The Miraculous Art of Divine Skill

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“Does it hurt?”

Hearing Chu Liang’s question, the short, stout man looked over himself in confusion, then glanced back.

With that glance, he caught sight of a flash of azure radiance.

A massive crescent-shaped blade was embedded in his back. Somehow, the Flying Leaf Swift Blade had landed there without him noticing.

“It really does hurt. Ah…”

Thud.

Only then did the stout man realize what had happened. Without hesitation, he pitched forward and collapsed unconscious.

For one thing, Chu Liang had not intended to kill him and had not poured his full qi into the attack. For another, the man was a martial artist whose body was exceptionally tough. That was the only reason he had survived, though he was grievously wounded and unconscious.

Had Chu Liang used his full strength, and had he been facing an ordinary cultivator with a weaker body, the man might well have been sliced in half at the waist.

“Second Brother!”

Seeing his companion fall, the tall young man finally realized how fierce Chu Liang’s attack had been.

His eyes widened. With one hand, he formed a spell seal, and his right palm instantly lit up with a dazzling radiance. It appeared to be an offensive divine ability that gathered qi, highly explosive and on the verge of being hurled at Chu Liang.

Chu Liang recognized the technique. It was called Heart-Chapter Thunder, one of the simplest minor divine abilities of the Daoist sects. One merely condensed and stored a little qi, then cast it at the enemy.

Aside from novice disciples on Mount Shu who were just beginning to practice divine abilities, no one there would use such a thing. It was simply too crude…

Without the slightest hesitation, Chu Liang raised two fingers and summoned the Flying Leaf Swift Blade once more. Its form shifted, and a mass of azure radiance instantly enveloped the tall young man.

The Heart-Chapter Thunder he had just thrown was caught within the azure light as well.

Boom—

The tall young man was wrapped in green leaves until he resembled a gigantic rice dumpling. Immediately afterward, a muffled explosion rumbled from within the bundle, and then all was silent…

The only one left, a thin, undersized youth, was completely dazed. Just a moment ago, the three of them had been attacking one man, convinced that victory was theirs.

How had both of his companions fallen in the blink of an eye?

He no longer had any thought of attacking. He only wanted to run.

But before he could turn around, Chu Liang struck again. A streak of red light flew from his sleeve and, with a sharp hiss, wrapped itself around the thin youth.

The Demon-Binding Rope!

Thud.

The thin youth had only just tried to move when he too was caught off guard and knocked to the ground.

Only then did Chu Liang let out a faint breath and regulate his breathing. Three against one, three kills in an instant, and he had not even broken a sweat.

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This was within his expectations. Otherwise, he would never have acted so rashly.

Ultimately, it came down to the gulf between the mainstream and the unconventional.

Although all four of them were cultivators of the Third Realm, making Chu Liang appear to be at a disadvantage as the surrounded party, he was in fact a disciple of Mount Shu, trained in one of the world’s foremost orthodox cultivation arts. At every realm, he stood among the elite of his peers. The power of the magic artifacts he possessed was likewise beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators of the same realm, giving him room to contend even against cultivators of a higher realm.

These three, however, were clearly wild cultivators who had clawed their way through the lowest levels of the martial world. Their cultivation arts had been pieced together from here and there, and their foundations had never been properly established. Whatever divine abilities they practiced depended entirely on chance, and they possessed no magic artifacts of any real value.

They appeared to be cultivators of the Third Realm alike, but in truth, the gap between them was as vast as a chasm.

A difference in hard power could not be erased by numbers.

Chu Liang reckoned that with his current cultivation, divine abilities, magic artifacts, and the rest combined, he could easily fight three ordinary disciples of Mount Shu at the Spirit-Mind Realm, such as Lin Bei.

And in a fair and impartial duel, Lin Bei himself should be able to defeat these three unconventional cultivators, though it might take some effort.

Seen in that light, the instant-kill outcome was hardly strange.

When all was said and done, cultivation could never be separated from resources. Nor would the disparity vanish as one’s cultivation increased. If anything, it would only grow wider.

Take Master Lu, whom Chu Liang had slain that day. Although he had benefited from favorable circumstances and terrain, if he had been a mainstream cultivator from the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, there would have been no possibility whatsoever of his being killed by someone of the Third Realm—not even with the Red-Named Sword strengthening the attacker.

