When the tributary finally stopped, he said to Ou Yangming, “You haven’t acquired the essence of the spear technique.”
Ou Yangming quickly requested, “Please guide me, senior.”
Although today was his first time going against an enemy with a spear, he had completely fallen in love with the long weapon. He felt that the mightiness of a spear was superior to a military saber’s.
In actual fact, weapons were not categorized into lowly or fine ones. Different people were fond of different weapons because they had dissimilar preferences and were adept in dissimilar skills.
Ou Yangming unquestionably favored the spear.
“Yifan taught you the spear technique, but he didn’t teach you the real skill behind it,” Chen Dishou said as he nodded, and he asked after a pause, “Do you know why?”
“It’s probably because the technique is the Chen family’s lost study, so General Chen dared not teach it to someone else,” Ou Yangming answered after some thought.
“You’re very smart, hehe. There aren’t actually many people in the Chen family who can grasp the real spear skill, and there are only two people who are qualified to teach it.” Chen Dishou laughed and pointed at his nose. “I’m one of the two people.” Ou Yangming was a smart person, so he instantly understood what the tributary meant.
“Senior, what do you want me to do?”
Chen Dishou stopped smiling, and he replied to him with a stern face, “I want you to fight someone after you learn the spear skill.”
Ou Yangming was struck dumb. “Who?”
“I don’t know.”
“W-what?” The answer was truly out of Ou Yangming’s expectations. “I made a promise with someone in the past. We’re supposed to teach a disciple each and let them compete against each other,” Chen Dishou explained then sighed. “The Chen family has many talents, but nobody could really perceive the spear skill. Hehe, even Yifan has only gained superficial knowledge of it, so if I send any of them, they’ll definitely be defeated.”
Ou Yangming fell silent for a while before he asked, “Senior, who did you make that promise with?”
Chen Yishou shook his head and said, “You don’t have to ask, you only need to tell me if you’ll agree to it or not.” “Senior, what if I end up being defeated?” Ou Yangming smiled bitterly.
Chen Dishou stared snappily at him, but he said, “If you gave your all but still end up being defeated, I won’t blame you.”
Ou Yangming was moved. ‘Is there really such a good thing?’
“Okay, I promise you. Senior, please teach me the real spear skill.”
Chen Dishou nodded. “Okay, watch me well.”
He closed his hands and moved without warning.
Even though Chen Dishou was not holding a spear, when he suddenly moved, Ou Yangming’s vision went blurry as if he saw an invincible, all-conquering spear that towered between Heaven and Earth.
The usage of one’s body as a spear. Chen Dishou actually transformed himself into a spear, and he fluttered around by using Heaven and Earth as his stage.
Ou Yangming’s eyes glowed when the tributary explained and demonstrated the skill. He was wholly immersed in the world of spears.
[1] Usage of force to achieve something
Chapter 171 - Jiumei Leaves Far Away
Chapter 171 Jiumei Leaves Far Away
Three days.
Ou Yangming and Chen Dishou stayed outside the prefecture for three days. During the period, Chen Dishou confided his knowledge to Ou Yangming. It was worth noting that he never put in so much effort, not even when he taught the most excellent disciple in his clan.
Nonetheless, Ou Yangming did not disappoint him.
The young fellow’s unusual talent was fearsome, and he seemed to be born with a sharp sense in the understanding of skills. As long as Chen Dishou taught Ou Yangming once, the young fellow was almost able to apprehend the skill’s essence and could associate it with his own martial arts.
Needless to say, Chen Dishou did not find it strange because he witnessed the frightening state displayed by Ou Yangming in the integration of Heaven and man.
Besides, if that was not the case, Chen Dishou would not have treated Ou Yangming like that.
Nevertheless, he had no idea that Ou Yangming had not only fathomed the integration of Heaven and man, but also the thoroughly meticulous state, which was of a higher grade. Once Ou Yangming understood the thoroughly meticulous state’s ability, he was able to promote a better comprehension in the integration of Heaven and man too. In other words, he was able to grasp Chen Dishou’s teachings so quickly because the two states combined perfectly.
