like a serpent emerging from its hole, a soaring eagle, or a tiger descending a mountain; every movement was imbued with an indescribable Taoist charm and beauty—this was the core of Baguazhang: "Wandering Body Bagua, Continuous Palms"!
In just one night, he mastered this peerless martial art, which others might not even be able to grasp even after a lifetime of hard work, and brought it to its pinnacle!
"This...is this Baguazhang...?"
Ma Cong stopped, feeling the endless, freely rotating spiraling force within his body, and his face showed genuine shock and joy.
"System, open my personal panel."
[Host: Ma Cong]
[Realm Level: Transformation of Strength (Early Understanding)]
[Mastering martial arts:]
[Bajiquan (Grandmaster): Has mastered Ming Jin (manifest strength), An Jin (hidden strength), and Hua Jin (neutralizing strength).]
[Xingyiquan (Grandmaster): Has mastered Ming Jin (manifest strength) and An Jin (hidden strength).]
[Baguazhang (Grandmaster): Has mastered both Ming Jin (manifest strength) and An Jin (hidden strength).]
[Martial arts points: 5000]
Looking at the impressive attributes displayed on the panel, Ma Cong took a deep breath. He knew that from this day forward, he had truly stepped onto the pinnacle of martial arts in this world!