"Sir Xiong sure loves to jest. How can I ever hope to push you back, no matter how hard I try?" Zhao Yunxiao tried to laugh the matter off.
And he was not just being humble either.
There was too large a gap between their cultivation levels. As an Essence Gathering realm cultivator, it would be difficult for him to hurt someone at the Dao Rune realm even if the latter just stood there to take the hits freely.
"Don't worry, I won't be guarding myself with essence energy," Xiong Yekong said.
"...Even so, the lowly me would never be able to do so," Zhao Yunxiao answered deferentially.
"Why don't you just give it a try? After all, there's nothing to lose for you, is there?" Xiong Yekong urged.
"...Really?" Zhao Yunxiao asked carefully.
"Yes, really."
Zhao Yunxiao closely observed the look on Xiong Yekong's face. It seemed that he was serious.
Even then, Zhao Yunxiao knew better than to get his hopes up.
If it were any other cultivator, not guarding themselves with essence energy might just make things possible. However, Xiong Yekong was a different story.
And that was because he was a cultivator of the body strengthening system.
Depending on how far he had advanced on the body strengthening path, just his body alone might provide a level of defence higher than what a layer of essence energy protection could do!
But as Xiong Yekong had said, there was no harm in trying.
By personally experiencing Xiong Yekong's physical defence, perhaps he could get a better sense of what the body strengthening system could lead to. That would be beneficial in setting a vision for the future.
If he failed to push Xiong Yekong back, he would simply not get the gifts that he was not supposed to receive in the first place. If he succeeded by some stroke of miraculous luck, he would even be able to get something free out of this.
The only bad outcome for him would be if Xiong Yekong went back on his word, and decided to frame Zhao Yunxiao for trying to attack him.
But surely the famous Feral Claw Xiong Yekong would not do something like that... right?
"Don't worry, I won't get you in trouble. I am just curious about something," Xiong Yekong said upon noticing Zhao Yunxiao's conflicted expression.
"May I know what you are curious about, Sir Xiong?" Zhao Yunxiao asked.
"You can choose to know that as your reward if you succeed in pushing me back," Xiong Yekong chuckled.
"Hah... well then, I shall trust Sir Xiong's words on this..." Zhao Yunxiao said as he made up his mind.
"That's right, you can trust me," Xiong Yekong grinned. "Come, give me your best shot!"
Zhao Yunxiao took a deep breath and readied himself.
Thankfully, there was quite a bit of space in between each row of treasures, so there was no need for them to change locations just for this.
Hit him with the hardest strike possible?
There was one technique that immediately came to mind – the Xuanwu Fist Art's Immovable Shell. That would technically be his strongest attack without any external help.
But Xiong Yekong did not specify that he had to do it with his own strength, did he?
Carefully watching Xiong Yekong's expression, Zhao Yunxiao slowly pulled out a bunch of array flags from his spatial pouch.
"What are you doing?" Xiong Yekong frowned immediately.
"...I guess that's a no?" Zhao Yunxiao asked hesitantly.
"Do this without the help of any external items!" Xiong Yekong berated impatiently.
"Well, I just thought that considering how amazing Sir Xiong is, with your amazing physical prowess and incredib-"
"Why don't we just get to it?"
"R-Right..." Zhao Yunxiao reluctantly stored away the array flags.
He got into his battle stance, driving his dantian to the limit as he channelled as much essence energy to his right fist as possible.
[Immovable Shell]
He mustered all the strength in his muscles, coupling it with essence energy to drive forth the hardest punch he could muster. This was not just the heaviest move in the Xuanwu Fist Art, but also the strongest punch in his arsenal.
If this still ended up failing, then it could only mean that he was still lacking as an individual!
Xiong Yekong's eyes narrowed, carefully scrutinising Zhao Yunxiao's every movement as the latter threw the punch towards him. In that instant, hundreds of different small details fell into Xiong Yekong's eyes as he fully analysed Zhao Yunxiao's attack in terms of both technique and power.
Then, he simply closed his eyes and braced for the impact – the impact that was not exactly what he had been expecting.
