Chapter 56

Panting heavily, Zhuang Wudao took a long time to calm his breathing and emotions. Then, he caught a whiff of a maiden's subtle fragrance.

Following the source of the fragrance, he saw Beiting Wan'er sitting composedly by his bed. When she was still, the girl exuded a serene and elegant aura, a stark contrast to the capriciousness she displayed twenty days ago when they first met.

"You're awake?"

Beiting Wan'er smiled at Zhuang Wudao, "You called out 'Mother' several times in your dream. Are you missing your mother?"

Zhuang Wudao was slightly taken aback, but he noticed that Beiting Wan'er's tone was gentle and her eyes held a hint of sorrow, with no trace of mockery. Recalling that Beiting Wan'er had also lost her mother at a young age, he felt a sense of understanding. He wasn't sure why, but this time, his dream did not take place in the 'Sword Spirit' created dream space; instead, it was set over a decade ago.

However, his mother's past was a taboo subject for him, and he never spoke of it to others. He quickly changed the subject, "How many days have I been unconscious?"

Before he fainted from the poison, he knew it would take at least ten to fifteen days to recover.

"It's the third day. Not long after your poisoning, I invited a doctor from Huichun Hall on your behalf. Since you've already broken out in a sweat, most of the toxins should have been expelled. The doctor's skills are indeed impressive."

Beiting Wan'er's eyes grew deeper as she continued, "Zhuang Wudao, don't you think you owe me an explanation? How much of your true strength did you use on the ferry? Where did you learn the ancient techniques of the Six Harmonies Form and the Great Boulder Hand?"

Zhuang Wudao couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He had never intended to use the Great Boulder Hand and the Six Harmonies Form in front of others. Even though he had agreed to participate in the competition for the Beiting family, he had only planned to use the Bull Demon Yuanba Body as a foundation and incorporate some key techniques from the Great Boulder Hand and the Six Harmonies Form into the Dragon Subduing Tiger Taming Fist. He would only use these two supreme external techniques in dire situations.

Who would have thought that in just a few dozen days, such an incident would occur? The Gu Yue family had set up such a grand scheme to eliminate him.

Since he had already used them, he needed a reasonable explanation. Mastering three of the most advanced external techniques before the Qi Cultivation stage, and two of which were only known as incomplete and low-level techniques in the world, yet in his hands, they were vastly different, each comparable to the Armor-Piercing Sharp Finger. This was bound to raise suspicions.

Without much time to think, Zhuang Wudao smiled lightly, "In front of Miss Beiting, how could I dare to use my true strength? If you hadn't used the 'Thousand Cuts and Hundred Splits,' I was already prepared to admit defeat."

This was the truth. If he had the same strength on the ferry as he did now, he would still have hidden his true abilities, using only a fraction of his power. Losing would have been better to avoid being drawn into this turmoil.

"As for the Great Boulder Hand and the Six Harmonies Form, I, Zhuang Wudao, have no ancient lineage. I just felt that these two boxing techniques held deeper secrets and were not as simple as they seemed on the surface. So, I spent some time researching them. I have a photographic memory and have memorized most of the books in the library. By drawing on various sources and combining their strengths, I managed to restore some of the ancient techniques. Is that so strange?"

Using the ancient lineage as an explanation was the least suspicious. However, if someone were to investigate the origin of this 'ancient lineage,' how would he deal with it?

Ancient martial arts techniques would inevitably involve ancient immortal residences, which would bring him endless trouble. With the Sword Spirit Yun'er, he might learn more ancient techniques in the future, which would also be troublesome. Therefore, it was better to reinforce the impression of a martial arts genius from the start and claim that he had created them himself.

"You restored them yourself?"

Beiting Wan'er was half-believing, half-doubting, staring coldly at Zhuang Wudao. She saw that his eyes were sincere and calm, and he met her gaze without any sign of hesitation.

However, Beiting Wan'er knew that someone like Zhuang Wudao, who treated theft and robbery as daily routines, could speak lies as if they were truths, with a straight face and without blinking, making it impossible to detect any flaws.

She believed that he hadn't used his full strength on the ferry. Even for someone like Zhuang Wudao, who was an outsider, and even for the Beiting family's siblings, everyone would be cautious to avoid arousing her suspicions and bringing trouble upon themselves.

As for the two boxing techniques, Beiting Wan'er couldn't fully believe it. Could restoring the true essence of an ancient boxing technique be so simple?

If it were that easy, the southeastern region wouldn't be dominated by only the Lichen Sect.

The Yishan Sect and the Dongquan Palace were also not weak. The difference was the lack of complete and advanced techniques, which created a significant gap.

However, thinking about Zhuang Wudao's pseudo-mystical technique, the Dragon Seizing Power, which originally came from the Dragon Seizing Hand of the Zhenlong Temple, he had managed to grasp some of its true essence from the Dragon Subduing Tiger Taming Fist and combine it with the Bull Demon Yuanba Body to exert the Dragon Seizing Power, even surpassing the original. Saying that he could restore the ancient Six Harmonies Form and the Great Boulder Hand wasn't entirely unbelievable.

But Beiting Wan'er still had doubts.

"Is what you said true? You're not lying to me?"

