Chapter 396: Chapter 395: Without the Colorful Phoenix Twin Wings (Lu Xiaoji asks for monthly ticket subscriptions)
The sunset in the distance was brilliant.
Ding!
"Congratulations to Host, on the 727th day of the mission, you successfully completed a System Task."
As the last major Devil Path organization in the eight states openly pledged their loyalty, the mechanical voice of the System echoed in Shi Xiaole’s mind as he wished.
The Devil Path organizations were usually governed by larger forces that controlled smaller forces in a pyramid-like hierarchy. Hence, as long as the Red Dragon Divine Palace took control of each major Devil path force in the eight states, theoretically it would control all the Devil Path in the eight states.
"According to the task prompt, the host will have a chance to randomly draw a first-rate martial arts technique and receive 3000 bonus points. Host, would you like to exchange immediately?"
"Moreover, a special reminder, the randomness of completing the task depends on the strength level in the Martial World where you reside. Therefore, the chance for the host to draw a lower-grade first-rate martial arts technique is ninety-five percent."
Shi Xiaole, upon hearing, frowned and then relaxed.
He thought, it was no wonder that he could never draw top tier martial arts so many times in the past. As it turned out, it had to do with the location.
"Can the drawing chance be temporarily retained until after I’ve left the eight states?"
This was a three-star mission, and he could at least draw a lower-grade first-rate martial arts technique. If he went to a place where the level of Martial Arts was higher and drew a middle-grade or top-tier martial arts technique, he would hit the jackpot.
"Yes, you can. But the drawing chance can only be kept for three days, after which it will be wasted!"
Shi Xiaole nearly spurted blood.
Three days! He didn’t even have enough time to leave Great Cold State.
Shaking his head, Shi Xiaole said: "Proceed with drawing immediately."
A square halo flickered non-stop between the stone walls on the third floor of the Martial God Hall, and it took a long time to settle.
Inwardly, Shi Xiaole prayed not to draw a lower-grade first-rate Inner Power technique. Otherwise, this valuable opportunity to draw would be completely wasted. Even if it came out as a sword technique or a fist technique, it would be fine.
Of course, it would be best if a sword technique was drawn. In that case, his strength should greatly improve.
The square halo flickered for about half an hour before finally stopping.
His gaze fixated on it.
"It’s this martial arts technique, which is not too bad."
Shi Xiaole showed a faint smile.
"Congratulations to Host for drawing the lower-grade first-rate finger technique, Lu Xiaofeng’s Spiritual Rhinoceros Finger Technique."
A ray of light entered Shi Xiaole’s brain, and the characters of the operation mantra of Spiritual Rhinoceros Finger Technique appeared.
Body without colorful phoenix wings, heart with one point of spiritual rhinoceros knowledge.
In the Martial World, there’s never been a weapon that the spiritual Rhinoceros Finger couldn’t block, regardless of whether it’s a knife, sword, spear, halberd, whip, spear, mace, or dart, none can break the defense of the Spiritual Rhinoceros Finger.
This is known as the unparalleled, invincible finger technique, which can defend from any angle even in the case of losing the first move and being unable to defend.
However, don’t underestimate the attack power of the Spiritual Rhinoceros Finger, few people know that its attack power and defensive power are equally outstanding, both of which are considered the world’s first finger!
As the creator of the Spiritual Rhinoceros Finger, Lu Xiaofeng’s genius could be seen. Even Ye Gucheng, the ’City Lord of the White Cloud City’ who was arrogant and conceded to no one, said that Lu Xiaofeng was the only martial arts genius he had seen in his life.
A question suddenly occurred to Shi Xiaole.
In the Imperial Forbidden City, had Lu Xiaofeng used his full strength when he used the Spiritual Rhinoceros Finger to grip Ye Gucheng’s sword, causing the latter to withdraw his sword quickly?
If yes, this confirmed that he could not grip Ye Gucheng’s sword. But it is also possible that Lu Xiaofeng, out of respect for Ye Gucheng’s dignity, deliberately loosened his grip.
