Chapter 323: Seeking the 《Poison Sand Palm》

“Wangchuan!”

“You’ve broken through?”

Cui Mingjue rushed into the training grounds the moment he heard the long howl.

The howl had caused Old Seven to show surprise on his face, and he immediately sent Cui Mingjue to check on Wangchuan.

Wangchuan silently activated the 《Qingcheng Heart Method》 for one full cycle to dispel his fatigue and restore his energy. He then turned to face Cui Mingjue, whose expression was filled with uncertainty, and gave him a clear and calm smile.

“It seems like I’ve broken through.”

“Quick!”

“Let’s go see Old Seven!”

Cui Mingjue was overjoyed and urged Wangchuan, “Old Seven will be so pleased when he hears about your breakthrough.”

Right now, the Caobang Sanhe Commandery hall was facing both internal and external challenges, and a strong presence was desperately needed.

Having a Third-Rank Martial Artist now was like a shot of adrenaline for the hall.

A flicker of complexity flashed in Wangchuan’s eyes.

He slowly stood up.

“Alright!”

“I’ll go with you to see Old Seven.”

Initially, Wangchuan had no intention of rushing to break through to Third-Rank.

He didn’t want to raise suspicion from the three hall masters.

But times had changed.

Old Seven was severely poisoned and injured, unable to move, almost like a cripple.

Zhao Jinshan, too, was severely wounded and had withdrawn to the headquarters.

Now, the hall was left with only Deputy Hall Master Lin Cunxin, who wasn’t particularly skilled in hand-to-hand combat.

Given that the hall needed him to take charge, Wangchuan knew that breaking through to Third-Rank now was the right time!

Old Seven and Lin Cunxin both needed him.

The hall needed a Third-Rank Martial Artist to oversee things.

After taking over the Armory, Wangchuan had used martial arts manuals to win the affection of all the disciples from the Four Helms, Three Islands, and Seven Mines. He had the support of the people.

Coincidentally, the Beggar Sect challenge would not happen again within a year…

Internally, there were no problems.

Externally, challenges were still far off.

Everything was aligned—the perfect timing!

If he didn’t break through now, when would he?

Wangchuan and Cui Mingjue walked into Old Seven’s courtyard.

Old Seven had already regained some strength. When he saw Wangchuan, he carefully studied him and said:

“Did you break through?”

His body was still weak, which was why he asked with some uncertainty.

Wangchuan knew that Old Seven’s vision was impaired due to the poison, and his senses were affected, so he couldn’t clearly see Wangchuan.

Wangchuan stepped forward, bowed, and said:

“Old Seven!”

“I have broken through to Third-Rank.”

“Good!”

Old Seven extended his hand, gripping Wangchuan’s hand, and patted it.

“Very good!”

“You haven’t let me down.”

“Now that you’ve reached Third-Rank, your strength has increased. The hall will be safer… This should help buy us time for Hall Master Yin to complete his task and return.”

“Rest assured, Old Seven. You focus on recovering, I’ll handle the hall’s affairs.”

“Mm.”

Old Seven let out a sigh of relief.

At this moment, Cui Mingjue quietly spoke up from the side:

“Old Seven.”

“Since Deputy Hall Master Wangchuan has reached Third-Rank, according to our Caobang’s rules, he is eligible to apply for a Fourth-Rank martial arts manual. What do you think?”

Wangchuan’s heart stirred.

He hadn’t expected that Cui Mingjue would bring this up at this moment.

Old Seven raised his eyebrows slightly and nodded repeatedly, smiling:

“Good idea.”

“This poison really has me muddled.”

“Wangchuan, your most pressing task now is to cultivate a Fourth-Rank martial art. A Mid-Rank martial art is much harder to cultivate than a Low-Rank one, but once mastered, its power is immense! I will write a letter and apply for a Fourth-Rank martial arts manual for you.”

Old Seven looked like he had only just remembered this and asked lightly:

“Wangchuan, do you prefer saber techniques, sword techniques, or perhaps fist techniques?”

Without thinking, Wangchuan cupped his fists and replied:

“Old Seven!”

“I would like to request the martial arts manual for 《Poison Sand Palm》.”

As soon as he said this, Old Seven’s eyes widened in disbelief. He stared at Wangchuan, unable to believe what he had just heard.

Cui Mingjue, too, had not expected this response.

Wangchuan cupped his fists and explained:

“I am deeply indebted to you, Old Seven. Since I learned of your poisoning from the Poison Palm, and no one could come to help extract the poison and treat the wounds, I’ve been anxious every day. My daily practice was to break through to Third-Rank as soon as possible, so I could learn the Fourth-Rank martial art 《Poison Sand Palm》 and extract the poison for you!”

“…”

Cui Mingjue looked toward Old Seven.

Old Seven’s mouth hung open, and he didn’t close it for a long time.

After a long pause, Old Seven sighed deeply:

“You kid, you really have a good heart.”

“Unfortunately, 《Poison Sand Palm》 is difficult to master. Even if you succeed in learning it, who knows when that will be? You shouldn’t waste such a precious martial arts manual on me. After all, this is your future path in Sanhe Commandery.”

Old Seven truly hadn’t expected that Wangchuan would bring up mastering the technique to extract the poison for him.

Wangchuan looked determined and replied:

“I have a talent for martial arts, Old Seven. You should allow me to try! Perhaps I can succeed!”

“...”

“Sigh.”

Old Seven sighed again, and a tear formed in the corner of his eye from the emotion.

“Fine.”

“Since you’re so determined, I will fulfill your wish... Mingjue, go and fetch the 《Poison Sand Palm》 manual for him.”

At this, Wangchuan froze in place.

What?

The hall had a 《Poison Sand Palm》 martial arts manual?

He looked at Old Seven and Cui Mingjue in disbelief.

Cui Mingjue blinked and quickly entered the room. He came back with a manual.

《Poison Sand Palm》

Wangchuan took the manual in his hands.

Old Seven explained:

“This martial arts manual was obtained by Hall Master Yin for me. It was originally intended for Deputy Hall Master Lin Cunxin to practice, but since he’s still recovering from his injuries and worries about the poison invading his body, he couldn’t practice it, so it was set aside…”

“Since you’ve broken through today, and you’ve specifically requested to learn 《Poison Sand Palm》, this manual clearly has a connection with you. Whether or not you succeed in mastering it, I won’t hold it against you!”

“If you still need a Fourth-Rank martial arts manual, I’ll still go ahead and apply for it for you…”

Wangchuan was taken aback.

So Old Seven wasn’t just sitting idly by waiting for a master to come teach him the technique—he had already been in contact with Hall Master Yin to prepare the 《Poison Sand Palm》 martial arts manual in advance, just in case he needed it.

“Rest assured, Old Seven!”

“I will put my full effort into practicing 《Poison Sand Palm》 and strive to master it as soon as possible.”

“As for the other martial arts manual, there’s no rush.”

Wangchuan replied.

Old Seven showed a satisfied smile:

“Good.”

“《Poison Sand Palm》 is very difficult to master. It requires a Third-Rank martial artist’s cultivation, and you must also have cultivated internal energy techniques to a certain level. Additionally… Hall Master Yin has already provided the key to practicing 《Poison Sand Palm》. I’ll have Mingjue prepare some poison sand to assist you in your practice.”

“Understood!”

Wangchuan’s heart soared with excitement.

With guidance, he could quickly master 《Poison Sand Palm》. This was truly a shortcut!

Old Seven had really thought things through in order to save himself and ensure his survival.

Wangchuan couldn’t help but wonder if Old Seven had planned this all along when he brought him to the hall—perhaps he had already considered him as a backup plan.