Chapter 23: then translation of title

Feng Yi activated the Mountain-Splitting Palm with Divine Illumination Skill; it was peerlessly fierce and unstoppable, and he slew two youths in succession just as the Owl Daoist's words fell.

Seeing Feng Yi avoid a direct clash and instead launch deadly attacks on his disciples, the Owl Daoist was overcome with sudden, inexplicable grief and anger; his palms whirled like windmills as he lunged fiercely at Feng Yi's back.

Hearing the furious gust behind him, Feng Yi offered no resistance; he flashed aside, snatched out with his right hand, seized the last youth, and hurled him at the Owl Daoist.

Thus, the Owl Daoist's palms met squarely; his mountain‑splitting, stone‑cracking strike landed solidly on his disciple's chest.

With a crackling sound, the youth flew out, having broken an unknown number of ribs.

He didn't even utter a cry, for Feng Yi, upon seizing him, had already channeled his energy to shake him to death.

Feng Yi laughed, 'What formidable palm power!'

These movements took only the blink of an eye, so the Owl Daoist had no time to withdraw; hearing the taunt, he was shocked and angry, thrusting his right palm straight and slashing left diagonally at Feng Yi's ribs.

Feng Yi shouted, 'Bring it on!' He crossed his palms, swift as thunder and lightning, mighty as a great wave breaking a dike.

With two hissing sounds, their inner forces collided; the Owl Daoist's meridians jumped, his inner energy went chaotic in an instant, and he was startled.

Fortunately his martial prowess was superb; he hastily withdrew his force and retreated, yet his chest and abdomen surged with hot blood, leaving him dizzy and vision blurred.

Had Feng Yi pressed the attack then, the Owl Daoist could not have escaped disaster, but he did not wish to kill this worthy opponent outright; he therefore did not press forward, instead feigning inadequacy.

After Feng Yi's divine skill reached perfection, he had never truly sparred with anyone; even when practicing with Ding Dian, he dared not go all out, fearing that if he failed to pull back his strength he would injure his partner.

Thus he himself is unsure of his true strength, lacking confidence, and has long wished to gauge it; the Owl Daoist's deep inner force and consummate skill make him an ideal opponent, so Feng Yi first slew several of his disciples to avoid having to play a supporting role like Di Yun in the original tale.

Although he harbors no fear, in the jianghu one must still follow the basic principle of minimizing risk as much as possible.

Capsizing in a gutter is far from rare!

For instance, the Blood Saber Ancestor, who single‑handedly defeated the Four Southern Odds and won a total victory, would never imagine that his precious life would end at the hands of a 'crippled disciple'.

Otherwise, he wouldn't even bother killing a few petty young Daoists.

The Owl Daoist expelled a foul breath from his chest, his heart shaken, and he glared, shouting, 'Is this the Divine Illumination Skill?'

He had rarely met a worthy opponent in his life; now seeing that of the five master and disciples only he remained, and that the adversary's inner force was deeper and superior to his own, he immediately concluded that Feng Yi must be using the Divine Illumination Skill.

Feng Yi laughed heartily: 'I've tested your fists and feet; seeing you still carry a sword, you surely aren't just for show—come, let me witness your exquisite swordsmanship!'

The Owl Daoist, his chest filled with rage, snapped, 'You have a big mouth!'

He is a renowned martial artist of many years' standing; although Feng Yi's skill is strong, he lacks fame, yet here he acts as if he were an elder instructing juniors.

He could not imagine that Feng Yi, a nobody at the mercy of fate, had reached this point in less than half a month; thus he genuinely wished to see the opponent's swordsmanship, not merely to mock.

Feng Yi gave a cold snort: 'You don't know what's good for you!' He stepped forward, thrust a straight punch at the chest, and unleashed the Shadowless Divine Fist.

He had originally wanted to examine the Owl Daoist's swordplay, but since the man was putting on airs, he forgot about it.

There are countless swordsmen under heaven; first kill the Owl Daoist, and he need not fear others seeking him out.

Seeing Feng Yi close the distance by several yards while his own breath was still unsteady, the Owl Daoist was greatly startled.

But the Shadowless Divine Fist came like lightning, struck with the force of an iron hammer chiseling stone, leaving no opening; the Owl Daoist could only hastily block with a horizontal palm.

