I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 554 - 554 553. Spiritual Qi Depletion_1

Chapter 554: 553. Spiritual Qi Depletion_1 Chapter 554: 553. Spiritual Qi Depletion_1 He Chong’s palm strike seemed ordinary yet was cunningly angled, making it so that no matter how Dai Yuanyang tried to dodge, he would be at a disadvantage in the ensuing struggle.

He Chong acted as if he had foreseen all of Dai Yuanyang’s responses, choosing the most troublesome one from a myriad of patterns.

Dai Yuanyang’s expression changed. He took a half step back, one hand meeting He Chong’s pushing palm. The instant the two forces collided, an explosive sound rang out in the empty theatre.

Crack—

In the midst of the explosive sounds, Dai Yuanyang retreated another half step, as if he hadn’t expected such strength from this seemingly frail man.

He Chong pressed on relentlessly, his other hand also transforming into a pushing palm, hitting the air with booming sounds and aiming a direct strike toward Dai Yuanyang’s abdomen.

Just then, the corners of Dai Yuanyang’s mouth slightly curled upward.

The distance between the two suddenly widened. At the peak of He Chong’s force, because of this change in distance, it was gone in a flash, and by the time it reached Dai Yuanyang, it was the mere remnant of its former power, hardly frightening.

Dai Yuanyang dodged the fully extended palm strike, not counterattacking to give He Chong a chance to leverage his power, and with his free hand, he whooshed toward He Chong’s ear.

At this moment, the distance between the two seemed much shorter, so that Dai Yuanyang’s fist, which had seemed to be punching air, managed to hit He Chong’s temple solidly.

In the flash of lightning rapidity of these exchanges, which lasted only a few breaths, Lu Ban could only make out the general gist with the help of “True Sight”.

There are many rules in sparring, but attacking areas like the lower body, head, and face can easily lead to fatalities, so they are forbidden in common matches.

At that moment, Dai Yuanyang’s punch was aimed straight for He Chong’s head, and the onlookers sensed something was amiss.

Du Ming acted first, extending his hand between the two, successfully catching Dai Yuanyang’s fist and diffusing the force.

“Let’s talk this out, gentlemen. There’s no need for roughhousing here. What if something gets broken?”

Du Ming separated the two and then said, using simple words that carried a touching power. His speech halted any further hostilities, or rather, extinguished the desire to fight.

“I have tried to advise you, but you do not take well to suggestions. Since it has come to this, I have nothing more to say.”

Dai Yuanyang stepped back several paces, and only once he was completely out of their attack range did he speak.

“But as for the position of Mysterious Monarch, I must have it this time. I shall be seeking your guidance in the future.”

Following that, Dai Yuanyang turned and left Jiangcheng Theatre.

“…What was that just now, so cool.”

Lu Ban suddenly asked.

His voice broke the silent atmosphere, and Seventh Master looked at Lu Ban, a smile spreading across his wrinkled face.

“Young Lu, it seems you haven’t seen the real ways of the other factions of the Nine Streams.”

Seventh Master pointed at He Chong.

“The He family’s Yin Yang Eyes can see through yin and yang, sensing danger and opportunities in advance. Combined with the martial arts his ancestors learned at Mount Wudang, they have created a set of skills that allows them to anticipate an enemy’s moves and be one step ahead.”

He Chong flexed his wrist, unresponsive, as if still contemplating the recent exchange.

“As for the Dai Family of Star-picking, in theory, they are known for their skillful hands, picking pockets, able to steal without notice. Moreover, the Dai Family has some supernatural abilities; legend has it they can briefly steal the most unexpected things, such as time and space. Could it be that he has already mastered this technique?”

Seventh Master seemed to have had a realization.

“Does Seventh Master mean that Dai Yuanyang just now stole the space behind him to increase his distance from Brother He, while also stealing the space between them, allowing his punch to land solidly on Brother He?”

Du Ming spoke as if to himself, somewhat astonished.

Upon hearing Du Ming’s explanation, everyone at the scene exchanged puzzled glances.

Although they all had superpowers, with each possessing its own weirdness, the extent of Dai Yuanyang’s ability was still unimaginable.

As an old-timer once said, beyond ten steps, guns are fast; within ten steps, guns are not only fast but also accurate. The era had long since changed. Fists and hands could not compete with foreign guns and cannons. Individuals from the Nine Streams might be able to kill one person, or ten, but when faced with modern firearms, they could only be shot dead in the chaos.

The brother of Dai Yuanyang served as the best proof.

“Could it really be as he said, that the foreigners have better ways of developing our abilities?”

Seventh Master fell into contemplation.

To be honest, their superpowers were mostly inherited through families or taught by masters, with various specific cultivation methods, but it essentially boiled down to learning whatever the teacher taught.

With the decline in the transmission of knowledge, the majority of the Nine Streams’ superpowers had gradually weakened.

For example, the storytellers of the past could make the law follow their words, changing reality with their speech alone, but now, they could only stir emotions with their words to better persuade others.

Similarly, Star-picking once allowed practitioners to steal jewels from completely sealed boxes, but by their generation, it was reduced to petty thievery.

The elders of Nine Streams had also tried to find ways to return to the glory of the past, but almost all failed, and it remained unclear whether this was due to diluted bloodlines or the depletion of spiritual energy.

Now, if what Dai Yuanyang said was true—that the foreigners also studied superpowers and could restore them to the peak of their glory—it would be unreal to say that no one was tempted.

Seeing that everyone was pondering, Lu Ban suddenly spoke up.

“It’s not something so mysterious. The person just now used a few tricks, leading everyone to believe it was some profound power.”

His words made the crowd stir again.

“Tricks? What kind of tricks?”

Du Ming asked.

“But I clearly saw Dai Yuanyang suddenly take a half-step back as if he teleported.”

Seventh Master stroked his smooth chin.

“He simply altered everyone’s perception, making you think he was in that spot, when in fact, Dai Yuanyang was never actually there.”

Lu Ban said plainly.

“Perception alteration?”

Miss Tang Que repeated the term, seemingly comprehending something.

“Just like a magic trick, you only see what the magician wants you to see. The true change occurs where you’re not paying attention. Distract you and move undercover, Dai Yuanyang did exactly that.”

Lu Ban gave another example.

Of course, altering perception was already quite a serious contamination. According to Lu Ban’s understanding, in the Foreign Domain, knowledge represents both power and pollution. So, the supposed upgrade of Dai Yuanyang’s superpower was likely due to a more severe contamination.

From this, Lu Ban could deduce how those foreigners developed Dai Yuanyang’s superpower.

Perhaps they possessed some high-level pollutants and were attempting to mass-produce superpowered individuals through these?

In Lu Ban’s time, such things naturally never happened.

What exactly occurred in-between, he did not know.

Only that, with Dai Yuanyang’s involvement, the strife for the title of Mysterious Monarch had acquired a few more variables.