Dripping Water Force

"Old Ouyang is going too far!"

With a snap, the guest room's square table was shattered into pieces by a palm strike.

Gu Dongting, still pale, his eyes cold and flashing with a predatory glint, stared intently at his second disciple who had come to report. He wanted to call them all useless, but didn't know where to start.

"You're saying Lu Changfeng and his wife joined the army outside the city and headed south? Did you see what banner they were flying?"

"The 'Li' banner. The general leading them had a red spear and black armor, a long face, and no beard. He had about three hundred cavalry and over a thousand armored infantry under his command. However, they were also escorting several luxurious carriages. Over ten cavalrymen were wearing black robes with golden patterns..."

Tan Zhongjing's face still showed lingering fear.

In the Eastern Sea Sword Sect, he was second among the seven direct disciples of the sect leader, known as the Flying Feather Sword. His swordplay was like feathers, and his movement like drifting duckweed, making him the best at gathering information. Yet this time, just by getting close, he had almost lost his life.

Before he even left the woods, just by catching sight of them, he was shot at by the red-spear general with three arrows, forcing him to flee in disarray. While blocking with his sword, his tiger's mouth was almost split open.

"That's Li Feiying. Wasn't he stationed at Yuanxi Garrison in Xiangzhou? Why is he in Jiangzhou territory?"

Gu Dongting's hand stroking his beard trembled slightly. He thought that the Celestial Star Sect was making such a big move this time. First, Ouyang Zheng appeared, and now Li Feiying was leading troops. What were these two senior brothers up to?

Heading south, they must be escorting some important person.

Coupled with the news of the Northern Zhou Demonic Sect moving south and the appearance of experts from the Yellow Springs Path and the Blood Lotus Sect, Gu Dongting guessed that he might be caught up in a major event.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the discomfort in his internal organs, and said in a deep voice, "Don't worry about Lu Changfeng and his wife. With Li Feiying escorting them, even if I went myself, I wouldn't gain much. Especially since you mentioned those over ten knights in black robes with golden patterns. I estimate they are from the imperial Golden Scale Guard..."

"Whoosh!"

Tan Zhongjing flinched.

He gasped.

Let alone whether they could win, even if they could, they wouldn't dare to act.

Anyone who dared to move against the imperial Golden Scale Guard either had the confidence to kill them all without leaving a trace, or they were already on their way to reincarnation.

If word got out that they had done such a thing, no matter how wealthy and powerful the Eastern Sea Sword Sect was, and how they could cover the sky with one hand in Donghai County, their downfall would be imminent.

The Great Li Dynasty was not so weak that a mere martial arts sect could trample all over it.

His eyes darted around, and he suggested, "Master, don't worry. The disciples of the Mad Blade Martial Hall in the city sent word that although Lu Changfeng and his wife disbanded their household guards and left Jiangzhou, their only son, Lu Wu-bing, is still with Ouyang Zheng and has not left. Accompanying him are only Wu Yunchong, the third disciple from the Celestial Star's Gazing Sky Cliff lineage, and Ouyang Lan, the young lady of the Ouyang family. I wonder..."

"Keep an eye on their movements at all times, and have your cousin lead the men from the mountain stronghold to monitor all the important routes outside the city... I don't believe Old Ouyang can watch over his disciples forever. They will eventually be alone."

Gu Dongting was very confident about this.

The Three Divine Peaks were united. This time, experts from various peaks had all rushed to the Tiger Ridge Pass area in Jiangzhou, not just for sightseeing. Combined with the news of the large number of demonic sect experts heading south, he had a vague idea of what was happening.

"When traveling, keep things simple. There's no need for too much formality."

Ouyang Zheng picked up his teacup and took a sip, smiling. "Your parents are going to Xiangzhou, and they will have the protection of my Celestial Star Sect, so you don't need to worry. As for you, your family's Six Yang Divine Needles, if you can avoid practicing it, then don't."

After touching Lu Wu-bing's body, Ouyang Zheng's vast and mighty True Qi flowed through his new young disciple's limbs and bones in an instant, allowing him to clearly understand his foundation.

