Mountain-Shattering Palm

The moon was bright and the stars sparse. Tonight's moon was round and full, casting down pure, clear moonlight that draped the ground like a sheer veil of silver. He was not set to depart for Mount Daba until early tomorrow morning, and tonight happened to be a day the black market opened, so Lin Zheyu decided to drop by for a look. After leaving the inner city, he found a secluded spot, changed into the dark clothes he had prepared beforehand, and put on his mask. After hurrying along for a dozen minutes, he arrived at the familiar black market. Ever since his visit last time, Lin Zheyu came by to browse almost every time the black market opened. Aside from the first few visits when he had come to sell items, most of the time he simply strolled around at leisure to see if he could turn up anything useful. Ever since other cities had fallen, a large influx of outsiders had poured into Songyi City. Each time the black market opened, there were plenty of novel goods. The reason Lin Zheyu came every time the black market opened was that he wanted to see if he could hunt down a powerful explosive burst martial art. Stepping into the black market, he found people bustling to and fro, making for a lively scene. The rebel army's assault had driven the whole of Songyi City into a depression, yet the black market had grown all the more bustling. More and more people were hawking an assortment of odds and ends—weapons, poisons, toxic powders, antivenom pills, and the like. Lin Zheyu only looked and did not buy. Whenever he saw someone selling secret manuals, he would crouch down and make detailed inquiries. Unfortunately, they were all run-of-the-mill goods; none of the cultivation methods caught his eye. *It seems that if I want to buy a suitable cultivation method, I can only head to a larger city,* Lin Zheyu thought to himself. "Are you buying or not? If not, don't get in the way here." Seeing that Lin Zheyu was only browsing and not buying, the stallholder spoke up with visible impatience. Lin Zheyu set down the summary page of the secret manual, rose to his feet, and walked toward the next spot. After walking a dozen paces ahead, he turned left into another passage. Behind him, a man in a black mask quickened his pace and rushed in the direction Lin Zheyu was heading. "Ah!" Suddenly, a figure materialized before his eyes, and failing to watch his step, the man collided straight into him. It felt as if he had run into a solid wall. With a thud, nosebleed trickled down. "Why are you tailing me?" Lin Zheyu looked down coldly at the man, his voice deep and stern. Not long after entering the black market, he had noticed someone following him; as he strolled around, the other party had been hanging back at a distance the entire time. "Ah... I—I mean no harm," the man stammered in panic, keeping his voice exceedingly low as though afraid of being overheard. *This fellow is strong—at least at the Qi and Blood Realm.* That was the man's impression of Lin Zheyu: terrifyingly powerful. That collision just now had felt like smashing into an indestructible wall. "Senior, are you looking to buy a cultivation method?" The man picked himself up, glanced around cautiously, and asked in a hushed tone. Having noticed Lin Zheyu browsing for cultivation manuals earlier, he had kept an eye on him and realized Lin Zheyu was scouring the black market for techniques, evidently having found nothing satisfactory. "You have one?" Lin Zheyu felt a flicker of interest. In all his visits to the black market, Lin Zheyu had encountered someone covertly selling Qi and Blood Realm cultivation methods like this man only once before. However, what that person had sold were only techniques that reached the Second or Third Blood Transformation at best—not even comparable to the Ten Thousand Armies Steps. And the price had been outrageously steep, starting at a minimum of one thousand taels of silver. "Yes, yes." "The black market doesn't permit sales of methods at or above the Qi and Blood Realm. Could we talk somewhere else? I guarantee you'll be satisfied," the man said softly. "Fine." Lin Zheyu nodded. The two went to a private chamber provided by the black market, an area designated specifically for covert transactions, costing one hundred copper coins per use. The man paid the fee; evidently, he was quite confident in his cultivation method. Ten oil lamps were lit around the room, making it brightly illuminated. "What cultivation methods do you have on you?" Lin Zheyu asked curiously. "I have an ancestral method that can be cultivated up to the Qi and Blood Four Transformations at most. Would Senior be interested?" the man said after a moment of deliberation. A technique that could take someone to the Qi and Blood Four Transformations was extraordinarily precious in a place like Songyi City; many minor aristocratic families didn't possess one. This was why he felt so confident. "Only the Fourth Blood Transformation?" "Not interested," Lin Zheyu replied, shaking his head. He already had methods that reached the Qi and Blood Four Transformations; there was no need to buy another. What he lacked was a method capable of taking someone to the Qi and Blood Like a Dragon realm. However, such a method was certainly impossible to purchase in a backwater like Songyi City, and Lin Zheyu harbored no such hopes anyway. He only wanted to see if he could find a saber art of fierce, domineering power, or a martial art capable of unleashing an explosive burst far exceeding one's normal strength. "Do you have a powerful burst-type martial art, or perhaps a fierce and domineering saber art?" Lin Zheyu asked. "I don't have saber arts, but I happen to have an explosive burst martial art." "It's a palm technique that only martial artists at or above the Qi and Blood Realm can use. It contains only a single move, named the Mountain-Shattering Palm. When struck, it can shatter mountains and sever seas!" The man's eyes lit up as he hurried to explain. *There really is one, and it's a burst martial art!