The Cycle of Reincarnation in the Four-Courtyard House: A Journey Through the Heavens

"Who are you? Why are you meddling in this humble monk's affairs?" Kumārajīva's voice boomed like a bell, carrying a touch of Buddhist authority, yet also containing a hint of probing.

Li Xiao chuckled and said, "My name is Li Xiao, an unknown nobody in the martial arts world. Today, I see that Brother Duan seems to have encountered some trouble. May I ask who this master is...?"

"Amitabha! I am Kumārajīva, from the Great Wheel Temple in the Great Snowy Mountains of Tibet. By the grace of the Tibetan King, I have been appointed as the National Preceptor of Tibet!"

At this moment, Kumārajīva hoped to use his status to scare the other party away.

Li Xiao then feigned sudden realization and said, "So it's the Great Wheel King of Tibet! Greetings!"

Kumārajīva was taken aback: "Does this benefactor know this humble monk?"

"Hehe... I've heard from some friends in the martial arts world that Master recently visited Tianlong Temple in Dali Kingdom and even kidnapped Prince Duan Yu from there. I never expected that we would meet here today!"

"Amitabha!"

Kumārajīva clasped his hands together and slowly said, "This humble monk's action concerns a promise!"

"Oh, how so?"

"In the past, this humble monk promised to give the Six Meridians Divine Sword Manual of Tianlong Temple in Dali to the benefactor Murong Bo. However, things did not go as planned. The benefactor Murong Bo has passed away, and the old monk Kurong of Tianlong Temple in Dali cruelly burned the manual."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Duan Yu with a hint of certainty: "Fortunately, the young prince of Dali remembers the manual for the Six Meridians Divine Sword. This humble monk merely wishes to have him transcribe the manual from memory and then personally burn it for Benefactor Murong Bo, thus fulfilling this old promise. How could there be any talk of him being captured?"

"Old monk, monks don't lie. Do you think I don't know your intentions?"

"you......"

Li Xiao smiled coldly, his disdain in his eyes undisguised, and said loudly, "The Flaming Blade you practice is a unique skill personally taught by a master of the Nyingma School. Later, you used this blade technique to trade with Murong Bo and obtained the cultivation method of the Seventy-Two Arts of Shaolin Temple."

"Now you've set your sights on the Dali Duan family, coveting their 'Six Meridian Divine Sword.' This is clearly your own ambition and selfish motives, yet you insist on smearing Murong Bo with dirty water. What a clever trick of using someone else to do your dirty work and cover your tracks!"

These words were like a thunderclap, leaving the martial arts practitioners who had gathered to watch the spectacle speechless.

When Li Xiao exposed his secret in public, Kumārajīva's usually dignified face instantly darkened, a hint of panic flashed in his eyes, which was then replaced by raging anger.

Suppressing his anger and shock, he demanded in a deep voice, "Your words are utter nonsense! I advise you to be sensible and leave immediately, or don't blame this humble monk for being impolite and making you suffer!"

At this moment, Kumārajīva was already blinded by the public humiliation and no longer cared about his earlier suspicions that the young man was unfathomable.

He was the Tibetan National Preceptor, the renowned Great Wheel King, revered by thousands. When had he ever been subjected to such direct questioning and humiliation from a junior?

Kumārajīva could no longer contain his anger. With a flick of his sleeve, he launched a fierce attack on Li Xiao amidst a howling wind!

He formed a mudra with his hands, and faint flames flickered at his fingertips as he performed the Nyingma school's signature technique, "Flame Blade."

Kumārajīva had immersed himself in this technique for many years, and had already cultivated it to the point where the intent of the sword was condensed to the point of being substantial.

A streak of fiery red blade light aimed straight for Li Xiao's face. At the same time, his internal energy circulated around his body, and several of the Shaolin Seventy-Two Arts were ready to be unleashed, making his attack both swift and ruthless.

Faced with this thunderous attack, Li Xiao remained calm, and a fighting spirit surged within him instead.

Keep in mind that this was the first time he had faced a top-tier martial arts master like Kumārajīva head-on.

The Shennong Gang disciples he fought against more than ten months ago to rescue Zhong Ling were vastly different in martial arts from Kumārajīva.

With a slight movement, Li Xiao effortlessly evaded Kumārajīva's repeated attacks, revealing the exquisite skill of the Xiaoyao Sect's ultimate technique, "Lingbo Weibu".

His movements were unpredictable and ever-changing; no matter how fierce Kumārajīva's attacks were, he could never touch him in the slightest.

In fact, given Li Xiao's current level of internal strength, he could have already entered the realm of returning to simplicity and authenticity.

However, he has only been cultivating for less than a year, and his understanding of martial arts is still somewhat lacking. Li Xiao believes that with more experience and his unique martial arts talent, he will soon achieve a breakthrough.

Therefore, he did not immediately use the "Northern Darkness Divine Skill" to absorb Kumārajīva's internal energy. Instead, he wanted to use this Tibetan monk to hone his own martial arts skills.

Although Kumārajīva was known as the number one master in Tibet and had mastered the Flaming Blade and the Seventy-Two Shaolin Arts to perfection, he was still not on par with Li Xiao in terms of skill level.

He launched a series of fierce attacks, but couldn't even touch the hem of Li Xiao's clothes. Instead, his arms went numb from the shock of the true energy flowing around Li Xiao.

Little did he know that the young man in front of him hadn't used his full strength at all, and was just using him as a practice target.

Kumārajīva was shocked and enraged, and his attacks became increasingly impatient, revealing more and more flaws in his moves.

Li Xiao's gaze narrowed slightly, realizing that Kumārajīva was no longer of much value as a practice subject.

Just as his opponent's fiery palm strike missed its mark, and the old force had just dissipated before the new force was generated, Li Xiao's figure approached like a ghost. His right hand, like an iron clamp, precisely gripped Kumārajīva's shoulder blade. Then, with a flick of his fingertips, the suction force of the "Northern Darkness Divine Art" suddenly activated!

Kumārajīva trembled violently. He felt the internal energy he had cultivated for decades in his dantian suddenly burst out of control like a river bursting its banks, surging wildly from where his shoulder blades were held and rushing into Li Xiao's body.

He was shocked and furious, and tried to use his internal energy to resist, but found that his internal energy was draining away much faster than he had imagined. His dantian was almost empty in an instant, and all his strength was rapidly dissipating.

He struggled desperately with his remaining internal energy, letting out a muffled roar, but the large hand gripping his shoulder blade remained unmoved, and his internal energy drained away even more forcefully.

Before long, Kumārajīva felt his dantian empty, his whole body weak and sore, and the internal energy left in his meridians was less than 10% of what it used to be—Li Xiao had actually absorbed 90% of his cultivation this time!

"Stop...stop now!" Kumārajīva's voice was weak and feeble, as if his kidneys had been twisted. The aura of a master he had just displayed had vanished, leaving only the fear of death.

Li Xiao slowly loosened his grip slightly, but still held him tightly to his vital points, and said coldly, "Want to live?"

Kumārajīva nodded hastily. At this moment, his life was in someone else's hands, so he couldn't care less about the dignity of the national preceptor.

"Spare me, sir! If you spare my life, I'll negotiate anything!"

"Okay, my request is very simple."

Li Xiao's voice was devoid of any warmth: "Write down all the martial arts you have learned in your life. I need to see the complete manual within half an hour, or this shore of Taihu Lake will be your burial ground."