How to put it, his bones and muscles could only be considered healthy, not strong.

As for internal energy, there was nothing to speak of.

The Lu family's Six Yang Divine Needles sounded formidable, but it was a medical cultivation technique that specifically trained the six yang meridians. The internal energy cultivated was gentle and warm, nourishing the body and spirit.

To put it bluntly, this internal energy was only suitable for acupuncture and treating illnesses, nurturing the body, and promoting vitality. It was useless in a fight.

It lacked explosive power and a solid foundation, its main characteristic being "softness."

He couldn't help but wonder what the once-famous "Southern Sky Sword" was thinking when he taught such a cultivation technique to his descendants. Did he truly want them to stay out of the martial world and become good doctors who healed people?

Too naive.

"Yes, I will follow Master's lead."

In his past life, Lu Wu-bing had bounced between various companies, experiencing things like "drinking with clients," "staying up late," "job hopping," "backstabbing," and "layoffs," "part-time jobs," etc. His heart had long been forged into an unshakeable vajra.

He also deeply understood a principle.

Whatever the boss says, goes. Never contradict them to their face.

Although he felt that the family's "Six Yang Divine Needles" wasn't entirely unpracticable, and he could dabble in it if he had the energy, at least he would recover faster if he got injured in the future.

Just like his father, Lu Changfeng, who was struck by his father's "Life-Severing Sword" with the Surging Wave Force and almost had his heart and lungs split open. After a few needles and one night, he was mostly recovered and could walk around.

For anyone else, suffering such a severe injury would take at least several months to half a year to recover.

With this thought, Lu Wu-bing naturally didn't say anything more.

He could see that Ouyang Zheng was hiding a deep sense of disdain.

Indeed, no one would willingly accept a disciple under duress from a junior.

Especially since, in Ouyang Zheng's eyes, this disciple's potential and comprehension were likely quite poor.

"To join the Celestial Star Sect, one must first pay respects to the Patriarch in the Ancestral Hall before being taught sword techniques and cultivation methods. However, as I am currently out on business and cannot return for the time being, I will make an exception and first teach you the Celestial Star's introductory internal energy technique, Dripping Water Force."

After saying a few casual words, Ouyang Zheng cupped his hands towards the south and said solemnly, "This technique is most upright and peaceful, especially suitable for beginners, and there is absolutely no risk of qi deviation.

Don't underestimate Dripping Water Force. Although it is only an introductory internal energy technique of the Celestial Star Sect, its offensive power is comparable to the top internal energy techniques of various sects. Even the Eastern Sea Sword Sect's Surging Wave Force, in terms of offense alone, is far inferior... Dripping water pierces stone, using ultimate softness to overcome hardness. When unleashed, it can shatter metal and break iron, which is commonplace."

"This kind of miraculous technique is just the introductory level."

Lu Wu-bing's eyes lit up.

If the introductory cultivation method was this miraculous, what about the advanced, high-level, and sect-preserving divine techniques?

Standing quietly beside him with a smile all over her face, Ouyang Lan suddenly interjected, "Little junior brother, although the Dripping Water Force is powerful, like water dripping through stone, it's also as slow as water dripping through stone to cultivate."

"Uh..."

Lu Wu-bing understood.

It sounded like this cultivation method was all benefits, but with one drawback: it was too slow to practice.

It required years and years to slowly grind out a bit of internal energy.

This?

Ouyang Lan added another blow from the side, "Our Celestial Star Sect's rules state that the Dripping Water Force is used to test one's foundation, temper their will, and only after opening the three meridians can one switch to cultivating the Celestial River Orthodox Method, and there's still a grand examination to pass."

Perhaps thinking of the difficulty of the grand examination on the mountain, just mentioning the word caused Ouyang Lan to flinch her neck, her small face puckering into a grimace.

"Do you teach it, or do I?"

Ouyang Zheng glanced askance at his daughter, who was causing trouble, and said irritably.

"You teach it, Father. I'll just use my ears, not my mouth."

Ouyang Lan stuck out her little tongue, her lips truly sealed tight, and fell silent.