The Villain's Counterattack

Chapter 560 The Sloppy Old Taoist Talks About Magical Skills

"Swish~Swish~Swish~" The three-foot-long vine was swung lightly, and two figures surrounded it from both sides a few meters away, moving up and down, left and right, tumbling and jumping high and low, but they never approached the old man who was lazily lying on the grass, yawning with one hand covering his mouth and casually swinging the vine with the other hand.

The old man had white eyebrows and beard, and his Taoist robe that was washed to a pale color, coupled with his unkempt appearance, gave people a sloppy feeling. With his eyes half-open, he looked listless and weak.

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling started learning the Secret of Immortality half a month ago, and then they began a unique training. They were taught all the basic skills such as fists, feet, palms, swords, spears, sticks, swords, halberds, whips and ropes. And their sparring partner was the sloppy old Taoist who "accidentally" beat up Yu Wenhuaji, who was pretending to be a pick-up girl, and left him with a black eye and a swollen face.

A quaint yet somewhat ugly wooden house stood quietly in a small valley. Outside the house, there were complete pots and stoves on the flat ground, and the small warehouse was fully stocked with all kinds of food ingredients. However, the chef's skills were a little low. The chef apprentices named Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling could not make any delicious food even after following the recipe, and had to redo the recipe again and again.

If it were just them, they would be easily satisfied, but they needed to take care of this old sparring partner. Although the old man looked sloppy, his martial arts skills were hopelessly high, and his mouth was so picky that it made Kou and Xu collapse.

For Kou and Xu, who had practiced Yi Jin Duan Gu Pian and the entry level of Chang Sheng Jue, it was easy to get started with ordinary martial arts, not to mention the basic skills. However, the sloppy old Taoist had extremely strict requirements. Not only did they have to perform standard movements, but they also had to drive the true qi they had just cultivated to exert its due power.

This is a bit difficult for Kou and Xu. You know, even ordinary first-class masters may not be able to do it. Those who can do this steadily are at least innate masters. But the longevity secrets practiced by Kou and Xu are extraordinary. The level of true qi is very high, and the starting point is innate true qi. This is possible for them to do it when they are in the stage of practicing basic skills.

However, possibility is only possibility after all. Even when Dugu Feng was practicing Dugu Nine Swords, there were many details that were not perfect in the early stages. In terms of aptitude, he was still inferior to Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling.

Kou and Xu wailed in agony under the sloppy old Taoist's three-foot-long cane, but they could never get within three feet of him, often being whipped until they cried out in pain from a few feet away. Fortunately, the sloppy old Taoist was not a bad person. He then taught them the method of controlling their true energy, training them to quickly concentrate their true energy into various parts of the body to form a defensive force. This is how they avoided being covered in bruises, but even so, the pain was not relieved at all.

"Grandpa Zhang, you must be very skilled in martial arts. I wonder if I would be honored to learn a few tricks from you, so that I can make a name for you in the martial arts world in the future." After the training time was over, Kou Zhong got up from the ground, patted the dust off his body, and didn't mind his embarrassment at all. He came up with a smile.

Xu Ziling rolled over and sat up, "Grandpa Zhang's martial arts are unparalleled. No one in the world can defeat him except my master. I admire him very much." As the saying goes, flattery never wears out. As a gangster at the bottom of the former Yangzhou City, it is indispensable for him to have a mouth that can tell lies to different people and different stories to different people.

"Don't you think I don't know what tricks you two are up to? Humph, except for the basic skills, I won't teach you anything. Just give up on this idea." The sloppy old Taoist swung his cane, and there was a crackling sound in the air. Hearing the sound, Kou Zhong jumped up and tumbled three to five meters away. Xu Ziling rolled sideways three feet and couldn't help feeling embarrassed when he saw the sloppy old Taoist's half-smile.

However, this awkward expression disappeared in three seconds, and he continued to pester them, as if he knew that because of his master, he could not teach them martial arts, so he turned to ask about some secret anecdotes of the martial arts world.

"The path of martial arts is as vast as the ocean. There are countless martial arts in the world, and their levels vary greatly. The lower ones are not even worthy of being considered a master, while the higher ones can shatter the void. The highest one is the legendary "War God Atlas", which can be said to be the source of all martial arts."

"Following closely is 'The Heavenly Demon Strategy'. The Heavenly Demon Strategy is the supreme secret manual of the Demon Sect, consisting of ten volumes, encompassing countless insights. It can be said to be the essence of all ancient schools of thought and a treasure of the Chinese nation. The top-ranked martial arts in the Heavenly Demon Strategy are basically derived from the War God Atlas. Among them, 'The Heavenly Demon Secret', 'The Great Method of Planting Demons in the Dao Heart', and 'The Record of the Demonic Path' can even directly lead to the destruction of existence."

The slovenly old Taoist looked at the stunned Kou and Xu and said with a smile, "Don't say that the righteous path seems to be suppressing the Demon Sect now. In fact, it's not that the Demon Sect's heritage is weak, but that this generation of Demon Sect disciples has gone astray. If the Taoist or Buddhist sects were alone, they really wouldn't be able to compete with the Demon Sect. The Demon Sect has been passed down for thousands of years, and its profound foundation is not comparable to the foreign Buddhism. Only the Taoist sect can compete with it."

