Chapter 9 – The Sky-Splitting Fist 天裂拳

Lin Yuan had just finished a day's outer sect task and was so tired that his back and waist ached. He was about to go back to his room and lie down when he suddenly felt that the ring on his hand started to heat up slightly again, just like a small warm stove. "What's wrong with this thing again?" Lin Yuan muttered, but his curiosity still got him, and he decided to follow the ring's induction to find out.

He came to the bottom of the cliff. There were overgrown weeds here, and it felt like a corner forgotten by the world. As Lin Yuan pushed aside the weeds that were taller than a person, he grumbled, "How long has it been since anyone came here? It's just like a primeval jungle!" After much difficulty, he pushed aside a patch of vines and found that there were obvious signs of someone tampering with a rock. "Could this be the entrance to a hidden treasure?" Lin Yuan's eyes lit up, and he excitedly pressed the rock. With a "creak" sound, the rock actually slid open, revealing a hidden small hole.

"Wow, I really guessed it right!" Lin Yuan was so excited that he almost jumped up. He carefully crawled into the hole. The light in the hole was dim, and there was a musty smell in the air. Lin Yuan squinted his eyes and vaguely saw a roll of ancient and tattered book. On it were three crooked characters: "Sky-Splitting Fist". "Sky-Splitting Fist? It sounds really powerful!" Lin Yuan couldn't wait to open the ancient book. Although the content on it was a bit fragmented, he could feel the powerful aura contained in this boxing technique, which resonated with the Golden Eyes in his body.

"This boxing technique emphasizes being extremely fierce and powerful. The fist wind is like the anger of splitting the sky, and when it moves, it's as powerful as a thunderbolt. Goodness, if I learn this, won't I be able to walk around unopposed!" As Lin Yuan read, he fantasized about the scene of himself becoming a martial arts master and couldn't help but be filled with longing. However, this boxing technique had extremely high requirements for the cultivator. It required extremely strong willpower and bone structure, and also a very high degree of compatibility with metal spiritual energy. More importantly, it had to be combined with the ultimate body technique to exert its maximum power. "Fortunately, I have the Wind Shadow Body Technique. This is just tailor-made for me!" A confident light flashed in Lin Yuan's eyes.

While Lin Yuan was indulging in the cultivation of the "Sky-Splitting Fist", he noticed that Meng Xinghe had been acting a bit strange recently. This guy had a cold expression all day long, lost his former enthusiasm for cultivation, and didn't seem to care at all about the injuries he sustained in the competition. Lin Yuan couldn't help it anymore and walked over to tease him, saying, "Meng Xinghe, what's wrong with you recently? Weren't you as confident as a peacock spreading its feathers before? Why do you look like an eggplant beaten by frost now, all wilted?"

Meng Xinghe looked up at him and said coldly, "Confident? Humph, I used to think I could make a name for myself, but now I realize that I'm just a stray dog abandoned by others."

Lin Yuan was taken aback. He didn't expect Meng Xinghe to say that and quickly asked for more details. It turned out that Meng Xinghe came from the Meng family, a renowned family in the world of cultivating immortals. He once had extraordinary talent and was highly expected by the family. But when he was 14 years old, there was an internal conflict in the family. His mother was killed in the infighting, and he was also driven out of the family as a disposable child. Since then, Meng Xinghe had been living in the shadow of being abandoned. Although he had achieved some results in the Longevity Sect, the pain in his heart could never be dissipated.

"I didn't expect you to have such a tragic past. I should have let you win in those few quarrels before," Lin Yuan said with a bit of guilt.

"You little rascal, ha ha," Meng Xinghe replied.

...

A few days later, after Bai Moli finished her cultivation, she suddenly fell into memories. Bai Moli was a childhood friend of Meng Xinghe. The two often played and cultivated together before the internal conflict in the Meng family occurred, and their relationship was as good as that of siblings. Later, Bai Moli entered the inner sect of the Longevity Sect, while Meng Xinghe became a servant disciple. The gap in their identities made Meng Xinghe always refuse to have a deep friendship with Bai Moli.

In Bai Moli's eyes, Meng Xinghe was still that proud and confident teenager, and she didn't believe that Meng Xinghe would really give up. So, Bai Moli secretly ran to the area of the servant disciples and saw Meng Xinghe drinking with a wine pot to drown his sorrows. She couldn't help but scold him, saying, "Meng Xinghe! What are you doing? Is this the life you want?"

Meng Xinghe looked up and sneered, "Bai Moli, I don't need others' sympathy."

Bai Moli said firmly, "I don't believe in fate, only in choices. You can choose to degenerate, or you can choose to stand up again. This is the Meng Xinghe I know!"

Meng Xinghe was silent for a long time. Looking at Bai Moli, he felt a mixture of emotions in his heart. He could never forget that this girl had been the only light in his dark childhood.

...

At the same time, Lin Yuan was fully devoted to the cultivation of the "Sky-Splitting Fist". He found that this boxing technique was a perfect match for his Wind Shadow Body Technique. After several attempts, he could vaguely feel the fluctuation of metal spiritual energy in the fist wind. "This feeling is so great. It's like having a cheat code!" Lin Yuan shouted excitedly.

However, the cultivation of the Sky-Splitting Fist was extremely difficult, and the requirements for the burst and precision of power were almost harsh. Lin Yuan failed countless times during the cultivation process and fell black and blue every time, but his Golden Eyes could always be of great help at critical moments. The Golden Eyes allowed him to see clearly the movement trajectory of the boxing technique and avoid mistakes in the operation of spiritual energy. Lin Yuan secretly rejoiced in the auxiliary role of the Golden Eyes.

