Three Masters, Primordial Art!

Ye Wudao lay on his bed, secretly pleased.

At least for now, the three men in the cell all believed he possessed a unique constitution and suspected nothing else.

His persona as a martial arts prodigy was now firmly established.

Zhang Hankuang looked at Ye Wudao, shaking his head as he remarked, "Tsk, tsk! What a pity!"

"Such a fine seedling, and he had to be snatched up by Old Ghost Hu."

Hu Lianfeng, standing to the side, rolled his eyes and snorted, "Zhang Hankuang, what is that supposed to mean?"

"I, Scarface Hu, at least come from a prestigious background. I'm certainly better than a wild amateur like you!"

Zhang Hankuang curled his lip. "The Carefree Sect is indeed a major martial arts school, but I don't believe you were ever an official disciple, were you?"

"If I recall correctly, your master only took you on as a nominal disciple."

"Don't go trying to gild your own lily!"

Upon hearing this, Hu Lianfeng rolled up his sleeves, ready to have a proper argument with Zhang Hankuang.

Qin Tianlong looked at the two of them and snorted, "Can you two be quiet for once?"

"If you both want to teach him, then teach him."

"With his level of martial arts talent, I'm only worried you two won't have enough to teach him."

Hu Lianfeng and Zhang Hankuang exchanged glances upon hearing this.

Qin Tianlong's words were undeniably true; Ye Wudao had managed to reach the minor completion stage of the Northern Dark Divine Art in just one day.

At Ye Wudao's rate of cultivation, he would likely exhaust everything they had to offer within a month.

Zhang Hankuang looked at Ye Wudao and said softly, "Kid, you wouldn't mind taking on another master, would you?"

Ye Wudao was stunned; he looked toward Hu Lianfeng.

Hu Lianfeng shrugged. "Don't look at me. Whether you take him as a master is your own business."

"In the current martial arts world, there are no restrictions against having more than one master."

"I myself have studied under four or five masters."

"Take the students at the Martial Arts Academy, for instance; they learn a very eclectic mix, with many teachers instructing a single group."

"However, larger sects are still somewhat sensitive about this practice."

"But it seems they have no way to stop it. Since those in the Grandmaster Realm are pushing for an era of universal martial arts, many sects' foundational techniques have already been made public for free at the Martial Arts Academy."

"Tell me, if someone learns techniques from several sects, which sect do they actually belong to?"

"So, in this day and age, these things are impossible to define clearly!"

Ye Wudao pursed his lips and braced himself to offer a formal salute, but Zhang Hankuang stopped him.

Zhang Hankuang waved his hand. "None of that unnecessary etiquette. I'm not like Old Ghost Hu, who obsesses over such things."

"Just call me Master, and I will teach you everything I know."

"To be honest, I really want to see just how far you can grow!"

"Later, I will pass on the Infinite Art to you; it is no less impressive than the Northern Dark Divine Art that Old Ghost Hu gave you!"

Hearing this, Ye Wudao nodded quickly and cupped his hands. "Thank you, Master!"

However, Hu Lianfeng wasn't having it. He shook his head and said, "No, you cannot call him Master; you must call him Second Master."

"Otherwise, since we are both in Cell No. 1, if you just shout 'Master,' neither of us will know who you're calling."

Zhang Hankuang snorted at this. "Why not call you Second Master? My cultivation is higher than yours; shouldn't I be the First Master?"

Hu Lianfeng rolled his eyes and retorted, "I took him as a disciple first! Since he entered my tutelage earliest, he must call me First Master!"

Zhang Hankuang was not to be outdone. "Well, if Elder Qin also takes him as a disciple, does that make Elder Qin the Third Master?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the cell fell into an instant silence.

Zhang Hankuang realized he had misspoken. He looked at Qin Tianlong with an embarrassed expression and said, "Elder Qin, I didn't mean it like that!"

Qin Tianlong smiled and shook his head. "Now that you mention it, I actually do have the thought of taking him as a disciple."

"However, I don't care how he addresses me."

"I simply want to see how far this peculiar martial arts talent can truly grow."

He paused, looked at Ye Wudao, and said in a deep voice, "Perhaps, even beyond the Grandmaster Realm is not impossible!"

After hearing this, Zhang Hankuang and Hu Lianfeng both turned their gazes toward Ye Wudao.

Hu Lianfeng nodded slightly and said, "I, too, want to see what kind of monster we can raise!"