With a 'thud', fist and palm met; Feng Yi remained unmoved while the Owl Daoist retreated three or four steps, leaving footprints three inches deep, their edges as clean as if cut by a blade.

Feng Yi's punch used seventy percent of his inner force, and being the Shadowless Divine Fist, its power far surpassed that of a palm strike; seeing that the Owl Daoist still did not spit blood, he could not help secretly praising the solidity of his opponent's internal cultivation.

For when he exchanged blows with Ding Dian, he also used only seventy percent of his strength.

Yet the Owl Daoist actually had unspeakable suffering; his qi and blood surged throughout his body, he almost spat a mouthful of blood, and only by forcing his energy did he keep it back, hoarsely saying, 'Shadowless Divine Fist!' His expression remained as cold and grim as ever, his eyes as icy as lightning.

Feng Yi smiled: 'Your eyesight is good; to withstand my punch unharmed is already a source of comfort for you!'

A flash of malice crossed the Owl Daoist's face before vanishing; he laughed loudly, 'If that's the case, why not grant me a few more lessons?'

Being a true master, he steadied his breath, refused to yield, swayed slightly, channeled power into his right arm, and thrust out a palm.

Before his body arrived, his palm force came first, a low, heavy gust sounding in the air; Feng Yi gave a slight nod: 'Good!'

He turned his palms over, floating like drifting fluff, and lightly met the Owl Daoist's palm shadow.

As the four palms met, the Owl Daoist felt a warm current surge to his chest, which suddenly grew hot; instantly, the opposing palm force surged upon him like a raging wind and storm, irresistible, making him want to retreat.

Unexpectedly, Feng Yi's palms produced tremendous adhesive force, sticking to his hands like glutinous rice cake.

The Owl Daoist was greatly alarmed, immediately realizing that Feng Yi intended to compare inner strength.

In martial contests, this is a life‑or‑death judgment, the most perilous moment; the loser either dies or is injured, and one lacking confidence dare not take the risk, lest seeking glory bring disgrace.

Yet the Owl Daoist could not resist; he had no choice but to comply, channeling all the inner energy from his dantian outward.

With a boom, the Owl Daoist's feet sank half a foot into the ground, while Feng Yi remained as before.

The Owl Daoist is over thirty years older than Feng Yi, has trained longer, and his innate strength is far greater; yet the Divine Illumination Skill is profound and vast, Feng Yi has now mastered it, his inner force surpasses the Owl Daoist's, and in combat its power is extraordinarily great.

The Owl Daoist felt Feng Yi's inner force surge forth like an endless torrent, wave after wave of mighty, unyielding power he had never witnessed; he could only resist with all his might.

After the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, the Owl Daoist's face flushed, his eyes bulged, blood seeped from his ears and eyes, a horrifying sight, and his bones cracked loudly throughout his body.

Knowing his end was imminent and he could hold on no longer, the Owl Daoist saw Feng Yi, upon noticing blood trickling from his eyes, suddenly open his eyes wide and exhale sharply, saying 'Go.' His hair flew up, his robes billowed.

Instantly the Owl Daoist felt a tremendous force pierce his arms and then transmit into his viscera.

With a 'crack', his bones rattled everywhere; his body, like a broken‑string kite, flew several zhang, smashed a great tree, scattering branches and leaves, blood spurting wildly, and he crashed to the ground.

The Owl Daoist swallowed a mouthful of blood, faced Feng Yi, and laughed loudly: 'You are … good! Having cultivated the supreme law of the Divine Illumination Classic, you are invincible under heaven; though I die, I die with honor.'

He died in that instant, yet had spoken praise for his opponent; as his words faded, he slowly shrank into a lump of flesh and breathed his last. Feng Yi gazed at the sky, lost in thought.

His inner force had long surpassed the Owl Daoist's; he merely wished to test the Divine Illumination Skill, to see what power its release and retrieval held, thus using the Owl Daoist as a practice target, wearing him down to exhaustion, until he finally chose to strike him down.

Thus, as soon as the Divine Illumination Skill was activated, it shattered the Owl Daoist's wrist bones, arm bones, chest bones, ribs, leg bones—indeed every bone in his body—into fragments.

