Chapter 212 - 164: Another Usage (Part 2)

He’d long suspected this—that becoming a High Grade Martial Artist was likely the point where one stepped into the ranks of Cultivators.

However... at the Low and Middle Grade stages, Evil Skills were definitely faster to cultivate.

But to cultivate an Evil Skill to a High Grade was, naturally, much more difficult than cultivating a Righteous Skill to the same level.

After all, the further one progressed, the greater the chance of dropping dead at any moment.

The risk of suffering from qi deviation was also sky-high.

In this world, the saying "the wicked can never triumph over the righteous" also existed.

But this wasn’t based on some mystical principle.

Rather, it was because the Martial Artists who could cultivate Evil Skills to a High Grade were a minority compared to those who could cultivate Righteous Skills to the same level.

With a greater number of High Grade Martial Artists on the Righteous Dao, they could naturally suppress the masters of the Evil Dao...

With his Great Universal Hand having successfully broken through, Zou Feng was in high spirits. He then continued to drink and chat merrily with Murong Yunhai.

Murong Yunhai also genuinely intended to befriend Zou Feng, holding almost nothing back in their conversation.

He even vaguely revealed some of his ambitions and aspirations.

Although he didn’t state it plainly, it was enough for Zou Feng to discern that this fellow was quite ambitious...

When they had had about enough to drink, Zou Feng, acting as if he regretted not meeting Murong Yunhai sooner, took his leave.

He was in a hurry to get back because there was something important he needed to verify as soon as possible.

His recent collaboration with Murong Yunhai had given Zou Feng a faint inkling of another way to use the Great Universal Hand.

However, after leaving the Spring Night Building, he hadn’t even walked a full block when he sensed someone was following him.

Murong Yunhai certainly had no reason to do something so pointless. So, the ones following him now were probably other patrons from the Spring Night Building who had noticed something strange.

’If that’s the case, then this is simple. I’ll just intentionally reveal an opening, let them catch up, and kill them directly.’

’If the people following me cultivate a Poison Skill, I can even use them as materials and refine them instantly through Refinement.’

Zou Feng had intended to do just that, but he quickly thought better of it.

’No, I can’t get cocky just because my Great Universal Hand has broken through to the Peak Realm.’

’After all, I’ve already provoked a True Disciple from the Silk Cave.’

After pondering this for a moment, Zou Feng immediately checked the List of Gods.

Previously, when he’d made his cooperation agreement with Teng County, her current rival—the other True Disciple, Wang Wenjing—had not appeared on the list, most likely because she was still unaware of the situation.

But now, Wang Wenjing’s name was clearly listed.

’These True Disciples, especially the ones who’ve made it to the final rounds, are no pushovers. Their reactions are incredibly fast.’

’But the one following me definitely isn’t Wang Wenjing. Otherwise, why the hell would she be tailing me? She’d just appear and take me down.’

’It’s very likely that Wang Wenjing hasn’t arrived in Qingchuan City yet. She’s probably just received intel that her rival, Teng County, is plotting something here.’

’And that she has made contact with a barefoot doctor known as the Wandering Dragon Master.’

’This information alone is enough to make Wang Wenjing want me dead.’

’After all, I’m already a rather famous Poison Doctor in Qingchuan City.’

’So, as soon as Wang Wenjing learns that Teng County sought me out, she’d immediately deduce that I likely have some method to help Teng County break through to the Fourth Grade.’

’Even if she’s wrong, it doesn’t matter. Better to kill an innocent person than to let a target escape.’

’In any case, since Wang Wenjing is now on the list, I’ll have to be even more cautious from now on...’

With this in mind, Zou Feng abandoned his idea of a counter-ambush. Instead, he used the Drunken Immortal Moon Gazing Step to quickly shake off his pursuers.

Whether Wang Wenjing was in Qingchuan City or not, he couldn’t afford to underestimate the methods of the other Biyou Palace disciples in this uncertain situation.

After losing his tail, Zou Feng took several detours, even sneaking into a wealthy household to take a bath and change his clothes, before finally returning to his residence.

It was all to avoid being marked.

’I’m sure Tian Yun will understand my reasons for going to a brothel, and for bathing and changing my clothes...’

Entering the room, he saw Tian Yun sitting and reading a book. She had also prepared some Hangover Soup for his return.

Although a Martial Artist of Zou Feng’s caliber had no need for Hangover Soup, Tian Yun clearly valued the gesture.

Seeing Zou Feng in a fresh set of clothes, Tian Yun indeed showed a puzzled expression.

