Starting with The Eagle Shooting Heroes: I gain a year's worth of skill every day.

Huang Yaoshi's right arm was still trembling slightly, and for the first time, pure bitterness appeared on his face.

Although he had witnessed the Taoist's astonishing deeds in Lin'an and the imperial palace, and knew that the Taoist's martial arts were unfathomable, he had never actually fought him. That pride belonging to the Eastern Heretic made him always feel that he might not be truly powerless.

But today's battle has shown me what it means to be superior to others and to be outmatched.

There is an insurmountable chasm between the two!

Huang Yaoshi's lingering resentment shattered completely at this moment.

Hong Qigong, surprisingly, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, exhaled a breath of turbid air, and actually laughed.

"Hahahaha! That was exhilarating! Truly exhilarating! In my entire life, this old beggar has never had such a humiliating fight, nor have I ever submitted to anyone. Today, I've truly seen something new!"

He looked at Shen Mo, his eyes no longer filled with hostility, but with an indescribable shock and curiosity.

"Master, your extraordinary skills... could it be that you encountered a master on some sacred mountain who instructed you? Or perhaps..." Hong Qigong paused, lowering his voice, "...that you truly learned them from celestial beings? This old beggar has lived most of his life and has never seen such martial arts!"

Huang Yaoshi couldn't help but speak up, "I have roamed the martial world for many years and consider myself knowledgeable. But the palm strike you just delivered, Daoist, completely neutralized all my internal energy. Such skill... forgive my bluntness, but it is beyond the reach of ordinary martial arts."

He paused, his expression complex: "Could it be that the Daoist has truly received a predestined connection to immortality?"

A subtle emotion flashed through Shen Mo's mind.

A predestined connection to immortality? If we consider the completion of the Innate Skill as a predestined connection to immortality, then that's not wrong.

Since achieving perfection in his Innate Skill, his connection with heaven and earth has become increasingly close. The innate true energy within his body is like a living thing, circulating endlessly on its own. In this state, any martial art is transparent to him; he can see through the essence of the power flow and true energy circulation in any move at a glance.

This is the real reason why he was able to so easily neutralize the combined attack of two masters from the Five Greats.

However, these words need not be shared with outsiders.

Shen Mo remained silent, his gaze falling on Huang Yaoshi.

"Island Master Huang, is there still someone trapped on Peach Blossom Island?"

Huang Yaoshi was shocked, and his face suddenly turned ugly.

"How...how did you know?"

Zhou Botong was trapped on the island for fifteen years, a secret known to almost no one in the martial arts world.

This Taoist priest in front of me not only possesses unfathomable martial arts skills, but he also knows such secrets perfectly well.

Huang Yaoshi became even more convinced that this person must have received instruction from an extraordinary person, otherwise how could he have such foresight?

"I know far more than you imagine," Shen Mo said calmly. "Release him. Fifteen years is enough."

Huang Yaoshi's expression shifted between light and dark.

Zhou Botong was his heartache, and also the shackle that bound him to maintain his aloofness.

Release him? What will become of Huang Yaoshi's reputation?

Not letting go?

He glanced at Shen Mo, who stood with his hands behind his back, and then looked at his own arm, which was almost useless.

That battle just now shattered the last shred of hope in his heart. Before this man, he didn't even have the right to resist, let alone any dignity.

That pitiful pride seems so laughable in the face of cold reality.

Moreover, if this person has truly received a divine favor, then it is the will of Heaven. Going against Heaven will only lead to self-destruction.

"it is good."

A single word was squeezed out from between Huang Yaoshi's teeth, his voice filled with deep helplessness.

"After I returned to the island, I let him go."

Thank you.

Shen Mo nodded, unsurprised by the result.

His gaze returned to the two of them.

"I have another request that I cannot make."

Both Hong Qigong and Huang Yaoshi felt their hearts leap into their throats.

"Please speak, Daoist Master." Hong Qigong clasped his hands in a gesture of extreme humility.

"I have long admired your Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms and Finger Flicking Skill," Shen Mo said, looking at them. His voice was soft, yet each word carried weight. "May I have the honor of seeing them?"

Upon hearing this, all three were stunned.

To study the unique skills of another school?

This is the greatest taboo in the martial arts world! Stealing even a single incantation will lead to an irreconcilable blood feud.

But when Shen Mo said it, it sounded so natural.

Does he need to learn by stealing?

Given the immense power he just displayed, if he wanted to seize something, who could stop him? And who would dare to stop him?

Using the word "view" is already giving them a huge favor.

Guo Jing opened his mouth, wanting to say that the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms were the token of the Beggar Clan leader and would never be passed on to outsiders.

But the words were on the tip of his tongue, and he swallowed them back.

Trying to reason with someone who can kill you with a flick of their wrist is utterly inappropriate. Besides, if the other party is truly a disciple of an immortal, what do these mortal martial arts mean to him?

Hong Qigong was stunned for a long time, then suddenly slapped his thigh and burst into laughter.

"Oh dear! Taoist priest! Why didn't you say so sooner!"

His face was full of regret and heartache; he pounded his chest and grimaced.

"If you had said you were interested in this earlier, we could have sat down, had some tea, and chatted. I would have shown you each move step by step, wouldn't that have been enough? Why did you have to resort to violence! You've almost broken my old bones!"

He thought to himself, if the Taoist priest really had a predestined connection with the immortals, then it would be an honor for this old beggar for the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms to catch his eye.

Huang Yaoshi's lips twitched violently, and he cursed inwardly that this old beggar was truly shameless.

But he knew that Hong Qigong was using this as an excuse to back down, giving each other a way out.

reject?

How can I refuse?

Are you willing to risk your life?

