Chapter 972: Chapter 39: Separation of Body and Soul (Part 3)
A surge of unparalleled inner strength burst forth, forcefully blasting open a massive column of water in the unending stream! Water splashed everywhere like rain, an awe-inspiring spectacle!
Xiao Jie watched with his heart in turmoil: What terrifying inner power! This must be at the Grandmaster Level of inner strength. A thought flashed through his mind: Could this be a storyline the system arranged for me to find a master?
It makes perfect sense! According to the game’s plot, after passing hellish trials, strong rewards and enhancements are due.
Previously, in the village, Xiao Jie had also attempted to restore inner strength. However, all his skills were directly given by the game. Although he could use them in reality, the specific principles were completely unclear to him. The techniques of saber skill and hidden weapons could still be gradually mastered through muscle memory, but he had no idea how to start with the inner strength’s meridian circulation.
Seeing the old man’s formidable inner strength now, he immediately developed the desire to become his disciple.
If he could master inner strength and qinggong, combined with his Front Horizontal Saber Technique, he might be able to walk unchallenged in this Taixu Illusion Realm, at least without worrying about being easily captured and tortured by some Jianghu people.
Thinking of this, Xiao Jie walked forward respectfully and bowed deeply.
Seeing Xiao Jie, the white-bearded old man immediately showed a kindly expression.
“I have heard about you from Xia Yi the Unrivaled. My disciple Jiu Jianxian acted recklessly and caused you trouble. I, Xuanji Zi, would never allow myself to owe anyone. Do you have any wishes? Just speak out, and I will do my best to help you fulfill them.”
Xiao Jie did not hesitate at all. Although he could not put it into words, his actions and gestures conveyed everything clearly.
Dragging his yet unhealed body, he walked, staggering but determined, to the old man and knelt down profoundly.
“Hmm?” Xuanji Zi raised his eyebrows slightly, “What do you mean by this?”
Xiao Jie raised his head, put his hands together, and made an extremely sincere gesture to be his disciple. His eyes were burning, filled with both pleading and determination. He had realized that in this world, strong intentions alone were enough to convey one’s message.
“You wish…to be my disciple?” The old man stroked his long beard, a hint of understanding and scrutiny in his eyes.
Xiao Jie nodded vigorously.
“Haha, what a perceptive young fellow. However, I’ve heard that you killed several people before being captured, so you must have some skills. Let this old man see your abilities first!” The old man’s eyes gleamed as he casually picked up a regular bamboo branch from the side, standing at ease yet commanding respect like a towering mountain.
Xiao Jie took a deep breath, enduring the pain, and drew his sword! His figure moved, launching the first attack! The steel knife in his hand transformed into a violent silver light, precisely the “Gale Saber Technique” for which he was famous! The saber momentum was swift and fierce, sweeping towards the old man like a storm, accompanied by the sharp whistling of the blade cutting through the air!
In the game, this saber skill was only effective against low-toughness humanoid little monsters and had limited utility.
But in reality, saber skill was more useful than combat skills, for a simple reason: in the game, monsters had health bars with exaggeratedly high blood volume; saber skill couldn’t cause enough stagger to deal continuous damage effectively.
However, in ‘reality’, it was different. Whether you were an unrivaled master or a high-ranking official, one chop could kill you.
So, in battles with masters, saber skills naturally reigned supreme.
Nevertheless, facing Xiao Jie’s fierce onslaught, the old man merely smiled faintly. The bamboo branch in his hand seemed to come alive, lightly tapping, flicking, and guiding. The movements seemed slow and casual, yet always precisely targeted the weakest points of Xiao Jie’s saber momentum. The fierce sword wind seemed to be guided and dissipated by some invisible force, not even touching the corner of the old man’s robe! Xiao Jie felt as if his blade had sunk into an invisible quagmire, its power easily neutralized, unable to leverage the speed advantage of the Gale Saber Technique.
Xiao Jie’s eyes sharpened, and his saber momentum abruptly changed! The previously furious saber light became elusive and indeterminable, real and illusory, the blade’s trajectory akin to a horned antelope’s path on a cliff, leaving no trace to follow—this was precisely his form-emulating “Phantom Annihilation Blade Technique”!
“Oh?” For the first time, seriousness appeared in the old man’s eyes. He uttered a slight exclamation. The bamboo branch in his hand changed along with it, no longer merely defusing, but actively engaging like a nimble snake, either pointing, entangling, or twisting! His footwork also began to continuously shift positions.
Bamboo branch and steel knife clashed, chime-like metallic sounds could be heard! Although Xiao Jie’s saber skills were exquisite, each move aimed at vital points, containing strange variations, the old man could always respond later yet anticipate earlier, using superior insight and more sophisticated moves to nullify his attacks completely.
After dozens of exchanges, Xiao Jie’s knife was again lightly tapped on the wrist by the bamboo branch, and with a clang, it fell to the ground.
“What excellent saber skills!” The old man stood with his momentum retracted, looking at the panting but bright-eyed Xiao Jie, not hiding his praise, “Especially those last few moves, profound imagination, and unpredictable changes! But where did you learn them from?”
Xiao Jie couldn’t answer and could only point to himself with force.
“You figured them out by yourself? Indeed, you are a martial arts prodigy. Though you’re a bit older…” The old man sized up Xiao Jie, “But your bones have not yet fully fused, it is a perfect time for laying martial arts groundwork!” Official source is novel⦿fire.net
Seeing Xiao Jie’s eyes full of longing, the old man finally laughed heartily: “Very well! This old man has wandered for most of his life, seldom taking disciples, but since I’ve opened my mouth, I’ll make an exception today and take you as my last disciple!”
From then on, Xiao Jie had a master. His senior brother was the one who saved him from prison, Xia Yi the Unrivaled, his second senior brother was the notorious Jiu Jianxian, who had him imprisoned, and he, Xiao Jie, was the third direct disciple of Xuanji Zi—Hidden Moon Following Wind.