Chapter Thirty-Two: Hidden Dragon and Phoenix Hatchling?

"I understand now..." Suddenly, Yang Xuan cried out in astonishment.

Fufeng asked, "Disciple, what have you understood?"

Everyone was even more puzzled, gazing at Yang Xuan in confusion as he stepped confidently out from the crowd. His face radiated with a self-assured smile, thinking to himself, "Heh, I've endured so long—finally, it's my turn to put on a show."

Watching Ye Qiu finish his demonstration earlier, Yang Xuan suddenly felt capable again, as if he'd grasped the underlying mystery.

He declared with conviction, "Senior, that set of Lightning Five-Linked Whip you just performed isn't a fixed set of movements, is it? Actually, it can be sword techniques, spear techniques, whip techniques—it’s more a conceptual form than a definite method."

"Ah?"

Is that so? How would I know? Master Ma never explained it to me, only said he was caught off guard, failed to dodge, and then vanished.

Ye Qiu’s expression was one of utter bewilderment. Did Master Ma ever say anything like that? Though he was baffled, Ye Qiu kept his composure and calmly asked, "What have you realized?"

Everyone was curious—what could Yang Xuan possibly have realized? Wasn't he just a spoiled, lazy scion of a wealthy family? Could he truly comprehend the way?

Apologies for the harsh words, but I can't help myself.

"Embarrassing! This brat spends his days scheming and slacking—what truth could he possibly have realized? If you're going to show off, at least pick your moment. Making a scene for nothing—if word gets out, I’d be mortified. Please, don't say you’re my disciple..."

Fufeng's face darkened, suddenly reluctant to face anyone, for this was his personal disciple. If Yang Xuan were to make a fool of himself, Fufeng would lose face as well. Others might not know, but he knew perfectly well—Yang Xuan had followed him since childhood, his temperament as clear as day.

Yang Xuan had no idea what Fufeng was thinking; at this moment, he just wanted to show off and astonish everyone.

He glanced proudly at the crowd and said, "I believe the true essence of Senior's Five-Linked Whip lies in a process of derivation. The Supreme Ultimate gives birth to the Two Modes, the Two Modes spawn the Four Forms, the Dao generates the One, One becomes Two, Two becomes Three. Combined with what Senior said about the principle of 'water dripping through stone'—using a force as gentle as water to strike once, be it with fist or sword, yet it can evolve into two strikes, three strikes, or even thousands. Only then can one achieve the effect of water piercing stone. This is the true mystery of the Mixed-Element Form Intent Supreme Ultimate..."

Ye Qiu: "!!!???"

Good heavens, what talent! How did you figure that out?

Indeed, where there's a Hidden Dragon, there’s always a Phoenix Chick. One Tian Zhong was already outrageous, and now Yang Xuan appears. Who would have thought that in this humble place, both the Hidden Dragon and Phoenix Chick would emerge—remarkable indeed.

Ye Qiu truly wanted to say...

Please, spare me, don't show off anymore. It's really not as complicated as you think—this Five-Linked Whip was honestly just me flailing about. Stop stretching your imagination...

If not for personally witnessing Master Ma’s defeat on video, Ye Qiu might have believed their nonsense.

As soon as Yang Xuan finished speaking, the crowd erupted.

Fufeng's heart suddenly shuddered, mumbling, "The Dao creates One, One creates Two, Two creates Three! It’s a process of continuation, the very essence of the Dao. Heaven above, who would have thought such a simple set of movements contained such profound truth? This kid isn’t as stupid as he seems—he actually saw through it. Heh, not bad, worthy of being my disciple. Did you see that? My disciple—impressive, isn’t he?"

Fufeng was suddenly overjoyed; moments ago he feared the boy would embarrass himself, but now his demeanor had completely changed, wearing the look of a master proud of his pupil.

Bah, shameless old man!

Ye Qiu was speechless, but could not directly say so. He could only continue, "Show me a set—let’s see what you’ve got."

Surely, you can’t really pull off anything remarkable.

With Ye Qiu's permission, Yang Xuan bowed, then stepped onto the open ground, pointed at a nearby block of Diamond Rock, and closed his eyes.

Diamond Rock, abundant in the Wilds and incomparably tough, was difficult to break even for True Self cultivators, let alone Yang Xuan, who possessed only Cave Heaven cultivation.

He began his stance, smoothly pushing his right palm forward, and suddenly—a Supreme Ultimate Yin-Yang diagram appeared, his power surging instantly.

"Break—"

A cold shout, and a palm force shot forth, instantly splitting into hundreds, then thousands, as it left Yang Xuan's hand.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Wave after wave of palm force struck the Diamond Rock; within three seconds, thousands of palm strikes landed, and the rock exploded, turning into powder.

"Hiss... Soft Bone Cotton Palm? Good heavens, truly the old saying is fulfilled: where there’s a Hidden Dragon, there’s always a Phoenix Chick. He actually comprehended it? Damn, why does it seem like everyone can perform this palm technique except for me?"

Ye Qiu was dumbfounded, plagued by deep self-doubt. Could it be... am I really a useless fool?

"One palm becomes a thousand, and the force doesn’t diminish at all—heavens, this is simply a divine skill! If used properly, what absolute defense could withstand it?"

Yang Xuan's demonstration left everyone utterly stunned, shaken to their core.

Fufeng exclaimed excitedly, "Did you see that? Did you see that? My disciple—amazing, isn’t he?"

The crowd was embarrassed—wasn’t this the opposite of your earlier attitude?

The Sky-Swallowing Sparrow was dumbstruck as well, gently raising its wing in confusion, "What use are these wings? Why does it feel like everyone is comprehending divine skills except me, who understands nothing?"

Clearly, the Sky-Swallowing Sparrow's reaction was as bewildered as those three savage beasts before—totally at a loss.

What is going on? Is it really that simple? Wings are useless?

Ye Qiu clicked his tongue in astonishment, muttering, "Extraordinary—truly extraordinary! You are all kindred spirits of Master Ma. One day, if torrential rain falls on his grave, Master Ma will weep, for only you can understand him..."

Ye Qiu was speechless, unwilling to continue the topic, for if it went on, he'd probably sink into self-pity.

Honestly, is it truly that everyone can do it except the founder?

I want to show off too, I want to be awesome—why does this wretched world refuse to let me shine?

But Ye Qiu didn’t know...

All these years, he had maxed out every life skill: music, chess, calligraphy, painting, brewing, farming—every conceivable craft.

But he had never invested in combat skills.

Thus, he was completely clueless, totally unaware of his own strength.

If only he knew—relying on the mighty righteous energy within him, he would have been invincible long ago.

"It's too disheartening. As a transmigrator, I feel ashamed—everyone else, man or beast, is showing off, while I'm the only one getting beaten! Every protagonist comes with built-in awesomeness, except me, who has nothing. I quit..."

Cursing inwardly, suddenly thunder and lightning crashed, startling Ye Qiu—he thought for a moment that he had cursed the heavens, and now the Dao was about to lash out.

"Hmm... what's happening over there?"

Ye Qiu frowned, looking suspiciously toward the distant mountain.

Fufeng said in a deep voice, "Such powerful sword energy—is it that one?"