He was in the Ming Dynasty, and his adoptive father was Governor Cao.

In an instant.

All the mysteries of "Guicang Yidao" unfolded in his mind like a scroll:

—This sword technique originated from Japanese sword-drawing techniques. After being combined by Lingnan swordsmen with the profound power of Central Plains sword techniques and the unpredictable nature of the South China Sea waves, it was simplified and transformed into an extreme martial art that gathers all essence, energy, spirit, and killing intent into the sheath and returns it to stillness. When it is drawn, life and death are certain.

— Its essence lies entirely in the two words "return to the source"—the intent of the blade returns to the source, the killing intent returns to the source, all in order to obtain the absolute sharpness that can cut through mountains and seas in the blink of an eye.

Its internal skill, "Layered Waves Technique," imitates the power of the deep sea, where undercurrents accumulate and surge layer upon layer. In a short period of time, it can compress and layer true qi in the Sanjiao meridian of the hand like ocean waves.

When the blade is drawn, all the waves merge into one, gods and demons flee in terror, and nothing can withstand its power!

"This is... 'talent'?"

Xiao Ting was completely stunned.

In just a few breaths, all the martial arts experience that He Shan had painstakingly cultivated for thirty-four years and honed through countless trials instantly flooded into his mind, giving him a sudden enlightenment and allowing him to directly transcend the level that a beginner in swordsmanship would need to work hard for several or even more than ten years to reach.

Reaching the pinnacle of Heshan's life!

Become "Ghost Blade"!

This is not learning.

This is plunder, this is grafting!

Xiao Ting breathed a sigh of relief; finally, some good news had arrived.

This talent is not hard to understand: as long as you touch the corpse, you can understand part of its martial arts memory, and turn the skills and proficiency into instinct.

I'm clearly more proficient with "Guicang Yidao" now, so it's better to adjust my own condition first. Otherwise, even if I leave in the rain, I won't get far.

Xiao Ting simply sat cross-legged on the ground, first converting his internal energy from the "Hun Yuan Gong" into the true energy of the "Die Lang Jue" which was more compatible with his swordsmanship, and then using the opportunity to dispel the cold and heal his injuries.

The original owner of this body was quite talented, but he was lazy and gluttonous, and "unyielding" in his playboy ways.

If his biological father were still alive, he would have whipped him long ago. But Cao Guangxian felt guilty and couldn't discipline him, which is why he gradually became a good-for-nothing.

At this moment, Xiao Ting's mind stirred, and his true energy in his dantian immediately responded!

The "Layered Wave Technique" specializes in stacking and exploding energy. Beginners can accumulate "one layer" of power, advanced practitioners can wield "three layers", and those with profound skill can reach "five layers" or "seven layers". It is said that those who master this technique to the highest level can even complete "nine layers" of surging waves in the space between their meridians in the instant before drawing their sword!

Each stack doubles the power!

What he was experiencing at this moment was the "Five Layers" realm that He Shan had cultivated over half a lifetime.

When true energy erupts, it's like five raging torrents crashing together in a narrow meridian, eventually twisting into a deadly torrent powerful enough to cleave iron and split reefs. It bursts forth from the blade, and with a flash of light, life and death are decided instantly!

Xiao Ting focused intently, and his inner strength quickly transformed into overlapping waves of true energy, which then circulated along a mysterious path at an astonishing speed.

Time passed, and I don't know how much time has gone by.

As white steam rose from his body, his external injuries eased, the chill dissipated, and his blood and qi began to flow, he felt even hungrier, his stomach burning, and his limbs felt weak.

"We need to find something to eat first..."

He opened his eyes, ready to try his luck in the shallow water.

Suddenly my ears twitched, and I heard footsteps rapidly approaching through the wind and rain!

"Quick! There's a shipwreck over here!"

"Search thoroughly! We need to find them alive or dead!"

"He's here!"

A shout pierced the rain.

Xiao Ting's pupils shrank suddenly. Without the slightest hesitation, he formed his five fingers into a claw and grabbed at the air. With the help of his internal force, the sheathed longsword at He Shan's waist flew into his hand. It was narrow and curved, and its name was "White Tassel"!

The weight and feel of the knife were a perfect match for his newly acquired muscle memory.

It feels like we've been together for decades.

