Chapter 499: Black Cloud Spear Manual

"Fine spear and staff work; it has a touch of the Wanxiu Mountain style."

Returning to the crowd of martial artists, Zhou You was met with Pei Li's thumbs-up of praise.

Bian Zhou stood with his arms crossed over his chest, smiling and nodding at him, formally acknowledging his strength.

Zhou You waved his hand, "Don't mention it, it nearly cost me half my life."

"Fucheng is known for the Bawang Shu, and now that Brother Zhou's Iron Spear has killed a Witch Giant in one blow, you are qualified to stand alongside it."

Pei Li's evaluation was so high that he actually mentioned Zhou You in the same breath as Yan Shan.

"You flatter me, you flatter me. My meager skills are far inferior to those of Hall Master Yan."

Zhou You hurriedly denied it; if these words were to spread, Yan Shan would surely insist on fighting him.

Before Pei Li and Bian Zhou could speak, a voice interjected, "The Bawang Shu of Yan Shan is based on the unique Diamond Stance of Diamond Mountain, fused with his invincible, domineering aura, creating a school outside of Wanxiu Mountain."

"Although Hall Master Zhou comes from a Tiger Fist background, he has created his own fist techniques; his spirit and breadth of mind are no less than those of Yan Shan in his prime."

A young man from a noble family stepped forward holding a wooden box, "I, Yang, present this to you, congratulating you on your victory and for crushing the arrogance of the Witch people."

The wooden box was delivered into Zhou You's hands, and he smiled and nodded, "I hope to continue to improve."

A moment later, the young man surnamed Yang stood before Liu Fengji, wiping his fingers with a silk handkerchief, "Why did you give a gift to a commoner martial artist?"

"Just a casual move in a game of chess."

Liu Fengji glanced in Zhou You's direction; he would be entering the arena again soon.

"That young man just now is named Yang Wuji, a scion of the Liu family, a great clan of Fucheng. The Liu family and the Yang family have been connected by marriage for generations; he married Liu Fengji's elder sister. In terms of relations, Liu Fengji must address him as brother-in-law."

Pei Li summarized, "This thing was likely sent at Liu Fengji's instruction."

After speaking, he and Bian Zhou both stared longingly at the wooden box.

Liu Fengji acted with grandeur and was generous; the item he sent was meant to reward Zhou You for his great victory just now, so it certainly wasn't anything ordinary.

Zhou You had no intention of hiding it; the item was handed to him in public, so he couldn't hide it even if he wanted to. It was better to make it public to avoid unnecessary suspicion and endless trouble.

He opened the wooden box to reveal a jade scroll, the cover bearing four large characters: "Black Cloud Spear Manual."

"A spear manual passed down from Black Cloud Mountain, a peerless treasure indeed. Young Master Liu is very thoughtful."

Pei Li was knowledgeable and immediately explained it to Zhou You.

Black Cloud Mountain was also a once-prominent sect in Beixuan Zhou, dating back even before Diamond Mountain.

This sect's weapon techniques focused on spears and halberds, claiming that their ten thousand long spears were invincible, their momentum like black clouds covering the sky.

Later, the sect was destroyed, and the secret spear and halberd techniques were scattered among the commoners, but the true teachings never surfaced.

It is said that when Yan Shan created the Bawang Shu, he referenced the remnants of the Black Cloud spear and halberd techniques circulating among the commoners.

He considered it a regret that if he had obtained the complete records of the Black Cloud spear and halberd, the level of the Bawang Shu would have reached even greater heights.

If he had possessed this spear manual, he could have broken through to the Strong Martial realm twenty years ago.

Unexpectedly, the Black Cloud Spear Manual that the "Hate Overlord" Yan Shan had been longing for was actually in the hands of the Liu family, a Fucheng noble clan.

What surprised Zhou You even more was that the Liu family would not give it to Yan Shan, yet today, Liu Fengji gave it to Zhou You as a casual reward.

Pei Li stopped speaking, and Bian Zhou, standing to the side, also fell silent.

This was no gift; it was clearly a way to keep Zhou You in check.

Someone as strong as the "Hate Overlord" Yan Shan, a top-tier figure among commoner martial artists, was denied the manual simply because he refused to submit to the noble families and act as their dog, leaving him to waste many years in vain.

