Chapter 67: Xu Bamboo’s Strength
On the Celestial Platform, Yang Shen’s opening stance faltered as he listened to a self-introduction that sounded like someone rattling off a menu.
A whole string of Martial Arts Techniques he had never even heard of, let alone seen.
Xu Bamboo smiled, revealing a set of straight, white teeth. "Don’t be intimidated. When it comes to the college entrance exam, scores are king. It doesn’t matter how many techniques you learn if they don’t improve your grade."
Yang Shen said, "It’s already plenty impressive..."
It was his first time meeting someone who didn’t major in the `Sixth Set`. That `Bright Moon Body Refining Technique - Biological Domain 2.13 Official Version` just reeked of money.
But this only sparked a burning curiosity in Yang Shen. He was determined to test the limits of what money could buy!
Neither of the two youths hesitated, beginning their "friendly exchange" with a fierce attack from Xu Bamboo.
It was a move set Yang Shen was completely unfamiliar with: `Cloud Dance Eighteen Falls`.
A practical `Capture Technique` that focused on "Leveraging Force" and "Fall and Positioning," not a simple `Fist Technique` or `Palm Technique`.
Stylistically, it was perfect for female `Martial Artists` or those who didn’t rely on brute strength. The moves were elegant and graceful, yet incredibly effective even against `Martial Artists` with superior `Power`.
The problem was, Xu Bamboo’s `Power` was already greater than Yang Shen’s. And while he was unfamiliar with the `Eighteen Falls`, she was very familiar with the `Sixth Set`.
Xu Bamboo’s posture was like that of a resilient, green bamboo stalk. Her tall frame looked fragile, but each of her movements was like a bamboo forest swaying in a gale.
It was a breathtaking sight, yet one that radiated immense strength!
The `Giant-mouthed Woman` whom Yang Shen had fought before was actually weaker than Xu Bamboo, who was in the early stage of `Marrow Refining`. The former was just a minion of the `Exotic Realm` reaching its claws into `Cyan Blue`, her foundation and depth far inferior to a top student like Xu Bamboo.
’That makes sense!’ If the minions of the `Exotic Realm` were stronger than the orthodox `Martial Artists` of `Cyan Blue`—on whom vast resources were spent—then the `Exotic Realm` would have steamrolled them by now.
She was, after all, the top student who had kicked that traitorous gym teacher into the air and whom he couldn’t handle even after she went berserk!
The prestige of Xu Bamboo’s rank as the top student in her grade only continued to grow. If not for the aftereffects of `Martial Arts Psychosis`, she would still be number one, and by a huge margin at that.
But Yang Shen wasn’t the same person he used to be, either. At Mid-stage `Bone Training` plus the second layer of `Qi Cultivation`, he wasn’t much weaker than Xu Bamboo.
He didn’t quickly fall into a disadvantage. Instead, relying on his `Harmonious` `Fist Intent`, he immediately found a way to counter her.
`Extra Punching Power` to counter her `Leveraging Force`, and `Lower Body Rooting` to counter her `Fall and Positioning`.
He had even managed to adapt to `Huo Jun`’s drawn-out, gradual-reveal style of combat. The problem of being unfamiliar with a `Cultivation Technique` wouldn’t trouble someone who had comprehended `Fist Intent`.
How could `Fist Intent` be so useless?!
The two soon reached a stalemate, which highlighted the true value of Yang Shen’s number one rank in the school’s combat practice.
However, Xu Bamboo wasn’t done yet. She soon integrated the `Little Formless Hand`, a technique with extremely high `Affinity`, into her `Cloud Dance Eighteen Falls`.
This ridiculously expensive build of `Cultivation Techniques` was naturally designed to complement itself.
The `Little Formless Hand` was a `Cultivation Technique` from the `Lingxiao Palace`, a long-standing sect that had rebranded, much like the `Vajra Sect`. It was a technique that could be used from the initial realms all the way to the `True Gang Realm` without becoming obsolete. The licensing fee was 280,000.
Enough to pay for Yang Shen’s `Uncle`’s funeral three times over!
It focused on minute adjustments of the hands, and when used in an attack, it was as ingenious and traceless as an antelope hanging by its horns. Sometimes, the slight twist of a finger could turn defense into offense.