…

Chu Liang walked over to the bound, thin youth with a smile on his face.

Of course, in the eyes of the thin youth, that kindly smile looked utterly sinister. His next question made the youth’s hair stand on end.

“You wouldn’t want me to send the three of you to the Enforcement Corps, would you?” Chu Liang asked.

“No…” The thin youth hurriedly shook his head.

“Then return what you stole from me first. Also…” Chu Liang continued, “I want to know how you took the item from my storage artifact.”

“It was…” The thin youth’s gaze flickered. He hesitated, but in the end, he did not dare conceal the truth.

“It was a divine ability I cultivated. As long as I make physical contact with you, I can transfer one item from your storage artifact into mine. The item is chosen at random, though…”

“Oh?” Chu Liang’s eyes lit up. “Can you use it on anyone?”

This was the first time he had ever heard of such a thieving divine technique.

“No.” The thin youth shook his head. “It doesn’t work on anyone a major realm above me. Nor does it work on certain high-grade artifacts that possess storage space of their own…”

Many high-grade artifacts came with their own storage space, such as his master’s Phoenixspirit Blood Jade. Artifacts of that level would naturally have better defenses against theft.

As for being unable to use it on someone a major realm above him, that was only to be expected.

“Give me the manual for this divine ability, and I’ll let you go,” Chu Liang said without hesitation.

“This…” Resistance immediately appeared in the thin youth’s eyes.

He knew perfectly well how weak he was in combat. This divine ability was the foundation of his survival in Taotie City. Without it, few gangs would be willing to take him in. That was why, even when his elder and second brothers had repeatedly begged him, he had never taught it to them.

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Yet as he looked at Chu Liang, another thought suddenly occurred to him.

Even if he gave Chu Liang the divine ability, would Chu Liang really join the Windfire Gang and compete with him for the position of Third Brother?

The odds of that happening… should not be very high.

On the other hand, if he refused, who knew what kind of perverse treatment he might suffer, not to mention being sent to the Enforcement Corps.

“Fine!” After thinking it over, he agreed to Chu Liang’s demand.

Chu Liang got back the box containing the Breath-Concealing Gauze, along with a yellowed, battered manual. He had demanded the manual because he did not trust the youth to explain the technique accurately from memory.

The words “Mystic Hands Divine Ability” were written on the cover. After flipping through it and seeing no sign that it was forged, Chu Liang nodded and politely said, “Thank you.”

The thin youth could only force a bitter smile.

This had been a case of trying to steal a chicken and losing the rice as well.

After obtaining the divine ability, Chu Liang kept his word. He withdrew all the controlling artifacts and left.

As for whether the thin youth would take his unconscious elder and second brother to a physician or rob them and flee, Chu Liang had no interest in finding out.

…

After turning out of the alley and returning to the main street of Taotie City, he was once again met by its noisy, prosperous bustle.

It seemed that even a city made up of cultivators could not escape the ordinary laws of the world: wherever there was light, there was also a dark side.

Following the road, he was wondering where he might inquire about the route to the First-Grade Sword Forge when a shop by the roadside suddenly caught his attention.

It was a large and imposing establishment. The signboard bore the words “Ten Thousand Beasts Hall.” It sold spirit beasts.

However, several placards had been hung in the open space outside the storefront.

“New arrivals today…”

“Blackwind Leopard,” “Six-Legged Howling Beast,” “Sword-Eating Specter,” “Human-Faced Ape”…

It turned out that besides demons and spirit beasts, the Ten Thousand Beasts Hall also dealt in ghosts.

Chu Liang’s gaze instantly blazed.

A Human-Faced Ape?

He was immediately drawn in and took a step toward the shop. Just as he reached the entrance, a loud shout suddenly rang out from within the din:

“Get out of the way!”

Before the words had even faded, a vicious beast’s roar thundered from inside.

A mass of black wind came surging out!

For the past few days, Qidian has been undergoing maintenance, so chapter comments are not showing up. I can still see them in the后台, though. Everyone is welcome to leave comments; they should appear in a couple of days.

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