Water Fire Dragon Binding Staff Technique

"If you can't, you must become a servant of my Zhang Family."

Zhang He paused after saying this. His eyes seemed to contain sharp swords as he stared straight at Ding Ling:

"What do you think?"

Before Ding Ling could reply, he added:

"Of course, you can refuse outright. Consider my previous instruction in spear techniques an apology for the offense of saying this!"

"I'll take the bet!"

Ding Ling was decisive.

He had a cheat.

The thing he feared least was a bet like this!

"You're sure?"

Zhang He was clearly an upright gentleman. After thinking for a moment, he said:

"To be perfectly honest, after obtaining this Water Fire Dragon Binding Staff Technique, I also worked hard to study and practice it. But because I lacked a good teacher's guidance, I've only reached the beginner level even now, so I can't personally teach you.

You can only study it yourself by looking at the diagrams.

The difficulty is as high as ascending to heaven."

If you can master a high-level technique like the Water Fire Dragon Binding Staff Technique, Ding Ling, I, Zhang He, will admit defeat!

Zhang He only said the last sentence in his heart and did not voice it.

Obviously,

he was certain that Ding Ling could not successfully cultivate this Water Fire Dragon Binding Staff Technique!

After all, even a man of talent like Zhang He had spent five or six years comprehending this staff technique, yet he had only reached the beginner level.

The Water Fire Dragon Binding Staff Technique was a supreme martial art no less powerful than the Five Tiger Soul Severing Spear Technique!

There was no one to guide him, nor were there any beginner, intermediate, or advanced staff techniques to serve as a foundation!

This was like asking a child to lift a thousand-pound weight or asking a completely illiterate toddler to write an essay!

Saying it was as difficult as ascending to heaven was not an exaggeration at all.

"Sure."

Ding Ling was not intimidated in the slightest and answered quickly.

Cheng Huan and Gao Lan had just been about to stop him, but when they saw the firm and confident look on Ding Ling's face, they could not help feeling uncertain. They thought:

If Ding Ling really is confident, then this is his opportunity. Interrupting him rashly would be unwise. But isn't this bet a little too much?

They did not want Ding Ling to become a servant of the Zhang Family.

Because once that happened, Ding Ling would be cutting off his own future. How high a position could a servant possibly hold in society?

But when they thought of how Ding Ling had bet on learning the Battlefield Saber Art earlier, they grew suspicious again and pondered:

Ding Ling has unparalleled talent in stance work, saber techniques, and spear techniques. Surely he can't have such talent in staff techniques too, can he?

They found it hard to believe.

Because this was simply too absurd!

A person who had never studied staff techniques was going to learn a supreme staff technique the moment he took the field! The probability of failure was practically one hundred percent!

"Good!"

Zhang He was a straightforward man as well. Seeing this, he did not try to dissuade Ding Ling again. Instead, he pulled a roll of cloth from his robes and tossed it to him. "Catch."

Ding Ling leaped lightly, reached into the air, and grabbed it. He moved like a nimble flying bird, his movements extremely clean, catching the cloth with ease.

Zhang He's eyes lit up.

"Your agility and speed have already far surpassed those of an ordinary Third-Rate Military General. Your strength is no weaker than that of a Second-Rate Military General. Your potential is tremendous. I'll give you one last chance. If you don't want to take this bet with me, return the cloth."

"No need to say anything else."

Ding Ling directly spread out the cloth and began looking at it.

Although Zhang He felt regretful, his heart was filled with delight. In his view, he was certain to win this time!

Gao Lan had failed earlier.

That was definitely because Ding Ling had learned beginner and advanced blade techniques and already possessed a certain foundation in blade techniques. Combined with his Innate talent, he had comprehended the Battlefield Saber Art in a short time. Although this was extremely astonishing, it was not impossible to understand. After all, General Pan Feng had experienced something similar with his ax techniques.

But staff techniques were different!

They were two completely different types of martial arts from blade techniques!

Moreover, Ding Ling had no beginner or advanced staff techniques to lay the foundation for him.

Ding Ling was trying to build a castle in the air from nothing. How could he possibly succeed?

How could a staff technique without any foundation amount to anything?

Zhang He grew more and more confident, waiting for Ding Ling to fail.

Meanwhile, after Ding Ling carefully flipped through the Water Fire Dragon Binding Staff Technique several times,

a book rapidly condensed on a shelf in the Library: "Water Fire Dragon Binding Staff Technique"!

Then...

Water Fire Dragon Binding Staff Technique mastered

Strength +1.4

Agility +1

Constitution +1.2

Crack!

This time, the increase in strength and constitution was rather substantial. Ding Ling's bones underwent another tremendous transformation, and the change was so obvious externally that everyone could clearly see his body suddenly grow a little taller.

The armor that had originally fit him reasonably well was now completely too small!

The armor had been loose before, but after several increases in height, it had already become extremely ill-fitting.

Moreover, because his strength had increased by more than a hundred pounds this time, on top of the several hundred pounds of strength he already possessed, even the poor-quality armor was being stretched out of shape.

This sight fell into the eyes of Zhang He, Gao Lan, and Cheng Huan, and it was downright horrifying!

They looked at one another, clearly seeing the terror in each other's eyes!

There was no need to doubt it.

At this moment, Zhang He, Gao Lan, and Cheng Huan had completely begun treating Ding Ling as a 'monster'!

How could a normal person practice martial arts like this?!

Even General Pan Feng was not this abnormal!

This was simply too explosive!

Boom!

Ding Ling wielded the spear in his hand as though it were a staff. In an instant, "staff shadows" filled the sky. It was clearly a nimble spear, yet Ding Ling had somehow imbued it with an overbearing force as heavy as a thousand jun!

He seemed just like a fierce general wielding a heavy staff, rampaging across the battlefield with broad, sweeping movements, coming and going without restraint. The ferocity of his slaughter was enough to make petty villains flee in terror!

That aura of extreme dominance

made Gao Lan, Zhang He, and Cheng Huan believe for a moment that the Ding Ling before them was a divine man capable of binding and capturing dragons!

Whoosh!

After Ding Ling finished displaying the Water Fire Dragon Binding Staff Technique, he lowered his spear and stood upright. When he saluted the three men,

the trio suddenly came back to their senses.

A fine layer of sweat covered Zhang He's forehead. He looked at Ding Ling as if he were looking at a monster. After a long while, he said with a bitter smile:

"Ah, I underestimated a true genius. It seems that in the eyes of a Peerless Genius, I, Zhang He, can only be considered mediocre!"

Zhang He was deeply shaken.

He had practiced martial arts since childhood!

In the clan, he was practically a little Overlord! With a spear in hand, he had been invincible throughout the clan!

Even after leaving the family and traveling throughout Ji Province, he had rarely encountered an opponent!

He had never expected that today, a new recruit would leave him utterly devastated!

His confidence had almost been beaten out of him!

"That's right."

Gao Lan deeply agreed. Feeling rather fortunate, he said:

"Fortunately, only a few people in this world, such as Ding Ling and General Pan Feng, possess Peerless Genius-level talent in certain areas. Otherwise, we truly wouldn't be able to survive, nor would we have the face to!"

Cheng Huan also interjected from time to time.

The three men continued to exclaim in amazement.

Zhang He could not help stepping forward to examine Ding Ling's bones!

In the end, the more he examined him, the more baffled he became!

It was simply because Ding Ling's bones and other physical features did not feel or look particularly outstanding. How could he be so astonishing?

Achievement Medals obtained...