118 The Buddha's Palm Technique

Money makes the world go round, and it’s even easier to find a teacher to teach reading with money. After finding a teacher, under the threat of Li Daniu, Axing was forced to painfully learn a hundred characters on the very first day.

“Master, can I eat now? I’m starving,” Axing asked, saliva dripping from his mouth.

In truth, with his current mastery of the Nine Yang Divine Skill at the third level, he could easily survive a day or two without food and remain energetic. But old habits die hard—after more than twenty years, his mind felt as if he were starving, his hunger pressing in like his chest was glued to his back.

Li Daniu nodded and said, “Go eat at Master Agui’s shop. I’ve already given him a heads-up.”

“Master, I haven’t eaten all day! You want me to eat just fried dough sticks? Didn’t you say you’d give me money to eat out myself?”

“Do I not know you by now? I gave you money for one meal, and that’ll last you all day tomorrow,” Li Daniu said, pursing his lips. He wasn’t very familiar with the prices of this era, and since Axing had lived at society’s lowest rung for years and didn’t care much about food quality, he resolutely refused to give Axing any money.

“Master, how am I supposed to care for you in your old age if you treat me like this?” Axing teased, seeing that Li Daniu was not truly stern and was quite kind to him, so he began to sweet-talk.

“Heh heh…” Li Daniu chuckled coldly twice. “Care for me in my old age? I wouldn’t even die if you died a hundred times.”

Though Li Daniu’s words were outrageous, they weren’t impossible. Since he could traverse through movie worlds, he might find something like the elixir of immortality in one of those films. And no matter how much Axing perfected the Buddha’s Palm and the Nine Yang Divine Skill, immortality was still out of reach.

Axing snorted and went to eat at Agui’s place. Having fried dough sticks was better than nothing.

When Axing returned from eating, Li Daniu didn’t immediately help him practice but asked him to perform the Buddha’s Palm again.

Axing obeyed and started striking, using his internal energy as Li Daniu had instructed.

Martial arts like the Buddha’s Palm or Tai Chi rely not only on movements but also on the inner method, or “heart technique.” The Buddha’s Palm itself doesn’t produce internal energy; it’s merely a way to utilize it.

Without training in skills like the Dragon Elephant Boruo Skill, relying solely on physical strength, even the most formidable palm technique couldn’t strike a target ten meters away.

It’s like Tai Chi: in a world with internal energy, it’s truly a technique where four ounces can move a thousand pounds. Even Zhang Sanfeng himself could wield it to move tons effortlessly.

But in a world without internal energy—like the modern era—it’s just a health exercise. Even if someone masters Tai Chi to perfection today, they could barely best a handful of opponents.

In Li Daniu’s view, the reason Axing had trained the Buddha’s Palm for over twenty years yet couldn’t defeat Fei Zaicong was because he had no internal energy. Unlike Tai Chi, which could improve physical fitness with movements alone, the Buddha’s Palm required internal energy, so Axing’s physical strength was no better than an ordinary person’s.

When Axing’s Ren and Du meridians were opened in the movie world, and his internal energy reached the pinnacle of the era, only then did the Buddha’s Palm’s true power emerge.

But one thing puzzled Li Daniu greatly.

Axing didn’t know how to read, so he couldn’t have understood the heart technique of the Buddha’s Palm.

Then how, at the crucial moment, could he truly wield the Buddha’s Palm?

The heart technique is key to harnessing internal energy with martial movements. Only by matching the movements with the correct heart technique can one unleash the technique’s true power.

It’s like how ordinary people, by systematically learning running or swimming techniques, can improve their performance without increasing their physical fitness.

Without understanding the heart technique or the secret of exertion in the Buddha’s Palm, even with Li Daniu’s level nine internal energy in the Nine Yang Divine Skill, one couldn’t achieve the palm’s full power. Forcing the technique would be mere imitation, awkward and ineffective.

“Ah, if only I could use the Great Shift of the Universe,” Li Daniu sighed. This technique, when sparring, allowed one to sense the opponent’s exertion, analyze and simulate their heart technique, making it easy to learn their moves. That’s how Zhang Wuji could instantly master Shaolin’s Dragon Claw Hand atop Bright Summit Peak and defeat monks who had practiced it for years, relying on his superior internal energy.

But these principles didn’t apply in this world—or at least not to Axing, a martial prodigy.

Li Daniu hadn’t given up on the Buddha’s Palm because he believed that with Axing’s talent, he could surely deduce the heart technique.

So Li Daniu not only taught Axing the Nine Yang Divine Skill but spared no effort in helping him level up.

