Grand Gathering? Wind, Rain, Thunder, Lightning

"What is this old monster doing here out of the blue?"

Listening in on their conversation, Zhou Ming had already figured out that Yin Zhong had come for business.

However, Zhou Ming didn't believe it.

But Yin Zhong clearly wouldn't reveal his true intentions.

Zhou Ming's question could only remain buried in his heart.

"Brother Yin, if you have time this time, perhaps you could attend a grand event."

"A grand event?"

"Indeed!" Pei Ju said, "After the New Year, on the nineteenth of April next year, it will be True Man Zhang of Wudang Mountain's centennial birthday!"

"Centennial birthday..."

Yin Zhong chuckled, "That is indeed no small matter."

In this world where martial arts flourished and powerful individuals could even directly influence national destiny, Zhang Sanfeng was one such powerhouse.

Although in terms of realm, Zhang Sanfeng might only be a Grandmaster.

But there were differences even among Grandmasters.

Some had just stepped into it.

Others had already reached the pinnacle, truly invincible Grandmasters!

Moreover, the establishment of the Ming State in this world had a significant connection to Zhang Sanfeng. After the state was founded, he was granted generous rewards, and subsequent emperors would always bestow more upon him during their enthronement.

They were desperately trying to elevate Zhang Sanfeng's status in the Ming State.

Fearing that he might one day defect to another country.

Yin Zhong asked curiously, "But I heard that True Man Zhang has always been simple and dislikes ostentation. Is his centennial birthday celebration going to be a grand affair? Otherwise, how could it be called a grand event?"

Pei Ju replied, "This matter is not yet finalized. However, His Majesty does have such intentions. But the specifics will depend on True Man Zhang's response."

"So, this grand event hasn't been decided yet?"

"That's why I said you 'might' be able to attend."

"Hahaha..."

After eating and drinking their fill, Pei Ju had other matters to attend to, and Yin Zhong didn't linger, preparing to return to his room to rest.

"Changping, diligently practice the martial arts your second uncle gave you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."

Changping was Zhou Ming's courtesy name.

"Don't worry, second uncle. Your nephew will definitely not miss this opportunity to seek guidance from a Grandmaster."

"Hahaha, that's good."

After Yin Zhong left, Pei Ju also instructed, "The martial arts of the Imperial Sword Manor are extraordinary. Do not underestimate them."

"Yes, my child will cultivate them diligently."

Zhou Ming thought to himself, Do you think I need you to remind me? This is the martial art given to me by Yin Zhong.

Even in this Comprehensive Martial World, there were probably very few people whose realms could compare to Yin Zhong.

Martial arts bestowed by such an expert were naturally extraordinary.

After Zhou Ming returned, he examined it carefully, and it was indeed so.

This technique could be simply divided into two realms: first, Sword Qi, and second, Sword Finger.

Sword Qi: emitting a strand of sword qi with one's finger.

Sword Finger: condensing sword qi onto the finger, forming a solid-like long sword.

The former was enough to rival the Six Meridian Divine Sword of the Duan clan in the Dali Kingdom. The latter, when compared to the Gather Qi into Blade of the Yin Yang School in the Qin State, was not at all inferior.

In terms of specific applications, there were also the Five Elements Sword and the Seven Absolute Styles.

"As expected of Demon God Yin Zhong, his skills are truly extraordinary!"

However, it was already late. After reviewing it once, Zhou Ming decided to stop and did not cultivate immediately.

The next day, he went to the lake at his home to fish.

By this time, a covered bridge had been added to the lake, connecting to a small pavilion in the middle.

The pavilion was named 'Qianjin Pavilion'. Zhou Ming had ordered its construction before he left. Now that he had returned, it was already built.

Zhou Ming could now sit directly in the pavilion to fish, instead of sitting by the lake as he had before.

Chun Hua led four people over and said, "Young Master, they have arrived."

"Shush! Stand aside and don't speak. Don't scare away my fish!"

"Yes."

Chun Hua stood to the side, and the four people could only stand by the side.

They stood there until noon.

For over an hour, Zhou Ming cast bait, cast his line, and reeled in fish. From time to time, he would give instructions to the surrounding maids, but he completely ignored the four people standing there.

These four people stood ramrod straight, silent, their expressions barely changing.

Zhou Ming nodded inwardly.

It seemed the people his godfather had sent to him were quite capable.

That being said, he still needed to give them their marks.