"Speaking of Taoism, its inheritance is also extraordinary. The 'Xiaoyao Yufeng' that your master Xiaoyaozi learned is a supreme divine skill that can directly lead to shattering. However, this divine skill is profound and mysterious, and it is not something that ordinary people can comprehend. Even the derived Beiming Divine Art, Tianchangdijiu Bu Lao Changchun Art, and Xiao Wuxiang Art can only be practiced by those with exceptional talent."

Kou and Xu were greatly excited upon hearing this. After all, their future achievements depended largely on the quality of their master's inheritance. The slovenly old Taoist continued, "Then there are two extraordinary skills. One is the 'Huangtian Dafa,' which was created by the Heavenly Master Sun En two hundred years ago. This Heavenly Master Sun En was deeply rooted in the Huang-Lao tradition and taught the method to the gods and men. He has reached the realm of transcendence and sainthood, and ultimately used this method to shatter the void."

"Breaking the Void." Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling were not ignorant boys, so they naturally knew that the most powerful realm in this world was Breaking the Void. According to the sloppy old man, Breaking the Void meant that one's strength was so strong that it could not be tolerated by the world, and one would eventually leave either actively or passively. Just thinking about it made their blood boil.

"This 'Huang Tian Da Fa' is a method of cultivating the mind. Even though it originated from Huang Lao, it's not considered ancient. The truly ancient Taoist secret is the 'Eternal Life Secret' that you two are practicing. This Taoist treasure is said to have been written in oracle bone script by Guang Chengzi, the ancient teacher of the Yellow Emperor. The text is cast with black gold thread, which is impervious to water and fire. It inherits the art of capturing the essence of heaven and earth and strengthening the foundation."

At this point, the slovenly old Taoist looked at Kou and Xu with a piercing gaze and said, "You two are also very lucky to have learned this profound and mysterious skill, which is almost unheard of by anyone except your master. However, unlike your master who comprehended the complete longevity secret at a high divine level, you two have each only learned a magic trick representing yin and yang. However, this is also a rare opportunity that only comes once in a century."

"I have carefully examined your bodies before. You have just started to practice innate true Qi, which is really extraordinary. You should know that even your master's unique skill of Xiaoyao Sect is to practice acquired true Qi first, and then return to innate Qi from acquired." The sloppy old Taoist praised Kou Xu and others, which made them more excited.

"The above divine skills, when practiced to a high level, all have the potential to shatter the void. However, strength lies not only in the martial arts, but also in the person." The sloppy old Taoist continued, "I am also a Taoist. My knowledge comes from the 'Nine Yin Manual'. I have continuously improved myself and created the 'Tai Chi Divine Art'. It uses yin and yang as its principles, hardness and softness. If it is pushed to the extreme, it has the potential to shatter the void."

Kou and Xu both displayed an expression of bragging, earning the slovenly old Taoist a lash of the whip. After the two men apologized and fawned over their crimes, he continued, "The Cihang Sword Canon, one of the four legendary martial arts, was written by Di Ni with reference to the Demonic Path. It blends the ideas of the demonic and Buddhist sects. Taking unconventional sword techniques is not the right path, and ultimately cannot be perfected. Forget about shattering the void; even reaching the Grandmaster level is extremely difficult. To achieve mastery in this art, one must cultivate deception, deceiving others, oneself, and the world before one can hope to achieve it."

"Having discussed these remarkable feats, let's now discuss the unique skills of today's masters. Among them, the most famous are Sanren Ning Daoqi's 'Eight Freehand Strikes', Fu Cailin's 'Yi Sword Technique', Bi Xuan's 'Yan Yang Da Fa', and Song Que's 'Heavenly Sword Technique'. They are all Grandmaster-level martial arts. In addition, the Evil King Shi Zhixuan's 'Immortal Seal Technique' has also been deduced to the Grandmaster level by him. This technique combines the power of Buddha and Demon, and its potential is comparable to the 'Cihang Sword Canon'."

"There are other masters who are yet to be hidden. Among them, the Sword Demon Dugu Qiubai's 'Nine Swords of Dugu' is as good as Fu Cailin's 'Yi Sword Art', the Drunken Monk's 'Nine Yang Magic Art' is as good as Bi Xuan's 'Yan Yang Da Fa'. If the Gentleman Sword Yue Buqun can cultivate the 'Purple Qi from the East Magic Art' to perfection and then practice the advanced technique 'Xiantian Gong', he may not be inferior to the Wanderer Ning Daoqi. My 'Tai Chi Magic Art' combines hardness and softness, and rotates yin and yang. It is an authentic Taoist art, and its potential is even greater than the Evil King's 'Immortal Seal Scroll'."

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling looked at each other. "Master Zhang, the last sentence is what you really wanted to show off, right? But why don't we believe it? Unless you can provide evidence, such as passing this magical skill to us, then we can believe it."