A group of figures emerged from behind the rocks, more than a dozen men dressed in the Angry Dragon Gang's water armor and carrying water-splitting spears and harpoons, instantly surrounding the small mudflat.

They were all sharp and shrewd, with a fierce glint in their eyes.

Xiao Ting's heart sank. It was the Angry Dragon Gang who had come first. However, when he saw their leader, he breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't a tough opponent.

The leader was a young man in his early twenties, with fair skin and unsteady steps. He wore a flashy brocade robe with a silk shirt over it, and carried a long sword inlaid with gemstones, which gleamed brightly.

This man is named Huo Tieyi. He is the youngest son of Huo Tianqing, the leader of the Angry Flood Dragon Gang, also known as "Overturning the Sea Flood Dragon". He and the original owner of the body, Xiao Ting, are privately known as the "Twin Dogs of Lingnan".

Both were exemplary fathers and sons, truly worthy of being called equals.

Of course, the original owner did not think so, even though his martial arts skills were not as good as Huo Tieyi's.

Huo Tieyi wasn't so foolish as to turn down rare and precious herbs that were practically within his grasp.

His father, Huo Tianqing, went to great lengths for this young son, sparing no expense to send him to Cangfeng Tower at a young age to become a disciple of an elder and cultivate the tower's secret technique, "Guicang Yidao"!

Huo Tieyi had mediocre talent and couldn't endure hardship. He only learned the basics of swordsmanship, but he never slacked off in cultivating his internal energy. With the help of his father's continuous collection of rare and precious materials such as century-old blood coral and ambergris balm, he managed to reach the eighth level of the acquired realm at the age of twenty-three!

His external martial arts skills are sparse and his moves are flashy, but his acquired eight-layered, overlapping wave true qi, built from countless treasures, is real and powerful. Once it is unleashed, it will be no ordinary thing.

"Hahaha! Found you!"

Huo Tieyi was overjoyed to see Xiao Ting, then his gaze fell on the white-tasseled sword in Xiao Ting's hand, followed by the gruesome corpse of He Shan beside him. He paused for a moment, then revealed a look of contempt: "Oh ho? Cao the eunuch's godson? He's got a tough life, huh? He even picked up my third senior brother's sword?"

He swaggered forward two steps, pointing his long sword at He Shan's corpse, and sneered, "That son of a bitch, He Laosan, always looked down on me and acted like he owned the place. And what happened? A tiger fallen into the plains is bullied by dogs. You, a piece of trash, actually got the better of him. You've really disgraced our Cangfeng Tower!"

His words, though seemingly innocuous, were actually quite accurate. If He Shan hadn't been seriously injured and unconscious, even a hundred Xiao Tings wouldn't have been enough to kill him.

Huo Tieyi felt he had seen through the "truth"—he felt nothing about He Shan's death, and now he only wanted to capture Xiao Ting and bring him back to prove to his father that there was only one son in Lingnan!

Thinking of this, his momentum grew even stronger. He turned around and waved to his henchmen, "You all watch closely! See how I, this young master, avenge the Third Master, capture this pretty boy, and take him back to my father and the rest of the group to see!"

The words fell.

Huo Tieyi's eyes sharpened, and his true energy erupted, causing the surrounding rain curtain to tremble.

Although he wasn't as shrewd and experienced as He Shan, his imposing presence was undeniable.

"Take this!"

Huo Tieyi roared, his feet stomping rapidly, his speed suddenly increasing, and the magnificent longsword in his hand transformed into a dazzling golden-red streak of light, heading straight for Xiao Ting's central palace!

The blade flashed, and the wind howled as it struck!

Xiao Ting stood still, raindrops dripping from the stray hairs on his forehead, until the dazzling blade light was three feet away from his face, at which point his right hand, hanging by his side, suddenly blurred for a moment.

Clang——

A clear, resonant sword cry, like a dragon's roar, swept away the wind and rain!

No one saw how he drew his sword.

Everyone felt as if a flash of cold lightning appeared before their eyes, followed by a teeth-grinding sound of metal breaking!

Click!

Huo Tieyi's forward momentum suddenly stopped, and the arrogant smile on his face instantly froze.

With a crisp sound, the valuable gemstone longsword in his hand snapped off at the hilt!

The front half of the blade clattered onto the rocks.

He froze for a moment, then looked down in astonishment. To his surprise, a very thin, bright red line of blood appeared on his neck. As he looked down, his head slid off his neck and rolled to the ground.

boom!

