Why do I have so many masters?-Chapter 483 - 142 Sitting Alone in a Secluded Bamboo Grove (1/2)

In the bamboo forest behind Shaolin Temple,

two figures brandished swords against each other, their forms flickering as they rapidly struck with their bamboo swords in hand.

At this speed, ordinary eyes could hardly keep up with the two of them. Shadows lingered everywhere, and only the crisp sounds of collision and the sudden emergence of airwaves in various places could be heard.

Only martial artists who had cultivated their Pupil Skill, possessing extremely strong ocular power, could see this exchange clearly.

With a crisp sound, the lingering shadows in the courtyard instantly vanished, a sword's cry tore through the air, and the sharp sound of breaking the air was almost enough to make one's scalp tingle.

A green bamboo sword was thrust upside-down into the ground, its tip burying into the earth a full inch deep.

Wang Anfeng took two steps back, standing on one side of the courtyard in the bamboo forest, breathing heavily, his sword-holding right hand hanging low, his fingertips uncontrollably trembling slightly.

His gaze lowered.

The spot where he stood now was exactly where he had been before the exchange.

Not an inch off.

With a swishing sound, the young Taoist withdrew the bamboo sword, holding it behind his back, his face smiling as he leisurely said,

"I have a rough idea of your level of martial arts."

"You're young, and your martial skills are passable."

"It's just a pity that though you have a robust Thunder Vigor, you can't wield it at will, but your use of Inner Strength is not bad, aptly described as handy."

Wang Anfeng raised his hand and forcefully pulled out the bamboo sword stuck in the ground, leaving a straight, smooth hole. After a moment of thought, he said,

"As a junior, I never learned any swordsmanship related to thunder. However, I do know a fist technique called Heavenly Thunder Fist, a Thunder Vigor cultivation method called Gang Thunder Skill, and a movement technique called Rushing Thunder Step."

"These techniques were still in use when my martial arts were at the Ninth Grade, but later on, my masters taught me other skills, and I gradually set them aside. However, I am still cultivating the Gang Thunder Skill, and there should be a strand of Thunder Vigor in my Inner Strength."

"Huh, do you also call that Thunder Vigor?"

The Ancient Taoist shook his head and sighed with a smile,

"The practice of martial arts and cultivation is nothing but a means to nurture oneself and combat others."

"Yet, the bit of Thunder Vigor mixed in your Inner Strength, when it strikes out, will be disrupted by this Thunder Vigor, and without needing it, you could easily take their life. Moreover, if an opponent whom even your fist and palm sword techniques can't counter, what use is this bit of Thunder Vigor if it can be easily dispersed by a shift in Inner Strength?"

"It's merely like a rib that provides no real benefit."

Wang Anfeng was suddenly taken aback.

In the past two or three years, he had indeed neglected the cultivation of Thunder Vigor.

The martial arts founded by Libo included four techniques, but only three were taught to him: a secret technique of Inner Strength, a fist technique, and a movement technique. Initially, he still used the Rushing Thunder Step, but after learning the light-body technique of Riding the Wind from Hong Luoyu of the Divine Thieves Sect, he rarely used it again.

After all, one technique pursued elegance while the other used force to dominate aggressively – they could never be combined. The fist technique was actually a secret technique of hidden strength, using Thunder Vigor to replace hidden strength, driving it into the opponent's organs and then detonating it with a special method, specifically designed to break Horizontal External Skill.

He learned Mr. Ying's Killing Sword, using sharp weapons against opponents, and his Sword Qi was sharp, also capable of breaking the Horizontal External Skill. As for the mastery of hand-to-hand techniques, his skill in Prajna Palm was profound and complex, and even now, he couldn't claim to have mastered it, so how could he distract himself with other martial arts?

Seeing his expression, the Ancient Taoist laughed and said,

"I understand your thoughts."

"Life has limits, but knowledge does not. Pursuing the limitless with the limited is perilous, and those who pursue knowledge in this way eventually reach their peril, knowing when to choose and forsake is indeed a good thing."

"However, since you want to learn Thunder Vigor, you must temporarily set aside your original martial arts."

Wang Anfeng asked,

"To cultivate your Thunder Vigor, Taoist master, do I need to seal away my original martial arts?"

The Ancient Taoist chuckled, shaking his head gently while lifting the bamboo sword lightly, pointing at Wang Anfeng, and said,

"Not to learn my techniques."

"What you need to do now is to familiarize yourself with all the Thunder Secrets within you."

"What a pity, possessing a treasure trove of secrets without realizing. If you had focused on refining Thunder Vigor instead of Inner Strength and swordsmanship over these three years, your power to kill might have been even stronger."