Its weakness was its lack of raw power; it wasn’t as lethal as a straightforward, powerful punch. But paired with the `Cloud Dance Eighteen Falls`, that was no longer an issue.
Xu Bamboo, in turn, was marveling at Yang Shen’s strength. It was hard to imagine that someone using only the `Fist Technique` from the `Sixth Set` could be so `Harmonious` and fluid. It almost made her feel, ’I never properly understood this `Cultivation Technique` at all.’
There shouldn’t be such a huge gap between a Rating Seven and a Rating Eight... `Martial Dao Will` truly was a `Martial Artist`’s greatest weapon.
An expensive `Cultivation Technique` could remain useful across multiple realms, but `Martial Dao Will` was a benefit for a lifetime.
Yang Shen closed the distance, ramming with his shoulder while crossing his feet. Had it been anyone else, they would have been sent flying. Xu Bamboo, however, executed a graceful twist, easily dodging with her back to him.
She even had the time to adjust her hair, flashing a brilliant smile.
The `Water Ripples Step Technique`, a `Step Technique` that excelled at perfect evasions.
Then, both of them `Exerted Force` at the same time, spinning around with a whip kick.
THWACK! The collision of their `Power` created a loud bang, and the air vibrated from the impact.
Their clothes billowed from the `Powerful Qi`.
As `Martial Artists` who could already be considered top-notch among beginners, their full-powered attacks already carried a certain might.
Xu Bamboo kept her long leg raised, holding it straight as she matched her strength against Yang Shen’s.
Yang Shen held the same pose, but he was grimacing... ’Her bones are harder than mine!’
"Yang Shen, you’re so strong!"
’Mid-stage `Bone Training`, yet he’s actually evenly matched with me at the early stage of `Marrow Refining`.’
Although Xu Bamboo never usually showed off, it didn’t mean she was unaware of how many resources had been spent on her, or how many times stronger she was than the average student.
"It’s not just `Fist Intent`, is it? So, what is this `Yang Family Secret Transmission`?"
Yang Shen grinned. "Exactly what it sounds like. A `Secret Transmission` only the `Yang Family` can learn. You want to learn it?"
Xu Bamboo bit her lip, looking somewhat annoyed for some reason.
"As if I’d want to..."
This left Yang Shen completely baffled... ’If you want to learn, just say so!’
’I never said I wouldn’t consider it!’
Meanwhile, down below, `Tao Ying`, who had just picked up her child and was heading home, saw from a distance that there was an extra person on the `Celestial Platform` today.
’Is that a girl?’
`Yang Mo` raised her hand. "Mommy! Brother brought a girl home!"
`Tao Ying` quickly covered her daughter’s mouth. "Shh... Let’s pretend we didn’t see. We won’t ask about it later."
’He’s still a kid. If he doesn’t bring it up himself, we’ll just act like we don’t know.’
’When you’re the adult, the best way to handle the teenage years is to be both deaf and blind.’
’As long as they weren’t trying to make a baby, she, as his aunt, had no intention of interfering unless Yang Shen confessed on his own one day.’
For some reason, `Tao Ying`’s thoughts drifted to her late husband.
She sighed inwardly. ’If Wen were still here, if there was still an adult man in the house, maybe he could have asked about this sort of thing.’
But fate’s partings always come without warning.
Before anyone was ready... `Tao Ying` had become an aunt who could only watch from a distance.
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「A hundred kilometers away, at the `Jinshui District` docks.」
As one of the few key industries in `Jinshui District`, the port here had a significant throughput. The vast `Jianghuai City` required a massive supply of goods, and a good portion of it arrived here by sea.
The area where the docks were located was like a "city within a city," encompassing surrounding residential and commercial districts over a vast area.
The natural deep-water bay most suitable for large ships had been fully developed, but there were still many reefs and muddy flats along the coast. Nearby residents would occasionally come to forage at low tide, but they’d mostly just find shells and crabs—nothing valuable.
Two figures trudged forward, one step deep and the next shallow. Their pant legs were rolled up to their knees, and they carried small plastic buckets and tongs, occasionally poking at the mud.
They looked no different from the other foragers scattered about the area.
One of them gazed out at the boundless sea.
"The `Yanhua Official` crackdown is severe. With the phased physical examinations underway, our personnel in the schools have suffered heavy losses. Since the situation is untenable... I plan to arrange for some to withdraw ahead of schedule."
