CHAPTER 90: CHAPTER 87 HUNDRED MILES_2

Under normal circumstances, without obstructions, an ordinary person’s vision can distinguish a human figure as a black dot at a maximum distance of about five hundred meters. That’s the limit. The Golden-eyed White Feathered Sculpture, however, could see a hundred times farther, as if the person were right before its eyes. From ten li away, Chen Ku could discern the intricate patterns on the scabbard of the blade worn by a member of the City Defense Forces.

So powerful!

High walls obstructed his view, limiting his sight to ten li, yet what he saw was as clear as if it were right before him. Thus, he had no doubt about the Golden Eagle’s "Hundred Li Eye" ability. Consider this: the Golden Eagle is a bird of prey. Ordinary eagles fly at altitudes of several thousand meters; the higher they fly, the farther they can see. The Golden Eagle was even more exceptional than common raptors. It possessed a faint trace of an Ancient Great Demon’s bloodline, enabling it to effortlessly see a hundred li from an altitude of several thousand meters. This was hardly surprising. And this was merely within the city. Chen Ku had no doubt that if he ventured outside the city and stood atop a mountain, he would possess the same keen vision.

Truly worthy of being a demon among avians! This heaven-defying vision is simply outrageous. With such eyesight, combined with my Four Symbols Divine Power, if I also had a Ten Thousand Catties Divine Bow, I could perhaps shoot down an Inner Qi Realm expert from several li away!

This was no exaggeration. Imagine: forty thousand catties of Divine Power paired with a ten-thousand-catty bow, launching an arrow covertly from several li away. The speed and force of such an arrow would likely surpass even Chen Ku’s full-strength Skyward Strike!

The prerequisite, however, is a ten-thousand-catty bow, which is even harder to obtain than a thousand-catty heavy stick. Secondly, he had no actual training in archery. But that wasn’t an issue.

One of Medicine King Hall’s Six Ultimate Skills, ’Sky Eagle Eight Arrows,’ is a Bow Technique. I once saw Instructor Chai use one of its arrows. However, because the archer was closed in on by a fist-fighter, not even a tenth of the archery’s power was displayed, and he quickly fell to a disadvantage against Huang Muxia.

Chen Ku understood that this was definitely not due to a lack of strength in Instructor Chai or the Sky Eagle Eight Arrows, but rather the absence of a suitable opportunity and venue. These thoughts further solidified his plans concerning the Guardian Hall.

Then, as if guided by an unseen hand, his thoughts turned to his own various transformations.

True Lord had his Barks-at-Heaven Dog, Sky-Dropping Eagle, Three-Edged Double-Bladed Blade, and Golden Bow with Silver Bullets. I have my Skinny Dog and White Feathered Sculpture. I can also learn Bow Technique and practice Bladesmanship... And the most crucial point: True Lord was the second son in his family, and I am also the second in mine. We are both ’Er Lang’; how could I not claim to be the inheritor of True Lord’s legacy?

Thinking this, his eagerness to learn Grandmaster Shang’s Bladesmanship intensified.

Upon returning to Medicine King Hall, he had a simple disciple’s meal. The meal box contained six dishes—three cold and three hot—accompanied by a nourishing Deer Antler and Cordyceps soup. Since his Cultivation had improved, Chen Ku discovered that the issue of his appetite was just as Master Kong had said... ’One never tires of finely prepared food, nor of meticulously cut meat.’ Indeed, as long as the food contained sufficient Vital Energy, there was no need to consume dozens of large steamed buns at every meal.

...

In Shang Yunfang’s small courtyard—each Grandmaster in the hall had a private, modest-sized courtyard, yet it was fully equipped.

"Master, your disciple has come to learn Bladesmanship," Chen Ku announced respectfully from outside the door, awaiting a response.

Shang Yunfang’s voice preceded her as she slowly emerged. One arm was still bandaged, but the other held a narrow, two-foot-long blade. "I heard you assisted the hall in slaughtering a Golden-eyed White Jade Sculpture this morning. Well done. While your Four Symbols Power certainly played a part, it also indirectly demonstrates that your bone-chopping butcher blade technique has reached the current limit of your Cultivation. With this foundation, your progress in learning the Black Tiger Butcher Knife should be considerably faster."

"As you can see," she continued, "I am injured and cannot demonstrate much for you personally. However, I can compile the first nine forms of the Black Tiger Butcher Knife into illustrated diagrams for your study. Also... I will demonstrate a fundamental aspect of the Black Tiger Butcher Knife."