After three days, Chen Dishou called Ou Yangming over and sighed. “Lil’ Ou, you performed very well, and you’ve almost learned all my skills. Ah…”
Ou Yangming was stunned. “Senior, you’re…?!”
Chen Dishou shook his head and explained, “Your physique is decent, and your apprehension in martial arts is superior, so you’re considered a genius. That said, you have a fatal flaw.”
Ou Yangming’s face changed. If Chen Dishou was talking about his strong point, perhaps he would dismiss it with a laugh, but he was immediately concerned because the tributary was talking about his shortcomings.
“You probably had tough days when you were younger, and you weren’t well-nourished when you were growing up, am I right?”
“I’m an orphan, and I was lucky enough to be adopted by an old man. If that had not happened, I would either still be roaming around or have already frozen to death on the street.” Ou Yangming nodded with a grave expression on his face.
Chen Dishou sighed. “That’s it. You didn’t take good care of yourself back then, so you have an incompletely cured illness. Ah, the root cause is an extremely tricky one, and it has a huge effect on you!”
Ou Yangming looked slightly gloomy, but who could he blame it on?
Back then, having a full meal was already a luxury for him, let alone being well-nourished. Besides, most of the time, he was on the verge of being starved to death.
Given the circumstances, taking good care of his health was simply wishful thinking.
“Senior, may I ask how it’ll affect me?” Ou Yangming asked humbly.
Chen Dishou answered, “Other than being gifted in martial arts knowledge, a martial artist must also have great physical quality. Normally, if one was well-nourished from young, one will have the ability to produce powerful Qi and blood, which make the foundation of one’s physical quality.”
He looked at Ou Yangming like it was such a shame. “Your foundation is lacking, and you’re slightly inferior in terms of the ability to produce Qi and blood. You might be able to advance to Yang Grade in the future, but it’ll be extremely difficult for you to break through to Extreme Grade.”
“Qi and blood?” Ou Yangming’s face twitched, and he had a strange look in his eyes.
Chen Dishou thought Ou Yangming was dispirited when he saw the young fellow’s strange reaction, hence he instantly comforted, “Lil’ Ou, you don’t have to belittle yourself. You may be lacking in physical quality, which makes it hard for you to enter Extreme Grade, but your perception in martial arts is the best I’ve ever seen. Even if you’re only in Yang Grade, I believe that you’re able to resist a Supreme Great Ancestor.”
Ou Yangming curbed his weird thoughts and thanked, “Thank you for your teachings, senior. I’ll definitely work hard, and I won’t disappoint you.”
“Okay, continue to work hard. I’ll inform you to fulfill your promise once you advance to Yang Grade.”
“Senior, if I may ask, who exactly did you make the promise with?” Ou Yangming was slightly moved.
He had asked Chen Dishou the same question before, but the tributary previously avoided talking about it.
Since three days had passed, they became closer to each other.
Although they were not a master and an apprentice in name, they were in fact a master and an apprentice.
>
“I can only tell you that she’s a real martial arts powerhouse, whose cultivation base is at the peak of Extreme Grade, and she cultivates a supreme secret technique. Ah, if her successor manages to inherit her legacy, that person won’t be an easy match, but…” Chen Dishou answered after some thought, then he raised his eyebrow and added, “Since Heaven let me meet you, this must be a silver lining. Hehe, I believe that you’ll be victorious.”
Ou Yangming responded seriously, “Yes, I’ll certainly do my best to not ruin your reputation.”
“Very well!” Chen Dishou made three big laughs. He then flapped his sleeves and turned to leave. He vanished from Ou Yangming’s sight in a flash.
Ou Yangming slowly stood up straight and looked at his palm. He had an odd look in his eyes once more.
‘Qi and blood? My ability to produce Qi and blood is limited?
‘Is this… Really a huge flaw?
