Chapter 39

As the thoughts in his mind became clear, Su Yi suddenly felt a great sense of relief, as if the long-standing shackles that had bound him had vanished. The Nine Yang True Qi within his body also became more active, suddenly accelerating its circulation.

Su Yi couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. In the past few days, he had made no progress in cultivating the *Nine Yang True Scripture*. He thought it was probably due to reaching a bottleneck. Who would have thought that once he figured things out, the True Qi in his body seemed to celebrate for him, showing signs of breaking through the bottleneck.

With this sudden opportunity, Su Yi didn't bother to speak to Hong Qigong. He hurriedly sat down cross-legged, silently reciting the content of the second volume of the *Nine Yang True Scripture*, and began to meditate and cultivate in the wilderness.

Hong Qigong had already found Su Yi's incoherent speech quite strange. Now, seeing him suddenly sit down to meditate without a word, he realized that Su Yi must have had a sudden enlightenment.

As a master of martial arts, how could he not understand the rarity and value of such a good opportunity? He knew that this fortunate young man had somehow struck it lucky and must not be disturbed by any external factors. So, he quietly moved a few steps away and silently guarded him.

At this moment, Su Yi had completely forgotten about the outside world. With Hong Qigong around, he didn't have to worry about being disturbed. He focused solely on his cultivation. As his cultivation time increased, the speed of the Nine Yang True Qi also accelerated, rapidly circulating and growing within his body. Under the influence of the fierce and scorching True Qi, his face gradually turned a deep red, and the withered grass around him began to show signs of being scorched, emitting wisps of smoke.

Such a terrifying display left Hong Qigong in shock. He thought to himself, "Old beggar has roamed the江湖 for so many years, but I've never seen such a domineering internal cultivation technique. This young man is a disciple of the Quanzhen Sect, but he must have another master. The Quanzhen Sect certainly doesn't have such an extraordinary internal cultivation technique..."

Su Yi continued to cultivate for a whole day. When the sky was already dark, he slowly stopped his cultivation.

After finishing, Su Yi focused his mind and felt that the Nine Yang True Qi in his body had indeed become much more profound. He was now just one step away from mastering the second volume.

"Indeed, reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles!" Su Yi sighed inwardly. "Just a moment of enlightenment has brought me such significant progress. If I had continued to cultivate in the inn, it would have taken me at least three to four months to reach this level."

After a moment of reflection, Su Yi smiled and stood up, looking at Hong Qigong standing in the distance. He said gratefully, "Thank you, Seventh Master, for protecting me."

Hong Qigong waved his hand, "It's your good fortune, old beggar just happened to be there and helped a little. You don't need to thank me."

At this moment, Su Yi's thoughts were clear. He had been hesitant before, but now he had no reservations. He said, "Seventh Master, I still think the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms are not suitable for me. If you were to teach me this palm technique, I would rarely use it, which would be a waste. You should find another successor for it!"

Hearing Su Yi's words, Hong Qigong was stunned, his eyes wide open in disbelief. After a long while, he couldn't help but sigh, "Young man, I don't know where you heard about the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, but why are you refusing so readily? The problem is... when did I say I was going to teach you this palm technique?"

"Ah?!" Su Yi was also surprised and asked, "But didn't you say you were going to teach me martial arts?"

"I didn't say I was going to teach you the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms!"

...

...

Su Yi immediately sat down in disappointment, realizing that he had been imagining things all along, and Hong Qigong had no intention of teaching him. His face turned red again, thinking, "Damn, this is so embarrassing, so self-delusional!"

Hong Qigong chuckled and explained, "The Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms are after all the palm technique of our Beggar Sect. Although I have completed it over the years, you are a disciple of the Quanzhen Sect. No matter how excellent you are, I cannot teach you this supreme palm technique, given the differences in sects."

Su Yi thought it made sense. Imagine a Quanzhen disciple, holding a sword, wearing a Taoist robe, with a graceful demeanor, reciting "Boundless Heaven" all the time... but when encountering an enemy, the first thing he does is throw the sword aside, then roll up his sleeves, and shout, "Repentance of the Dragon!"

