A Generous Gift

A Generous Gift

Half-Step Collapsing Fist!

Xingyi Grandmaster Guo Yunshen had once killed a man while eliminating a vicious bully and was thrown into prison. Even there, he continued training relentlessly. With a cangue around his neck and iron shackles on his feet, he developed a supreme technique that allowed him to take only half a step—Half-Step Collapsing Fist!

Whenever he later fought others, a single Half-Step Collapsing Fist would secure victory. Later generations praised it, saying, "Half-Step Collapsing Fist conquers the world!"

Gu Shaoshang used the Innate Divine Ability Tail-Feathered Mantis Shrimp to mobilize one hundred and twenty times the strength of every muscle and bone in his body, accelerating gravity and speed ten thousandfold! What sort of power would this Half-Step Collapsing Fist, famed for its ferocity, possess?

A sun abruptly rose from Gu Shaoshang's body, blooming with boundless radiance! Within that light, a tender white fist tore through the sky at an unimaginable speed, spanning heaven and earth!

Gu Ji's projection, caught directly in its path, shattered and vanished in an instant! The ground within a hundred zhang violently cracked, collapsed, churned, and even vaporized! The sturdy bluestone road vanished like black lines wiped from white paper, the destruction stretching beyond sight!

Only a pure white blast wave, seemingly blazing fiercely, extended beyond Gu Family Village and lingered for a long time without dispersing!

Within the light, Gu Shaoshang saw only that he had thrown a Collapsing Fist. Gu Ji, along with the entire Gu Family Village, was tossed up and shattered as though an earthquake had roared through it! Gu Shaoshang himself vaporized amid indescribable agony, leaving only a massive crater a hundred zhang wide!

"Ah!"

Gu Shaoshang screamed and sat upright in bed! His entire body trembled uncontrollably, drenched in cold sweat as though he had just been hauled from the water!

"That feeling!" Gu Shaoshang's face was pale. His entire body had vanished bit by bit, inch by inch! That excruciating pain that pierced the soul was far more terrifying than death itself!

Gu Shaoshang lay back down and pulled the covers over himself. He did not even have the strength to enter the Mirror World and inspect the drops. Trembling, he fell asleep.

It was rare for Gu Shaoshang to oversleep. When he opened his eyes, the sky was already bright.

Gu Shaoshang slowly sat up, and the pallor on his face gradually settled into composure. His clothes billowed without wind, while the rushing sound of blood flowed around him like mountain streams. Every sound in heaven and earth disappeared, as though only he remained.

Slowly, color returned to Gu Shaoshang's face. The injury to his soul from yesterday had already been expelled.

"That was far too dangerous! A mere projection throwing one punch instantly inflicted severe damage upon my soul! And that was under the protection of the Myriad Heavens Mirror! If someone else awakened this divine ability and activated it even once, not only would their body vaporize, but their soul would shatter as well!" Gu Shaoshang still felt lingering fear. This divine ability was terrifyingly powerful, and its danger went without saying! It was practically the ultimate ability for mutual destruction!

"Shaoshang! Get up quickly, your granduncle has come to see you!" his father, Gu Jiu, shouted as he pounded on the door.

"Mm, I'm up." Gu Shaoshang put on his shoes and practiced the Three Body Form once, his energy returning in full.

"Haha! Little Nine, Uncle Zhen has come to see you! Lianxing, call him Uncle!" Gu Xuanzhen laughed heartily as he led his granddaughter through the door. Behind him, two servants carried round trays covered in red cloth.

"Uncle." Gu Lianxing politely bowed and called out in a clear, crisp voice.

"Ah, good child! Come in and sit!" Gu Jiu's face glowed with pride. The current Minister of War and an elder of the Divine Blade Sect had come to visit him. Gu Jiu's vanity was thoroughly satisfied as he invited the two inside.

Gu Lianxing entered and glanced around. Though the house was not entirely bare, it was not far from it. Still, it was clean and tidy; its owner had clearly taken great care in cleaning it.

"Where is Shaoshang? His granduncle has come, yet he has not come out to greet me?" Gu Xuanzhen asked casually after sweeping his gaze around.

"That child usually gets up early. Why is he still not awake today?" Gu Jiu frowned. Had there not been guests present, he would have already roared.

