Immovable Ming King Fist?
Zhao Ya was first stunned, then a look of surprise appeared on his face.
According to Buddhist teachings, the Unmoving Bright King is the leader of the Eight Great Bright Kings, the embodiment of all Buddhas’ decrees, the wrathful form of the Great Sun Buddha, possessing great power.
Now that the three fist techniques have been integrated and upgraded to the Immovable Ming King Fist, the power can only be imagined.
However, it wasn’t suitable to practice this fist technique at the moment, as it was deep into the night, and the power of the Immovable Ming King Fist was immense. Practicing it would create too much commotion, potentially causing unnecessary trouble.
So Zhao Ya slowly exhaled, settled into a stance, and then opened the attribute panel.
The other martial arts skills hadn’t changed much, except for the fact that the Five Tiger Fist, Great Vajra Fist, and Little Arhat Fist had disappeared, replaced by a new line of text.
Immovable Ming King Fist (Returning to the Essence 13%)
The Five Tiger Fist had once reached 99% Returning to the Essence, just one step away from Extraordinary to Saint.
The realm of the Great Vajra Fist was slightly lower, but it also reached 99% of the Peak Performance realm.
Later, adding the Little Arhat Fist, the combination of the three merely brought the Immovable Ming King Fist to the Returning to the Essence realm.
But Zhao Ya understood deeply that the power of his fist technique now was several times stronger than before.
This was a qualitative leap, akin to being reborn, reshaping Zhao Ya’s understanding of fist techniques.
Previously, the strongest martial art Zhao Ya knew was the Wind-Slaying Saber Technique, as it was the only skill that reached the Extraordinary to Saint realm.
But now Zhao Ya felt, in terms of sheer destructive power, his fist technique had far surpassed others, becoming a unique existence.
Thinking of this, Zhao Ya suppressed his inner excitement and began to cultivate the Star-devouring True Power under the starlit sky.
Zhao Ya knew that the upgrade of his fist technique was just the beginning; only the advancement of his realm could solidify his foundation.
As long as he could successfully open his meridians and become a real Meridian Opening Realm expert, Xia Jiye would no longer have any authority over him.
With the long breaths, strands of starlight slowly seeped into Zhao Ya’s body, with the starlight in his dantian growing brighter and more intense.
Before this, Zhao Ya had already nurtured the True Power Seed of the Star-devouring True Power to completion. Now, with the continuous influx of starlight, the Star-devouring True Power in his dantian began to stir restlessly.
This was a sign of opening the meridians.
Zhao Ya remained calm, without joy or sorrow, not guiding it but continuing to draw the starlight into his body.
For any martial artist who had reached this point, this was a prolonged process, not something that could be completed overnight.
Yet, the Star-devouring True Power was dominant due to its speed in drawing starlight, far exceeding other true power cultivation techniques.
Even the Azure Dragon True Power, the hallmark skill of the Azure Dragon Temple, paled in comparison.
Zhao Ya had often wondered why there was such a significant difference.
Later, Zhao Ya had a vague feeling that the most significant difference between the Star-devouring True Power and other cultivation techniques lay in this fundamental diagram.
It had been said before that there were countless true power cultivation techniques, but all changes followed the same principle; all required a fundamental diagram.
Anyone entering the practice would need to visualize the fundamental diagram and gain different true powers through their insights.
But when Zhao Ya was cultivating the Star-devouring True Power, this step was absent.
Initially, Zhao Ya was puzzled until he realized that the Star-devouring True Power’s fundamental diagram was none other than the starry sky itself.
Upon discovering this, Zhao Ya’s hair stood on end.
Towards Fu Dongjun, the creator of the Star-devouring True Power technique, Zhao Ya felt nothing but admiration.
What vision and courage it must have taken to conceive of using the entire starry sky as the fundamental diagram for cultivation.
Because of this, Zhao Ya’s progress with the Star-devouring True Power was remarkably fast.
In just a few months, he reached levels that would take others years to achieve.
However, Zhao Ya understood that although the initial progress of the Star-devouring True Power was quick, it would slow down later on.
Because, compared to others, the Star-devouring True Power had an additional step, refining the body’s acupuncture points.
Yet Zhao Ya was not daunted by this; instead, he was filled with confidence.
If he could truly, as Fu Dongjun described in the secret manual, refine all the acupuncture points in his body, would he truly become like a Land Immortal?
As Zhao Ya intensified his cultivation in the courtyard, not far from the Martial Arts Hall, Xia Jiye and several familiar elders were sitting together drinking.
Xia Jiye’s complexion was so grim it could almost drip water as he drank sullenly, cup after cup, without saying a word throughout.
The elders present knew Xia Jiye’s character, aware that he was still brooding over what happened during the day, so they didn’t try to persuade, merely keeping him company in silence.
Suddenly.
Xia Jiye abruptly crushed the cup in his hand.
With a bang, the porcelain cup was crushed to powder.
Then, Xia Jiye said in an incomparably cold voice, "As long as this person remains, my heart cannot be at peace."
