Chapter 310: A Gentleman Hides His Weapon, Waiting for the Right Time to Act!

At this moment, only one thought remained in Wang Ping's mind.

After suffering comes reward!

It had been far too long. Before this, every senior cultivator he encountered would offer him Heavenly Yin Metal as their very first piece of guidance.

Now, a second path had finally appeared. Wang Ping felt nothing but deep gratitude. Following this came a massive influx of dao attainment regarding 'the gentleman should hide his implements at the right time'. He quickly realized the true value of this Major Divine Ability: it was entirely unrecorded in any of the Immortal Gate's ancient texts.

The reason was simple.

'This Major Divine Ability was deduced specifically for me by the Water Qi True Person orchestrating things from the shadows, all to solve my current predicament!'

'the gentleman should hide his implements at the right time'.

The archaic word used here was interchangeable with the standard word for 'hide'. A seemingly minor difference in wording, but entirely deliberate. This single shifted character embodied the Major Divine Ability's core concept of concealment and restraint.

At the same time, the cultivation method for this Major Divine Ability was also 'hiding'. The deeper he hid it, and the higher the Realm of the people he hid it from, the faster his cultivation speed would become. Given his current situation, as long as he could keep it hidden under the watchful eyes of the three True Persons and their schemes, bringing this divine power to perfection would take only a few months!

'That is no slower than the speed at which I mastered the Ten Thousand Gods Terrestrial Chart!'

This was actually absurd.

Wang Ping had only achieved that speed when mastering the Ten Thousand Gods Terrestrial Chart because of Kunyun's life tribulation, the manipulation of multiple factions, and his own extreme compatibility.

He had mastered it in a single leap over just a few short months.

Yet right now, 'the gentleman should hide his implements at the right time' offered that exact same speed without needing any external support. What kind of incredible method was this?

Of course, the meaning behind the name was even more important. The Water Qi True Person hadn't meticulously designed this Major Divine Ability just to hand him a benefit.

'A gentleman hides his weapon, waiting for the right time to act.'

This was a hint!

'To repair the plank road openly while secretly crossing Chencang. Hiding the weapon on my person means I need to secretly cultivate this Major Divine Ability and wait for the perfect moment. But when is that perfect moment?'

Wang Ping thought of Kunyun.

At this moment, Kunyun was clearly still being kept hidden by the Water Qi True Person, not showing the slightest trace. Because of this, the Great Rebellion identity Wang Ping bore remained as steady as a mountain.

'The reason he is still hidden is that even if Kunyun appeared right now, it would only slightly shake my Great Rebellion identity, not completely destroy it. It wouldn't be enough to decisively upend the three True Persons' schemes. That is why he has been kept hidden until now.'

After all, the damage to the wood qi was already a foregone conclusion.

In that life tribulation, the wood qi represented by Kunyun had indeed been crippled. He hadn't survived using wood qi methods in the end, but had escaped by relying on water qi.

If he had used wood qi to shed his skin and escape, and eventually reached Qi Refining Entering the Dao, then without a doubt, it would have directly shattered Wang Ping's Great Rebellion identity.

But water qi was different.

As the glow of the divine power flickered before his eyes, realization continuously surfaced in Wang Ping's mind:

'Having escaped using water qi, even if he reappears, it won't be enough to shatter my Great Rebellion identity. At most, he will just sever his own connection to this identity.'

'So he needs my cooperation.'

'I have to do exactly what Kunyun did—find a way to sever my ties to the Great Rebellion identity. I need to shake this identity first, and then Kunyun's appearance will deliver the final, decisive blow!'

This was the perfect timing.

As for the method to sever that connection, it lay within the Major Divine Ability, 'the gentleman should hide his implements at the right time'. This was also the true intent behind the Water Qi True Person deducing this ability in the first place.

'Cultivate this second Major Divine Ability, keep it hidden within the True Persons' grand scheme, and secretly bring it to perfection. Then, at the very moment water qi takes authority, instead of using Heavenly Yin Metal to shatter the Ten Thousand Gods Terrestrial Chart, I will use this Major Divine Ability to break through to the Tribulation Transcending Third Layer. With that breakthrough, this so-called divine power lockdown will instantly become useless.'

