Chapter 40

"《Ranpo Jiejiu》, 《Shi Hun》, 《Qingfeng》." Jiang Wei said without hesitation.

"These three secret manuals, the one I value the most is actually 《Qingfeng》. 《Qingfeng》 is an unparalleled technique of our Tianhuang Pavilion, only core disciples can learn it; once mastered, you can run as fast as the wind, and very few ghosts can catch up!" Elder Bai said, "Think about it, if you ever kick a hard stone and feel that the enemy is tough, at that moment, the secret technique for escaping becomes particularly important! As long as you run fast enough, no matter how strong the enemy is, they can only eat your dust; they can only stare helplessly, with no other options!"

"Ah—makes sense!" Jiang Wei's eyes lit up, "Master, you really think of everything! If you can fight, you fight; if you can't, you run. Before the battle even starts, you're already in an unbeatable position!"

"No, no, no!" Elder Bai shook his head, "In your future fighting career, you will definitely encounter hard stones that can run faster than you—when your strength is inferior to your opponent and you can't run away, what should you do then? Surrender? Be at their mercy? Or struggle in vain?"

Surrender? Be at their mercy? Struggle in vain?

Clearly, these were not the outcomes Jiang Wei wanted. But after thinking for a long time, Jiang Wei couldn't come up with a better strategy—after all, if the enemy has already surpassed you in strength, agility, and other attributes, what else can you do?

Elder Bai, however, smiled mysteriously: "At this moment, having a trump card is very important! If you have a trump card and the enemy doesn't, you have a complete chance of turning the tables and counter-killing!"

"Isn't a trump card just a form of strength?" Jiang Wei asked, puzzled.

"No!" Elder Bai shook his head with a smile, "A trump card must be hidden deeply, so deeply that even you don't realize it's your strength. That's what makes it a truly successful trump card! If you can even deceive yourself, others naturally won't know either!"

"How can you possibly deceive yourself?" Jiang Wei was very confused.

"There's a lot to it!" Elder Bai stroked his white beard, "However, hiding a trump card is a profound art, but it's just a small branch of the 'Fighting Studies'!"

"Fighting Studies?" Jiang Wei was surprised; he had never heard of such a discipline.

"Never heard of it, right? That's right—because it's a discipline I created myself, and I haven't mentioned it to many ghosts!" Elder Bai said, "As my direct disciple, I will definitely teach you the 'Fighting Studies'."

Elder Bai, with his sage-like demeanor, had been talking for a long time, but in simple terms, it was—since you're my disciple, I will definitely teach you how to fight!

"Ah..." Jiang Wei was stunned, clearly shocked by his master's words. But after careful thought, Jiang Wei also felt that his master was right—he was indeed learning how to fight now.

Elder Bai seemed to see through Jiang Wei's thoughts: "Do you think that my constant talk of fighting is very unrefined? That it doesn't match my sage-like appearance?"

"Um..." Jiang Wei nodded honestly.

"Your awareness is still too low. You're already a ghost, yet you still value appearance so much!" Elder Bai shook his head, "Who told you that an old man with white hair and a white beard can't talk about fighting?"

"Talking about fighting isn't very elegant..." Jiang Wei said.

"Then describe fighting elegantly!" Elder Bai smiled and looked at Jiang Wei.

"Ah..." Jiang Wei was taken aback; describing fighting elegantly was not an easy task.

"Fighting isn't an elegant thing, so why do you want to be elegant about it?" Elder Bai shook his head, "On the contrary, if you try to relate 'fighting' to 'appearance,' my appearance is actually the most suitable for fighting!"

"Why?" Jiang Wei asked.

"Because... don't you think my sage-like appearance gives people a sense of security? Once a fight starts, other ghosts won't have time to guard against me, and I can sneak attack them!" At this point, Elder Bai couldn't help but laugh smugly, "Not just me, but also your senior sister—her appearance is also excellent camouflage, easily making opponents underestimate or pity her! But you..." At this point, Elder Bai was slightly dissatisfied, "You look too ordinary. To be honest, just from your appearance, you are the least suitable for fighting! Your opponents won't underestimate you or pity you; so, before the fight even starts, they are already on guard against you!"

"Ah..." Jiang Wei was taken aback; listening to his master's analysis, it seemed to be true!

"You're already at a disadvantage from the start!" Elder Bai patted Jiang Wei's shoulder earnestly, "But don't be discouraged. Although your appearance isn't sleazy, you are valuable for your 'sleazy inner self'—and inner sleaziness is the most important quality in fighting! Many ghosts study for a lifetime and never grasp the essence of 'sleazy inner self'!"

"Ah!" Jiang Wei almost spat blood, "Master, when have I ever been sleazy inside?... I'm clearly very simple and good!"

"Ha ha!" Elder Bai responded with two words.

Jiang Wei wanted to argue, but no matter how he tried, Elder Bai only replied with two words— "Ha ha!"

This made Jiang Wei feel very "wronged," yet he had no power to appeal.

"What, not convinced?" Elder Bai asked with a smile, "Don't be unconvinced—your master has seen countless ghosts, and I can tell at a glance which ghosts are sleazy and which are not! The first time I saw you, your eyes already told me everything about your sleazy inner self!"

Jiang Wei was finally forced into silence.

"Right!" After a long digression, Elder Bai finally remembered the main issue, "I heard from Nian Luo that your cultivation of 《Ranpo Jiejiu》 is progressing very slowly?"

《Ranpo Jiejiu》?—Jiang Wei thought to himself, actually, I'm cultivating 《Zhushen Jue》! But Jiang Wei said, "It might be because my soul talent is too low, so my cultivation is very slow!" Jiang Wei dared not easily reveal such a big secret as 《Zhushen Jue》, or he might end up in trouble.

"That's probably the reason!" Elder Bai said after hearing this, "However, soul talent cannot be changed. With your current cultivation speed, even if you sit and cultivate 《Ranpo Jiejiu》, you might not achieve much before your yin life runs out!" Elder Bai looked at Jiang Wei for a moment before saying, "Dare to fight?"

"From a young age to now!" Jiang Wei said proudly.

In his previous life, as a member of the Wanxiang Sect, Jiang Wei had indeed experienced and witnessed many battles and struggles.