Chapter 66: The Recognition of Bei Gai

  Hong Qigong saw that he couldn't dodge, so he immediately displayed his Empty-Hand Enters White Blade technique. One of his palms suddenly entered the sword light and grabbed towards the hilt. However, if Ling Mushuang's swordsmanship was this easy to break, it wouldn't be his killing move. With a flick of his wrist, the sword tip swept horizontally, and the sharp sword energy chopped towards Hong Qigong's grabbing palm. Hong Qigong sensed that something was wrong and hastily let out a strange cry as he withdrew his hand like lightning, barely avoiding disaster.

  One sword forced Hong Qigong to retreat with a meaty palm, and Ling Yun's sword light turned again, stabbing rapidly towards Hong Qigong. Hong Qigong shifted his shape several times, but couldn't shake him off, wanting to rely on his superior strength to force a confrontation, but Ling Yun's sword tip was like a spiritual snake, never giving him the chance for a head-on collision, yet the sword's direction didn't stray from his vital spots, making Hong Qigong extremely uncomfortable.

  "Good kid, take this palm strike!"

  Hong Qigong, who was being forced back by Linghu Chong's sword, finally couldn't bear this passive situation. He suddenly shouted, withdrew his arm from behind his back, slightly bent his left leg, curved his right arm inward, and with his left palm drew a semicircle in the air, while his right palm thrust out with a "whooshing" sound towards Linghu Chong, who was pursuing him - it was one of the moves of his most proud and ultimate skill, "Dragon Subduing Palms", called "Kanglong Youhui".

  The Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms was one of the two most powerful skills of the Beggar Clan, although it wasn't like the other skill, the Dog Beating Stick Technique, which was only passed down to the clan leader. Usually, only those who had made great contributions to the Beggar Clan would be lucky enough to learn a few moves. During the Northern Song Dynasty, when Xiao Feng was the leader of the Beggar Clan, he used this palm technique to fight against heroes from all over the world, and few people could withstand even three moves. The crowd was amazed by the power of this skill.

  Later, Xiao Feng was expelled from the gang because he was a Khitan foreigner and later sacrificed himself at Yanmen Pass for the sake of the world. As a result, no one in the Beggar Gang knew this set of palm techniques anymore. Later, a group of masters in the Beggar Gang tried to restore it based on Qiao Feng's occasional transmission of a few moves and related memories, but they only got an incomplete ten-move palm technique. It was later passed down to Hong Qigong, who supplemented it with his own knowledge and painstakingly researched to finally complete the Dragon Subduing Palms.

  Hong Qigong's Dragon-Subduing Eighteen Palms was half taught by his master and half created by himself, and can be said to be the pinnacle of external martial arts. It is truly invincible, with no defense that cannot be broken. Although the number of moves is limited, each move possesses extremely great power. In those years when he dueled with Wang Chongyang and Huang Yaoshi at the summit of Mount Hua, this set of palm techniques was not yet thoroughly completed, but Wang Chongyang and others already highly praised it.

  Hong Qigong had always considered this set of palm techniques to be his trump card, but today he was forced to use it by Ling Yun. Although he didn't want to take advantage of his junior and intentionally restrained his power to a level comparable to Ling's, the fact that he had to resort to such an ultimate technique was already something for Ling to be proud of.

  It turned out that Hong Qigong's decision to use the Dragon-Subduing Palms as a killing move was not without reason. This particular move, "Dragon-Repentance", was so powerful that even when used at only 50% of its full power, it still had an astonishing effect. Ling Yunqiu, who was chasing after him, felt an enormous pressure bearing down on him, like a massive mountain collapsing in front of him, making it hard for him to breathe, and his sword was shaken by the powerful palm force, almost breaking.

  Facing such enormous pressure, Ling Muyun didn't dare to slack off and hastily retreated in a bid to avoid the brunt of the attack. Even so, he was still grazed by the palm wind, feeling as if someone had slapped him fiercely with an iron plate. He felt his chest churning with surging blood, and nearly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

  However, Ling Muyun immediately suppressed the counter-flowing blood and energy. Judging from the style and power of this move, it was likely a technique from the Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms. He couldn't help but ask aloud: "Seventh Uncle, this move is incredibly powerful, could it be that legendary Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms which has been passed down for hundreds of years?"

  "You little scamp also knows the Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms?" Hong Qigong burst out laughing and said loudly, "That's right, this is indeed the Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms!"

  "Alright, alright, let me see what's so special about this Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms!" Facing the palm technique known as the most powerful in the world, Ling Mu Yun suddenly felt a surge of heroic passion in his heart, and with a loud whoop, he charged forward again with his sword.

  However, Ling Muyun, who had suffered a loss before, did not dare to fight hard with him again. He surrounded Hong Qigong and moved around him non-stop, his figure swift and elusive like a ghost. The 81st Route Devil-Expelling Sword was unleashed, the sword flashing as it stabbed, its style exquisite and unparalleled, its speed and agility astonishing. The sword light was like a waterfall, the sword energy surging horizontally, the dazzling sword light enveloping Hong Qigong all around, even obscuring his figure.

