Chapter 651: The Catalyst for武藏一郎's Breakthrough
ion, that the facilities on the top floor were extremely luxurious, comparable to five-star hotels, and were reserved specifically for important guests.Whenever they talked about it, Xiao Yu thought t...Chapter 651: The Catalyst for Musashi Ichiro's Breakthrough
"Oh what" Upon hearing Inoue Suguru's words, these Japanese martial artists were momentarily stunned. After a moment, they reacted with looks of disbelief and exclaimed.
Musashi Ichiro, a legendary figure who had disappeared twenty years ago, was not expected to appear here and help them challenge the establishment. At this moment, when they looked at Inoue Suguru, their faces were filled with fervent admiration; they never imagined that the gym owner could invite such a legendary person.
Li, the gym owner, frowned slightly as he watched Musashi Ichiro approach. He did not expect this elderly man to take the stage so early on. He thought Japan would send several fighters first before bringing out this old master, but after just one match, this elder had already come forward.
"Jingming, get down!" Looking at this seemingly ordinary old man, Li felt a pressure from him that made him tell Wang Jingming, who was still in the ring, to step down.
"Master, there's no need. Let me handle him!" After winning his match, Wang Jingming was brimming with confidence and said as Musashi Ichiro walked toward them unsteadily.
Upon hearing Wang Jingming's words and seeing his demeanor, Li pondered for a moment before remaining silent.
If Wang Jingming wanted to face the old man himself, Li did not oppose after thinking about it. He also wanted Wang Jingming to test this old master’s strength, as he had never seen the elder fight before and everything was still speculation.
"Old man, go back! This place isn't for you!" Facing the unsteady Japanese elder, Wang Jingming sneered and said.
"Heh heh, young man, your temper is quite hot! Come here, let me cool it down for you," Musashi Ichiro chuckled after hearing Wang Jingming’s words. He then stretched out a hand and provocatively beckoned with his fingers.
“Ah!” Seeing the old man's behavior, Wang Jingming felt humiliated by this almost unsteady elderly figure and kicked towards Musashi Ichiro with a loud shout.
Musashi Ichiro seemed not to see Wang Jingming’s kick coming; he stood still in his original spot without moving an inch.
Seeing the old man standing there unmoving, as if stunned, a hint of joy flashed across Wang Jingming's face. Initially wary upon seeing this elderly figure, he now felt relieved and confident. As his foot drew closer to the elder, it seemed that Musashi Ichiro would have no choice but to dodge.
As Wang Jingming's foot came closer to the old man, the excitement on his face grew more intense. It turned out that he was about to kick the old man’s chest, but there was no reaction from him at all, which naturally made Wang Jingming feel very excited.
"Ah!" The smile on Wang Jingming's face became even more intense; however, before he could fully savor his victory, he suddenly flew backwards and let out a miserable scream.
Bang! A loud sound echoed as Wang Jingming fell onto the ground.
Lying on the ground, Wang Jingming wailed miserably, his mind filled with disbelief. Just now, he clearly kicked the old man's chest, so why was he the one injured He simply couldn't understand it until this day.
Not only him, but even Li Guan Zhu, who had seen the old man's hand flash and Wang Jingming fly out with a miserable scream, could not figure out what happened.
Only Xiao Yu clearly saw Wuzang Yilong’s move. It turned out that just as Wang Jingming was about to kick Wuzang Yilong’s chest, the latter's hand moved like lightning and grabbed Wang Jingming’s foot with a twist, causing him to spin backwards.
Seeing the old man’s speed after this move, Xiao Yu frowned slightly. A mid-stage Ming勁 (Ming Jin) expert had been defeated so easily; could it be that no one here would be his match
"Jingming, how are you" Seeing Wang Jingming lying on the ground in a sweat and screaming in pain, Li Guan Zhu hurried over to him with concern.
“My leg…my leg…” After hearing Li Guan Zhu’s voice, Wang Jingming gritted his teeth and said through clenched teeth.
At this moment, they all noticed Wang Jingming’s legs. His legs were bent like noodles and hung limply on the ground.
The sight of Wang Jingming's injured leg made Li Guan Zhu hesitate to move him; otherwise, it might worsen his condition.
Li Guan Zhu’s face turned completely grim. A moment ago, Wang Jingming had crippled a Japanese man’s leg, but this old man crippled Wang Jingming within seconds, and the severity of the injury appeared much worse than that to the little Japanese boy. This was clearly an outright disregard for their restaurant, “Zhonghua Lou” (中華樓).
At this moment, Li Guan Zhu no longer cared about Wang Jingming's wailing on the ground but slowly approached Wuzang Yilong instead. Even though he knew that he wasn’t a match for this old man, he couldn't afford to back down at all; otherwise, his reputation and the restaurant’s reputation would be ruined.
Wuzang Yilong watched as Li Guan Zhu approached him without showing any different expression, still looking indifferent.
"Li Yaoyue back!" Just as Master Li had walked to the center of the arena, a loud shout came from the direction of the martial arts school's entrance.
Upon hearing this shout, everyone in the martial arts school turned their gaze towards the entrance. At that moment, an elderly man in his seventies accompanied by a young person slowly entered the premises.