Compared with the movie, where Axing grasped the heart technique of the Buddha’s Palm immediately after gaining internal energy, reality would certainly require some adjustments. But even with adjustments, would it really take over four months?

Watching Axing perform the Buddha’s Palm, nearly unchanged from before, Li Daniu wasn’t disheartened—in fact, he was somewhat pleased.

If Axing truly deduced the heart technique instantly after gaining internal energy, that would be too unbelievable. Li Daniu wouldn’t be able to accept it.

Before Axing finished a full set, he stopped.

“Something’s wrong. I can’t use my internal energy at all.”

Muttering to himself, Axing abandoned the Buddha’s Palm techniques and casually threw a simple punch. The sound of air splitting rang out immediately.

“Master, what’s going on? Why can’t I use internal energy when performing Buddha’s Palm, but when I throw a random punch, it flows smoothly?”

“That’s because you don’t understand the heart technique of the Buddha’s Palm,” Li Daniu explained the relationship between movements and heart technique to Axing. “This set of palm techniques is no weaker than my specialty, Tai Chi, and in terms of destructive power, it’s even stronger. What you need to do now is deduce the heart technique of this palm set and truly master the skill.”

“Deduce the heart technique? How?”

If Li Daniu knew how to deduce it, would he be wasting time talking to Axing? He’d have mastered the Buddha’s Palm and gone on a rampage long ago.

He cleared his throat and irresponsibly said, “Just follow your feelings.”

“Master, that’s like saying nothing. How do I follow my feelings?”

“Didn’t you already feel something was off?” Li Daniu began to guide him. “That’s because you’ve practiced the Buddha’s Palm diligently for twenty years. The movements have become instinctive, ingrained in your body.”

“There are countless martial arts in this world, with external techniques, internal heart methods, and those combining both, working from external to internal. Everything is interconnected—what’s called ‘one method leads to all methods.’ That means you can analyze the heart technique from the movements. And you’re an unprecedented martial prodigy who has internalized the Buddha’s Palm, so deducing the heart technique should be very easy for you.”

Li Daniu’s flattery inflated Axing’s confidence instantly.

“Master, rest assured. Since I’m one in ten thousand as a martial prodigy, I’ll deduce the heart technique for you in no time.”

After declaring his determination, Axing resumed the Buddha’s Palm, but stopped after a third.

“Master, the more I try to use internal energy, the less I can. It’s getting harder and harder, I almost feel like vomiting blood.” Axing squinted suspiciously at Li Daniu. “Are you fooling me? You don’t want to teach me Tai Chi, so you hyped up this Buddha’s Palm I bought from a beggar as real martial arts?”

I am fooling you, but that’s because your talent is so extraordinary, Li Daniu thought. If he tried deducing it himself, it’d take too long and risk injury from internal energy deviation. But Axing’s constitution healed so quickly that injury was no big deal.

“I’ve already taught you the Nine Yang Divine Skill. You still want Tai Chi?” Li Daniu didn’t dare reveal his true thoughts. “Don’t force yourself to use internal energy. Just perform the Buddha’s Palm as usual, naturally feel it out.”

Axing wasn’t truly suspicious—he was just comfortable enough to joke. So he obediently began again.

This time, he couldn’t stop. By the fifth repetition, Li Daniu sensed something was wrong.

The sound of wind?

When Li Daniu saw Axing raise his palm and stop, looking around before focusing on him, a warning bell rang in his mind. He hurriedly stood up from his chair.

Sure enough, as Li Daniu stood, Axing struck a palm at him from a distance.

Though Axing remained rooted in place, Li Daniu felt a wave of pressure hit him.

Without hesitation, Li Daniu activated the heart technique of Tai Chi, drawing a circle of internal energy before him.

“Bang!”

With a muffled sound, Li Daniu clearly saw dust particles swirl in the air, forming a small tornado under the clash of forces, then scattering violently. The blast of wind billowed Li Daniu’s clothes.

What was going on? Axing’s internal energy was only at the third level of the Nine Yang Divine Skill, and he didn’t know how to release it outward. How could he strike with such force?

“Are you trying to kill your master and ancestors?” Li Daniu shouted, seeing Axing’s embarrassed expression.

“Master, I don’t know what happened. I just felt all my internal energy suddenly focus in my palm. I couldn’t hold back the force that blasted out. I was afraid of breaking something, so…”

“So you aimed it at me?” Li Daniu glared. Did Axing think this cheap master was worth less than some broken furniture?

“Master, your skills are profound, far stronger than mine. Nothing will happen to you,” Axing smiled foolishly.

Li Daniu was about to retort but suddenly realized—this was… deducing the heart technique? Could it be any more unbelievable? (To be continued.)