Battle Eight Directions Annihilation

"Bang... boom..." Ren Jie drove a heavy punch into the Thousand Layer Tree. Even a Body Refining Realm Fifth Layer cultivator could only shatter one layer of its outer bark with a full-force punch, yet Ren Jie's single blow directly blasted apart three layers. The bark was thin, but extraordinarily tough.

The farther inward one went, the greater its strength and resilience. At the very center, one needed to reach the Body Refining Realm Ninth Layer to shatter it with a full-force punch.

"Bang... bang..." In the next instant, Ren Jie's footwork shifted. The position of every punch was grasped with incomparable precision, as though he had practiced it thousands upon thousands of times.

Very soon, he had passed through the stumps of all one hundred and eight Thousand Layer Trees. Then he changed directions and attacked again from another angle.

The Smiling Old Man at the side had long since been dumbfounded. When he had told this brat to go in earlier, the brat had not cared in the slightest. Now that he had charged in himself, he was wildly excited.

It was as if he had fought until his eyes turned red amid an army of thousands and tens of thousands. Moreover, he had never told outsiders about this martial skill. How could Ren Jie seem as though he had cultivated it for a long time? What exactly was going on?

Time passed bit by bit, and Ren Jie finally experienced the exhilarating feeling martial skills brought, as well as their effect in driving one's strength.

Ren Jie himself did not know how many rounds he had fought. He only felt that after two nights and a day, the Qi Strength Chains formed from the one hundred and forty-four Qi Strength Rings within his body, which he had thought would take at least another three to five days to fully break through, had begun to loosen. He could now completely withstand the gravity and pressure inside his body.

"Ah!" Entering a state where self and world were forgotten, Ren Jie had already forgotten how much time had passed outside. When the Jade Emperor Art Body Refining Chapter Third Layer finally reached its peak, Ren Jie had also pushed this martial skill to its limit.

With a sudden roar, his power instantly shattered the unique chain formation formed by the Qi Strength Rings within his body. The gravity and pressure inside him vanished without a trace.

At that moment, Ren Jie felt as though a flood held back a hundred meters high had finally burst through the dam's obstruction and erupted in an instant.

Surging and roaring, the Qi Strength within his body flowed freely. The sheer exhilaration made him unable to resist letting out a wild roar.

"Boom... boom... boom..." At that moment, Ren Jie once again hammered punch after punch into those tree stumps.

Ren Jie did not notice that dawn had already begun to break. Those tree stumps had only a dozen or so layers remaining; all the others had long since been shattered by him.

At this moment, after his power had fully erupted, both his martial skill and strength had reached their peak. Although he had only broken through to the Jade Emperor Art Body Refining Chapter Fourth Layer, the abundance of Qi Strength within him was comparable to that of an ordinary Body Refining Realm Ninth Layer cultivator. The power of the Jade Emperor Art Body Refining Chapter also revealed itself now. It used Qi to refine the body, and its internal body-refining effects far surpassed the more direct oppression of external force. Though Ren Jie had cultivated for only a short time, his physical strength was already comparable to an ordinary Body Refining Realm Ninth Layer cultivator.

His physical power, the Qi Strength within his body, and the unconscious mastery of this martial skill to its peak made every one of Ren Jie's punches erupt with the utmost strength of an ordinary Body Refining Realm Ninth Layer cultivator—perhaps even far beyond that peak.

The remaining dozen or so layers of bark on the Thousand Layer Trees completely exploded beneath Ren Jie's final punch.

The Smiling Old Man had stood there the entire time, watching Ren Jie completely smash apart all one hundred and eight Thousand Layer Trees in a single night. Especially after witnessing the state Ren Jie entered during his final eruption, he had gone numb.

Because during this one night, he had felt more shaken than when he had seen Taiji Realm experts act, or even the legendary Law God Realm experts.

He had originally planned to give Ren Jie a month to cultivate. And considering that this fellow had once been a Hedonistic Young Master, he had assumed Ren Jie would not honestly put in the hard work. He would have been satisfied if Ren Jie could completely smash them apart within three months.

Yet now... right before his eyes, without him saying a word, this brat had fought with such utter freedom and delight.

