216: Compliments

"As expected, it's all Jianghu rumors. With this kind of strength, is he really worthy of fighting Yue Buqun to a draw?"

"If it's true, it only shows that Yue Buqun is just a name without substance, and that those people in the Jianghu are all trash, which is why they were slaughtered until rivers of blood flowed."

The Bearded Strongman laughed loudly. With his discernment, he couldn't tell how much strength Shi Potian was using at all.

He only felt that Shi Potian was in constant danger under his attacks, dodging and hiding.

Clearly, he was no match.

"Big Brother, I just want to know why you are attacking me?" Shi Potian interjected and asked.

"Hmph, wait until you go to Hell to ask the King of Hell." The Bearded Strongman snorted coldly, his Moves vicious and merciless.

"Big Brother, your strikes are too vicious. If it were someone else, they would have probably been chopped into meat paste long ago. You're quite skilled at chopping meat; are you a butcher?" Shi Potian asked curiously.

His earnest expression made people think he was teasing.

"You wily brat, you still dare to be glib at this point. Let's see if I don't cut out your tongue." The Bearded Strongman shouted angrily.

"Didn't you just say you wanted to chop me into meat paste? If that's the case, how can you cut out my tongue? Your words are a bit contradictory!" Shi Potian asked again, puzzled.

"I'll cut out your tongue first, then chop you into meat paste!" The Bearded Strongman became even more furious, and his Moves became increasingly wild and sweeping.

But soon, after dozens of Moves, the Bearded Strongman was dragging his blade, panting heavily as he stood in place. Yet, even so, he didn't forget to glare at Shi Potian and curse, "You little brat, if you have the guts, stand there and let me slash you twice. Why are you dodging?"

"If you're a man, you should stand still and let me slash you!"

"Big Brother, are you joking?" Shi Potian had a face full of black lines. "How can I stand here and let you slash me? I'm not an idiot. Besides, even if I really stood here without moving, I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to cut me, and if you were struck by the backlash of my Internal Energy, wouldn't that be a sin?"

"You don't need to worry about that. If you have the guts, just don't Move." The Bearded Strongman waved his large hand and said angrily, "As long as you stand still, that's enough. I will definitely let you know how powerful I am."

At this moment, anger had already clouded his reason, and he had forgotten about Shi Potian's strange nature.

He even forgot that he was exhausted to this extent, while the teenager opposite him was calm and composed, as if he had never moved at all.

Now, he just wanted to land one slash on Shi Potian to prove his own strength.

"Sigh!" Seeing this, Shi Potian sighed softly. "Since you insist, Big Brother, I won't Move this time. However, you must be careful. It's best to save some strength." Shi Potian advised.

"Hmph, you don't need to worry about that!" The Bearded Strongman heard this, his eyes widening. "You just need to stand here and not Move, that's enough."

"Rest assured, whoever Moves this time is a puppy." Shi Potian also nodded with a serious face, indicating his agreement.

"Kill!" Hearing this, the Bearded Strongman felt his resolve firm up. Then, eyes wide with rage, he shouted and lunged toward Shi Potian, slashing down with his blade.

Bai Axiu couldn't help but close her eyes when she saw this scene.

And the other two people who had come with the Bearded Strongman also couldn't help but turn their heads away, unable to bear watching this bloody scene.

Clang! A sound like metal striking metal rang out, followed by a miserable howl. The Bearded Strongman was sent flying by a powerful force, and the large blade in his hand shattered into pieces.

Pfft! The Bearded Strongman rolled onto the ground, vomiting large mouthfuls of blood. His eyes were wide open, pointing at Shi Potian, his face filled with an expression of disbelief.

He was gasping for air, with more going in than coming out.

"You, you..." Having said only two words, the Bearded Strongman's head lolled to the side, and he stopped breathing immediately.

"Sigh! Why did you have to do this?" Seeing this, Shi Potian couldn't help but sigh softly and took a few steps forward. "I didn't want to kill you. This is just the effect of my True Qi automatically protecting my body. If you had just held back a little bit of strength, you wouldn't have been heavily injured and died like this. Sigh..." Shi Potian looked troubled.

"Brother Gou, this isn't your fault. It's just that he was too vicious and didn't leave himself any way out." Bai Axiu hurriedly stepped forward to comfort him.

"Yes, yes, yes, it's because he was too vicious. He didn't leave others any way out, so he didn't leave himself any way out either. He deserved to die!" At this moment, the other two remaining people also hurriedly nodded, expressing agreement, and quickly tried to distance themselves.

