Chapter 7: Martial Arts Fanatic

Previously, he had overheard his grandfather muttering to himself about what kind of extraordinary martial soul he had, a life filled with battles. At that time, he was deeply shocked, but now he understood that when he was born, there had been such a phenomenon, and the shock in his heart was a hundred times stronger than last time.

"So, grandfather was also guessing what kind of life I would have. No one knows." Dugu Baitian secretly pondered in his heart.

"Holding the blood clot, Bai Tian, Bai Tian."

He found that every time he chanted the words "Bai Tian," the blood in his body would flow faster.

"Bai Tian, Bai Tian, Bai Tian, Bai Tian."

He kept chanting loudly.

He felt his blood boiling, and an overwhelming battle intent rose from his heart, as if gods and buddhas stood in front of him, but they would also be dispelled.

He quickly closed his mouth, and his pounding heart took a while to calm down.

He slept particularly soundly that night, and the heartache caused by Sutu Mingyue seemed to have healed a lot overnight, while a strong desire for martial arts surged in his heart.

Early the next morning, Dugu Baitian went to the backyard to find Dugu Feiyu, who was practicing martial arts, and said, "Grandfather, I want to learn real martial arts and become stronger."

"Child, you finally want to seriously learn martial arts, you have finally awakened. Before teaching you martial arts, let me give you a brief introduction to our family and our family's martial arts.

We are a declining martial arts family, and the once mighty power of the Martial Saint Dugu Zhantian who swept the world a thousand years ago no longer exists. The glory of a thousand years ago has become a thing of the past, and no one in the martial arts remembers the Dugu family anymore. If anyone still has an impression, it is only the name Dugu Zhantian.

The invincible martial arts of our ancestor Dugu Zhantian is engraved in the Black Jade Stone in your pocket, with only one sentence imprinted on it: Learn all the third-rate martial arts on the mainland, and eventually become great. Unfortunately, no one has been able to comprehend it. I suspect that there is another mystery in it, but no one has been able to understand it yet.

Outsiders think that our Dugu family has long since declined and ceased to exist. But in fact, our Dugu family's bloodline, passed down from our ancestor Dugu Zhantian, is unbeatable. Although our family's ancestors insisted on pursuing the secret of the Black Jade Stone for hundreds of years, in the end, they gained nothing, causing our family to decline. But three hundred years ago, our family produced a peerless genius who created his own divine martial arts, Mingwang Budong, and became the unparalleled master of that time.

But this set of martial arts emphasizes cultivating the heart and nurturing the nature. The deeper the cultivation, the less willing to be involved in the mundane matters of the martial world, and only enjoys games in the mortal world or wanders in the mountains and waters. That's why the Dugu family has become less and less known to outsiders."

Dugu Baitian listened with wide eyes, and it took him a while to come back to his senses.

"Grandfather, please teach me Mingwang Budong as soon as possible."

"No, you can refer to this set of martial arts in the future, but you can't learn it now. I will teach you the essence of basic martial arts every day."

"Why?" Dugu Baitian exclaimed.

"I have said before that the Mingwang Budong emphasizes cultivating the mind and nurturing one's nature. The deeper the skill, the less willing one is to be involved in mundane martial arts matters. This goes against your nature and temperament. Not only will it be difficult for you to achieve mastery in it, but you may also end up harming yourself."

Dugu Baitian's face was filled with a desolate expression.

Dugu Feiyu smiled and said, "Child, don't be disappointed. The skills of a strong warrior require self-realization and self-creation. Grandfather believes that you are also a peerless genius. One day, you will create your own set of martial arts and become a formidable master."

Dugu Baitian swept away the displeasure on his face and revealed a confident smile, "Grandfather, thank you for your encouragement. I will definitely create my own set of martial arts. I want everyone on the continent to know the name Dugu Baitian; I want it to become synonymous with invincibility; I want it to become a belief."

Dugu Baitian's spirit soared, exuding a domineering aura, with an air of looking down upon the world and considering oneself peerless.

Dugu Feiyu secretly felt alarmed, unsure whether his grandson's path in the martial world would bring fortune or calamity to the continent.

