Chapter 54 - Su Yi Teaches Martial Arts, the Sparrow-Catching Hand
Despite himself, Mo Tianling was startled.
Heâd said almost the exact same thing to Wen Jueyuan just now! Both proclamations were wildly arrogant!
A moment later, Mo Tianling threw back his head and laughed. âIâve been training in the Redscale Army for over a year, and Iâve long since lost track of how many enemies Iâve killed. Iâve seen plenty of madmen, but never anyone as insane as you!
âIâll be interested to see if youâre even worth drawing my blade for!â Before his laughter even finished echoing throughout the arena, Mo Tianling launched himself forward, his bones crackling like beans in hot oil. In a single breath of time, his blood and qi surged like the tide.
Boom!
His feet pressed off against the stage with so much force, the iron-wrought stage shook violently. He shot forth, quick as lightning, charging explosively ahead.
In mid-air, his right hand closed, as if he were swinging a mountain right at Su Yi.
His momentum was fierce and limitlessly domineering!
âWhat a sophisticated attack! His punch is like the rumbling of thunder. This is a proficient âMalevolent Celestial Thunder Handâ!â Fu Shan couldnât help but exclaim, and his pupils constricted.
The Malevolent Celestial Thunder Hand was Shen Jiusongâs ultimate technique. Its wielder punched like a malevolent star with the force of a thunderbolt, powerful and inscrutable.
Mo Tianling had actually mastered this ultimate art to proficiency! That was far too terrifying!
In Blueriver Sword Manor, only Ni Hao and other top disciples of the inner sect were capable of practicing a martial art to such heights.
Exclamations rang out, and many of the major powers were visibly beside themselves.
âSirâŚ.â Hu Quanâs heart was on tenterhooks.
Everyone else was on edge too. Mo Tianlingâs momentum was far too terrifying, and the example of Wen Jueyuanâs bitter defeat was still fresh in their memories!
But against all expectations, Su Yi just stood there, unmoving. It was only when Mo Tianling drew near that he subtly raised his right arm.
His fingers closed around the air, his hand a birdcage! A single hand, yet it seemed capable of confining the entirety of both heaven and earth.
His calm detachment quietly transformed.
Bang!
The stage rumbled.
The crowd felt as if they were hallucinating; Mo Tianling stopped, mid-charge, then retreated a full ten feet back. Only then did he manage to stabilize himself.
âNo wonder you dared provoke me the moment you stepped on stage. So, youâve recovered your cultivation!â Mo Tianlingâs eyes glinted with sharp light. Despite his surprise, everything suddenly seemed clearer.
Meanwhile, the entire venue was in uproar.
Su Yi!
Everyone in Guangling City knew he was a live-in son-in-law, a cripple without a cultivation, a disciple cast out of Blueriver Sword Manor. But although none of them knew it, heâd shockingly recovered his cultivation!
This was truly far too shocking!
âHow is this possible!?â This revelation dealt Nan Ying an enormous shock, and her pretty face contorted. Her beautiful eyes bulged.
It was precisely because Su Yi had lost his cultivation that sheâd turned on him without hesitation, choosing to find another path to reach her goals.
Who would have thought that just one year later, the man sheâd disdained as a waste and ruthlessly kicked to the curb would recover?
The shock threw her off balance, and she could no longer control herself.
âIt really is unexpectedâŚâ Ni Hao was surprised too, but he was far calmer by comparison.
Back when Su Yi was still a Blueriver Sword Manor disciple, he was just in the Refining Sinew stage. Even though heâd recovered, he was still unworthy of Ni Haoâs notice.
âThisâŚ.â Wen Changqing had been silent and sullen this entire time, but now, he couldnât help but stare. He was visibly shocked, and his expression shifted erratically. That damned bastard! He sure hid himself awfully deep!
Wen Jueyuan, Wen Shaobei, and the other Wen Family youths reacted as if theyâd seen a ghost; they just stood there, dazed. All of them were wondering the same thing: When the hell did Su Yi recover his cultivation?
