Jade Shattering Flowing Water Fist

Jade Shattering Flowing Water Fist

Jade Shattering Flowing Water Fist

After practicing breathing techniques for half the day and having a simple lunch, Lin Mo finally recovered from the shock brought by this fate upgrade.

"A fifty percent increase in cultivation speed, along with these precious medicines and pills—I'll reach Second Level Entry within half a month at most..."

Lin Mo considered it carefully. "Just upgrading [Dharma Eye] and [Bee Waist Ape Back] to green fates has brought enormous improvements. I still have one [White Ape Momentum] left..."

The fate [White Ape Momentum] was somewhat ambiguous. From his experience, its greatest effect was granting him a trace of the ape's spiritual charm, enhancing the sharpness and ferocity of his killing blows.

It was mainly used to increase his combat strength, an auxiliary-type enhancement.

"Following this trend, upgrading [White Ape Momentum] to a green fate should directly enhance my combat power as well. But [Dharma Eye] was only just upgraded; no matter what, I'll have to wait a week before upgrading again..."

Lin Mo's heart burned with eagerness, but for the sake of his foundation, he was in no hurry.

"Since I've tested the boost [Dharma Eye] provides when cultivating breathing techniques, I wonder what kind of boost it will bring when learning and practicing Cultivation Methods?"

The Cloud Ascending Ladder had reached the entry level, and so had the Great Jade Ape Breathing Technique. What remained in his hands was the Cultivation Method called Jade Shattering Flowing Water Fist.

"Although the White Ape Eight Section Fist is already proficient, it is only Human-grade Low-tier. It can still be used at the first level, but once I reach the second level, it will likely fall short."

Lin Mo had also analyzed the differences between the two fist arts. The White Ape Eight Section Fist was an assassination fist art that balanced agility, while the Jade Shattering Flowing Water Fist left ample room for retreat even as it attacked.

The fist art contained much of the essence of flowing water, along with the feeling of using four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds. It was a fist art that could attack when advancing and defend when retreating.

Human-grade High-tier Cultivation Methods were difficult to learn, and precious medicine made entry easier. Lin Mo first went to Guo's Pharmacy to seek out a precious medicine called Crimson Sun Melting Snow Grass.

Its leaves resembled flames, with what seemed like radiance flowing through their veins. It grew in lands of extreme cold and was preserved in a jade box.

The entirety of Guo's Pharmacy had only three stalks, all stock accumulated over the past several decades.

The price, however, was exorbitant. Lin Mo spent two thousand taels to buy a ten-year-old stalk, and that was only because the Guo Family's steward remembered that he had once saved one of their retainers during the water ghost incident.

"According to the Cultivation Method, with this medicine's assistance, I can reach entry level within five days. But I'll need someone to lend me a hand during that time."

Lin Mo returned to his small courtyard, intending to ask Senior Brother Xu for help. Yet who knew when that fellow had slipped off to the prefectural city again? He had apparently gone to catch up with Master Yang's other Personal Disciples.

By that count, they were also his senior brothers, though he had never met them.

After Master Yang accepted him as a Personal Disciple, they had exchanged letters. They had said that when he came to the prefectural city for the competition, they would prepare a gift for him.

He did not yet know what the gift would be, but judging by the wording of their letters, those senior brothers seemed like decent people.

Unable to find Xu Changfeng, Lin Mo thought it over from every angle before finally arriving at a small courtyard in western Changhe County. He knocked on the door and called out, "Brother Zhu, are you in?"

He did not know many people, and among those with whom he had some friendship, aside from Xu Changfeng, Zhu Hao seemed to be the only one.

After all, he and Zhu Hao had shared the bond of surviving life-and-death situations twice.

Zhu Hao opened the door, looking spirited and extremely excited. "Brother Lin, what brings such an honored guest to my humble home? Come in, come in."

Zhu Hao was both startled and delighted. Delighted because Lin Mo had now risen to prominence, yet apparently had not forgotten a brother like him.

Since Lin Mo had come as a guest, he naturally brought gifts, mostly pills that nourished blood qi. He had spent around a hundred taels at the drop of a hat.

Such lavish generosity made Zhu Hao wave his hands again and again, his smile so wide it nearly would not close.