  Ling Muyun's Evil-Expelling Sword was incredibly sharp, but Hong Qigong's Dragon-Subduing Eighteen Palms were even more powerful. After a brief struggle, Ling Muyun's swordsmanship could no longer withstand Hong Qigong's overwhelming palm power. The sword light shattered with a loud crash, and the long sword flew out of his hand. Ling Muyun stumbled backward, retreating over ten zhang before finally managing to steady himself. A mouthful of blood could no longer be suppressed, and he spat it out with a "pu".

  "Brother Yun!"

  Onlooker Huang Rong couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, her pretty face changing color instantly. She hastily flew over to Ling Miao Yun's side and supported him, asking anxiously: "Brother Yun, how are you? Are your injuries severe? I have the Nine Flower Jade Dew Pill here, a divine medicine concocted by my father. Quickly take one." As she spoke, Huang Rong took out a small jade porcelain bottle from her bosom, poured out a crimson-colored fragrant pill, and was about to feed it into Ling Miao Yun's mouth.

  "Rong'er, I'm fine, no need to waste such precious medicine." Ling Mu Yun hastily declined.

  The Nine Flower Jade Dew Pill, a legendary elixir in the world of archery, was something he knew about. It was made by Huang Yaoshi using rare and precious herbs mixed with dew collected from nine different flower petals at dawn. Its function was to nourish the body, strengthen one's physique, and prolong life. In the world of archery, it was a top-grade elixir. However, his injury wasn't severe; he had only spat out a mouthful of blood due to the backlash of his sword energy being broken. He just needed to meditate and recover for a few days to heal. If he were to take the Nine Flower Jade Dew Pill for such a minor injury, people would really think him a spendthrift.

  Seeing that Linghu Chong seemed to be all right, Huang Rong finally put her mind at ease. She turned back to Hong Qigong with a scolding expression and said: "Hong Qigong, how could you do this? I cooked delicious food for you, but you ended up injuring my Cloud Brother! And I still treated you as an elder with respect and cooked good food for you. You have the nerve!"

  "For a moment I lost control, for a moment I lost control..." Hong Qigong explained to Huang Rong with an embarrassed face.

  It's not entirely Hong Qigong's fault, but rather Ling Yun's unexpected display of strength, especially after unleashing the 81st route of the Evil-Expelling Sword. The speed and precision were so astonishing that it put some pressure on him. Since Hong Qigong was unwilling to release his full power, he instinctively used his signature technique, the Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms. Although known as the most powerful in the world, the Dragon Subduing Palms are not to be underestimated. Despite Hong Qigong withdrawing his attack just in time after seeing Ling Yun stumble, Ling Yun was still injured by the rebound of his own energy.

  Ling Yun pulled Huang Rong's soft sleeve and said, "Rong'er, this can't be blamed on Qi Gong. In fact, Qi Gong should have been more careful. It was my own fault for not being skilled enough, and the force I used ended up hurting myself, which is why I spat out blood. But now that it's out, I'll be fine."

  Huang Rong's expression slightly cleared up, and she stuck out her tongue at Hong Qigong, saying: "Seventh Uncle, it was my mistake. When we get back, I'll make you two good dishes to apologize."

  "Haha, since I'm a greedy old man, I'll be straightforward. Hong Qigong rubbed his hands and smiled, then turned to look at Ling Mu Yun with eyes full of admiration and praise: "Young friend, after knowing you for so long, I still don't know your surname or name. Your martial arts skills are quite impressive, I wonder which master taught you to become such a talented disciple?"

  Unconsciously, Hong Qigong's way of addressing Ling Yun changed again, from "young man" to "young friend". Although it was only a one-word difference, the connotation was vastly different. The word "friend" represented Hong Qigong's recognition of Ling Yun. Although Ling Yun's martial arts were still far inferior to Hong Qigong's at present, his potential had already earned Hong Qigong's admiration. At such a young age, he had already achieved so much, and his future prospects were boundless. As long as he didn't die prematurely, it was only a matter of time before he reached the height of the Five Absolutes, and even surpassed them. Therefore, Hong Qigong had already placed Ling Yun in a position roughly equal to his own in his heart.

  "The host has obtained the recognition of Hong Qigong, one of the Five Greats of the Wulin, with a completion rate of 50% for the fifth stage task..." Almost at the same time as Hong Qigong's words came out, a stream of information suddenly surged into Ling Muyun's mind. Ling Muyun was slightly stunned at first, and then his heart was filled with great joy. The task is already half completed? It seems that this stage task isn't too difficult after all. This made him see the dawn of completing the task, it seems that the day he can leave the world of Shooting Eagles and return to the main interface is not far away!

  Ling Muyun, in a great mood, bowed to Hong Qigong with a smile and said: "Thanks for asking, my surname is Ling, first name Muyun, originally from Lin'an. This little skill was also learned under coincidental circumstances, I don't have a master."

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