Lyu Dongfang's mouth hung open, Hu Manni looked down in silence, and Liu Guansheng, who had just been drenched in snake blood, didn't dare to make a sound.
Although they didn't know her origin or her name,
No one doubted the truth of her words.
Or rather, no one dared to doubt them.
With the Spiritual Resurgence, various families that had been dormant for years had resumed their cultivation. A hundred schools of thought were contending, and no one was willing to back down.
But in the face of absolute strength, no one was stupid enough to seek their own death.
Everyone lost the ability to speak, staring straight at the woman in blue as the hairs on the backs of their necks stood up one by one.
The giant snake's corpse was still warm, and its hideous python body was only a few meters away from them.
Adrenaline surged through their bodies as the primal fear of colossal creatures ingrained in their genes surfaced repeatedly.
Fishing a giant python with bare hands and exploding its head with a bamboo pole.
This was an exaggerated scene that only appeared in anime or novels.
In their martial arts training, they had heard that if one reached the pinnacle of martial arts, they could dodge bullets.
The Liu and Lyu families had previously made their living on the Yellow River, so they naturally knew what level humans could reach if they broke their physical limits.
For example, the children of the Liu and Lyu families practiced holding their breath underwater from a young age and rubbed their bodies with special aquatic plants. Day after day, year after year, by the time they grew up, they could hold their breath for half an hour without surfacing. Even in murky water, they could see clearly.
But the strength of the person before them had clearly exceeded the human scope, hadn't it?!
Was this the true weight of someone from Longhu Mountain??!
Qin Yue stood not far away, staring at Ma Guniang without blinking, feeling her heart pounding wildly.
She had seen it clearly just now. The snake was killed the moment it emerged from the water, its eyeball pierced and exploded by Ma Guniang's bamboo pole.
With only a thin bamboo pole and an ordinary fishing line, she had managed to flick a giant python weighing several tons into the air.
This was no longer something physics could explain.
Compared to other countries, Great Xia was overall much more peaceful. However, as spiritual energy increased, many clan led forces were slowly beginning to emerge.
If Great Xia could also master such formidable power...
Then even if things tried to get chaotic, they wouldn't be able to.
In Ma Guniang's eyes, would she be any different from these people, or even this dead snake?
Qin Yue closed her eyes and slowly exhaled. Something inside her seemed to break through its shackles, a soft crack echoing within her.
Lyu Dongfang and Hu Manni, standing beside her, seemed to sense something and instinctively looked over, gasping.
Martial artists could sense subtle changes in one another.
Liu Guansheng also noticed this, his expression shifting as he whispered an exclamation, "Holy crap!"
That single sentence broke the silence. The woman standing on high shifted her gaze, which suddenly landed lightly on them.
It was a meaningful look.
Qin Yue sensed trouble, Lyu Dongfang felt a chill down his spine, but Liu Guansheng still looked completely bewildered.
...
...
Before the second trial had even begun, a massive commotion had already occurred at the scene.
The local department heads responsible for organizing the event saw the giant snake and fainted in heaps; three were hauled away on the spot.
Fortunately, the trial site was chosen in a remote location with no villages or residents for over a dozen kilometers. Otherwise, if video footage leaked, the authorities would face another internet explosion.
The trial grounds were cordoned off. Without Ma Guniang's permission, no one dared to touch the giant snake, leaving it to lie on the rocky beach.
It was lucky that winter was approaching, so there weren't many mosquitoes or flies by the river, and the corpse wouldn't rot and stink so quickly.
The second trial was scheduled for the night. The person in charge slapped his forehead and immediately changed the trial site with delight:
Right here!
Could there be a safer place in the world than this?
Regardless, that person only said not to disturb her. At most, they could just add another rule to the trial!
Ma Guniang sat on a prepared prayer mat, focused on tying a line to her new bamboo pole.
Her movements were slow and seemed somewhat unpracticed, yet they carried a sense of unhurried elegance.
Plop!
The fishing line entered the water, sending up a splash. Figures could be seen bobbing up and down below before quickly disappearing.
Ma Guniang, holding the bamboo pole, didn't seem to care. She simply rested her chin on her hand and narrowed her eyes as if napping.
Occasionally, she would look up to appreciate the performance, as if everything happening here was merely a breeze passing her ears, having nothing to do with her.
Qin Yue, however, felt an inexplicable sense of the calm before the storm.
