Chapter 50: The Ultimate Fist Technique

October 25th, early morning.

A veil of gray mist shrouded the sky above Azure Cloud Gate, the snow-white archway standing tall at the foot of the mountain. Viewed from outside, so long as one didn't step within, Azure Cloud Gate seemed unchanged—its height still no more than a hundred or two meters. Cherry blossoms, paulownia, osmanthus, and plum trees—floral sentinels of every season—stood out in the morning fog with unusual clarity, as if time itself had lost meaning here.

Zhu Ying appeared silently before the archway, ascending the steps. Rows of cherry trees bloomed on either side; she channeled her spiritual pressure into the stairs, scripture flashed briefly, and she was transported onto the steps. Heading straight for the side entrance of the main building, she pushed open the door to her dressing room, shed her clothes, and changed into a pure white T-shirt and wide-legged pants, draping a sky-blue feathered robe over her shoulders.

The robe was light and supple, its sleeves fluttering gently in the breeze, as if a patch of clear sky rested upon her shoulders. She exited the dressing room and stood in the corridor, waiting.

Not long after, Liu Shuangling and Tia emerged from their own dressing rooms. Tia immediately noticed something odd about Zhu Ying and asked in confusion, “Little junior sister, why are you activating your Rakshasa Eyes?”

Blood-red mandala patterns bloomed within her pitch-black pupils, paired with the pinkish eye shadow on her lids, lending her an alluring, almost demonic charm. Zhu Ying briefly recounted yesterday's events, “To avoid a recurrence, I’ve decided to keep the Rakshasa Eyes on around the clock.”

“So that’s it,” Tia replied, her face lighting up with understanding, then turning mischievous, “The Sect Master was able to react instantly, meaning he’s always monitoring our spiritual pressure fluctuations. Ugh, that’s creepy—is he some kind of voyeur?”

Liu Shuangling maintained her gentle smile, “Perhaps the Sect Master is eavesdropping on our conversation right now.”

Tia shrugged, pretending to be relaxed, “He can’t be that perverse, right?”

No one responded.

A chill ran inexplicably down Tia’s back; it felt as if Bai Yujing was lurking somewhere, jotting down their words in a little notebook. She swallowed hard. Whether the Sect Master was listening—and whether she’d face consequences—would soon be clear.

Walking side by side with the others, Zhu Ying asked, “If I’m to investigate, where should I start?”

Liu Shuangling considered for a moment, “Begin with the information broker. According to the Sect Master, he has possession abilities, but chose the role of information broker, so he must have some need for that. If he assumes another identity, he’s likely to continue in the same line of work.”

“Or perhaps act as a black glove for some powerful figure,” Tia added, further expanding the scope of investigation.

Zhu Ying pondered silently.

—

Breakfast and cleaning duties finished, instead of heading to the training grounds, they were summoned to the plaza by Bai Yujing.

Morning sunlight spilled onto the blue-stone plaza, giving the flagstones a faint golden sheen, as if gilded. From the distant cliffs, three massive sculpted faces gazed solemnly at them. Bai Yujing stood with hands clasped behind his back, the sky-blue crane cloak billowing lightly in the morning breeze.

After Zhu Ying’s incident yesterday, he realized he couldn’t simply let them develop on their own; it was necessary to actively increase their intensity.

“You’ve been with Azure Cloud Gate long enough—it’s time to enter the next stage of training. But first, I need to ask: what do you wish to learn?”

The three stood in a row, sunlight casting three elongated shadows.

Tia asked curiously, “Sect Master, this next stage—is it different from the books on the library shelves?”

Bai Yujing nodded, “Those books are all knowledge I acquired at the Central Spirit Book Repository. They don’t include my original methods in incantations, martial arts, scripture, swordsmanship, or Yu Steps. These are far more advanced. You cannot master them all in a short time; you can only begin with one.”

Hearing this, their expressions grew serious. They understood the importance of their upcoming choice—it was like an ordinary person selecting a college major. Which direction should they pursue for now?

Tia and Liu Shuangling had to ponder. Zhu Ying, without hesitation, declared, “I choose martial arts.”

“Good. Wait for me in the martial arts training chamber.”

Bai Yujing was unsurprised by her choice, then turned to Tia and Liu Shuangling, whose options were broader.

After some deliberation, Liu Shuangling made her decision, her voice steady, “Sect Master, I choose scripture.”

She chose scripture mainly because advancing in it was crucial to her experiments. Liu Shuangling required profound mastery of scripture to extract souls, study the spirits and bloodlines of monsters, and modify human and monster souls to break through their limits. Even knowing her own prodigious talent, she was aware that the barrier called “limit” existed for her as well. She needed to plan ahead, reach her limit early, then break it, to realize her ambition of mastering the world.

Tia was surprised by Liu Shuangling’s choice, but quickly began considering her own path. Given her Shikai’s properties, swordsmanship was out of the question.

After Shikai, she didn’t even have a sword.

Martial arts was a backup. She was skilled in it, but after her bout with Bai Yujing, she realized that close combat was exhilarating, yet ranged attacks would make her safer. Between scripture and incantations, she made her decision. “Sect Master, I wish to study incantations.”

“Go wait for me in the incantation training chamber.”

Bai Yujing decided to teach them separately, letting each master one discipline first, and later determine whether to teach them all.

—

In the pure white martial arts training chamber, Zhu Ying stood calmly at the center, her figure straight as a pine. The door remained open. She kept her eyes fixed on the entrance.

Bai Yujing’s silhouette appeared suddenly, ghost-like, in Zhu Ying’s view. The order of instruction followed the order in which they made their decisions; Zhu Ying had chosen first, so she was taught first.

“The fist technique I’m about to teach you cannot be passed to anyone else without my consent. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” Zhu Ying nodded emphatically.

Bai Yujing continued, “All martial arts in the world are nothing more than the use of spiritual pressure, and how best to destroy the human body or protect oneself. Many martial sects delve into the mysteries of bodily acupoints, but compared to what I teach, those are child’s play. The technique I will teach you is called the Holy Fist of the Northern Dipper!”

Zhu Ying couldn’t help but ask, “Sect Master, when you slew the Two-Tailed, did you use the Holy Fist of the Northern Dipper?”

“No, that was just a basic attack.” Bai Yujing’s face grew wistful. “It’s a bit of a regret, really. I’ve yet to encounter a strong enough foe to unleash these moves to their fullest. Alas.”

Zhu Ying was silent.

Someday, she too would taste the solitude her Sect Master enjoyed, becoming the “god” whispered of as the destroyer of worlds.