âHmph. No wonder youâre so brazen,â said Li Tianhan, his gaze sinister. âIt turns out youâve regained everything you lost.â
A cripple wasnât worth a second thought.
But when a cripple regained his cultivation and became a martial artist again, that was an entirely different story.
Li Tianhan furrowed his brow. When he recalled that his son, Li Moyun, was planning to murder Su Yi this very night, he fell silent.
âThat boy sure knows how to keep his cool.â Zhou Huaiqiu looked gratified, and his eyes flashed with delight. However, his heart churned. He suddenly regretted not paying Su Yi a visit after arriving in Guangling City.
Could it be that he chose not to tell me heâd regained his cultivation precisely because I treated him so distantly? When this possibility occurred to him, Zhou Huaiqiuâs delight receded, and he felt internally conflicted.
âSo, our familyâs son-in-law became a martial artist againâŚ.!â Hu Quan was beside himself with joy.
Of those present, only Fu Shan, Huang Yunchong, Nie Beihu, Nie Teng, and Huang Qianjun remained relatively calm.
This was because theyâd long since known of Su Yiâs recovery, and they understood his abilities far better than the rest of the audience.
The venue practically boiled over, especially on Guangling Cityâs side. They were in uproar!
Even Cloudfall Cityâs side was stunned beyond belief; a live-in son-in-law, someone universally regarded as a mere cripple, yet heâd managed such a counter-attack? This was undoubtedly a huge shock.
Suddenly, Li Tianyu snorted coldly and roared, âSo what if he regained his cultivation? Back when he was still the Blueriver Sword Manorâs outer sect Sword Chief, his cultivation was inferior to even Wen Jueyuanâs!â
This one sentence suppressed much of the discussion, and the atmosphere calmed down significantly.
âThatâs right! Mo Tianling beat Wen Jueyuan with a single punch. Even if Su Yiâs recovered his cultivation, what of it?â Nan Ying muttered to herself. Sheâd lost control over her emotions earlier, but this thought made her much calmer.
The others gradually reacted as well and suppressed their turbulent emotions. They gazed back at the stage.
It was just, when they looked at the newly-recovered Su Yi, their attitude had silently undergone a subtle shift.
âThis is actually a good thing,â said Mo Tianling. Heâd already calmed down, and he laughed, âThis way, when I beat you, no one will mock me for bullying a pathetic worm with no cultivation.â
Su Yi remained calm from beginning to end.
He ignored Mo Tianlingâs provocations. Instead, he glanced over at Nie Teng, who was now seated beside his father at the banquet, then said, âWatch carefully.â
Nie Teng was briefly stunned. His face filled with confusion; he didnât get what Su Yi was trying to say.
Boom!
Mo Tianling seized the opportunity to attack once more. He shot through the air with fiendish momentum, charging like lightning, fast and despotic. This was a true killing art, tempered on the battlefield. His bloodlust was terrifying.
Wen Jueyuan held his breath. He had a sudden, powerful premonition that were he the one facing this attack, heâd suffer grievous injuries, and thatâs assuming he even made it out alive!
Offstage, the audience could sense that Mo Tianling was really attacking with the intent to kill. Heâd gone all out, and his earlier flippant attitude was nowhere to be seen.
But Su Yi merely stretched, his hands closing around air, floating like clouds and flowing like water, without the slightest urgency.
When Mo Tianlingâs fist came crashing towards him, as powerful and despotic as it was, something silently diverted its course. His attack didnât so much as touch Su Yiâs clothes.
The most unbelievable part was that Su Yiâs movements werenât quick; his hands were like drifting clouds or unfurling scrolls, yet they had a certain mysterious and inexplicable cadence.
âAchieving maximum results with minimum effort? Diverting a tree with a flower?â Mo Tianlingâs expression shifted. This was a martial arts trick, and it wasnât difficult.
But in Su Yiâs hands, it seemed invincible, without the slightest gap or weakness.
Boom!
Mo Tianlingâs eyes glinted with sharp light. He swung his fist with the intent to kill.
