Cultivators Are So Weak in This World-Chapter 48 - 47 Doubt Part 1

Black Fist Sect training ground.

As soon as Zhang Rongfang made contact, he felt a slight numbness in his palm and a weakness in his forearm. He had lost the first move, which was a contest of strength.

It seemed that he still wasn’t a match for a third-grade Black Arm Fist master in terms of strength.

However, having made it this far in just a year, Zhang Rongfang felt quite satisfied.

Information about Yu Wenguang flowed through his mind.

A third-grade Black Arm Fist, with fists as hard as iron, heavy and slow, was just the right opponent for him now.

Being focused, he responded with a combination of Mountain-shaped Talisman and Morning Energy Talisman moves.

Although he was slightly weaker in strength, he was far superior to Yu Wenguang in terms of speed and body technique.

Without holding back, at this moment, Zhang Rongfang freely used everything other than weapons and the Limit-Breaking Skill.

For a while, everyone present could see that Yu Wenguang could initially counterattack several times.

But after a few moves, his speed noticeably couldn’t keep up, forcing him to stand still and constantly defend against attacks from all directions.

Before long, Zhang Rongfang spotted a gap and delivered a palm strike to Yu Wenguang’s left shoulder.

Bam!

Yu Wenguang retreated two steps, his face reddening.

After cupping his hands in salute, he didn’t continue and turned to leave the field.

The match was lost.

Zhuang Dali was a bit surprised, as it had been a long time since a challenger of such high caliber had come by.

Immediately, he stood up personally.

Being nearly 1.9 meters tall, wearing a black bear pelt vest, and with a mane of tangled, straw-colored short hair, he moved like a human beast.

"Nice skills."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly lunged forward, right fist smashing towards Zhang Rongfang’s shoulder.

The burst of speed was extremely fast.

But Zhang Rongfang was not slow either.

The two swiftly exchanged more than a dozen moves.

The immense power forced Zhang Rongfang to dodge surrounding the main attacks, constantly striking at weak points from the side.

The fifth-grade Black Arm Fist was much stronger than Zhang Rongfang, with speed comparable in explosive power.

Coupled with Zhuang Dali’s extremely rich combat experience.

Just over a dozen moves, and Zhang Rongfang started to face dangers at every turn.

Only his peculiar, silent body technique allowed him to continuously attack from the opponent’s blind spots.

Otherwise, someone else would have been seriously injured, unable to move by now.

Before long, Zhang Rongfang stepped back, about to concede.

The fifth-grade Black Arm Fist was indeed not something he could contend with at the moment.

Without using Limit-Breaking Skill, he was far from being Zhuang Dali’s match.

Suddenly, Zhuang Dali let out a cold snort and abruptly reached out to grab his face mask.

"Reveal yourself!"

"Hiding your face, let me see what you’re hiding!"

With a sudden sneak attack, his palm almost touched Zhang Rongfang’s forehead.

In a moment of desperation, Zhang Rongfang exploded backwards on his feet.

Integrating the Limit-Breaking Skill: Shrinking Step Heavy Mountain, he instantly executed it.

His leg muscles suddenly bulged intensely, exploding with power.

His arms shot left and right towards his opponent’s neck.

Boom!!

This move was a notch faster than before.

Zhuang Dali hurriedly raised his elbow to block the hits from both sides.

What shocked him was that his opponent, who was previously weaker in strength, actually forced him to retreat half a step with this move.

Once he lowered his blocking arms, the figure in front of him was already gone.

The integrated body technique from the three step styles was fully deployed. Before the others could even react, Zhang Rongfang was already at the courtyard gate.

With a slash of his hand.

The latch fell off the gate.

In no time, he had disappeared beyond the door.

The goal of this battle had been achieved.

Zhang Rongfang understood his current level: in the third-grade range, as long as opponents didn’t approach his speed, he could win.

But anything higher was difficult.

Next, he didn’t stop, but continued towards Bailing Temple.

Bailing Temple was also the third civil force in Huaxin County.

The abbot, Faneng, had also practiced martial arts for years and had trained the Arhat Finger, passed down in the temple, to the fifth-grade realm.

Zhang Rongfang challenged in the same way, but this time, he didn’t get to fight Faneng, as he was stopped by a burly monk from Bailing Temple.

