Chapter 54: Light-Foot Techniques

Wang Feiyin: "Talking about this now is to tell you: beyond the sky lies higher sky, beyond people lie greater people. With your current cultivation, if you go out and cause trouble, you'll be chopped up like vegetables."

He spoke with solemn gravity: "So remember this: when you're outside and can't gauge someone's cultivation level, don't dare test them. Don't show off or act overly proud—it invites jealousy and hatred. If you don't provoke others, what if they provoke you?"

Miao He immediately grew anxious: "Then what do we do if we run into someone like that?"

Wang Feiyin said: "Remember this mantra."

Miao Zhen and Miao He listened intently. Wang Feiyin said: "First endure, second yield, third act."

Miao Zhen asked cautiously: "What if we meet someone your senior mentioned, and we can't beat them?"

Wang Feiyin's expression turned grave: "Run!"

Pan Xiaohei, crouched by the door with ears pricked, lay back down on her paws and let out a disdainful "Meow."

Wang Feiyin turned back, glanced at the black cat, then said to Miao Zhen and Miao He: "Don't listen to this Xiaohei. This is my decades of life experience—I've never taught it to anyone except your master and your shu."

Miao Zhen and Miao He: …

Pan Yun: "Big Brother is absolutely right."

Miao Zhen and Miao He immediately turned—and only then noticed Pan Yun had emerged from meditation, sitting cross-legged, listening with intense focus.

Pan Yun said seriously to Miao Zhen and Miao He: "So while other arts matter, the first thing we learn is footwork. If you run fast enough, you live longer. If you live long enough, everything becomes possible."

Wang Feiyin slapped his thigh as if he'd found a kindred spirit: "Little Fifth Sister, you're the only one who understands me! When I taught this mantra to your three senior siblings, they scoffed—only after suffering losses did they begin to listen."

Pan Yun immediately asked: "Big Brother, does our Mount Sanqing have good footwork techniques?"

"Of course there are one or two," Wang Feiyin said. "The most powerful is the Seven Stars Footwork that Miao Zhen is currently learning—corresponding to the seven stars of the heavens, its movement flows like starlight, making you impossible to grasp or strike. Then there's the Drifting Step."

Pan Yun gazed at him with longing: "And?"

Wang Feiyin scolded her: "Do you think powerful light-foot techniques are vegetables at the market? That's it—no more. For Mount Sanqing to have even these two powerful light-foot techniques is already remarkable."

Pan Yun asked Wang Feiyin to demonstrate right then and there.

Wang Feiyin didn't refuse. He rose and said: "It's late. Make sure you see clearly."

Not just Pan Yun, but Miao Zhen and Miao He also nodded eagerly, their little heads nearly bobbing off.

All three had sharp eyes. Though only starlight glimmered and darkness reigned, once their eyes adjusted, they could still make out vague shapes.

Wang Feiyin flashed away, moments later stepping on leaves and vanishing into the shadows of trees—his figure ethereal as a celestial being, appearing and disappearing, his feet brushing leaves as if a gentle breeze passed through treetops…

The three girls' eyes brightened. They chased after Wang Feiyin. His voice drifted far behind: "This is the Drifting Step."

He glided over leaf tips; the three instantly lost his trail. Pan Yun's ears twitched—she spun sharply. Wang Feiyin had just landed behind them.

Miao Zhen and Miao He turned with Pan Yun, saw their senior brother circling back to them, and gasped in awe: "Wow!"

Pan Yun clapped excitedly: Amazing, amazing—ordinary light-foot techniques shouldn't be able to fool her spiritual sense.

Miao Zhen and Miao He joined her in excited clapping.

Pan Yun's eyes gleamed: "What about the Seven Stars Footwork?"

Wang Feiyin: "The Seven Stars Footwork requires a training partner to grasp its subtleties. Little Sister, why don't you attack?"

Pan Yun: "Since Big Brother insists, I won't refuse."

As her words ended, Pan Yun launched an attack. She knew few martial techniques—only two were her forte: Military Body Boxing and Basic Ancient Martial Moves, both learned in school.

The Basic Ancient Martial Moves included fundamental strikes with palm, fist, and basic weapons: saber, spear, sword, halberd.

She began learning at third grade and continued until university graduation.

But with only two lessons a week, she truly learned only the basics.

When executing moves, she channeled spiritual energy directly.

Knowing Wang Feiyin's high cultivation, she held nothing back—launching Military Body Boxing, each strike aimed at his vital points.

Wang Feiyin kept his hands behind his back. As she punched, he leaned back, feet glued to the ground, dodging the force by tilting his head. He moved like a free-swinging compass—foot rooted, body swaying and pivoting midair, slipping past Pan Yun's attack, then stepping lightly to turn and stand behind her.

Pan Yun didn't pause or turn. Her next strike came. Wang Feiyin stepped back, then advanced again—once more slipping past her as she missed.

When Pan Yun finished her entire fist set, she was drenched in sweat—yet had not touched even the hem of Wang Feiyin's robe. She'd used spiritual energy, moved fast, struck fast.

She could tell: Wang Feiyin hadn't used any internal energy at all—only footwork had evaded her.

Pan Yun froze.

