Chapter 87: The Palm Technique That Descended from the Heavens

"Useless books?" Everyone was taken aback; their interest plummeted. They had thought, as Ye Qiu claimed, these really were nothing more than a pile of worthless books.

Yet some refused to believe it, like the Ascetic Daoist, who picked up one out of curiosity.

"Tathagata Palm? That name sounds formidable. Is it truly, as the elder said, just an old, useless book?" Ascetic Daoist was skeptical, for Ye Qiu’s words were only half true.

From what he knew of Ye Qiu, the man was somewhat humble—or rather, understated. Obviously, he was immensely powerful, yet always feigned weakness.

So when Ye Qiu called these books useless, it might not be true; perhaps he was simply being modest, deliberately downplaying their worth. Alternatively, perhaps, in his eyes, they really were useless, for he was so strong that no martial arts technique could truly aid him anymore. At his level, brute force was the ultimate trump card.

He gently opened the book, and upon reading the first line, Ascetic Daoist’s expression changed instantly.

"A technique: a palm descending from the heavens..."

"What?" The crowd, shocked, gathered around to see.

As they read the detailed explanations and diagrams, everyone was stunned.

“My goodness… these strange gestures, are they the essence of the technique?”

"Ten thousand Buddhas Adoring the Patriarch… my heavens, what a domineering move. This is surely a divine skill!"

For a moment, all were transfixed, their eyes glazed as they stared at each brushstroke, as if a pineapple-headed figure appeared before them.

Standing supreme above the Abyss, gazing down on all beings, his aura surging—when that palm fell, the earth quaked, the abyss shattered, the void trembled.

What sort of palm was that?

Everyone witnessed it mentally—it was immeasurable, unmatched in power, irresistible, like the judgment of the heavens, terrifying to the extreme.

"My heavens! This... this is the true divine skill!"

The entire tavern erupted; even Yue Chan was stunned. She had seen the Tathagata Palm before—Ye Qiu intended to sell it to her, but she chose the Lotus Diagram instead, passing up the Tathagata Palm.

"Is it really so terrifying?" Yue Chan looked at the dumbfounded crowd with skepticism and a touch of regret. If she’d let Ye Qiu steal a kiss back then, would she have gained another book?

Cough, cough...

Nonsense, how could she be that sort of person? The thought made Yue Chan blush; she cast a resentful glance at Ye Qiu. She did not doubt the authenticity of these books.

She had seen the proof—the diagram from years ago was enough.

"Tathagata Palm, first move: Buddha’s Light Appears. Second move: Golden Summit Buddha Lamp... Eighth move: Boundless Dharma. Ninth move: Ten Thousand Buddhas Adoring the Patriarch. Tenth move... Tathagata Nirvana!"

“My goodness… it’s truly that legendary master whose palm subdued the darkness! The Tathagata Palm lives up to its reputation. If cultivated to the highest realm, it could reach the state of Nirvana?”

The tavern was in uproar; no one could remain calm—everyone was dumbstruck.

Even the ancient monsters were all astonished.

"Daoist Ascetic, have you ever heard of this palm descending from the heavens?" someone asked. Why had such a terrifying technique never been heard of in the Great Wilderness? Was it Ye Qiu’s own creation?

If so, Ye Qiu was undoubtedly the greatest genius of all time, able to invent such a terrifying technique—and so many of them!

Just one Tathagata Palm was enough to awe the crowd; no one dared look further.

Ascetic Daoist shook his head with a wry smile. "I have never heard of it! This technique is fierce and tyrannical, imbued with the meaning of the Great Dao. It is said that ages ago there was a palm comparable to this, but in terms of dominance, it can’t match even a tenth. All living things suffer, the world is desolate, and in the end, dust returns to dust, earth to earth; such unique insight is truly rare!"

He deeply admired Ye Qiu; with only a few words, Ye Qiu had summarized the entire technique.

It was the marvel of a single palm deciding heaven and earth...

Profound—simply too profound!

Everyone was enthralled; faced with such powerful divine techniques, not one was unmoved. Their expressions were like those of men seeing a naked beauty for the first time.

"Hmm?" Ye Qiu looked at their dazed faces, suddenly at a loss.

"What the...? Why do I feel like I’m amazing again?"

Whether it was an illusion or not, Ye Qiu was completely bewildered.

Was his book really a supreme divine skill? Impossible, wasn’t it? This was the secret manual from a martial arts novel!

Had they ever watched Kung Fu? The Tathagata Palm—just ten coins for a copy, yet they’re treating it like treasure?

Heaven help him, could they stop playing games with him?

Ye Qiu didn’t even know what words could describe his feelings; it felt as if the world was conspiring against him, leaving him the only one in the dark.

"Could these books really be genuine?"

Ye Qiu couldn’t believe it; he grabbed a copy of the Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms and glanced at it. The words and diagrams were all his own work; he remembered it clearly.

These things were just idle scribbles—how had they become supreme skills?

Impossible, absolutely impossible. They must be fooling him, taking advantage of his lack of cultivation...

Ye Qiu refused to believe it. If it were true, why didn’t he—the author of these divine skills—know how to use them?

He’d never heard of anyone in a novel inventing divine skills but not knowing them himself! Had anyone heard of such a thing?

"Elder, may we have a look at that Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms in your hand?" After reading the Tathagata Palm, the crowd looked at Ye Qiu with reverence, their eyes fixed on the Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms.

Clearly, they were eager to witness the legendary skill that could subdue ancient ferocious true dragons.

Ye Qiu glared at them, then tossed the book over, exasperated. "Take it, take it—today, even if the Heavenly King himself comes, these are still just useless books..."

Ye Qiu was furious, feeling that the world was playing tricks on him. Everyone who read the books thought they were divine, yet he felt nothing.

No, there was also Cao He—he didn’t get it either.

Why was this?

"I refuse to believe it. What ultimate moves could you possibly comprehend? Hmph..."

Ye Qiu, infuriated, threw the book over. The crowd hurriedly caught it, too excited to speak, and immediately started reading.

"Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms: Regretful Dragon, Soaring Dragon in the Sky..."

"My goodness... divine skill, this is definitely a divine skill!"

"Heavens, this is the legendary True Dragon Treasure Art?"

The entire tavern was shocked, even more so than by the Tathagata Palm.

The legendary True Dragon Treasure Art was hiding in a useless book? And Ye Qiu treated it like garbage?

"True Dragon Treasure Art... my heavens! That’s one of the ten supreme ferocities! We’re going to strike it rich this time..."

The scene descended into chaos; not a soul remained calm—everyone was driven mad.