“Motherf***er.”
Arriving at the He Family gates once again, Longtian unconsciously clenched his fists.
In just a brief hour or two, the white lanterns and funeral wreaths that had been hanging there were completely gone.
The He Family’s compound no longer held even a trace of mourning.
“They were really just ******* going through the motions.
He Yitao, oh, He Yitao.
You truly don’t deserve to be a father.”
Longtian was utterly disappointed in He Yitao.
It wasn’t Longtian and He Chen who had abandoned He Yitao back then, so was there any need for him to be so cruel to his own biological son?
In Longtian’s eyes, He Yitao was simply a coward.
Sighing, Longtian quietly vaulted over the courtyard wall.
After making sure there was no one around, he quickly made his way toward the Library Pavilion.
However, the moment he moved, a cold shout rang out from behind him.
“Who goes there?
Trespassing into the He Family’s estate—are you looking for death?”
Longtian froze.
The voice was far too abrupt; he hadn’t seen anyone around when he jumped down from the wall.
“Huh, Longtian, it’s you, you little bastard.”
The person shouting was none other than Zhang Dashan.
Zhang Dashan was in a good mood today.
That afternoon, he had successfully taught Longtian a lesson in front of the Third Young Master, who had directly rewarded him with a maidservant.
He had just taken a leak in the corner, and upon turning his head, he spotted Longtian sneaking into the He Family’s compound.
“Zhang Dashan?”
Seeing that it was Zhang Dashan, a smile tugged at the corners of Longtian’s lips.
He knew Zhang Dashan’s strength was at the Second Level of Mortal Realm.
Now that he had also broken through to the Second Level of Mortal Realm, he should be able to put up a fight.
He thought, “Perfect.
This f***er humiliated me this afternoon.
I might as well take this chance to teach him a lesson.”
“It’s your Granddaddy Dashan.
What, are you scared now that you see me?
Your granddaddy is in a good mood today.
If you kneel on the ground and call me ‘Granddaddy Dashan’ three times, I’ll pretend I never saw you.
How about it?” he sneered, figuring his strength was more than enough to bully a nobody like Longtian.
“Kneel and call you granddaddy?
That’s not a bad idea.
How about this: you kneel and call me ‘Granddaddy Longtian’ three times, and I won’t kill you today.
I’ll just teach you a lesson.” As a frequent visitor to the brothels, Longtian noticed Zhang Dashan’s flushed face and the un-dried cold sweat on his forehead, which made him even less afraid of the man.
“What?
You little bastard, you’re doing this the hard way!
Then don’t blame your Granddaddy Zhang for being ruthless.”
Zhang Dashan hadn’t expected Longtian to have such a backbone this time, and he instantly flew into a rage.
Longtian spat lightly and said, “Cut the crap.
If we’re going to fight, let’s fight.”
“You’re courting death!”
Completely enraged, Zhang Dashan jerked his body, fully unleashing his Cultivation at the Second Level of Mortal Realm.
His fist whipped up a howling gale, forming a luminous band of Spiritual Energy as it hurtled toward Longtian.
Longtian wasn’t the least bit afraid.
He channeled all the Heaven and Earth Energy contained within the two Hidden Veins in his body to his right fist and threw a punch right back at Zhang Dashan.
THUD!
The two fists collided with a muffled boom, and the terrifying Qi Force bent the surrounding weeds backward.
He thought, “His strength is greater than mine!”
Longtian’s expression darkened slightly.
The force behind the opponent’s fist forced him to stumble back ten paces before he could finally steady himself, whereas Zhang Dashan only retreated six paces.
He thought, “This Zhang Dashan entered the Second Level of Mortal Realm a long time ago.
I’m no match for him right now.
But if I lose my very first battle, how will I ever grow in the future?
I must win.
I have to win!”
After that single punch, Zhang Dashan knew Longtian was weaker than him, but he was still greatly shocked that the other party was actually a Cultivator.
“Hmph, I don’t know how you managed to become a Cultivator, but with only this much strength, you’d better kowtow and call me granddaddy today.
Die!”
Zhang Dashan thrust his right fist out again.
The glow of the punch tore through the darkness, aiming straight for Longtian’s face.
Knowing he was outmatched, Longtian rolled his eyes in thought, abruptly dropped his stance, and respectfully shouted toward the space behind Zhang Dashan, “Grandpa!”
