Chapter 231: Stealth and Study

The Void Mask originates from what is left behind after a Void Phantom dies, possessing peculiar functions that Zhou You uses to change into various guises.

Even more miraculous is that he can assign different skills and cultivation arts to different identities.

For example, the Seven Step Poison Sand Palm has distinct characteristics and is the signature skill of "Lu Zhigang," while the skill Zhou You's true body is proficient in is the Double Body Tiger Form Fist.

As for his third guise, Yan Ping, he has now reached the 9th stage of Blood Qi, aiming to become a Whiteboard Martial Master; the Blood Qi and physical strength gained along the way are all bound to this guise.

Zhou You arranges things this way for the sake of both secrecy and safety.

After all, when a person reacts subconsciously, they are very likely to unleash their strongest ultimate move; he dares not guarantee whether his true body, when encountering danger, might subconsciously unleash the Poison Palm or erupt with Blood Qi exceeding his own level.

Once the secrets on his person are exposed, a fate of eternal damnation awaits him.

It is so much better this way; the guise of Yan Ping is only one step away from being a Martial Master, still lacking Experience Points—hmm, about thirty thousand.

A Whiteboard Martial Master is still a Martial Master; while he is no match for an opponent of the same rank, bullying those with lesser Blood Qi is no problem at all.

Time passed while waiting...

Zhou You guessed that during this time, Jiang Hua was painstakingly studying a powerful ultimate move to use against Jinhe Mountain.

Without completing this goal, he would not have absolute certainty in making a move.

He was also secretly accumulating strength, refining the venom of the Gray Jade Snake, and working hard to improve the lethality of the Seven Step Poison Sand Palm.

Although he failed to raise it to lv7, which is the late stage of Blood Qi, there were still unexpected gains.

"Attribute: Stealth, Experience Points +3000."

One day, while Zhou You was practicing his palm technique at night, he suddenly achieved a breakthrough after a long period of accumulation, gaining a second attribute.

The first attribute of the Seven Step Poison Sand Palm is Corrosion, which has the effect of corroding and dissolving physical entities.

Corrosion is very useful; even if enemies wear masks or gloves to guard against his Palm Poison, once they are corroded and pierced through, all their protection becomes nothing but a facade.

Now that a second attribute has emerged, will it bring a surprise? Zhou You closed his eyes for a moment, and all the detailed content of this attribute surfaced in his mind.

Dark night without light, moving in stealth like a shadow, leaving no traces; surging dark currents, breaking waves without a sound, traveling a thousand miles in an instant.

The attribute of Stealth is also an auxiliary function, with its point of effect being the environment.

Once in two specific environments, the power of the Seven Step Poison Sand Palm will be significantly enhanced.

They are at night and underwater.

Hmm, how do these two terrains look like the perfect habitable environment for a Poison Snake! Mastering the attribute of Stealth means that in specific environments, the power of the Poison Palm will directly rise to a new level.

Although it is slightly specialized, it can often catch people off guard in actual combat.

When Zhou You unleashed the Poison Palm, triggering the Stealth attribute, his skin rippled, and its microscopic structure began to change.

Light falling on his body surface was completely absorbed, his entire silhouette became dark, and it was especially difficult to detect his presence with the naked eye when the night light was dim.

The pores on his skin surface even replaced the breathing function of his mouth and nose, allowing him to move freely even underwater.

Zhou You understood in an instant that the condition for triggering the Stealth attribute was that his physical strength could bear these changes.

Ultimately, it was still the chain reaction brought about by the Primordial Iron Garment improving his physique.

In this way, his chances of winning against Jinhe Mountain were even greater.

This day, Zhou You left the Medicine Hall and suddenly thought that he had not visited Ceng Fuzi for a long time.

He passed by a stationery store, bought a set of the Four Treasures of the Study, had it wrapped up, and carried it with him to pay a visit.

"Dujuan, why are you the only one at home?"

Zeng Fu was quite deserted; the master, Ceng Fuzi, was not at home, and even Pan Jinshan had gone out on business.

