The sparring session was over.
Bang twisted his shoulders, making a cracking sound as his joints popped, and sighed:
"It's been a long time since this old man has had such vigorous exercise. Today, I truly stretched my muscles and bones; my shoulders aren't sore anymore."
While stretching his limbs, he walked toward Saitama.
King, who stood behind him, did not move. In his mind, the images of the two of them executing the Flowing Water Rock-Crushing Fist replayed over and over again.
He always felt that something could be improved... King, who could control all of his own strength, gradually felt a sense of incongruity after performing the Flowing Water Rock-Crushing Fist multiple times.
It wasn't that the Flowing Water Rock-Crushing Fist itself needed improvement, but rather that he vaguely felt this technique could be combined with his own strengths to form an entirely new fist technique.
At this moment, King truly understood how insidious the passive skill [Precise Control] was.
In other words, any martial arts technique displayed by an opponent could be learned and perfectly replicated just by watching it once.
Following his inner feelings, King gradually lowered his center of gravity and began swinging his arms.
Bang, who hadn't walked two steps yet, suddenly narrowed his eyes. Feeling a special power flowing in the air, he quickly turned his head to look.
He saw King standing exactly where he had stopped, his eyes tightly closed, but his hands were performing movements that were incredibly familiar to Bang.
His two fists were tightly clenched, tracing stream-like patterns in the air, appearing to contain the profound mysteries of the martial Dao.
As his fists flowed, King's footwork also moved along, complementing the trajectory of his fists.
This is the Flowing Water Rock-Crushing Fist... Bang was puzzled, wondering why King suddenly started performing it again. Was he practicing to consolidate it?
The next second, it was as if he realized something; his pupils involuntarily contracted, and an astonishing thought arose in his mind.
Could it be that KING is improving the Flowing Water Rock-Crushing Fist?!
In Bang's eyes, although King appeared to be performing the Flowing Water Rock-Crushing Fist, it was subtly different from the original version, and the degree of difference was gradually increasing.
As his hands swung, King gradually began adding his own elements. Hot Vitality and Blood surged into his fists like a tsunami, and the pale blue traces of the Flowing Water Rock-Crushing Fist turned deep red.
Bang, standing on the side, was dumbfounded. The shock in his heart was immense, and his eyes held not just astonishment, but also deep complexity and anticipation.
Truly worthy of being KING, the strongest on the surface... This level of talent is something even this old man cannot reach... He was almost certain that King had never encountered the Flowing Water Rock-Crushing Fist before today.
Yet he was able to successfully learn it and use it in combat within such a short time, and now he could even improve upon the Flowing Water Rock-Crushing Fist —what peerless natural talent!
King did not notice Bang's various emotions; he was currently immersed in his own world with his eyes closed.
The force of flowing water and the domineering Vitality and Blood merged within his fists. Pale blue and deep red converged, and softness and rigidity fused at this moment.
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for independently comprehending the skill [Emperor Fist]]
[Emperor Fist: A special fist technique that simultaneously fuses the force of flowing water and the power of Vitality and Blood. It can be rapidly activated multiple times in a short period, possessing immense power. When met with resistance, it can trigger double damage through the force of flowing water. Each use will bring a certain degree of burden to the muscles. Exclusive to the Host.]
Huh? I comprehended a new skill?!
King had just finished his Epiphany when he was suddenly startled by the abrupt System notification sound, causing him to open his eyes.
Only then did he notice that the fist technique he was currently executing was no longer the Flowing Water Rock-Crushing Fist, but an entirely new technique.
The fists, shimmering with pale golden light, swayed in the air. While the trajectory showed traces of the Flowing Water Rock-Crushing Fist, it was fundamentally different.
King quickly scanned the skill evaluation provided by the System.
[Emperor Fist]. Although it sounds a bit chuunibyou, it's surprisingly fitting.
King was quite satisfied that a sudden Epiphany could directly grant him a new skill.
In that case, let's test the power of this move.
King flashed, arriving in front of a small mountain several hundred meters away.
Just as he was about to throw a punch, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck him.
Could [Emperor Fist] and [Evening Elephant] be combined simultaneously to execute a long-range strike?
If so, this would be a bold innovation for King and another increase in his combat power.
Thinking this, King fixed his gaze on a small mountain three kilometers away and slowly raised his fist.
The surface of his fist shimmered with pale golden light, and then he slammed it forward fiercely.
As the golden light flashed and vanished in the Void Realm, the distant small mountain let out a violent roar at that moment, as a ferocious air cannon heavily struck the mountain's surface.
And in the very next instant, the power of the [Emperor Fist] appeared almost simultaneously with the air cannon, launching a secondary attack that surged into the mountain's interior.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Immense power erupted from within the mountain. The entire peak instantly exploded into scattered rubble, causing the ground to shake. All that remained of the original small mountain was a huge pile of shattered stones.
King felt the power of this strike and couldn't help but be shocked.
It still had such tremendous power from nearly five kilometers away. What if someone took this strike at close range?
Undoubtedly, the comprehension and combination of the [Emperor Fist] elevated the already fierce power of the [Evening Elephant] to the next level.
King let out a long breath, and his posture returned to normal.
He noticed a slight stinging pain coming from his right hand, which had just unleashed the Emperor Fist. Clearly, the muscles were slightly torn due to the intense attack.
However, the next second, Ultra-Regeneration activated, and the minor side effects vanished without a trace.
Seeing the movements conclude, Bang walked over and patted King's shoulder with satisfaction:
"As expected, heroes emerge from the youth. Mr. KING, your attainments in martial arts are far superior to mine. The fact that I once intended to take you as a disciple now seems rather amusing."
Hearing Bang's words, King shook his head, then pointed to the location of his heart:
"My martial Dao attainments are not profound; I merely rely on the guidance of my heart to perceive. For a Martial Artist, the most important thing is the heart. Where the heart is, the Dao is."
After speaking, he turned and headed toward Saitama's location.
Bang stood frozen on the spot. Only after a long while did he move, his hands clasped behind his back, looking exactly like an old man, but his eyes were bright and spirited.
Is the heart truly the most important thing for a Martial Artist?
Where the heart is, the Dao is. What a profound truth, KING...