It was an incredibly brilliant method.

'My divine powers are locked entirely because of my Great Rebellion identity. It is the consequence of me killing Kunyun, which aligned with the outcome of the Great Rebellion severely damaging the wood qi and subsequently being destroyed.'

'But if I break through...'

'And if I break through using water qi on top of that, it will no longer match the Great Rebellion identity. Instead, it will become the achievement of the Great Rebellion's destruction and the water qi's successful escape!'

In doing so, he would completely sever himself from the Great Rebellion identity.

When that happened, Kunyun would emerge and further sever the connection. The so-called Great Rebellion identity would completely lose its foundation and be swept straight into the dustbin of history!

'The most brilliant part is that this isn't destroying the identity.'

The three True Persons guarded him fiercely. If there was even the slightest possibility of the Great Rebellion identity being destroyed by anything other than Heavenly Yin Metal, they would completely eradicate it.

But the answer provided by the Water Qi True Person was not destruction; it was severance. He was borrowing the ancient achievement from when the Great Rebellion carried out Purging the Stale Qi of the Six Heavens, during which only the water qi managed to escape. This would allow Wang Ping to slip away from the Great Rebellion identity. Once he was gone, even if the Great Rebellion identity remained perfectly intact, with no one claiming it, naturally no one could use it against him.

The final result...

...would be that this identity would be buried in history alongside the real Great Rebellion. The three True Persons would lose him as their pawn, instantly losing the entire board!

'But... I have to hide.'

'I have to hide it right under the noses of the three True Persons. I can't expose the slightest intention of using water qi to break through, and I can't even let them grow suspicious.'

For this, he needed a smokescreen.

A perfectly reasonable smokescreen—one that would make all the True Persons think he was taking that path, while remaining utterly convinced he couldn't succeed, thus putting them at ease.

'The Martial Dao!'

Exactly, the Martial Dao was the perfect smokescreen!

Wang Ping suddenly understood.

Because of the First Seat, the three True Persons were definitely deeply wary of the Martial Dao. Feigning an attempt to break through their blockade using the Martial Dao was entirely logical and wouldn't leave a single flaw.

'However... it still isn't enough.'

Wang Ping's thoughts spun rapidly: 'The setup is flawless, but even the most perfect scheme will inevitably fall short at the last moment if the orchestrator lacks the strength to see it through.'

Although this Water Qi True Person possessed incredibly profound methods, he was ultimately facing three True Persons of the Immortal Gate, and possibly even an arhat from the Brahma Nation. If he wasn't at least somewhat wary of them, he wouldn't have stayed hidden until now. It was clear that he, too, was most likely waiting for an opportunity.

No matter how you looked at it, a battle between True Persons would be one against four.

'So he needs an opportunity, and I need one too—an opportunity to draw an opponent who currently stands on the opposite side over to ours.'

Where would this opportunity come from?

'From me. From me alone.'

This was exactly why the Water Qi True Person had given him 'the gentleman should hide his implements at the right time' and hinted at breaking through to the Tribulation Transcending Third Layer. This opportunity rested entirely on him!

In a flash, Wang Ping understood:

'The Brahma Nation, Baohu!'

'This opportunity is for me to cultivate 'the gentleman should hide his implements at the right time', concealing my weapon within, and then taking advantage of the Immortal-Brahma Sword Battle to secretly break through to the Tribulation Transcending Third Layer using water qi.'

'And then, with the force of a thunderbolt, I will instantly kill Baohu!'

'The moment Baohu dies, the outcome of the Immortal-Brahma Sword Battle will be set in stone. Great Shun will inevitably receive a massive boost in state fortune, and Xianfu can use that to execute his plan for the entire dynasty's ascension.'

'However, if at that exact moment, as the absolute greatest contributor to this victory, I choose to rebel and overthrow the imperial edict bestowed upon me by Xianfu, the backlash will severely cripple Great Shun's state fortune. At the very least, Xianfu and Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan's plan for the dynasty's ascension will certainly be shattered!'

