I Can Copy the Talents of All Creatures

Chapter 230: Chapter 171: Golden Reappearance

"Alright, count me in. Since I was late, I’ll be the one to book the Determination Platform! Does anyone have a suggestion for the time?"

Zhang Xunyi quickly suggested, "Let’s make it ten days from now!" He estimated that his Void Wind Shadow Sword would be perfected by then, which would be the greatest boost to his combat strength.

In the time between the Celestial Pride Positioning Competition and the start of school, Zhang Xunyi’s strength hadn’t increased much, with no qualitative changes. Yu Fei, however, had broken through to a new major realm. The difference in their realms had shrunk, which paradoxically meant the gap in their actual combat strength had widened.

Only after perfecting his Void Wind Shadow Sword and achieving a fundamental breakthrough in combat strength would he challenge Yu Fei. Otherwise, it would be asking for humiliation.

The expert duo didn’t mind, and Yu Fei and his group had no objections, so the matter was settled.

As the few of them were chatting idly, a distant, timeless bell suddenly rang out. Everyone’s expression unconsciously turned solemn as they stood up in an orderly line.

The toll of the bell seemed to cleanse the soul. As the sound entered their ears, their minds became clear and pure, and all distracting thoughts vanished without a trace. Each of them became lost in their own thoughts and insights regarding the Martial Dao.

Just then, Li Jueyin suddenly stepped forward, crossed the stone steps, and walked toward the Great Hall of Returning to Truth.

About an hour later, Li Jueyin emerged. She wore a joyful expression, looking as if she had gained a great deal.

Looking at the few stunned people, Li Jueyin gave a small wave of farewell, then departed, leaving the Gui Zhen Dojo.

She had been the last to arrive, yet she was the first to receive guidance.

Afterward, clarity returned to the eyes of the expert. He seemed to have been notified and also headed toward the Great Hall of Returning to Truth.

Apparently, Tang Lihui didn’t plan to see them all at once, but rather to meet and guide them individually.

The expert took a bit longer. This was mainly because after the advent of super-powered weapons, fewer people practiced cultivation techniques involving thrown weapons. This didn’t mean such techniques were weak; thrown weapons still posed a powerful threat in mid-range martial combat.

After the expert left, a gentle voice sounded beside Yu Fei’s ear. "Come."

Clarity appeared in his eyes as he feigned coming back to his senses, then ascended the stone steps.

In truth, Yu Fei had woken up shortly after the bell rang, but remembering how he had once let his guard down in front of Honglian, he was unwilling to reveal his unique nature.

These high-realm Martial Artists were extremely sharp, with astonishing powers of perception. To this day, he still didn’t know how Honglian had discovered his secret and had chosen to observe him while he was upgrading his talent.

Just as he entered the great hall, he saw Mr. Tang standing in the center. He was dressed in ancient-style clothing: an elegant green robe, his temples frosty as snow, and his posture as straight as a pine.

The walls of the great hall were adorned with countless Martial Dao maxims, and behind him hung a ’Dao’ character nearly ten feet tall.

This masterful calligraphy was clearly the work of a single person. The style blended strength and gentleness, with brushstrokes like branches sprouting from bamboo nodes. Yu Fei didn’t understand calligraphy, but he could feel a conceptual resonance of the Unity of Heaven and Man enveloping the entire hall, and his mind couldn’t help but grow calm.

"You must be Yu Fei! A fine young man. I am Tang Lihui, your Martial Dao instructor."

Tang Lihui’s voice was gentle. He held an ancient scroll in his hand, and with the sunlight pouring through the window to fall upon him and purple smoke curling from a censer nearby, he seemed less like an eighth-realm Martial Dao Grandmaster and more like an old teacher from a rural, ancient-era private school.

Yu Fei blinked, stunned for a moment, but reacted at once. He clasped his hands and bowed, performing a common traditional salute to match the atmosphere.

"Student Yu Fei greets you, Teacher!"

He forcefully suppressed the confusion in his heart, not letting a hint of it show. He remained in his deep bow and heard Mr. Tang take two steps forward, the crisp sound of his ancient-style shoes echoing on the green flagstones.

Tang Lihui gently propped him up with his right hand, his voice as warm and mellow as the gentle chime of a jade plate. "There’s no need for such ceremony. I simply enjoy the ancient style, that’s all. You young people should be more casual. As long as you maintain your vitality, that’s what matters."

Yu Fei then rose and stood his ground. "Thank you, Teacher!"

Tang Lihui shifted the scroll to his right hand and looked Yu Fei up and down with a smile. "I saw your performance in the Celestial Pride Positioning Competition. It was excellent. Among those with the aptitude of a celestial pride, you were able to repeatedly defeat opponents of higher realms and often seize the initiative in battle. That is very rare."

Yu Fei replied humbly, "You praise me too much, Teacher!"

