Chapter Nine: The Dragon Seizing Hand

Ye Feng remained silent, simply watching him with quiet eyes. Clearly, this child had a keen grasp of psychology. By saying nothing, he left his opponents guessing, unable to discern how much he truly knew—forced to speculate blindly. Under such uncertainty, even if they did not lose their composure, they would act again soon enough, which was precisely what Ye Feng desired.

It was with just a single expression that he set off a chain of consequences; this was why, as a cold-blooded assassin, Ye Feng usually wore a genial, smiling mask. A tiger that bares its fangs too often keeps others at a distance, but a tiger that lounges about lazily, as harmless as a cat, lulls its prey into dropping their guard.

“Playing tricks, are you? Let’s see if you’re as lucky next time!” Ye Li, feigning bravado, gave a loud laugh before turning on his heel to leave.

“I look forward to it!” Ye Feng shrugged, paying no heed to Ye Li’s swaggering retreat. His gaze was once again drawn to the colossal bronze hand, several meters tall, standing at the center of the hall.

Under the mocking stares of the crowd, Ye Feng walked toward the giant hand as if entranced.

“Why is my brother walking toward the Dragon-Seizing Hand statue?” Ye Long quickly noticed Ye Feng’s odd behavior and turned to Xiao Ying with a puzzled look.

Ye Long’s words sparked a flurry of discussion among the others.

“Hmph! Overestimating himself. For centuries, only those at the Innate level have even a chance at the Dragon-Seizing Hand spirit technique, and even then, successful cultivators are one in a hundred. Even the most gifted of the younger generation—Ye Long, Ye Li—are denied its secrets. He hasn’t even started cultivating a basic technique, yet he dares to dream of mastering the Dragon-Seizing Hand.” Someone in the crowd scoffed.

But Ye Feng ignored their scorn. Step by step, he approached the statue, reaching out to press his palm against the bronze hand.

“Dragon-Seizing Hand, a divine-grade spirit technique. It was born of my insight atop a lonely cliff, gazing at stars forever out of reach. When mastered, even across ten thousand miles, it can rend stars and shatter the void.” As his palm touched the statue, a voice filled with majesty resounded in Ye Feng’s mind.

Ye Feng’s spirits soared at those words. He was intensely curious—just what made this so-called divine-grade spirit technique so extraordinary?

A sharp pain stabbed his head as a torrent of information flooded his mind. The sudden influx made him dizzy.

“Dragon-Seizing Hand: One must open up eighteen subtle meridian points in both arms. At the outset, use one’s own spirit power as the source, external spiritual energy as support, to form a hand seal of immense might. At initial mastery, internal and external energies reverse; one gathers the energies of heaven and earth into hand and fist, wielding power across the void as if plucking things from a sack. At full mastery, not even the ten-thousand-mile expanse of the stars can bar your reach.”

As his mind cleared, Ye Feng carefully savored the meridian points now etched into his memory. After a moment, he drew a sharp breath. “Most of these meridians are as fine as spider silk—how could they possibly channel spiritual power?”

On the Martial Soul Continent, no matter the spirit technique, beginners could channel only their own spirit power. Thus, most techniques required the body’s major meridians, for only then could greater power be summoned to fuel the technique’s might.

“Perhaps the more powerful the technique, the harsher its requirements.” Shaking his head, Ye Feng dismissed the thought. Guided by the map in his mind, he began channeling his spirit power into the meridians used for cultivation.

A low hum resonated in the air.

Moments later, the bronze statue before Ye Feng flared with dazzling golden light. Even at a distance, the brilliance left the crowd reeling, their vision swimming.

“How can this be? Hasn’t he yet begun cultivating? How could he possibly attempt the Dragon-Seizing Hand?”

“He actually qualifies for the Dragon-Seizing Hand?”

Gasps and incredulous murmurs swept through the crowd as the golden light burst forth.

Slowly opening his eyes, Ye Feng swallowed hard, his gaze fixed and dazed. If he truly mastered the Dragon-Seizing Hand, even with only his own spirit power, he could surely crush the arrogant Ye Li with a single blow...

“Though you’re qualified to practice this divine skill, the Dragon-Seizing Hand places tremendous strain on the body. If you force it, your arms are likely to be the first to shatter.” Ye Tianya’s calm words poured over Ye Feng like a bucket of cold water, instantly quenching his excitement.

Turning, Ye Feng saw Ye Tianya had entered sometime during the commotion. Though his words were a warning, an irrepressible smile crept onto his face.

“Thank you for your guidance, Uncle!” In that instant, Ye Feng understood. “So Uncle is worried that news of this might provoke certain people...”

“Train diligently from now on.” With those words, Ye Tianya, dressed in white, said no more. He turned and left.

...

On a deep autumn night, the chill had grown sharper. Ye Feng sat cross-legged beneath the stars, faint golden light swirling around him.

After a while, Ye Feng opened his eyes.

Tonight, he would begin cultivating this divine-grade spirit technique. He did not know exactly what level “divine-grade” implied, but judging by the name and description, it could not be anything low.

After steadying his breath, Ye Feng focused his mind on the violet crystal within his dantian. In an instant, like a breached dam, a vast surge of spirit power flooded his limbs.

No time for shock, Ye Feng reacted quickly. Ignoring the damage that spirit power flooding into his other meridians might cause, he concentrated the torrent into his arms, channeling it according to the Dragon-Seizing Hand’s meridian pattern.

The power crashed through him like a raging tide, breaking open one concealed acupoint after another. In the next instant, his arms blazed gold, swelling rapidly until they were as thick as his thighs, like pillars of light.

With a roar of pain, Ye Feng drove the power faster still.

“Dragon-Seizing Hand...!”

In the empty garden, a thunderous boom erupted. A scorching wave of heat rippled out, nearly engulfing the entire estate.

With a deafening crash, a massive golden fist-shaped shockwave shot from Ye Feng’s left hand, slamming into the solid earth.

In the next moment, as if an earthquake had struck, the ground of the entire estate shook violently. Roof tiles from the surrounding buildings tumbled down.

Where Ye Feng stood, thick dust and smoke billowed, obscuring everything.

After several dozen seconds, all was calm again.

As the dust cleared, a massive handprint, as wide as a millstone, was revealed—deeply embedded in the earth, sinking the ground more than two feet. Cracks several inches wide radiated from the imprint, stretching two or three meters outward.

Staring wide-eyed at the giant handprint, Ye Feng was stunned, his mind buzzing. After a long moment, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again.

“That was insane! This isn’t spirit power—it’s practically a grenade going off in my palm...!”

He gazed at his hands in utter disbelief, scarcely able to accept that this devastation had been wrought by his own two hands.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Suddenly, Ye Feng’s left arm, which had unleashed the Dragon-Seizing Hand, thudded dully. Lines of blood spurted from his pores.

The immense surge of power had ruptured the delicate meridians in an instant; only now did the injuries erupt to the surface.

Yet Ye Feng stood rooted, dazedly staring at his hands. “Such a technique—and I actually learned it! Ha... hahaha... Ye Li... Ye Li is nothing! Just wait and see if I don’t crush him!”

His elation was unrestrained; Ye Feng laughed wildly, drunk on triumph. But in the next moment, he staggered, nearly unable to stand.

Looking inward, he realized his body was utterly drained—not a shred of spirit power remained. Pain throbbed through his left arm.

ps: Second update! If you’re following along, please add to your favorites or leave a comment in the review section. Give me some motivation!