Invincibility Begins with Mastery of Fist Techniques-Chapter 61: The Opening Bell

The "Divine Format" helped Martial Artists who cultivated the Divine Strike Spirit Communication Fist grow with incredible speed, allowing Wu Tianhe to possess his current terrifying level of strength despite being only in his early twenties. This was no small miracle.

But to take the next step and advance even further was an incredibly difficult task.

To become Holy and Bright, one must master their own will and forge their own path with a determination and faith that transcends life and death.

And for those who relied on the "Divine Format," this was the most difficult step of all.

Their Spirits and bodies were deeply imprinted by the "Divine Format." To break free from its influence, suppress its Power, and master it completely was far easier said than done.

This was just as the old saying goes: "It’s easier to invite a god than to send one away." Once on this path, dispelling the Divine Format’s influence was as difficult as ascending to the heavens—the price one paid for a rapid increase in strength.

In this world, there are no true shortcuts.

"You’re awake?"

Zhou Yuanjue pulled back his hand from where it hovered before Wu Tianhe’s brow. The terrifying aura surrounding him vanished, and his muscles and build returned to normal.

Wu Tianhe nodded and said in a low voice, "Thank you for holding back."

"It’s a good Fist Technique, but this Divine Strike Secret Skill... not necessarily a good Secret Skill. Why be someone else when you can be yourself?"

Zhou Yuanjue said, shaking his head.

He felt it was a shame. Wu Tianhe had a pure heart, a firm will, and a powerful physique. Even without the Divine Strike Secret Skill, his Shock Force alone would have made him one of the most outstanding Great Masters of Fist Techniques. Yet, the Divine Strike Skill had shackled his progress.

’If he could just take that next step and become Holy and Bright, he’d surely be a worthy opponent. But as he is now... he’s too weak.’

"I want to be myself, too. But once you’ve started down this path, some things are never that easy,"

Wu Tianhe said with a sense of helplessness.

"Your school must have a way to break these shackles, right?"

Zhou Yuanjue asked.

"We do, but it’s incredibly difficult. First, you must achieve ’Hidden God’—using wisdom and focus to completely subdue the ’Divine Format’ so your will no longer experiences The Rebellion and you don’t fall into madness."

"Next is ’Devouring God.’ The ’Divine Format’ can influence and alter our consciousness, but our consciousness can also influence and alter it in return. The goal is to have your consciousness completely devour the Divine Format, merging the two into one. If you can do this and still maintain your clarity and unwavering wisdom, you will gain everything from the Divine Format, forge your own path, and enter the realm of the Holy and Bright."

"Moreover, by devouring the Divine Format, our Spirit often becomes far stronger, and it’s possible to experience explosive growth."

"The Divine Format is both a curse and a blessing."

Just then, Ding Jiutong, who had been standing to the side, spoke with a sigh.

"It’s just as my master says. The entity I’ve summoned is an unparalleled fiend. Trying to devour him is even more difficult. It might have been easier if I’d summoned a weaker ’God,’ but then I wouldn’t have my current strength."

Wu Tianhe said, scratching his head.

"I see."

Zhou Yuanjue nodded. He now understood the path of this school. It was also a path of "borrowing the illusory to cultivate the real."

First, they nurture a Divine Format to enhance themselves. Then, they strengthen their will until it can, in turn, devour the Divine Format, pushing them into a new realm of existence.

This path was, in fact, just another route to the same destination as becoming Holy and Bright. The essence of both was to strengthen and temper one’s will, to expand it infinitely until it was powerful enough to subdue the "Divine Format."

’This is a path of usurping divinity. Are the Divine Buddhas and Celestial Gods born to their thrones?’

’The progenitor who created this Fist Technique must have possessed incredible audacity.’

"I’d also like to ask for your guidance. How exactly does one strengthen their Spirit and become Holy and Bright?"

Wu Tianhe asked, puzzled.

"Everyone has their own path; I can’t teach you the specifics. I can only tell you this: there’s a saying, ’Hear the Dao in the morning, and you may die content in the evening.’ I, however, prefer to interpret it as, ’Be prepared to die in the morning to hear the Dao in the evening.’ If you can’t embrace the resolve to ’die,’ you can never experience the radiance of ’life.’"

"Before you take that step, you must be certain that your path is one for which you can let go of life, death, and everything else."

Zhou Yuanjue said, patting Wu Tianhe’s shoulder. He then turned and walked toward Li Qingxuan and Lu Ming.

"’Be prepared to die in the morning to hear the Dao in the evening?’"

Wu Tianhe murmured to himself, watching Zhou Yuanjue’s departing figure. It seemed he’d had an epiphany.

"Between life and death lies great terror, but also great wisdom. You need not belittle yourself. That man’s wisdom is perfectly enlightened, his spiritual radiance self-evident. He is no mere mortal. His strength is far beyond that of a regional champion."

Ding Jiutong said, his expression calm. He hadn’t expected to encounter such a figure so soon after arriving in Guangpu City. He wondered how many other hidden experts like him were participating in the Southern Martial Arts Tournament.

The world is vast and full of hidden masters.

As Zhou Yuanjue approached, the men and women in the training hall stepped aside one by one, their gazes filled with reverence.

A Zhi, the strongest fighter in the training hall, had been defeated by Wu Tianhe in a single blow. But Wu Tianhe, in turn, couldn’t withstand even a single move from Zhou Yuanjue.

This man’s strength had already surpassed their understanding of human potential, as if he existed on another plane of reality.

Human potential was truly unimaginable.

"The tournament officially kicks off tonight, right?"

Zhou Yuanjue asked Lu Ming.

"That’s right. It officially begins tonight. Contestants need to register their information in the tournament system at any of the arenas. From then on, the results of every match will be synced to the central system in real time. I’ve already had someone take your Data to register you. The system will go live at eight o’clock tonight and start recording fighters’ match results. All that’s left is for you to decide which arena you want to compete at."

Lu Ming said, his eyes blazing with excitement as he looked at Zhou Yuanjue.

"Which arena has the toughest competition?"

Zhou Yuanjue asked directly.

"That would be the arenas run by the Southern Eight Sects, of course. Of those, the Ji Po, Soul Burning, and Yama arenas are the largest and have the highest level of competition. Which one will you choose?"

Lu Ming asked.

"I’ll go with the Ji Po Jue Arena."

Zhou Yuanjue casually picked one of the three.

"The Ji Po Jue Arena is run by the Seven Spirits Sect, one of the Southern Eight Sects. It’s a huge place with ten fighting rings, so ten matches can happen at once. Even though tonight is just the preliminary round, all the experts are starting at the same point and competing on the same stage. So, on the very first night, in a major venue like the Ji Po Jue Arena, there’s a good chance you’ll run into a master."

Lu Ming said to Zhou Yuanjue with a smile.

"That’s exactly what I’m hoping for. I’ll leave the registration details to you. If anything comes up, contact Li Qingxuan."

With that, Zhou Yuanjue waved to Lu Ming and left the training hall with Li Qingxuan in tow.

After his exchange with Wu Tianhe, there was nothing left for him in this training hall.

Watching Zhou Yuanjue’s disappearing figure, the smile on Lu Ming’s lips slowly widened.

’This tournament, destined to be recorded in the history of Donghua Country’s Martial Dao, is about to begin. Just how far can this unfathomable man go?’