Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 212 Transmission of Skills from Distant Mountains
"Knocking on the mountain to scare the tiger?" Jiang Mingzhe asked curiously, "How do you do that?"

Xiao Yuanshan looked up at the moonlight and chuckled, "How to knock... hehe, that depends on how much you can learn in a day!"

Jiang Mingzhe asked, puzzled, "What?"

Xiao Yuanshan said calmly, "I can't let you call me 'Uncle' for nothing. Your Uncle Xiao has nothing of value now, and the only thing he can offer is his martial arts skills..."

Jiang Mingzhe blinked: "Uncle is going to teach me martial arts?"

Xiao Yuanshan glanced at him and saw that Jiang Mingzhe didn't seem very excited. He was immediately annoyed and said irritably, "What? You look down on my kung fu? You think all I know is these peasant tricks from Shaolin?"

The Seventy-Two Arts of Shaolin... Farming Skills?
Jiang Mingzhe suddenly remembered something Li Qiushui had said before: "Do you know that your Duan Family Sword and Great Vajra Pestle, which may be considered ultimate skills by others, are extremely mediocre in my eyes!"
Okay, which is a lower rating: utterly mediocre or a mere amateur?
Then Xiao Yuanshan continued, "I came to Shaolin Temple because they intercepted me back then, saying they were afraid that we Khitans would come and rob the Sutra Pavilion. Fine, since they treasure these country tricks, I'm going to learn them all and pass them on to the Liao army generals!"

Jiang Mingzhe became more interested: "Uncle, do you mean that your own martial arts are more powerful than the Shaolin techniques?"

Xiao Yuanshan said proudly, "That's right! Whether someone is skilled or not depends on their skill. If someone is a good-for-nothing, even if they learn the most advanced martial arts in the world, they will still be a good-for-nothing. If someone is a hero, even if they learn the most basic set of fist and foot techniques, they will still be a hero!"

Jiang Mingzhe continued, "Then if they are all heroes, learning ordinary fist and foot techniques is naturally different from learning advanced and unique skills."

Xiao Yuanshan said, “That’s exactly right. Compared to what I’ve learned, Shaolin’s so-called special skills are just ordinary punches and kicks, and country-style tricks. As for your Great Vajra Pestle or the Poisonous Snake and Scorpion Fist, they’re all in the same category.”

Jiang Mingzhe was somewhat unconvinced and pouted, saying, "My nephew and uncle fought for over a hundred rounds and were evenly matched."

Xiao Yuanshan sneered: "If I use my own skills, you'll be lucky if you can last ten rounds! What about Wang Jiantong of the Beggar Clan? He was once known as the best palm technique in the world. If he were to fight me one-on-one, he wouldn't even last three rounds."

He spoke these two sentences with extreme confidence. Jiang Mingzhe recalled what Zhiguang had said: This man swept through the heroes outside Yanmen Pass. Most of the opponents he faced were the top masters in the martial arts world at that time, yet he killed and injured them all with a mere wave of his hand. This frightened Zhiguang so much that he had nightmares every night, and Zhao Qiansun changed his name. Even Murong Bo, who was watching from afar, was terrified. His power and domineering nature were truly awe-inspiring.

But then Xiao Yuanshan suddenly sighed, and the proud look on his face vanished, leaving only a lonely and self-mocking expression.

He shook his head and said, "A hero doesn't dwell on past glories. I've lost that ability now. Heh, I fought you, young lad, for over a hundred rounds and we were evenly matched. Hmm, you're not in a hurry. You probably have some trump card up your sleeve that you haven't used yet, afraid of hurting my old bones."

Jiang Mingzhe felt uneasy upon hearing this, and said with a forced smile, "No, no, I've already used all my skills, it's just that Uncle didn't want to hurt me, that's why I barely managed to avoid defeat."

Xiao Yuanshan glanced at him and smiled, "Get lost! I haven't fallen so low that I need a junior to comfort me."

He then sighed and said, "But you are so young, yet you have reached such a level in martial arts and you still listen to me. You are truly kind-hearted. No wonder Feng'er wants to be your brother."