"We were just passing by this place by chance and witnessed this scene with our own eyes. This has nothing to do with you, Young Hero; he brought this upon himself." The two of them said in a rush.

Deep down, they were even more shocked.

Although the Bearded Strongman was not a top-tier expert in the Jianghu, he was stronger than both of them. Most importantly, he was born with Divine Power and was as strong as an ox.

Just that one Move, "Forcefully Splitting Mount Hua," could split a huge boulder in front of him into two.

But when he slashed at the teenager, he hadn't moved an inch, and instead, he had gotten himself killed by the backlash.

Such profound Internal Energy was breathtaking.

Because even some first-class experts would probably not dare to take such a slash head-on, and even if they could block it, they would never do so with such ease.

They wouldn't be as relaxed and natural as the teenager in front of them.

It was as if that heavy, mountain-like slash was just a feather.

"Could it be that this kid really can fight Yue Buqun to a draw?"

"Could it be that those Jianghu rumors aren't false, but actually true?" The two looked at each other, unable to hide the shock in their hearts.

"Since you are fine, then you can leave. Remember to help me bury this Big Brother. Although he killed himself, since we have seen it, we cannot just sit by and watch his corpse fall into the mouths of wild beasts." Shi Potian said with a sigh.

"Understood, understood. Don't worry, Young Hero, we will handle these matters well." Hearing this, the two middle-aged men nodded like garlic pounding and agreed repeatedly.

As long as the other party didn't kill them, that was a great blessing. This small matter was just a lift of a finger and was nothing.

And after the two left, they quickly spread this news.

"What? You saw that teenager who fought Yue Buqun?" Everyone showed expressions of surprise. "Where is he? What does he look like, and how is his strength?"

The two men looked terrified and recounted the whole story truthfully.

"Does this kid really have such strength?" Many people looked surprised.

"A second-rate character doesn't prove anything." Someone, however, was dismissive.

"Since that's the case, why don't we go see this young hero and test his mettle?" Someone suddenly proposed, immediately gaining everyone's agreement, and the group followed the direction to search for him.

Several days later, the group finally found Shi Potian.

"Why are you following us?" Shi Potian raised an eyebrow and asked curiously.

"Young Hero, we heard that you fought the Five Mountains Alliance Chief to a draw, and we just wanted to ask if it's true or false." A middle-aged scholar at the lead, holding a folding fan, stepped forward and asked with a smile.

"False." Shi Potian shook his head without hesitation, and everyone immediately showed expressions of "as expected," and many people breathed a sigh of relief.

If such a teenager could really fight Yue Buqun to a draw, then they would have truly lived their lives in vain.

"That's more like it." "I said, how could anyone fight Yue Buqun to a draw, and a young man at that." Everyone said with a chuckle.

Their feelings were very complex; they both hoped someone could fight Yue Buqun and threaten him, but they were also afraid that someone could actually do it, especially a teenager.

But at this moment, Shi Potian suddenly sighed and added, "Headmaster Yue's martial arts are indeed above mine. I only managed to hold on for a few dozen Moves against him; I wouldn't dare say it was a draw."

As soon as these words were spoken, the smiles on the faces of the people present froze.

Although it was only holding on for a few dozen Moves, this was equally astonishing.

Because as far as they knew, the number of people who could currently last ten Moves against Yue Buqun could be counted on one hand. Let alone a few dozen Moves.

"You, you really lasted a few dozen Moves against Yue Buqun?" Someone said, stammering.

"Could it be that Yue Buqun showed mercy, which is why you were able to last a few dozen Moves against him?" Someone couldn't help but ask. Many people also nodded repeatedly, looking at Shi Potian.

"He probably did show mercy. I used my full strength, and only then did I force him to use 50% of his power. He is indeed powerful." Shi Potian nodded and admitted it openly.

But these words made the smiles on the faces of those present even more bitter and awkward.

To be able to force Yue Buqun to use 50% of his power, such strength was already enough to top this Jianghu.

"A hero emerges from youth, truly a hero emerges from youth." Everyone praised repeatedly with smiles.

"Little Brother, would you do us the honor of having a drink with us?" Everyone opened invitations.

"Then do you know the location of Xia Ke Island?" Shi Potian asked directly.

Everyone shook their heads, but someone said, "Little Brother, Xia Ke Island is not easy to find. Although we don't know the location, perhaps others might. Let's go see other Jianghu Seniors together; perhaps they will have some understanding."

Hearing this, Shi Potian also nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense. In that case, let's go."