Wang Anfeng shook his head and calmly replied,

"Then I would have lost the ability to ride the wind through the skies."

The Taoist laughed lightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing:

"His speed will not be slow."

"The martial arts created for you by that senior might seem simple, yet they are not so simple."

"Your martial arts skills are already not bad. Picking them up again for cultivation, you should be able to grasp the basics quickly. When you can control the Thunder Vigor as easily as Inner Strength, only then will this Taoist pass on to you the Thunder Sword Art of our Wudang's Zixiao Palace."

"Otherwise, you are merely a three-year-old child playing with a large axe, merely harming yourself."

Having said this, he flicked his sleeve and said:

"That will be enough for today. No more discussion of martial arts. If you are interested, you can come again at this time tomorrow to spar and discuss matters of martial arts and swordsmanship."

"As for now..."

His voice paused, and turning his head to look at Wang Anfeng, he said with a smile:

"Young fellow, would you like to come in for a cup of tea?"

"Well..."

Wang Anfeng had come that day merely to spar with the young-looking yet white-haired Taoist and then left. Of course, 'sparring' was just the Ancient Taoist's way of putting it. In reality, Wang Anfeng had almost never successfully countered even once.

A zone seemed to form around the Taoist, like a no-go area.

No matter how he attacked with his sword style, whether it was Mr. Ying's Killing Sword, Hong Hui's swordsmanship, or even moves he discerned from Sword Saints while at Qingfeng Edge, even if he attacked from behind, all would inexplicably be blocked.

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

The sword in his palm felt as though it was stuck in a quagmire, deprived of its sharpness.

As it was still daylight, and moreover, he was outside in the inn, Wang Anfeng left the back mountains and after speaking briefly with a few elders, he bid farewell to Shaolin and returned to the inn in the external world.

Although he had dealt with Zhou Gang already, he still felt uneasy about him.

In the back mountains of Shaolin.

The Taoist with his hands behind his back, looked up at the bamboo grove and the small courtyard within, thought for a moment, then grasped the green bamboo in his hand, swung his arm, and sword Qi splayed out, carving two additional large characters on the wooden plaque.

Bamboo Courtyard.

Normally, as a martial arts master and using a bamboo sword to inscribe, the inscription could not have been too ugly. Yet, the characters on the plaque were loose and feeble, ugly as a chicken scratch, so much so that even a five-year-old child would be embarrassed to show them.

However, the Taoist seemed extremely pleased, hanging upside down the bamboo sword, clicking his tongue in appreciation.

Bamboo Courtyard.

Sitting alone in the deep bamboo, strumming the lute and giving a long sigh.

Here, there are no lutes, only one sword.

The Taoist chuckled lightheartedly, twirling the green bamboo in his palm, and stepped into the house.

In the inn at Ningzheng City.

Wang Anfeng quietly appeared in the best room in the backyard of the inn, looked around, and everything was still as it had been, clearly no one had entered during his absence.

Though he had anticipated it, Wang Anfeng still felt somewhat relieved.

Previously in Shaolin, he was quite anxious. Now that he was out, he felt much more relaxed and was in no hurry to leave. Instead, he sat cross-legged on the bed, one hand resting on his knee, gently tapping, deep in thought.

Temporarily setting aside his original martial arts, he focused on re-cultivating Thunder Vigor.

He wasn't particularly interested in the swordsmanship Thunder Vigor of that Wudang Taoist, but since Mr. Ying had nearly swallowed his pride to find this Taoist for him, he naturally could not refuse.

The face of his own teacher, at the very least, he needed to master the Thunder Sword Art from that Taoist, and not consider it a loss.

Moreover, controlling the sword with the body, the Qi, or the mind, he had seen similar records in the Wind Character Tower, but controlling the sword with Heavenly Thunder was indeed unheard of, and such an exquisite skill was unprecedented in the vast Jianghu.

With thoughts whirling, Wang Anfeng became somewhat interested in the method of controlling the sword spoken by that Taoist. Thinking over it, his right hand flipped, and the Vigorous Qi tangled between his fingers turned into threads of Thunder Vigor, the noise somewhat irritating.

Gang Thunder Force and Inner Strength are not of the same origin and require separate dedicated cultivation.

Initially, this trace of Thunder Vigor had helped with the cultivation of the Golden Bell Shield, but as his martial arts grew stronger, it could no longer even provide a slight stimulating effect.

Wang Anfeng reversed his hand to disperse the Thunder Vigor, thought about what the Ancient Taoist had said, tapped his forehead, and sighed.

"The road ahead is long..."

PS: Today's first update is up...