From the perspective of Ye Gucheng, he was extremely arrogant, so having failed in his attempt to assassinate the emperor with a single sword stroke, he naturally wouldn’t strike a second time. Moreover, it was uncertain whether he had exerted all his strength into that sword stroke that tried to assassinate the emperor.
So can the Spiritual Rhinoceros Finger really hold the Outer Heaven Flying Immortal?
Taking Ximen Chuixue as a reference, before the Imperial Forbidden Battle, Lu Xiaofeng had repeatedly claimed that he couldn’t hold Ximen Chuixue’s sword, but this should be merely modesty.
Because at that time, Ximen Chuixue was not only inferior to Ye Gucheng, maybe even less outstanding compared to the Wood Taoist of Wudang. Let’s not forget, Lu Xiaofeng was able to hold the sword of the Wood Taoist!
After the Imperial Forbidden Battle, Ximen Chuixue’s swordsmanship truly reached a remarkable realm, perhaps even surpassing that of Ye Gucheng.
Rumor had it that Ximen Chuixue once challenged Lu Xiaofeng’s Spiritual Rhinoceros Finger, but there was no news about the outcome of that duel, and it remained a mystery to this day.
Therefore, it’s difficult to determine how strong the Spiritual Rhinoceros Finger really is.
However, no matter what, it’s a finger technique that combines attack and defense, perfect without any flaws, and unmatched in the world.
Once Shi Xiaole learned it, his offensive and defensive abilities would surely soar, and combined with sword technique, his abilities could truly be unparalleled in the eight states.
Faceless Divine Skill, due to its uniqueness, did not cause much difficulty for Shi Xiaole during cultivation.
However, the Spiritual Rhinoceros Finger was related to the strength of the mind. To a certain extent, the stronger the mind, the faster the finger technique, and the greater the power it could exert.
The strength of Shi Xiaole’s mind was immense.
After nearly a month of training, he finally cultivate the Spiritual Rhinoceros Finger to the point of near perfection.
Red Dragon Divine Palace, Red Dragon Platform.
This was a place where only Shi Xiaole could stand. It covered an area of 300 square meters, was 50 meters above sea level, was built with red glazed bricks, and was the highest point of the entire Red Dragon Divine Palace.
On the Red Dragon Platform, Shi Xiaole stood with his eyes slightly closed, letting the leaves from the distance fall onto him.
In a moment.
He threw the stone in his hand, fully activated the nearly complete Faceless Divine Skill, and forcefully pushed out with his left palm.
Boom!
No words can describe how terrifying that strike was.
A stone the size of a baby’s fist was shattered into numerous fine dust particles by the fierce wind, these particles then spread out in all directions at an extreme speed.
The middle and ring fingers of his right-hand came together, Shi Xiaole lightly pinched.
Something astonishing happened.
This dust, almost invisible to the naked eye, was mysteriously sucked in between his fingers by his internal power, forming an invisible barrier that could not be penetrated any further.
In the end, countless dust particles fused into a grain of sand, suspended in mid-air. As soon as Shi Xiaole loosened his fingers, they immediately dispersed and vanished without a trace.
"The speed the stone grain exploded just now was even faster than my sword speed. But unfortunately, some still managed to penetrate my finger’s defense."
With a light pat on his fine clothes, a layer of stone dust fell to the ground.
Honestly, the current Spiritual Rhinoceros Finger was rather powerful. After all, how many people in the martial arts circle across the eight provinces could be faster than Shi Xiaole’s sword?
But he was not satisfied yet.
People’s goals changed depending on their abilities.
Using Jade Fan Scholar and the Old Blind Man as imaginary enemies, Shi Xiaole could not be certain if his current Spiritual Rhinoceros Finger could withstand their full blows.
Moreover, he would sooner or later leave the eight provinces. The martial world out there is much more terrifying than here and his opponents would no longer be martial artists from the eight provinces.
Day by day.
Shi Xiaole gained insights on the Red Dragon Platform every day, and thanks to his exceptional will, he finally mastered the Spiritual Rhinoceros Finger in a month.