"I wonder, what cultivation techniques are you practicing now? Since I am your Martial Dao instructor, and I have managed to gain some meager attainments on the path of the Martial Dao, I can offer you some guidance. Perhaps I can help you avoid a few detours."

This was said with extreme humility. As a Martial Dao Grandmaster from Shenhan University assigned to instruct a generation of S-rank celestial prides, his ability to nurture Martial Artists surpassed even that of most Martial Saints. A great teacher is hard to find, and Tang Lihui was considered one of the top Martial Dao instructors in the Yu Kingdom.

Yu Fei immediately began to list all the cultivation techniques he had ever practiced.

"As a first-realm student, I practiced the introductory Tribulation Sword techniques, the [Cyan Lotus Sword Seal] and the [Green Lotus Sword Nourishing Skill]. At the Blood Gate, I used the Secret Technique [Heart Furnace Lotus Planting Skill] to achieve my Tribulation Sword Dao Foundation."

There was no need to mention the Ox Subduing Pile Skill or the Six Harmonies Killing Fist, as every celestial pride would have certainly mastered those two cultivation techniques to the point of perfection.

"In the second realm, I cultivated the [Taiwei Profound Origin Pillar] to the perfection stage. I also perfected the Body Technique [Three Powers Step]. In swordsmanship, I practice a set of the Nameless Foundational Sword Technique gifted to me by Grandmaster Kong Sheng of Yuqing. For my Iron Body Skill, I practice the [Pure Yang True Body], which has now reached the grand completion stage.

Currently, I am practicing an enhanced version of the [Circulation Divine Vein Scripture] and am in the process of strengthening my extrameridian acupoints and the twelve divergent meridians.

My [Void Wind Shadow Sword] has reached the minor completion stage. I have a premonition that the phantom Sword Intent I will form in the future may differ from traditional Sword Intent, because when I achieved my Tribulation Sword Dao Foundation, I comprehended three Sword Intent characteristics on my own: [Sharpness], [Solidity], and [Illusion].

I also have the [Tribulation Sea Sword Lotus Transformation Skill] and the [Tribulation Sea Formless Cutting Intent Scripture], which were gifted to me by my teacher, but they can only be practiced in the Inner Qi Realm.

For the [Tribulation Sea Formless Cutting Intent Scripture], my teacher said I must find a method to purify Evil Qi before I can cultivate it, otherwise I risk suffering from cultivation deviation.

...

That is the sum of this student’s learning. I ask for the teacher’s guidance!"

The young man’s voice was clear, vigorous, and unassumingly remarkable, like that of a pure seeker of the Dao. He had unhesitatingly laid his entire foundation bare.

After speaking, Yu Fei bowed deeply once more and held the position. In truth, he was on the verge of losing his composure and had to use the gesture to conceal it.

He appeared calm and collected, neither servile nor overbearing, but inside, Yu Fei’s mind was a raging tempest. He didn’t dare let a single stray thought surface as he forcibly calmed his spirit.

’He normally kept his Reversing Destiny Vision active at all times. Firstly, he was afraid of missing any ordinary animals that possessed innate talents, as their abilities often had special effects. Secondly, the Reversing Destiny Vision possessed an extremely high-priority detection capability, like how it had spotted the red jewel that had been following him not long ago.’

’The moment he entered the Great Hall of Returning to Truth today, he first noticed that there was no jewel of any kind above his instructor, Tang Lihui. Behind his instructor, however, hovered a brilliant golden jewel.’

’And right now, the owner of that golden jewel was standing less than a meter to his left. Dust motes floated in the air before him and to his left—it was clearly empty space, but someone was there.’

’Yu Fei truly didn’t understand. He had been keeping a low profile and staying out of trouble ever since entering Shenhan University. He clearly hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary, so how could someone have discovered him?’

’In his mind’s eye, the instructor’s smile was gentle, and large purple characters floated above his head—apparently, the school’s smart core was telling him that this was the real Tang Lihui. But the feedback from the Reversing Destiny Pearl indicated that no one was there.’

The golden jewel circled Yu Fei once, its owner clearly sizing him up from head to toe.

His [Insight] talent relayed no information; he couldn’t sense any goodwill or malice from the other party.

This made Yu Fei’s heart race with panic. He could only pretend to be completely oblivious. Fortunately, as a third-realm Martial Artist, he had already completed the tempering of his physical body. He had complete control over the fluctuations of his own Qi and Blood and wouldn’t betray himself with any micro-expressions or physical abnormalities.

The golden jewel then slowly came to a halt beside the false Instructor Tang Lihui, remaining motionless.

Because of this terrifying scene, coupled with the lesson learned from Honglian, he didn’t dare to hide a single one of his cultivation techniques. These old monsters were all too sharp, and their minds ran unfathomably deep.