Chapter 31: Third-rate

Time progressed to the afternoon.

In Changqing County, Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall.

A dark cyan carriage slowly came to a stop under the Chinese parasol tree at the entrance of the hall.

A young coachman dismounted, and two beautiful young ladies stepped out of the carriage, the one in front wore white while the other slowly opened an oiled paper umbrella.

It was none other than Su Li and her maid, Xiaoqing.

"This is the Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall..." Su Li landed steadily on the ground, looked up, and saw the four big characters on the plaque amidst the mottled shadows of the trees, "This handwriting is quite good. Could it really be that there is some reclusive expert who chooses to hide in plain sight and cultivate here?"

Su Li had inquired from Su Gui about Su Heng’s experiences in recent times.

She knew that he had practiced martial arts here, and then various changes had occurred.

Hearing is false, seeing is believing.

Driven by curiosity, she decided to come here in person to find some reasonable explanation.

"We are here to visit Master Ning."

With a smile on her face, Su Li spoke to a white-clad disciple at the entrance of the hall.

"Please wait here, ladies. I will go call my master right away!" Recognizing the Su Family’s carriage, and seeing that both Su Li and Xiaoqing were of distinguished appearance, the white-clad disciple felt a chill in his heart and did not dare to neglect them. After bowing with clasped hands, he hurriedly ran inside the hall.

Before long,

A chaotic sound of footsteps came from inside the gate.

The ones who first came out were not the hall’s master, Ning Zhibai, but two young disciples each holding a Tai Chi sword.

Before Su Li could feel puzzled, another two disciples, this time holding iron zithers, came out.

Then, out came another two female disciples, each with a horsetail whisk in hand.

The six of them formed two rows, standing opposite each other.

Every one of them stood tall and proud, exuding confidence, forming a path in front of the hall’s entrance.

Finally, a clear sound of footsteps could be heard.

A middle-aged man, no taller than one meter fifty-six, dressed in white with the words "Pure Yang Skill" embroidered in golden thread in lively calligraphy on his clothes, walked out leisurely.

Even though the middle-aged man had a lean figure, his eyes were quite bright.

He looked around and his gaze fell on Su Li.

"Are you the young miss of the Su Family?" Ning Zhibai nodded slightly with a warm smile.

"..."

Su Li was somewhat speechless.

She had indeed been intimidated by Ning Zhibai’s grand entrance just now.

However, upon seeing him in person and sweeping her gaze over him, she knew it was nothing more than a facade.

Still, to avoid misjudgment, Su Li carefully took out the monster-finding compass and glanced at it.

As expected...

The crystal in the center of the compass was dull and grey.

There were no traces of demonic activity around Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall.

"I am."

Su Li quickly hid her emotions and, knowing that Pure Yang Skill sounded like a Daoist tradition, she performed a courteous salutation towards Ning Zhibai.

"Master Ning, I am here to request a look at the stances and Heart Sutra of the Pure Yang Skill," Su Li revealed the purpose of her visit.

Noticing Ning Zhibai’s troubled expression.

Su Li handed over a silver ingot, pushing it into Ning Zhibai’s hands.

Ning Zhibai was shocked. This delicate-looking girl seemed to possess tremendous strength; he found his hand easily pried open.

Indeed...

All members of the Su Family were monsters.

Ning Zhibai was somewhat fond of fame, but he was not greedy for wealth.



"Miss, it is not permissible!" Ning Zhibai stuffed the silver ingot back into Su Li’s hands, smiling wryly as he explained, "Su Heng of the Su Family has granted my Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall a favor of rebirth, and I cannot accept any more money from your Su Family.

The mental method and foundation exercises for the Pure Yang Skill are not some secret that cannot be shared, giving them to you is perfectly fine."

"However, the practice of the Pure Yang Skill must be approached gradually, do not rush for quick results."

Ning Zhibai cautioned.

He was helpless, ever since the news of Su Heng subduing the water ghost spread throughout Changqing County.

The number of youths coming to the Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall to practice every day had become countless.

But these people, lacking in both root bone and comprehension, were ultimately ordinary mortals. They were anxious for success in their practice, leading to strained muscles, tendons, and ligaments, harming themselves and often unable to leave bed for months at a time, needlessly causing many troubles.

Ning Zhibai’s hesitation earlier was also due to his concern that Su Li would make the same mistake.

Ning Zhibai took out a small booklet from his bosom and handed it to Su Li. She reached out to take it, her smile more genuine than before, "Thank you, Master Ning."

"May I use a quiet room in the hall to study it by myself?" Su Li asked again.

"Of course," Ning Zhibai nodded with a smile, "There are many vacant rooms in the hall, I’ll have a disciple arrange one for you."

…

"Hu..."

In a quiet and secluded courtyard within the martial arts hall.

Birds chirped cheerfully, and a golden wintersweet flower was blooming in the corner flower bed.

As the sun dipped westward, the light turning a warm red, Su Li had finally finished studying the foundation exercises and the Heart Sutra of the Pure Yang Skill in detail, and even repeated the movements several times. As the top scholar of the county, Su Li’s aptitude was unquestionable. In less than half a day, she grasped the basics of the Pure Yang Skill.

"How is this cultivation technique?"

Xiaoqing forcefully spoke up, placing a cup of hot tea on the stone table in front of Su Li.

"Ah..." Su Li sighed, rubbing her temples with a look of fatigue as she gazed at the sunset in the sky.

She did not speak, but rather, she held up three pale fingers.

Xiaoqing tilted her head, puzzled.

"Third-rate," Su Li said, "In the Demon Suppression Bureau, such a cultivation technique wouldn’t even draw attention. It would be used to prop up a table or casually thrown into a corner to collect dust."

"But your brother tore apart a demon with the Pure Yang Skill," Xiaoqing noted.

"If he had truly cultivated it by himself, his root bone and comprehension would be beyond monstrous."

In the Demon Suppression Bureau, Su Li’s talent was rated as a rarity in a hundred years.

But to practice such a technique to a level where she could combat demons, Su Li had no confidence whatsoever.

What’s more...

The Pure Yang Skill was fundamentally incomplete, and it lacked the medicinal catalyst required to break limits.

Yet Su Heng had achieved it.

And in merely three months.

There were two possibilities, either Su Heng was an unrivaled genius whose talents made the current cultivation systems ineffective on him, or Su Heng had inadvertently come into contact with some special demon, influenced and transformed by it...

Comparatively, Su Li certainly believed the latter was more likely.

Especially given the reaction from the demon detecting device, it further confirmed her conjecture.

Under the sunset,

Recalling the bits and pieces of her days with Su Heng.

Su Li’s expression turned gloomy, bereft of her former poise.

"Should I report it to the elders of the Demon Suppression Bureau..." Xiaoqing suggested tentatively by her side.



"No!" Su Li shook her head, "Let’s not for now."

"You fear that the elders might harm your brother, but by doing so, you expose yourself to danger," Xiaoqing’s voice was calm, yet there was a hint of sternness.

"Trust me, Xiaoqing, I’ll handle this matter well," Su Li was silent at first, then she reached out to pinch Xiaoqing’s cheek, a smile appearing on her face.

She waved her hand, walking towards the gate against the backdrop of the setting sun.

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