Chapter 133

"More formidable than the master!" Li Mochou came to her senses and nodded heavily.

She often heard her master's teachings; the founder Lin Chaoying's martial arts were not inferior to the world's number one, Wang Chongyang.

And the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra created by Patriarch Lin is also a remarkable work not inferior to the Nine Yin Classic.

But she has practiced martial arts for many years and still has not received the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra from her master.

In her view, although her master's martial arts are profound and unfathomable and he has never lost to anyone, compared to the methods Niu Dingtian is displaying now, they are far inferior.

"If a single palm strike could instantly form ice, how wonderful it would be if I could master such martial arts!" Li Mochou dreamily thought.

She lowered her head to glance at the rabbit meat in her hand and immediately felt it was no longer fragrant.

After a while,

Seeing that it was already late and everyone had lost interest, he immediately said, "Tonight Rong'er and Xiao Ying Jie can only impose on Lin Shinv."

As for Miss Huang and Han Xiao Ying, their cultivation levels have risen, but their corresponding combat experience and martial insight have become much weaker.

She had thought that move just now was some profound martial art Niu Dingtian had learned from somewhere, never imagining it was his own creation.

After they left, Sun Po Po hurried out of the Ancient Tomb Sect; it was already late, and she still needed to tidy up the food on the ground and, after returning, wash the bowls and chopsticks.

Li Mochou's face flushed instantly; after glancing at her master, she lowered her head somewhat ashamedly.

Hearing this, Miss Huang and Han Xiao Ying again fixed their gazes on Niu Dingtian; previously, after their two breakthroughs, they had never heard him mention the distinction of realms.

As for the top martial arts currently in the jianghu—whether the Nine Yin Classic, the Nine Yang True Scripture, the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, or the Arhat Subduing Demon Skill—even if one cultivates them to the Great Accomplishment level, one cannot break through to the Innate realm.

"I am already accustomed to cultivating outdoors at night; tonight I will make do in this flower thicket, and tomorrow morning we will set out on our return journey."

"There is a distinction between immortals and mortals." Niu Dingtian replied calmly.

"Actually, just two months ago, Rong'er's martial arts were only slightly stronger than hers; she broke through to her present level only by a fortunate coincidence, but her foundation may still be somewhat unstable."

The atmosphere suddenly fell silent.

Regarding Lin Shinv's words, Niu Dingtian did not deny them; as for the matter of Wang Chongyang not being dead, he has not yet decided when to release the news.

She had thought she had already worked hard enough, but she turned out to be a novice; that Miss Huang, who is only two years older than her, how could she be so many realms higher?

Thinking thus, Lin Shinv involuntarily drifted into a daze.

She thought, "This person actually hides such formidable martial arts that I didn't even know about—damn it!"

"Hiss~"

"How old is he? Has he already reached the realm that Miss had attained in her youth? Even if Wang Chongyang were young, he probably wouldn't possess this strength."

Miss Huang: "……"

Although she thought Niu Dingtian's claim of a distinction between immortals and mortals was somewhat absurd, the earlier discussion of realm differences did not seem false, giving her a sudden sense of enlightenment.

As Lin Shinv, with a cold face, was about to scold, the little dragon in Sun Po Po's arms began to protest and cry out.

Han Xiao Ying's face also flushed slightly; she felt she and Little Rong'er were evenly matched.

He did not stand on ceremony; truly letting him sleep in the Ancient Tomb Sect at night would most likely end with him running away.

"Hum~" Miss Huang's face flushed slightly, and she glared fiercely at the little thief.

Afterward, Miss Huang and Han Xiao Ying followed Lin Shinv back to the Ancient Tomb Sect, while Li Mochou, upon leaving, kept turning back with each step, her eyes full of reluctance.

This is not mere boasting; with his current half-step Innate realm, the power of an ordinary Shaolin Arhat Fist and that of the Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms are actually no different.

"Pfft~" Han Xiao Ying couldn't help covering her mouth and laughing.

But seeing that everyone present was staring at him with fiery eyes, and that Miss Huang and Han Xiao Ying's eyes already held some dissatisfaction, he could only continue speaking:

"Above the Innate realm is the Heaven-Man realm, but such a realm exists only in legend, with no one having ever witnessed it; above Heaven-Man is even more illusory and ethereal, and the ancients left only four characters describing it."

Half an hour later,

Finally, at the foot of Zhongnan Mountain, they found an old fellow in an extremely remote spot.

What he said, though partly meant to comfort Li Mochou, was not empty talk.

