Wild Goose Skill

Two incense sticks later.

A San and the others emerged from the courtyard. They seemed to have reached some sort of agreement with Du Dajin, who was no longer angry.

Jiang Dali rose, dismissed the players, and walked toward A San's group.

"Village Lord Jiang certainly knows how to enjoy himself. You performed very well this time. What reward do you want?"

The fair-faced envoy at the head of the group looked at Jiang Dali with approval, gently waving the folding fan in his hand.

Jiang Dali considered for a while, then clasped his fists and smiled. "I, Jiang Dali, am nothing but a rough man. I have no particular interests in life, save for martial arts. Yet unfortunately, I have not learned any truly profound martial arts so far. Might the envoy fulfill this wish?"

The fair-faced envoy nodded slightly, his gaze thoughtful. "You are clever. You understand that strength is your capital. Since that is the case, I see that your Iron Cloth Skill is fairly good. Have A San teach you a more powerful Hardening Technique to reinforce it."

"A San!"

The fair-faced envoy looked toward A San at his side.

A San stepped forward with a cold expression and glanced indifferently at Jiang Dali. "You practice Iron Cloth Skill, I presume. But Iron Cloth Skill is merely the lowest grade of Iron Cloth Skill. It offers decent defense against damage from sharp weapons.

"But against blunt weapons and Inner Qi strikes, its effects are lacking. I will teach you the Golden Body Skill.

"This technique can strengthen and complement the Iron Cloth Skill you practice."

As he spoke, A San directly took a thread-bound booklet from his robes and handed it to Jiang Dali, as though he had prepared it long ago.

Unfortunately, it isn't the Great Strength Vajra Finger or the Shaolin Dragon Claw Hand. Still, that is only natural. Ultimate arts are not so easily obtained.

Jiang Dali felt a little disappointed, but under Xiong Ba's envious gaze, he nevertheless accepted the manual A San handed over and boldly made a further request.

"Thank you, Envoy, for granting me this technique. But might the envoy also have a suitable lightness skill movement technique to teach me?

"To be honest, although I often wish to contribute more strength to our superior sect, I am willing in heart but unequal in strength.

"Right now, what troubles and limits me most is that I have yet to learn any formidable lightness skill movement technique, so—"

"Enough."

A San raised a brow and cut Jiang Dali off, his eyes carrying a faint sneer. "You are quite greedy. Do you think powerful martial arts are cabbages? That they can be taught out at will?"

"Envoy!" Xiong Ba was so nervous at the side that he was nearly in tears.

This Jiang Dali was far too unreliable.

He had already been green with envy when the envoy rewarded Jiang Dali with one martial art.

Yet Jiang Dali was still not satisfied and even made more demands. This was simply outrageously bold.

"However..." A San glanced at the fair-faced envoy, then changed his tone and snorted at Jiang Dali. "Teaching you a lightness skill movement technique is not impossible. Since you are so greedy, take one claw attack from me. If you can receive it, what harm is there in giving you another lightness skill movement technique?"

The moment his words fell.

A San suddenly lunged forward. His clothes stirred without wind, snapping and fluttering, while his throat seemed about to emit the sound of some monstrous beast. With a swish, his five fingers spread like a rake and viciously clawed at Jiang Dali.

The attack came with extreme suddenness.

The claw shadow was fierce, accompanied by a strange sound. Its mere momentum was enough to make one's heart pound with fear.

Jiang Dali bore the brunt of it. His expression changed slightly. "Claw intent? No... momentum!"

With his wealth of combat experience from his previous life, he snapped awake in an instant and broke free from the savage pressure rushing at him. At the same time, his feet shifted into the Great Plow Stance. The yellow earth beneath him cracked, and great swathes of dirt were heaved up.

A fierce momentum erupted from his body.

Iron Cloth Skill!

