Chapter 47

Ji Shiqing, as a member of the Daoist sect, might have seen the weakest thunder-control technique in his entire life—he feared even breathing too hard might blow it out, and after holding his breath for a long while, he asked:

"What is this?"

"Palmar Thunder!"

"Really?"

Ji Shiqing wanted to refute it, but after staring closely for a long while, he realized this truly was the method of Palmar Thunder!

It was just that the "upside-down candle pouring" was absurdly weak, reducing its power to near nothing.

Xie Jinhuan held the tiny electric spark like a lighter, also noticing the baffling absurdity of these high masters, and explained seriously:

"This is my own devised Palmar Thunder, which indeed differs greatly from Daoist thunder arts.

"Moreover, this technique may seem utterly useless, but it can carve a unique path to achieve 'all schools interconnected'!

"As long as I know any divine technique or spell in the world, I can manifest it—though its power is somewhat diminished."

The integration of all schools' arts is the supreme realm pursued by every cultivator today, for only by reaching this realm can one draw infinitely close to the Daoist concept of the 'One'.

Yet even Shang Lianbi, hailed as the strongest of the age and the lone figure who suppressed the Dragonbone Beach, had merely dabbled in 'Immortal, Buddha, Martial, Shaman, Demon' arts—he never dared mention the phrase 'all schools interconnected'.

Both great masters present had high cultivation and understood Xie Jinhuan's logic—they realized his "upside-down candle pouring" truly could, through clever means, achieve 'all schools interconnected'.

But what good is that?

By using transcendent mastery to split purified Qi into five parts, then taking one and discarding four, the usable Qi energy dwindles to merely twenty percent.

Even with this twenty percent, if one learned the most supreme thunder art and doubled it with the divine blade Zhenglun, one could still only unleash at most forty percent of one's true strength…

You're a full-fledged martial cultivator—why waste time on this when you could just slash someone with a single blade?

Everyone exchanged glances, unsure whether to praise Xie Jinhuan as a prodigious genius or condemn him as having gone astray, squandering his astonishing talent on a blade's hilt.

Yet Xie Jinhuan himself was quite satisfied with this masterpiece, since it was still in research phase and its potential remained unknown; seeing their strange expressions, he added:

"The ancient ancestor who first tried climbing onto a horse's back and fell face-first, bruised and swollen, surely was mocked by his peers.

"But if no one had dared to try, how could our descendants have today? If this technique reaches completion, I believe founding a new sect is entirely possible!"

The high masters present all had keen insight—they could see the extraordinary depth of Xie Jinhuan's technique, which must have been refined over many years.

If the flaws like 'take one, discard four' and 'slow Qi ascent' could be corrected, it would indeed achieve 'unifying Immortal, Buddha, Shaman, and Demon'—and could found a new sect, making him the next Martial Ancestor.

But this path of 'inverting the Heavenly Qi' would be harder than scaling heaven, strewn with countless thorns.

Li Jing's eyes held a touch of awe as he interjected:

"This path is extremely difficult—even Wu Zu himself never walked it. You seem humble, but your ambition towers above the heavens, just like Zi Su—you're both once-in-a-century prodigies, your talent so overwhelming it makes one's vision go dark."

Xie Jinhuan, receiving this recognition, slightly bowed his hands:

"Li Lao flatters me. Today was truly a misunderstanding—I'll be more careful next time. I apologize for disturbing you all, esteemed seniors."

Tie Fengzhang and the others now understood: Xie Jinhuan had merely been showing off to impress a girl, accidentally dispersing his essence and blood Qi, unintentionally generating blood-demon aura resembling demonic cultivation.

No abnormalities had been detected so far, and further intrusion would be inappropriate; Tie Fengzhang prepared to give orders and withdraw his team.

But Zhou He, among the crowd, was thoroughly confused; after a moment's thought, he made a subtle gesture without a word.

The Chi Lin Guards behind him immediately understood and whispered:

"My lord, it seems Young Master Xie is innocent—should we still search the residence according to protocol?"

Zhou He swiftly raised his hand: "If all these esteemed seniors deem it fine, why search?"

"Oh…"

…

Though spoken softly, the high masters present clearly heard.