As time passed, Lin Yuan gradually mastered the basics of the Sky-Splitting Fist, but he always felt that the ancient book at the bottom of the cliff was not that simple. During the cultivation process, he noticed that some blurred words on the ancient book seemed to be hinting at something. "When I have time, I must go back to the cliff and study it carefully again," Lin Yuan secretly made up his mind.

====================

林远刚完成一天的外门任务,累得腰酸背痛,正打算回屋躺平,突然感觉戒指又开始微微发热,跟个小暖炉似的."这玩意儿又抽什么风?" 林远嘟囔着,不过好奇心还是占了上风,决定跟着戒指的感应去一探究竟.

他来到崖壁下,这里杂草丛生,感觉像是被世界遗忘的角落.林远一边拨开比人还高的杂草,一边吐槽:"这地方是多久没人来了,简直就是个原始丛林!" 好不容易拨开一片藤蔓,他发现一块岩石上有明显被人动过的痕迹."难道是什么隐藏的宝藏入口?" 林远眼睛放光,兴奋地按下那块岩石.只听 "嘎吱" 一声,岩石竟然滑开了,露出一个隐秘的小洞.

"哇塞,还真被我猜对了!" 林远兴奋得差点跳起来,小心翼翼地钻进洞里.洞里光线昏暗,弥漫着一股陈旧的气息.林远眯着眼,隐约看到一卷古朴的残破古籍,上面刻着 "天裂拳" 三个歪歪扭扭的字."天裂拳?听起来就很厉害啊!" 林远迫不及待地翻开古籍,虽然上面的内容断断续续,但他能感觉到这拳法蕴含的强大气息,和自己体内的金瞳隐隐产生共鸣.

"这拳法讲究刚猛无匹,拳风如裂天之怒,动则如雷霆万钧.好家伙,这要是学会了,我岂不是能横着走!" 林远一边看一边幻想自己成为武林高手的样子,不禁心驰神往.不过,这拳法对修炼者要求极高,需要极强的意志力和根骨,还得对金属性灵力有超高的契合度.更关键的是,要配合极致的身法才能发挥出最大威力."还好我有风影身法,这不是量身定制嘛!" 林远眼中闪过自信的光芒.

在林远沉迷修炼 "天裂拳" 的时候,他发现孟星河最近有点不对劲.这家伙整天神色冷淡,对修炼也没了以前的热情,连大比中受了伤都一副满不在乎的样子.林远实在忍不住,走过去调侃道:"孟星河,你最近咋回事啊?以前不是自信得像只开屏的孔雀吗?怎么现在像霜打的茄子一样,蔫了吧唧的?"

孟星河抬头看了他一眼,冷冷地说:"自信?哼,以前我还以为自己能出人头地,现在才发现,不过是被人遗弃的流浪狗罢了."

林远一愣,没想到孟星河会这么说,连忙追问.原来,孟星河出身修仙世家孟家,曾经天赋卓绝,被家族寄予厚望.可在他 14 岁那年,家族发生内乱,他的母亲在内斗中被害,他也被孟家当成弃子赶出了家门.从那以后,孟星河就一直活在被抛弃的阴影里,虽然在长生派取得了一些成绩,但内心的痛苦始终无法消散.

"没想到你还有这么悲惨的过去,早知道之前几次吵架让你赢了." 林远有点愧疚地说.

"你这臭小子,哈哈." 孟星河回道.

...

几日后,白茉莉结束修炼,突然陷入回忆.白茉莉是孟星河幼年时期的朋友,两人在孟家内斗发生前经常一起玩耍,修炼,关系好得像亲兄妹.后来,白茉莉进入了长生派内门,而孟星河却成了杂役弟子,身份差距让孟星河一直拒绝和白茉莉深交.

在白茉莉眼里,孟星河还是那个骄傲自信的少年,她不相信孟星河会真的放弃.于是,白茉莉偷偷跑到杂役弟子的区域,看到孟星河正拿着酒壶借酒消愁,忍不住责备道:"孟星河!你在搞什么啊?这就是你想要的生活吗?"

孟星河抬起头,冷笑一声:"白茉莉,我不需要别人的同情."

白茉莉眼神坚定地说:"我不相信命运,只相信选择.你可以选择堕落,也可以选择重新站起来.这才是我认识的孟星河!"

孟星河沉默了许久,看着白茉莉,心中五味杂陈.他怎么也忘不了,这个女孩曾是他灰暗童年里唯一的光.

...

与此同时,林远正全身心投入 "天裂拳" 的修炼.他发现这拳法和自己的风影身法简直是绝配,几次尝试下来,竟然能隐约感受到拳风里的金属性灵力波动."这感觉太爽了,就像开了外挂一样!" 林远兴奋地大喊.

不过,天裂拳的修炼难度极高,对力量的爆发和精准度要求近乎苛刻.林远修炼时失败了无数次,每次都摔得鼻青脸肿,但他的金瞳在关键时刻总能帮上大忙.金瞳能让他看清拳法的运转轨迹,避免灵力运转失误.林远心中暗自庆幸金瞳的辅助作用.

随着时间的推移,林远逐渐掌握了天裂拳的基础,但他总觉得崖壁下的古籍没那么简单.修炼时,他注意到古籍上某些模糊的文字似乎在暗示着什么."等我有空了,一定要再去崖壁好好研究研究." 林远暗暗下定决心.