Receive, Dissolve, Issue

"Come on!"

The moment Zhao Li finished speaking, Zhao Ming charged forward with a quick stride. His right hand clenched into a fist, his arm drew back, storing power, and when he reached Zhao Li, he smashed a punch straight at him. A faint sound of air being torn apart came from the air.

At the start of cultivation, there really weren't many flashy ways to fight.

Zhao Li, however, remained calm and unhurried. He gently raised his hand and put the insight he had just gained to use.

He circulated his Dou Qi, attaching it to his hand, then lightly extended his palm and met Zhao Ming's punch. Zhao Ming immediately felt as if the power of his fist had struck cotton, its force scattering out toward the surroundings.

Seeing that his attack had been useless, Zhao Ming was just about to withdraw his fist and strike again when he felt a special force in Zhao Li's palm tugging at his fist. For a moment, he couldn't pull it back. Instead, as Zhao Li gripped and pulled, he stumbled forward.

Then Zhao Li pushed, and Zhao Ming felt a tremendous force travel up his arm. In an instant, it reached his chest, and he was knocked over onto the ground.

Everyone watching from below only saw Zhao Li lightly stretch out his hand. Not only did he stop Zhao Ming's fist, he also easily sent Zhao Ming tumbling to the ground. Their conversations came to an abrupt halt, and for a moment, the Training Ground seemed as if someone had pressed pause.

"What happened? Did Zhao Ming turn over a new leaf?"

"Who knows what he's thinking? Maybe he's up to something bad again."

"Is it possible he didn't dare attack because he was wary of Brother Zhao Li's status?"

With Zhao Ming's strength close to that of a Dou Master, they did not believe Zhao Li could have blocked him.

"Brother Zhao Ming, are you all right? Sorry, sorry. I saw how confident you were just now and couldn't hold back in time. Fists and feet have no eyes—did I hurt you?"

Zhao Li looked embarrassed as he gazed at Zhao Ming and asked, "Still going?"

"Continue. I was careless just now. Next, I'm going to use a Dou Technique, so you'd better be careful."

Zhao Ming got up and shook out his hand. A ruthless thought flashed through his mind as he thought:

This kid's Dou Technique is a little strange. It looks soft and weak, but the force is so great. I'll use my full strength. I Don't Believe I can't deal with a brat who just broke through to Dou Zhe. I can't capsize in this kid's hands.

Zhao Ming attacked again.

"Mysterious Ice Palm!"

"Looks like he's getting serious. Though he's not much of a person, his strength really isn't weak."

"Anyone who suffered a small loss would get serious. What, was he supposed to just keep getting beaten?"

Zhao Li ignored the conversations around him. After that exchange just now, he had gained some confidence in the technique of "dissolving." He did not dodge, instead spreading his legs and half-squatting slightly, assuming the stance of Tai Chi Fist.

As his Dou Qi circulated, a unique field seemed to form around him.

Just as Zhao Ming's palm was about to strike him, Zhao Li used Parting Wild Horse's Mane and lightly guided the hand aside. The energy moved with his intent, actually carrying Zhao Ming along with it, and that palm once again missed. Before Zhao Li could continue attacking, Zhao Ming felt his Dou Qi surge violently, and a mouthful of blood forced its way up and sprayed out.

Zhao Li was not surprised. Although he had not advanced to Dou Zhe all these years, he had still frequently visited the Cultivation Method and Dou Technique Chamber, so he naturally knew that Mysterious Ice Palm was a Mysterious Tier, Low Grade Dou Technique. Its power was enormous, but it was not that easy to master.

Zhao Ming clearly had not yet reached the stage where he could control force freely, light or heavy, releasing and withdrawing at will. He had used his full strength in one palm but failed to strike it out, suffering a backlash from his Dou Qi.

At that moment, Zhao Li seemed to fall into a special state and gained another insight.

Thinking back to that Parting Wild Horse's Mane just now, he had only intended to dissolve the attack, but unexpectedly, it had formed a unique field around him and even, to a certain degree, mobilized the Dou Qi of the outside world. That was extraordinary. Perhaps he could use this opportunity to touch the realm of "Momentum."

Zhao Ming spat out a mouthful of reversed blood, and his violently churning Dou Qi calmed somewhat. Seeing that Zhao Li was now full of openings, he still wanted to fight. All these years, he had always relied on his Cultivation Level to bully his younger clansmen. When had he ever been in such a sorry state?

"Step down!"

An aged voice reached Zhao Ming's ears. Hearing that reprimand, Zhao Ming shuddered and hurriedly slipped away.

"You all disperse as well!"

This was said to the surrounding spectators.

The one who spoke was none other than the Elder in charge of overseeing the Training Ground.

While ensuring that no accidents happened to the clan's juniors during sparring matches, he was also willing to give pointers to juniors who caught his eye. Seeing that Zhao Li seemed to have gained some insight, he spoke up and dispersed the crowd.