"If you don't believe me, that's fine."

Zhuang Wudao smiled mischievously, "If your Beiting family wants to know the true nature of these two external techniques, you can have them for two Blood Essence Pills. I can write them down for you. However, they only include combat techniques, not body cultivation methods, which I haven't restored. Even the location of my pseudo-meridian point is more valuable, as it took me a lot of effort to open it."

Beiting Wan'er was taken aback. She was about to ask about Zhuang Wudao's pseudo-meridian point, but she didn't expect him to bring it up himself, with a calm and slightly impatient expression.

For a moment, she didn't know how to continue. She knew that no matter how much she pressed, she wouldn't get any more information. She grunted, "Keep it to yourself. The Beiting family has its own lineage and doesn't need your Six Harmonies Form or Great Boulder Hand. As long as you're not lying to me, that's fine!"

The Beiting family had a history of six to seven hundred years, existing even before Yuecheng, and had always operated the Songjiang waterway.

Over these centuries, they had collected fourteen advanced techniques, including two rare internal cultivation methods. They had also mastered three pseudo-meridian points that could be opened before the Qi Cultivation stage.

However, having the techniques was one thing; whether the disciples could master them was another.

If she hadn't had the guidance of a master from a young age and a good understanding, she wouldn't have been able to master the 'Armor-Piercing Sharp Finger' and open a pseudo-meridian point by the age of sixteen.

If it was difficult for her, it would be even more challenging for the other disciples with inferior aptitudes.

Although Beiting Wan'er was shocked by Zhuang Wudao's Great Boulder Hand and Six Harmonies Form, she had no intention of taking them.

Without body cultivation methods, only combat techniques were not highly valued. Not everyone could have a foundation like the Bull Demon Yuanba Body, which allowed any boxing technique to be performed with at least 70% of its power.

What truly caught her attention was Zhuang Wudao's pseudo-mystical technique.

"What is your mystical technique? How did you condense it?"

"The Dragon Subduing Tiger Taming Fist was originally inspired by the Dragon Seizing Power. At that time, I had a sudden insight and grasped some of the force patterns of the Dragon Seizing Power. However, I hadn't received the proper lineage, so my capturing power was still insufficient. Later, I thought of magnets. If capturing power is what we're talking about, the magnetic force of the earth can also achieve this. Combining this with the shock force of the Tiger Subduing Fist and the Great Boulder Hand—"

Seeing that Beiting Wan'er had finally let this topic go, Zhuang Wudao breathed a sigh of relief.

He had just recovered from his poisoning, and speaking so much had already made him slightly tired.

"I named this mystical technique 'Dragon Seizing Tiger Shocking.' It should be unique in this world. At that time, I just wanted to prevent Mr. Mo and Feng San from escaping. There's also the Fire Butterfly technique, which can be controlled from two hundred feet away without needing to get close. If I encounter a similar situation in the future, I need a way to counter it—"

At this point, Zhuang Wudao suddenly felt a slight movement in his heart and looked at Beiting Wan'er up and down in surprise, "Do you want to learn it?"

His tone was not a question but a confirmation, with a hint of disbelief.

"Why not?" Beiting Wan'er's expression was calm, and her posture was as still as a Buddha.

There were only a few techniques in the world that could counter long-range spells. Besides the Dragon Seizing Power, there were only a few others, such as the 'Primordial Qi Great Seizing Hand' and the 'Yin-Yang Limitless Heaven Hand.' Other techniques with capturing power were numerous but less effective.

Zhuang Wudao's 'Dragon Seizing Tiger Shocking' was, at this point, on par with any of them. If she could learn it, it would greatly benefit her.

"Remember, you're not much younger than me. The Dragon Subduing Tiger Taming Fist and the Bull Demon Yuanba Body cannot be mastered in a short time. If you delay your cultivation for this, it might not be worth it."

"I never said I would learn it before the Qi Cultivation stage. I can also learn it after the Qi Cultivation stage."

"True! I can teach you, but the ceremony of becoming a disciple cannot be skipped. If the thanks are insufficient, don't blame me for keeping my treasures to myself."

Zhuang Wudao smiled and then became serious, "You've asked so many questions. Now it's my turn. What's the situation outside? What's happening with the Lichen Sect's opening of the mountain and accepting disciples? What's the real reason that has made the Yuecheng noble families so eager?"

Beiting Wan'er raised an eyebrow, as if she had expected Zhuang Wudao to ask. She had no intention of hiding anything.

"What else can it be? The Iron Knife Society has been completely dismantled and swallowed whole by your Sword Garment Hall. My uncle has already held the Lei Long Gang accountable, forcing Shen Quan to hand over a street as compensation. Gu Yue Tianfang has invited the Southern General to mediate, and the matter has been settled. Now, Yuecheng is calm. As for you, Zhuang Wudao, you have already made a name for yourself in Yuecheng. Your Sword Garment Hall has become one of the major gangs in Yuecheng. As for the Lichen Sect—"

Beiting Wan'er paused, "About two months ago, the Lichen Sect announced that Elder Hongfa, Qi Chen, has achieved the infant stage and become the fourth Yuan Shen realm cultivator of the Lichen Sect!"