The one who opened the door was the maid Dujuan; only upon seeing that the visitor was Zhou You did she open the door to let him in.

"What a coincidence, only the young lady is at home; perhaps you should come back another day." Zhou You thought that was reasonable, put down the gift, and said, "Very well, the day the Master returns home, please send someone to tell me."

Just as he was about to turn and leave, the voice of Ceng Ruyu came from behind, "Senior Brother Zhou, wait a moment!"

Turning back to look, Ceng Ruyu was wearing a lake-green long dress, walking down the stone steps with small, quick steps, a look of surprise on her face.

"Why come and not sit for a while? Dujuan, go make some tea!"

In the end, Zhou You did not manage to leave; he was invited into the living room by Ceng Ruyu to listen to her tell the story.

"Before Father left home, he instructed me that if you came to seek knowledge, I should pass on the study materials he had organized to you."

A thick stack of manuscripts, filled with research on various Ancient Seal Scripts, and even one or two precious Tuopian.

"Please, Miss Zeng, thank the Master for his painstaking work on my behalf."

Zhou You knew deeply how precious this stack of manuscripts was; they would be hard to buy even with a thousand pieces of gold.

The knowledge Ceng Fuzi passed on to him was enough to benefit him for a lifetime, and it was even a great tool for exploring the Martial Dao.

He took out a yellowed piece of paper, about the size of a palm, with half an Ancient Seal Script printed on it, blurry and unclear.

This was a residual character rubbed from a tree burl; even with his foundation, he had only deciphered a portion of it.

He had intended to ask Ceng Fuzi for advice indirectly, but since he was not at home, why not ask the Miss Zeng before him.

This Junior Sister had a profound family education, and Ceng Fuzi was not pedantic, teaching his daughter everything he knew.

Ceng Ruyu had been studying since she was old enough to understand, and her foundation in Seal Script was far above Zhou You's.

"I follow the Master's teachings, and in my spare time, I often search through piles of old papers in the streets and alleys, in the city and the countryside. I occasionally obtained a residual page of a Tuopian, but I really cannot be sure of it; please help me pass it to the Master to take a look!"

Ceng Ruyu glanced at it at first; it was too blurry, and the paper was not good either.

The waters of stone and metal rubbings are very deep, with methods of forgery emerging one after another; what is even more heartbreaking is that some people, lacking skill, destroy precious ancient artifacts, wasting heavenly treasures.

At first, she thought this Tuopian was something Zhou You had bought from a junk stall for a few coins, but upon looking at it...

"Hmm?"

Ceng Ruyu's beautiful eyes widened; the mottled marks on the Tuopian and the slightly blurry details became more charming the more she looked at them.

Since she was a child, she had seen countless precious Tuopian and had long since developed an eye for appreciation.

"Senior Brother Zhou, you have found a treasure."

Ceng Ruyu held the Tuopian in her jade hands, quite unable to put it down, "Where did you get this?"

"I passed through a village on my way to the countryside and snatched it from the stove of an old man who was tending the fire."

Ceng Ruyu blinked her eyes; was he lying to her? The atmosphere of the following conversation was very relaxed; Ceng Ruyu was easy on the eyes, and she spoke pleasantly, making one feel as if they were bathed in a spring breeze.

"By the way, Senior Brother Zhou, have you heard about the mysterious old man who cured the girl with the madness?"

Zhou You was silent for a moment, then replied, "I have heard of it."

"My father once entrusted Pan Shifu to go out and inquire about the whereabouts of that mysterious old man, and I heard him mention Senior Brother's hometown."

"That is correct, but the old man has never been to our village."

Ceng Ruyu said, "Given his methods, it is highly likely he is a practitioner of the legendary Golden Immortal Dao; my father has been searching for his whereabouts during this time."

"To tell you the truth, my father has long admired the Golden Immortal Dao; if Senior Brother has any news, please keep an eye out for me."

Zhou You nodded decisively, "If there is any news about that old man, I will be the first to inform your household."

"Many thanks, Senior Brother."

(End of this chapter)