“What?
The Patriarch!” Hearing this, Zhang Dashan hurriedly pulled his punch and turned his head to look behind him.
However, he didn’t see a single soul.
Realizing he had been tricked, he roared furiously, “Longtian, you dare trick me?
You’re dead!”
“You’re the one who’s dead!”
Just as Zhang Dashan turned back around, he saw Longtian’s fist rapidly enlarging in his pupils.
BAM!
With a muffled thud, Zhang Dashan was sent flying by Longtian’s punch, knocking out three of his teeth.
Longtian knew the principle of capitalizing on an enemy’s weakness to finish them off.
Without a shred of hesitation, he stomped his feet, arrived in front of Zhang Dashan, and brought a foot heavily down onto his right leg.
CRACK!
The sound of bones shattering rang out.
Zhang Dashan grimaced in agony and couldn’t stop himself from screaming out loud.
Longtian cursed inwardly; the commotion would definitely attract his cousins.
Sparing Zhang Dashan a cold glance, Longtian said, “You’re just the beginning.
Scram back and tell He Qingfeng that whatever he owes me, he will pay back sooner or later.”
With that, Longtian headed straight for the Library Pavilion.
He thought, “I need to hurry.
As soon as I get the Martial Skill, I have to leave.”
The He Family’s Library Pavilion had only one floor.
After Longtian entered, an old man appeared before him.
“Longtian?
What are you doing here?
You’re a Cultivator?”
Longtian couldn’t be bothered to waste words with the old man and simply unleashed his Second Level of Mortal Realm aura.
“Second Level of Mortal Realm.
Not bad.
I didn’t expect you to have been hiding your Cultivation all this time.
Since you’re a Cultivator, go and select your Martial Skills.
However, I advise you to choose at most three Human-level Basic Martial Techniques.
Don’t bite off more than you can chew.
As for anything more advanced, you wouldn’t be able to learn it even if you chose it.”
Longtian originally hadn’t planned on picking a Human-level Medium Martial Technique, but seeing the disdainful look in the old man’s eyes, he changed his mind.
He thought, “Damn it, I don’t even know when I’ll be able to come here next anyway.
I’ll just memorize everything I want to learn.
Who knows, maybe I’m uniquely gifted and will actually be able to learn them.”
Ignoring the old man, Longtian began searching the Library Pavilion for Martial Skills that caught his eye.
He read, “Stone-Splitting Fist.
A single punch can shatter solid rock.
A Human-level Basic Martial Technique with immense lethality.
“Vajra Palm.
A single palm strike can shatter a person’s meridians and inflict internal injuries.
It transfers damage to the internal organs in the form of shockwaves, possessing immense lingering force.
Also a Human-level Basic Martial Technique.”
Soon, Longtian had selected two Human-level Basic Martial Techniques.
Both of these Martial Skills focused heavily on offense—one causing external injuries and the other internal injuries.
If an opponent suffered both internal and external injuries simultaneously, they would undoubtedly lose their mobility very quickly.
Although these two Martial Skills were at the basic Human Level, they were infinitely close to a Human-level Medium Martial Technique.
He thought, “Two Human-level Basic Martial Techniques are enough.
Now, I’ll go take a look at the Human-level Medium Martial Techniques.”
When it came to Martial Skills, quality was more important than quantity, otherwise, one would only be wasting their Cultivation time.
“Gale Fist, Mountain-Opening Palm…
They’re good, but they don’t suit me,” he murmured.
The He Family possessed a total of three Human-level Medium Martial Techniques, but the Gale Fist and the Mountain-Opening Palm could only be considered ordinary Middle-level Martial Skills.
“This is the one.
Seven Luminaries Fiery Fire Fist.”
The He Family’s ancestral ultimate technique was the Seven Luminaries Fiery Fire Fist.
It was a top-tier existence among Human-level Medium Martial Techniques, comparable to a weaker Human-level High-level Martial Technique.
This was exactly why the Sun Family, despite possessing a Human-level High-level Martial Technique, could still only stand on equal footing with the He Family.
He continued to ponder, “The Seven Luminaries Fiery Fire Fist consists of seven punches.
If one can strike out all seven punches in succession, they can form the Seven Luminaries, akin to the Big Dipper, with astonishing might.
In the entire He Family, only Grandpa has mastered the seventh punch.
