Top-Tier Perception Starts From Basic Fist Techniques-Chapter 94.1: Wave Intent Overwhelmed Six Divine Strength Experts! (I)
"It's Great Hero Zhuang!"
"Great Hero Zhuang has finally arrived!"
"Miaoshou Garden has hope now!"
Everyone in Miaoshou Garden was overjoyed.
Zhuang Shisan!
They had never seen Zhuang Shisan before, but they knew that he would definitely save them. After all, a person's reputation was like the shadow of a tree[1].
When Zhuang Shisan appeared, everyone became filled with hope. He hated evil as one would an enemy, and he also possessed a chivalrous, righteous heart. This was Zhuang Shisan's reputation. Throughout Nanyang Prefecture, no one's name carried greater weight than his.
Lu Changsheng walked forward step by step. At this moment, he was neither Dao Shi'er nor Lu Changsheng, but Great Hero Zhuang Shisan. Hence, his face darkened upon seeing the corpses strewn across Miaoshou Garden.
"Murdering so many physicians from Miaoshou Garden is not an honorable conduct. Tell me your name so you won't become an unnamed soul beneath my sword!"
Anyone could see that Zhuang Shisan was extremely enraged. His killing intent was sharp and chilling.
"So you truly are Zhuang Shisan!" Guo Jiuling's eyes narrowed slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "I am Guo Jiuling, the Cavern Master of Liyang Cavern under the Great Dragon Heavenly Cult!
"Zhuang Shisan, I'm here to find the murderer of my disciple Li Ji. This has nothing to do with you. Do you truly want to become enemies of my Great Dragon Heavenly Cult for the sake of these ordinary people?"
At first, Guo Jiuling treated Zhuang Shisan as a nobody from some backwater prefecture. When Zhuang Shisan's sword struck out earlier, however, Guo Jiuling felt a trace of apprehension. Those were some formidable attacks!
"You cannot represent the Great Dragon Heavenly Cult. At most, you can only represent Liyang Cavernm" Lu Changshen said, his eyes growing colder. "The Blood Fiend Sect and the Yan City stronghold of the Myriad Poison Sect that I destroyed... which of them is inferior to your Liyang Cavern? Committing murder within Nanyang City warrants the penalty of death!"
He knew of the Great Dragon Heavenly Cult. It was a powerful force in jianghu, but it had far too many subordinate factions. The so-called seven islands and thirty-six caverns were merely its affiliates, and a mere Liyang Cavern was not qualified to make use of the Great Dragon Heavenly Cult's authority.
Guo Jiuling's eyes brimmed with murderous intent. Since he became the Cavern Master of Liyang Cavern, had someone ever dared to be so insolent toward him?
"You—" Before Guo Jiuling could utter another word, Zhuang Shisan moved.
Lu Changsheng threw a punch. A thunderous roar erupted within him as he decisively unleashed the First Dragon Transformation.
His physical body was strengthened by thirty percent, allowing the punch to reach the strength of one hundred four cauldrons, barely stepping into the Hundred Cauldrons Stage.
At the same time, Guo Jiuling struck out with a palm.
The fist and palm collided with explosive force.
BOOM.
Guo Jiuling raised his brows slightly. "Hm? So you truly are at the Hundred Cauldrons Stage!"
In truth, he had already guessed that Zhuang Shisan was at the Hundred Cauldrons Stage, but this exchange had confirmed his doubts. Even so, he felt at ease. After all, not all Hundred Cauldrons martial artists were equal.
He hailed from the Great Dragon Heavenly Cult with formidable divine arts and secret techniques. In terms of combat strength, he stood among the very best, even within the Hundred Cauldrons Stage. What could a mere Zhuang Shisan amount to compared to him?
"It is indeed impressive for a Hundred Cauldrons' martial artist to rule over Nanyang Prefecture. Unfortunately, I am your opponent now—"
Lu Changsheng did not waste words. He already grasped his opponent's level of strength, so there was no need for further probing.
Rumble!
Rumbling noises echoed from within Lu Changsheng. His blood qi erupted explosively as he instantly unleashed the Third Dragon Transformation. His physical strength doubled and reached a terrifying two hundred forty cauldrons. The boundless and overwhelming force of his fist descended like a mountain, instantly engulfing Guo Jiuling before pressing down on him. In that instant, a sense of foreboding pervaded Guo Jiuling's heart.
How is this possible?! Guo Jiuling could keenly feel the might of Zhuang Shisan's punch, and he could hardly believe it. That was definitely beyond two hundred cauldrons of strength! Does Zhuang Shisan have a secret technique as well?
However, secret techniques that could amplify strength to such a degree were rare, and it took Guo Jiuling decades to cultivate even a single one. Needless to say, he had yet to master it as well.
"Blood Burning!" Guo Jiuling's blood qi boiled. He didn't hesitate in the slightest and immediately unleashed his secret technique. His aura surged sharply as well.
Bang!
The two clashed once more, and Guo Jiuling could definitely feel the difference in their strength. It was not a small difference, but an enormous gap. Even after using the secret technique, he could only barely reach close to two hundred cauldrons of strength.