* Lin Zheyu was rather surprised. The man before him did not appear very strong, yet surprisingly possessed quite a few cultivation methods; perhaps he was the scion of some ruined prominent family. "Let me inspect the technique first," Lin Zheyu said calmly. "Of course, Senior." The man nodded and drew a sheet of paper from inside his robe, which recorded a portion of the Mountain-Shattering Palm. Lin Zheyu took the paper and read it carefully. The Mountain-Shattering Palm was a martial art detailing a specialized technique for detonating qi and blood. By applying this technique, one could erupt all of one's qi and blood in an instant, unleashing a strike far exceeding their usual power. "An intriguing technique. I'll take it. Name your price," Lin Zheyu said. After coming to the black market so many times, he had finally found the martial art he sought. His previous objective had merely been to find a fierce and domineering saber art, so finding a martial art was an unexpected boon. This truly was an unexpected pleasant surprise. "The Mountain-Shattering Palm will be one thousand taels of silver," the man blurted out. "Three hundred," Lin Zheyu said expressionlessly. One thousand taels of silver for a single martial art was utterly outrageous—even more expensive than a full cultivation method. "Senior, this technique was handed down from my ancestors. Martial arts for the Qi and Blood Realm are inherently precious; selling it to you for one thousand taels is already quite cheap," the man said with a troubled expression. "Just three hundred taels of silver." "If I don't buy a technique like this, it's virtually impossible for you to sell it in Songyi City. Those who can afford it don't need it, and those who need it can't afford it." "What's more, if you're not careful, you could easily fall victim to an underhanded robbery. Haven't you heard the saying: 'An ordinary man is innocent, but harboring a jade makes him guilty'?" Lin Zheyu glanced at him and spoke impassively. Hearing this, the man's expression changed, turning rather unsightly. He knew full well how treacherous people's hearts could be; one careless misstep and he would lose his life instead of making a sale. Tailing Lin Zheyu covertly earlier had been to gauge Lin Zheyu's disposition. Only after seeing that Lin Zheyu appeared to be a mild-mannered sort had he dared approach him with the techniques. "Senior, three hundred taels of silver really is too little. Could you perhaps add a bit more?" "I also have another Qi and Blood Realm cultivation method here. If you buy both together, I'll let you have them for one thousand taels," the man gritted his teeth and said, reluctant to give in. "Is it a martial art as well?" Lin Zheyu asked. "It's a cultivation method that can only be trained up to the Second Blood Transformation." "However, it's a leg technique. Leg techniques are exceptionally rare, especially those for the Qi and Blood Realm—they're all genuine treasures." "If you buy both together, I'll give you a discount: one thousand taels in total. How about it?" The man looked at Lin Zheyu with hope in his eyes. He was desperate for money, or he would never have put his ancestral arts up for sale. Though he possessed Qi and Blood Realm methods, his aptitude was insufficient. After over twenty years of bitter training, he was still only at the early viscera refining stage. Achieving a breakthrough to the Qi and Blood Realm in this lifetime would be very difficult; his only choice was to sell off cultivation methods to earn some silver, and then purchase nourishing tonics to take a gamble. "I already have a leg technique and have no need for another; I only want the Mountain-Shattering Palm. Three hundred taels of silver is my offer. If you accept, we have a deal; if not, forget it," Lin Zheyu said indifferently. "Fine, three hundred it is," the man conceded, gritting his teeth. Such an opportunity was rare; if he missed this customer, there was no telling when he might find another. Moreover, he truly worried that Lin Zheyu might rob him blind. If he refused to sell, the other man might very well lie in wait outside the black market to ambush him. "Here is thirty taels of gold. Hand over the Mountain-Shattering Palm. Once I have tested the technique and confirmed it is genuine, you may leave," Lin Zheyu said, producing thirty taels of gold and passing it across. "Here you are, Senior; this is the secret manual of the Mountain-Shattering Palm." "The Mountain-Shattering Palm places an