"What was that old monster doing here?"
Listening to the two of them talk, Zhou Ming had already figured out that Yin Zhong had come here to do business.
But Zhou Ming did not believe it.
Yin Zhong obviously would not reveal his true intentions.
Zhou Ming could only bury that question in his heart.
"Brother Yin, if you have the time, you might be able to attend a grand event."
"A grand event?"
"That's right!" Pei Ju said. "After the New Year, on the nineteenth day of the fourth month next year, it will be True Man Zhang of Wudang Mountain's hundredth birthday!"
"A hundredth birthday..."
Yin Zhong smiled. "That really is no small matter."
In this world, where martial arts flourished and powerful experts could even directly influence a nation's fate, Zhang Sanfeng was one of those experts.
In terms of realm, Zhang Sanfeng might only be a Grandmaster.
But even among Grandmasters, there were differences.
Some had only just stepped into the realm.
Others had already reached the pinnacle, worthy of being called invincible Grandmasters!
Moreover, the founding of the Ming State was closely connected to Zhang Sanfeng. After the state was established, he was granted great honors and rewards. Every emperor afterward would bestow further titles upon taking the throne.
They had frantically elevated Zhang Sanfeng's status within the Ming State.
They feared that one day, he might run off to another country.
Yin Zhong asked curiously, "But I heard that True Man Zhang has always lived simply and disliked extravagance. Is he planning to hold his hundredth birthday on a grand scale? Otherwise, how could it be called a grand event?"
Pei Ju said, "Nothing has been decided yet, but His Majesty does have such intentions. The specifics will depend on True Man Zhang's response."
"So this grand event has not been finalized yet?"
"That is why I said you 'might' be able to attend."
"Hahaha..."
After eating and drinking their fill, Pei Ju still had matters to handle. Yin Zhong did not linger and prepared to return to his room to rest.
"Changping, practice the martial arts your second uncle gave you properly. If there is anything you do not understand, come ask me."
Changping was Zhou Ming's courtesy name.
"Rest assured, Second Uncle. Your nephew certainly will not miss the chance to seek guidance from a master-level expert."
"Hahaha, good."
After Yin Zhong left, Pei Ju also reminded him, "The martial arts of Imperial Sword Manor are no trifling matter. Do not underestimate them."
"Yes, Father. I will cultivate diligently."
Zhou Ming thought, As if you needed to remind me. Those were martial arts Yin Zhong gave me.
Even in this world of combined martial arts, there were probably very few people whose realm could compare with Yin Zhong's.
Martial arts bestowed by such an expert were naturally extraordinary.
After Zhou Ming returned, he examined them carefully and found that this was indeed the case.
This martial art could be roughly divided into two realms. The first was sword qi, and the second was sword finger.
Sword qi meant releasing a strand of sword qi through one's finger.
Sword finger meant gathering sword qi at the fingertip and forming a long sword resembling a physical object.
The former was enough to rival the Six Meridian Divine Sword of the Duan clan of the Dali Kingdom. The latter was no weaker than the Qin State Yin-Yang School's Gather Qi into Blade.
As for practical applications, there were also the Five Elements Sword and Seven Absolute Styles.
"As expected of Demon God Yin Zhong. His methods truly are extraordinary!"
However, it was already late. After reading through it once, Zhou Ming left it at that and did not begin practicing immediately.
The next day, he went fishing in the lake at his residence.
There was now a covered bridge over the lake, connecting to a small pavilion in its center.
The pavilion was named Qianjin Pavilion. Zhou Ming had ordered it built before leaving, and now that he had returned, it was complete.
Zhou Ming could now fish directly from inside the pavilion instead of sitting by the lakeshore as before.
Chun Hua led four people over and said, "Young Master, they have arrived."
"Shh! Stand to the side and do not speak. Do not scare away my fish!"
"Yes."
Chun Hua stood to one side, so the four of them could only stand there as well.
They remained standing until noon.
For more than two hours, Zhou Ming scattered bait, cast his hook, reeled in fish, and occasionally gave instructions to the nearby maids. Yet he acted as though the four people did not exist.
But the four stood ramrod straight without saying a word. Even their expressions barely changed.
This made Zhou Ming nod inwardly.
It seemed that the people his adoptive father had sent to serve under him were fairly decent.
Even so, he still had to give them the mark they deserved.
At noon, Zhou Ming began eating fresh fish hotpot right in the pavilion, its fragrance drifting through the air.
