Three days later, Little Mountain City, Shanyao Gang.
A group of young disciples, dressed in fine silk and brocade, riding tall horses, entered Little Mountain City and arrived at the Shanyao Gang’s residence. They all looked up, gazing at the Shanyao Gang’s signboard with complex expressions.
"Han brother, I heard that our Nine Elements Sect helped secure this residence for the Shanyao Gang, is that true?"
A disciple dressed in purple with delicate features and no Adam’s apple, seemingly a girl disguised as a boy, asked the question. Her disguise was full of loopholes; moreover, as soon as she opened her mouth, she completely gave herself away.
If Zhong Shenxiu were here, he would surely have ridiculed such an illogical attempt at female cross-dressing.
Of course, it might also just be that this person was pampered by the favor of the sect’s elders, casually finding an excuse to join the group to watch the excitement.
Because everyone was well aware, they let her carry on with her self-deception.
Looking at the young and naive junior sister, Han Nuo felt a wave of affection and, patting her head, replied, "Yes, the Shanyao Gang was originally just a minor faction, even wiped out by the San Shan Sect. Ultimately, it was thanks to our Nine Elements Sect’s intervention that they regained their footing. Hence, there is some camaraderie between our two groups."
Although that was what he said, thinking that the Nine Elements Sect was now in a position to be ridden roughshod over by the Shanyao Gang complicated the emotions of this Sect Leader’s disciple.
More regrettable was the fact that back then, in Anshan City, why had no one recognized the extraordinary talent of Xun Liuyi?
Of course, perhaps someone had noticed, but why wasn’t this person recruited into the Nine Elements Sect?
Otherwise, the rolling reputation and the status of a top-ranked Human List Martial Artist would have all belonged to the Nine Elements Sect rather than allowing the Shanyao Gang to stand out alone.
Filled with complexity, a barrage of thoughts could only culminate in a sigh.
Han Nuo stepped forward, cupping his fist in a salute to a disciple guarding the Shanyao Gang’s gate, saying, "Nine Elements Sect’s Han Nuo has come to pay respects to the mountain!"
The disciple immediately smiled, "It turns out to be the heroes from the Nine Elements Sect, please wait..."
After returning the salute, he quickly ran inside.
Before long, he came back out and said, "The Gang Leader invites all the young heroes to move to the drill ground."
Han Nuo felt excited upon hearing this, thinking that the renowned Medicine Sand Palm, Xun Liuyi of Jianghu, was probably waiting for them on the drill ground.
If the group could receive pointers from the Medicine Sand Palm, or even exchange a couple of moves, they would certainly make a name for themselves in Jianghu.
In plain terms, it was about riding on the fresh and hot popularity of the Five Elements Palm.
The group passed through halls, walked by gardens, and finally arrived at a drill ground of the Shanyao Gang.
Around the field, white birch racks held various weapons, and stone weights ranging from five to five hundred pounds were laid out on the ground, arranged from smallest to largest.
Zhong Shenxiu, in a white robe, felt not the slightest chill although it was deep winter, sitting leisurely on a rosewood chair, watching Shi Yu and Lu Yang practice martial arts.
Wei Baizhu and others were following him, standing without any sense of impropriety, but rather seeing it as natural.
At that moment, Zhong Shenxiu turned his head, saw the group, and nodded as if to greet them.
However, it was Han Nuo and the others who saluted, shouting, "Junior Han Nuo from the Nine Elements Sect pays respects to the Shanyao Gang Leader and Elder Xun..."
Hmm, Zhong Shenxiu’s standing within the Shanyao Gang had recently risen, having been promoted to elder.
Presumably, he had a good chance of competing for the position of Gang Leader, although the likelihood was that Wei Baizhu, with a smile, would make way and press Zhong Shenxiu into this hot seat to toil.
Zhong Shenxiu laughed heartily and waved his hand, saying, "I already know your intentions. As a Martial Artist of this region, I have the duty to support the younger generation. Let me teach you a thing or two! Learning even one or half a move will give you something to rely on in Jianghu in the future..."
