Chapter 150: Chapter 150: Dragon Tendon Grass, Iron Bone Sect
"He actually blocked it?"
"What kind of sword move is this?"
The pace of all the elders abruptly halted.
They had already overestimated Shi Xiaole as much as possible, only to discover that the latter still had a lethal ace up his sleeve. This constant sense of surprise left them at a loss for words.
What made them even more stunned was that the person causing this confusion was a young lad under the age of twenty.
"Second Senior Brother."
Wu Zhiqiu and Lv Tian looked at Shi Xiaole in shock, and quickly ran over to help Li Zhongtian back onto his feet. His face was pale, not because his injuries were severe, but because the blow to his ego was immense.
"Was that sword technique you used just now something you created yourself?"
Because killing techniques are often extreme and lack continuity, Li Zhongtian could easily identify it.
Seeing Shi Xiaole nod, he couldn’t resist asking, "What is this technique called?"
This question left Shi Xiaole speechless because he hadn’t thought about it either. After contemplating for a while, he replied, "Let’s call it, Landslide and Water Split."
This technique, though originating from the Taiyue Three Green Peaks, transcends it by embodying the elements of danger to the fullest, presenting a true depiction of the mountains and rivers.
"Landslide and Water Split? What a good name, haha..."
Li Zhongtian laughed loudly, but quietly a tear slid down his cheek.
He lost. He lost against Shi Xiaole.
He wasn’t so upset about losing to Shangguan Yan, as she was a year older than him and was the object of his secret crush.
Losing to Shi Xiaole, Li Zhongtian thought he would break down, but instead he felt a profound sense of relief. Someone who can combine a killing technique and sentiment this well is a genius who obviously far surpasses him - so is it really strange to lose to him?
"How many more tricks do you have up your sleeve?"
Shangguan Yan mumbled to herself.
Thinking back to when she first met Shi Xiaole, the image of the youth in the green robe in front of her changed. It seems like there is a layer of mystery between him and the outside world, the more you investigate, the more unfathomable he becomes.
"I must find a way to fully draw this child into the Will Sect."
Shangguan Xing was cranking his gears.
Initially, he only saw Shi Xiaole as a top talent, hoping to have a good relationship with him but it wouldn’t matter much if not. Now, things have changed. Shi Xiaole’s talents are quite possibly on par with those top talents.
"Humph!"
The Grand Elder glared, seeing Li Zhongtian’s stupefied look, subconsciously wanting to scold Shi Xiaole; however, the latter did not do anything out of line, which left him speechless.
The key point was, even the Grand Elder was drawn to Shi Xiaole’s talents, wondering how wonderful it would be if they could draw him into the Left Sect.
...
Two days have passed since the incident at the Inspiration Bridge.
During these two days, Shi Xiaole has been staying in his room practicing the technique of Landslide and Water Split over and over again until there was nothing left to improve on.
"With my current strength, if I were to employ the Landslide and Water Split technique, the majority of the Qi Absorption Stage 6 masters would not be able to withstand it."
Shi Xiaole surmised to himself.
One’s combat power is determined through comparison.
Take Li Zhongtian for example. His internal power is not weaker than that of the typical peak sixth rank Qi Absorption Stage practitioner, and since he has practised a second-rate lower-grade sword technique, his skill certainly surpasses theirs.
Because the Landslide Water Split technique could overcome him, this proved that Shi Xiaole’s overall strength was also greater than that of the conventional peak sixth rank Qi Absorption practitioner.
However, can it compare with the practitioners at the seventh rank in Qi Absorption?
It’s hard to say.
From the seventh rank in the Qi Absorption Stage, a martial practitioner’s movements are no longer constrained by their Qi energy and the practitioner’s internal power can be expelled from their body.
Although Shi Xiaole, through the Purple Light Divine Skill, can achieve short-term expulsion of internal power, there is a significant gap when compared to ground-breaking practitioners in the seventh Qi absorption stage.
Firstly, the power cannot surpass it.
The gap between the sixth and seventh Qi Absorption Stages is as significant as the gap between the Hidden Qi Realm and Qi Absorption Realm. One can become a prominent master in the martial world by crossing it, but if he fails to cross it, he will always wander at the bottom.
Secondly, it cannot match the duration.
For practitioners at the Qi Absorption Rank Seven, the expulsion of internal power is just a common skill that they can use at will.
In other words, if you cannot withstand their internal power, you can’t even get close to them, let alone defeat them?
In fact, most of the practitioners at Qi Absorption Level 6 in the Jianghu cannot defeat practitioners at Qi Absorption Level 7, unless the former’s internal skills and method quality are stronger than the latter.
For low-level Qi Absorption practitioners to beat high-level Qi Absorption practitioners, it’s rare and there aren’t many rumors about it.
Shi Xiaole has not yet met a genuine Qi Absorption Rank 7 practitioner in battle, so he doesn’t know the specific gap. But he had a feeling that he probably couldn’t compare.
Sheathing his Qingfeng Sword and heading out, Shi Xiaole started to wander around the Will Sect casually.
"Look quickly, it’s him."
"Brother Shi has arrived."
Along the way, he met many disciples from the Will Sect, talking amongst themselves. And even more girls, blushing as they continuously checked out Shi Xiaole.
"Brother Shi is really handsome."
"I heard that he defeated the Second Senior Brother a few days ago, I wonder if it’s true or not."
There’s no wall in the world that can’t let wind through, and with no intention to hide, the incident at the edge of the cliff ultimately spread throughout the Will Sect. As of now, saying that Shi Xiaole was the most talked-about name in the Will Sect was no exaggeration.