enormous strain on the body and should not be used lightly. Excessive use may leave the arm crippled," the man warned. Lin Zheyu took the manual and began perusing it right there in the secret room. In theory, the Mountain-Shattering Palm could erupt three times one's baseline qi and blood power at once; its might was formidable indeed. However, it had a flaw: the burden placed on the arm was severe. After detonating it, the arm suffered damage. If unleashed three times in succession, the arm would be rendered useless, requiring several days of convalescence to recover. Since it was a martial art consisting of only a single strike, the manual's contents were not lengthy, and Lin Zheyu committed the entirety to memory in less than ten minutes. The true difficulty of this martial art lay in executing the technique of detonating qi and blood. The unique eruption technique utilized by the Mountain-Shattering Palm was exceedingly difficult, demanding keen comprehension and prolonged practice to perform. *Qi and blood can actually be used like this!* A flash of amazement flickered in Lin Zheyu's eyes. He extended his right palm and stirred a small portion of qi and blood to pour into his right arm. As the qi and blood entered the arm, it began circulating according to the unique technique. Vaguely, a vortex of qi and blood formed within his entire right arm. *Boom!* Lin Zheyu thrust his right palm forward violently. His qi and blood detonated with a roar, and a terrifying gust of force whistled forth, instantly extinguishing all the oil lamps across from him. *Hiss...* Lin Zheyu felt a sharp stab of pain surge through his arm, his right arm trembling slightly. The Mountain-Shattering Palm was indeed difficult to master. With the slightest carelessness, the qi and blood would burst within the arm, causing catastrophic damage. Fortunately, he had only mobilized a small amount of qi and blood just now; otherwise, the injury to his right arm would have been far worse. *This martial art has extraordinarily high demands for control over qi and blood!* *If achieving the pinnacle of the Golden Goose Skill hadn't enhanced my control over qi and blood at the same time, I would probably have had to spend a great deal of time practicing bitterly,* Lin Zheyu reflected inwardly. He circulated the qi and blood within his body to mend the injury to his arm. *What terrifying comprehension! He only just got his hands on the technique, looked at it for less than the burn of an incense stick, and can already perform it!* The man watched on in profound shock. He knew how grueling this ancestral martial art was to train. Hardly anyone in his family had ever succeeded, and those who did had trained bitterly for several years before mastering it. Yet the man before him had achieved initial mastery in less than the time it took an incense stick to burn. Such comprehension was simply astonishing! "The method is genuine. You may go," Lin Zheyu said calmly as he stowed the manual. "Thank you, Senior!" The man cupped his hands to Lin Zheyu, exited the secret chamber, and melted into the crowd, vanishing from sight. It seemed as though he feared Lin Zheyu might double-cross him and rob back the money he had paid. Lin Zheyu browsed the black market for a little while longer. Finding nothing else he wanted, he departed shortly thereafter. *** Morning. Lin Zheyu packed his belongings, taking along all the ingredients for the Blood-Nourishing Bone-Strengthening Decoction he had purchased earlier. The remaining seventy doses of medicinal ingredients had been ground into powder and packed into seven large leather bags. Mount Daba was quite some distance from Songyi City, even farther than Lion Valley, requiring several two-hour periods for a round trip. If luck was not on his side during this expedition, Lin Zheyu might have to remain in Mount Daba for fifteen days. Hence, he brought along all the medicinal powders. Once he accumulated enough Origin Power, he would make his breakthrough directly in Mount Daba. *I hope I can find that expert soon,* Lin Zheyu thought to himself. Carrying the wilderness tools he would need, along with the token and letter given by Xu Jingwu, he set off toward the outskirts of the city. Not long after stepping out of his courtyard, Lin Zheyu sensed numerous gazes landing upon him. There were several among them he vaguely recognized as men from the Wuding Gang. Frowning slightly, he wondered in confusion, *What's this? Why are these Wuding Gang fellows keeping an eye on me again?* Lin Zheyu's eyes flickered, and once he confirmed that no experts were tailing him, he headed out of the city as if nothing were amiss. At present, the only people who posed a threat to him were powerhouses above the Qi and Blood Four Transformations. And those above the Qi and Blood Four Transformations were top-tier figures in Songyi City; they would not mobilize lightly just to deal with a minor character like him. Outside Songyi City, several burly men watched the direction in which Lin Zheyu was departing. "Come on, tail him, and be careful." "Orders from above: ascertain his movements upon leaving the city. Don't startle the snake in the grass. Find out discreetly whether the Xu clan is plotting something in secret," one burly man said.