Heâd fought in the Redscale Army for over a year to refine his Malevolent Celestial Thunder Hand. Heâd lost track of how many vicious foes heâd overcome on the blood-soaked battlefield or how long heâd immersed himself in martial arts to achieve proficiency in this technique.
When he exploded with his full power, he was as mighty as a tiger or leopard, and his fist struck like lightning. He was like a human weapon, imposing and overbearing.
But what made Mo Tianlingâs expression change wasâ
Every time he attacked, Su Yi easily shifted its course, leaving him both infuriated and stifled.
From the perspective of the audience, Mo Tianling attacked like a storm, coming at Su Yi from all sides.
Su Yi, conversely, was like a boulder. No matter how hard the wind blew, he stood there, unmoving. That mad flurry of attacks didnât so much as touch his clothes.
This drew sidelong glances from the entire venue. Some of the major powers in attendance were stunned, and their eyes widened in disbelief.
But Nie Beihu and Nie Teng were the most agitated of all.
They could tell that the martial art Su Yi currently had on display was the one they were the most proficient in, the âSparrow-Catching Handâ!
However, when they used the Sparrow-Catching Hand, using their palms as a formless cage, they could at most prevent birds from flying away.
Nie Beihu had been immersed in the study of martial arts for years. His exquisite control might perhaps entrap an entire flock of birds within a given range of his hands.
But watching Su Yi, he realized he paled by comparison.
In Su Yiâs hands, this familiar martial art exploded with unimaginable power. He was like an immortal going through the stances of his technique.
Every living thing was a âsparrowâ, while all of heaven and earth were a âcageâ!
Nie Teng watched, dazed, unable to look away. The sight shook his heart repeatedly.
Heâd been studying this very art for years, but heâd only just realized it could unleash such unbelievable power!
He dared not look away. He held his breath and watched with rapt attention, carefully observing every move.
Olâ Nieâs son has finally won Master Suâs favor. How rare and fortunate! Fu Shan sighed to himself.
There was no way heâd miss that Su Yi was using this duel as an opportunity to teach Nie Teng the Sparrow-Catching Handâs profundities!
Huang Qianjunâs expression shifted too. Just like Fu Shan, he could see through Su Yiâs intentions.
This was a stroke of fortune!
Meanwhile, everyone present could tell that Mo Tianlingâs situation left little room for optimism.
In Su Yiâs hands, he was like a caged beast. With every movement of Su Yiâs palms, a formless cage entrapped him, and despite his attempts to charge through, he couldnât break free.
This unbelievable scene drew countless gasps and exclamations.
Before, most of those present were certain that, even if Su Yi had recovered his cultivation, there was no way heâd be a match for a madman like Mo Tianling.
But now, their convictions wavered.
Especially Nan Ying, Ni Hao, Wen Jueyuan, and Wen Shaobei. Their emotions rose and fell in waves, their expressions flitting back and forth unpredictably. It was a spectacular sight!
Someone theyâd once degraded, disdained, ignored, and looked down on was now revealing power far beyond their imagination. How could they accept this so suddenly?
âBreak!â Up on the platform, Mo Tianling was as grim and somber as could be. He suddenly roared, and all the energy in his body flowed into his right fist, like floodwaters bursting through a dam.
He swung his fist. This punch was as fast as lightning, and it rumbled like thunder, ripping the very air itself asunder. The power of a peak Blood Circulation Realm expert was on full display.
âFine then. Allow me to show you the true meaning of âmartial artsâ!â Su Yi sighed, and his hands pressed gently against the air. His movements were light and ethereal, without any force at all.
Yet Mo Tianlingâs expression shifted dramatically. He felt as if Su Yiâs hands carried an enormous cage, as if the weight of all of creation were bearing down on him.
In the face of this cage formed of heaven and earth, he felt utterly minuscule and helpless.
He couldnât run, nor could he dodge!
Seth's Thoughts
The Nie Familyâs technique, ć˝éäšć, the Sparrow-Catching Hand, is likely named after ć˝éĺ°ž, or âgrasping the sparrowâs tailâ, a Tai-chi movement.
Nckeo posted some more information about it, so scroll down if you're interested! Sounds like there was a scandal involving this technique.