Behind him, a younger figure spoke, his voice filled with grief and indignation. "`Altar Master`... if it weren’t for the incident with the `Vajra Sect`... we wouldn’t have had to be exposed..."
If Yang Shen had been there, he would have recognized this person as `Wu`, the teacher who had turned traitor at the `Training Camp`.
The man he followed was about fifty, with the wrinkled face of an old farmer. His short hair was streaked with gray, and he seemed weak in the legs, panting for breath.
He seemed to have no `Martial Cultivation` to speak of.
"In a plan this large, there are always unexpected oversights. If it wasn’t the `Vajra Sect`, it could have been the `Silver Vajra Sect`... We had originally hoped to launch our full offensive during the college entrance exam, but I’m afraid that’s no longer viable."
"A member has gathered intelligence that a tech company has already developed a device to suppress `Martial Arts Psychosis`. It’s being mass-produced and will be distributed to all examination sites..."
The old farmer suddenly thrust his tongs out, but brought them back with only a clump of thin mud. He shook his head with a helpless air.
The young man gritted his teeth. "`Altar Master`, there’s something I want to say... but I don’t know if it’s appropriate."
"We’re already here. Go ahead and say it."
"We have so much hidden strength. Why didn’t we just mobilize everyone to make a big move from the start, instead of trying to influence things indirectly through `Witchcraft`..."
The old farmer shook his head. "Child, you must understand... `Cyan Blue`’s power is unfathomable. Any of what they call `Exotic Realms` are pathetically weak in comparison. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to plunder the `Exotic Realms` for a thousand years, remaining as unshakable as a mountain."
"In `Yanhua`, in the `Magna United States` across the ocean, in `Europe`... every country or alliance is a leech, sucking the blood from its own `Exotic Realm`. Countless martyrs have already proven it: direct resistance is impossible... You only feel like you can make a difference here because you’re operating in the shadows."
The young man bit his lip, but he had to admit it was true...
Back in his homeland, he had been sent to `Cyan Blue` only because of his outstanding talent. A great price had been paid to ensure his safe arrival.
The cost was a dozen lives and the support of over a thousand people.
But even so, he couldn’t even defeat a common `Cyan Blue` police officer of his own age.
And there were over 2 million such police officers in `Yanhua Country` alone. Across all of `Cyan Blue`, there were probably 10 million...
He wasn’t even confident he could win a direct fight against those two high school students from that day.
The unique advantages of `Cyan Blue`, and the vast, hidden power within its society, made him feel hopeless.
The old man said leisurely:
"A mighty fortress can only be broken from within. If we attack directly with the little strength we have... it’s just a moth to a flame. Our only chance is to stir up internal turmoil..."
"I have laid dormant on `Cyan Blue` for thirty years. If need be, this will continue for another hundred years, again and again, generation after generation... Only then will we `Aliens` have a chance at true freedom... a chance to win freedom for our world."
The old man smiled faintly.
"The organization has developed smoothly these past few years, but you need to distinguish between who are our own people and who are just the `Rebel Species` we’ve stirred up within `Cyan Blue`. If `Liu Yuankui` dies, he dies."
"By the way, I remember you applied for a `Moon Gu` before. You said you’d found someone with a compatible constitution. Who did you plant it on?"
The old farmer stopped in front of a rock. The stones on the mudflats often served as homes for arthropods; if you flipped one over, you were likely to find some crabs.
He raised his tongs but hesitated to strike.
The young man frowned slightly. "A gym teacher at our school... but I had to kill him during the `Training Camp`. I never had a chance to retrieve the `Moon Gu`. At the time, I had no choice but to do it to protect our secret..."
A pained look crossed the old farmer’s face. "Forget it. The situation back then was chaotic, after all... But it might also present an unexpected opportunity..."
The old farmer finally made his move. He didn’t flip the rock, but instead moved his tongs down three inches and plunged them into the mud beside a small hole.
A fat razor clam, a full two fingers in length, was pulled out.
The old farmer chuckled and looked out at the sea, murmuring:
"Unlike us, who have been oppressed for a thousand years, some people think they’re all-powerful. They’re newcomers who want to make a big splash right away..."
"If the sky is going to fall, let those who are eager to die hold it up... Since they think so little of `Cyan Blue`, we’ll just create a little opportunity for them... Don’t you think?"
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