Bang-!
Zhao Yunxiao's Immovable Shell collided with Xiong Yekong's chest with a thunderous clap, creating vibrations through the air that rattled the nearer shelves.
Yet Xiong Yekong stood firm.
"Is that all?" Xiong Yekong slowly opened his eyes and asked, his tone hiding a slight tinge of confusion.
The technique was good, but the power was lacking. All things considered, it was definitely a decent punch. However, someone at this level was still not nearly impressive enough to warrant such attention from Chen Pingxi.
Was he still missing something? Or was Chen Pingxi the one who had been mistaken?
Or could it be that this man was not a combat specialist?
"...Yes, that was all that I've got," Zhao Yunxiao answered with a mix of resignation and respect. "Sir Xiong sure is amazing. I am truly in awe of your amazing physical prowess."
Xiong Yekong truly lived up to his name – his physique was simply ridiculous. Even after putting all his strength into the punch, he felt akin to an ordinary mortal punching a wall.
Zhao Yunxiao might have already expected such a result, but he had held onto some slim hopes for a miracle to happen. Because of that, seeing the result being set in stone still felt slightly disappointing.
"Your technique is good. You must have practised this a lot," Xiong Yekong praised, though those words sounded rather hollow at this juncture.
"Thank you for the kind words," Zhao Yunxiao replied politely nevertheless.
"All right, we are done here now," Xiong Yekong quickly stored away the gifts that Zhao Yunxiao had picked out earlier. "Let's return."
He was still rather unsure about Zhao Yunxiao, but there was no need to overdo it today. In fact, he had already decided on the next way of putting Zhao Yunxiao to the test!
Since that was already decided, there was no need to waste any more time here today.
"I understand," Zhao Yunxiao nodded, though he could not help but steal one last glance at the vast array of treasures that they were leaving behind – treasures that could be said to have just slipped through his fingers.
If he had been stronger, he would have walked out of this chamber a richer man. In the end, his failure was simply because he had not been prepared enough to grasp this opportunity that had fallen straight into his lap.
Thinking of this, he decided that he definitely had to open the Mind Gate as soon as possible after he returned to Purple Plum Mountain, commencing his cultivation of the body strengthening system!
***
Thankfully, the group from the Black Tortoise Sect were rather pleased when they received the gifts from Xiong Yekong.
After another short exchange of formalities, the group left the wooden mansion in two separate groups.
While the others proceeded to a private venue to commence their discussion on the plans for the next day, Gan Luozhi and Zhao Yunxiao were led by Qing Fengxi to have dinner with the outer disciples of the Armed Ape Tower.
On the way there, Gan Luozhi once again put his charms on full display, talking about all his amazing accomplishments and how he was expecting to be named an inner disciple by the end of the year. By the time they arrived at the canteen, the female attendant's eyes were literally sparkling when she looked at him.
And Gan Luozhi did not stop there either.
Upon seeing the number of outer disciples gathered at the canteen, Gan Luozhi only became more encouraged to play himself up as a person with not only great individual accomplishments, but also extensive connections within the Black Tortoise Sect. With that, he quickly gathered a small crowd that was listening intently to his outlandish stories.
To the outer disciples of the Armed Ape Tower, the Black Tortoise Sect had always been a superior entity. As long as Gan Luozhi did not go too overboard with his exaggerations, nobody would truly question the authenticity of his words.
In that regard, Zhao Yunxiao had to admit that Gan Luozhi was able to find the perfect balance – using 80% facts to support the 20% fiction. Listening to the way he spoke, even a slightly less informed member of the Black Tortoise Sect might have been convinced by him!
Perhaps this was why Hua Sheng liked having him around so much. He was truly quite good with his words.
It did not take long before Gan Luozhi gained quite a few fans among the ranks of the Armed Ape Tower.
As for Zhao Yunxiao, he could not be bothered to interrupt.
Whatever Gan Luozhi wanted to do was up to him. As long as it did not affect Zhao Yunxiao, Zhao Yunxiao would mind his own business.