The final form of Spiritual Rhinoceros Finger was like a flexible and strong gate. As his fingers extended, no matter how swift the stone dust was, it couldn’t touch Shi Xiaole’s body.
At this step, his defensive power could be said to have reached an extremely horrifying scale. Although he hadn’t practiced any confrontational arts, he far surpassed many who have.
Of course, it won’t be easy to keep improving from here on. After all, top-notch martial arts are top-notch for a reason. They are formidable, but also extremely hard to comprehend.
If it were anyone else, let alone mastering the Spiritual Rhinoceros Finger in two months, they might not achieve it even in two years.
Red Dragon Grand Hall.
"Hail, Divine Monarch!"
High-level practitioners of the Devil Path such as Lan Tian, Huang Rong, Demon Marquis, and Eradicating Emotion Elder bowed in unison to Shi Xiaole, who sat at the end of the hall.
"You may rise, what is the matter today?"
As the master of the Devil Path, Shi Xiaole had a special set of clothes. However, not a fan of flamboyance, he simply wore a set of silk attire, exchanging his black cape for a red one.
"As per your instructions, Divine Monarch, we have been secretly developing our strength, accumulating power, and have not made any moves."
The Demon Marquis stepped forward and reported.
No doubt, the Demon Marquis was a very capable man, good at handling various affairs. That’s why Shi Xiaole directly appointed him as the Chief Steward of the Divine Palace, responsible for external combat.
The tasks such as procurement and personnel arrangement were given to another Chief Steward, Love Demon Huang Tianci.
Above the Chief Stewards, there were two prime ministers, Lan Tian and Huang Rong, mainly responsible for the safety of the Divine Palace and the deployment and command of the palace’s martial artists.
As for those renowned figures of Devil Path, Shi Xiaole didn’t give them any rights, but they could receive cultivation resources for free. They pretty much functioned as honorary elders and won’t step in unless there was a major issue that couldn’t be resolved.
Shi Xiaole nodded and asked, "Has there been any harm done to innocent people by our martial artists recently?"
The crowd in the hall lowered their heads.
The Love Demon stepped forward and said, "Divine Monarch, no such incidents have occurred under the charge of the ministers here."
Does that mean such incidents have happened elsewhere?
Shi Xiaole’s face remained calm.
Due to some martial arts of the Devil Path, many things are unavoidable. Shi Xiaole isn’t naive enough to think that simply because he has become the leader of the Devil Path, all members will harbor only righteousness and not harm the innocent.
There are too many organizations in the Devil Path. He simply couldn’t manage them all. Even the sunlight cannot reach every corner.
But Shi Xiaole would strive to work in this direction, doing whatever he can to reduce the harm done by the Devil Path to the martial world, especially innocent civilians.
Now, openly declaring and demanding the Devil Path to repent and turn to virtues was impossible and unrealistic. If he were to issue such a command, before long Shi Xiaole would likely be abandoned by the entire Devil Path.
"Everyone, I know that there is confusion, even dissatisfaction with my decision to remain passive."
Shi Xiaole said.
The crowd immediately refuted any such notions.
Ignoring the crowd, Shi Xiaole continued, "Have you ever wondered why our path has had such a tough time developing, unable to win the hearts of people? A path that promotes random killings, and is cruel and merciless, can never become the mainstream of the martial world."
"I know you don’t like to be restrained and have discarded the rules and regulations of the Righteous Path like a worn-out shoe. But I don’t seek to change you, I only have one requirement - don’t go to extremes in anything. Only by doing so, can we attract more talents to our path and not lag behind the Righteous Path."
"We will heed the Divine Monarch’s command."
The crowd bowed as one.
Looking at Shi Xiaole sitting majestically above, Demon Marquis sighed in his heart.
In fact, he had contemplated similar strategies, but at that time he wanted other people’s support, so he didn’t dare to reveal such an intention.
Only Shi Xiaole could fearlessly have everyone follow his ideas.