‘If Chen Dishou meets General Chen Yifan and talks about me, I really can’t tell which one of them will be able to convince the other, but I suppose Grand Elder Chen Dishou has a higher chance of winning. After all, if the two of them fight, General Chen Yifan will definitely be defeated.’
The more Ou Yangming wondered, the more interested he was. He even curled his lips into a faint smile.
Suddenly, he was alerted.
It was not the feeling of being in extreme danger, but he could tell that someone was spying on him nearby.
Ou Yangming looked stern right away, and he quickly curbed his thoughts to look around him. His consciousness rose at that moment too, and everything around him seemed to have become one with him.
The integration was no longer only with his power and mind, but his entire body. It was as though he became an inseparable part of the environment around him.
Ou Yangming roared as he focused on one spot with his mental power. “Come out now!”
His body tensed up, and he tipped his toes to transform himself into an invincible spear, then he dashed toward that direction.
He used his body as a spear and was ready to sweep everything in his way!
This was spear force, a supreme cultivation secret technique in martial arts.
Despite that, Ou Yangming’s body seemed to have fallen into a giant trap at the next instant.
The space over there was supposedly empty, but a deep vortex suddenly appeared.
It was a space vortex, which was not visible to the naked eye, but the sharp-sensed Ou Yangming could immediately notice it.
Dangerous, it was incredibly dangerous!
Ou Yangming identified at once that the power contained in the vortex was so powerful that he could not resist it.
Even though his spear attack carried a fearsome aura, his strength could not be said to be on equal terms with Chen Dishou’s. Chen Dishou would have certainly charged at the enemy without any hesitation, and the outcome could only be determined when he fought the enemy at close quarters.
On the other hand, if Ou Yangming attacked heedlessly, he would surely die.
‘This hidden fella is actually a superb powerhouse who’s not inferior to Chen Dishou at all.’
At that crucial moment, Ou Yangming deduced everything in his mind. He gritted his teeth and activated the Blood Flight Art without any delay.
“Woosh…”
Ou Yangming’s body suddenly sped up, and he achieved an unbelievable speed in a split second. Almost at the same time, the direction that he was zooming in was slightly adjusted as he went through the side of the vortex and traveled a few times faster than Chen Dishou. Ou Yangming was soon nowhere to be found.
The vortex in the void slowly disappeared, then a woman, who was covered in white veil, walked out.
She mumbled when she looked at where Ou Yangming disappeared, “What’s that technique? When did Old Chen learn such a peculiar ability? Hmm, no, it’s that young fella who’s strange. He actually managed to notice me, and it’s puzzling…”
After thinking about it for a while, the woman left and arrived at a house outside the prefecture in a while.
A slim and beautiful lady with thin eyebrows and big eyes uttered cheerfully from the room when the woman entered, “Master, you’re back!”
The woman smiled and asked lovingly, “Jiumei, do you really want to follow me?”
“Yes, master,” Jiumei answered without any hesitation, “I’d like to be like you and become one of the most powerful people in the world. I want to have control over my own fate without being bullied by anyone anymore.”
“You’re right. We may be weak, but we mustn’t be inferior to those men. That said…” The woman responded with a smile, but she suddenly looked serious as she said, “Our cultivation strives for strong determination and a bright heart. It’s exceptionally difficult to enter the sect, and if one’s willpower wavers during the cultivation, one will die.”
Her face looked gloomy as she revealed, “Throughout countless years, we’ve had thousands and ten thousands of disciples in our sect, but only one or two in every ten of them were successful and were lucky enough to not die. If that’s the case, are you still going to persist?”
Jiumei looked up and spoke proudly in response, “Master, I’ve decided that I’ll die for a righteous cause if I don’t succeed. I… Have no regrets!”
“Okay, I’m at ease.” The woman studied her for some time before she smiled. She continued after a pause, “Oh right, let’s make a trip to the Liang residence before we leave.”