However, he did not just sit there and eat in silence either.
He scanned the canteen carefully, observing everyone present to see if there was anything of interest. Finally, he zoomed in on a group of three youngsters who were not only seated in a corner, but had also periodically shot looks of disdain towards the rambling Gan Luozhi.
"May I join you?" Zhao Yunxiao walked up to them with his plate of food.
The three youngsters – two young men and one young lady – all of whom looked to be in their mid twenties, looked at him in surprise.
"Please do," one of the young men replied after a short pause.
"Thank you," Zhao Yunxiao sat down at their table while speaking with a clear tinge of nervousness. "I am Zhao Yunxiao from the Black Tortoise Sect. I am honoured to make your acquaintances."
Those words created another layer of surprise for the group. As disciples of the Armed Ape Tower, they were not exactly used to members of the Black Tortoise Sect treating them with such caution and respect.
"Don't say that. It is our honour to be acquainted with a member of one of the Four Great Symbol Sects instead. I am Lie Xian of the Armed Ape Tower."
"Bo Qianhui."
"Weng Quan."
"Hah, Brother Lie sure is putting things seriously," Zhao Yunxiao let out a self-deprecating laugh. "While the Black Tortoise Sect is definitely amazing, the Armed Ape Tower is not far behind either. And in any case, I am just an outer disciple, and dare not claim to be great simply because of the accomplishments of my seniors. In the end, it is still our own abilities that should define us."
"By your logic, why would you claim to be honoured to meet us? Just like you, we are only outer disciples as well," Lie Xian narrowed his eyes.
"I don't say that lightly," Zhao Yunxiao shook his head. "I say that not just because of your identity as disciples of the Armed Ape Tower, but because disciples of the Armed Ape Tower are known practitioners of both the essence energy and body strengthening systems. Cultivating two different power systems at once can only be twice as difficult. So why would I not be honoured to meet people with the resilience to follow through on this?"
"Hahaha! Brother Zhao's words are too kind. I'm sure you have your own strengths that deserve respect as well. Even if nothing else, that unique perspective of yours when viewing the world is already quite something!" Lie Xian laughed. "But I definitely do agree with your views. What good is it to simply claim greatness because of the accomplishments of others?"
"Exactly! In the end, one has to be judged by their own capabilities!" Bo Qianhui chimed in.
"Only by achieving individual greatness can one truly be proud of themselves," Weng Quan agreed.
"Haha! It sure is rare to meet friends who share the same worldview!" Zhao Yunxiao laughed before retrieving a jar from his spatial pouch. "To show my sincerity in befriending everyone, here is some Purple Plum Wine that I have been reluctant to drink, carefully saving it for the right occasion. If everyone here doesn't mind, shall we let it mark the beginning of our friendship?"
"Purple Plum Wine?" Lie Xian asked. "I have not heard of it before. Is it a specialty of the Purple Plum Mountain?"
"This is something that I have managed to brew after years of experiments and testing. It is not for sale on the market, so it would be more surprising if you have heard of it before," Zhao Yunxiao explained with a grin. "After all, didn't we just say that only our own accomplishments truly deserve recognition? In that light, what better wine is there to celebrate our acquaintance?"
80% facts. 20% fiction.
While it was indeed his own creation, this Purple Plum Wine was just something that he had brewed for fun. Rather than years of experiments, it only took a few rounds of experimenting to get the flavour right.
"Hahaha! That's true!" Lie Xian let out a hearty laugh. "Let this Purple Plum Wine mark the beginning of our friendship!"
"Cheers!" Zhao Yunxiao poured a cup for everyone before raising his cup.
"Cheers!" the three responded in kind.
Just like that, the four of them had a toast in their own private corner of the canteen, which was quickly followed by deeper conversations about their life experiences in general. Without them realising it, the conversation started to steer bit by bit, eventually leading to everyone sharing useful training regimes.
And with the Armed Ape Tower placing such great importance on cultivating the body strengthening system, how could the three youngsters ever avoid bringing that up during this discussion?