But as soon as the wine bowl was placed in her hand, she could not bear the piercing cold and, gritting her teeth, threw it away.

Seeing this, Sun Po Po hurriedly rose, cradling the swaddling cloth, and softly hummed: "Shame shame, pick your face, pick a big big to plant beans, shame shame, pick your face, bury your face and hide in the bosom……"

The gaze looking over was also extremely firm, for fear that Big Brother would lose his confidence at this moment.

Evidently, several people did not believe Niu Dingtian's final words.

Matters of immortals, gods, demons, and monsters—fooling the ignorant rustics is fine enough, but these few of them have all received considerable cultural education.

"Above the Grandmaster level are the Acquired Grandmaster and the Innate Grandmaster; the Innate realm is the pinnacle of mundane martial arts, and as for above the Innate……"

"Could it have run off? The old man still owes it labor fees that haven't been settled! We're not the type to default on debts!"

"Has he already created a technique?" Upon hearing this, Lin Shinv couldn't help but start slightly, and she did not go on to scold her disciple.

Niu Dingtian smiled and said: "No problem; I have long been accustomed to cultivating at night under the stars, when the moonlight is brightest my heart can gain deeper insight, and Sun Po Po, having labored all day, should still return early to rest."

After Sun Po Po had brought him into the Ancient Tomb Sect, Lin Shinv fiercely glared at the eldest disciple.

A night like tonight, with the stars and moon shining high, is a rare opportunity for him; each time he encounters it, the yin power within his body has a chance to grow richer.

Nowadays there are too many martial artists in the jianghu who, even if they devoted their entire lives to training, still cannot reach the entry-level realm.

The little fellow had been sleeping soundly, but the master's loud shout directly shattered his sweet dream, yet it also relieved the siege for his senior sister.

This rebellious disciple, intending to betray his master and annihilate his ancestors, dares to ask others for instruction right in front of his master's face!

When she came to Niu Dingtian's side, she rubbed her hands on her apron, feeling a bit embarrassed: "The Ancient Tomb Sect consists solely of women, and there are the rules laid down by the patriarch; tonight I have wronged Young Hero Niu."

"Wah~ wah~"

After hearing such a strange explanation, Sun Po Po had nothing more to say.

Niu Dingtian explained: "After entering the martial path, it can be divided from top to bottom into first, second, and third tiers; above the first tier is the master level."

Niu Dingtian was just sipping his little wine mouthful by mouthful.

If one encounters someone of the same realm, and without having an advantage in cultivation technique, both will generally be defeated.

"Big brother, can you teach me?" Li Mochou suddenly asked with pleading eyes.

No wonder this youngster could possess such profound martial skill at such a young age—he even used his resting time to train.

"As for Mochou, she should have just entered the third-rate realm," Niu Dingtian said, frowning.

Therefore, for him, such martial arts were useful only for reference in creating techniques, and had no other purpose.

Having made up her mind, Granny Sun hastily cleared the bowls and leftovers, then hurried back to the Ancient Tomb Sect.

When Li Mochou was mentioned, Niu Dingtian suddenly stopped, his gaze fixing on the little girl as he examined her closely.

After finishing the last sip of wine, Niu Dingtian suddenly thought of an old comrade he hadn't seen in a long while.

"Grandmaster peak?" Lin Shinv was somewhat puzzled, but then her eyes lit up, as if she had discovered a new door.

That commotion also brought Lin Shinv back to her senses; looking at Niu Dingtian again, her expression grew complex as she said, "I suppose with your current martial prowess, you ought to be unmatched in the jianghu."

Han Xiao Ying: "……"

Thinking of this, Niu Dingtian extended his awareness and began to carefully search the surrounding mountain base.

Afterward,

Everyone seemed to have acquired some worries; the meat on the fire had charred to a crisp, and neither Miss Huang nor Li Mochou, both gluttons, took another bite.

Niu Dingtian looked at the little girl, his heart warming, and he smiled, saying, "Thank you for your encouragement, Mochou; if I ever become an immortal, I'll surely make you a little fairy."

Before the children's song finished, the little dragon in his arms had already calmed down again.

Moreover, she had occasionally encountered members of the Four Greats in recent years, knowing she was not much weaker than them; thus those Four Greats would certainly not be a match for the person before her.

"Mochou believes big brother will surely become an immortal someday!" Li Mochou declared without hesitation.

"Bang!"

Lin Shinv: "……"

After hearing Niu Dingtian's words, Li Mochou's eyes curved into smiles, but mindful of her master nearby, she could only suppress her joy.

