Hu Tao Is Monetizing My Existence. [56]

The group rested for over ten minutes. During this time, the little wisp quietly returned to Hu Tao's body. Not long after, the venerable True Lord of Thunderous Lightning emerged from the thatched cottage.

"I've finished adjusting my breath. Follow me."

He closed his eyes briefly, then slowly opened them again. His gaze radiated a dazzling brilliance, impossible to meet directly.

The four of them followed without hesitation.

For Wu Cong and A-Ling, it had been quite some time since they last witnessed their master display his divine abilities.

A scene of such magnificence—naturally, they couldn't miss it.

Jiang Bai was curious about what Hu Tao's little wisp had discovered. Unfortunately, he had no way to communicate with it directly. When he glanced at Hu Tao, she merely blinked and gave him a mysterious smile.

With no other choice, Jiang Bai turned his attention to the old man's demonstration.

The elder led them to a sheer rock face. This cliffside overlooked a winding mountain path, standing about three meters tall, with no vegetation growing upon it.

"Watch carefully!"

Taking a deep breath, he spread his stance.

A gust of wind swept in from all directions, ruffling his robes and hair.

The four onlookers held their breath, eyes filled with expectation, curiosity, and a hint of tension as they awaited what was to come.

And then—

The old man's sleeves billowed, but his body remained motionless. The rock wall, however, suddenly shattered as if struck by an invisible force, erupting with a loud boom as debris scattered in all directions.

Moments later, the dust settled. The previously intact rock face was now cracked, and at its center lay a concave imprint—shaped as if a fist had smashed into it.

The True Lord's two disciples erupted into applause.

Wu Cong, in particular, was overcome with emotion, yearning for the day when he, too, could reach such martial heights.

At the same time, however, a sense of discouragement crept into his heart.

With his meager talent, could he ever hope to attain such a level? Probably not, even in a lifetime…

Jiang Bai, on the other hand, was slack-jawed and utterly baffled.

Did… did this old man even throw a punch? He didn't see it at all.

Or was his cultivation level simply too low to perceive it?

Glancing at Hu Tao, he noticed she had already propped her chin on one hand, wearing a thoughtful expression.

The old man turned around, stroking his beard as he looked at the two newcomers.

"What do you think of this technique, young ones?"

"How did you do that?" Jiang Bai asked, stepping forward curiously to inspect the cliffside for any trickery.

It was solid rock—no hidden mechanisms. He could create a similar crater with his own strength, but what astonished him was the old man's method.

He had been watching closely. The elder's fist had never moved.

That meant it wasn't a matter of speed beyond the naked eye's perception—he had used some other technique to shatter the rock.

"This, of course, was done with my fist," the old man declared proudly, lifting his chin.

Hu Tao suddenly pulled Jiang Bai in front of her, pointing at him with a mischievous grin. "True Lord, why don't you spar with him? If you win, we'll acknowledge you as our master and become your disciples."

"Huh?" Jiang Bai blinked, dumbfounded.

Wait, this didn't sound right. What if he accidentally hurt the old man?

He only had a single Mora to his name!

The old man scrutinized Jiang Bai.

This youngster was lanky, walked with a limp, and his face was bruised and battered. He should be easy to deal with.

But… having a Vision complicated things.

To be safe, it was probably best to decline.

"No need. My fists are too powerful—he wouldn't be able to withstand them," the elder shook his head, adopting the air of someone who simply couldn't lower himself to such a match.

"That won't be a problem! If there's one thing I'm good at, it's taking a beating!" Jiang Bai thumped his chest, positioning himself in front of the old man.

Since the Director had spoken, as her subordinate, how could he just stand by?

At worst, he'd activate a shield and let the old man punch him. If the elder hurt his hand in the process, well, that wasn't his fault!

"You two must want to see an exciting battle, right?" Hu Tao turned to the disciples, attempting to stoke their enthusiasm.

After all, they were strangers—if they couldn't become the old man's disciples, so be it. But these two had already sworn allegiance to him. He couldn't let them down, could he?

Sure enough, A-Ling and Wu Cong's eyes lit up at her words, and they eagerly turned to their master.

Now the True Lord of Thunderous Lightning was truly cornered.

If he continued refusing, it would undoubtedly tarnish his image in his disciples' eyes.

But if he fought and lost… well, that would be far worse than just losing face.

His fingers brushed against a talisman hidden in his sleeve as he hesitated.

After a long pause, he made his decision.

If he lost, he'd just flee. Change his location, change his identity, come up with a new backstory—who would ever find him again?

"Fine. But we must establish three conditions."

"What conditions?"

The old man raised a single finger. "First, my punches are too strong, so I will only use ten percent of my strength."

"Second, I will only use martial techniques—no divine abilities. Likewise, you must not use elemental power."

Jiang Bai turned to Hu Tao.

No elemental abilities? What if he got beaten up too badly?

Hu Tao shot him a reassuring glance. Reluctantly, he nodded.

"Third, this is just a spar. We stop at first contact."

"Agreed!"

Jiang Bai cracked his knuckles and began warming up.

Immediately, his limp disappeared, his back straightened, and even the bruises on his face seemed to fade.

A bad feeling crept up the True Lord of Thunderous Lightning's spine. But at this point, he had no choice but to go through with it.

"Let's begin, then!" Hu Tao eagerly took on the role of referee, clearing a space for the duel.

Wind howled through the valley, carrying a low, mournful wail.

Believing that the old man was a formidable opponent and hoping to avoid a severe beating, Jiang Bai took the initiative.

He launched a punch at the elder, expecting him to use some high-speed movement technique to evade.

To his shock, the strike landed cleanly.

With a muffled grunt, the old man was sent flying a meter away, tumbling twice before landing flat on the ground.

"!!!"

Jiang Bai's scalp tingled with horror.

No way—NO WAY!

I thought you were some hidden master, but you were bluffing all along?!

Even though he had held back, his punch was still enough to send this aging elder sprawling!

He was doomed.

He only had one Mora—there was no way he could afford the medical bills!

A-Ling and Wu Cong were utterly stunned.

Their master—True Lord of Thunderous Lightning—was sent flying just like that?!

It had to be an illusion. Surely, this was just a mistake!

The only one who remained composed was Hu Tao, arms crossed, as if everything had gone exactly as she had planned.

The old man's straw hat had flown off, but otherwise, he was unscathed. With an agile flip, he jumped back to his feet, jabbing a finger at Jiang Bai and shouting:

"You youngsters have no respect for martial ethics! Sneak-attacking a 69-year-old elder like this!"