Chapter Nineteen: The Three Souls Palm-Bandit Road(Dream of Insects)

Half a month later—

“Roar!”

In the cramped cave, beast-like growls echoed endlessly. A shadow darted rapidly within, twisting and turning, leaping and striking. The narrow space posed no obstacle to him; in fact, it became an aid, a place where fists could be wielded with mastery—a mark of true proficiency in Southern Boxing.

This man, in front of us now, was just such a practitioner.

The small cliffside cave seemed caught in a storm, wild winds howling, mingling with feral roars, as if one stood in a lair surrounded by prowling tigers.

Suddenly, the noise ceased.

At some unknown moment, Kou Li stood silently at the cave’s center, expression calm, as if the commotion moments ago had nothing to do with him.

The Tiger Fist’s form was pure, fierce, unyielding—always advancing, never retreating. When Kou Li practiced, his movements followed the fist, the fist trained the man, not the other way around. This was the strongest aspect of his technique.

Now, however, he halted abruptly. To others, it might seem strange, unnatural—like a tiger demon shaking itself and instantly turning human.

Gently, his left foot slid forward half a step, both fists rising up from his chest, palms inward. At his mouth, they flipped fiercely into palms, pressing forward, level with his chest, palms forward and down, thumbs facing each other.

Slowly, he drew his forearms back, pressed tightly to his ribs, shoulders sunk, elbows drooping, waist taut, neck straight, knees together. As his form compressed, the monster reverted to its true shape!

Tiger palms tore across the belly, shaking out wet fur. The beast’s head stretched over a human face, revealing a pair of savage eyes. It stretched its neck, bared its teeth, and with each fierce breath, every muscle and piece of fur slid and shifted.

Especially the arched spine, as if it might burst through the skin, with the tail rising high. In a sudden relaxation, the body shot forth like an arrow, twisting and pouncing.

Within the tiny space, it became a torrent, a tiger flipping from above, sunlight pouring in, scattering a spray of rainbow droplets.

“According to Tiger Fist doctrine, this is the transformation from beastly nature to human nature. From a wild mountain tiger, I have become a tiger spirit in human form. No longer troubled by the ‘Tiger Will.’ Indeed, only in the crucible of life and death does one’s technique advance,” Kou Li murmured.

Had it not been for his desperate gamble and that sudden move during the deadly battle half a month ago, he would have drowned in the sea. And the scar-faced man’s insistence on capturing him alive was another reason Kou Li survived.

A contest of fists is a contest of life. If the opponent wants you alive, then you must seek death.

In this, Kou Li discovered his greatest flaw. If he did not resolve it, not only would his dream of immortality be out of reach—even his progress in martial arts would stall.

He was not surprised that Scarface suppressed him in technique, nor did it dampen his spirits. Counting days, he had barely practiced for two months; many had surpassed him. Scarface was hardly exceptional.

The key was, he had unconsciously begun to rely on the characterless diagram’s “subtle” ability—even excessively so.

Scarface had noticed this—within three moves, he broke Kou Li’s “subtle” advantage.

Tiger and man are different. Even if, under the influence of dreams, he truly became the fierce beast of South Heaven Gate Mountain, his body remained human, and his fists were crafted by human ingenuity.

In the heat of battle, decisions made by human will and tiger will never align. When Scarface struck with the groin slap, the tiger felt no fear—for tigers don’t possess such vulnerabilities, and as four-legged creatures, such a strike meant little. But for humans, that “effect” was enormous.

If he continued this reliance, should the lines between tiger nature and human nature blur and alter his subconscious, he’d be finished—neither tiger nor man, but something monstrous.

He was thus deeply grateful to Scarface for revealing this flaw.

The characterless diagram was not a traditional golden finger—not a system, nor a benefit from transmigration. It was a treasure of “immortals” in this world, corresponding to immortal arts, not martial arts. The levels were different; misused, it could become an obstacle or even backfire.

But Kou Li was fearless and without regret. This treasure wasn’t a gift from heaven, but won after three years of risking his life, seizing a single opportunity.

He earned it with his life.

He used it with perfect justification and honor!

He had no desire for divine artifacts, golden fingers, bestowed skills, or ancestral blessings—all empty promises, mere freeloading. The more one relies on such things, the more incompetent one becomes.

His pursuit of the Way was not like that.

Only through countless trials and hardships can one discover their true heart.

It was precisely to test his own capacity to see if he could truly forge his way through life and death.

