Chapter 2372 — Mutually Reinforcing
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
Still, Wei Zhao had not been able to read Piao Huotai's level of strength clearly. His golden finger could not directly reveal an external-school cultivator's rank, but when such a cultivator used external-school mental techniques to defend or attack, he would draw the heaven-and-earth spiritual qi around him and convert it into true qi shrouding his body—at that moment, his rank could be judged!
That was precisely how, when Piao Laoliu was defending, Wei Zhao had learned that he was a cultivator of both the internal and external schools. Piao Huotai, however, had done no such thing, and Wei Zhao still could not read his rank. He had only a feeling that the man was a cultivator—but what he cultivated, and how strong he was, he could not tell.
Piao Huotai did not answer. He looked at Wei Zhao and said flatly, "Your strength is no trifle. I have no wish to make enemies of cultivators like you. Turn around and leave now, and I will not stop you!"
Though unharmed, Piao Huotai had sensed Wei Zhao's extraordinary power. A mere mid Earth Rank cultivator, yet able to elevate his martial technique across ranks to the eleventh style, with the might of an early Heaven Rank—this was certainly no wild, self-taught rogue cultivator!
So Piao Huotai surmised that Wei Zhao's background was not simple; behind him there must be an ancient sect or some other power, and making an enemy of him would bring no good. By Piao Huotai's plan, he meant to stay in Huaxia for a time, challenging gambling kings and self-important gamblers in underground casinos across the land, and in exchange taking the first nights of young girls to refine his demonic arts.
Precisely for this reason, after witnessing Wei Zhao's formidable strength, he had begun to draw back, unwilling to make an enemy of him.
"I don't want to make an enemy of you either, but you've taken my friend, and I must bring him back. Otherwise, this ends only when one of us is dead!" Wei Zhao did not back down either; he spoke with iron resolve.
"You don't suppose I'm actually afraid of you?" Piao Huotai frowned slightly and said indifferently. "I merely dislike trouble. Since you are so obstinate, don't blame me for being ungracious. Piao Laoliu, continue!"
"Boy, Mr. Piao has spared you a way to live—don't be ungrateful!" Piao Laoliu said coldly as well. "You cannot beat me. I'll grant you that your martial techniques are formidable, but they can only give me a few minor scratches. To truly wound me, a hundred moves would not be enough!"
"Oh? So you're saying there's no way I can do anything to you—that no matter how formidable my martial techniques are, they're useless?" Wei Zhao's heart stirred, and he asked.
"Boy, if I didn't tell you, you'd never give up. I'll be frank: my internal school, my external school, and my martial techniques complement and reinforce one another. In this world, unless it is an expert far above my rank—say, above mid Heaven Rank; one might say anyone below mid Heaven Rank—none pose much threat to me!" Piao Laoliu said smugly. "The bane of my external-school skills is in fact my internal-school martial techniques! Only my internal-school martial techniques can break my external-school skills!"
"The tale of the spear and the shield?" Wei Zhao frowned, yet inwardly he rejoiced! Piao Laoliu's techniques could counter his own external-school arts? That meant that if he could secretly learn those techniques, he could overcome Piao Laoliu's external-school skills!