From then on, Changfeng Town had a martial arts fanatic, and that was Dugu Baitian. From a delinquent child to a strapping young man with some martial arts skills, he challenged anyone who crossed his path. From that day on, "If you're a man in Changfeng Town, you must avoid crossing paths with Dugu Baitian" became an accepted truth.

Dugu Baitian finally set his sights on the Sutu Clan. The Sutu Clan's rules did not allow young talents to leave the clan at will, which finally provoked Dugu Baitian to come knocking on their door.

The Sutu Clan rose to prominence a hundred years ago and had gradually grown stronger, with numerous experts in the family. No one had ever dared to come challenge them, but today, breaking a hundred-year-old tradition, a young eighteen-year-old boy had come to their door. The clan's elders were at a loss, as they had watched him grow up since he was a child and knew his temperament well. They were reluctant to take action against him, so they had to send the younger generation of the clan to confront him, hoping to make him retreat.

To their surprise, this former troublemaker, now a martial arts fanatic, had defeated several young members of the Sutu Clan.

The formidable strength of Dugu Baitian's body was already well known to them. It was precisely because of this that he had become the child king of Changfeng Town and a genius in fights in the past. However, many years had passed, and the children of the Sutu family had already learned the martial arts of their family. Yet, he still defeated them, which surprised them greatly.

Sutu Jingyun, and the clan's elders finally realized that Dugu Baitian's victories were not only due to his powerful body, a prodigy in fights. It was also because he fully grasped the essence of the ordinary moves of third-rate martial arts, displaying them in a brilliant and profound way. Even the most common move, like the Wild Horse Separates Mane, had a miraculous effect, transforming the mundane into something extraordinary, like a nimble antelope with elusive traces.

The elders of the Sutu clan couldn't help but admire the person in front of them. He was born for martial arts, living for battles. His understanding of the essence of techniques had surpassed the limitations of his martial arts realm. Transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary was often the inevitable result of a grandmaster-level expert who had deep insights into the Zen of martial arts. Yet Dugu Baitian, with only third-rate skills, had achieved such accomplishments, enough to be proud of.

Finally, Sutu Jingyun had to let his three sons, Sutu Haoyue, Sutu Aoyue, and Sutu Miyue, come forward to challenge Dugu Baitian. These three were cunning, relying on their profound internal strength to directly confront him with brute force. No matter how deep Dugu Baitian's understanding of martial arts techniques was, it was useless against their fighting style, which was similar to the tricks Dugu Baitian used when he was young, relying on brute strength to win.

After finally sending Dugu Baitian away, the elders of the clan breathed a sigh of relief, but the shock in their hearts could not be calmed for a long time. They knew that this young man would not be an ordinary person in the future and would soar to the sky one day.

However, the next day, Dugu Baitian came knocking at their door again, and the Sutu clan was no longer peaceful.

In order to prevent chaos in the family, the young disciples lost interest in martial arts practice. Sutu Jingyun had to specially allow Sutu Haoyue and his two brothers to accompany Dugu Baitian for martial arts sparring at any time, but with one condition: it couldn't be done in the Sutu clan. The three Sutu brothers were granted freedom, and their gratitude towards Dugu Baitian was as boundless as the rivers and mountains, grateful beyond words.

Another year passed with flowers blooming. Dugu Baitian had fallen deeply in love with martial arts. The image of Sutu Mingyue in his heart grew fainter, only causing some heartache when he thought of her.

First love was like a poem, fresh, elegant, and full of style; first love was like a song, lively, passionate, and rhythmic; first love was like a verse, graceful, affectionate, and profound.

Dugu Baitian deeply felt that he had been too impulsive and lacked self-control in the past. Even if Sutu Mingyue had truly betrayed him, he should not have been so despondent. He felt that no matter the reason for the breakup, he should face his first love with magnanimity. After all, she had given him the warmth of opposite sex for the first time, the first genuine care, and the first fiery pursuit of love. The next time he saw her, perhaps he could face her calmly. The thought of this brought a faint pain to his heart.