Without waiting for her to ask, Zou Feng took the initiative to explain everything—going to the brothel, his collaboration with Murong Yunhai, and being followed after he left.

After hearing his story, Tian Yun’s attitude, which had been rather overconfident before, had clearly changed.

A worried look appeared in her eyes as she said, "Zou Lang, since the Celestial Eye Cloud Pattern Deer is still usable, do we really need to take such a huge risk and get involved in the Biyou Palace’s Silk Cave succession struggle?"

Zou Feng thought to himself, ’Didn’t you want to just kill Teng Zhenchuan outright before? Why the sudden cowardice?’

After a moment’s thought, Zou Feng didn’t answer her directly. Instead, he changed the subject. "Sister Yun, has the Celestial Eye Cloud Pattern Deer become even more effective than before?"

During the time he was away, Tian Yun had definitely used the Cloud Pattern Deer for her cultivation.

"Er... it does look like it’ll live for a while longer, but I haven’t felt that the cultivation effects are any stronger than before..."

Now Zou Feng understood. It seemed Tian Yun had hit a bottleneck in her cultivation.

Ever since breaking through to the Gang Qi Realm, thanks to her profound foundation allowing for explosive growth, Tian Yun’s cultivation progress had been advancing by leaps and bounds.

But no matter how smoothly one cultivated a Righteous Skill, it was impossible to avoid bottlenecks entirely.

Clearly, Tian Yun had run into some difficulties in her recent cultivation, which had put her in a foul mood.

Of course, Tian Yun wasn’t that fragile. She would surely be able to adjust before long.

But while in a foul mood, the thought of being dragged into the Silk Cave’s succession struggle was undoubtedly frustrating, which was why she suggested they just run away.

"Sister Yun, you’re cultivating a Righteous Skill, not an Evil Skill. Even with the boost from the Celestial Eye Cloud Pattern Deer’s Illusion Realm, how could you expect optimal results every single time?" Zou Feng comforted her in a gentle voice.

Tian Yun was silent for a moment before giving a wry smile. "You’re right, Zou Lang. I was being too impatient..."

In truth, the reason Tian Yun was so desperate to maintain her rapid pace of cultivation was also because of Zou Feng.

Since they were together every day, how could Tian Yun fail to notice that Zou Feng was growing stronger with each passing day?

He was probably not far from advancing to the Fifth Grade.

In comparison, while her own cultivation progress wasn’t slow, it was still far from enough.

Tian Yun really didn’t want to be left too far behind.

They might be deeply in love now, but once Zou Feng became a High Grade Martial Artist while she was still stuck at the Sixth or Fifth Grade, they would inevitably drift apart.

Especially if she couldn’t become a High Grade Martial Artist soon, then no matter how skilled she was at preserving her youthful looks, she still wouldn’t be able to maintain her current appearance.

That was why hitting a bottleneck made Tian Yun exceptionally anxious.

"Sister Yun, since I was able to help Murong Yunhai with his cultivation and break through his bottleneck, don’t you want to give it a try?" Zou Feng finally got to the main point.

Tian Yun was taken aback. "But I don’t cultivate an Evil Skill. Would it still work?"

"How will we know if we don’t try? I can’t guarantee anything else, but I can absolutely promise you won’t suffer from qi deviation!"

Zou Feng wasn’t just boasting. He had managed to pull Murong Yunhai back from an even more severe situation. Since Tian Yun was cultivating a Righteous Skill, which had a much lower chance of causing qi deviation, it was perfectly safe to try.

What’s more, Zou Feng also had a Soul Stabilizing and Spirit Condensing Pill that Murong Yunhai had given him as an extra gift.

With this, trying it out later would be like having a double safety net.

After hearing this, Tian Yun, who trusted Zou Feng implicitly, immediately agreed to give it a try.

"Alright. Sister Yun, take this pill first, then focus on Cultivating. Leave the rest to me!"

A short while later, their preparations were complete. Tian Yun closed her eyes and began Cultivating, entering a state of seated meditation.

Zou Feng, in turn, directly struck Tian Yun’s back three times with his palm.

These three palm strikes were quite particular.

The first was to make Tian Yun excited.

Everyone knows that when a person is enthusiastic, their efficiency naturally increases.

But she couldn’t get *too* excited, or she might become unsteady.

Therefore, the second palm strike was to help Tian Yun maintain a basic level of calm.

As for the third palm strike, it was the most profound one, a move that could only be used after the Great Universal Hand had reached the Peak of Perfection.

To enhance Tian Yun’s Spiritual Wisdom!