Even Uncle has only grasped the fifth punch.
I wonder how many punches I’ll be able to learn.
“Why worry about all that?
Since I’m going to learn a Martial Skill, I naturally have to learn the best one.
Otherwise, what’s the point of learning at all?”
Longtian found a quiet corner and opened the three Martial Skills one by one.
He read through them for half an hour.
Only after confirming that he had memorized them word for word did he leave the Library Pavilion and quietly slip out of the He Family’s compound.
He didn’t return to the house he had bought; instead, he headed to the Wilderness once again.
He had decided to begin his Cultivation of the Martial Skills immediately.
He recalled, “Stone-Splitting Fist.
Channel the Spiritual Energy in the body while simultaneously connecting with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, focusing it all at a specific point on the fist.
This grants the fist the power to shatter stone.
Let the Cultivation begin!”
The Spiritual Energy within the two Hidden Veins in his body began to circulate along a specific trajectory.
The surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy seemed to be drawn in, also spiraling and dancing around Longtian along a specific path.
He thought, “Store the Spiritual Energy in the right fist, and then…
strike!”
Longtian attempted to throw a punch, but it lacked the immense power he had expected.
He thought, “Martial Skills really aren’t that easy to cultivate.
Again.”
He threw punch after punch continuously.
Just as dawn was about to break, a sharp, ear-piercing SWISH suddenly rang out as his fist tore through the air.
Longtian’s eyes lit up.
He extended his right fist once more and struck out toward a massive boulder.
“Stone-Splitting Fist!”
His otherwise ordinary right fist suddenly radiated a faint Spiritual Energy glow.
Like a falling meteor, it slammed into the boulder.
BOOM!
With a loud boom, shards of stone flew in all directions.
Incredibly, Longtian had blown a hole the size of a human head right into the massive boulder.
“I succeeded!
In just one night, I’ve grasped the basics of the Stone-Splitting Fist.
I remember when Chen learned this move, it took him ten days, and he was still considered a genius.
I only spent a single night!
Doesn’t that make me a genius among geniuses?!” Longtian burst into narcissistic laughter.
He thought, “Now, time to learn the Vajra Palm.”
Striking while the iron was hot, he pushed forward in one vigorous stroke.
He recalled the contents of the Vajra Palm.
The moment the details surfaced in his mind, he felt as if he had read this Martial Skill a thousand times over.
It didn’t feel unfamiliar in the slightest; he was actually able to comprehend the principles and the Dao hidden within it.
He thought, “Could it be that I really am a Martial Arts genius?
Martial Skills don’t seem difficult for me to understand at all.
It was the same when I was learning the Stone-Splitting Fist just now.
However, I’ve never heard of a genius who could learn a Human-level Basic Martial Technique in a single night.
Could it be thanks to that bizarre Stone Stele?”
Longtian’s Sea of Consciousness had not been opened through his own efforts; rather, it had been forcibly opened for him by the Stone Stele.
He had even nearly died during the process.
He thought, “It seems the reason I have such heaven-defying talent is all thanks to this Stone Stele.
This Stone Stele can even suppress Dragon Blood; its origins must be extraordinary.”
Longtian’s guess was almost entirely correct, though not completely.
At this moment, he didn’t realize that the cluster of light within his Sea of Consciousness was emitting a faint, almost imperceptible glow—a glow that was being directly transmitted into his mind.
The sun rose…
and the sun set.
“Vajra Palm!”
Longtian struck out with the Vajra Palm once more.
This time, his palm was dyed in a layer of golden light, looking as hard as steel and brimming with power.
The golden palm slammed into the boulder beside him.
With a muffled boom, a massive shockwave whipped up a fierce gale.
“Excellent!
In just one day and one night, I’ve grasped the basics of both the Stone-Splitting Fist and the Vajra Palm.
With this kind of talent, who in our little Flying Horse Village can compare to me?
Chen, I will definitely find the murderer.
Just wait—I will avenge you,” Longtian declared.
He thought, “I’ve been Cultivating for a day and a night, and I’m exhausted.
I’ll head back to the village, get something to eat, and have a good sleep.”
Murmuring softly to himself, Longtian left the Wilderness.
Not long after he left, the previously unblemished boulder suddenly developed a fracture.
Like an expanding Spider web, cracks rapidly spread across its surface.
Vajra Palm, Basic Mastery attained!