THUD!
Before Cao Feng had even finished speaking, the glistening, oily chicken leg in Zhao Tianxing's hand had already fallen straight to the ground, rolling several inches away.
Chu Fan's heart also dropped, like a heavy object plunging into water.
He had never told Master Cao that his Twelve Forms Fist had broken through to Small Success.
Even after the breakthrough, he had never performed the complete set of this Fist Technique in front of Master Cao.
But unexpectedly, Master Cao had noticed it all the same.
It was just that Master Cao mentioned Small Success, not Great Success.
After all, just yesterday afternoon, Chu Fan had already trained his Twelve Forms Fist to the Realm of Great Success.
"Chu Fan, you've done well."
A faint smile touched Cao Feng's lips as he spoke slowly, "In just half a month, you've achieved Small Success in all twelve forms. Such talent and strength are enough to cause a huge sensation within the Seven Stars Gang."
"Yet you didn't get carried away. Instead, you hid your strength and bided your time, not even telling me…"
"You've done exceptionally well!"
"I've told you before that you must always remember to hide your true cultivation and strength. Don't trust anyone easily… and that includes me."
"I also told you that in this world, besides your own parents, there is no one you can trust without reservation!"
"This is how it should be!"
"Wait… Master Cao, hold on!" Zhao Tianxing's eyes went wide as he said urgently, "Master Cao, about what you just said… did you mean he reached Small Success with the Twelve Forms Fist, or that he reached Small Success with *all twelve forms*?"
"Small Success in the Twelve Forms Fist, and Small Success in all twelve forms—is there a difference?" Cao Feng glanced sideways at Zhao Tianxing and said coolly, "Don't they mean the same thing?"
Zhao Tianxing instantly froze on the spot, as if petrified, unable to move!
'Chu Fan has achieved Small Success in all twelve forms?'
'All twelve forms?!'
'How is that possible!'
'It's only been half a month…'
'How many times could he even practice the Twelve Forms Fist in a single day?'
After a long moment, Zhao Tianxing finally blinked. His gaze shifted to Chu Fan, his voice trembling slightly. "Did I hear that wrong, or did I misunderstand?"
"Master Cao said you… really achieved Small Success in all twelve forms?"
'Actually, I've already reached Great Success…' Chu Fan pressed his lips together and mumbled, "Maybe, probably, possibly… I guess you could say I've reached Small Success in all of them."
"How can you be all 'maybe, possibly' about something so huge!" Zhao Tianxing felt a fire ignite in his heart, nearly going mad. "That's all twelve forms! I've only managed Small Success in three forms so far…"
"Your talent is enough to make a person despair!"
"Compared to you, I feel like a complete idiot…"
"There's no need to be so self-deprecating." Cao Feng laughed out loud and said, "I deliberately brought up Chu Fan's Small Success in all twelve forms to knock you down a peg and put some pressure on you, so you'd understand that there's always a higher mountain and a stronger person."
His intention was to give Zhao Tianxing a bit of pressure, not to completely crush his spirit, so he had to offer a few words of explanation.
"How is this putting pressure on me? You've clearly thrown me straight into the abyss…"
Zhao Tianxing slumped like a deflated balloon, his face bitter as he said, "Just now on the road, he told me that when he killed someone, he felt no fear, but was actually a little excited. I already thought he was a monster then!"
"And now it looks like he really is a monster!"
Seeing his state, Cao Feng could only try to console him with gentle words. "Although your Twelve Forms Fist can't match Chu Fan's, you have your own advantages…"
"Your qi and blood are abundant, and your bones and sinews are strong. Not only will it be easy for you to break into the Blood Nourishing Realm, but your speed in breaking through the next four stages will also far exceed that of others."
"Besides, with your archery, even before you break into the Blood Nourishing Realm, you're already capable of killing a Martial Artist at the Blood Nourishing Realm!"
"Once you break into the Blood Nourishing Realm and learn the Moon Eclipse Arrow, you'll likely have no match among those in the same realm!"
'So the archery technique Master Cao took Tianxing to learn is called the Moon Eclipse Arrow…' Chu Fan's expression flickered, and he secretly committed the name of this archery technique to memory.
