As the foremost expert of the Long Family's third generation, Long Ying's Cultivation had long ago reached the Peak of the Inner Strength Eighth Heaven.
Given Long Ying's strength and status, even someone like Long Ziyou didn't dare to casually provoke him.
Once everyone had reluctantly dispersed, Long Ying spoke. "Seventh Brother, congratulations on condensing your Inner Strength. I believe that with your talent, you will definitely return to the state you were in ten years ago."
Long Ao had a great deal of affection for his older brother, as Long Ying was the only person who hadn't looked down on or mocked him in the past ten years.
"Thank you, Big Brother. I'll do my best."
"Good. Grandfather's punishment has a hidden meaning this time. There are many Martial Arts in the Martial Arts Pavilion. Make the most of this opportunity."
With that, Long Ying smiled, patted Long Ao's shoulder, and departed.
'The Martial Arts Pavilion?'
Long Ao had always wanted to enter the Martial Arts Pavilion. It was almost laughable; despite being a former genius, he had never once set foot in the Long Family's Forbidden Land, much less practiced any of the family's Martial Arts.
「Ten years ago.」
Long Haoshi's intention had been to wait until Long Ao broke through to the Inner Strength Seventh Heaven before allowing him into the Martial Arts Pavilion to practice Martial Arts. That way, he could focus his entire mind on condensing his Inner Strength.
But fate had other plans.
His failure to achieve the Endless Cycle of condensation ten years ago, coupled with the rapid decline of his Cultivation, meant he lost any chance of entering the Martial Arts Pavilion.
Filled with excitement and anticipation, Long Ao couldn't wait another second and immediately headed for the Martial Arts Pavilion.
Martial Arts were essential skills for any Martial Artist. Possessing a Martial Art could greatly enhance the power one wielded. Martial Arts were divided into Postnatal Martial Skills and Innate Martial Skills.
The Martial Arts Pavilion was one of the Long Family's Forbidden Lands. It was strictly off-limits to ordinary people; no one could enter without Long Haoshi's approval.
Because of this, Long Ao met with no resistance and entered the Martial Arts Pavilion smoothly. The moderately-sized room was filled with rows of bookshelves, which were lined with all sorts of Martial Techniques and Martial Arts.
Now that he possessed the Ninth Transformation Reincarnation Technique, he no longer needed any other Martial Technique.
Martial Arts were what Long Ao needed most right now. He was so eager that he even forgot his cleaning duties. He walked up to the first row of bookshelves and began to look through the Martial Arts one by one.
Not every Martial Art was suitable for practice. If he chose one that didn't suit him, not only would he be unable to unleash its full potential in a fight, but it might even hinder his performance.
'Thunderclap Palm.'
'Tornado Leg.'
'Mantis Claw Hook.'
He flipped through one Martial Art after another, but couldn't find a single one that suited him. 'Is there really not a single Martial Art in the entire Pavilion that's right for me?'
'Huh?'
Just as Long Ao was starting to feel disappointed, he suddenly spotted a Martial Art called Heart-Locking Palm, placed right in the middle of the third bookshelf.
'This must be fate.' Long Ao picked up the Heart-Locking Palm and began to flip through it, page by page. He seemed to forget the passage of Time, reading and practicing the movements as he went. Before he knew it, the sky was slowly beginning to brighten.
Just before leaving, Long Ao also found a Body Technique Martial Skill called Gale Step.
「The next day, at noon.」
On Red Fire Mountain, Long Ao was the only one guarding a flat, winding path. Everyone assumed that Black Ghost, as a wanted criminal who knew the Four Great Clans of Red Fire Town were after him, would never dare to take the main road. He was certain to use the side paths.
As the Long Family's resident good-for-nothing, Long Ao was considered the weakest even after condensing his Inner Strength. Thus, he was assigned to guard this spot—a nonessential role, at best.
Lying in the tall grass, Long Ao had a piece of straw dangling from his mouth. With one leg crossed over the other, he was sunbathing and leisurely humming a little tune. This didn't look like guard duty; it looked like he was on vacation.
RUSTLE RUSTLE RUSTLE...
'Someone?' Long Ao, who had been humming with his eyes closed, heard faint footsteps. He immediately tensed, rolling over to hide deeper in the grass.
A moment later, a man appeared, completely wrapped in black clothing.
The man was fast and his footsteps were light; in the blink of an eye, he was already close. Long Ao had seen a portrait of Black Ghost, so he knew at once that this man in black was none other than the wanted criminal from Thundercloud City, an expert at the Inner Strength Eighth Heaven Realm.
Black Ghost was clever. He did the exact opposite of what was expected. He calculated that everyone would assume he'd take the side paths, so he deliberately took the main road. It was a move that perfectly exploited his pursuers' assumptions.
Just as Black Ghost flashed past him, Long Ao struck.
At the Inner Strength Seventh Heaven Realm, the Inner Strength within his body was in an Endless Cycle. His Palm Force packed well over a hundred pounds of power. If this strike landed, Long Ao was confident that Black Ghost would be crippled, if not killed outright.
But Long Ao had still underestimated Black Ghost. As an Inner Strength Eighth Heaven expert, Black Ghost sensed the shift in the air beside him. He instantly fell back, dodging the ambush, then immediately retracted his palm into a fist and threw a vicious punch.
Black Ghost's reaction was incredibly fast, a testament to his strength. Even though his punch was a counter, its power was not to be underestimated.
Long Ao didn't dare to be careless. With his ambush foiled, he immediately retreated, avoiding a direct clash. And so, both of their opening moves missed their mark.
"Who are you? Why do you block my path?"
Black Ghost was shrouded in black, his face hidden by a dark cloth. His voice was sinister. As an Inner Strength Eighth Heaven expert, he knew exactly what that palm strike from his opponent signified.
"Long Ao of the Long Family. You must be Black Ghost, I presume? I thought you'd be some big shot, but it turns out you're just a coward who doesn't even dare to show his face." Contempt was written all over Long Ao's face as he shook his head. His meaning was simple: 'I overestimated you.'
How could Black Ghost endure being scorned by some young brat? With a furious roar, he shot forward in a single bound. The greatest difference between the Inner Strength Seventh Heaven and Eighth Heaven lay in the sheer volume of one's Inner Strength.
For that very reason, Long Ao had no intention of clashing head-on. He unleashed the Heart-Locking Palm he had just learned, sending out one strike after another. Aided by the speed of his Gale Step, he weaved around Black Ghost.
Long Ao was lucky this time. Under normal circumstances, killing an Inner Strength Eighth Heaven expert would have been an incredibly difficult, if not impossible, task for him.
But the current situation was different. Black Ghost had been on the run from Thundercloud City for days, enduring wave after wave of pursuers. He wasn't just exhausted; he was also heavily injured.
Gradually, Black Ghost began to falter. The speed of his punches slowed considerably. Not only that, but his old wounds reopened, and his body began to tremble slightly. Before Long Ao even had to make a move, Black Ghost suddenly pitched forward and collapsed. He twitched a few times, then went still.
'Dead?'
'My luck is a little *too* good,' he thought, overjoyed. Long Ao knew he had lucked out this time. He had barely exerted himself, and Black Ghost had collapsed on his own. He had been steeling himself for a life-or-death battle, one he wasn't sure he would survive.