The explanation of this North-East Divine Fist seems to have some depth.
Sun Biao continued, “Normally, we wouldn’t give you such an advanced technique. The better the technique, the harder it is to master in a short time.”
“But if you manage to learn it, your strength evaluation might improve.”
“Is there a chance I could jump straight from two-star to five-star?” Shen Ye asked.
“No way. That’s just wishful thinking,” Sun Biao chuckled.
Shen Ye fell silent.
—Teacher Sun, you’re looking at a dreamer right now.
Who would have thought that after learning Frost Moon Shocking Heaven, his Heavenly Eye would activate, instantly elevating his evaluation to five stars?
Heavenly Eye…
Is it really that powerful?
He wanted to ask Sun Biao but wasn’t familiar enough with him and feared raising suspicion.
What if he belonged to another noble family—
Forget it. I’ll ask Xiao Mengyu about it later.
Seeing Shen Ye stay silent, Sun Biao, not wanting to dampen the student’s enthusiasm, encouraged him:
“Jumping from one-star to two-star in one go already shows great potential.”
“So go ahead and choose. These are all good options.”
Shen Ye spoke up, “I’ll take the North-East Divine Fist.”
“You’ve got a keen eye. This fist technique is the most powerful one,” Sun Biao said with a smile.
“Will we really have to fight in the exam?” Shen Ye asked.
“The exam changes every year, and there are always multiple stages. Some just require touching a crystal ball, while others involve survival tasks—”
“But there’s always at least one combat-related challenge, so you should prepare.”
“Understood,” Shen Ye nodded.
“Alright, I’ll demonstrate the North-East Divine Fist. Watch closely.”
“Yes.”
Shen Ye absentmindedly watched the demonstration.
He allocated all his attribute points to Comprehension, raising it to 14.
With this level of comprehension, the North-East Fist seemed as easy as child’s play.
So—
If I run into that otherworldly deity’s technique again, how do I counter it?
Damn it.
Who the hell left this technique on me?
There were two suspects.
One was the undead leader from the Nightmare World.
The other was the dark shadow that appeared when he killed the Skinner.
But just knowing this wasn’t enough!
How do I remove it?
His schedule was packed during the day. That meant he could only go to the Nightmare World at night—
No.
There’s a banquet tonight, and after that, the exam begins.
It’ll have to wait.
Next time I enter the Nightmare World, I’ll see if that voice appears again.
According to what it said, by mastering four techniques, I activated Frost Moon Shocking Heaven and Moonlit Divine Reflection.
It should know more.
I need to ask it.
…
4:30 PM.
The corporate training session ended.
Shen Ye took out his phone and dialed Xiao Mengyu.
“Hello?”
“Where are you? I’ll come find you.”
“Gymnasium, still at Hall 9. Enter with password 999.”
“Got it.”
Fifteen minutes later.
Shen Ye arrived at the gymnasium.
As he was about to walk in, he noticed a skinny old man standing at the entrance, leaning against the wall with a cane.
The old man held a dirty-looking bowl.
“Young man, spare some change?”
The old man spoke.
Shen Ye patted himself down but found nothing except a piece of chewing gum.
“Sorry, I don’t have cash. Here, have some gum instead.”
He tossed the gum into the bowl and walked forward.
Suddenly.
Something flickered in his vision.
Shen Ye twisted his body sharply, flipping multiple times to dodge seven or eight afterimages before landing steadily ten meters away.
At that moment—
Moonlit Deer Step was no more. It had merged into Frost Moon Shocking Heaven, becoming even more fluid, elegant, and seamless.
—Flowing Moon!
Shen Ye focused his gaze.
The old man had a fiery-red longsword resting on his shoulder.
But the sword was still sheathed.
It seemed to waver between the tangible and intangible, emitting a faint firelight that distorted the surrounding space.
Shen Ye’s expression hardened.
—Another one of these things.
If not for Moonlit Divine Reflection, he wouldn’t have been able to see it at all.
“Sigh, I’m getting old, no longer sharp. A youngster can dodge my attack so easily,” the old man sighed.
Shen Ye sneered, “You’re not old at all. You’re fresh—freshly shameless, relying on sneak attacks.”
He kept his eyes warily on the flaming longsword.
“Hm?”
The old man looked surprised.
He glanced at the sword on his shoulder, then back at Shen Ye, and suddenly lifted it.
Shen Ye’s gaze followed instinctively.
“You can see it?” the old man blurted out.
“No shit—old bastard, I kindly gave you gum, and you repay me with a sneak attack?” Shen Ye snapped.
“I saw you hanging around a certain young lady from a prestigious family instead of focusing on your training, so I thought I’d teach you a lesson,” the old man said with a complex expression.
“You mean Xiao Mengyu? We’re both from the martial world; social status doesn’t mean much. Besides, she and I are battle-forged companions. It’s not as dirty as you think,” Shen Ye retorted.
Then his pupils shrank.
Earlier, the old man had been leaning against the wall, so his status entry had been hidden.
Now, he could clearly see the text above his head:
Lihuo Star Lord.