Having just said that, Miss Huang's cheeks flushed slightly, and she glared fiercely at Niu Dingtian: "Who exposes people's old secrets like that! It's practically saying I cheated!"

Upon saying that, he suddenly cut off his voice, hesitating whether to continue.

Li Mochou felt a little nervous, seeing that she was about to announce her results; her heart rose to her throat, and she clenched her small pink fists tightly.

"What realm are you currently in?" Lin Shinv suddenly asked, "Do you… do you know which realm I am in? I feel stuck at a bottleneck, as if I cannot make progress in a short time."

Perhaps after he perfects his own technique, it would be fine to let his trusted subordinates cultivate the Nine Yin and Nine Yang.

Moreover, the other party's realm was surely far superior to hers; concerning a breakthrough in cultivation, even her normally calm heart could not settle at this moment.

"Which four characters?" Miss Huang asked urgently; hearing this secret for the first time, she felt an unbearable itch in her heart.

If it had been their encounter half a year ago, she would still have confidence to oppose this person, but after seeing his strength again today, she could not muster the slightest confidence.

Lin Shinv nodded; this at least spared her some difficulty, for allowing a man to set foot in the Ancient Tomb Sect today was already somewhat of an exception, and letting him stay overnight was absolutely out of the question.

"Wrong! Where's the old turtle?"

She felt very favorably toward Niu Dingtian, finding him kind and gentle, appearing as a clean-cut young lad with no aura of a top-tier master.

Upon hearing that big brother would leave tomorrow, Li Mochou's little face instantly fell, but with her master still present, she could only stay honestly by his side.

Based solely on age, a twelve-year-old possessing Li Mochou's martial skill is absolutely rare.

After thinking, Niu Dingtian said softly, "Since the first Mount Hua sword debate, the jianghu has regarded the Five Greats as supreme; aside from Wang Chongyang, I have witnessed the martial arts of the remaining four greats, all of whom are at the grandmaster peak, though the Southern Emperor Duan Zhixing possesses the greatest internal strength."

In any case, we cannot let Wang Chongyang lurk comfortably in the shadows; we must devise some trouble for him, otherwise, should he ever appear, the impact on us would be enormous.

Seeing this, Li Mochou also gazed eagerly at big brother, thinking she had trained hard for years and ought to have attained a decent realm by now.

Niu Dingtian pondered, "Lin Shinv should currently be at the grandmaster peak; breaking through further would reach the post-heaven grandmaster; Rong'er and Xiao Ying sister are just entering the grandmaster realm; as for Mochou sister…"

"If Mochou wants to learn, big brother can teach you a few other moves. As for that martial art just demonstrated, it is actually something I only recently created, still with much content unfinished, and not suitable for outsiders to cultivate."

"Niu brother, hurry and let me see!" Miss Huang suddenly reached out and snatched the wine bowl that had turned into an ice lump.

Li Mochou flinched instantly, hastily pulling back her head, only then realizing her master was still beside her, and that her earlier remark might have been a taboo.

He felt this little girl was still unranked, but being a child, she deserved some encouragement; just now this little sister had indeed encouraged him.

If the lady possessed such perseverance, why would she still be often scolded by Miss while practicing?

No! I must remind Miss later; the lass cannot continue to be lax like this—looks like we'll need to put in some effort at night as well!

Seeing this, Niu Dingtian thought, "Not good; without comparison there is no harm—don't demoralize the girl," and then added, "But Mochou's martial skill is already outstanding among her peers."

As for whether she had truly broken a taboo, she was still a bit confused, but seeing her master's reaction, she thought she probably couldn't escape.

At that moment, the old turtle was drifting in a mountain stream, leisurely paddling about for fun.

It seemed that since he returned from hunting at dusk, he had not seen that old fellow again.

Thinking back to how he had refused big brother's martial arts for a meal of barbecue during the day, he felt deep regret.

Just as he was about to speak a reprimand, Niu Dingtian laughed and said, "Having reached my current level, I no longer regard the martial arts in my hands as particularly important, so there's no need to cling to my own broken broom."

"Mochou!" Lin Shinv shouted sternly, her face covered in a chill.

After she left, the surroundings suddenly fell silent, save for the fading embers, lingering meat aroma, and only Niu Dingtian remained, holding his wine bowl.

Upon seeing the host, the old turtle's eyes instantly lit up with excitement, its head wagging continuously to signal him to hurry over.

"Any situation?" Niu Dingtian's heart stirred.

When he flashed to the water's edge, the old turtle had already submerged; Niu Dingtian did not hesitate, plunging straight in with a "plop." (End of chapter)