He then looked at the elders, "What are your opinions?"
A chubby elder heard this and chuckled, then nodded, "I have no objections. After all, he humiliated you in public, which is equivalent to humiliating all of us instructor elders. If there’s no resolution, how can we establish ourselves among the disciples in the future?"
A tall, thin elder beside him also nodded in agreement, "I have no objections either. But what do you plan to do? Act directly inside the temple?"
"That is absolutely out of the question."
Before Xia Jiye could speak, a gentle-looking elder decisively rejected the proposal.
"No matter what, he is a disciple of the Azure Dragon Temple, and he was recruited personally by Qin Jianji. If we act inside the temple, it will cause too much commotion and could easily create unnecessary disturbances."
"Then Elder Yu, what do you suggest?" Xia Jiye obviously valued Elder Yu’s opinion greatly and immediately asked.
"In my opinion, not only should we not act within the temple, but it would be best if none of us do it, to avoid leaving any openings for criticism."
"But if neither you nor I act, who will kill this fellow?" the chubby elder asked.
"Haha, isn’t this simple? Spend some money to hire a few skilled assassins, and take care of him when he ventures out," Yu Zhang said.
The elders nodded, "This is indeed a way, but what if this kid knows the risks and doesn’t go out?"
"He’ll have to go out sooner or later, and I don’t recommend taking action now. After all, the conflict just occurred, and if Zhao Ya dies the next day, anyone would suspect. Although we aren’t afraid of the grand elder, we still need to consider the rumors," Yu Zhang analyzed sensibly.
Xia Jiye still felt some congestion in his chest, muttering, "So for the time being, we can only watch this kid carefree right under our noses?"
Yu Zhang laughed heartily, "Brother Xia, don’t unleash your thunderous fury just yet. I know you feel humiliated today, but it’s not that significant. Additionally, let me advise you not to make things too obvious."
"What do you mean?" Xia Jiye was taken aback.
"This Zhao Ya didn’t offer gifts in the Martial Arts Hall, and you felt indignant, so you sought an excuse to embarrass him as a punishment. It’s a good thought, but you shouldn’t have done it so ostentatiously, as it will backfire," Yu Zhang patiently advised.
Xia Jiye’s expression was somewhat unsightly, "I’m also thinking of our mutual interests. After all, all the other disciples presented tributes except for this kid. If this continues, other disciples might become disloyal."
"I understand, but sometimes you have to be mindful of your approach. Although these disciples’ opinions are worth little, we have to be considerate of the grand elder’s feelings."
"Oh? Have you heard any talk?" Xia Jiye and the elders were slightly moved.
"I haven’t heard much specifically, but lately the grand elder has been busy outside. After much inquiry, I heard he seems to wish to rebuild the outer sect."
"Rebuild the outer sect?"
Xia Jiye and the elders exchanged glances, puzzled expressions on their faces.
"Why the sudden intention to rebuild the outer sect?" the chubby elder asked.
"I’m not sure either, but the grand elder wouldn’t do it without reason. He must have intentions. He has tried to interfere with our Martial Arts Hall affairs before, only to be blocked by us. At this critical time, another issue arises; it’s somewhat inappropriate, so we should be careful," Yu Zhang explained logically.
Everyone’s expressions grew solemn.
Xia Jiye also felt a chill run down his spine.
Compared to Zhao Ya’s "offense," this is the real matter of concern.
"Alright, then we’ll wait for the situation to cool down before settling accounts with Zhao Ya," Xia Jiye said hatefully.
"That’s the right approach. Besides, he’s just a minor character in the Fifth Realm, not long initiated into our Azure Dragon Temple. Now that he’s offended you, from today onwards, just don’t pass any knowledge to him."
"In a year or two, his cultivation will fall behind, and he might become discouraged, even voluntarily withdrawing," Yu Zhang said.
Xia Jiye finally turned his anger into joy, "That would be ideal, come, come, let’s drink!"
Early the next morning, Zhao Ya was awakened by a knock on the door. When he opened it, he saw Gui Xuanqing standing at the door with a complex expression.
Guilt, admiration, and worry were all present.
"Senior Brother."
"Hmm, it’s Junior Brother Gui, what’s the matter?"
"Senior Brother, Elder... Elder Xia asked me to deliver a message, saying that since you can now independently complete your tasks, it means you’ve graduated, and you no longer need to attend the Martial Arts Hall."
Towards the end, Gui Xuanqing’s tone was very low, unable to meet Zhao Ya’s eyes.
In his mind, upon hearing the news, Zhao Ya would surely be very downcast.
After all, being deprived of the opportunity to learn at the Martial Arts Hall means Zhao Ya will have to rely entirely on himself for future cultivation.
The gap is clearly significant.
But to his surprise, Zhao Ya seemed to have already anticipated this, and without even blinking, he smiled.
"Oh, so that’s how it is. That’s fine, I didn’t want to see Xia Jiye anyway, so it’s more convenient this way."