Yang Guo's Melancholy Palms the most powerful martial arts innovation in the trilogy?

[metsrus]

Seems like all of the most powerful martial arts skills and techniques came from the previous generations in the Condor Trilogy, whether it's 9 Yin, 9 Yang, 18 dragons subduing palms, or Heaven and Earth Great Shift. But Yang Guo was able to create his own technique that can rival and maybe surpassed them. What's more impressive is he only had one arm, imagine how much more power the Melancholy Palms would be if he had both arms.

[Western Eccentric]

With both hands Sad Palm wouldn't "work" since one of Sad Palm stances using empty sleeve simultaneously with palm to strike opponents that sleeve also allowed Yang Guo to "strike back" Jinlun Fawang's flying wheels..

[Ken Cheng]

With both hands Sad Palm wouldn't "work" since one of Sad Palm stances using empty sleeve simultaneously with palm to strike opponents that sleeve also allowed Yang Guo to "strike back" Jinlun Fawang's flying wheels..

It also has several more serious limitations:

1. Dependent on emotion/mood to work. This is a BIG strike against it.

2. Good for fighting, but not much else (not as versatile as 9 Yum, 9 Yeung, 1 Yeung, and other arts that have multiple applications beyond fighting).

3. Non-transferrable to other users (there goes its legacy).

4. Killed the Golden Wheel Monk under very specific circumstances, but was *not* able to overcome East Heretic Wong Yerk See's Divine Finger Snap or Chow Bak Tung's 9-Yum based skills (managed only a tie).

It's a Great-level martial art for sure, but not a beyond-level martial art like Bak Ming Sun Gung, 6 Mak Divine Swords, or the No Sword level of Dook Goo Kau Bai's sword arts (or whatever it was the Janitor Monk in DGSD used).

[Western Eccentric]

It also has several more serious limitations:

1. Dependent on emotion/mood to work. This is a BIG strike against it.

2. Good for fighting, but not much else (not as versatile as 9 Yum, 9 Yeung, 1 Yeung, and other arts that have multiple applications beyond fighting).

3. Non-transferrable to other users (there goes its legacy).

4. Killed the Golden Wheel Monk under very specific circumstances, but was *not* able to overcome East Heretic Wong Yerk See's Divine Finger Snap or Chow Bak Tung's 9-Yum based skills (managed only a tie).

It's a Great-level martial art for sure, but not a beyond-level martial art like Bak Ming Sun Gung, 6 Mak Divine Swords, or the No Sword level of Dook Goo Kau Bai's sword arts (or whatever it was the Janitor Monk in DGSD used).

1-3 agree
4. In terms of power Divine Finger ~ Sad Palm but I highly doubt Huang Yaoshi would able to "neutralize" all of 17 stances from full powered Sad Palm which mean Divine Finger only on par with "normal" Sad Palm also Sad Palm isn't about "power" but "technique" so though you might be could compete with the "power" you would hardly handle the "technique" that's why Huang Yaoshi and Zhou Botong only passively defend against Yang Guo's Sad Palm during their sparring..