At most, they might capture Yu Ji, or even threaten Xiang Yu's entire family with their lives, killing her if they didn't get what they wanted, or lure Xiang Yu into a trap.
As long as Xiang Yu doesn't reach a truly desperate situation, he can always turn the tide; a time-reversal item can solve that.
However, if core members possess the enemy's system, the trouble could be much greater.
Fortunately, Hao Jiu's shadow system has a hidden function to prevent this situation. Once the shadow system is bound, not only can other systems not be bound, but it can also serve as a decoy.
Those who are granted the Shadow System are all outstanding individuals, and any one of them would be a good host. If the enemy system activates the binding program without the enemy's knowledge, it will expose itself immediately, which is equivalent to walking into the line of fire.
As long as Xiang Yu adheres to one principle—those without the Shadow System should not be given important positions or allowed to enter the core layer—it won't matter much if a few traitors emerge from the rest of the group. Xiang Yu won't need to take action himself; his trusted subordinates will handle it for him.
A master like Xiaoyaozi would surely be able to guess the other meaning behind this binding. If he refused to bind, Xiang Yu would not immediately turn against him, but would only treat him as a temporary worker who was ready to switch jobs or rebel at any time.
Fortunately, Xiaoyaozi made the right choice. During the card recording process, Haojiu communicated with Xiaoyaozi through the shadow system.
The card recording went very smoothly. It not only recorded all the martial arts of the Xiaoyao Sect, but also medicine, divination, astrology, music, chess, calligraphy and painting, mechanical work, trade and planting, drinking and singing, drinking games and riddles, the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, Qimen Dunjia, farmland irrigation, economics and military strategy... all the essence of it was recorded.
Of course, although some were recorded, it's hard to say how effective they will be. After all, many of them are just based on Song Dynasty technology, and what kind of mysterious skills are drinking games, singing songs, and riddles?
What should have been a quick recording process took several hours, exhausting the five snails.
Even so, Xiaoyaozi still had many skills he wanted to show. Hao Jiu was truly impressed. This was what a real genius and a true free spirit should be. He was knowledgeable about everything and could learn anything quickly!
Hao Jiu simply explained the appearance and gameplay of mahjong, and Xiaoyaozi quickly made a set. His carving skills were simply divine. Wuyazi was able to carve such a lifelike fairy sister, which was probably due to his mastery of Xiaoyaozi's skills.
With such a genius, which system wouldn't want to try binding with him?
"Xiaoyaozi, have you ever encountered other systems that wanted to bind to you before?" Hao Jiu asked.
"No, if it did, I would definitely bind to it too. The system is truly amazing. This little blue pill that's on sale, besides being used externally to stop bleeding, has another special function. What exactly is it? Why isn't it clearly stated?"
Xiaoyaozi has quite a few items in the shop now. The cheapest one is this little blue pill for 10 energy points, and the most expensive one is Xiang Yu's card, priced at 100,000 energy points!
Hao Jiu raised an eyebrow. "Want to know? Try it with a woman and you'll understand. Just don't go with Wu Xingyun, she's still a child!"
"Oh, then forget it." Xiaoyaozi felt that he was doing alright now, and his desire in that area wasn't very strong. After all, he was a highly accomplished Taoist master.
"Aren't you going to rest? It's almost dawn. We're going to Shaolin tomorrow, so you need to arrange things in the sect first thing in the morning." Hao Jiu chatted with him, while Xiang Yu was trying to practice the Lingbo Weibu of the Xiaoyao Sect. It would definitely be very useful when combined with the Ti Bu in close combat.
Xiang Yu believed that skills acquired through one's own efforts are truly one's own, while power gained through cards can only be used for emergencies and to compensate for weaknesses. It would be best to master skills through one's own training.
Hao Jiu also advised Xiang Yu against using the Xiaoyaozi card, since the Door-Door Fruit's alternate dimension was too important and irreplaceable. Although replacing the Bruno card was cheap and could be done instantly, the cards that could be replaced with it might not be cheap at all.
"I want to look at the cards I worked so hard to record before I rest. At our level of martial arts skill, whether we sleep or not doesn't matter."
The fact that Xiaoyaozi was proficient in so much knowledge besides martial arts shows that he was a person with a strong sense of curiosity and a talent for research.
"Uh, you haven't even finished making this card yet. It's probably because it took too long. You must never take this long again." Hao Jiu thought that either the five snails were tired, or Xiaoyaozi had recorded too many skills, and some of them were not very useful. For example, Xiaoyao Singing Technique, those few lines of tune were sung quite well, but it seemed that it could only be used to pick up girls.
"God of Wine, you'd better advise the Overlord. The Lingbo Steps are not something that can be mastered overnight. One should proceed step by step. Besides, the Overlord's Tiyue Steps are no worse than the Lingbo Steps. Why is he practicing so desperately?" Xiaoyaozi shook his head helplessly. It seems that this Overlord is a martial arts fanatic at heart.
Just then, Xiaoyaozi's card design was completed, costing 100,000 points!
When Hao Jiu first saw it, he thought it was the same price as Xiang Yu's card, but upon closer inspection, he realized that it clearly had an extra zero compared to Xiang Yu's card!
This was a result that Hao Jiu didn't expect at all; it was completely unexpected!
When the Overlord recorded the cards, his strength was absolutely enough to crush Xiaoyaozi, even without the Divine Halberd and the Other Dimension.
