Disciple, Your Master Will Teach You the Dragon Subduing Palm

Boom!

Li Xuan unleashed a palm strike, his Blood Essence surging like a torrent, smashing into a tree dozens of feet away. The tree, thick as a thigh, was instantly pulverized by the blow, its fragments scattering everywhere.

"The power is decent, but it consumes quite a bit of Blood Essence."

"As expected, relying purely on brute force fueled by Blood Essence isn't enough. If I faced an opponent of similar strength, I'd definitely be at a disadvantage."

"I've got a handle on this palm technique. I'll just put together a set of palm incantations and give it to Xu Yan."

Li Xuan let out a breath.

"What about movement techniques? How do I teach those? I don't know them myself. How can I demonstrate? Just using brute force won't show the subtlety of a movement technique!"

Thinking about the movement technique problem, Li Xuan's head started to ache again.

"Am I overthinking this? Why do I need to demonstrate it to my disciple? I can just teach him the incantations, the theoretical framework, and let him figure it out himself, right?"

With that thought, Li Xuan immediately had an idea.

Outside the village, he found a flat area.

"How do you draw the Bagua again?"

Li Xuan recalled the Bagua patterns he'd seen in his past life, then waved his hand, channeling surges of Blood Essence to draw on the ground.

"It looks like this."

He glanced at the Bagua he'd drawn on the ground and nodded with satisfaction.

When Xu Yan returned, he would have him practice his movement techniques here.

And perhaps, he could have him ponder the Bagua. Who knew, he might gain something from it.

With everything ready, all that was left was for his disciple Xu Yan to return.

Li Xuan felt completely relaxed.

Xu Yan returned less than ten days after going home.

After violently clearing out the mountain bandit's den, he realized his lack of martial skills. Xu Yan didn't linger at home and hurried back.

"Master!"

Xu Yan bowed respectfully, contemplating how to broach the subject of martial skills with his Master.

"Mm."

Li Xuan nodded, stood up, and walked towards the outskirts of the village.

"It's good you're back. Come with me."

Before his disciple could speak, he would teach him martial skills and techniques, projecting an image of profound wisdom that had seen through everything.

"Yes, Master!"

Xu Yan was puzzled, unsure what his Master intended.

They arrived at a small hillside outside the village.

Li Xuan clasped his hands behind his back and said, "Disciple, although you've begun your Martial Dao journey, you possess Blood Essence but don't know how to wield it or how to fight.

"The Martial Dao isn't just about reaching a certain realm; the stronger a martial artist, the more exquisite and powerful their martial skills and supernatural abilities become."

Hearing this, Xu Yan's heart leaped with excitement. "Master is going to teach me a martial Dao supernatural ability? I'm finally not just a brute who only knows how to use force!"

Li Xuan turned back, looking at his foolish disciple, and said in a deep voice, "Today, I will teach you the Dragon Subduing Palm. This is both a martial skill and a martial Dao supernatural ability. The higher your realm and the deeper your comprehension, the stronger its power will be."

Since it was a martial Dao technique, Li Xuan had initially considered naming it the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms. However, on second thought, eighteen palms felt too restrictive and might limit his disciple's potential for comprehension.

So, he decided to simply call it "Dragon Subduing Palm." The name wasn't important; the power was the key.

Furthermore, he envisioned the Dragon Subduing Palm as a technique that could continuously improve with the practitioner's realm, potentially reaching the level of a supernatural ability.

Whether it would succeed depended entirely on his disciple's comprehension.

"Dragon Subduing Palm!"

Xu Yan was immediately thrilled. "Thank you, Master!"

"The dragon is a divine beast, possessing immense power and innate supernatural abilities... Disciple, do you know this?"

Li Xuan asked.

"Master, I once read legends of true dragons in an old storybook. They are symbols of supreme authority. When they move, wind and thunder arise, and the heavens and earth themselves change color..."

Xu Yan replied respectfully.

"This world also has legends of dragons? I wonder if the storybooks Xu Yan read were purely fictional or based on real events."

Li Xuan was slightly surprised.

Since this world also had legends of dragons, and Xu Yan had read related storybooks, things would be much easier.

"Master, do true dragons really exist in this world?"

Xu Yan asked excitedly, his eyes full of curiosity.

"That's too far off for you right now. Whether it exists or not, you'll know naturally once you become strong enough."

Li Xuan, of course, wouldn't give a definitive answer to such questions.

"Yes, Master!"

Xu Yan nodded respectfully.

"Good. I will teach you the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms. Since this palm technique is named 'Dragon Subduing,' you should know its power."

"Disciple understands!"

"Watch closely."

As Li Xuan spoke, he raised his hand and unleashed a palm strike.

Boom!

A powerful surge of Blood Essence, terrifying in its might, instantly pulverized a tree dozens of yards away, as thick as a thigh!

Xu Yan was stunned!

Was the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms this terrifying?

Li Xuan was quite pleased with his reaction. He retracted his hand, placed it behind his back, and began to spin a tale: "This is the power of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms at the introductory Qi and Blood Realm. However, so as not to interfere with your comprehension of your own True Intent for the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, I did not use the palm's true form."

Xu Yan listened respectfully, his face flushed with excitement.

"This single palm strike, casually delivered by Master at the introductory Qi and Blood Realm, possessed such fearsome power. And Master didn't even use the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms' true form! This technique is truly incredibly powerful!"

Li Xuan's expression turned serious as he began to explain the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms. "The form of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms involves unleashing a dragon-shaped palm force with each strike, as mighty and agile as a dragon. The deeper your comprehension, the more true dragon palm forces you can unleash..."

He then casually struck a few more palms, explaining to his disciple as he did: "I didn't demonstrate with the true dragon palm force for you because I feared you would become fixated on the true dragon intent within my Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms. Once you become fixated, you won't be able to cultivate your own Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms. I don't want you to be confined by my shadow. The Martial Dao is endless, and I hope you can cultivate your own True Intent. Do you understand?"

My intentions are profound! It's absolutely not because I can't unleash the dragon-shaped palm force that I'm not demonstrating!

Li Xuan maintained a serious expression.

Xu Yan was deeply moved. "Master is truly an unparalleled expert. By taking me as his disciple, he is not only imparting martial skills but also placing great expectations on me, hoping I can forge my own path in the Martial Dao. Not to remain under Master's shadow, forever unable to surpass him!"

His eyes reddened with emotion, and he nodded. "Master, disciple understands!"

"Excellent! This Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, much like the martial methods I've taught you, emphasizes comprehension and intent over form. You must feel it, you must grasp its True Intent. When you can simultaneously unleash eighteen true dragon palm forces, that will be considered minor success for this stage."

Li Xuan reiterated his old advice, earnestly instructing his disciple again to focus on comprehension and intent, and not to dwell on the few palm strikes he had just demonstrated. He should instead derive his understanding from the theoretical framework of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms.

"Yes, disciple understands!"

Xu Yan nodded.

Li Xuan nodded with satisfaction. Before teaching him the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms incantation he had just made up, he asked, "Disciple, do you have any questions?"

This was a routine inquiry. After teaching, he always had to ask if the disciple had any points of confusion.

"Master, disciple has a question."

Xu Yan spoke up.

"Speak!"

"Master, since the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms is about subduing dragons, why does it unleash dragon-shaped palm force?"

Xu Yan asked with a look of confusion.

Li Xuan: