Chapter 364 - 347: Greenwood Shadow Ape

’This disciple of mine really has a good temperament! As soon as he hears about a legendary realm, he immediately starts thinking about how to crush it underfoot!’

’Back in the day, when I heard about this realm from that great figure as a young man, I was just as full of vigor.’

’But as the years wore on, after I finally managed to break through to the Profound Bone Realm, I looked back at the so-called Dragon Tendon, and it was still shrouded in mist, utterly incomprehensible.’

"Ahem..." Qin Fangqiong cleared his throat twice. He decided it was best to pour a little cold water on his disciple’s enthusiasm, lest he become obsessed and affect his normal mental state for breakthroughs.

"Yu’Er, just treat this ’Dragon Tendon Realm’ as a rumor you’ve heard and nothing more. A realm of this level... forget our Black Stone City, you probably couldn’t find more than a handful of people who’ve achieved it in the entire Jian’an Prefecture!"

"In my younger days, I, your master, also ventured into the Qingzhou Prefecture and was fortunate enough to make it onto the Qing Province Hidden Dragon List! I’ve heard that among the countless Martial Artists in all of Qing Province, only the top ten peerless prodigies on the Hidden Dragon List might have had a chance to step into the Dragon Tendon Realm during their Muscle Forging phase! And those people are now all giants in their own right, Martial Arts Grandmasters who have surpassed the Divine Storage Realm!"

"Your talent is astounding right now, you brat, but don’t bite off more than you can chew. First, just focus on diligently training step-by-step until you reach the Perfection stage of Jiao Tendon!"

Qin Fangqiong didn’t lower his voice, so everyone present heard him clearly.

"W-wait! What did Master Qin just say? Senior Brother Su broke through to the Muscle Forging Realm?"

A middle-aged senior brother, his face weathered from years of arduous training at the Martial Arts Hall, was now clutching his hair, his eyes filled with utter shock, his muttered words trembling.

"Judging by Master Qin’s tone, he’s definitely broken through! And now Master Qin is going to teach him the exclusive Martial Arts for the Muscle Forging Realm!"

"Looks like he really did break through. Master Qin is going to teach him a new Martial Art. Junior Su is only twenty, right? To have already broken through to the Muscle Forging Realm..."

"Oh, my dear lord... Senior Brother Su just turned twenty this year, right? A twenty-year-old in the Muscle Forging Realm? That’s beyond monstrous!"

"The Muscle Forging Realm! That’s the level of a major figure, someone who could strike out on their own and open a Martial Arts Hall as a master! In the Outer City of Black Stone City, just how many major figures of the Muscle Forging Realm are there?"

One disciple’s eyes turned red as he collapsed to the ground, utterly dejected. "I’ve trained for years and can’t even touch the threshold of the Flesh Refining Realm. Senior Brother Su has been training for barely two years, all told, and he’s already become such a powerhouse who can turn the world upside down... How can the gap between people be bigger than the gap between a person and a dog!"

For a moment, the entire Martial Arts Arena fell into a dead silence. Countless disciples of the Martial Arts Hall were so crushed by Su Yu’s monstrous promotion speed that they were left utterly speechless.

"What are you all doing, standing around in silence for me like this!"

Just as the atmosphere dropped to a freezing point, Qin Yu’s crisp and slightly imperious shout suddenly rang out.

Her willow-like brows shot up as she scolded them loudly, "With your pathetic, motley assortment of meager talents, you think you’re even qualified to compare yourselves to a genius like Senior Brother Su?"

"Use those wooden heads of yours and think about it! Who is Senior Brother Su? He’s the future head senior brother of our White Ape Martial Arts Hall! He’s the number one genius, famous throughout the Outer City of Black Stone City! The stronger he gets, the stronger our White Ape Martial Arts Hall will be in the future! Being able to bask in Senior Brother Su’s reflected glory will be a tremendous honor for you all!"

"Stop acting all sentimental and sour for me! At the celebratory banquet at the Drunken Immortal Tower tonight, if anyone dares to drink one glass less because of jealousy, I’ll personally whip them back to their senses with this long whip!"