As she finished speaking, the blade in her hand flicked. A scroll resting on a side table near the door was sent slicing through the air and into Chen Ku’s grasp.

Chen Ku quickly caught it. He didn’t immediately unroll it, his heart stirred. Just like a true Grandmaster, Master Shang has taught me even more! I’ve heard the Black Tiger Butcher Knife has eighteen forms in total, and she’s given me half of this Ultimate Skill already!

But he also looked up and asked, "Master? A fundamental aspect of the Black Tiger Butcher Knife? What is it?"

Shang Yunfang reversed her grip on the blade, slowly approached Chen Ku, and began her instruction: "Each of Medicine King Hall’s Six Ultimate Skills has its own strengths. Elder Yang’s Stick Technique is famed for its immense power and unmatched ferocity. The Black Tiger Butcher Knife also has its unique characteristic: speed. You sparred with Ke Yansheng, Master Ke, the other day; you should have sensed some of it. When an opponent’s speed surpasses yours, even if you possess Thousand Jun Power, you cannot land a blow. If they seize an opportunity, a single slash to your throat—if they are even a fraction faster—you will be the one to die."

Chen Ku nodded in profound agreement. "Indeed."

Shang Yunfang continued, "The Black Tiger Butcher Knife is an exceedingly ruthless technique. When attacking, you treat your enemy as meat upon a chopping block. Each strike aims to gouge out the heart, tear out the lungs, sever tendons, or shatter bones. From this, you should understand that the bone-chopping butcher blade is a lesser technique derived from this very Black Tiger Butcher Knife. Thus, they share a similar ingenious underlying principle."

"However, therein lies the challenge. As an Apprentice, you used the bone-chopping butcher blade to dismember beasts on a cutting board. They were already dead, motionless, allowing you to apply your skills freely. But when your opponent is a living person, whose Martial Arts and tactics are far more complex than those of a mindless beast or Demon, how can you still treat them as ’meat on the chopping block,’ utterly still and defenseless?"

Having spoken, Shang Yunfang looked at Chen Ku, her gaze evaluative.

A yellow leaf drifted down, carried by the wind in the courtyard.

Enlightenment struck Chen Ku. He said, "Master, you just emphasized the importance of speed. The key must be... speed! As long as my movements are faster than my opponent’s, preventing them from reacting in time, then they become akin to motionless meat on a chopping block, correct?"

The autumn breeze rustled gently.

Satisfaction appeared on Shang Yunfang’s face, which was about half a head lower than Chen Ku’s, as she smiled. "You are correct. It is speed. What I am about to show you is the most fundamental secret of this Absolute Skill Level Bladesmanship: a movement technique that complements the Black Tiger Butcher Knife, known as the Piercing Sound Step."

"Piercing Sound Step?" Chen Ku listened intently. "Is this movement technique exceptionally fast?"

"As its name implies," Shang Yunfang stated calmly, "when cultivated to the Perfection Realm, you can outpace sound itself. The sound of your movement arrives after you do—sound moves, person arrives, blade strikes, enemy dies."

"Outpace sound?!" Chen Ku was astounded. "Does that mean one can dash a hundred zhang in a single instant?!"

"Precisely, but that is at the Perfection Realm. I have dedicated over sixty years to this movement technique and have only attained the Great Achievement Realm."

Shang Yunfang said slowly, "Nevertheless, at full exertion and augmented by Inner Qi, I can traverse seventy zhang in an instant. This courtyard is too confined. Come with me; I will demonstrate it elsewhere..."

The two departed. They proceeded directly out of Baojiao County and into a small grove beyond the city walls.

"I will demonstrate. Watch closely."

The moment Elder Shang finished speaking, Chen Ku fixed his gaze intently upon her.

Elder Shang, who had been standing merely two or three meters from Chen Ku, vanished in an instant.

BOOM!

The air where she had stood erupted with a sonic boom, instantly kicking up a massive ring of dust, like an oil-paper umbrella snapping open and unfurling!

In the next instant, Elder Shang reappeared over two hundred meters away, beneath a tree so thick it would take a person’s full embrace to encircle it. A flash of her blade circled its trunk.

The massive tree crashed to the ground with a thunderous roar.

Chen Ku was utterly awestruck.

This is the might of Absolute Skill Level Martial Arts!