His body suddenly expanded by a full size. Wherever his Qi reached, his diaphragm filled, his skin and flesh swelled, turning an iron-blue shade. His muscles and tendons twisted like coiling dragons and writhing snakes, and he abruptly threw a punch at the same time.

"Break!"

Jiang Dali shouted, his voice like muffled thunder rolling through the air, thick with Sha Qi. His fist seemed to strike out from all directions at once, yet swiftly converged upon a single point, moving as fast as lightning.

"I need only one move to seize you!"

A San's expression remained unchanged. His Dragon Claw Hand seized with every move vicious and ruthless—once caught, tendons would split and bones would be dislocated.

Yet the moment he met Jiang Dali's first punch, he felt as though he had grabbed an oil-slick rubber band. An immense rebounding force, impossible to hold, instantly knocked his palm away.

"Hmm?!" The fair-faced envoy watching from the side gave a soft cry of surprise.

A San let out an incredulous low shout. The sinews in his fingers trembled repeatedly, each claw-like finger as sharp as a little knife. He launched another claw attack, forcibly locking Jiang Dali's other wrist in a reverse hold—yet his entire hand was jolted slightly numb.

Looking again, the arm he had seized seemed not to be human at all: thick and powerful, veins winding across its skin like green iron chains. Chunks of steel-like muscle made the entire arm seem not of flesh and blood, but cast from steel and forged from iron!

His five fingers had already sunk deeply into the flesh of that wrist, yet they had only barely broken through the skin and some flesh, without injuring the bone.

"Good! Such formidable Iron Cloth Skill!"

A San was slightly moved. Taking a light breath, he said, "It is rare indeed to train Iron Cloth Skill to your level. You truly possess excellent talent, enough to qualify for me to teach you a lightness skill movement technique as well!"

Once he finished speaking, A San directly released his grip. Though he needed only exert a little more force to easily tear Jiang Dali's wrist tendons, and killing Jiang Dali would not have been difficult.

But clearly, Jiang Dali had earned his recognition by causing his first failure with the Dragon Claw Hand despite possessing only Inner Qi Realm strength.

"This Wild Goose Skill is fairly good. It should suit you."

A San took another thread-bound martial arts manual from his robes and handed it to Jiang Dali.

"Wild Goose Skill?" Jiang Dali felt a flicker of joy in his heart.

The Wild Goose Skill truly counted as an excellent lightness skill and movement technique in the early stages of the Comprehensive Martial World. It was suited for exerting force in mid- to long-distance dashes and could make up for his shortcomings in mid- and long-range endurance.

Yet A San could casually keep pulling thread-bound books from his robes, as though he carried quite a few more secret manuals on him. The sight made Jiang Dali rather envious, and he quietly filed it away in his mind for now.

The fair-faced envoy nodded. "Village Lord Jiang, our master is no stingy man. Not only will he reward you, but he will also bestow rewards upon everyone in Black Wind Stronghold. Here are one thousand taels of silver, meant for the stronghold's development. Take them."

The fair-faced envoy casually pulled a stack of silver notes from his robes and spoke with the air of someone handing out alms.

"Only one thousand taels in banknotes? This so-called superior faction is nothing much after all. I'll hold myself back for now."

Jiang Dali shook his head inwardly, but outwardly, he still thanked him and accepted the stack of silver notes.

A mere thousand taels of silver might still be considered a vast sum in these early days, before the players had risen to prominence.

But once the players developed, a thousand taels of silver would truly amount to nothing. It would not even be enough to buy a famous-grade weapon.

That fair-faced envoy spoke as though he were generous, but in truth, he was treating them like country bumpkins.

Still, Jiang Dali would not reveal anything for the moment.

He would accept whatever they gave him. As for whatever schemes they had, he would deal with them after obtaining the Nine Yang Divine Skill and becoming stronger. Naturally, he would not serve some so-called master forever.

For now, everything was merely an expedient measure.

Next, Jiang Dali watched the two envoys exchange a few words with Du Dajin. Afterward, both groups prepared to leave.

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