“Why are we going there?” “Of course we must eliminate their clan to take revenge for you,” the woman replied to Jiumei casually, as if the eradication of a clan was as simple and as natural as eating and drinking.
“Master, if I really want to take revenge, I should do it myself.” Jiumei grinned. When her eyes wandered about, she actually looked slightly cunning. “Besides, they’ll really feel troubled if I leave now.”
“Okay, as long as you have the thought.” The woman was taken aback, but she soon laughed and agreed. She stood up and told Jiumei, “Pack your things, and let’s leave.” Jiumei nodded and informed, “Master, I’ve already packed my belongings long ago.” Following that, the woman called for a carriage and left with Jiumei.
However, before they left, Jiumei looked at the prefecture and closed her eyes as if she was saying something to herself.
An imposing figure flashed in her head.
The figure was not a tall one, but it propped up the sky. “Thank you! You’ve never seen me, but I’ll never forget you. ‘One day, I’ll repay you by a hundred fold for everything you’ve done for me.’
Chapter 172 - Devour Again
Chapter 172 Devour Again
When Ou Yangming’s Qi and blood dispersed, he fell from mid-air.
Nonetheless, he instantly found his footing, but he looked pale as if he was seriously ill.
Although he did not know the origin and the intention of the mysterious person, who approached him quietly, there was something that he was sure of.
Most of the strong powerhouses who approached him covertly were ill-intentioned.
Therefore, once Ou Yangming confirmed that the powerhouse was not someone he could defeat, he immediately escaped through the Blood Flight.
Inside the prefecture, he only had the guts to repeatedly contradict the Supreme Great Ancestor because he knew that the Ni family’s Three Great Ancestors would not ignore the matter. If Ou Yangming really encountered a dangerous situation, he had a powerful backup.
On the other hand, what kind of backup did he have in the wilderness?
He would simply die soundlessly if he was killed and buried.
Such an unremarkable death was not the kind of ending that he wanted.
Ou Yangming panted heavily and shook his wrist to retrieve a dagger.
Afterward, he burned the intense Military Fire to envelop the dagger with it. The fire went away after a brief moment, whereas he entered an intangible and spiritual state.
&n
bsp; Under that state, everything around him was within his sense and control.
Ou Yangming flashed and arrived at the bottom of a small hill.
A small village was located there, and tens of families lived scattered.
Ou Yangming scanned the place and entered one of the houses at the speed of light.
In a village, every house would raise some poultry to help out with family expenses.
Before Ou Yangming entered the house, he had channeled his essential Qi to close his pores so as to not give out any smell.
With that, even a pet dog could not smell him.
Sure enough, about ten birds were reared in the house. Ou Yangming’s eyes lit up, and he quickly entered the henhouse.
A flash of cold light was seen as the roosters, hens, and chicks in the henhouse were slit by their throat before they could make a sound. Subsequently, Ou Yangming stabbed his dagger into one of the dead chickens, and he watched as the dead chicken disappeared after a few breath counts.
The efficiency and speed of Devouring +2 was far greater than only 1 point of the attribute. This was also the thing that Ou Yangming was the most delighted about.
He transformed the Qi and blood of all the carcasses in the henhouse without any hesitation, then he retrieved a piece of silver and tossed it inside. The silver’s value was beyond the worth of the poultry in the henhouse, so the residents would probably not disclose the matter.
Ou Yangming did a light leap over a wall to visit the next residence.
His eyes glowed as he wondered, ‘God is helping me.’
He figured that the family was a rich family in the village because not only were there chickens and geese in their courtyard, but there were also two fat pigs. The well-fed pigs probably weighed around 400 kilograms in total.
Ou Yangming was initially worried if the poultry here had insufficient flesh and blood, but he was instantly at ease after seeing the two big fellows.
He obviously could not bring himself to kill living humans, but he was not bothered about poultry and fat pigs.
After a short while, Ou Yangming left a piece of gold and went over the wall again.
Immortal Path to Heaven c1-725 Page 102