Chapter 082: Genius

Indeed, it wasn’t a guaranteed success—only a one-in-ten chance. Frankly, the odds were rather low. Yet the power of the Deduction Card emboldened Su Jingxing’s actions.

He was unsure why the card he’d obtained from Yu Shengmou was a Deduction Card. All he knew was that this was a stroke of incredible luck.

Deduction—just as the name implied. Any martial technique, once passed through the process of deduction, if successful, would emerge as a new martial art, perfected and free of hidden dangers. Training such a skill, Su Jingxing would become its very foundation, for he would be the first to practice it. Not to mention, the card’s ability to remove flaws and drawbacks.

The “Earth Element” chapter of the “Three Elements Saber Technique” contained only half the internal method, but at least, compared to the “Seven Steps Fist,” it had no side effects.

The “Seven Steps Fist” was a different story. This celebrated Wei family technique actually hid a grave flaw: the higher one’s mastery and the greater the explosive force of the fists, the more severe the toll on the body!

At the entry-level, coupling a few thousand or ten thousand pounds of force with a sevenfold explosion of power—the body, at its limits, could barely endure. But at the masterful level, with a hundred thousand pounds of force, a sevenfold burst would mean seven hundred thousand pounds—a terrifying force, to be sure, yet the destruction it inflicted in that instant on the body was equally dreadful. Human flesh simply could not withstand such a sudden eruption of power. Even at the body’s limit, one could at most throw a single punch before sustaining irreversible damage.

This was the horrifying truth Su Jingxing discovered when, after achieving a hundred thousand pounds of force, he again used the “Seven Steps Fist.” If he ignored the consequences and unleashed sevenfold power with every strike, his body would surely suffer catastrophic harm.

Thus, at present, Su Jingxing would at most take three steps when performing the “Seven Steps Fist.” Any more, and the strain on his body would be overwhelming.

Most likely, Wei Zhongting and his father had both died from excessive use of the “Seven Steps Fist.” This technique demanded a level of physical strength far beyond the human limit—perhaps only those who had undergone a complete bodily transformation could bear it.

Now, with the Deduction Card, the situation was entirely different. The card could eliminate the fatal flaw in the “Seven Steps Fist,” so its physical requirements would no longer be so extreme. Of course, the specific outcome would depend on the result of the deduction.

Although this Deduction Card allowed only three attempts, each with a ten percent chance, that still gave a combined probability of thirty percent. Not a certainty—but at least there was hope.

Thinking this, Su Jingxing suppressed his excitement, carefully put away the Deduction Card, and left the restroom. As for actually using the card, he would have to wait until he got home; it was hardly wise to do so at the crematorium.

Come to think of it, Su Jingxing was quite curious why the card he had picked up from Yu Shengmou, a sixth-rank martial artist, turned out to be a Deduction Card. The Golden Finger always extracted abilities the deceased possessed during their lifetime. He had yet to fully understand the reasons behind the Martial Practice Card or the Soul Calming Card, and now there was this new Deduction Card—what could be the cause?

Filled with questions, Su Jingxing worked through the rest of his day, went home, turned on his computer, and began searching for information about Yu Shengmou’s life. Only then did he find a clue.

Yu Shengmou, the master of the Baihe Martial Arts Hall, was a sixth-rank martial artist with a wealth of martial knowledge and copious theoretical insight. In fact, his grasp of martial theory was truly genius. The school’s signature technique, “Baihe Eight Trigrams Palm,” was his own creation, developed after repeated experiments and the fusion of various theories—a formidable martial art.

Yu Shengmou even crafted a physical Eight Trigrams Disc filled with martial insights, inviting all martial artists to observe, study, and try to comprehend its mysteries. When the disc was first unveiled over a decade ago, it caused a sensation. Each day, crowds flocked to the Baihe Martial Arts Hall to study it.

The result? In less than a week, nine martial artists were driven insane by it, and three died. Fortunately, none of the twelve had significant social standing, so Yu Shengmou settled the matter with monetary compensation. Even so, the incident frightened off others; no one dared approach it again. The city’s chief martial officer personally visited the hall, ordered the disc destroyed, and forced Yu Shengmou to comply. He refused at first, but after much persuasion, he finally agreed to keep it locked up in his own home.

He was a prodigy, no doubt, and his research into martial theory was deep and impressive. But ultimately, theory was just theory—it could not be directly practiced. To put it bluntly, what Yu Shengmou produced was wild speculation, empty theorizing. The Eight Trigrams Disc was no different. According to Li Linzhou’s predecessor, the theories it contained were intricate and profound, but upon closer inspection, they were an entangled mess of conjectures—impossible to study in any depth. Anyone who tried would either go mad or be driven to death.

After reading Yu Shengmou’s biography, Su Jingxing finally understood why the Golden Finger had extracted a Deduction Card from his corpse.

In short, the card’s power was a distilled, enhanced version of Yu Shengmou’s wild, chaotic theorizing. The Golden Finger had filtered out all the impractical and erroneous parts. By this logic, if a martial artist who had created their own technique died, the Golden Finger would likely extract a Deduction Card!

This conclusion both delighted Su Jingxing and piqued his curiosity about the Eight Trigrams Disc Yu Shengmou had left behind. Strictly speaking, that disc was also a kind of treasure.

Ordinary martial artists who delved into its secrets would end up dead or insane. But in the hands of an extraordinary, prodigiously talented master, it might truly reveal its brilliance.

“Should I go take a look?” Su Jingxing’s eyes flickered with anticipation.

Now that Yu Shengmou was dead, his belongings would, barring any surprises, be inherited by Yu Miaotong. However, Yu Miaotong had fallen under the spell of Shi Yanfeng, and the Eight Trigrams Disc might well end up in Shi Yanfeng’s hands—or worse, she might simply burn it, given its dangerous reputation. Losing such a “treasure” would be a great pity.

After some deliberation, Su Jingxing decided he had to see it for himself—at the very least, he should take some photos!

With his mind made up, he immediately went out to buy a camera. Upon his return, he searched online to confirm Yu Shengmou’s residence. Then, waiting until midnight, he disguised himself as Yang Jian, donned a cloak and mask, and set out.

Yu Shengmou had neither wife nor children; his parents had passed away long ago. He had always lived in the rear courtyard of the Baihe Martial Arts Hall, spending his days teaching students and disciples, and his nights secluded in his room, lost in martial theory for his own amusement. The Eight Trigrams Disc, without a doubt, would be in his bedroom.

Arriving at the Baihe Martial Arts Hall, Su Jingxing activated the “Voice to Ear” technique, listening intently for any sign of life. Once certain the coast was clear, he vaulted over the wall, made his way to the rear courtyard, and began searching room by room. Soon, he discovered the disc hanging on a wall.

It was a great wheel, two meters in diameter, engraved with not only the trigrams but also a myriad of intricate pathways and a detailed diagram of human acupoints, each annotated with dense, tiny characters. By following the lines and piecing together the intersections, one could derive theoretical connections—each forming a distinct theory.

These theories overlapped, intersected, and tangled endlessly, coiling and merging into a vast, bewildering web. Just looking at it was enough to make one’s head spin, to drive one to distraction or even madness.

After only a few glances, Su Jingxing looked away, not daring to study it further. He took out his camera and quickly snapped photos from every angle. Satisfied, he was about to leave.

But just then, footsteps sounded in the corridor, followed by Du Liangjing’s voice…