And upon seeing Ren Jie's final eruption, his power instantly surging forth in a frenzy, the Smiling Old Man immediately understood something.

Damn it, this little bastard had been putting on an act. His previous strength had been suppressed, and he had actually failed to see it. Could it really be because of that miraculous cultivation method?

Damn his grandfather's eggs, he had actually played even him for a fool!

But after watching further, he discovered that the punches Ren Jie threw at the end differed somewhat from the effect he had intended. They had changed. This brat had actually altered his punches.

Was this fellow not far too bold? Who did he think he was? Did he think he was his father? Yet upon seeing the power after Ren Jie's alterations, the Smiling Old Man was completely speechless. It had increased... it had increased...

Although Ren Jie had only changed the earlier portions and had not altered the later portions involving the combination of Divine Power Realm divine powers and mana, that alone had already left the Smiling Old Man utterly speechless.

"Refreshing. What is this martial skill called?" After finishing, Ren Jie looked at the one hundred and eight Thousand Layer Trees he had completely smashed to pieces and let out a satisfied breath.

He dared to act so casually because this Smiling Old Man was far too powerful. Since the old man wanted to teach him something in this manner, whether or not he wanted to say it, Ren Jie did not need to worry about exposing his strength before him. At first, he had merely wanted to try punching a few times, but he had unexpectedly broken through to the Jade Emperor Art Body Refining Chapter Fourth Layer in one breath. That made him even more unconcerned.

"Battle Eight Directions Annihilation." Caught off guard by Ren Jie's question, the Smiling Old Man answered almost instinctively.

"Damn, this martial skill is already extremely close to a Supreme-Grade Martial Skill, but the name is truly awful. Couldn't you change it to something more imposing?" Ren Jie said unhappily as soon as he heard it.

"The name is awful? Battle Eight Directions Annihilation—annihilating powerful enemies in all eight directions, how awesome is that? Isn't it far better than your Ren Family's damned martial skill, 'Battle Eight Directions'..." The moment the Smiling Old Man heard Ren Jie call the name of his self-created martial skill awful, he exploded. But in the next instant, he suddenly stopped.

"Wait, you little bastard, what did you just say? You said mine is merely very close to a Supreme-Grade Martial Skill? Do you even know what a Supreme-Grade Martial Skill is? This King's Battle Eight Directions Annihilation is already a Supreme-Grade Martial Skill, and one of the best among Supreme-Grade Martial Skills at that!" Compared to Ren Jie saying the name was awful, what enraged the Smiling Old Man more was Ren Jie claiming that his self-created martial skill was only close to being Supreme-Grade. This was simply an insult to him.

"The reason Supreme-Grade Martial Skills are called supreme-grade is because they can still be used after reaching the Divine Power Realm and unleash formidable power. Put plainly, they are the pinnacle of martial skills. Before divine powers have reached great completion, and even martial skills used in conjunction with divine powers, are called supreme-grade. Yours is already very impressive, but I think that once it is used after reaching the Divine Power Realm, it would be difficult for it to contend against ordinary divine powers. It can merely withstand and unleash a portion of the mana of the Divine Power Realm. So I do not think it can yet be called a Supreme-Grade Martial Skill. At the very least, there are still many areas that need changing." Above the True Qi Realm, matters involving the Divine Power Realm were not something Ren Jie's current realm could fully see through. Yet he already knew that there were issues in some of the final portions of this martial skill. Though its power was great, it was at least still difficult to call it a Supreme-Grade Martial Skill.

"Change your grandfather's eggs! You're a little fellow at the Body Refining Realm, yet you dare talk about changing a cultivation method? Even if all those Divine Power Realm elders from your Lineage came here and saw This King's martial skill, they would have to kneel before it. They are not qualified to alter it, yet you dare say you want to alter This King's..." The Smiling Old Man was furious beyond measure, roaring as he felt a genuine impulse to seize this bastard brat and give him a savage beating. But halfway through his roar, he recalled the subtle changes Ren Jie had made when using Battle Eight Directions Annihilation at the end.