Tie Fengzhang blinked his tiger-like eyes, feeling they hadn't strictly followed procedure, and finally said:

"The authorities have ironclad orders to investigate demonic threats. Though Young Master Xie is not suspected, we must still follow protocol and search the premises—forgive the intrusion."

Xie Jinhuan, falsely accused, knew that if the authorities came to search, someone would be steering suspicion toward contraband hidden inside the house.

Hearing the Chi Lin Guards' veiled warning, Xie Jinhuan frowned inwardly—he sensed the situation was more complex than he'd imagined.

Yet he still wasn't certain whether the Chi Lin Guards acted out of negligence or intent; he maintained an innocent facade and replied calmly:

"Please, my lords, proceed."

Tie Fengzhang was about to order his men to search when, from behind the house, a commanding, elegant female voice rang out:

"Stop!"

At the sound from behind the house, everyone fell silent.

Xie Jinhuan knew the landlady had appeared; he turned to look—and froze slightly.

Above the courtyard stood several figures, mostly guards, including House Manager Hou, who darted his rat-like eyes everywhere, as if to say—let me see what's going on…

Ahead of them stood a noble young lady.

The young lady's figure was plump and graceful, clad in a warm yellow qixiong hezi dress with golden cloud patterns along the edges; beneath the semi-transparent sleeves, one could see shoulders and arms as white as lamb fat, and a chest so ample it stretched the embroidered peony-and-peacock motif on her corset into a plump-headed peacock.

Her face was dazzlingly beautiful: her jet-black hair coiled into a flowing cloud bun, adorned with a lavish dangling hairpin inlaid with pearls and gems; her round, peaceful face, bathed in sunset light, radiated noble grace—like a princess or imperial consort from the palace.

Xie Jinhuan had heard the landlady's voice every night and assumed she was a seven-foot-tall, busty seductress like a night demon.

Now he saw the real person—her chest was indeed substantial, but her stature was plump and rounded, her doll-like face appearing no older than seventeen or eighteen; he was genuinely startled.

Tie Fengzhang and the others immediately bowed:

"There was a minor misunderstanding here—forgive us for disturbing you, Princess."

Princess Changning had a fiery temper and disliked anyone causing trouble on her territory, yet she didn't order them out; instead, her tone remained calm:

"Since I allowed Xie Jinhuan to rent here, I've verified his background—he has no issues. You come storming in to ransack the place—do you suspect me of favoritism, harboring demonic outlaws?"

This was meant for the Chi Lin Guards.

Princess Changning had spotted those three crimson-robed devils lurking outside Qingquan Alley yesterday; today she found them following to search—she knew the Chi Lin Guards had schemed behind the scenes, fearing Xie Jinhuan would be framed, so she stepped in to intervene.

But Xie Jinhuan didn't know the Chi Lin Guards had come yesterday; seeing the landlady so gallantly come to his defense, he felt genuine goodwill—and still followed his original plan, acting with open sincerity:

"Your Highness Princess Xie's kindness is appreciated, but the government office follows the rules and must treat everyone equally. If this matter is not clarified, it may bring criticism to Your Highness Princess. I, Xie, am upright and fear no shadow; letting the government office brothers investigate is no harm."

Princess Changning wanted to remind Xie Jinhuan that he had been set up, but such evasiveness would only make Xie Jinhuan look guilty, so she said no more.

Tie Fengzhang had admired Xie Jinhuan greatly two days prior; seeing this open and honest demeanor, he knew today was a misunderstanding. Yet, to uphold justice, he still waved his hand:

"Search the rooms carefully; do not damage any objects."

"Yes!"

Already gathered were no fewer than thirty Wang Fu Wu Zu, who leaped into the courtyard and began carefully inspecting the many rooms, with the Chi Lin Wei assisting among them.

Xie Jinhuan watched with a calm expression; to ease the awkwardness, Tie Fengzhang even exchanged a few idle words.

In the rear, Zhou He waited quietly for the search results.

The response came quickly; over thirty people searched the residence, and in a short while, a voice came from the rear sleeping quarters:

"My lord! There is something here."

For the sake of the act, Xie Jinhuan's expression naturally stiffened, feigning bewilderment, and he hurried toward the rear courtyard, with several high experts following closely behind...

(End of this chapter)