Chapter 155: Coach Tie Zhongxiao

Just how formidable a martial arts grandmaster actually was, Ou Xiaolu and A Luo learned the hard way; after their experimental spar, neither of them ever wanted to suffer such humiliation again.

The two of them had launched a joint challenge against Tie Zhongxiao. But what happened? The [Purple Thunder Heaven Escape] could not even keep up with Tie Zhongxiao's movement speed, the fourfold defense of the [Purple Veil Robe] was shattered by just two punches, and in the end, Tie Zhongxiao simply ignored the black sand spewed out by A Luo and rubbed both of their faces into the floor.

Dragged back to his feet by Emilia, Ou Xiaolu protested with unconcealed grievance, "Aren't I a martial arts grandmaster too? Why am I still no match for you?"

"That is because your grandmaster status lacks any genuine personal insight of your own. You merely obtained the corresponding power from me without fully mastering it. You can only exert about sixty percent of a grandmaster's true potential."

"Well then, I'll be counting on you for all our future fights." Ou Xiaolu now felt as though he had latched onto a colossal golden thigh.

"Absolutely not. I desire combat, but you must fight as well. I will only intervene against opponents who surpass my level; those whose strength is on par with mine shall be handled by you." Tie Zhongxiao flat out rejected Ou Xiaolu's proposal.

Before Ou Xiaolu could even react, Emilia shouted from the side, "Mister, mister, you're so strong! Let's have a fight!"

Tie Zhongxiao glanced at Emilia. "Interesting."

A split second later, Emilia was smashed face-first into the ground, unable to move a muscle for a long while.

At this moment, a thought struck Ou Xiaolu. He pulled out the strand of hair belonging to the Black Emperor. "Take a look at this."

"Oh? This is rather interesting." Tie Zhongxiao took the hair and inspected it. "This belongs to an emperor, doesn't it?"

"How can you tell?" Ou Xiaolu asked with a puzzled expression.

"It is imbued with the destiny of a nation. He has shouldered an entire country upon himself, and that national destiny has slowly transformed him. He has traveled quite far down the path of imperial fortune, though it is not my path." Tie Zhongxiao handed the hair back to Ou Xiaolu.

"Can I learn this?" Ou Xiaolu asked.

Tie Zhongxiao looked at Ou Xiaolu, contemplated for a long moment, and finally said, "You can, but it is rather pointless. You cannot attain a nation's destiny, and furthermore, national fortunes fluctuate; they represent the collective will of the living, making this an exceptionally arduous road. Using it merely as an auxiliary is fine, but attempting to force your way along this path will bring you endless trouble."

"What about other kinds of destiny?"

"They are likewise the condensation of faith. Whichever path you choose, you must climb all the way to the very summit."

Hearing Tie Zhongxiao's words, Ou Xiaolu felt somewhat deflated. "Are there any methods for me to improve rapidly in a short time?"

"Yes. I have collected quite a few martial arts manuals. I understand them at a glance, and some should suit you well. I can teach you if you wish to learn, but my training methods might be a bit unconventional—I am accustomed to elevating myself through actual combat. Can you keep up with that?"

"I can." Ou Xiaolu hesitated for a moment before finally agreeing, though he refused to bear the burden alone. "Right, I actually have quite a few youngsters with potential on my side. For instance, Booth is a young chivalrous wanderer of the pugilistic world, possessing ten years of internal energy and remarkable swordsmanship."

Tie Zhongxiao blinked, made a quick mental estimation, and replied, "One strike will finish him."

"As for that A Luo..."

"One strike!"

"Emilia..."

"One strike!"

Finally, Tie Zhongxiao declared, "Say no more. I will find time to teach you all a few things. You are far too lacking; you need much more practice."

True to his word, Tie Zhongxiao even contacted Booth through the [Cross-World Gaming] system and handpicked various distinct martial arts techniques tailored to each person's habits.

Booth relied equally on swordsmanship, hidden weapons, and lightness skills, fitting the profile of a flexible wandering martial artist. Therefore, Tie Zhongxiao selected the agile [Ape Lord Swordsmanship] for him. As for the previous Lion King Swordsmanship, in Tie Zhongxiao's eyes, it was merely meant for charging enemy battle arrays; letting Booth practice it was simply a waste of such fine physical conditioning.

Next was A Luo. Having already sparred with her, Tie Zhongxiao possessed a deeper understanding of her situation. A Luo's combat style relied entirely on instinct and the Lung Meridian Golden Fiend Wind Sand Art. Once these two aspects were cracked, A Luo would be left with virtually no combat capability.

Consequently, Tie Zhongxiao simply helped A Luo choose the [White Tiger Heaven-Shattering Fist]. This was a boxing style originally created by a certain supreme expert after witnessing the legendary combat of a White Tiger. Of course, that was the initial concept, but over time it evolved, gradually incorporating the intents of both the saber and the sword.

In Tie Zhongxiao's words, once A Luo mastered this, she would no longer need to rely solely on instinct and innate talent in battle.

As for Emilia, Tie Zhongxiao believed her foundations were quite solid, evidently the result of specialized training since childhood. Being the only young woman among them, her diligence far surpassed that of useless fellows like Ou Xiaolu.

However, the techniques Emilia had learned previously were far too simplistic, with her offensive moves consisting of nothing more than straightforward shield bashes or spear thrusts. Thus, Tie Zhongxiao selected two sets of techniques for her.

One was the [Mountain Shield Strike], and the other was the [Heavenly Star Spear Technique]. The [Mountain Shield Strike] would amplify the impact of Emilia's shield charges, making them hit with the force of an avalanche, while the [Heavenly Star Spear Technique] was a speed-based spear art that could instantly unleash up to forty-nine points of starlight at its fastest, making it impossible for opponents to discern the true angle of attack.

If Emilia could master and integrate these two sets of techniques into her own combat framework, she would easily be able to take on two Ou Xiaolus at once.

Faced with Tie Zhongxiao's ruthless evaluation, Ou Xiaolu hardly knew what to say. "Then what should I learn?"

"As for martial arts, you had best focus on properly practicing your swordsmanship. However, you lack a left hand, and coupled with the existence of the [Purple Mansion Manual], your path has already shifted toward that of an immortal. I don't have much to teach you regarding flying swords, but you can take a look at this."

"What is this?" Ou Xiaolu asked with curiosity, looking at the stone-like object Tie Zhongxiao had produced.

"It is something similar in nature to A Luo's [Lung Meridian Golden Fiend Wind Sand Art]. Exhale your two swords."

Ou Xiaolu gave a soft grunt, and two streaks of white light instantly flew out from his nose.

The moment the white light emerged, the stone began to vibrate faintly. Ou Xiaolu caught a glimpse of a phantom image upon the stone, depicting someone fusing their flying swords into their very body, transforming the swords into threads of light that swirled around them.

This illusion lasted for only a fleeting moment before Tie Zhongxiao stowed the stone away. "Did you understand what you saw?"

Ou Xiaolu nodded affirmatively. "I understand. This is the art of the external elixir."

Tie Zhongxiao looked at Ou Xiaolu with mild surprise. "Not bad, you have some discernment. This object is called the Iron-Blood Sword Pill. I do not know if this item will convert into a skill within your system, but you had best avoid allocating points to it. Practice it daily through your own efforts; this will greatly benefit your comprehension of swordsmanship and the utilization of your divine sense.

If you wish to go further down this path, you must forge your own unique way."