As Qin Yu finished speaking, she snatched up a long whip from the side and cracked it in the air with a SNAP!

After being scolded by her, everyone suddenly came to their senses.

That’s right! Senior Sister is absolutely right!

’Why should we, a bunch of mere mortals, compare our talent to a prodigy like him? Isn’t that just asking for pain?’

’Besides, Senior Brother Su is one of us!’

’He’s the anchor of our Martial Arts Hall!’

’In the future, with such a supreme genius protecting us, won’t we, the disciples of the White Ape Martial Arts Hall, be able to walk sideways through the Outer City of Black Stone City?’

"Hahahaha! Senior Sister is right! Senior Brother Su is mighty! Our White Ape Martial Arts Hall is going to soar to the heavens now!" someone shouted, leading the cheer.

"Senior Brother Su is mighty!"

"Senior Brother Su is invincible!"

In an instant, frenzied cheers erupted over the entire Martial Arts Arena.

The faces of the hundred or more disciples were flushed red, and as they looked at Su Yu, their eyes no longer held any jealousy, only fervent admiration and worship!

Qin Fangqiong nodded with satisfaction. He let the crowd cheer for a while longer before chiding them with a smile, "Alright, quiet down for your master and get back to your training."

Only then did the crowd disperse with sheepish grins, each returning to their own practice. But countless fervent gazes still darted furtively toward the center of the arena from time to time.

Once the surroundings quieted down, Qin Fangqiong’s smile faded, and he spoke again:

"Yu’Er, watch closely. What I am about to teach you is the third ultimate art of the White Ape, following the White Ape Long Arm Fist and the Mountain-Shaking Demon Ape Fist! It shares the same origin as the first two Fist Techniques, but its cultivation difficulty is more than several times that of the first two combined!"

"This fist is called the ’Greenwood Shadow Ape Fist’!"

Hearing the name of this Fist Technique, Lin Yunshu and the others standing to the side all showed a change in expression. ’So it really is this Martial Art,’ they thought.

"Listen well. These are the general principles of the Fist Technique."

"Ten thousand tendon strings gather like green wood; when the Shadow Ape appears, even ghosts can’t give chase."

"Hard and soft in a single thought divides life and death; unified power as one shatters mountains and rivers."

As he spoke, Master Qin assumed the opening stance of the Fist Technique, and the aura around him changed abruptly.

His originally slightly stooped body suddenly straightened up, as tall and straight as a pine tree, and a ferocious might, like that of a Spiritual Ape, condensed around him.

This might was different from the vicious, explosive ferocity of the Mountain-Shaking Demon Ape Fist. It was more like a Spiritual Ape with its sharp edge restrained, hidden in the shadows, whose occasional displays of power were all the more terrifying.

Now that Su Yu had comprehended a profound level of ’shi’, he understood that this feeling was not an illusion; it was a high-level ’shi’ influencing the surroundings.

"Watch this first form closely, Shadow Ape’s Branch Exploration!"

Qin Fangqiong let out a low shout, and the sleeve of his right arm instantly exploded!

The blue-green Great Tendons under the skin of his arm could be seen madly snapping and contracting in an instant, like a fully drawn longbow, emitting a startlingly crisp sound!

His right arm, like a blue-green, withered vine shooting through the air, moved without a whisper of wind, strangely thrusting straight toward a century-old Ironwood Stake three feet to his side!

The fist was silent and still, and Su Yu didn’t even see any dazzling glow of astral energy on its edge.

What confused Su Yu even more was that his master had clearly miscalculated the attack’s range!

Given Qin Fangqiong’s arm length, even if he stretched to his absolute limit, the punch would still fall short of the Ironwood Stake! In a life-or-death battle, this was the most elementary of mistakes, making it impossible to hit the target!

But the next moment.

"BANG!"

An invisible force struck the Ironwood Stake, causing the entire post to vibrate violently with a RUSTLING sound.

"What’s going on?" Su Yu’s pupils suddenly shrank.