That monk was naturally strong, much like Senior Sister Zhao Dachong. His Arhat Finger and Amida Step were both at the fourth-grade level.

In actual combat, the monk’s strength was only slightly inferior to the Black Fist Sect’s leader, Zhuang Dali.

Wary, after being pushed back, Zhang Rongfang didn’t challenge again but swiftly turned to leave.

To this point, aside from the government office, the remaining experts in Huaxin County were these.

Qinghe Palace was the strongest, followed by Black Fist Sect, Mi Gang, and Bailing Temple—all on par.

Now, Mi Gang was nearly collapsed, its power greatly diminished, leaving only Black Fist Sect and Bailing Temple to be noted.

Having determined his level, Zhang Rongfang began thinking about how to obtain the subsequent martial arts in the Rejuvenation Purification Talisman Manual.

Although he could handle ordinary third-grade masters using other martial arts, to advance to a higher grade, he could only rely on the talisman manual.

Because the manual was the only martial art he had access to that could be elevated to the seventh grade.

And none of the others reached that level.

Zhang Rongfang had carefully reviewed the number of times the limits were broken. Calculating it.

The Dragon and Snake Ascension Skill is a body technique, not the main cultivation technique, reaching only three realms, thus breaking the limits three times for the third grade.

The Eight Steps to Catching a Cicada could at most reach the second grade.

The Taichang Eagle Claw Skill was also only second grade. Even after breaking the limits, it continued into the second level of practice.

Thus, it was no wonder that Master Zhang Xuan paid so little attention to these martial arts manuals.

After all, they were crude and low-grade, severely limited, and even damaging to health.

Now, to obtain the complete set of the talisman manual,

First of all, it is natural to try starting with the master.

*

*

*

Qinghe Palace.

"Hey, Senior Brother Zhang, you’re here again?"

The junior brother guarding the mountain gate cheerfully waved at Zhang Rongfang.

Zhang Rongfang nodded expressionlessly in response.

Last time he thought it would be difficult to return after leaving the mountain gate, but now.... he has come back countless times in these two months.

He walked up the hill, crossed the mountain gate, and followed the smooth steps straight ahead.

Before long, he arrived in front of his master’s pavilion again.

His master, Zhang Xuan, was wearing a white Taoist robe, looking ethereal and standing outside the small building, holding a cup of wine, raising it slightly, while a mustached man was painting his portrait.

Seeing that he was still busy, Zhang Rongfang did not go forward to disturb him.

He waited for more than half an hour until the painter put away the frame.

After saying a few words to Master Zhang Xuan, the painter clamped his drawing board and turned to leave.

"You’re here again? What is it this time?" Zhang Xuan tidied his collar, put down the wine cup, and turned to look at his second disciple, Zhang Rongfang.

"Master, this time I have come to request you to teach me the entire Rejuvenation Purification Talisman Manual." Zhang Rongfang spoke directly, without hiding his intentions.

"Why?" Zhang Xuan frowned. "You have just started learning; it’s unnecessary to aim too high. You should focus on mastering one talismanic skill after another for a solid foundation."

"Master speaks rightly. It’s just that recently, while studying talismanic skills, I’ve discovered that within the entire Rejuvenation Purification Talisman Manual, the talismans seem to have interrelated auxiliary functions.

Therefore, I would like to apply to see the complete talismanic manual." Zhang Rongfang stated seriously.

He was unsure if just obtaining the manual would allow him to start learning. But he wanted to get it first and find out later.

"I don’t have the complete manual either." Zhang Xuan shook his head slightly. "Although I am a Master of Arts, I have only mastered five talismanic skills. These are the ones I broke the limit with. The other two skills are known only by the Palace Master of Qinghe Palace."

"Palace Master Chen Heqiu?" Zhang Rongfang squinted.

"Indeed." Zhang Xuan nodded, "The skills I do not know are the Flame Emperor Talisman and the Soul-Stabilizing Talisman. However, within the Taoist palace, there are true disciples of the Palace Master who might know these two. You can give it a try."

He carefully examined Zhang Rongfang and was slightly surprised.

"You can currently deduce from the Mountain-shaped Talisman and the Morning Energy Talisman that there is an auxiliary connection between the talismans in the manual. That is indeed commendable."