Wang Feiyin stroked his beard proudly: "Well? Is your inner Qi not omnipotent, is it?"

Pan Yun moved her hand, formed a hand seal, and asked: "What if I replace martial moves with spells?"

Wang Feiyin smiled: "Try it."

At his words, Pan Yun instantly cast a spell—a streak of spiritual light shot toward Wang Feiyin with a hiss.

Though surprised by the speed of her spell, he still dodged effortlessly, moving with ease. He stepped back two paces—grass beneath him surged upward, coiling toward his feet. He didn't look. At the very moment the grass rose, he shifted direction. Though he stood plainly before Pan Yun, he slipped like flowing light, impossible to grasp.

Sensing she was predicting his next move based on his last, he changed his footwork entirely this time.

Pan Yun couldn't anticipate—she could only attack based on his turning direction. Yet somehow, one moment he was before her, the next behind; one moment directly left, the next thirty degrees off…

Unpredictable. Completely unpredictable.

Pan Yun attacked him for twenty minutes, breath ragged, panting as she leaned on her knees, watching him—still light, calm, untouched.

Pan Yun: "... You didn't use spiritual energy."

Wang Feiyin smiled lightly: "Even an ordinary man before you, if he masters the Seven Stars Footwork, you won't land a hit—at least not with your current ability."

Pan Yun: "There are only seven stars. Why so many variations?"

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Wang Feiyin: "Do you know how many variations seven stars can form?"

Pan Yun paused, thoughtful: "Permutations? Five thousand and forty."

Wang Feiyin, about to reveal the answer, stopped. Then nodded: "Yes. Five thousand and forty. Can you guess my next step?"

Pan Yun eagerly stepped forward, grasping Wang Feiyin's hand: "Big Brother—I want to learn this!"

This is pure torment of a light-foot technique—visible but untouchable. The Drifting Step lets you escape. The Seven Stars Footwork? It's made to drive you mad.

Her eyes lit up—she'd already developed another use for it. "Senior Brother, we should make this step technique a compulsory cultivation method for the sect. Trust me, once you've learned the Seven Stars Step, even if we can't beat our opponents, we can still infuriate them to death.

Look at me—my temper is so good, my heart so broad, and even I've nearly been angered to death by you in the past quarter-hour. Those petty people outside would definitely be angered to death by you even sooner than me."

Wang Feiyin: …

Miao He was excited too, but she glanced at Seeing Miao Zhen, then still raised her arm with effort to speak up for herself. "Little Xiao Shishu, I don't want to learn it."

Pan Yun turned her head, frowning. "Why? It's such a wonderful technique."

Miao He: "Because I can't learn it."

She was on the verge of tears. "The Seven Stars Step is too hard. To learn it, you have to learn how to arrange the Seven Stars first."

Wang Feiyin also said, "Stop making things hard for Miao He. If you want to learn it, then learn it—I'll teach you tomorrow. Miao He should learn the Ethereal Step instead."

After speaking, Wang Feiyin looked at Miao He's little belly and said cruelly: "Miao He, you need to lose some weight. For the Ethereal Step, you have to be able to float first."

Miao He pressed her little belly and muttered, "Does it absolutely have to be flying? My current pace is already pretty fast."

Pan Yun quite liked her baby fat. She glanced at her little belly, felt a bit of heartache, thought for a moment, and said: "I also know a set of lightness-step technique called Afterimage Step—it's actually more suitable for Miao He."

"Oh?" Wang Feiyin grew interested. "How suitable?"

"Easy to learn, doesn't require much floating. As the name suggests, it's fast as an afterimage, equally impossible for people to pin down. The most important thing is, even fat people can learn it."

Afterimage Step was no ordinary school textbook—it was a technique Pan Yun had exchanged from the National Museum using contribution points.

It was one of the most popular step techniques among the high-grade methods, precisely because it didn't pick its cultivators—fat people could learn it, even someone with a limp could learn it.

Precisely because of its high inclusivity, its exchange points were also very high.

The moment Wang Feiyin heard that, he immediately made his move. "Let me try."

This time it was Pan Yun's turn to run. She kicked backward with her foot, instantly leaping two or three zhang away. Then her feet didn't stop—her legs kicked backward just like a startled dumb roe deer…

Then she turned smoothly and ran toward the mountains, swish-swish she was far away in no time. Because she was too fast, when Wang Feiyin chased after her and struck out with a palm, he only sliced through an afterimage. Pan Whoosh—shot off into the distance. In the dim night, they only managed to catch a glimpse of Pan Yun's afterimage.

Truly the Afterimage Step.

Everyone: …

Pan Yun soon Whoosh—ran back again, exhaled, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and said: "This technique has only one drawback—it consumes physical strength and spiritual energy. Oh, you don't have spiritual energy yet, so for you it's your internal force.

But Miao He has so much vitality—physical strength is what she's least lacking. If you diligently cultivate more and build up more internal force, it'll definitely be enough."

Miao He let out a "Wow!" and said repeatedly: "I want to practice this one, I want to practice this one."

The lucky number for this chapter is a number ending in 8—screenshot as proof.

PS: Begging for monthly tickets

(End of this chapter)