Moreover, that battle had already made him fully understand the gap between the two sides. In the face of such an existence, any persistence was meaningless.

Huang Yaoshi recalled the ancient texts about highly accomplished masters who would often seek instruction from mortal martial artists to verify their own skills. Could this Taoist priest before him be the same?

"If you are interested, Master, I will not keep my humble abode to myself." Huang Yaoshi put away his jade flute, his tone stiff, but the arrogance in his eyes had completely vanished.

He eventually agreed.

"Thank you very much."

Shen Mo nodded slightly, already making plans in his mind.

The Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms and the Finger Flicking Divine Skill are both top-tier martial arts techniques of their time. Although these martial arts techniques may not significantly enhance his strength now, his understanding of martial arts has reached an unimaginable level after perfecting the Innate Skill.

If one can master these unique skills, one might be able to develop even stronger techniques.

Moreover, mastering more martial arts skills will give you more ways to fight enemies, so why not?

Guo Jing watched this bizarre scene and felt as if his worldview had been completely shattered and then haphazardly pieced back together.

The Taoist priest who murdered the emperor wanted to learn the unique skills of the Beggars' Sect and Peach Blossom Island.

The two masters, who were like pillars of the state, not only dared not refuse, but instead looked as if they were relieved that they had said so earlier.

What is wrong with this world?

Or is it that... Master Shen is truly a disciple of an immortal, and I, a mere mortal, am simply incapable of comprehending that realm?

Guo Jing was completely baffled and couldn't understand it at all.

For the next two months, the nameless mountain peak outside Lin'an City became the Silent Martial Arts Church.

Huang Yaoshi, the Eastern Heretic, and Hong Qigong, the Northern Beggar, take turns "teaching" Shen Mo.

Hong Qigong was a man of bold and unrestrained character, and his teaching style was direct.

"Master, watch closely! This move, 'Shocking the Hundred Miles,' emphasizes surprise. The power must be concentrated in the palm and unleashed by borrowing momentum..."

Before he could finish speaking, Shen Mo pushed his right hand out horizontally.

A powerful and unparalleled palm force suddenly appeared out of nowhere, smashing a half-person-high boulder into dust from ten zhang away!

Hong Qigong's eyes widened.

The power of that palm strike was almost identical to that of the Beggar Clan leader!

"Master, you... you've only read it once?"

"I am naturally gifted with some comprehension and have also had some fortuitous encounters," Shen Mo said calmly.

He knew perfectly well that this was all thanks to the perfection of the Innate Skill.

With his innate inner energy flowing throughout his body, the principles of any martial art's power circulation were crystal clear to him, like a butcher carving up an ox. Hong Qigong's palm strike appeared simple, but in reality, it contained the subtle interplay of hardness and softness, with the palm force advancing in three layers, each layer building upon the last.

An ordinary martial artist would only remember the appearance after seeing it once.

However, he could instantly grasp the essence of it, and his innate true energy within his body would automatically simulate and evolve, allowing him to unleash seventy or eighty percent of its power in an instant.

This is the profound mystery of perfecting the Innate Skill.

"Senior Hong's Dragon Subduing Palm technique is unparalleled in its power and strength. I am merely imitating it and still need to study it more carefully."

"Next move."

Hong Qigong's lips twitched, and he chuckled as he demonstrated the next move.

He felt as if he wasn't teaching a disciple, but rather feeding a monster with astonishing comprehension.

After watching each move once, Shen Mo could not immediately reach his level, but his grasp of the power flow and the essence of the moves had already surpassed the results of ordinary martial artists' years of hard training.

Hong Qigong sighed inwardly, "Such comprehension is truly a genius. No wonder he possesses such supernatural abilities. It seems the Daoist must have received instruction from an extraordinary person; otherwise, how could he have such profound understanding?"

The situation was no different for Huang Yaoshi.

His explanations were insightful and to the point.

"Look carefully. The Finger Flicking Skill emphasizes using softness to overcome hardness, concentrating the power at the fingertips, and releasing it without dissipating."

He raised two fingers together and pointed them at a large tree in the distance.

laugh!

A condensed gust of wind pierced the air, leaving a bottomless, pitch-black hole in the thick tree trunk.

After a moment of silence, he also stretched out his finger and flicked it slowly at another tree next to him.

His innate true energy surged to his fingertips instantly, condensing into a single point according to the energy flow path he had just observed.

The first time, the wind scattered the leaves, leaving only shallow marks on the tree bark.

Shen Mo's heart stirred slightly.

The innate true energy is too domineering and fierce; it does require some skill to condense it into a single point without it dissipating.

He closed his eyes and concentrated, his internal energy circulating on its own, simulating and deducing the movements again and again according to the key points of the Finger Flicking Divine Skill.

After perfecting his Innate Skill, his control over true qi reached a level of subtlety, and he could clearly perceive the trajectory of every strand of true qi.

A moment later, he pointed again.

This time, an invisible force penetrated the tree trunk, causing it to tremble slightly.

A mountain breeze swept by.

slam-la-

The big tree broke in half, and the upper half of the crown collapsed with a crash. Spiral patterns were faintly visible at the cut!

Huang Yaoshi's pupils suddenly contracted.

His finger-flicking technique concentrates his power into a single point, pursuing ultimate penetration.

Although Shen Mo's finger strike was still somewhat clumsy, it had already transformed the force into a soft, continuous spiral that penetrated deep into the tree trunk.

This is a transformation that combines the essence of the Finger Flicking Divine Skill with the characteristics of one's own innate true energy!

Shen Mo opened his eyes, looked at the broken tree, and understood.

The innate skill has been perfected, and its wonders are indeed boundless.

Huang Yaoshi was deeply shocked.

Such comprehension and such innate talent are truly rare in the world!