At noon, Zhou Ming began eating fresh fish hot pot right there in the pavilion, its aroma drifting through the air.

Halfway through his meal, he finally spoke to the four men, "You four, are you the people my godfather arranged for me?"

"Yes... This subordinate is Dao Feng!"

"This subordinate is Jian Yu!"

"This subordinate is Jing Lei!"

"This subordinate is Ji Dian!"

"We greet you, Young Master!"

Zhou Ming nodded, "Wind, Rain, Thunder, Lightning? Good names. How many of you are there? What are your strengths? What are you skilled at?"

"The four of us subordinates are all at the Innate Perfected Realm. Each of us has nine subordinates under us, all of whom are at the Xiantian Realm! Besides combat, our greatest skills are stealth, infiltration, intelligence gathering, pursuit, and assassination."

"Mm."

Zhou Ming nodded, "My godfather entrusted you to me, and I trust your abilities. However, you haven't demonstrated your capabilities in front of me yet. Therefore, I have a few small tasks for you to handle."

Chun Hua stepped forward with a tray. On it were four sealed letters.

"Four tasks, all different. Draw randomly."

The four men stepped forward and took the letters.

"Alright, go do it."

"Yes."

After lunch, Zhou Ming decided to get down to business.

He took out the Sword Qi Finger manual and flipped through it once more. Then, Zhou Ming circulated the true qi within his body and began practicing.

After half an hour, he felt he had grasped it.

A surge of Perfect Qi from his personal space suddenly disappeared and flowed into Zhou Ming's body.

Zhou Ming's spirit instantly revitalized. All fatigue and mental weariness vanished, replaced by an inexplicable state of exhilaration, with countless flashes of inspiration in his mind.

One percent of Perfect Qi could act as a divine medicine to heal injuries. Even a fatal wound to the heart could be instantly healed, provided there was time to consume that one percent of Perfect Qi before death.

One-tenth of it was even more heaven-defying, capable of restoring a person's body to its most perfect state.

For teenagers, this was naturally insignificant, as their bodies were still developing and were already in their most perfect state.

However, for those in their fifties, sixties, or even seventies, their bodies' most perfect state was in their early twenties!

This one-tenth portion of Perfect Qi was equivalent to returning to youth, reverting to a younger state.

And this effect would last for a full hour!

Yet, even with such a heaven-defying effect, it was only one part after being divided into ten.

What about the effects of undiluted Perfect Qi?

Its primary benefit lay in its effect on the soul!

People occasionally experience moments of sudden inspiration.

The flash of insight that appears in that instant could be the answer to a problem that one might have pondered for days without success.

It could also be a brilliant idea.

Many people fail to seize these fleeting moments of inspiration.

But, if one consumed Perfect Qi, they could directly return to that moment of inspiration and sustain it for a full hour!

How terrifying!

Zhou Ming circulated his true qi and poked the ground with his finger. A beam of sword qi appeared at his fingertip, extending three feet and directly creating a hole in the ground.

This profound Sword Qi Finger technique, he was practicing it for the first time, and he had already succeeded!

And this was all thanks to the Perfect Qi!

Zhou Ming continued to practice, sword qi erupting from his hands, each one stronger and shooting further than the last.

In less than fifteen minutes, he had laid a solid foundation and could begin learning more advanced techniques.

The Five Elements Seven Styles!

The five internal organs of the human body correspond to the five elements. By channeling qi through these organs and meridians, five different types of sword qi could be emitted, which constituted the Five Elements.

Sword qi was not an ordinary skill. Manipulating it with precision to perform seven techniques—charge, slash, flick, pierce, soft, drill, and dominate—constituted the Seven Styles!

The Five Elements were very simple for Zhou Ming in his current state.

But the Seven Absolute Styles required practice again and again to enhance control over sword qi.

Zhou Ming flicked his finger, and sword qi condensed into a ball at his fingertip. With a flick, it shot out, smashing into the ground and exploding.

This was precisely the "Flick" technique within the Seven Absolute Styles.

The next moment, an endless weariness surged into his heart.

Zhou Ming knew this was the effect of Perfect Qi ending.

Although this ability was named 'Perfect', it wasn't truly flawless. A major drawback was that only one strand was produced in twelve hours.

Another major drawback was what Zhou Ming was experiencing now.

He took two quick steps and sat by the pavilion, leaning against a pillar to avoid collapsing from the wave of fatigue that hit him.

After resting for a long time, he gradually recovered.