On the official road.
Zhong Shenxiu rode backward on a black donkey, a blade of grass in his mouth, musing to himself, "It seems I’m particularly fated with those indescribable ancient gods..."
From the Door of Ten Thousand Doors to the Niu Shenjun of this world, Da Mo, and even that divine person the Wu Dynasty Grand Ancestor dreamed of at night...
If it were an ordinary person, or to say, an ordinary person from the West with a bit of knowledge about mysticism, they would probably be on the verge of a breakdown by now, wouldn’t they?
"Of course, they might not all be that kind of existence, perhaps just different facets of the same being... But in any case, I’d prefer not to get involved with any of them..."
Zhong Shenxiu was a down-to-earth person and immediately decided to forget all of this and think about something more realistic.
For instance... this thing next to him.
"How is that possible?"
Duan Mingyu rode on a white horse, utterly dejected and clearly shaken, "How could I have lost?!"
He had previously arranged to have a martial contest with Zhong Shenxiu, who accommodated his request. The result was that after three hundred moves, Duan Mingyu was hit by a Kidney Water Palm and nearly lost his lineage.
Since then, he had been secretly consuming Five Flavors Rehmannia Pills concocted by Zhong Shenxiu.
"By defeating you, could I possibly move up to the thirty-third place on the people’s ranking?"
Zhong Shenxiu spat out the blade of grass and asked with a smile.
If so, then a tidy sum of Heavenly Show Points would be his.
When it came to this subject, Duan Mingyu perked up. He looked at Zhong Shenxiu with pity, "Because you have no official witness... and also, as we are friends, even if you defeated me in front of everyone, the court might still not let you take my place due to accusations of private collusion and covert manipulation, like me deliberately losing to boost you..."
Zhong Shenxiu shook his head, "If I killed you, there would be none of these problems though..."
"To want to kill me..." Duan Mingyu pondered for a moment, it seemed quite likely that this man could indeed kill him, and his aura faltered slightly, "At least if I focused solely on escape, you still wouldn’t catch me..."
Zhong Shenxiu couldn’t be bothered to look at the formidable but hollow Duan Mingyu any longer and turned his thoughts to his own issues.
His main objective for leaving this time was to search for Marrow Refining Martial Arts.
While reaching Divine Power Practitioner was a significant hurdle, at the very least, enhancing his strength to the level of a Grandmaster was surely good.
Moreover, Zhong Shenxiu had also made some contingency plans for how to circumvent the major barrier of becoming a Divine Power Practitioner.
’First I’ll try my method, and if that doesn’t work... then at worst I’ll just splurge Heavenly Show Points to pick up where I left off with my Cultivator abilities, or even break through to Divine Skills in this world, impersonating a Divine Power Practitioner as a Great Grandmaster Martial Artist. Making it onto the celestial ranking shouldn’t be a problem...’
’Or I could directly bribe court officials to add my name to the celestial ranking; even if I get killed the same day, at least I can flee back to the main world... okay, that’s a bit idealistic...’
’In the end, I could also try using a massive amount of Heavenly Show Points to simply brute-force my way through the Divine Power Practitioner barrier; maybe that way I can avoid facing the ancient gods directly...’
’Indeed, as long as there’s resolve, there are always more solutions than problems, haha...’
After musing over a myriad of thoughts, Zhong Shenxiu returned to the issue of his own martial arts.
’Well, my martial arts also have flaws. I only have the Five Elements Thief Palm, which lets me rampage on the people’s ranking, but it’s only powerful in palm techniques. I can’t even kill a fleeing Duan Mingyu... nor can I break through to Grandmaster...’
’However, after practicing the Five Elements Thief Palm to its peak, I sense that this martial art seems incomplete... or rather, could there be a Grandmaster Chapter to it?’
Considering this possibility, Zhong Shenxiu immediately inquired about it.
After all, as a disciple of a great sect, Duan Mingyu was far more knowledgeable than Xun Liuyi.
"The Five Elements Thief Palm? This cultivation technique, akin to the Dead Body Fist, is quite widely circulated in Jianghu, but most sects only possess fragments... it’s rare to see a complete set of all five elements, let alone one that extends beyond Grandmaster. I haven’t heard much about it. After returning to the sect, I’ll ask the elders for you."
Comforting him, Duan Mingyu unexpectedly felt content, and suddenly laughed, "Haha... in the future, I’ll just wait for you on the earth ranking like Master Jing Fan..."
As for the people’s ranking? He was simply no match and didn’t wish to fight for it any longer, having given up.
"So that’s how it is..."
Zhong Shenxiu nodded without saying more.
He then thought about the court.
Yan Wushuang knew he only had four volumes, but now that he had developed the Five Elements Palm, one wondered what Yan Wushuang felt.
However, a Martial Artist’s cultivation is a secret by nature.
He could easily claim that after acquiring four volumes, he fortuitously found the fifth, or that the Shanyao Gang had secretly possessed three volumes of the Five Elements Thief Palm all along. After all, with just a word, any tale he spun could hold.
As for whether it’s believed? That was Yan Wushuang’s problem, not his.
"I have heard... that it’s not too bad as long as the Five Elements Thief Palm is incomplete, but once all elements are assembled, while one’s power may surge, there are certain gates one must pass through, with a high risk of qi deviation... Consequently, it’s very rare to see a master of Five Elements Thief Palm in Jianghu; in fact, almost nonexistent... Now in Martial Arts, you are the sole practitioner of Five Elements Palm."
Duan Mingyu expressed his admiration, "This just shows how exceptional Brother Xun’s talent is..."
"Most martial arts are easy to learn but difficult to master. I am just a bit more diligent than the average person..." Zhong Shenxiu waved his hand dismissively.
His casual demeanor only incensed Duan Mingyu further.
Throughout their time together, he had never seen Xun Liuyi actively train in martial arts for more than a few days, and yet he was so strong, defying all reason!
Duan Mingyu suddenly sighed.
He knew that his friend’s talents were truly remarkable, and his upright personality was evident from his fearlessness in coming to the rescue, marking him as a man of loyalty and integrity.
Such a person, unfortunately of humble sect origins, was doomed to have limited achievements in the future.
He had considered introducing Xun Liuyi to the Su Yin Sword Sect, but after probing subtly, he found that the other had no intention of joining a powerful faction and had to begrudgingly abandon the idea.
Zhong Shenxiu, however, knew that if he joined the Su Yin Sword Sect, he’d probably only become a protector.
The treatment would likely be on par with the Divine Capture Sect, and even with Duan Mingyu’s guarantee, he would still have to prove his loyalty over a few years before they would teach him Grandmaster martial arts.
And the true foundational techniques, the exceptional skills from the miraculous arts ranking?
That was pure wishful thinking.
Even Duan Mingyu, meriting just a lowly position on the people’s ranking, had limited influence within the Su Yin Sword Sect and certainly could not vouch for such credibility with a single word.
Therefore, it was better for him to search for opportunities at his own pace.
Unless absolutely necessary, Zhong Shenxiu had no intention of forcibly breaking through with the Heavenly Show System.
Without the additional tenfold Heavenly Show Points required by the cultivation technique, he simply couldn’t afford it!