The enemy would probably die from laughter before the first move was even over.

"However, since you misunderstood that I was going to teach you the palm technique and still refused..."

Hong Qigong's eyes became dangerous, his gaze fixed on Su Yi, "Do you look down on the Beggar Sect's signature technique so much?"

"Of course not, of course not..."

Su Yi shook his head like a rattle, quickly explaining, "I am well aware of the power of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, which is considered the best palm technique in the world. It's just that I prefer using a sword. The thought of such a precious palm technique being wasted in my hands makes me feel very sorry, so I naturally refused it subconsciously."

"Alright, you pass the test!"

Hong Qigong sighed, "Sigh... Back when the Five Greats of Central Plains fought at Mount Hua, old beggar had not yet completed the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, so I lost. If the competition had been delayed by a year or two, with this palm technique, the title of the First Under Heaven might not have gone to Chongyang. Thinking about it, I feel so不甘心. Wang Chongyang died too early, and old beggar lost a sparring partner, which is truly a pity!"

Su Yi couldn't help but sneer, thinking, "Forget the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, even if you had the Twenty-Eight Dragon Subduing Palms, you still wouldn't be a match for Wang Chongyang. The gap between you would only grow larger... After all, your path as an external expert has already reached its limit, while Wang Chongyang is still in the middle of his journey, with no end in sight!"

What a pity he died too early!

Thinking of Wang Chongyang, Su Yi couldn't help but feel angry. This guy died without leaving anything good for his disciples. The *Nine Yin True Scripture* was one thing, but the *先天功* was also excellent! Yet he passed it on to Dharma Master Yideng... Truly, he was favoring outsiders!

Neglecting his wife and neglecting his disciples, this guy was a complete scoundrel, no explanation needed!

"By the way, young man..." Hong Qigong suddenly asked, "When you were cultivating just now, old beggar felt a wave of heat even from a distance. The internal cultivation technique you are practicing is not simple! It doesn't seem to be the orthodox technique of the Quanzhen Sect, does it?"

Su Yi smiled slightly. There was no need to hide anything from this righteous and benevolent senior. He said, "By a stroke of luck, I obtained a secret manual called the *Nine Yang True Scripture*!"

"What?!!!"

Hong Qigong's face changed dramatically, greatly surprised...

In fact, he had just asked out of curiosity. Whether Su Yi answered or not, he wouldn't have taken it too seriously. But hearing the name... the name was too shocking, too evocative.

Back when the Five Greats of Central Plains fought for the *Nine Yin True Scripture* at Mount Hua, they battled for seven days and seven nights, and Wang Chongyang eventually won the divine technique. This was always a regret for Hong Qigong!

Who would have thought that he would now hear about another *Nine Yang True Scripture* from someone? Just the name alone suggested that it was a profound and supreme divine technique, no less impressive than the *Nine Yin True Scripture*!

Taking a deep breath, Hong Qigong said with a complex tone, "Young man, do you know how much bloodshed and chaos the *Nine Yin True Scripture* caused in the martial world? Now, you have the *Nine Yang True Scripture*. If people find out, it could cause another great disaster in the martial world! Remember, never reveal the name of your internal cultivation technique."

Su Yi smiled, "Of course, I'm not stupid. I would only tell you, Seventh Master. I wouldn't tell anyone else, no matter what."

"You, young man..." Hong Qigong shook his head, unable to stop laughing.

"Sigh..." Hong Qigong suddenly sighed, "Old beggar was thinking of teaching you the *Xiaoyao You* palm technique, but I didn't expect you to refuse even the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms. You probably wouldn't look at the *Xiaoyao You* either. Forget it, there's no need to talk about teaching techniques. With a supreme divine technique like the *Nine Yang True Scripture*, old beggar doesn't want to embarrass myself... Well, it's getting late. Old beggar hasn't eaten all day while protecting you. Young man, are you interested in having a few drinks?"

"Since Seventh Master is in the mood, I, as a junior, will naturally accompany you, no matter what!"

Su Yi hadn't eaten all day and was already starving. Hearing Hong Qigong's invitation, he naturally agreed with great enthusiasm!