Hearing Cao Feng's words, Zhao Tianxing immediately straightened his back, his spirits visibly lifting.
It was as if the deflated balloon had been fully pumped with air again.
Just as Cao Feng was wondering whether he should praise him a bit more to boost his morale…
Zhao Tianxing suddenly bent down and picked up the chicken leg that had fallen on the ground.
Chu Fan and Cao Feng: "…"
"Never mind." Cao Feng's gaze moved away from the chicken leg. "Let's get down to business," he said in a deep voice.
He took two worn-out Sword Manuals from his robes and handed one to Chu Fan and the other to Zhao Tianxing.
"This is the Sword Manual for my Cao Family's 'Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber'."
Cao Feng said slowly, "Although these are transcribed copies, the content is identical to the original."
"You two don't need to go to the Martial Arts Arena to practice your fist techniques today. Stay here and study these Sword Manuals."
"Whatever method you use, you must memorize the contents of the Sword Manuals as quickly as possible."
"I will come by this afternoon to personally instruct you, starting from the first blade."
"Thank you for your guidance, Master Cao!" Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing said in unison, clasping their fists and bowing deeply to Cao Feng.
In the past, after he finished chopping wood, Chu Fan would always go to the Library Pavilion to read the Boxing Manuals.
Now that he knew the "Twelve Forms Fist" Boxing Manual by heart, memorizing this "Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber" was a perfect opportunity to increase his Literacy experience.
Cao Feng turned and walked into the house.
Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing followed close behind.
After a few steps, Zhao Tianxing couldn't help but ask, "Master Cao, this disciple has heard people say that the 'Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber,' the Blood Saber Sect's 'Nine Blood Soul Blades,' and Senior Sister Qingxue's 'Seven-Star Bead Slash' are the three strongest Sword Techniques in Cyan Yang Ancient City…"
"I wonder, of these three Sword Techniques, which one is the most powerful?"
"To ask such a question right in front of me…" Cao Feng sat down on a chair inside the house and said coolly, "Did you really think I would tell you that the other two Sword Techniques are stronger than my Cao Family's 'Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber'?"
Zhao Tianxing immediately put on a smile and said hurriedly, "Actually, this disciple has known all along that the 'Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber' is the strongest."
"This disciple was just curious about the respective strengths and weaknesses of the three Sword Techniques."
Cao Feng glanced at Zhao Tianxing and smiled faintly. "In the way of Martial Arts, there are several grades: Lower, Middle, and Upper Grade, as well as the legendary Divine Skill."
"I have never seen a Divine Skill, but the Lower, Middle, and Upper Grade Martial Arts are each further divided into three tiers, from lowest to highest: Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3."
"The 'Twelve Forms Fist' you have been practicing is a Tier 2 Lower Grade Martial Art."
"The 'Nine Blood Soul Blades' and the 'Seven-Star Bead Slash' are also Tier 2 Lower Grade Martial Arts."
"But this 'Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber' is a Tier 3 Lower Grade Martial Art."
"In terms of grade alone, the 'Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber' is far above the 'Nine Blood Soul Blades'."
"But a Martial Artist's strength ultimately depends on the individual. If your Cultivation Realm is profound enough… you could easily defeat an opponent using the 'Nine Blood Soul Blades' even with that wood-chopping saber technique of Chu Fan's!"
Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing nodded repeatedly, engraving his words deep in their hearts.
"These three Sword Techniques each have their own specialty."
Cao Feng continued, "The characteristic of the 'Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber' lies in a single word: 'Fierce'."
"The characteristic of the 'Nine Blood Soul Blades' lies in a single word: 'Vicious'."
"And the characteristic of the 'Seven-Star Bead Slash' lies in a single word: 'Swift'."
Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing glanced at each other, and both saw confusion in the other's eyes.
The 'swiftness' of the "Seven-Star Bead Slash" was the easiest to understand.
But as for the 'fierceness' of the "Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber" and the 'viciousness' of the "Nine Blood Soul Blades," they couldn't quite grasp the full meaning right away.