Courtyard House: A System Connecting Two Worlds, Resources for the Nation

At this moment, Zhou Feng was even starting to look forward to what kind of effect he could achieve if he went back to practice the Six Meridians Divine Sword.

However, at this point, Kumārajīva seemed somewhat superfluous!

We've already got the Six Meridians Divine Sword, why is Xiao Zhi still causing trouble here?

Kumārajīva clearly hadn't expected that Zhou Feng, sitting at the very end, was still criticizing him in his heart. He raised his chin and smiled, saying, "This humble monk's Flower-Picking Finger technique is no match for Master Xuandu of Shaolin Temple. Next up is the Doro Leaf Finger."

As he spoke, he spun around and quickly tapped his index finger, sending the sandalwood box flying and shattering into countless pieces.

Zhou Feng couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

That's a sandalwood box!

If you want to show it off, you can hit the pillars, the walls, or even the big trees outside—what a waste of this thing!

Although Zhou Feng's current status naturally meant he didn't need to care about a mere sandalwood box.

But since he used to work in the antique and collectible industry, it's normal for him to feel sorry to see such a good item smashed to pieces.

"And there's the Formless Finger of Calamity!"

As he spoke, Kumārajīva tucked his hands into his sleeves, and suddenly, the wood chips on the ground began to fly and leap, clearly indicating that he had released his finger force from his sleeves without leaving a trace.

This set of drills was so impressive that not only the monks of Tianlong Temple, but even Zhou Feng was filled with envy.

He only has the Northern Darkness Divine Art and the Lingbo Steps. When fighting, he simply concentrates his internal energy in his palms and unleashes it. His application of these techniques is extremely rudimentary.

Looking at Kumārajīva, the number of martial arts he knows is probably too many to count even if you put your hands and feet together; he's practically an encyclopedia of the world of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils!

Seeing that several of his junior disciples seemed interested, Master Kurong suddenly coughed lightly: "What level have you reached in your One-Finger Divine Skill? Are you at level three?"

"This disciple is ashamed!"

The present disciples Benyin, Benguan, Benxiang, and Bencan exchanged glances, sighed, and bowed to Master Kurong.

The best among them had only managed to reach the fourth rank of One-Finger Divine Skill.

"Then, compared to the Flower-Picking Finger, the Leaf-Touching Finger, and the Formless Finger of the Dali Duan family, which is superior?"

"There is no superior or inferior finger technique; it is the skill level that matters."

"Will any of you be able to master the One-Finger Divine Skill to the first level in your lifetime?"

Master Kurong's question immediately caused all the monks of Tianlong Temple present to lower their heads in shame.

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, they understood Master Kurong's meaning.

Why are you even thinking about the 72 Shaolin Arts when you haven't even mastered your own One-Finger Divine Skill to the first level?

Everyone understands the principle of "don't bite off more than you can chew," but they were only temporarily captivated by the three finger techniques demonstrated by Kumārajīva.

Kumārajīva, standing to the side listening to their conversation, naturally understood their meaning and couldn't help but sneer: "It seems that the Six Meridians Divine Sword technique may not be as exquisite as Mr. Murong described. Perhaps it is merely a name without substance, with little practical use. Why don't your temple hand it over, and I will take it to Mr. Murong's tomb to burn it, so as not to damage the harmony between Tianlong Temple and my Dalun Temple, and even more so, to damage the diplomatic relations between Dali Kingdom and Tubo Kingdom."

These words already carried a subtle threat.

Not only did the monks of Tianlong Temple change their expressions drastically, but Duan Zhengming's face also turned gloomy.

The previous exchanges could only be considered a contest within the martial arts world, and whatever their attitude towards Kumārajīva was, it was all understandable.

However, if the issue escalates to the level of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Duan Zhengming, as the ruler of the Dali Kingdom, cannot stand idly by.

He stepped forward, his face grim: "Does the King of Ming mean that if Tianlong Temple refuses to hand over the scriptures, Dali and Tubo will go to war?"

The Dali Kingdom had always stationed a large number of troops on its northwestern frontier, so it was not afraid of the Tibetan invasion. However, once the two countries went to war, there would inevitably be a great loss of life.

"Ah... My Tibetan king has always admired the customs and culture of Dali and has long desired to go hunting. However, this humble monk could not bear to take too many lives, which is why I have been trying my best to dissuade him."

Kumārajīva had truly gone to great lengths for the Six Meridians Divine Sword. After threatening with force, he then threatened with war.

Similar to Dali, everyone in Tibet practices Buddhism.

As the national advisor, Kumārajīva might truly be able to decide whether to fight or make peace with a single word.

But to cause such devastation to both countries for the sake of a martial arts manual is going a bit too far!

Moreover, Tibet was indeed much stronger than Dali, and if a war broke out, Dali might not be a match for them.