Men were full of admiration, while women were brimming with curiosity.
"It seems, I should leave as soon as possible."
Seeing everyone’s reactions, Shi Xiaole secretly thought.
He had no intention of getting entangled with the Will Sect any further.
The two sides had hardly any affection for each other to begin with. Moreover, Shi Xiaole was worried that the vast amount of martial arts he possessed could attract the covetous gaze of certain individuals.
One must not harbor harmful intentions, but one must also guard against the harmful intentions of others.
There were not many people in this world that Shi Xiaole could trust.
The next day.
"Sect Master, Young Hero Shi has left."
In the Will Sect guest hall, a man reported to Shangguan Xing, offering a salute.
There was only one mountain road leading out of the Will Sect, so no matter how cautious Shi Xiaole was, he couldn’t avoid being discovered. Especially since he was marked as a key person to keep an eye on.
"Alas! He still doesn’t trust me."
Hearing this, Shangguan Xing couldn’t help but shake his head with a bitter smile.
He genuinely had no intention of coveting Shi Xiaole’s martial arts. After all, the Will Sect was a renowned upright sect and couldn’t casually do such things.
Furthermore, he vaguely felt that the other party still had hidden cards up his sleeve.
To be honest, this was the first time in all his years that Shangguan Xing felt a complex mix of admiration and apprehension towards a young man.
"Warn certain individuals not to harbor any ill intentions, or don’t blame me for being rude! Also, you can tactfully spread the relationship between Shi Xiaole and the Will Sect."
At the end of his words, Shangguan Xing revealed a faint smile.
The so-called striking first is the strongest.
A person like Shi Xiaole, as long as there are no accidents, has a promising future. May as well take advantage of the present situation and associate his name with the Will Sect, once it’s spread in the Martial World, they may be able to ride the momentum.
Anyway, technically speaking, it wouldn’t be wrong to call him a disciple of the Will Sect.
...
On the official road, a rider clad in a green robe kicked up dust with his horse, leaving the scenery behind him.
"My cultivation has advanced too quickly, causing my body to lag behind, which in turn restricts further breakthroughs in my cultivation level. I need to purchase some herbs that enhance physical strength."
The pressing matter in front of Shi Xiaole was to follow up on the clues about his parents. However, this matter involves the Revenge Gathering, so he decided to hold off on it for now.
With his current strength, a collision with any one of the three major gangs in Qingxue State would leave him utterly destroyed.
So after considering all factors, the most prudent course of action at present was to enhance his physique in order to avoid restrictions on his cultivation.
Before long, his fast horse entered Will City.
At the Dark Alley in Will City, people from the Martial World came and went.
After asking around, Shi Xiaole decided to purchase Dragon Tendon Grass in the Dark Alley.
This grass greatly benefits the physique. It is said that after ingestion, it enhances the toughness of the tendons and bones, and significantly expands the human body’s limit for physical endurance.
Most importantly, Dragon Tendon Grass takes effect very quickly, unlike many other herbs that only show effects when combined with the horizontal practice martial arts, making it popular among martial artists.
However, this grass is extremely precious, with a market price of more than 20,000 taels of silver per plant, not something everyone can afford.
"Young man, you are late. The grass has already been bought by someone else."
At the corner of the street, an old man said with a smile.
In front of him were a series of potted medicinal herbs, all of which were things that can enhance the physique, but they were all herbs that only the Horizontal Practice Martial Artists could use and were not of much use to ordinary martial artists.
In the Grand Wuxia System, there were quite a few horizontal practice martial arts. However, Shi Xiaole had no plans to go in this direction.
After all, internal and external power were two distinctly different paths, and it was already extremely difficult to train one to the extreme. Attempting to train both could very likely result in a loss outweighing the gain.
It’s not like swordsmanship or knife skills, where the difference is merely in the methods. Internal and external power are fundamentally different in terms of training, having a qualitative difference.
Feeling a tinge of disappointment, Shi Xiaole couldn’t help but ask, "Old man, do you know of any other places that sell Dragon Tendon Grass?"
"To be honest with you, young man, the production of Dragon Tendon Grass is very limited each year. It’s rarely seen even in the Dark Alley. If you don’t mind the trouble, you can try looking in other cities."
As the old man said this, he seemed to remember something and smacked his head, "I forgot to mention, every year when the Dragon Tendon Grass matures, the Iron Bone Sect harvests some for exchange with their fellow martial artists. Looking at the date, this year’s exchange day should be coming soon. You might want to consider going to the Iron Bone Sect."
Iron Bone Sect?
Shi Xiaole recalled that this sect was one of the few horizontal practice sects in the Floating River Area, and it was a top-tier sect with exceptional strength. They had produced numerous masters in horizontal practice martial arts.
However, he wasn’t familiar with this exchange day. It seemed that he needed to gather more information.
After thanking the old man, Shi Xiaole turned and left.
The Iron Bone Sect was located outside Zhongshan City, about several thousand miles from Will City. After several days of hard riding, Shi Xiaole managed to arrive just before the exchange day.
"Gentlemen, those interested in exchanging for Dragon Tendon Grass, please follow me."
On the open space outside the Iron Bone Sect, a high-ranked martial artist from the sect called out and led the crowd through twists and turns to a courtyard enclosed by four walls.
All the way, Shi Xiaole didn’t forget to observe carefully.
Perhaps because of their practice of horizontal martial arts, the buildings of the Iron Bone Sect were mostly made of grey stone. Various complex training equipment could be seen everywhere, and from time to time, people could be heard shouting loudly, as if ringing a huge bell.