Both Master Li and the other young people showed a respectful expression when they saw this newly arrived elder.
Xiao Yu and Jin Xianglin also turned their attention to the old man. From afar, he appeared unremarkable in his ordinary practice attire; it was only through his snowy white hair and beard, as well as his ruddy complexion, that one could tell he was no ordinary person.
"Senior Zhou!" As Master Li saw the elder approaching, both he and his group of disciples bowed slightly with clasped fists in greeting.
This old man is called Zhou Changxing. He is the number-one expert stationed at the Middle Kingdom Pavilion by Hongmen, also serving as one of its elders. Normally, no one oversees him except in situations where an unresistable enemy appears at the martial arts school—then he must step forward to handle it.
Just now, when Master Li saw Wuzang Yilang and sensed that this Japanese elder was rather formidable, he sent someone to summon Zhou Changxing.
Now it seems his guess was correct; this Japanese elder is indeed powerful. Wang Jingming, who had just reached the later stage of Mingjing, was easily dispatched by a single move from the old man.
Liang Yaoreally wanted to have Wang Jingming probe further into the old man's abilities, but he hadn't even seen Wuzang Yilang make his move before Wang Jingming lost all combat capability. Given that Wang Jingming’s martial arts skills primarily resided in his legs and they were now incapacitated, it was uncertain whether he would be able to practice martial arts again.
"Mm, retreat! You're not a match for him!" Zhou Changxing said when he arrived at the arena.
However, as he spoke, his eyes shone with keenness directed towards Wuzang Yilang, seemingly ignoring Li Yaowu and others. As soon as he had entered, he sensed that Wuzang Yilang was far from ordinary; this intuition stemmed from a spiritual aura. The moment Zhou Changxing arrived, he felt the presence of such an aura.
In fact, this aura made him slightly uncomfortable, so when looking at Wuzang Yilang, he remained cautious and alert, his senses on high alert.
Wuzang Yilang also showed a serious expression upon seeing Zhou Changxing, no longer as relaxed as before.
He knew that in terms of cultivation, he might have an edge over Zhou Changxing. However, Chinese martial arts excels at defeating the strong with the weak, so he must remain vigilant to avoid a humiliating defeat from an unexpected source.
To understand, according to cultivation level, Zhou Changxing’s cultivation is at the middle stage of Transformation Force Realm, while Musashi Ichiro's is at the peak of Transformation Force Realm, just a step away from breaking through and reaching the legendary Master realm. "Eight Extremities Fist Style, Zhou Changxing!"
"Yamato Fist Style, Musashi Ichiro!" Upon entering the arena, both men performed a samurai bow and introduced themselves.
Hearing Musashi Ichiro’s introduction, Zhou Changxing's eyebrows slightly lifted, his expression turning more serious. Although he had never met Musashi Ichiro before, he had heard of him as a martial arts master in Japan. He did not expect this small competition between the two martial halls to attract someone like him.
It is said that Musashi Ichiro hasn’t appeared for twenty years, seemingly searching for an opportunity to break through and reach true mastery level.
"Has he already broken through" Zhou Changxing thought silently as he looked at the elder who was exerting pressure on him.
If Musashi Ichiro had not yet broken through, then there would still be a chance for a fight. However, if he has indeed broken through, even Zhou Changxing might suffer defeat because the gap between middle stage of Transformation Force Realm and that legendary realm cannot be bridged by technique alone.
If Musashi Ichiro hasn’t yet broken through, they are both still in the Transformation Force Realm; even with a slight difference, Zhou Changxing believed they would have a chance at fighting each other.
"Has Master Musashi broken through" Zhou Changxing asked solemnly.
Hearing Zhou Changxing's words, a self-deprecating expression appeared on Musashi Ichiro’s face as he shook his head and said, "No, I am still looking for the chance to break through. Hopefully you can make me exert my full strength!"
For these past twenty years, Musashi Ichiro had been traveling around the world challenging opponents in hopes of finding an opportunity to break through, but he hasn't succeeded yet. Recently though, he has felt that the membrane blocking him is gradually weakening, which prompted him to volunteer to help his dojo reclaim its honor after hearing about the match between Onishi Suguru and the Chinese Tower Martial Hall.
Musashi Ichiro also knows some background information on the Chinese Tower, hoping that by challenging one of their masters he can break through this membrane and reach the legendary realm.
Though Musashi Ichiro looks young, he is actually around ninety years old. He’s a prodigy who entered the Transformation Force Realm at fifty, reached late stage at sixty, and spent another ten years reaching the peak of the Transformation Force Realm.
To enter the peak of the Transformation Force Realm at such an age makes him the number one in Japan, revered as a martial arts master for his generation. However, he is still unsatisfied; he wishes to reach that legendary realm. Over these twenty years, no matter how hard he tries, he cannot break through this membrane and reach it, so he ended his ascetic practices hoping external help would enable him to achieve the breakthrough.hed men at the door found any strangeness in his performance."We know we are no match for you and can't stop you. But if you want to pass through here, you must step over our bodies. Otherwise, as lon...