"Spying in secret and eavesdropping on others' secrets are not the acts of a gentleman." Killing intent surged in the cousin's heart, but his expression remained calm as he slowly moved toward Li Jiusheng.
"Taking without asking is theft. There is naturally no need to treat thieves like a gentleman," Li Jiusheng said calmly.
"Heh. In the Old Land, the strong rule. Tonight, I did take without asking, but what can an old man like you do about it?" The cousin carefully examined Li Jiusheng's strength. Discovering that Li Jiusheng was only at the Grandmaster realm, he relaxed completely, no longer bothering to hide anything as he sneered.
Having cultivated [Savage Force], the cousin believed himself invincible among Grandmasters. He had no desire to waste words on an old man like Li Jiusheng.
"You've decided this old man is easy prey?" Li Jiusheng sneered inwardly, though he asked with an puzzled expression.
"I am in my prime, full of strength and boundless energy. What I cultivate is also a method of overwhelming all techniques with sheer force. You are over a hundred years old, old man, with depleted blood and Qi. Though you are a Grandmaster, you lack the power to erupt. Appearing here so suddenly was truly unwise. Now you've forced me to kill you to silence you. What a sin." The cousin sighed mournfully, as though he could not bear it. His eyes even reddened, as if tears might fall at any moment.
Li Jiusheng laughed. "Looking at your burly frame, I thought you were inarticulate and only knew how to fight. I never expected you to be such a skilled sophist. In just a few words, you've shifted the blame onto this old man. I've truly learned something today. It seems your mouth is quite useful after all."
"When one grows old, one should learn to be deaf and blind. Don't listen to what you shouldn't hear, and don't look at what you shouldn't see. Keep a scale in your heart. If you can't learn it in this life, learn it in the next." The cousin sighed softly. A young man in his twenties was actually lecturing Li Jiusheng, his words carrying the tone of an elder's admonition. He sounded concerned, yet in the midst of that concern, he suddenly leaped forward like a fierce tiger pouncing on prey. In an instant, he reached Li Jiusheng, both hands clawing toward his temples.
The strike was both vicious and swift. If it landed, Li Jiusheng would instantly lose all combat ability, his head bursting like a watermelon.
The Wang family member pounced like a tiger. His bloodshot eyes were filled with crimson threads, sinister and terrifying, like a bloody net poised to ensnare Li Jiusheng's life.
"A man-eating tiger indeed. Unfortunately, you ran into an old hunter!" Li Jiusheng remained calm. At the instant the tiger pounced, he formed a sword with two fingers and struck the tiger's forehead with swift, flawless precision.
Boom!!!
In an instant, over a hundred streaks of sword energy ran rampant like tangible swords, dazzling in countless colors. They shot into the Wang family member's brow and directly shredded his consciousness.
Thud!
The Wang family member's massive body crashed heavily to the ground. His body twitched, and the bloodshot veins in his eyes rapidly faded, leaving behind only disbelief and deep regret.
He had never imagined that a centenarian old man could possess such terrifying strength.
He had wanted to kill his enemy in one strike, yet he had been killed in one strike instead.
Li Jiusheng picked up the Wang family member's storage pouch, circulated his True Qi, erased the markings upon it, and took out the complete [Savage Force].
"Thank you for returning the secret manual to Shangqing Palace," Li Jiusheng said politely, deciding to lay them to rest properly.
Carrying the Wang family member's corpse over his shoulder, Li Jiusheng snapped his fingers. Three streams of sword energy flowed out, leaping down from the fourth floor and darting through the Scripture Repository Pavilion in gleaming arcs, taking away the other three Wang family members.
He went down floor by floor, collecting a corpse from each level. "Since you are cousin brothers and share such deep affection, I'll bury you together. This old man is most kindhearted. Remember not to be thieves in your next lives."
Outside the Scripture Repository Pavilion, amid the wilderness, Li Jiusheng chose a spot with excellent feng shui. He dug a pit, buried the four Wang family members together, and even planted flowers and grass atop their grave.
Afterward, he returned to the tea room, burned incense, sipped tea, and studied the complete [Savage Force].
Back then, the Wang family ancestor had betrayed Shangqing Palace and taken several secret manuals with him, including the first half of [Savage Force]. As a result, Shangqing Palace disciples had been unable to cultivate the latter half of [Savage Force]. Only now had it finally returned to its rightful owner.
Li Jiusheng read through the complete [Savage Force] carefully. The more he read, the more absorbed he became. Many insights arose in his mind, thread by thread, like needles weaving together to form [Savage Force].
"[Savage Force] came from the Outer Domain. It is a body-tempering method of the barbarian tribes, one that excavates the energy within the body and forms immense power. This cultivation method is highly demanding of its practitioner. A strong body and immense strength are merely the entry requirements. One must possess extraordinary talent and be able to travel far down the path of strength. Only then can one cultivate this technique with half the effort."
"Isn't this perfectly suited for me!"
"My body can continuously regenerate and draw out its strength. I now possess more than a hundred strands of Dragon Elephant Power. Among Grandmasters, I am invincible. Even Great Grandmasters would find it difficult to match me through strength alone. If I cultivate [Savage Force] as well and fuse all that strength together, then one punch would be a primordial world. How terrifying would that be?"
Li Jiusheng's imagination ran wild. When he thought of future battles, where his swordsmanship would be divine, his fists invincible, his body flawless, his golden body complete, and his primordial spirit perfectly ordered, he would have no weaknesses in any aspect.
How powerful would he become?
With that thought, Li Jiusheng's comprehension awakened. He penetrated the fundamentals of [Savage Force] and began to understand it bit by bit.
Li Jiusheng sat cross-legged as well and began circulating [Savage Force], fusing all his brute strength into [Savage Force].
That night, Li Jiusheng did not sleep at all. He devoted himself entirely to cultivating this technique. The deeper he delved, the more shocked he became. [Savage Force] was far from simple. It was not merely a simple fusion of strength or an ordinary punching technique. It required constant comprehension to develop it to its utmost limit.
"In the Outer Domain, those who achieved success with this technique all became patriarchs. It must have its own strengths. I should cultivate it more in the future." At dawn, Li Jiusheng opened his eyes, rose to his feet, and stretched his muscles and bones. His entire body felt unblocked, his sinews and bones ringing in unison as his strength continued to grow. In just one night, he had cultivated [Savage Force] and fused his more than one hundred strands of Dragon Elephant Power, raising his realm to the late Grandmaster stage.
This explosive growth in strength came from his breakthrough, directly pushing Li Jiusheng's power to two hundred strands of Dragon Elephant Power.
"Now, I should be able to punch a Great Grandmaster to death, right?" Li Jiusheng wondered. He had never encountered a Great Grandmaster and did not know how strong they were, but according to the books, they seemed inferior to his current self.
"But Great Grandmasters aren't that impressive either. Only Venerables will do. I should keep lying low. I wonder how that distant secret realm is doing now?" Li Jiusheng gazed into the distance. At the place where heaven and earth met, all still seemed calm.
Just then, Little Fox arrived, chirping as she wrote on the ground with her paw. "Time to practice punching."
Li Jiusheng smiled gently. "All right, let's go practice."
Before the cliff and beside the waterfall, the old man and the fox practiced their punches together beneath the rising sun.
Winds stirred and clouds surged, spiritual energy boiled, pouring over the two of them. As they practiced, Little Fox suddenly said, "I want to eat pills..."
Before you continue