Reversing the Star-Sucking Great Skill

Ren Yingying did not know what was inside the cage, but Lin Lang knew perfectly well.

Ren Woxing knew how to play his cards, and Lin Lang was very pleased.

His plans to help Ren Woxing kill Dongfang Bubai and reclaim the throne of the Sun Moon Holy Cult had not been in vain.

Although he intended to use Ren Yingying to inherit everything in the Sun Moon Holy Cult directly someday, Ren Woxing would not lose out either. He would gain a capable son-in-law. A win-win!

Setting down his bowl and chopsticks, Lin Lang entered the dungeon again with Ren Yingying.

"What did Father leave here for us to erase?" Ren Yingying was rather reluctant to come. This place was too filthy.

"Who knows? Cult Leader Ren must have some deeper purpose behind this arrangement." Lin Lang put on an air of knowing nothing. "Yingying, it's too dark here. Be careful. Hold my hand."

His warm, considerate manner deeply moved Ren Yingying. Holding Lin Lang's hand, she felt her face burn like fire.

When they had come to rescue her father, this passage had felt endlessly long. Now, however, it seemed so short that they arrived in the blink of an eye.

Inside the cage, Lin Lang examined the writing by the light of the oil lamp and feigned astonishment. "Yingying, this looks like a martial arts technique."

"This must be Cult Leader Ren's signature skill. I'd better not read it."

Ren Yingying glanced at it and exclaimed, "This is the Star-Sucking Great Skill!"

Clever as she was, she quickly understood her father's intentions. He wanted to pass the Star-Sucking Great Skill on to Brother Lin.

This was the foundational art of the Sun Moon Holy Cult. Could her father be planning to groom Brother Lin as his successor?

"Brother Lin, Father sent us here precisely so you could learn it. Didn't you say you'd help him kill Dongfang Bubai someday? Dongfang Bubai is extremely powerful. Learning this martial art will let you help Father even more."

"You saved Father. This is his way of thanking you. If you refuse to learn it, he'll definitely be angry."

Ren Yingying did her utmost to persuade Lin Lang to learn the Star-Sucking Great Skill. Once Brother Lin learned it, he would surely join the Sun Moon Holy Cult in the future.

Only then did Lin Lang say, with "great reluctance," "All right. To help Cult Leader Ren reclaim his throne, I'll learn it. Once we're back upstairs, I'll be sure to thank him properly."

You're the ones forcing me to learn this, you know.

After memorizing the entire method, Lin Lang circulated it twice and looked at Ren Yingying. "Yingying, have you memorized it?"

Ren Yingying smiled. "If I want to learn it, I can just ask Father. Erase it now that you've learned it. We can't let anyone else steal it."

Lin Lang swept his fingers across the iron cage several times, erasing all the writing Ren Woxing had left with his fingernails. Only then did the two return aboveground together.

It was already well past midnight. Unfortunately, there was no moon, so they could not stroll beneath the moonlight. Lin Lang could only retire to his own room, while Ren Yingying returned to hers.

Back in her room, Ren Yingying still looked a little shy. Had Father realized she liked Brother Lin?

Since Father was willing to teach Brother Lin even the Star-Sucking Great Skill, he surely would not oppose their being together.

But would Brother Lin give up the Golden Body Child Skill he had practiced for years for her sake?

Entering his room, Lin Lang checked the doors and windows, then sat cross-legged on the bed.

The Star-Sucking Great Skill required dispersing qi throughout the meridians and acupoints of the body before gathering it back into one. Thus, every additional measure of qi brought another measure of strength.

However, different kinds of qi would clash. It was precisely this flaw that had caused Ren Woxing's cultivation to go awry, giving Dongfang Bubai the opportunity to imprison him.

Flawed martial arts like this were his favorites.

"Reverse the flaws of the Star-Sucking Great Skill!"

[Star-Sucking Great Skill: its flaw is that absorbed qi is difficult to refine completely, resulting in impure qi, internal clashes, and damage to the meridians and dantian.]

[After reversal, absorbed qi is easily refined completely, making qi purer and nourishing the meridians and dantian.]

Host: Lin Lang.

Qi: fifteen years (Evil-Warding Qi).

Martial arts: Reverse Golden Body Child Skill (body conditioning · signature martial art, major mastery); Reverse Evil-Warding Sword Technique (signature martial art, major mastery); Reverse Star-Sucking Great Skill (supreme martial art, beginner); Five Tigers Severing Gate Saber (third-rate saber technique, major mastery).

Realm: peak Martial Arts Master.

Compared with those Grandmasters, I fall short in two main areas: qi and techniques.