Only halfway through the meal did he speak to the four of them. "You are the people my adoptive father arranged for me?"
"Yes... This subordinate is Dao Feng!"
"This subordinate is Jian Yu!"
"This subordinate is Jing Lei!"
"This subordinate is Ji Dian!"
"Greetings, Young Master!"
Zhou Ming nodded. "Wind, Rain, Thunder, Lightning? Not bad names. How many people do you have? How strong are you? What are you skilled at?"
"The four of us are at the Innate Perfected Realm. Each of us has another nine subordinates, all of them at the Innate Realm! Other than combat, we are most skilled in stealth and concealment, gathering intelligence, pursuit, and assassination."
"Mm."
Zhou Ming nodded. "Since my adoptive father entrusted you to me, I have great faith in your abilities. But after all, you have not demonstrated them before my eyes. So I have a few small matters for you to handle."
Chun Hua stepped forward carrying a tray, upon which lay four sealed letters.
"Four different tasks. Draw them at random."
The four stepped forward and took the letters.
"Good. Go do them."
"Yes."
After lunch, Zhou Ming decided to do something serious.
He took out the Sword Qi Finger manual and read through it once more. Then he circulated the true qi within his body and began practicing.
After half an hour, he felt that he had gotten the hang of it.
A strand of Perfect Qi suddenly vanished from his personal space and flowed into Zhou Ming's body.
Zhou Ming was instantly invigorated. The exhaustion in his body and the weariness in his mind were swept away, and he entered an inexplicably energized state. Countless flashes of insight passed through his mind.
When divided into one hundred portions, Perfect Qi became a miraculous medicine capable of healing injuries. Even with a grave wound such as a pierced heart, as long as one had not died instantly and had time to consume that one-hundredth portion of Perfect Qi, one could immediately recover.
One-tenth of it was even more heaven-defying, capable of restoring a person's body to its most perfect state.
For youths, this naturally meant little, because their bodies were still developing. At that time, they were already in their most perfect state.
But for elders in their fifties, sixties, or even seventies, their bodies' most perfect state was when they had been young, just past twenty!
That one-tenth portion of Perfect Qi was equivalent to rejuvenation, restoring them to their youthful state.
And it lasted for a full two hours!
Yet even such a heaven-defying effect was merely the result of one portion after it had been divided into ten.
How heaven-defying, then, was undivided Perfect Qi?
Its true focus lay in its effect on the soul!
People would occasionally experience flashes of inspiration.
That flash of insight might be the answer to a problem they had pondered for days without being able to solve.
Or it might be a brilliant idea.
Many people could not grasp that fleeting flash of inspiration.
But if one consumed Perfect Qi, one could directly return to that instant when inspiration burst forth and sustain it for a full two hours!
How terrifying!
Zhou Ming circulated his true qi and jabbed a finger at the ground. A strand of sword qi appeared at his fingertip, shooting three feet forward and punching a hole directly into the ground.
This profound Sword Qi Finger was something he had practiced for the very first time, yet he had succeeded immediately!
And this was the benefit of Perfect Qi!
Zhou Ming continued practicing. Sword qi burst from his hand, each strand stronger and shooting farther than the last.
In less than fifteen minutes, he had already laid a solid foundation and could learn deeper methods and techniques.
Five Elements and Seven Absolutes!
The five internal organs of the human body corresponded to the five elements. By using those five organs together with the meridians to circulate qi, one could release five kinds of sword qi with different attributes. This was the Five Elements.
Sword qi was no ordinary technique. By controlling it with precision and using the seven techniques of charge, slash, bounce, point, softness, drill, and dominance, one attained the Seven Absolutes!
For Zhou Ming in his current state, the Five Elements were extremely simple.
But the Seven Absolutes required repeated practice to strengthen his control over sword qi.
Zhou Ming flicked his finger, and sword qi actually condensed into a ball of sword qi at his fingertip. With that flick, it flew out, smashed into the ground, and exploded.
This was the bouncing technique among the Seven Absolutes.
The next moment, endless exhaustion surged into his heart.
Zhou Ming knew that the effect of Perfect Qi had ended.
Though this ability was called "Perfect," it was not truly flawless. One major drawback was that only one strand would be produced every twelve hours.
The other major drawback was what Zhou Ming was experiencing now.
He hurried forward a few steps and sat by the edge of the pavilion, leaning against a pillar so that the sudden exhaustion would not knock him down.
Only after resting for a long while did he gradually recover.
Before you continue