Today, Liu Fengji casually rewarded Zhou You with it, which, beyond bribery, was a message: within the sphere of influence of the noble families, commoner martial artists only have two choices—to be a house dog or a stray dog. Being a noble family's dog comes with meaty bones; being a stray dog, even if you become the king of dogs, cannot compare to the treatment of a house dog.

"Hoo!"

Zhou You took out the jade scroll and flipped it open to view the contents, his expression as calm as water.

Pei Li watched his expression and felt admiration; not letting joy or anger show on his face, this Hall Master Zhou was a man of character.

Beside him, Bian Zhou's brows furrowed, "Hall Master Zhou, aren't you going to return it?"

"Why wouldn't I want a good thing?"

"In that case, those with different Daos cannot work together. Farewell."

Bian Zhou said coldly, turned, and left, walking away from Zhou You and Pei Li.

Pei Li gave a small, awkward smile and explained, "Hall Master Bian has a fiery temperament and cannot tolerate any sand in his eyes."

Zhou You looked at the jade scroll and said indifferently, "By comparison, Hall Master Pei, you are one who blends with the dust and lives with clarity. I admire that."

These words touched Pei Li's heart; he finally understood that Zhou You's understanding of worldly affairs was no less than his own.

Strictly speaking, this Black Cloud Spear Manual was not a textbook-style secret manual, but a collection of miscellaneous writings.

It recorded the experiences of a certain expert from Black Cloud Mountain, from practicing martial arts in his humble beginnings, through Foundation Establishment, practicing spear and staff, from sparring to real combat, and from the mountains to the outside world, honing his spear techniques to perfection through thousands of battles.

It contained diaries, excerpts, and insights from real combat; those without a certain foundation and level could not understand it, as if reading a heavenly book.

When Zhou You saw the author pierce through an enemy with one spear thrust, then lean against the spear shaft under the blood-red sunset, his heart was filled with emotion and gain; the immersion was too strong, and his blood boiled.

"Scanning complete, organizing skill: Black Cloud Spear lv67."

"Staff technique Random Strikes, Tiger Head Hammer, can be converted to Black Cloud Spear level lv29. Convert?"

According to the panel's ratings, techniques and skills of the same category are all "big fish eating small fish."

For example, with Lightness Skill, once a higher-level Feather-Stepping Heaven-Ascending Step is encountered, the Basic Lightness Skill is seamlessly converted, with nothing wasted.

Based on the above, the level of the Black Cloud Spear was far higher than the staff and spear techniques he had created himself.

Why hesitate? Confirm.

In the blink of an eye, a massive amount of information flooded Zhou You's mind, his muscles twitching as brand-new muscle memory was instilled.

His fingertips gripping the Iron Spear tightened subconsciously, suppressing the urge to practice the spear techniques on the spot.

The Black Cloud long spear had ten thousand changes; at times the spear momentum was heavy, at others it moved like flowing clouds. It prioritized intent over form; a single thrust was like black clouds pressing down on a city, threatening to crush it, making it impossible for a thousand troops and ten thousand horses to avoid.

Zhou You gripped the spear shaft, the slightly trembling spear tip slicing through the air, condensing wisps of black Qi into clouds.

This was no place to practice the spear; he could only suppress the urge that was stirring within him.

On the battlefield, Liu Fengji and Gaoyang Ruoqiang were fighting with real fire, and the battle grew increasingly intense.

First, Gaoyang Ruoqiang used a Disaster Charm treasure to pierce through the golden silk jade armor Liu Fengji was wearing for protection, and Liu Fengji seized the opportunity to throw out a powerful Amulet, blasting Gaoyang Ruoqiang until his head spun.

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Zhou You felt the power erupting from the Amulet and couldn't help but curse loudly; he didn't know it could be used like that.

What was compressed inside the Amulet was not the blood energy of a Martial Master, but Essence Energy at the level of a Mighty Martialist, which directly sent Gaoyang Ruoqiang's Disaster Charm treasure flying.

It is no exaggeration to say that the consumption from this round between the two of them, when calculated, is equivalent to 50 years of tax revenue for Gongliang City. To quantify it further, the equivalent value in money, grain, and military supplies would be enough to organize a large-scale war of 100,000 people.

(End of this chapter)