"Brother Lin, you're far too polite..."

Lin Mo smiled as he observed him, seeming to sense something. He asked, "Brother Zhu, have you broken through to the second level?"

"Heh, your eye really misses nothing. The day before yesterday, I had an insight, and in a single stroke broke through the Blood Qi Bottleneck!"

"Then this is perfect. Brother Zhu, could you exchange moves with me? I happen to want to learn a new fist art..."

After Lin Mo and Zhu Hao discussed it, Zhu Hao agreed almost without a second thought.

He had not even repaid the debt of gratitude for Lin Mo saving his life. Something as minor as sparring together was hardly worth mentioning.

Thinking of this, Zhu Hao chuckled. "Brother Lin, I've just broken through to the second level and was worrying about having no one to spar with. Don't blame this brother for bullying you."

Zhu Hao laughed with great delight, and Lin Mo was happy enough with that. When practicing martial arts, being happy was important!

Lin Mo invited him to the small courtyard where he lived. The training ground there was spacious enough for the two of them to stretch their limbs. Lin Mo first boiled the precious medicine and smeared it all over his body before stepping onto the training ground.

"Brother Zhu, please make the first move," Lin Mo said politely.

Zhu Hao gave a low laugh. He sank his waist and set his stance, assuming the posture of the Entangling Ape Fist. At those words, he infused his blood qi and launched the first attack.

His long arm shot out like an ape's probing reach, five clawed fingers tearing through the wind as they drove straight for Lin Mo's chest. Blood qi infused the arm, and the force of a Second Level Entry martial artist was majestic and powerful.

Though Zhu Hao had been somewhat playful before, he knew Lin Mo was a genius who had fought one against two and killed two Second Level Entry martial artists at once. There was no need whatsoever for him to hold back.

Still, he had always been secretly competing in his heart. He wanted to see whether Lin Mo, this piece of gold, was truly pure enough!

"Brother Zhu, your Entangling Ape Fist has grown ever sharper and fiercer!"

Lin Mo sighed in admiration. Facing the gale that rushed at his face and whipped his robes into snapping flutters, he did not evade.

He had just smeared precious medicine over his entire body, and waves of heat and cold surged through him in turn. He wanted to take this chance to experience the subtle force where cold and heat intertwined.

His body turned sideways like flowing water, his left hand attempting to stick to Zhu Hao's wrist. Yet Zhu Hao was equally guarded, and the force of his Entangling Ape Fist abruptly surged like a sudden tidal wave.

Zhu Hao's shoulder blade trembled faintly. With blood qi infused, a second layer of force had already traveled down his arm. In an instant, Lin Mo felt his palm go numb.

That single exchange forced him back three steps.

Lin Mo's eyes grew brighter and brighter. He did not use [Dharma Eye], instead experiencing it firsthand as his interest soared.

"Brother Zhu, your Entangling Ape Fist is truly perfected to the point of blazing mastery," Lin Mo praised.

"Brother Lin, you'd best be careful. The truly impressive part is still to come."

"Bring it on!" Lin Mo barked. Zhu Hao let out a long laugh, crossing his arms as he chopped them down like a massive axe splitting a mountain.

As his body stretched out, he seemed like a mountain and like a giant bear. That mighty, imposing force came crashing toward Lin Mo head-on.

Lin Mo recalled the secrets of the Jade Shattering Flowing Water Fist, thinking of the fist formula: "Flowing water does not contend; ten thousand jun of force dissolve of themselves."

He actually allowed Zhu Hao's mountain-splitting strike to fully unfold. Once more, he tried to guide and divert its force with both palms, lightly brushing and pressing them along Zhu Hao's elbow joints.

Zhu Hao had initially been delighted, intending to use this to show off his prowess. Who could have known that although the force in his hands had clearly grazed Lin Mo, he suddenly felt all its strength fall into emptiness?

It nearly smashed into the ground past the hem of Lin Mo's clothes. Even the hard-packed yellow earth split apart like a brick surface.

When Zhu Hao rose, his face was still blank with confusion. He scratched his head in puzzlement. "Brother Lin, that was...?"

"A newly learned fist art—the Jade Shattering Flowing Water Fist."