The people watching below obediently dispersed as well, but on the way, they naturally could not avoid talking about it. Although they had watched that fight in a fog, they all understood one thing: Zhao Ming had suffered a setback, and they were naturally somewhat happy.

"Did you understand it? Why are you so happy?"

"No. I'm just happy to see him unlucky. Serves him right for tricking me back then."

"Same here. He deserved it."

At the same time, Zhao Li, who had knocked Zhao Ming down, also became a topic of discussion among the clansmen. Gradually, they all came to know Zhao Li.

After this battle, the name that had once been discussed among the clansmen years ago because the Pill Sect's Sect Master had been Taking on a Disciple spread through the Zhao Clan once again.

"That kid seems to be the son of my eldest brother's third son. Very good. With talent like this, becoming a Dou Emperor won't be a problem. He may even have hopes of becoming a Dou Zong. Once he grows up, the Zhao Clan will be able to pass down steadily for another several hundred years."

In a corner of the Training Ground, an old man lay lazily in a rocking chair. Watching Zhao Li on the stage practice a set of soft, gentle fist techniques that seemed to mobilize the surrounding energy, he sighed.

"This fist-type Dou Technique is incredible. At the very least, it's Mysterious Tier, High Grade. Having an Alchemist as a teacher really is nice..." Although he himself had been stuck at the peak of Dou Ling for many years without breaking through, he still had an eye for such things.

Zhao Li knew nothing of this. He merely recalled the feeling from earlier and practiced the flowery Tai Chi Fist he had learned in the past again and again.

Parting Wild Horse's Mane, White Crane Spreads Wings, Cloud Hands, Grasping the Sparrow's Tail... As he executed move after move, Zhao Li sensed the resonance and interaction between himself and the outside world.

After a long time, Zhao Li stopped and slowly withdrew his stance.

After absorbing that insight, Zhao Li's understanding of the Dou Technique he cultivated rose to another level.

In the past, when using Dou Techniques, he seemed to have only used his own Dou Qi to drive them. He had not known that besides applying one's own Dou Qi, Dou Techniques could also interact and resonate with external energy, allowing one to draw on Heaven and Earth Energy to a certain extent and increase their power.

Dou Techniques were divided into the four tiers of Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, and Yellow, and the most important distinction was the amount of energy they could mobilize.

If it was the same Dou Technique, and one person could comprehend resonance with the outside world and draw on external energy while another could not—or if the degree of resonance differed, and the energy they could call upon was different—then the destructive power of the Dou Technique would naturally not be the same.

Zhao Li glanced outside. The sky had already darkened. Thinking of his gains this time, he no longer intended to keep wasting time at the Training Ground. He turned and left, thinking as he walked:

"When I practice Dou Techniques in the future, I should try to perceive more—the interaction between the Dou Technique and the outside world. Also, many theories and techniques from my previous life need to be studied too. Maybe they can shine brilliantly in this world!"

Night fell, and the darkness grew deeper and deeper. Yet the bright moon in the sky seemed to be competing with the night, scattering pure, clear moonlight across the earth.

After Zhao Li finished cultivating, however, he felt somewhat dissatisfied. During this moment of sudden enlightenment, Zhao Li had inadvertently touched the realm of Momentum, almost paving the road to cultivating up to the Dou Emperor level wide and flat. As long as he had enough energy, Zhao Li would be able to cultivate to Dou Emperor very quickly. Yet the Cultivation Speed that had never been slow before no longer satisfied him much.

Looking at the Blazing Fire Technique in his hand, Zhao Li felt quite regretful. This Blazing Fire Technique, which could have served as the ancestral cultivation method of a third-rate clan in the Great Qian Empire, was now something Zhao Li rather looked down on.

"I should find a cultivation technique to practice too. What a pity. The only one I have is a Mysterious Tier, Middle Grade Cultivation Technique. Although I've come into contact with quite a few cultivation techniques over the years, it still isn't enough to support me in creating a Self-Created Cultivation Method."

Ever since he had come into contact with cultivation, Zhao Li had consciously studied cultivation methods, wanting to summarize them and create a method that belonged to him. He had always known that what suited him was the best. Unfortunately, his father and the others felt he was neglecting proper work and had not given him much guidance.

After tossing the Blazing Fire Technique back into his storage ring, Zhao Li remembered the jars he had taken from Old Senior Wang a few days ago.

He had heard that Old Senior Wang had put some good things inside. Although Zhao Li did not hold much hope, at this moment he still hoped he was a lucky dog. Following the hand seals Old Senior Wang had taught him, Zhao Li undid the seal on the first jar and took out what was inside. It was a Third Tier Magical Core. Spending fifty thousand Gold Coins on it was not a loss.

Doing the same, Zhao Li took out the item in the second jar. It was a booklet. Zhao Li casually flipped through it, only to cry out in shock, "Holy shit, this is impossible..."