Thus, for half a month, he trained day and night, finally mastering the tiger’s nature, subduing it. His Tiger Fist advanced from beginner to proficient. Once he returned to the Burning Body Martial Hall and learned the remaining techniques, he would fully master this set.

According to Luo Yanzong, once a practitioner reached this level, he could become the heir to this boxing lineage.

Moreover, there were other benefits: the special technique of gathering energy in the lower abdomen and the loosening and contraction of every pore—both gained from that battle.

Sharpened by life and death, human potential is truly awakened.

Martial arts must be trained inwardly, then expressed outwardly to be fully understood—this was Kou Li’s insight.

He took a deep breath and walked to the cave entrance. The sky was blue, white birds soared, waves rose and fell, crashing like sparks, endless. The sea stretched beyond sight, the rising sun a pearl on a jade plate. His spirit soared, inspiration flashed, the scholar’s talent shone forth.

“Grasp the white dragon’s tail by the shore, overturn the black tiger’s head in the cave. Pluck the pearl from the azure sky, a thousand rays stream to the heavens.”

Now that the black tiger within his heart was subdued, perhaps one day he might grasp the white dragon’s tail as well.

Moved by this thought, he took out a piece of human skin he had found on Scarface. He’d been too focused on training to study it until now.

What he saw were three tiny figures in a palm-striking pose, each marked with dense dots—acupuncture points—beside which arrows indicated their dangerous uses.

Baihui, on the midline of the crown, where the line through both ear tips crosses the midline; the meeting point of three yang meridians and the governing vessel. A sharp strike here would drop a man unconscious.

Ermen, on the front notch of the auricle, a depression when the mouth is open, belonging to the triple warmer meridian. A hit here causes ringing in the ears, dizziness, and, if struck hard, loss of soul.

Juque, on the midline above the navel, six inches up, belonging to the conception vessel, the heart’s gathering point. A sweeping palm here severs blood and qi, shakes the gallbladder, and stops the heart.

Qugu, below the abdomen...

There were hundreds of such points, covering head to toe, front and back.

Such a vicious palm technique!

It was Kou Li’s first encounter with such a method—one that neither nourished the body nor stabilized the stance, dealing only death or destruction.

In the upper right corner of the skin, the origin of the palm technique was inscribed—

“Strike Baihui and fall to the ground, Weilu never returns home. Hit Zhangmen, nine die out of ten. Taiyang and Yamen, surely see the King of Hell. Break the spine, no bone to reconnect. Below the knee, death comes quickly.”

“Bewilder soul, chase soul, lose soul, capture soul and snatch spirit—Nine Segment Three Palms.”

In the lower right corner, the palm technique’s mechanics were explained, called Soul Extraction Strike, a method specifically for attacking acupuncture points, exceedingly sinister.

Its strangeness lay not only in the means of attack, but also in the way force was applied.

Luo Yanzong had said: the force in boxing is a special skill developed from stance training, integrated into the technique; but this method twisted blood and tendons, unleashing murderous power in a short time.

The more one practiced it, not only was it no benefit to the body, but it actually depleted vital essence.

This reminded Kou Li of Scarface’s blade-palm move. Even with the “subtle” ability to repair, his left hand still struggled to exert force, as if wrapped in thick rubber.

Within the imagined stream, a patch of foul water split off from the current. Though Kou Li continually absorbed the medicine from jade paste to purify it, he only managed to make it less cloudy.

There remained a long way to cleanse it completely.

This proved how strange and powerful the Nine Segment Blade’s palm force was, and the Nine Segment Three Palms was clearly a palm technique. Perhaps the stance method to reduce blood loss was hidden within the Nine Segment Blade’s training.

Kou Li pondered, then returned to the cave. The dangers of Guangdong, this land of nine revolts, were greater than he had imagined, and he had already offended the Water Dragon Gang—the local powers. He could not rely on luck every time.

Strengthening himself was always the first priority. He would not leave until his injured left hand was fully restored.

As for the Three Soul Palms, though it depleted essence and harmed the body, every loss had its gain. It was a deadly and formidable technique.

In a fight for survival, used at the critical moment, it could even let the weak strike down the strong.

This was the greatest strength of assassination boxing. Unless one reached the Four Major Refinements, regardless of how advanced the boxing, a single misstep meant instant death!

At this juncture, when Kou Li’s power was insufficient for self-preservation, the Three Soul Palms came at the perfect time.

Another month passed, and on the coastal waters, a massive tower ship sailed slowly by. On its deck, the Water Dragon Gang’s flag flew high. Following the current, wherever it passed, no band of pirates dared to show their claws.