dmims Page 113
Page 113
Upon hearing this, Ru Hu's heart stirred, and he was about to say a few words of modesty.
Zhang Yunyuan's next words struck him like a bolt of lightning from the heavens.
"But your training method... is unorthodox."
Zhang Yunyuan's voice was calm, yet every word was like a knife, precisely dissecting the tiger's greatest secret.
"Such domineering external martial arts have no matching internal breathing techniques; they rely entirely on sheer courage and bloodlust to sustain them."
If you continue training like this, within ten years, the accumulated hidden injuries will inevitably cause your seemingly indestructible body to crumble.
Ru Hu felt a "buzz" in his mind, and his mind went completely blank.
He trembled violently, as if struck by lightning, and stood there dumbfounded, his face filled with disbelief and horror.
Every word Zhang Yunyuan spoke was like an awl, piercing deep into the most hidden corner of his heart, the place he least wanted to touch.
He explored and cultivated on his own, without any guidance.
In recent years, I have indeed felt that my progress has been slow and that I have experienced occasional hidden pain. I always thought it was because I had not practiced hard enough. I never thought that my practice method was wrong from the root and that it might even ruin my cultivation!
The young Taoist priest in front of me, having only witnessed my fight, was able to see my condition so clearly and accurately!
Such keen eyesight, such insight...
All the vigilance and caution in Ruhu's heart transformed into boundless admiration and fear at this moment.
He dared not show the slightest arrogance again, and bowed deeply to Zhang Yunyuan, almost prostrating himself on the ground.
His tone became extremely respectful, even pleading.
"Master, you have keen insight! This junior... this junior had no one to guide me and relied entirely on my own blind practice, almost going astray and ruining my future!"
"Please, Taoist Master, save me! Guide this junior to the right path!"
He had already subconsciously started referring to himself as a "junior".
Zhang Yunyuan looked at him, pondered for a moment, and then slowly spoke.
"Your path is not on my side."
Upon hearing this, the light that had just ignited in Ru Hu's eyes instantly dimmed.
“But,” Zhang Yunyuan changed the subject, “your talent shouldn’t be buried or even destroyed.”
"If you really want to go down this path, you need to lay a solid foundation with authentic external martial arts training and eliminate hidden injuries before you can truly unleash the potential of your 'Tiger-Taming Body'."
He paused, looked into those eyes that had been rekindled with hope, and spoke clearly.
"Go find Chai Yan, who practices the Chai School of External Strength."
"His Chai-style external martial arts training is one of the most powerful and pure external martial arts styles in the world, with the most solid and upright foundation, and it is most compatible with your physique."
If you could receive his guidance, or even become his disciple, your achievements would be limitless.
"Chai-style external martial arts...Chai Yan..."
The name "Ruhu Jiang" was etched into his heart, and his eyes blazed with an unprecedented and intense light.
This was the first time he had heard such a clear direction!
Like a traveler who has been groping alone in the dark for years, finally seeing a bright light in the distance!
Na Ruhu was so excited that his whole body was trembling. He suddenly clasped his hands together again, almost kneeling on one knee.
"I will never forget your guidance, Master! I humbly request that you reveal your honorific title, for if I achieve anything in the future, I will surely repay this kindness!"
Zhang Yunyuan shook his head and flicked his sleeve.
A gentle yet irresistible force held him up, preventing him from kneeling.
"A title is nothing but an illusion."
"Our meeting today is a matter of fate."
Whether you can find Chai Yan and become his disciple depends on your own fate.
Zhang Yunyuan looked at him and gave him one last piece of advice.
"Remember, sincerity brings results, and perseverance comes first. There are no shortcuts on the path of external martial arts; it is all about hardship and perseverance."
After saying that, he said no more, and with Feng Baobao, who had seemed like an outsider the whole time, he turned and walked away slowly. His figure quickly disappeared back into the deep night, as if he had never been there.
Only Ru Hu remained, standing there blankly, gazing in the direction they had disappeared, motionless for a long time.
He clenched his fists tightly, and the flame of "hope" in his eyes burned ever brighter.
Chai's style of martial arts, Chai's words.
From this moment on, his life took a new direction.
Chapter 131 Reunion with an Old Friend, Faces Remain Unchanged
Xu Xiang has been in charge of the North China region for some time now. The composure he honed at the Iron Palm Sect has now transformed into the authority of someone who has long held a high position.
The office was simply furnished, with urgent documents piled on the desk. He was wearing reading glasses and reviewing them word by word, the pen tip making a soft scratching sound as it glided across the paper.
There was a gentle knock on the door.
Xu Xiang didn't even look up.
