Chapter 96 Divine Skill Cave - Subtle and Mysterious

"You're not even as good as him."

These words shocked everyone present.

The smile on Young Master Zhang's face froze slightly.

The assembled heroes were in uproar—

"What? Someone challenged Young Master Lin to three moves last night?"

"Who is that? How dare they speak to the young镖头 (bodyguard/escort) like that?"

"Young Master Lin didn't kill him?"

"Young Master Zhang is already ridiculously strong. He almost killed the Japanese ronin with a single strike of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms. Is there anyone stronger than him?!"

Yu Canghai's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition surged into his mind.

Zhang Yuanying's eyes widened in disbelief. She knew her brother's martial arts skills best; besides their father, she had never seen anyone in the world stronger than him. Lin Pingzhi actually said that someone last night was stronger than her brother?

Could it be Dongfang Bubai?

Young Master Zhang stared at Shi Potian, slowly closed his folding fan, and for the first time, a serious look appeared in his eyes.

"Who is it?"

Shi Potian shook his head and said, "I don't know who it is either. This person's martial arts are unfathomable, yet no one recognizes him."

"Speaking of which, your internal strengths do have similarities, so perhaps you know each other."

Young Master Zhang's heart skipped a beat. Similar to me? Could it be...?

He asked, "What does he look like? And how are our internal energies similar?"

Shi Potian said, "He is a mysterious man wearing a bamboo hat. His internal energy is extremely yin and soft, while your internal energy is extremely yang and strong, but for some reason it also contains a bit of yin energy. This yin energy is very similar to his."

Young Master Zhang was shocked. His initial mastery of the Nine Yin and Nine Yang internal energy had been detected by the young镖头 (bodyguard/escort), and the young master had only seen one of his palms. How did he manage to do that?

Alarm bells rang in his mind, and he finally put away his arrogance and treated the young man in front of him with seriousness.

"The power of Yin? Is there anyone in this world who knows the Nine Yin Manual? Why have I never heard of it? If it really is the Nine Yin Manual, then it's not impossible for someone stronger than me."

Seeing his unsettled state, Shi Potian asked, "Young Master Zhang, are you still going to help Yu Canghai?"

Young Master Zhang closed his folding fan and laughed, "It seems I underestimated the young镖头 (bodyguard/escort). The young镖头 said he took three moves from him. Could you tell me what those three moves were?"

Shi Potian said, "I took one of his claws, one of his palms, and one of his punches."

Young Master Zhang's heart stirred, and he said, "Young Master Escort, do you still remember that man's moves? Could you demonstrate them for me?"

Shi Potian also wanted to know who the mysterious man was, and said:

"Of course I remember."

Before he finished speaking, he swayed slightly and flashed to the center of the field, where he began his demonstration.

His right hand was bent into a hook shape, resembling an eagle's claw. A chilling wind blew from his fingertips as he grabbed at the bluestone ground in front of him from a distance. With a soft "swoosh," the hard bluestone was scratched by the invisible claw force, leaving five deep marks with neat edges, as if carved by a knife!

"It really is... the Nine Yin White Bone Claw!" Young Master Zhang's pupils shrank, and he exclaimed inwardly. What was even more astonishing was that the power of the move used by this young镖头 (bodyguard/escort) was no less than that of the real Nine Yin White Bone Claw, enough to fool anyone. How did he manage to do that?

Little did he know the wondrous nature of the Stone Breaking Heaven's Tai Xuan Scripture realm. It was divine and enlightened, capable of discerning everything and observing a person's aura as clearly as reading the lines on their palm. After the mysterious man demonstrated it once, he had already discerned the subtle workings of the claw's internal force. Moreover, the Arhat Subduing Demon Divine Skill was most adept at the transformation of Yin and Yang, and when used in this way, it was equally chilling and penetrating, with boundless power.

Seeing the sharpness of his claw, the heroes felt their scalps tingle, thinking to themselves that if that claw were stuck in their own heads, it would be no different than sticking tofu in their hair.

After Shi Potian finished his claw strike, he shifted his feet, transformed his claw into a fist, and threw a punch with a completely different momentum than before.

If the previous claw strike was subtle yet ruthless, this punch is upright, ancient, and powerful. As the punch unfolds, it possesses a solemn aura reminiscent of an Arhat subduing demons—a move that, despite its killing intent, evokes an impulse to bow down in reverence.