"It’s just luck." Zhang Rongfang smiled a little bashfully.

"With your talent, it’s not impossible to teach you the other talismanic skills earlier...." Zhang Xuan cherished this disciple quite a lot.

At this age, encountering such a talented genius offers hope for succession.

Otherwise, relying on that Zhang Xintai kid with his trivial skills, in the future.... if something occurs, it could be dangerous.

Looking at the earnest face of Zhang Rongfang, Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment.

By constantly providing resources to the righteous army in secret, if anything happens one day, it might affect his disciple. By then... he might not even have the opportunity to pass on his teachings.

Rather than letting it be, he might as well teach him everything he can now, to let him know how to move forward in the future.

That way, even if he departs, it would not delay the progress of someone as talented as Zhang Rongfang.

Having made up his mind, Zhang Xuan stroked his beard.

"Alright, since you have already familiarized yourself with the Morning Energy Talisman, I will first teach you the other talismanic skills."

"Thank you, Master!" Zhang Rongfang was overjoyed. What he needed most now was high-grade martial arts.

The skills he had on hand were all of low-grade, but now that his master was willing to teach him, it was the best opportunity.

*

*

*

Time flew by.

Since the power of the Mi Gang significantly decreased.

Zhang Rongfang’s life settled down.

He shuttled daily between Qinghe Palace and Huaxin County, constantly familiarizing himself with and practicing new talismanic skills under Zhang Xuan’s guidance.

Zhang Xuan did not require him to master the new talismanic skills; he only needed him to memorize the practice methods and the Heart Method Mantras.

Mainly, the practice movements needed to be memorized by heart, while Zhang Xuan wrote down several pages of the Heart Method Mantras for Zhang Rongfang to memorize repetitively.

Then, two more months quickly passed. Time moved into May.

Zhang Rongfang had basically memorized all five talismanic skills from the manual.

As for the remaining Flame Emperor Talisman and Soul-Stabilizing Talisman, they could only be learned by the Palace Master’s lineage.

So, for now, he could not start learning them.

Aside from martial arts, he had accumulated five attribute points in total.

After buying all the supplements with the money he had, and combining it with his good nutrition and natural accumulation, he obtained as many as five attribute points.

Unfortunately, apart from the Eight Steps to Catching a Cicada, he had not mastered any other martial arts. He had just roughly memorized them.

Otherwise, five attribute points would have been enough to break the limit of another talismanic skill.

*

*

*

On May 2nd, it was overcast.

Within Qinghe Palace.

Old Zhang Xuan leisurely stood on the terrace of the second floor of the pavilion, gazing at the sea of clouds below the mountain, exhaling the old and inhaling the new.

His son, Zhang Xintai, stood behind him. Accompanying him was a vigorous woman with scarred arms.

The woman wore a face mask and had a high ponytail, a tight-fitting black leather outfit exposing her forearms, and a short-handled tri-pronged weapon strapped to her back.

"Xintai, the arrangements are mostly finalized; you can arrange for your junior brother to go to Tan Yang."

Zhang Xuan’s face was calm, his eyes still looking at the distance, his voice soft, just enough for the two behind to hear clearly.

"Okay, our matters indeed should not involve Junior Brother Rongfang." He said seriously.

"Junior Brother Rongfang comes from a suppressed background, also victimized by the times, why not bring him in? With more people, there is more strength." The high ponytail woman asked in confusion.

"Initially, I considered that too." Zhang Xuan turned to look at his actual eldest disciple—Chen Lianqing.

Although Zhang Xintai was his son, few people knew that he was not the eldest.

His true eldest disciple was the woman in front of him, whose body was like that of a lithe and full-bodied female leopard, Chen Lianqing.

Looking at the puzzled eyes of his grand disciple, Zhang Xuan smiled and continued, "But later, I witnessed his growth with my own eyes."

"It was too fast.... From starting martial arts to now, it’s only been a year and a half, and he’s about to step into the second grade.... His Morning Energy Talisman is also about to break the limit...."

"With such talent, and at such an age. Rongfang, he should not be risking his life with us at this time.

He should continue to grow until his limits, and perhaps in the future, he may have an impact far beyond what he has now."