When that time came, that True Person would face a very awkward dilemma.

Would he selflessly continue helping Daoist Master Hanguang Danyang and the Mysterious Wood Qi Daoist Master succeed, or would he turn around and ruin their schemes as well?

'A True Person of the Immortal Gate will definitely choose the latter!'

'After all, if he chooses the former, heaven only knows whether they will return the favor after succeeding. But if he chooses the latter, then no one succeeds, and they can continue collaborating.'

'So when the time comes, Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan will definitely defect!'

'Aside from him, there is also the Brahma Nation.'

'As a hand sent by the Brahma Nation's arhat to the Immortal-Brahma Sword Battle to reap benefits, the moment Baohu dies, that hand is chopped off.'

'When that happens, having gained absolutely nothing, the Brahma Nation's arhat will inevitably turn on the True Persons of the Immortal Gate. At the very least, he won't sit idly by and watch their schemes succeed. After all, if he gains nothing, why should he let anyone else benefit, let alone people from the Immortal Gate? With that, the entire grand layout will instantly flip on its head.'

One against four would turn into three against two.

This was the divine move that would completely dismantle the chessboard. It was the true intent behind 'the gentleman should hide his implements at the right time'. All the timing and opportunities rested squarely on Wang Ping's shoulders.

Hide the weapon within and wait for the right time to act.

Wait for the Immortal-Brahma Sword Battle, seize the perfect moment to instantly kill Baohu, sever all ties with the Great Rebellion, and completely detonate the True Persons' schemes!

Thinking of this, Wang Ping suddenly threw his head back and laughed aloud.

"True Person, I understand!"

Of course, this plan was not set in stone. It came with risks, and massive ones at that. The main issue was strength. Baohu's power was far beyond that of ordinary Brahma Cultivators.

Even Xianfu could at best fight her to a standstill, or perhaps even fall to a disadvantage. After all, during their previous battle, Xianfu had utilized his destiny form, but Baohu had not invoked her great vow. There was no telling what other methods she was hiding. Trying to kill her instantly with the force of a thunderbolt was going to be incredibly difficult.

But she had to be killed instantly.

Only an instant kill would leave everyone unable to react. The Brahma Nation's arhat wouldn't have time to rescue her, and the True Persons in the sky wouldn't be able to mount a response.

If the fight dragged on and gave them time to calmly adjust and react, the window of opportunity would vanish in the blink of an eye.

'That's fine.'

Wang Ping grinned, not feeling the slightest bit discouraged. Instead, he grew even more satisfied with the Water Qi True Person's plan: because in the end, everything relied entirely on himself!

I will walk through fire and water for this, True Person.

With this thought, Wang Ping closed his eyes. Immediately after, the surging Hidden Dragon Meridian-Circulating Nether-Penetrating Qi began to ripple with waves of gloomy darkness.

It was as if a gentle hand had stroked Wang Ping's cheek, gathering all of his recent deductions, answers, and thoughts into its palm before hiding them in the deepest recesses of his sea of consciousness. From this moment on, he had officially begun cultivating 'the gentleman should hide his implements at the right time'!

"Boom!"

In the next second, Wang Ping's mind violently soared upward. The qualitative change of his magic power and its interaction with the world's qi came to an end. His consciousness was about to return to reality.

And then, he saw them.

His physical body was sitting upright beside the Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron. But shockingly, surrounding him were three towering silhouettes that reached the heavens and connected to the earth.

A twenty-four-colored radiant light.

Thirty-six echoing thunder decrees.

The wind of eight directions submitting to heaven.

Wang Ping instantly realized. Daoist Master Hanguang Danyang, Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan, and the Mysterious Wood Qi Daoist Master—from the very beginning, they had been staring intently at him!

'These Biyang's...'

"Hmm?"

In the next second, a pair of profound eyes seemed to open within that twenty-four-colored radiant light. Its gaze, blazing like a torch, fell straight onto his body.