louisehourcade Chapter 45 Jin Cheng and Ma Cong Arrive at the Appointment
Chapter 45 Jin Cheng and Ma Cong Arrive at the Appointment
Another week has passed.
The training of the special operations team has entered a new phase. The disciples' daily lives are simple, regular, and fulfilling: every morning they practice standing in the Hunyuan stance without fail; in the afternoon they practice the tedious but effective long spear thrusting; and in the evening Ma Cong would set aside an hour to explain to them the various power changes in Chinese martial arts and the knowledge of human meridians and acupoints.
Although they haven't officially started learning the boxing routines yet, every disciple can clearly feel that their body is undergoing a transformative change—their lower body is becoming more stable, their strength is becoming more integrated, and their control over their body is becoming more refined and subtle.
During an intra-team unarmed sparring training session, Shi Lei effortlessly sent a charging tank flying backward using only a simple "forward thrust" technique he had gleaned from a spear thrust! The complete and concentrated "whole force" that rose from his feet, flowed through his entire body, and finally exploded from his palms left all the team members in awe. They knew that their captain had already taken the lead on the path to becoming a true master of Chinese martial arts. This further fueled their enthusiasm for rigorous training, and the entire training base was filled with a vibrant atmosphere of competition and positive striving.
That evening, after training, General Zhou suddenly approached Ma Cong with a strange expression on his face.
"Teacher Ma, there's something that might require your intervention." General Zhou's tone was somewhat hesitant.
"Oh?" Ma Cong was somewhat surprised. "General, please speak."
"It's like this." General Zhou organized his thoughts, "The video of you defeating the US Navy SEAL instructor last time was leaked by someone. Although we immediately blocked it across the entire internet, it still caused quite a stir in certain circles."
"What circle?" Ma Cong asked.
"The martial arts circle," General Zhou's expression became even more peculiar, "especially those so-called traditional martial arts circles. Their reactions after watching your video were very mixed. Some people idolize you, thinking you are a hero who has vindicated Chinese martial arts, but others have raised questions about you."
"Questioning?" Ma Cong laughed. "Questioning what? That the video is fake?"
"That's not it." General Zhou shook his head. "What they question is the kung fu you use. They say you use Bajiquan, Xingyiquan, Baguaquan... These are all fierce and violent 'external martial arts,' and they think these styles are too ruthless and aggressive, violating martial ethics. Some even say that what you use is not the true orthodox internal martial arts of Taoism."
Upon hearing this, Ma Cong couldn't help but laugh out loud: "The orthodox Taoist school? Internal martial arts?"
He found it absurd—what era are we living in, how can there still be people with such prejudices and ridiculous sense of superiority?
"Which sect is so interesting?" Ma Cong asked curiously.
General Zhou gave a helpless, bitter smile: "Wudang. Wudang Mountain, Zixiao Palace. A man who claims to be a direct disciple of the Wudang Songxi School, with the Taoist name 'Qingfeng,' publicly issued a letter saying that your kung fu is merely unorthodox and murderous, unworthy of serious consideration. He wants to represent the true 'internal martial arts' to 'discuss the Tao' with you."
"Discuss the Dao?" Ma Cong raised an eyebrow. "To put it bluntly, you just want to have a fight."
"That's one way to understand it." General Zhou nodded, his expression somewhat solemn. "This 'Master Qingfeng' is very famous in the circle. He is said to be the most talented disciple of Wudang Mountain in the last hundred years. His Tai Chi Chuan and Tai Chi Sword skills are superb. Many martial arts masters highly praise him."
"His public challenge to you by name has already caused a huge uproar in the entire martial arts community. If we don't accept the challenge, the reputation we've built up for practical application of Chinese martial arts will likely be greatly diminished. People will say that we only fight foreigners and chicken out when we encounter true masters of the martial arts."
After listening, Ma Cong understood. Wasn't this a classic case of "there's no first in literature, but there's a second in martial arts"? His recent rise to prominence naturally attracted jealousy and resentment from some people. Especially since he used Bajiquan and Xingyiquan, those self-proclaimed "orthodox" Tai Chi and Wudang schools considered these to be low-class and "vulgar" martial arts, so they naturally wanted to "clean house" and "set the record straight."
"Interesting." Ma Cong smiled knowingly. "I was just worried about not finding a suitable opponent to test my newly mastered Baguazhang and Taijiquan. And here someone has delivered themselves to my doorstep."
Upon hearing Ma Cong's words, General Zhou was taken aback: "Teacher Ma, do you mean... you also know Tai Chi?" In his memory, Ma Cong practiced Bajiquan and Xingyiquan.
"I know a little bit," Ma Cong said modestly.
General Zhou's lips twitched. He recalled how Ma Cong had just used the same "slight knowledge" to defeat three world-class special operations instructors, leaving them questioning their existence. He now had a severe psychological aversion to Ma Cong's "slight knowledge."
"So... you mean we accept this challenge?" General Zhou asked tentatively.
"Yes," Ma Cong replied crisply. "Not only should we accept it, but we should accept it with great fanfare!"
A sharp glint flashed in Ma Cong's eyes: "Don't they like to engage in 'philosophical discussions' and talk about 'metaphysics'? Then I'll have a proper discussion with them! It'll also broaden the horizons of my disciples, let them see what true Tai Chi is! And let those self-important, self-enclosed so-called 'masters' see clearly—there has never been a hierarchy in martial arts, only differences in the strength of the practitioners!"
Looking at the spirited and confident young man before him, General Zhou knew that a peak showdown that would soon shake up the entire Chinese martial arts world was about to begin!