However, the Six Meridians Divine Sword is the treasure of Tianlong Temple and the secret of the Duan family. If it were to be handed over with open arms after being threatened by Kumārajīva, then the Duan family of Dali would have no shame!

Master Kurong sighed, "Since the King of Light is so resolute and says that the Six Meridians Divine Sword is all talk and no action, then we will use the Six Meridians Divine Sword to experience a few of the King of Light's superior skills. If it is truly as the King of Light says, that this sword technique is all talk and no action, then the King of Light may take the sword manual."

It's not that they don't want to protect this secret, but the fact that the other party has even threatened war between the two countries proves that they are determined to obtain the Six Meridians Divine Sword. Even if they wanted to stop them, there was nothing they could do.

Zhou Feng also watched intently. After muttering about it for so long, the fight was finally about to begin!

Although he hadn't practiced martial arts much and hadn't seen many, Zhou Feng could vaguely sense that he was currently not on the same level as Kumārajīva at all.

If he really needs to take action later, it would be safer to rely on Qin Ming and the others' sniper rifles.

"May the King of Light draw his weapon!"

Upon hearing Abbot Benyin speak, Kumārajīva smiled slightly and had his subordinate bring over a bundle of Tibetan incense from outside. He held the incense in his left hand, took a sliver of wood shavings with his right hand, gently squeezed it, inserted the incense into the wood shavings, rubbed his palms together a few times, and waved them outwards. The six incense sticks lit up at the same time.

Everyone was astonished by his move.

Zhou Feng looked at Kumārajīva's hands with some curiosity. Based on the movements just now, he didn't think that Kumārajīva's kung fu was that deep. Instead, he thought of an old friend from the film and television industry in later generations.

Xiao Zhi's actions just now did indeed resemble Uncle Ying's somewhat.

However, Uncle Ying doesn't need to take that pinch of wood shavings to light incense; those who practice martial arts and those who cultivate immortality are indeed not on the same level.

However, the world of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils is indeed more suitable for Zhou Feng now. If the door were opened to Uncle Ying's side...

He wasn't afraid of warlords, but as for those other than warlords, he really had no way to deal with them.

Moreover, there's the Four-Eyed Taoist's unique skill in summoning deities, proving that the gods and Buddhas of that era still exist. Who knows if they would reject him, someone who traveled from another world?

While Zhou Feng was still lost in thought, Xiao Zhi had already begun fighting with the monks of Tianlong Temple.

Unlike the exciting battles depicted in TV dramas, Kumārajīva simply used his internal energy to control six streams of green smoke, pointing at six people: Kurong, Benguan, Benxiang, Benyin, Bencan, and Duan Zhengming.

The goal is to take on six opponents at once and demonstrate one's martial arts skills.

Undeterred, the six unleashed their respective Six Meridians Divine Sword techniques, engaging in a fierce battle with Kumārajīva, a spectacle that captivated Zhou Feng.

Although he absorbed a lot of internal energy, his control over it was a complete mess, just like Xu Zhu who had just obtained internal energy.

However, with the guidance of the Heavenly Child Granny along the way, the latter was able to gradually master his internal energy and then stimulate it with other martial arts of the Free and Unfettered Sect.

As for Zhou Feng... getting him to control such smoke with his internal energy and use it to fight the other party is simply an impossible task.

Finally, after Kumārajīva had thoroughly studied the sword techniques of Benyin Benxiang and Duan Zhengming's Six Meridians Divine Sword, he suddenly exerted his strength, using his Flaming Blade to force back the internal energy from the five men's sword moves.

From then on, the roles of offense and defense shifted. The five streaks of green smoke controlled by Kumārajīva swirled and danced, suppressing the other five people, while the sixth streak went straight for Master Kurong.

The latter pressed out with both thumbs simultaneously, producing two sharp sounds as they struck Kumārajīva's left chest and right shoulder respectively.

Instead of simply defending, it's better to launch an offensive strategy to relieve the siege of Wei by attacking Zhao.

Kumārajīva clearly hadn't expected Master Kurō to do that. After blocking the sword aimed at his chest, he felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder.

Looking again, he saw that his monk's robe on his shoulder was torn, and blood was flowing out.

Master Kurong's expression remained unchanged. He slightly twirled his two fingers, and the sword energy of the Six Meridians Divine Sword retracted, snapping the six sticks of Tibetan incense lit by Kumārajīva at waist level. The other monks also withdrew their inner strength and breathed a sigh of relief.

It was only when my uncle-master stepped in that he managed to gain the upper hand, arriving first despite being the one who came later.

Although Kumārajīva was furious, he still wore a smile on his face: "This Six Meridians Divine Sword is indeed just a name without substance. What Master Murong personally trained was the sword technique of the Six Meridians Divine Sword, not the sword formation! Although your temple's sword formation is powerful, it is only average and cannot be considered unparalleled in the world."

His words were quite clear; he was implying that the other side had six people attacking him alone.

