At the peak of his intense spar with Bian Yixia, Zou Feng suddenly changed his style. Instead of relying on his Tribulation-Indestructible Body to tank her attacks, he began to dodge and weave, continuously counter-attacking with his palms.
At first, Bian Yixia paid no mind to these palm strikes. She even found his Palm Technique to be rather lame.
But as Zou Feng threw more and more palm strikes, his speed increasing all the while, Bian Yixia finally noticed something was off.
"Is that... a Lotus!?"
Bian Yixia was certain her eyes weren’t deceiving her. Zou Feng’s palm strikes were now so fast they left afterimages, which were faintly coalescing into the shape of a massive Lotus.
It had even reached a point where every palm Zou Feng struck seemed like a Lotus blooming.
This wasn’t Zou Feng trying to be funny. The Karmic Fire Red Lotus Palm naturally incorporated finger movements, a constant swaying and trembling before an attack, which was equivalent to continuously forming a Lotus Dharma Seal with his hands.
This made the Palm Technique appear more unpredictable and deceptive.
To put it plainly, Zou Feng was furiously doing the Shaking Flower Hand.
Moreover, this was the ultimate Shaking Flower Hand—a move countless wannabe cool kids could only dream of mastering!
Even Zou Feng himself never would have imagined this. Before he’d transmigrated, he had sneered at things like the Shaking Flower Hand.
But after practicing the Five Poison Palm and then the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Palm, he found that both actually required the Shaking Flower Hand.
The Five Poison Palm used the Shaking Flower Hand to release poison more quickly, while the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Palm’s moveset originally included the action of forming a Lotus Seal.
Doing the Shaking Flower Hand in front of a woman like Bian Yixia, and without any accompanying BGM, Zou Feng would be lying to himself if he said he felt zero shame.
But in order to demonstrate that he had broken through to the Eighth Grade because his Karmic Fire Red Lotus Palm had reached the Realm of Synthesis and Mastery, Zou Feng had no choice but to keep on shaking wildly.
He had already braced himself for Yixia to burst out laughing, but why was it that Bian Yixia’s expression right now wasn’t one of awkwardness, but... of admiration and appreciation!?
’So the saying "shake a good Flower Hand, and you’ll never lack a girlfriend" isn’t just a joke?’
But even though Zou Feng himself felt awkward, in reality, the Flower Hand he performed after forming the Lotus Seal was truly stunning to others.
Countless small Lotuses bloomed continuously, eventually merging into one massive Lotus. It was like doing the Shaking Flower Hand with million-dollar special effects; it would be strange if it *didn’t* look good.
Besides, despite Bian Yixia’s forthright and carefree demeanor, she was, in fact, a woman who loved flowers. Thus, Zou Feng’s frantic Shaking Flower Hand had actually managed to mesmerize her for a moment...
Seeing signs of a blush creeping onto Bian Yixia’s face, Zou Feng couldn’t hold back any longer. He struck out with another heavy palm and shouted, "Miss, watch out! It seems this subordinate is about to..."
With this palm, his Inner Qi surged. The once-faint afterimage of the Lotus suddenly became clear.
Zou Feng had suddenly used his Inner Qi to create the illusion that he was only just now breaking through to the Eighth Grade.
It was as if he couldn’t yet adapt to the changes that came with ascending to the Eighth Grade, causing him to lose control as his Inner Qi flared up on its own.
Zou Feng’s shout snapped Bian Yixia out of her "flower appreciation" state.
Her reaction speed was beyond question; she immediately countered with a punch, clashing head-on with Zou Feng’s palm.
Of course, Bian Yixia had also used a bit of Inner Qi in her punch.
"Congratulations, congratulations!"
After the clash, both retreated two steps. Bian Yixia immediately withdrew her fist and offered her congratulations.
Zou Feng put on a timely expression of shock and delight. "This... Miss, has this subordinate advanced to the Eighth Grade!?"
Bian Yixia smiled and nodded. "Yes, there’s no doubt about it. Also, your Karmic Fire Red Lotus Palm should have broken through to the Realm of Synthesis and Mastery."
"That last palm strike was magnificent!"
For Bian Yixia to offer such praise proved that she had truly been captivated by Zou Feng’s Shaking Flower Hand.
"However, you’ve been sparring with me for quite some time, and you also took a Nine Yang Profound Qi Pill. It’s only natural that you would break through to the Eighth Grade."
"But remember not to slack off in the future. Avoid arrogance and impatience, and continue to train diligently!"
It was clear that Bian Yixia felt a sense of personal involvement in having witnessed Zou Feng’s rapid promotion from a Ninth Grade rookie to the Eighth Grade.
She had clearly started to see herself as a Martial Dao senior who had guided Zou Feng.
Zou Feng naturally went along with it, cupping his fist. "It’s all thanks to you for making it possible, Miss!"
The next moment, Bian Yixia’s smile faded. "The Cultivation Skills you and I practice may have their obvious flaws, and our cultivation resources are far inferior to those of the Celestial Essence Sword Sect disciples..."
"But if we maintain the right mindset and train relentlessly, we might have a chance to climb to greater heights in the future."
"Do you know what the disciples of the Celestial Essence Sword Sect usually call people like us?"
Zou Feng answered subconsciously, "Evil Cultivators?"
"That’s right. Evil Cultivators. Third-Class Martial Artists on unorthodox paths. Bottom-tier Martial Artists with a pathetically low chance of ever reaching the Gang Qi Realm." Bian Yixia sneered. "But so what if we’re Evil Cultivators? From time to time, a High Grade Evil Cultivator still pops up and beats them so badly they piss their pants."
"Besides, if they, the self-proclaimed Righteous Dao, are so powerful, why are there still so many Evil Dao demonic sects standing strong today?"
"So, forget about the Righteous Dao or the Evil Dao, orthodox or unorthodox paths. When you reach the end, it’s all just the Dao!" As she spoke, Bian Yixia’s voice grew more resonant and powerful, full of encouragement.
In Zou Feng’s view, while Bian Yixia was indeed encouraging him in her capacity as a Martial Dao senior, he couldn’t help but feel she was also encouraging herself, using this to further steel her own convictions.
Zou Feng deeply agreed with this.
’After all, I can only cultivate Evil Skills anyway. I’m destined to become a titan of the Evil Dao.’