As for techniques, once my Reverse Evil-Warding Sword Technique reaches perfection, even if it still falls short of the Nine Swords of Dugu, the gap won't be very large.

The movement techniques in the Evil-Warding Sword Manual, combined with Evil-Warding Qi, are incredibly swift. They're not the slightest bit inferior to those top-tier movement techniques.

Now I don't need to worry about qi either. With the Reverse Star-Sucking Great Skill, a supreme martial art, I only need to find more martial artists to drain. My qi will keep increasing, and my strength will keep rising.

The gates to the Grandmaster realm had now opened before Lin Lang. He might not even need to wait until his Reverse Evil-Warding Sword Technique reached perfection; sufficiently profound qi alone could allow him to break through to that realm.

Plum Manor had quite a few experts, but unfortunately, they were all Ren Woxing's people now. He could hardly make a move against them.

But that was fine. The martial world was vast. He would surely encounter a few lucky souls on his way back to Great Ming.

Soon, daylight filled the sky, and Ren Yingying knocked on his door. "Brother Lin, time to get up and have breakfast."

"Coming." Lin Lang opened the door. Ren Yingying was the first person he saw upon waking. Unfortunately, it was not in bed.

"Thank you, Cult Leader Ren, for teaching me your divine skill," Lin Lang said loudly as soon as he saw Ren Woxing.

Ren Woxing waved a hand. "Lin Lang, you saved me. It's only right that I teach you my cultivation art. Stay at Plum Manor for a while, and I can give you some guidance in martial arts."

Ren Woxing was proficient with many weapons, as well as unarmed arts involving fists, palms, fingers, and kicks. Whatever Lin Lang wanted to learn, he could offer some pointers.

Lin Lang shook his head. "Thank you for your kindness, Cult Leader Ren. Now that you're free, it's time I returned to Great Ming. Once your strength has recovered and you're ready to go to Blackwood Cliff to reclaim your throne, just send someone to find me in Pingyang Prefecture."

"While you're recovering your strength, I'll use the Jinyiwei's resources to ensure Dongfang Bubai has no time to pay attention to Plum Manor."

Ren Woxing smiled. "Good. If you have any questions about martial arts, feel free to come to me."

Lin Lang had learned the Star-Sucking Great Skill, but the method of merging qi that Ren Woxing had devised had not been engraved on the cage.

Without knowing how to merge different kinds of qi, Lin Lang would soon feel stabbing pains in his meridians and dantian, and come seeking his guidance.

Then getting Lin Lang to join the Sun Moon Holy Cult would be like water flowing into a channel, would it not?

At that point, he would betroth his daughter to Lin Lang. Lin Lang could become his right-hand man, just like Xiang Wentian, and would certainly never harm him as Dongfang Bubai had.

After breakfast, Lin Lang cupped his hands to everyone. "It's time for me to leave. Until we meet again."

Ren Yingying stood up. "Brother Lin, I'll see you off."

Ren Woxing glanced at her but did not stop her. Once a daughter grew up, there was no keeping her at home.

At the entrance to Plum Manor, Lin Lang looked at Ren Yingying. "Yingying, this is far enough. We don't want anyone noticing and jeopardizing Cult Leader Ren's plans."

"You need to keep up the act with Qu Yang to lull Dongfang Bubai into complacency. You can also look for opportunities to rally the old followers. With Cult Leader Ren's talent, he'll regain his strength soon. We'll see each other again before long."

Reluctant to part, Ren Yingying said, "Brother Lin, be careful on the road."

"You be careful too." Lin Lang mounted his horse and swiftly departed.

He had behaved like an utter gentleman. That way, if Ren Yingying discovered his other women in the future, he could simply say that she was the one who had come later. Perfect.

Ren Woxing watched Lin Lang leave, his expression darkening.

Does this brat really have no designs on Yingying at all?

Is he blind? Can't he see that Yingying has fallen for him?

He's learned my supreme Star-Sucking Great Skill, yet he still treasures that lousy Child Skill?

Sooner or later, this brat would belong to his Holy Cult.

After leaving Plum Manor, Lin Lang spurred his horse into a gallop.

This trip had yielded tremendous gains.

Not only had he advanced the progress bar for winning Ren Yingying's heart by a huge margin, but he had also maxed out Ren Woxing's favorability.

Above all, he had obtained the Star-Sucking Great Skill, which offered even faster progress than the Evil-Warding Sword Technique.

Before returning to Great Ming, he needed to train the Star-Sucking Great Skill to minor mastery.

"Let me think. Which lucky soul should I choose to test the power of the Star-Sucking Great Skill?"