"Whether it's swordsmanship or sword formations, Mingwang, can you tell me whether Hades won this battle or our Tianlong Temple won?"

Kumārajīva did not answer, but closed his eyes and pondered for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before opening them and smiling again: "In the first battle, your temple had a slight advantage, but in the second battle, this humble monk is confident of victory!"

Before the people of Tianlong Temple could reply, Kumārajīva had already pushed out his palms, and the six people in front of him simultaneously felt two internal forces attacking from different directions.

Only Master Kurong managed to block Kumārajīva's internal force with his dual-hand Shaoyang sword technique; the other five used both palms simultaneously to fight him head-on.

After unleashing those two palm strikes, Kumārajīva immediately withdrew his attack, clasping his hands together and saying, "This humble monk has offended you!"

He has already won this second battle.

He was still using his own Flaming Blade, but the people of Tianlong Temple abandoned the Six Meridians Divine Sword and used their palms to catch it, which clearly showed that the Six Meridians Divine Sword was no match for his Flaming Blade!

But Master Kurong made a move with both hands at the same time, and wisps of smoke rose in front of him, splitting into several black smoke trails that continuously attacked Kumārajīva.

The latter was not in a hurry. He simply used his Flame Blade to defend. At first glance, this kind of attack seemed very hasty and could not last long. It was not even a move that Master Kuru could use.

Just as Kumārajīva was dealing with the black smoke, it suddenly dispersed, filling the entire hall with smoke.

Zhou Feng sighed softly and shook his head.

According to the plot, Master Kurong should have started burning the Six Meridians Divine Sword manual at this point.

To be honest, although this sword manual is valuable, since there are thieves coveting it, they might not be able to stop it. Why not make a few copies?

In this way, even if the sword manual is burned, the martial arts can still be passed down to future generations.

If that's the case, the Southern Emperor a hundred years from now might possess the Six Meridians Divine Sword, and even Wang Chongyang might not be able to defeat him.

It's such a pity that so many unparalleled martial arts techniques from Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils were not passed down to later generations.

Let Zhou Feng learn more!

If there is a chance to travel to the world of The Return of the Condor Heroes or The Eagle Shooting Heroes through the double portal, one can pass it on to their descendants!

That's so noble and selfless!

At first, Kumārajīva thought that Master Kurō was going to take advantage of the smoke to launch a sneak attack on him, so he only protected his entire body with his internal energy. But after waiting for a long time without the other party making a move, he suddenly realized what was going on.

With the surge of internal energy, the smoke was instantly dissipated.

Flames were burning in front of the monks of Tianlong Temple.

He was right. Just as the smoke began to dissipate, Master Kurong burned the diagrams of the Six Meridians Divine Sword with his One-Finger Divine Skill.

After all, it is a closely guarded secret of the Dali Duan family, and even if it is destroyed, it cannot fall into the hands of the enemy.

Moreover, each of the six of them memorized a lineage of divine swordsmanship, which they could simply rewrite after Kumārajīva's life ended.

However, their behavior was akin to flipping the table after losing a bet and completely breaking ties with Kumārajīva!

Anger flashed across the latter's face. He gritted his teeth and clasped his hands together, saying, "Your temple's unyielding spirit is truly admirable. I feel deeply apologetic that this precious scripture was destroyed because of me. Fortunately, this scripture cannot be mastered by one person alone, so whether it is destroyed or not makes little difference. I will take my leave now!"

After speaking, Kumārajīva lowered his head and walked outside.

Just as everyone relaxed their guard, he suddenly reached out and grabbed Duan Zhengming's wrist.

Before the people of Tianlong Temple could react, and just as Duan Zhengming was about to be captured by Kumārajīva, a figure suddenly appeared between the two.

"Hey, hey, hey! Ash, that's not right!"

Zhou Feng kept a close eye on Xiao Zhi's actions the whole time, since it was written in the original work that he wanted to capture Duan Zhengming after his defeat.

As expected, Zhou Feng appeared between the two of them just in time, taking advantage of their unpreparedness!

Facing Xiao Zhi, Zhou Feng dared not hold back in the slightest. He concentrated all the internal energy in his body into his palm and slapped it towards Kumārajīva!

As soon as he struck, Zhou Feng felt a dull ache in the meridians of his hand!

The novel didn't mention that concentrating internal energy like that and unleashing it would put so much pressure on the meridians!

Kumārajīva, who hadn't paid any attention to Zhou Feng before, changed his expression completely after this palm strike.

Although Zhou Feng was not old, his palm strike even carried the sound of air being torn apart, and the power it generated was extremely terrifying. If someone were hit by it, broken bones and tendon injuries would be considered mild!

In an instant, Kumārajīva made a decision and gave up reaching out to grab Duan Zhengming.

The next second, Master Kurong's Six Meridian Divine Sword was already shooting towards him!