She couldn't even figure out why the other party had appeared here.
But she stood to the side without saying a word, as quiet as a human statue.
After a long while, Ma Guniang finally spoke as if making small talk:
"I truly didn't misjudge you before. In just a few months, you've managed to condense your essence and open the first gate in your body, equivalent to Qi Refinement level 1.
Once you've cleared all the gates in the Small Twelve Bone Forging Method, you'll be able to expand a sea of qi at your dantian and condense spiritual energy, giving you hope of reaching Foundation Establishment."
This was the first time in many days that Ma Guniang had taken the initiative to mention cultivation!
"Thank you, Senior Ma, for the gift of the technique that day. Without it, I wouldn't have today's cultivation."
Qin Yue felt anxious, but she didn't dare miss a single word, memorizing and etching everything into her mind.
"I only wonder if this technique can be passed on to others?"
"Since this technique has been given to you, it's yours. I've seen how dedicated you've been to me these past few days."
Ma Guniang shook her fishing rod and said naturally:
"My Demon Suppression Division has always rewarded good and punished evil, teaching all without discrimination. Although time has passed and few people still remember the name of the Demon Suppression Division, today's authorities cherish the people and are clear about rewards and punishments. They are far better than the officials of the old yamen and carry the spirit of my Demon Suppression Division.
The Small Twelve Bone Forging Method is based on condensing blood and essence to temper the body, while using righteous energy to nourish it. It's perfectly suited for those in the authorities to practice.
Having this method fall into the hands of the authorities through you won't disgrace its origins."
Was this... getting official approval from Ma Guniang?
Could the government now practice the bone forging method openly?
"Senior Ma, this is too..."
Qin Yue's heart was in turmoil. She pursed her lips tightly, her short hair swaying. She didn't know what to say, and her gaze fell back to the center of the river—
There was no float on the fishing line, so she couldn't see what was happening underwater. But as the line shook violently, Ma Guniang's eyes flickered. She suddenly stood up and yanked the line straight, throwing the two people tied to the end several dozen feet away, where they landed heavily on the shore!
Splash!
Splash!
A massive dark shadow emerged from the water again. A brown giant soft-shell turtle, even sturdier than the one from this morning, leaped out of the water, lunging to bite the bait. In midair, a bamboo pole flew out, making a soft thud as it pierced into the giant soft-shell turtle's skull as easily as if it were poking through tofu!
With the bamboo pole stuck in its head and blood flowing, the giant soft-shell turtle tried to flee, but its head was snared by the thin fishing line and dragged straight onto the shore!
Boom!!
Splash!
Boom!
The giant soft-shell turtle fell from the sky.
It was a similar scene, and the same cause of death.
The half-dead giant soft-shell turtle landed next to the giant snake's corpse. Liu Guansheng and Lyu Dongfang, who had been tied back-to-back and used as bait, had liquid dripping from their faces—it was hard to tell if it was river water or tears of relief.
When the two of them saw the giant soft-shell turtle opening its mouth at them in the river, they nearly wet their pants.
You... you really didn't need to be so true to your word.
When you said you'd tie people up as bait, you really did it?!
If she had been just a second slower, they would have become turtle food!
The two men, who considered themselves tough as iron, simultaneously let out a very loud sob.
Ma Guniang glanced at Hu Manni, who was nearby and looking as if she were about to cry, before flicking her fishing rod.
"No need to accompany me in fishing anymore."
Was that voluntary on our part?
You call that accompanying you in fishing?!
The two men wanted to cry but had no tears. They couldn't wait for someone to untie them, so they stood up while pressed back-to-back and hopped away like a giant, wriggling fat caterpillar.
It seemed that as long as Ma Guniang was present, neither of them would cause trouble again.
A smile played on Qin Yue's lips.
...
The second trial began as scheduled. On the remote rocky beach by the Yellow River, floodlights illuminated the area as bright as day for the first time. The corpses of the giant snake and the giant soft-shell turtle lay together. The thirty odd contestants were silent; no one dared to complain again.
Who would dare?
The two who had caused trouble in the morning had been hung on a fishing line and tossed into the Yellow River for most of the day. If it weren't for their family's breath-holding techniques, they would have become Yellow River floaters by now.
Who on earth was that woman?!
Everyone's heart was pounding. Even if their minds were racing with thoughts of sending messages home for a secret investigation, they didn't dare cast a second glance toward the riverbank.
Rate on N.U.