After completing the Three Body Form, Gu Shaoshang slowly withdrew his stance. He already had some idea why Gu Xuanzhen had come. Although he had prevented further manifestations of Immortal King Descends Upon the Nine Heavens, the Divine Body could not be ignored either!

"Uncle Zhen, our home is humble and we have only coarse tea. Please forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality!" Gu Jiu spoke in an affectedly refined manner to Gu Xuanzhen, while Gu Lianxing stood nearby and secretly giggled.

As they spoke, Gu Shaoshang stepped into the room.

"Father. Lord Gu, Miss Gu." Gu Shaoshang cupped his hands in greeting.

Gu Lianxing stood prettily to one side. Hearing Gu Shaoshang call her "Miss Gu," her delicate brows furrowed slightly as she coquettishly said, "Why are you calling me Miss Gu? You should call me Sister!"

"Your granduncle has been away from home for many years and has seldom returned. You young people should spend more time getting close to one another."

Gu Xuanzhen laughed heartily and rose to his feet.

Gu Xuanzhen was tall and powerfully built. His beard was snow-white, yet his face resembled that of an infant. Clearly, his martial arts had reached an extraordinary pinnacle.

The moment he stood, Gu Shaoshang could feel an indescribable pressure.

"I lost track of time while training last night, so I got up late this morning. Please do not blame me, Granduncle!" Gu Shaoshang smoothly went along with it.

Naturally, he pretended not to hear Gu Lianxing's words. Calling a young girl "Sister" was difficult for an "old man" over thirty when both lifetimes were counted.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, everyone sat down.

"On the Vast Continent, countless nations stand side by side and myriad races rise together! Who knew how many heroes and hidden dragons and serpents existed beneath heaven? Within Great Yan alone, aside from Grand Governor Chen Ang suppressing the sects and all manner of great demons, the three major sects are likewise filled with geniuses and experts!" Gu Xuanzhen suddenly changed the subject, shifting in an instant from neighborhood matters to the heroes of the world.

"Gao Jinyang, commander of the Martial Arts Hall; Fu Sandao of the Divine Blade Sect; Kun Xiang of Hanging Temple; and Mu Qingliu of Mount Tai Sword Sect! They are known as Great Yan's Four Radiant Suns! All of them are invincible among their generation! Each was a peerless genius who entered the Qi Sect Realm before reaching twenty!" Gu Lianxing interjected, her starry eyes glancing faintly at Gu Shaoshang as she spoke slowly.

Gu Shaoshang's heart stirred. "They are all Divine Bodies?"

"That is right! They are all Divine Bodies!" Gu Xuanzhen suddenly raised his voice.

"I began practicing martial arts at seven, joined the Divine Blade Sect at sixteen, and achieved Life Establishment at twenty-four! Back then, I could be considered a minor genius!" Gu Xuanzhen stroked his long beard and looked at Gu Shaoshang.

"But when I entered the Qi Sect Realm, I was already fifty-seven!" Gu Xuanzhen's voice sank, and a desolate air weighed upon everyone in the room.

Gu Shaoshang was secretly startled. I still do not know what Divine Bodies are capable of, but this Granduncle can actually affect my mind merely through changes in his emotions! His martial arts are unimaginably profound!

"Grandfather!" Gu Lianxing hugged the old man's arm and gently shook it.

"Heh, I'm old, I'm old. I started talking and remembered the past." Gu Xuanzhen mocked himself, then clapped his hands.

"Come in!"

"Yes, Master!"

The two guards entered carrying the trays and bowed respectfully.

"What are these?" Gu Jiu, who had quietly listened to their conversation from the side, finally spoke.

Gu Lianxing lifted the cloth covering the trays.

One tray held over a hundred purple-gold coins, while the other held a silver-white beast egg the size of a fist.

"This... so many gold ingots!" Gu Jiu sprang to his feet.

These were the official "gold coins" issued by Great Yan, accepted throughout the many nations and races of the Vast Continent.

One was enough to buy ten strong water buffaloes and support a family of five for two years!

One hundred Purple Gold Coins! What kind of fortune was that? It was an immense wealth comparable to a million US dollars in his previous life!

Even Gu Shaoshang's heart leaped, though his gaze could not help drifting toward the silver-white beast egg!

"A Golden-Eyed Eagle egg?!"

Thanks to Xie Liangliang for the 420 reward under the moonlight, and to all the readers for their recommendations and support!