The footsteps were very light; the person seemed to have deliberately slowed down, and finally stopped in front of his desk.
Xu Xiang assumed it was a secretary and remained focused on the documents, only casually asking, "What is it?"
There was only a familiar, faint scent in the air, like the morning mist in the mountains, which instantly stirred up a fragment of his memory that had been sealed away for a long time.
Xu Xiang paused, his heart skipping a beat for no apparent reason.
He slowly raised his head and looked up along the pair of plain cloth shoes.
A faded gray Taoist robe, a pair of hands with distinct knuckles, and a face that... remained unchanged from when they parted ways on the official road decades ago.
"Dao... Daoist Master?"
Xu Xiang's voice was dry and trembling, as if he were a lost traveler in the desert who had seen an impossible mirage.
He stood up instinctively, his movement so sudden that he knocked over the teacup beside him, unaware that the warm tea had soaked the documents.
He looked at the face in front of him, and then subconsciously touched the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and the gray hair at his temples. A huge, absurd sense of dislocation made him almost think he was dreaming.
The pen he was gripping tightly fell to the ground with a "thud" and rolled to the feet of the newcomer.
"Xu Xiang, long time no see."
Zhang Yunyuan wore a gentle smile, the same smile he had worn back then.
Xu Xiang opened his mouth, but it felt like something was tightly blocking his throat, and he couldn't utter a single word.
His eyes, which had long been worn smooth and still by the years, were now uncontrollably filled with a thin layer of mist.
The next moment, without the slightest hesitation, he walked around the desk, and solemnly and deeply bowed to the "Taoist priest" before him, whose appearance remained unchanged, performing a standard disciple's salute.
"Disciple Xu Xiang greets Daoist Master!"
His bow was a tribute to the life-saving enlightenment he received years ago, and even more so to the miraculous resilience of time before him.
"Get up."
Zhang Yunyuan offered a helping hand, and a gentle force supported him.
"You are now a person of importance, there is no need for such a grand ceremony."
Xu Xiang straightened up, but the shock and excitement in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.
He hurriedly tidied up the mess on the table, then personally brewed a cup of hot tea for Zhang Yunyuan. When he presented it with both hands, his calloused hands still trembled slightly.
After catching up, Zhang Yunyuan learned that not long after he met Zhao Fangxu in Beijing, Xu Xiang was valued by "Nadutong" and entrusted with an important task, becoming the head of the Lubei region.
Thus, through Xu Xiang, Zhang Yunyuan officially established a connection with the official channels.
He wasn't doing it for himself, but rather calculating the time; Zhang Chulan was about to be born by now.
This is a figure who will shake up the world of supernatural beings for decades to come.
Finding a powerful backer for his grandson in advance is a way of doing his best as a clerk.
"Now that you hold a high position, you must be very familiar with many secrets of the world of supernatural beings."
Zhang Yunyuan took a sip of tea and asked casually.
"This disciple dares not claim to know everything, but within my authority, I do have access to some files that are difficult for ordinary extraordinary people to know."
Xu Xiang answered respectfully.
"Have you ever heard of a man named Li Muxuan? He was quite famous decades ago, a notorious troublemaker in the Quanxing sect."
Zhang Yunyuan's gaze fell on him. "His method is called 'Reversing the Eight Directions,' which is somewhat similar to your 'Human Magnetism' ability."
Upon hearing this, Xu Xiang's expression hardened, and he immediately began searching for the name in his mind.
After a moment, he nodded, his expression becoming somewhat solemn.
"I have indeed heard of this person."
The case file states that this person was exceptionally gifted and had an eccentric temperament.
He once betrayed the Sanyi Sect and later became a disciple of the Ghost Hand King of the Quanxing Sect. His evil ability, "Reversing Eight Directions," reversed the force of others, making it extremely bizarre and domineering. He was infamous in the world of supernatural beings back then.
He paused and continued:
However, records about him ceased before the Jia Shen Rebellion.
Rumors circulated that he used evil magic to anger the sect leader, Zuo Ruotong, to death in the Sanyi Sect, and was subsequently hunted down by the entire righteous sects, ultimately dying in the encirclement and suppression.
Some say he fled overseas and his whereabouts are unknown.
In short, since then, this miraculous art of "reversing the eight directions" has been completely lost.
Xu Xiang's tone carried a hint of regret. His own special ability was to manipulate gravity and repulsion, so he naturally longed for this legendary technique that could "reverse" power.
After listening, Zhang Yunyuan's face showed a playful smile, a smile that carried a hint of nostalgia and a touch of... mischief.
"I have met Li Muxuan a few times."
He spoke of it casually, as if it were a trivial matter.