But he had not expected the Owl Daoist to still be able to speak; upon reflection, it was not lack of force but a problem of control—this is because his inner force has not yet reached the state of pure refinement, lacking sufficient purity.

Feng Yi understood this, glanced at the Owl Daoist, recalled his final words, and consequently felt a certain respect for him.

That qualifies as a true man of the jianghu.

He then arranged the Owl Daoist's corpse together with those of his four disciples, neatly side by side.

Feng Yi drew the Owl Daoist's long sword from his back, swung it like wind against the broken trunk, shaved off a thick plank, the blade weaving like a dragon and serpent, and carved upon it: 'Tomb of the Owl Daoist and his disciples; erected by Feng Yi.'

That was his greatest kindness.

After all, there's a saying in the martial world: those who die in a ditch are buried in the ditch, those who die on the road get a plaque!

Feng Yi finished carving the characters, feeling that this long sword was still quite sharp; he flicked it with a finger, a clear tone rang in his ears, the sword body bright and clean, profound and secluded, worthy of collection.

Then he also took off the sword sheath from Xiao Daoren's back, with a clang, the long sword returned to its sheath, and he slipped it onto his waist.

Feng Yi didn't know high-level swordsmanship; he originally didn't want to use a sword, but he still prepared to accept it with a smile.

After all, if people can come to rob me, I naturally should also take the spoils of war; this is only fair.

It also serves to tell the greedy: this is the price!

Feng Yi was about to leave anyway; seeing that the torches weren't out yet, there were also trees here, he struck out with both palms, the palm wind extinguished the torches, and then he leapt onto a horse's back.

"Giddy-up—"

The horse's hooves clopped, and it vanished in a cloud of dust.

Feng Yi laughed and said: "This martial world is really fucking good!"

He originally was alone, with nothing.

But after only half a day in the martial world, he had money, weapons, and a horse.

And these things are what many ordinary people could never obtain in a lifetime.

So, although this martial world is sometimes messed up, it also fascinates many people.

Because, this really does have fucking benefits!

But only strong martial arts are the foundation for surviving in the martial world.

Then, divine skill manuals will naturally drive people mad!

Because Feng Yi had left not long ago, another group of people arrived here, using torches to illuminate several corpses and wooden plaques.

Seeing Xiao Daoren's gruesome state, they all sucked in a breath of cold air.

"This is Xiao Daoren!"

"His bones are all broken; was this done by Feng Yi?"

"Is Feng Yi really that formidable?"

"With such methods, only the Four Wonders of our Jiangnan martial world could possibly pull them off!"

"The Four Wonders?"

"They are the four great heroes of Falling Flowers Flowing Water!"

"This Feng Yi is also truly crazy, carving characters to leave a name? He's just afraid others won't know what he did."

"Heh, people dare to say they'll test their fists against the world; what's that supposed to mean?"

"But that's normal; he actually possesses the Divine Illumination Skill!"

"Yeah, if the Divine Illumination Skill weren't so miraculous, would it be worth Xiao Daoren and his disciples giving up their lives for it?"

These people were talking all at once, clearly not from the same faction.

Some people, seeing this scene, couldn't help but wonder what would happen if it were them instead of the dead Xiao Daoren.

Some who knew their limits couldn't help but start beating the retreat drum.

Some, while feeling frightened, also secretly felt ashamed, thinking they had already mastered martial arts; only then did they realize that the path of martial arts had another realm, and they were still far from it.

But after feeling ashamed, they again wondered, why aren't they like him?

We all have two shoulders carrying one head; what's the difference? Isn't it just opportunity?

What is opportunity, then? Mei Niansheng could become a Hero of the Two Lakes, a renowned figure of the Jiangnan martial world, relying surely on the Divine Illumination Classic.

Ding Dian could abduct the prefect's daughter from the prefect's office, relying also on the Divine Illumination Classic! Feng Yi could rise from a minor lackey of the Dragon Sand Gang to become a daring figure who speaks his mind across the world, relying also on the Divine Illumination Classic?

So why can't I rely on the Divine Illumination Classic to change my fate and become a person above others!

Thus, the idea of seizing the Divine Illumination Classic becomes even more firmly established!

……

(End of chapter)