Those changes had made the power Ren Jie erupted with at the end far stronger than the Smiling Old Man himself had anticipated—at least fifty percent stronger.

Although he was exceedingly proud, the Smiling Old Man had one principle: wrong was wrong, and defeat was defeat.

The moment he thought of Ren Jie's changes, he deflated at once. The more he thought about it, the more unbelievable it seemed. Could Ren Jie have suddenly gained some insight? Otherwise, how could he have altered it—and in such a short time? Altering a cultivation method involved far too many things. How could it possibly be changed after fighting for a single night?

This fellow had hidden some of his strength, but he was still only a little fellow in the Body Refining Realm. How could he accomplish something so monstrous? This was simply too monstrous.

"Who asked you to teach me?" Although it had only been one night, Ren Jie had already somewhat grasped the Smiling Old Man's temperament. After stunning and leaving him at a loss with those words, Ren Jie suddenly asked in the same casual, ordinary tone one might use in everyday conversation.

"If This King hadn't been... mm..." The Smiling Old Man was still conflicted and enraged when Ren Jie's words made him blurt it out almost subconsciously. Fortunately, he reacted quickly enough.

"You little bastard, you dare trick This King into revealing something?"

Ren Jie smiled and spread his hands. "No, I was merely asking normally."

The Smiling Old Man felt that if he continued talking with this brat, he would be angered to death. Besides, the sky was already gradually brightening. Without another word, he grabbed Ren Jie and instantly shot into the sky.

Whether it was because the speed was too fast or because the Smiling Old Man had done it deliberately, Ren Jie felt dizzy. In his daze, it was like when he had come here and been made to sleep; half-awake and half-asleep, it felt as though he had taken a nap.

"Bang..." When he opened his eyes again, he was flying toward his own bed. The speed was not particularly fast, and the gravity and pressure within Ren Jie's body had now completely vanished. He had also just broken through to the Jade Emperor Art Body Refining Chapter Fourth Layer, with both his Qi Strength and physical strength comparable to an ordinary Body Refining Realm Ninth Layer cultivator. Moreover, he had learned Battle Eight Directions Annihilation. Though it was merely a martial skill, it contained an immense amount within it. Thus, Ren Jie twisted sharply in midair, avoiding the miserable fate of smashing his face into the wall.

Damn it, this old man was definitely taking revenge because I said his name was awful and that the Battle Eight Directions Annihilation he created was not a Supreme-Grade Martial Skill.

"Just wait until I come looking for you next time. See how I deal with you..." the Smiling Old Man said from the doorway. With one foot already outside, ready to leave, he suddenly thought of something and hesitated.

"You said Battle Eight Directions Annihilation sounds bad. What good name do you have? If you cannot give me a good one, next time This King will strip you naked and throw you a hundred thousand li away, then make you run back yourself."

So he had guessed right. Ren Jie sat up on the bed and looked at the Smiling Old Man's back. "What you have here contains the Ren Family's high-grade martial skill, Battle Eight Directions. The Ren Family's high-grade martial skill Battle Eight Directions also contains two low-grade and mid-grade martial skills, suitable for all Ren Family disciples to learn. This martial skill is mainly used on the battlefield, so it was named Battle Eight Directions—simple, grand, and direct. But Battle Eight Directions Annihilation conceals boundless killing intent beneath an open and sweeping style. It feels more like a method specifically meant for killing people. If you want it to seem more murderous, you could call it Blood Annihilation. Or you could name it according to your own name, or some meaning and implication within this cultivation method. Even calling it Annihilation would be much better than Battle Eight Directions Annihilation. Though a name is only a label and does not truly matter, this cultivation method is still fairly good. If it is passed down, it would not be good if people later said they were learning some cultivation method whose name did not live up to its reality, or was simply too unpleasant to hear."

"Fairly good... fairly good..." Hearing those words, the Smiling Old Man nearly raised his hand. Ren Jie had actually said the cultivation method he created was merely fairly good. What an infuriating brat.

"Then it will be called Annihilation. Such a broken martial skill is not worthy of being named after This King or anything around This King." After saying that, the Smiling Old Man took one step forward and vanished without a trace in the next instant.

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