The audacity in that statement was profound, and all disciples of the Nine Elements Sect furrowed their brows in dissatisfaction, yet none dared to retort, especially the purple-clothed female disciple, whose pouting lips inadvertently made her seem rather adorable despite her silence.
Zhong Shenxiu then said, "However, I don’t wish to step in and tarnish my reputation by bullying the younger generation. Why don’t you exchange a few moves with my disciple first?"
With that said, he pushed a completely befuddled Shi Yu to the front.
Han Nuo was taken aback upon seeing Shi Yu stepping forward.
Of course, he recognized him and knew that although Shi Yu was a disciple of Xun Liuyi, his martial arts skills...
Even compared to those in the Nine Elements Sect, he was merely a junior!
As a Sect Leader’s disciple, pride swelled within his heart. He might have to bow and scrape before Zhong Shenxiu, but when facing this Little Shitou, he truly didn’t take him seriously.
At that moment, he couldn’t help but chuckle and said, "Little Zi, you go!"
The purple-clothed young woman, disguised as a man, stepped forward confidently and performed a courteous bow, "Please instruct me!"
Although Shi Yu looked dull and honest, he wasn’t stupid. He recognized her gender and his face turned crimson with embarrassment.
Beside them, Lu Yang watched, green with envy: ’This Little Shitou is so clueless about romance. I, as his martial uncle, would have been a better choice for this opportunity!’
Both parties bowed with fists clasped and took their stances.
"Little Zi from the Nine Elements Sect, please instruct me!"
This female disciple named Little Zi from the Nine Elements Sect, immediately after declaring her name, seized the moment while Shi Yu was slightly dazed, her footwork shifted, and she rapidly lunged forward.
Her movements were swift, like a fluttering butterfly, crossing several yards in an instant, whirling in front of Shi Yu. Her right hand came together to form a fist, aiming straight for Shi Yu’s chest.
Her punch was plain and unsophisticated, an ordinary move from the Nine Elements Body Refining Fist, a foundational technique of the Nine Elements Sect. Because Zhong Shenxiu had acted so arrogantly earlier, this young woman was indignant but couldn’t lose her temper, so she decided to vent all her anger on this direct disciple of Zhong Shenxiu, resolving to defeat him using only the most basic Nine Elements Sect techniques and thereby establishing her own reputation!
Moreover, after returning, she could also boast about her victory to her seniors, and the thought of it made her a little excited.
What she didn’t know, however, was that Shi Yu might appear simple and honest on the surface, but his Medicine Sand Palm technique was exceedingly well-practiced. Sensing the oncoming force of her punch, he instinctively twisted his body, lifting his right hand to block the girl’s punch.
After deflecting that move, his left hand circled half-round, driven by fierce inner strength, as his palm thrust directly towards Little Zi’s shoulder.
Little Zi swerved her figure behind Shi Yu, pushing both palms in a flat, level motion.
This palm technique of hers had a name, "Twin Blossoms Adrift," which was no longer a basic move but a secret technique among the advanced martial arts of the Nine Elements Sect.
With this move, her earlier vow was broken.
Fortunately, the oath was only made to herself internally, and since it wasn’t fulfilled, she simply focused on how to wholeheartedly defeat her opponent.
Suddenly, Little Zi felt her palm force vanishing as if sinking into an abyss, a surge of power flooding her wrists, and she involuntarily stumbled several steps backwards.
Even more so, the opponent’s inner strength was like the surging waves of the Yangtze River, one after another, making her lose her balance and fall onto the ground with a thud.
As it turned out, Shi Yu had unnoticeably turned around, grabbed her hands, and with a simple give and take of inner strength, effortlessly defeated the female disciple of the Nine Elements Sect.
"The martial art of the little junior sister wasn’t bad either, yet to be defeated so easily... is that person still the same Shi Yu?"
Han Nuo raised an eyebrow, looked at the seemingly transformed Little Shitou, and his gaze inevitably shifted toward Zhong Shenxiu, silently marvelling that Human List Martial Artists could indeed achieve the impossible, managing to turn even a disciple as useless as firewood into someone with remarkable martial skill after just a few days of instruction—truly remarkable.