Chapter 1380: Chapter 182: Demonic Flowers, Dancing Butterflies, Heart’s Return; One Finger Cuts the River, Yu Mingluan

Splash.

Xu Shu, expressionless, gently closed the toilet lid and pressed the flush button.

As the water gurgled down with a siphoning sound, his expression twisted slightly, as if feeling a bit exhausted, he sat down on the toilet lid with a heavy exhale, thinking to himself that it was a close call.

The impulse brought by the sudden enlightenment of the ultimate skill was really formidable. Luckily, he had the upper hand, relying on his superhuman strength of will, he forcibly resisted the terrifying idea of siphoning out all the liquid in the sewage system. He was truly able to turn back from the brink. Halt before the abyss. A return to the right path...

And during this struggle against himself, he also gained a relatively comprehensive and detailed understanding of this ultimate skill, and deeply memorized it in his mind, complemented by the Tai Chu scroll.

[Ultimate Skill: Two-finger Zen]

[It can also be called Siphon Finger, Double Dragon Water Absorption Finger, Powerful Dragon Clamping Finger, etc. Once you grasp the essence, it’s about right; don’t get hung up on the literal meaning.]

[Its principle is to use the special "Water Manipulation Force" from the "Dragon Elephant" concept, attached between the fingers, and then through rapid rotation and twisting undetectable by the naked eye, form a vortex-like power akin to a black hole in an extremely small area at the fingertip.]

[Under such power, water within a certain range will be drawn in. As long as you desire, whether it’s a secluded pool or a deep lake, you can draw it dry in a single motion. Even great rivers and streams can be uprooted, converged at your fingertip.]

[Someday, if mastered to perfection, even the vast oceans might be siphoned, turning the sea into fertile fields!]

[In comparison, the so-called ’raging floodwaters’ of the Peach Blossom Pool seem trivial. Even if the Peach Blossom Pool water is a thousand feet deep, how could it possibly withstand your powerful siphoning, ribbit!]

"Water Manipulation Force... Dragon, dragon, dragon power controlling water? Is that what it means?"

"Does that mean the subsequent breakthrough ability could be what’s called ’Elephant Power’? I wonder what that will be..."

"Would others who grasp the Dragon Elephant concept also come to understand such a skill?"

Xu Shu was quite curious, his eyes gleaming brightly.

If it truly reached the level described, perhaps the so-called ’universe at the fingertip’ realm in some folk legends is nothing more!

—However, these are merely conceptual ’limits’.

Frankly, they’re fairly abstract.

As for the actual power, Xu Shu pondered for a moment, somewhat uncertain.

Simply draining a bathtub or a sewer reveals nothing of the skill’s true power.

But there’s no suitable place in the city to try it out... Maybe head to Upper City and find a big swimming pool to test it?

But even the largest swimming pool in Upper City isn’t much. You could achieve that with a random water pump. To truly test the limits, you’d need at least a small lake, no, a larger lake or a big river to discover the upper limits.

Besides, the Tai Chu scroll’s description of "draining the Peach Blossom Pool" seems a bit sinister, as if it could also... um, wait, does this water manipulation skill mean it could even siphon the ’water’ inside an enemy, in a broader sense? Xu Shu’s expression suddenly froze.

If that’s truly the case, the destructive power is far from being as simple as it seems!

Imagine, for instance, still battling against Yan Hui, the peak Grandmaster, who uses tricks to suppress him. Just when he’s about to emerge victorious, he’s suddenly dehydrated by Xu Shu’s two-finger Zen. Even if not completely drained, just partially extracting the water would suffice—what would happen then?

It would certainly be an instantaneous reversal of attack and defense!

No, this is too important a matter and must be investigated! He needs to find a suitable place and a fitting target!

Looking through the crisscrossing overpasses, Xu Shu gazed at the misty sky outside, carrying a faint smell of gunpowder, and pondered slightly.

Though it was still quite early, not even five o’clock, the streets outside were already filled with pedestrians, and the first bus to the outskirts had already departed.

After all, the fake working-class people are still complaining that their year-end bonuses aren’t enough to cover a few foot massages, while the true working-class folks are already lining up in the metro to catch the first shift.

"Where would be suitable? Ideally, somewhere not too conspicuous, and most importantly, having a live enemy to test on..."

"Ah, if I remember correctly, not far outside the western part of the city, there’s a place that fits my requirements—deep in the old forest, sparsely populated, with a fairly sizable water source, and most importantly, plenty of creatures penned up there, perfect for me to showcase my skills!"

Xu Shu’s eyes spun around and he thought of a great place to go to.

He didn’t hesitate any longer, quickly changed into clean clothes and packed a small bag after tidying up.

"Leaving home again, meow?"

Alice coiled up by the pillow, a large bundle, looked on with curious gemstone-like cat eyes, barely pausing from holding a blue gem with her two paws, gnawed into a pitted shape.

Xu Shu nodded and glanced at the time, saying, "Won’t be long, I’ll be back by noon at the latest."

"Oh. Alice watches the house, Alice good; Xu Shu always leaves, Xu Shu bad!" The orange cat muttered a curse, feeling indignant.

Yet Xu Shu approached the door, dressed neatly, and patted a newly purchased black cat backpack, saying, "Why are you just standing there? Aren’t you getting in?"

"Meow?" Alice raised her head, puzzled, scrutinizing Xu Shu, suspicious of why he was acting differently today, as he usually left her at home.

"Are you stupid? What’s there to see in this hotel room? Get in, let’s go together." Xu Shu chuckled lightly.