He then looked at Elder Qin and bowed slightly. "Elder Qin, then you should be the First Master!"

Elder Qin nodded slightly, looked at Ye Wudao, and said softly, "Kid, are you willing to take me as your master?"

Ye Wudao was stunned; he hadn't expected the reversal to come so quickly.

During the day, he had wanted to take Elder Qin as his master, only to be met with a single word: "Scram."

Now, however, the situation had reversed, and it was Elder Qin who was taking the initiative to accept him as a disciple.

Coming back to his senses, he quickly cupped his hands in a salute: "Disciple greets First Master!"

Qin Tianlong nodded with a smile and said, "Good!"

He then looked at Hu Lianfeng and Zhang Hankuang, saying, "You two don't need to argue anymore. Let's determine who is the Second Master and who is the Third Master based on your ages!"

"After all, Old Hu was the first to take him as a disciple, and it was Old Hu who discovered his talent."

Hearing Qin Tianlong put it this way, Zhang Hankuang didn't say much more.

In truth, he didn't care much about the ranking of the masters; he just wanted to bicker with Hu Lianfeng.

He looked at Ye Wudao and said softly, "Since you're free now, I shall pass the Infinite Art on to you."

"This Infinite Art is the signature technique of the Infinite Sect, capable of leading one directly to the Grandmaster Realm."

Before he could finish, Hu Lianfeng, standing to the side, interjected: "That won't work! The Northern Dark Divine Art cannot be practiced alongside other techniques, or he will suffer from Qi deviation."

Zhang Hankuang glanced at Hu Lianfeng and retorted, "Your Northern Dark Divine Art can only reach the entry level of the Grandmaster Realm, and you don't even have the follow-up Free and Unfettered Art. It would be better for him to practice my Infinite Art."

"At the very least, my Infinite Art is a technique that can reach the Great Completion of the Grandmaster Realm."

Having said that, he looked at Qin Tianlong and whispered, "If Elder Qin has an even stronger technique, then practicing yours would also be fine."

Qin Tianlong shook his head slightly: "The Infinite Art is already considered a top-tier technique if it can reach the Great Completion of the Grandmaster Realm."

"The technique I practice can also only reach the Great Completion of the Grandmaster Realm."

"The few techniques capable of advancing one to the Peak of the Grandmaster Realm are all in the hands of the Demon Slayer Guard and several major hidden sects; one must reach the Grandmaster Realm to obtain them."

"Furthermore, what Old Hu said is indeed a problem. The Northern Dark Divine Art cannot be practiced with other techniques."

"It is not just the Northern Dark Divine Art; in fact, most techniques are like water and fire, incompatible with one another."

After a pause, he looked at Zhang Hankuang and Hu Lianfeng.

"I do happen to have one technique here that I believe you have both heard of!"

"I think this technique is very suitable for him!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhang Hankuang was the first to react, asking softly: "The technique you are referring to is the Primordial Art?"

Hu Lianfeng, standing nearby, also realized what he meant. He frowned and said: "As far as I know, this technique is derived from the Scripture of Constant Purity and Tranquility Spoken by Taishang Laojun. Its fundamental essence is that the Primordial is one, merging with the Great Dao."

"When this technique first circulated, it received a great deal of attention."

"However, many people have tested it, and it is merely a theoretical technique that is fundamentally impossible to practice."

"Moreover, the primary function of this technique is to fuse other techniques; it has no cultivation effect of its own."

"Are you suggesting that he practice the Primordial Art to fuse other techniques?"

Qin Tianlong nodded: "Just because others cannot practice it does not mean he cannot."

"If he can successfully master the Primordial Art, I have plenty of techniques here for him to fuse."

"When that time comes, reaching beyond the Grandmaster Realm is not impossible!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Hankuang and Hu Lianfeng fell into deep thought.

Ye Wudao, standing to the side, was confused by the conversation, but he understood two words—"fusion"!

Techniques conflicting with one another was a problem that had no solution.

After all, the people who created these techniques had different philosophies, and the types of techniques they created were also different.

Some pursued extreme violence, some pursued steady cultivation, and others focused on health preservation.

Different types of techniques resulted in different cultivation effects.

If there were a technique that could fuse others together, it would be of immense significance to him.

Practicing one additional technique meant his cultivation speed would increase by that much more.

He looked at Qin Tianlong and said softly: "First Master, I think it is worth a try!"