"Great Subduing Demon Fist!" Young Master Zhang exclaimed in surprise again. Although Shi Potian's Arhat Subduing Demon True Qi did not resemble a Taoist divine skill, Young Master Zhang still recognized it at a glance.

Where Shi Potian's fist passed, it was like a thunderclap rising from the ground, exploding in mid-air with a loud bang, as if it would shatter the void.

Master Fang Sheng of Shaolin was greatly shocked. He seemed to see the shadow of the Shaolin Vajra Fist in this punch. This fist technique had not been mastered by anyone for more than a hundred years.

After Shi Potian finished throwing a punch, he reached out with his left hand to grab the ground. A piece of green brick that had been blasted out by Zhang Gongzi's Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms suddenly jumped up and flew into Shi Potian's hand.

"Dragon-Capturing Skill!" The crowd gasped in astonishment.

Shi Potian flicked his right wrist and struck out with his palm. The palm wind suddenly became sinister and eerie, with a green aura emanating from his palm. Silently, he gently struck the blue stone in his left hand. The stone's surface remained undamaged, but in an instant, a gust of wind blew, and the blue stone, like years of accumulated dust, scattered in a gust of wind, turning into fine powder all over the ground. Shi Potian was left with nothing.

"Heart-Shattering Palm! How could you know the Heart-Shattering Palm!" Yu Canghai's expression changed drastically, whether from shock or anger was unknown.

The disciples of the Qingcheng Sect were in an uproar. They couldn't recognize the claw and the fist, but they all recognized the Heart-Shattering Palm and started shouting.

"You stole my Qingcheng Sect's martial arts and dare to use them so openly! You are truly deeply demonic!" Fang Renzhi shouted.

Shi Potian smiled slightly: "I did not steal your Qingcheng Sect's martial arts. Yu Canghai's Heart-Shattering Palm was not practiced correctly. My Heart-Shattering Palm is the real Heart-Shattering Palm, which I learned from that mysterious man."

This time, Young Master Zhang had no more doubts. He already knew in his heart that what the mysterious man knew was the authentic Nine Yin Manual!

It seems even more authentic than what his family makes.

There really are people in the world who know the Nine Yin Manual. Misfortune for the nation is fortune for martial arts practitioners; indeed, the world is about to descend into chaos, and martial arts will be revived.

Lin Shao, the镖头 (bodyguard/escort), was able to replicate the Nine Yin Manual's ultimate technique after just one look. He would never have believed it unless he saw it with his own eyes.

Even the ancestor who had mastered the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth to its highest level could only barely touch this realm, but it doesn't seem that outrageous.

Young Master Zhang clasped his hands and said, "Young Master Lin is indeed a martial arts prodigy. After only one exchange, he was able to understand the secrets of his opponent's martial arts. He is even more remarkable than Yu Canghai, who has been practicing the Heart-Shattering Palm for decades. I admire him."

The Heart-Shattering Palm of the Qingcheng Sect originally came from the Zhang family, but it was an incomplete version.

"I do recognize those three moves. Thank you for informing me, Young Master Lin. This information is very important to my family. However, I still can't guess who this person is."

Shi Potian was immediately disappointed.

Changchunzi watched as Young Master Zhang's expression changed repeatedly, and he seemed to be deep in thought.

"However, since I said I would protect the Qingcheng Sect, I cannot go back on my word. I underestimated the young镖头 (镖头 is a nickname for a镖师, a skilled镖师) before, so the three-move agreement is null and void."

"Now, as long as the young master can defeat me, I will no longer concern myself with the affairs of the Qingcheng Sect," Young Master Zhang changed his mind.

Qu Feiyan scoffed, "Three moves in the first place, and then countless moves in the next. How about we just change it to you taking three moves from my little brother?"

Yu Canghai was both pleased and worried. He was pleased that he finally didn't need to use three moves, but he was also worried because he didn't need to use three moves. Not using three moves meant that, just as his Uncle-Master Changchunzi had predicted, Young Master Zhang didn't have a sure chance of winning.

Seeing that this man was wholeheartedly protecting the villain, Shi Potian angrily said, "Young Master Zhang, I'm going to kill Yu Canghai, and you can't stop me!"