The group arrived at an inn. Everyone vied to ask about Shi Potian's master and background.

"Young Hero, you have such martial arts at such a young age. I believe that in the future, this world will surely be yours, and even that Yue Buqun will have to step down and yield his position." Someone said loudly to curry favor.

"Senior, you are joking. Alliance Leader Yue has high martial arts, far beyond what I can match." Shi Potian waved his hands repeatedly to refuse.

"Young Hero, you are too modest. This is different. You are still young, and to have such martial arts at your age, if you were given a few more years, or a decade or more, I'm afraid no one in the world would be your match!"

"That's right. To have such strength at such a young age is simply unheard of. With such talent, the growth speed is extremely fast. Especially since you, Young Hero, don't even have a complete master, relying entirely on your own self-realization to reach this point, topping the contemporary era. If you had a complete master, and if you were like that Yue Buqun, obtaining the supreme Secret Manual on Xia Ke Island, then absolutely no one in the world would be your match."

"Although that Yue Buqun is powerful, he is ultimately old and cannot be compared to a rising sun like you, Young Hero." The people around started to flatter.

"Yes, if Young Hero could also obtain the supreme Secret Manual of Xia Ke Island, with your talent, Yue Buqun would definitely not be your match. It's a pity that Yue Buqun is too secretive. So many renowned Martial Forest figures went to Xia Ke Island, yet he was the only one to return alive, and he even obtained the supreme Secret Manual. It really makes one ponder deeply—did he kill all the Martial Forest experts of the various sects in the world just to monopolize the Secret Manual? Otherwise, why would he refuse to speak about what happened on Xia Ke Island? When people from our various sects went to ask, not only did he not give an answer, but he also treated us with cold eyes, and even used vicious, ruthless, and merciless killing methods, causing many of his peers to die tragically on Mount Hua. It's infuriating." The crowd was filled with righteous indignation.

Shi Potian touched his head, not understanding the meaning. "But I can't help with this matter. Headmaster Yue has already told me that everyone was comprehending the Secret Manual on Xia Ke Island, and they all suffered Qi Deviation, started killing each other, and accidentally broke the supporting stone pillars, causing the cave to collapse, which led to the group of experts being buried inside the cave."

"He was also lucky to have escaped."

"Young Hero, you are too naive. How can the words of that Yue Buqun be trusted?" The person beside him immediately said, "All of this is too coincidental. It is more likely that Yue Buqun killed everyone on the island in order to seize the Secret Manual, and he brought the Xuan Su Manor Couple back."

"In this way, there is no proof of death. As for what role the Xuan Su Manor Couple played in it, that is unknown. But that Yue Buqun not letting us see them alone is clearly because he is afraid that we will discover the problem, which is why he dares not let us see them alone."

"Well said. There must be some other hidden story in this. Otherwise, why would Yue Buqun not let us go see the Xuan Su Manor Couple and ask clearly?" Others also echoed in agreement.

Although Ning Yuan's reputation is very high now, even a notorious one, it is impossible to make everyone convinced. On the contrary, there will be more hostility.

Especially after Ning Yuan proposed his intention for the Martial Arts Alliance Leader position, the various Jianghu sects were dissatisfied with Ning Yuan, but they dared not express it in front of Ning Yuan.

But now, seeing a potential stock like Shi Potian, they naturally expressed their good will one after another. After all, this represents the hope of the future. The hope of resisting the hegemony of Yue Buqun.

Most importantly, a junior like Shi Potian who has just stepped out into the world is easier to control. Easier to fool.

"Is that so?" Shi Potian was half-believing.

"Of course it is. Actually, if you want to find the location of Xia Ke Island, you don't need to ask around at all. You can just go directly to the Min Rou Couple, and you can ask for the direction. Perhaps you can even get the truth of the facts from their mouths." Someone suddenly added.

Hearing this, Shi Potian was stunned, and his eyes immediately lit up. "What you say makes sense. The couple must know the route, and they also know the inside story. Why didn't I think of that?"

"If what they say is different from what Headmaster Yue said, then it means there must be a problem."

Shi Potian rubbed his chin and became excited. "Axiu, now we have a lead. I believe we will soon be able to find Xia Ke Island, find the truth, and find the whereabouts of Grandpa Bai." Shi Potian said excitedly.

Bai Axiu also smiled, but then added worriedly, "But the Xuan Su Manor Couple have been on Mount Hua. I'm afraid it won't be easy to see them."

"After all, so many Jianghu people wanted to see them before, but were killed instead. I'm afraid it won't be easy to see them."