The head fell into the murky puddle, and blood quickly spread.

Then, blood gushed out of the headless corpse's cavity, turning into a blood curtain.

The entire room fell silent.

Only the sounds of wind and rain, and the terrified gasps of the surrounding Angry Dragon Gang members could be heard.

Xiao Ting remained standing in the same spot, as if he had never moved. The white-tasseled sword in his hand had been sheathed again, with only a thin trace of blood at the hilt of the scabbard being washed away by the rain.

Fast! Too fast!

That strike was beyond the limits of these pirates' comprehension. They didn't even see the flash of the blade, only heard its clang, and then their young leader died.

"Young...Young Master is dead!"

"He killed the young gang leader! Quick! Go back and report!"

After a brief silence came extreme fear, and everyone retreated in panic.

Xiao Ting took a deep breath, and the surging true energy within his body roared forth! His figure instantly blurred, as if dissolving into the rain, advancing instead of retreating, and crashing straight into the crowd!

Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! ...

The dull thuds of long knives piercing flesh were short, frequent, and continuous!

Figures darted about, and blades flashed like fleeting shadows!

In just two or three breaths.

Xiao Ting's figure emerged from the other end of the crowd, his steps unsteady as he stopped on a higher rock. He leaned on his "White Tassel" sword with one hand, his back slightly hunched, his chest heaving violently as he gasped for breath. His forehead was covered in what appeared to be sweat or rain, and his face was pale from exhaustion.

Behind him.

The dozen or so members of the Angry Dragon Gang were frozen in place, as if under a spell.

next moment--

Thump! Thump! ...

More than a dozen heads shot into the sky almost simultaneously! Blood gushed from the severed necks, reaching several feet high! The headless corpses swayed and fell one after another into the mud and blood, splashing up large amounts of filth.

In an instant, apart from Xiao Ting, there was no one left alive on the reef.

The strong smell of blood instantly filled the air, only to be quickly diluted by the raging wind and rain.

"Huff... huff..."

Xiao Ting's breathing calmed down a little, but a strong feeling of weakness and hunger came over her again like a tide.

The battle just now seemed swift, but it had actually drained him of almost all his strength. He hadn't eaten or drunk anything for the past two days, and his body was extremely weak.

"I hope I won't starve to death..."

He mustered his strength and walked toward the corpses, looking for something to eat, when suddenly a cry of an eagle came from the very high, leaden-gray clouds!

-

Xiao Ting suddenly looked up.

A dark shadow cleaved through the rain and fell from the sky with the speed of a meteor!

He was a middle-aged man with a thin build and graying temples, wearing a dark red robe with gold embroidery.

His descent was incredibly violent, yet he landed as silently as a feather.

As Xiao Ting looked at the person in front of him, a name came to mind.

—The eunuch in charge of the Pearl Picking Office in Lingnan.

—Cao Guangxian.

The thigh has arrived.

Xiao Ting felt relieved and collapsed backward.

Before falling into a coma, he didn't forget to act, murmuring softly, "Godfather..."

This time the trouble has gotten a bit out of hand. Hopefully, this outburst will awaken the father's love, and he won't be punished too harshly!

He completely lost consciousness.

"..."

Cao Guangxian's figure flashed, and he supported him with one hand. His gaze swept over the corpses around him, pausing briefly on the bodies of He Shan and Huo Tieyi, before finally settling on Xiao Ting. A complex expression flashed across his lean and dignified face.

Almost simultaneously, several whooshing sounds came from behind the wind.

Three lithe figures swept across a speedboat that had just docked in the distance, landing silently and kneeling on one knee beside Cao Guangxian.

The eunuch Sun Huai, who was in charge of the funeral procession, glanced at the corpses scattered on the ground, and his gaze lingered for a moment on Huo Tieyi's head, which was frozen in place. He asked in surprise, "Master, could all of these be... all of them be my junior brother...?"

Cao Guangxian raised his hand to stop them, and said calmly, "Return to the headquarters. Without our authorization, no one is allowed to approach his cell...his bedroom. Tell Mr. Wen to wait!"

"yes!"

Sun Huai and the other two responded in unison, their expressions varying as they bowed their heads.

Cao Guangxian said no more, picked up the unconscious Xiao Ting, and disappeared without a trace in a flash.