Only then did Xiang Shaoyun understand that he deserved the gravekeeper elder's remark of a "plete mess". The battle techniques displayed by the gravekeeper elder's afterimages weren't even used alongside any sort of astral energy.
Only the forms of the techniques were displayed, yet that was enough to give Xiang Shaoyun a feeling of inferiority. With the absence of astral energy, one couldn't even say that the gravekeeper elder was merely using his higher cultivation level to embarrass Xiang Shaoyun.
When the afterimages vanished, the gravekeeper elder looked at Xiang Shaoyun and asked, "Do you understand?"
Xiang Shaoyun nodded deeply and said, "Yes. Thank you for your guidance, elder."
He then bowed. In truth, he had the urge to take this elder as his master, but the other party did not seem to have such intention at all. Thus, he couldn't bring himself to mention it. Perhaps he could do so when a better opportunity arose. He had to bee the disciple of this elder who was most definitely an ultimate expert with deep and unmeasurable strength.
"It's your turn to demonstrate your battle techniques all over again," said the gravekeeper elder as he controlled the skeletons to attack again.
Xiang Shaoyun hadn't even gotten the chance to properly digest what he had just learned, yet he had to start fighting again. He could only brace himself and charge the skeletons.
Initially, he was still fighting in his usual style. But gradually, the images of how the gravekeeper elder had used his techniques surfaced in his mind, allowing him to slightly change how he fought.
After changing his fighting style, his attacks had obviously bee much simpler yet more effective, with an increase in might and incisiveness. Of course, it wouldn't be easy to reach the kind of perfection the gravekeeper elder had previously displayed.
For three days in a row, Xiang Shaoyun had at least one battle per day with the skeletons. After each battle, he learned a lot. The battle techniques he displayed became simpler and simpler, his movements being smoother and smoother.
For him to acplish this in such a short period of time, he truly had freakish prehension. Of course, the continuous battles had also dealt him a considerable number of superficial wounds. He looked rather sorry at the moment. He did not hate the gravekeeper elder for that. Rather, he was filled with gratefulness. Such a cultivation method was extremely helpful to him, allowing him to reap great benefits.
The gravekeeper elder continued his teachings, "Any move is never unchanging. Just like the move prediction technique you used, any move that can defeat an opponent in the simplest and most effective manner is the strongest move. Don't be trapped by the limitations of stances. You will only by limiting yourself that way, and it will be very hard for you to reach the stage of transforming plexity to simplicity. This is simply the dao of details."
"Dao of details!" Xiang Shaoyun exclaimed.
He then knelt down before the gravekeeper elder, "Elder, I beg you to accept me as your disciple and teach me more daos that are stronger."
From what the gravekeeper elder had taught him during this period of time, Xiang Shaoyun was already seeing the elder as his master. Now would be the best opportunity to formalize the relationship. Unfortunately, before his knees could touch the ground, an incorporeal power propped his knees up, making it impossible to kneel.
"I am not teaching you because I want to take you as a disciple. I am merely doing something for the academy," said the gravekeeper elder.
"Doing something for the academy does not conflict with accepting me as a disciple," Xiang Shaoyun said. "Do you think I'm unqualified?"
"No. I am merely a cripple in charge of guarding a graveyard. Qualifications do not matter here. It's mainly because my path of cultivation does not suit you and I'm limited in what I can teach you. I don't want to waste your future," said the gravekeeper elder with a sigh. "Alright, let's talk about your move prediction technique."
Xiang Shaoyun was disappointed to learn that the elder had no intention to take him as a disciple. But he quickly readjusted his mindset and started telling the gravekeeper elder about his self-created technique.
The gravekeeper elder also gave him some opinions, allowing him to gain a brand new understanding of his self-created technique. Based on what the gravekeeper elder said, the technique couldn't be classified as a battle technique. Rather, it was in a sense a tactical technique.
The so-called tactical technique was a technique that worked similar to how a game of chess would unfold where knowledge of the opponent would allow one to grasp victory. Xiang Shaoyun's Havoc Dance was a technique that relied on his ability to sense an opponent's energy flow and weak points, allowing him to predict the moves of the opponent and react accordingly. Thus, it was quite similar to a game of chess.
Of course, Xiang Shaoyun only knew a tiny bit of the concept of tactical technique. His prehension wasn't even enough for him to be considered someone possessing basic mastery. According to the gravekeeper elder, there was once an expert capable of reaching a stage of knowing before the opponent.
Basically, it was a stage where one knew what the opponent would do before the opponent themself knew. One would thus be able to react accordingly, slowly setting the opponent up before dealing a single fatal blow to finish them off.
Xiang Shaoyun was pletely dumbstruck when he heard the elder's explanation. He had always thought that although he wasn't a pioneer in move prediction, at the very least, he had a basic mastery in it. But now, he found that he had merely been a frog in a well.
Since the ancient times, many geniuses had appeared. Numerous paths had been explored, and numerous creations had arisen. Xiang Shaoyun was still too far off the level of a pioneer.
"Of course, don't be disheartened. You did well thinking of this technique yourself. At your age, this is a terrific acplishment. As for whether you can reach the knowing before the opponent stage, it will depend on yourself. But the dao of tactical technique can be considered a part of the dao of craftiness. It has its very own uniqueness, and you will have to slowly prehend it yourself.
"However, you are already going against the tide with your nine different powers. If you still need to spend time prehending craftiness, you won't have enough time. I think you should focus on your nine powers first before doing anything else," advised the gravekeeper elder earnestly.
Xiang Shaoyun nodded. "I will remember your teachings."
"Alright, let me teach you a battle technique to make up for both of us not being able to bee master and disciple. Watch carefully," said the gravekeeper elder as an afterimage appeared.
The afterimage was demonstrating a fist technique. The moves were bold and seemingly simple, yet it contained a domineering might capable of shaking the heavens and swallowing the stars.
After a glance, Xiang Shaoyun was pletely engrossed in it. He had never imagined that a fist technique could present such a striking visual impact that caused his blood to boil with excitement. He was pletely infatuated.
After a while, the afterimage vanished. Xiang Shaoyun stood still, as if he was still engrossed in what he had seen. The gravekeeper elder did not disturb him. After writing some words on the ground, he vanished into thin air, as if he had never been there in the first place.
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