Threefold Reversal

"Hm?"

Wang Zhuo paused, then reached out to take the books they handed him.

"These..."

[Heaven Communicating Talisman Art]

[Golden Light Mantra]

[Yang Five Thunder]

[Five Viscera Skill]

Zhang Zhiwei smiled at him. "What's wrong? Are the gifts from your grandpa not good enough for you?"

"Hmph, I've even given you the Heaven Communicating Talisman Art ahead of time. What are you still hesitating for?" Lu Jin snorted, wondering what was on his mind.

Wang Zhuo set the three books beside him. "Of course not, of course not! Your grandson couldn't be happier."

At that, he turned to Lu Jin, thought for a moment, then said, "Grandpa, what I want to learn is something only you can teach. Would that be all right?"

Lu Jin raised an eyebrow. "Something only I can teach?"

This little brat, don't tell me he wants to learn...

At the thought, feelings he could not put into words stirred inside him: excitement, worry, and fear.

"What do you want to learn? Tell me. If it's something I can teach you, I won't hold anything back. If I dare give you the Heaven Communicating Talisman Art, there's no reason to withhold anything else."

"All right! Your grandson wants to learn Threefold Reversal!"

Just as he had thought!

Zhang Zhiwei narrowed his eyes, stifling a laugh. "Old Lu, our dear grandson came prepared. He did his research beforehand."

After some thought, Lu Jin asked, "Kid, how did you find out about Threefold Reversal?"

"I've never spoken of it or demonstrated it to outsiders. Your younger generation shouldn't know about it."

Oh, crap, I forgot about that. Lu Jin only used Threefold Reversal later, after the Four Fiends drove him into a rage...

Wang Zhuo's brain raced.

His brain: My superintelligence tells me you can restart and reload now.

You goddamn brain, do you think I'm an AE86? Since when did I come with a built-in return-by-death feature?

"It was Third Grandfather Hu. He told me there was a method that could give me what I wanted, and that you were the only one who could give it to me. So here I am..."

Wang Zhuo was thoroughly impressed by his own superintelligence now. Simply flawless.

As for whether anyone else believed it, he believed it himself, so how could they not?

"Do you really want to learn it?" Lu Jin no longer cared about his explanation. He only wanted to know how determined he was.

"This path might not lead to heaven."

Wang Zhuo answered readily, "Where there's a will, there's a way. Whether it reaches heaven depends not on heaven, but on human will."

"Old man, will you teach me or not?"

"I will. If you want to learn, of course I'll teach you." Seeing how determined he was, Lu Jin stopped refusing.

"Liu." Zhang Zhiwei suddenly spoke up. "This time, there's also the most important thing..."

"Don't worry, Grandpa. I know. I didn't come here to take first place, just to broaden my horizons and see the world. I've already received the Heaven Communicating Talisman Art and gained three grandpas. I'm satisfied."

"You two elders should get some rest. There are plenty of jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards in these mountain woods. We ought to drive them off."

Wang Zhuo did not let him continue. After paying his respects, he followed Lu Jin toward the back mountain.

Zhang Zhiwei watched him leave, admiration in his eyes. "That kid is too clever. Talking to him really doesn't take any effort at all."

"Being clever is good. It's just that he doesn't know how to hide his talents." Tian Jinzong sounded a little worried.

"I'm not so sure..."

"What do you mean, senior brother?"

"He's the kind who keeps his true abilities hidden. He hasn't been serious from start to finish. He's held back at every turn. What talk is there of hiding his talents?"

"I see... With his talent, he might just develop an art that reaches even further toward heaven than the Eight Extraordinary Skills."

As they left the courtyard, Lu Linglong and the others, who had been crouching by the wall the whole time, saw Lu Jin come out with Wang Zhuo and hurried to hide.

"Quick, quick, quick, hide! My great-grandpa and the others are coming out."

Hidden Dragon and the others hid by the corner with her. "This is so strange. Those three old masters kept him inside talking for so long. What on earth were they talking about? We didn't hear a single word..."

"It must be something big!" Zhi Jinhua hid in the shadows, watching the two figures gradually recede.

"Should we follow them and see?" Xi could not suppress his curiosity.

"Let's go!" Yun agreed.

And so the little team of sneaks followed behind the two men, stopping and starting along the way.

Lu Jin noticed the movement behind them but did not call them out. He merely murmured, "Those little rascals."

"Oh, just let them follow, old man. They've been standing guard outside all evening. If you really don't let them see anything, they'll burst."

"Hmph. Let's go." Lu Jin led him toward the back mountain, and the two made their way to a stream.

Lu Jin raised his head and gazed at the bright moon in the sky, reminiscence in his eyes. Scenes of the Three-One Sect from a hundred years ago surfaced in his mind, one after another.

"Ah..."

A thousand words finally became one long sigh.

"Kid, this is Threefold Reversal." Lu Jin activated Threefold Reversal. White light bloomed from his body, and his hair danced without any wind.

"Whoa..." Bai Shixue was about to cry out when someone immediately covered her mouth.

Lu Linglong watched the figure in the moonlight, surprise in her eyes. "That's Great-Grandpa's Threefold Reversal. Is he going to teach it to Brother Liu?"

"Nobody record anything. Just watch quietly. If you get caught, I won't be able to save you."

"We know, we know. The art isn't to be shared with outsiders. We'll just watch from a distance."

Although everyone present was curious, they all knew where the limits lay and what they should and should not do.

If they secretly recorded it and were tracked down, they would be in serious trouble.

If they leaked the Lu family's secret art without permission, even their connections would not be enough to protect them.

Lu Jin recited, "Following the current may avert the misfortunes to come. Only by reversing the flow can one attain the primordial art."

"This is the true inheritance of our Three-One Sect: Threefold Reversal!"

"First stage: True Qi saturation-transforming skin and flesh into qi."

"Open the connection between the physical body and innate primal qi, allowing True Qi to permeate and assimilate the outer skin and flesh."

"Physical strength surges. Every movement carries the might of dragons and tigers, far surpassing ordinary Outsiders. Self-healing improves dramatically, and ordinary external wounds heal rapidly."

"Second stage: True Qi enters the bones-transformation reaches the viscera."

"Extend the qi transformation from the skin and flesh deep into the sinews, bones, internal organs, and blood, merging the body's deeper tissues with innate primal qi."

"Combined with the first stage, this forms an indestructible body. The skin turns white all over. Water and fire cannot invade it, blades and axes cannot harm it, evils cannot enter, and no illness arises. When injured, there is no need for ordinary flesh-and-blood healing. Circulating qi can directly repair the body, and even severed limbs can regenerate. At its peak, one can reconstruct the Three Elixirs-the lower elixir, the dantian; the middle elixir, the heart; and the upper elixir, the brain-leaving the physical body with almost no fatal weak points."

"Third stage: complete bodily qi transformation-returning to the innate state."

"Transform the entire physical body completely into qi, returning fully to the original state of innate primal qi."

"The body can gather and disperse at will, without blood or flesh, without vital points or blind spots. Conventional physical and magical attacks are almost ineffective; one can ride the wind and travel through heaven and earth. Legend has it that upon reaching this realm, one can shed the mortal body and ascend!"