As they walked and talked, they unknowingly arrived at a secluded valley. A cold moon hung in the sky, fragrant grass covered the ground, and a stream babbled by. On the stone wall beside them was a hole about the height of a person, from which a faint light shone.

Jiang Mingzhe looked around and thought that this was probably where Lao Xiao lived.

Xiao Yuanshan entered the cave, retrieved a jar of wine, gulped down several mouthfuls himself, and handed it to Jiang Mingzhe. Jiang Mingzhe took it, drank a couple of mouthfuls, and found it spicy and inferior, clearly not good wine. Xiao Yuanshan didn't speak, but directly stripped off his clothes, revealing a tiger-like, muscular physique. Jiang Mingzhe's eyes changed, staring at Xiao Yuanshan's chest, and exclaimed in surprise, "Uncle, your injury..."

Xiao Yuanshan looked down at his wounds. His chest and abdomen were covered with large scars, a big mass of red flesh, from which several more lines extended outwards, twisting and knotting, like the eight-headed serpent.

Looking at his injury, Jiang Mingzhe could clearly see that a large chunk of flesh had been lost and was slowly healing. He couldn't believe that someone who had suffered such a serious injury could still survive.

Xiao Yuanshan rubbed his stomach and laughed, "Wasn't that scary? When I jumped off the cliff, I could have just died, but there was a tree at the bottom! I left Feng'er's mother behind and climbed up myself..."

He gestured with his hand to indicate the thickness of a thigh: "About this thick, with several branches. Damn it, it ripped my intestines, stomach, liver, and lungs apart. I barely survived, but all my divine skills are gone."

Jiang Mingzhe then realized that Xiao Yuanshan had suffered extremely serious injuries after jumping off the cliff, which greatly diminished his martial arts skills.

He murmured, "So it was because of my injury that my uncle's power declined."

Xiao Yuanshan curled his lip: "If I hadn't suffered this calamity, would Shaolin Temple still be alive and well now?"

After saying that, he patted Jiang Mingzhe on the shoulder: "My original ultimate skill requires extremely strong internal energy to be effective! I had a fortuitous encounter when I was young, which gave me amazing internal energy and the ability to use this divine skill. Unfortunately, I was seriously injured and lost my power, which damaged my foundation. Even after years of hard work, I still can't get back to my original level. Otherwise, why would I use these rural Shaolin techniques?"

Jiang Mingzhe's eyes lit up: "Uncle, do you mean that with my current internal energy, I can use your divine skills from back then?"

Xiao Yuanshan nodded and said, "At your age and with such skill, it is definitely not something that can be achieved through hard work. You must have had other good fortune. I won't ask about that, but your internal strength is indeed enough to practice my 'Thunderous Divine Might Technique'. In the future, as your internal strength increases, the power of this technique will increase by an inch. You will be invincible in the world in no time!"

The eight words "Invincible under Heaven is just around the corner" may be just an expectation for others, but when Xiao Yuanshan says them, they carry full credibility.

Jiang Mingzhe was moved and said, "Uncle, this generous gift is probably too much."

Xiao Yuanshan's eyes revealed a gentle emotion as he said softly, "My son is now surrounded by enemies on all sides. You have put righteousness first and rushed to his aid from afar. It is not in vain that I passed on this divine skill to you."

That gentle expression vanished in an instant, replaced by a stern face. "No need for further words. Time is of the essence. First, memorize the mantra: Thunder is Yang, lightning is Yin, Yin and Yang combine to form thunder! Divine power relies on the Sun Palace, the Sun is the master; might relies on the Moon Palace, the Moon is the master. Innate essence is stored in one Qi, acquired skill circulates through the twelve meridians..."

He recited a long incantation and explained, "The master who taught me this skill didn't tell me its name. I just took a few words from this incantation and named it Thunderous Divine Might Skill. In fact, this is the essence of the skill: Thunder, Lightning, Divine, Might. The reason why this skill is invincible in the world lies in these four words."

He explained it to Jiang Mingzhe through words and gestures, and occasionally pulled him aside to spar as examples. Jiang Mingzhe was completely absorbed and gradually understood the characteristics of this technique. While marveling at its power, a question arose in his mind—

This technique seems tailor-made for the Northern Darkness Divine Art.

(End of this chapter)