However, Zhuang Shisan's punch had clearly surpassed two hundred cauldrons.
How can he be this strong? Guo Jiuling felt his arm snap, and it interrupted his train of thought. If that terrifying force broke through his arm and struck his chest, he would certainly die!
I will not die. How can I die? Between life and death lay great terror, and Guo Jiuling almost couldn't think at all as he let out a piercing whistle. Despite being a piercing whistle, the sound echoed in Lu Changsheng's mind like a great bell's toll.
"Lin!" Guo Jiuling uttered a single word, and that single word made Lu Changsheng freeze, and his mind turned black as well.
Guo Jiuling took advantage of that pause and retreated madly. His arm was broken, and the pain was unbearable, but he seemed not to care at all. At this moment, he only wanted to flee as far away from Zhuang Shisan as possible.
Lu Changsheng came back to his senses. He looked at Guo Jiuling and coldly asked, "The Nine-Character Thunder Chant?"
Lu Changsheng himself possessed the Nine-Character Thunder Chant, but it only vibrated one's bones and internal organs. It was an auxiliary secret technique used to temper the body, applicable only to those below the Divine Strength Realm.
How was it that Guo Jiuling's Nine-Character Thunder Chant could be used for combat? Even he was momentarily stunned by it. Had it not been for that, Lu Changsheng's punch would have certainly killed Guo Jiuling.
Still shaken, Guo Jiuling paused slightly upon hearing that.
"This is indeed the Nine-Character Thunder Chant! Wait... How did you know about the Nine-Character Thunder Chant? I once sent Li Ji to seize it, but he died, and someone else took it away—" Guo Jiuling suddenly came back to his senses and stared transfixed at Zhuang Shisan. "Did you kill Li Ji?"
Lu Changsheng nodded and said, "That's right. I killed Li Ji!"
Guo Jiuling's face grew even darker.
Zheng Renxin and the others stood in a daze.
"So Great Hero Zhuang saved us back then?"
Zheng Renxin felt an odd sense of dissonance. Back then, the figure of Li Ji's murderer didn't quite match Zhuang Shisan's figure. However, disguises were common in this world. Moreover, that mysterious person wielded a short sword, and Zhuang Shisan also used a short sword. It lined up.
Crack.
Guo Jiuling reattached his broken arm. He took a deep breath and gradually suppressed the anger in his heart. Then, he finally took Zhuang Shisan seriously.
Clearly, he had underestimated Zhuang Shisan and the martial artists of the world. In a true one-on-one fight, he would most likely not be Zhuang Shisan's match.
Guo Jiuling sneered and said, "People of the Myriad Poison Cult, how long do you plan to keep on waiting? Until Zhuang Shisan beats me to death? If that's the case, I'll just go and leave Zhuang Shisan to your Myriad Poison Cult!"
Lu Changsheng did not seem surprised. He looked up, and his gaze seemed to pass through Guo Jiuling before falling on the space behind him. There were five figures there!
Tap, tap, tap.
Clear footsteps rang out. The five figures moved and slowly emerged from the darkness of the night.
"Cavern Master Guo, I warned you long ago that Zhuang Shisan isn't someone you should provoke. However, you believed the martial arts of Liyang Cavern are unrivalled under heaven, and you didn't take Zhuang Shisan seriously.
"Now, do you finally understand how formidable Zhuang Shisan truly is?" asked a familiar voice among the five figures.
Guo Jiuling snorted coldly and replied, "Wang Jiudu, what is the point of spouting such remarks when there's such a formidable enemy before us?"
Soon, the five figures appeared beside Guo Jiuling. A middle-aged man looking refined and composed stood among them. He cupped his hands toward Lu Changsheng and said, "I am Wang Jiudu, the Cult Master of the Myriad Poison Cult. Greetings, Great Hero Zhuang!"
Lu Changsheng's eyes narrowed slightly. "Myriad Poison Cult, Liyang Cavern... Good, you're all here. I will kill all of you, and there will be no more trouble afterward."
Lu Changsheng knew why the people of the Myriad Poison Cult had come here. He had killed the Myriad Poison Cult's Guardian Elder Zhao Wuji, a Divine Strength martial artist.
The Myriad Poison Cult was known in jianghu for avenging even the slightest grievance. How could they possibly remain indifferent? Especially, when the time for revenge had come! 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞
"Kill!"
Wang Jiudu was known as "Nine Poisons," and he naturally excelled in poison arts. The four Divine Strength Realm elders behind him rushed at Zhuang Shisan at once. The blood qi and aura of the Divine Strength Realm erupted from all of them at once.
At the same time, Wang Jiudu's blood qi burst out of him. It wasn't completely blood red, as something dark seemed to have merged with it.
It was poison! Even Wang Jiudu's blood qi contained poison!
1. 人的名，树的影 rén de míng, shù de yǐng. Just as a tree's shadow can be seen before the tree itself comes into view, a person's name and reputation often arrive ahead of them. The saying emphasises that reputation is hard to hide and naturally reflects one's actions and standing. ☜