Recently broke through and received this title from the Law Realm.
No further explanation.
—Is the power gap too large?
“Hey, this is Yunshan Port. You can’t just do as you please. Killing people is illegal, you know? Kunlun is watching you,” Shen Ye shouted.
The old man chuckled.
In a flash, he appeared beside Shen Ye, grinning.
“I don’t kill, but liars must be punished!”
The longsword remained sheathed as it thrust toward Shen Ye.
—Direct hit!
But the old man immediately twisted aside to block.
The Shen Ye he struck was only a illusion—his real body had shifted to the old man’s side, both hands crackling with lightning as he struck forward—
Thunder Shock!
A thunderous explosion erupted.
Cracks spread across all four walls of the corridor.
Shen Ye was sent flying back but quickly regained his stance.
The old man remained where he was, glancing at the lightning still crackling along the blade of his sword before looking at Shen Ye again, his expression slightly changed.
“That move was pretty good,” the old man praised.
“Of course, it was,” Shen Ye replied.
No kidding.
That was a Thunder Palm at triple power!
“Hey, kid, just how many points do you have in Strength?” the old man asked, staring at him.
“Take a guess,” Shen Ye said.
The old man mused, “Ten? No… more than that… Your Agility is also high, your techniques are impressive… and you’ve even activated the Heavenly Eye…”
“You know about the Heavenly Eye?” Shen Ye immediately asked.
“You awakened it yourself, yet you don’t know?” the old man countered.
“I do, but what exactly is the Heavenly Eye?” Shen Ye pressed further.
“Hmph, go ask the experts in your Mortal Martial Arts Group. As for me, I’m off to collect debts elsewhere,” the old man said.
With a flicker of his body, he transformed into a gust of wind and vanished through the corridor, soaring high into the sky.
Shen Ye froze for a moment before shouting,
“Hey—!”
But the old man was already gone.
He just exchanged a few moves and then ran off?
Who the hell was that old man?
Shen Ye was filled with doubt.
Outside Yunshan Port.
A massive airship hovered in the clear blue sky.
Sploosh!
A figure plunged into the swimming pool atop the airship, swam a few strokes, then emerged, wrapped a towel around himself, and sat down on a lounge chair.
Behind him stood two rows of people, all silent.
Only one other elderly man, slightly hunched, let out a light cough and spoke:
“Master, Yunshan Port has granted us docking permission. Should we send someone immediately to retrieve the young lady?”
The old man yawned, picked up the phone on the table, sent a message, then casually tossed it aside.
“Let’s go.”
“You mean dock immediately?” the man behind him asked.
“No, we’re heading to the South Qiong Golden Coast. Sunshine, beaches, fresh watermelons, and plenty of old-timers like me enjoying cold beer at the bars, reminiscing about the past.”
“I really do love the ocean.”
“Set off at once.”
The old man mumbled lazily.
“But—what about the young lady?” someone behind him asked in shock.
“I’m already old, I can’t be bothered with the younger generation anymore. Let her be,” the old man said, putting on his sunglasses.
A middle-aged man anxiously interjected, “But the Zhao family is pressing us. If we delay any further, they might—”
The old man waved his hand through the air.
With a sudden explosion of blood, the middle-aged man was sent flying, crashing into the airship’s rear flagpole, where he twitched a few times before dying.
“A sword talent like Little Fish, and instead of nurturing her, you want to sell her off as some concubine?”
“Her future would be ruined. Even if she did achieve something, she would only harbour resentment toward our Luo family.”
“Since when did we start offering our most talented descendants to be trampled on by others?”
“Oh, right—ever since you lot took control and started handling family affairs.”
“You’re good at scheming, but don’t you understand? The more you cling to others, the more they see your weakness. They’ll drain your blood, eat your flesh, and then still point at your corpse and say—”
“‘Look, the Luo family has truly fallen.'”
The old man muttered as he randomly pointed at a few people.
Those individuals immediately fell to their knees, faces pale and drenched in cold sweat.
“From now on, no one is allowed to contact the outside world. Now get to work—I’m going to the beach.”
The old man snorted.
Everyone turned and hurriedly withdrew.
Only the old man remained by the pool.
A while later—
The sound of soft snoring came from the lounge chair.
The airship slowly shifted direction, heading toward the distant South Qiong Golden Coast.
The old man slept soundly, turning over comfortably as he mumbled:
“Within the Eyes of the Mountains and Rivers, within the Body of the World.”
“Tsk tsk, a Heavenly Eye at fifteen years old—can you believe it? All attributes at least ten, top-tier footwork and palm techniques… that’s a ‘one in ten thousand’ level talent.”
“Tsk.”
“Hasn’t been someone like that in five hundred years…”
“Interesting. Truly interesting.”
Under the sunlight,
A gentle breeze brushed across his face, making his expression even more relaxed.
He turned over again, muttering to himself, his words unclear.
Meanwhile, the corpse still hung impaled on the flagpole, staining it completely red with blood, standing out starkly under the sunlight.
The sky remained vast and blue, with white clouds drifting by.
Everything was silent.