Although Hao Jiu always felt that the price set for Xiang Yu's card in the card module was a bit low, it would be about five times higher. 50,000 points is still only half of Xiaoyaozi's!
Are these snails taking revenge on me because they're exhausted?
Replacing it costs 10,000 energy points, why the hell don't they just rob it!
If Hao Jiu hadn't known that those snails were merely energy entities conjured from card modules and lacked independent consciousness, he would have certainly given them a good talking-to and severely punished them.
However, despite his anger, Hao Jiu could only accept this reality. Perhaps it was because the Longevity and Immortality Technique was a little too overpowered, or perhaps Xiaoyaozi's martial arts were all overpowered, or perhaps the additional non-combat skills also had a significant impact on the price.
In short, the pricing of Xiaoyaozi's cards is not solely based on his combat power. He truly deserves to be called a supreme character created by Jin Yong. He's practically perfect... Why does he have to be so perfect?!
Suddenly, a phantom flashed before Xiaoyaozi's eyes; Xiang Yu had actually mastered the Lingbo Weibu technique!
Chapter 372 Shocking Change (Part 1)
Xiang Yu mastered the Lingbo Weibu technique in just a few hours. During this time, while Xiaoyaozi was recording the cards, Xiang Yu even stopped to pay attention to the parts that interested him.
It can be said that the actual time spent on cultivation was even less, and there was an even more crucial issue: Xiang Yu had never practiced the martial arts of this world, so the so-called internal energy and true qi simply did not exist.
Let alone the decades or even centuries of skill of a top master, it's not even enough for a few years or even a few days.
Xiang Yu still used domineering energy, circulating it through his meridians using the method of true qi. Not only could he do it, but the effect was also quite good, even stronger than true qi.
The reason is that true qi is actually a relatively gentle form of energy. It can not only injure enemies but also heal people. Infusing the wounded with true qi can have a healing effect, while domineering qi is simply an attack.
Moreover, the domineering energy released through the complex internal dantian meridians of martial arts is far more powerful than simply releasing domineering energy externally, then condensing it together, and finally controlling it to attack the enemy.
At the same time, the domineering energy's characteristic of being as easy to control as one's own arm makes it easier to apply in martial arts moves. True Qi itself is not so obedient. The difference between the two is like the difference between a living thing and an inanimate object. Simply getting True Qi to circulate in the body's meridians according to the path required by martial arts is an extremely difficult thing.
That's why many people, despite having martial arts manuals and excellent teachers, simply can't learn them. For example, the Six Meridian Divine Sword of the Dali Duan family—since Duan Siping, the founding emperor of Dali, invented the Six Meridian Divine Sword, only Duan Siming and Duan Yu have truly been able to use it; the old monks of Tianlong Temple can't.
Because the Six Meridians Divine Sword is too difficult to master, it's already quite an achievement for the descendants of the Duan family to master even one of its meridians. The six different paths of true qi circulation, each operating independently from the other, are incredibly difficult to circulate from the dantian to the fingertips. It's equivalent to multitasking. Let alone multitasking, even multitasking and ambidextrous fighting are unparalleled martial arts skills.
In addition, true qi is not as obedient as domineering qi. It requires complex cooperation between various acupoints and dantian to complete the transportation of true qi in the body. Moreover, it is greatly affected by congenital factors. Some people may never be able to master it if some of their meridians are too thin or closed. The smoother and thicker the meridians, the easier it is to circulate. As long as the true qi can be skillfully circulated in the body according to the path required by the martial arts, the martial arts will be mastered.
This is what Xiaoyaozi meant by gradual progress. Everything is difficult at the beginning. Only by successfully completing the first operation and then mastering it through continuous practice can one reach the pinnacle.
This explains why Duan Yu's Six Meridian Divine Sword technique was sometimes effective and sometimes not; he wasn't proficient enough, and if there was even a slight mistake in the flow of his inner energy, he would fail miserably.
But domineering energy is different. Domineering energy is very obedient, especially after one can release it externally. Before releasing it externally, one can only achieve rough control such as explosive power and focusing on superficial defense. After becoming proficient in releasing it externally, the control of domineering energy becomes much more refined. One can completely make domineering energy simulate true qi within the body and circulate according to the meridian lines set by martial arts. Perhaps it is not unreasonable to call it internal release of domineering energy.
It can be said that after Xiang Yu mastered the internal release of domineering energy, he could learn most of any martial art in a very short time, as long as someone taught him or he could understand the corresponding manual.
However, there is one point to note: the martial arts learned through this method have actually changed in nature and are not the original martial arts. This is somewhat similar to the Xiao Wu Xiang Gong of the Xiaoyao Sect, but they are fundamentally different.
The Lesser Formless Skill can be used to perform various martial arts moves. Even the monks of Shaolin Temple cannot learn many of the Seventy-Two Arts of Shaolin Temple, but Kumārajīva, who knows the Lesser Formless Skill, uses it quite well.
However, the Seventy-Two Ultimate Skills performed through the Lesser Formless Skill differ from the original version because the Lesser Formless Skill only simulates the latter half of other martial arts. For example, the Mighty Vajra Palm ultimately channels true qi into the palm to generate powerful attack force, while the preceding operation method is still the Lesser Formless Skill.
However, because the Lesser Formless Skill is so outstanding, some moves performed with it may be even more powerful than the original martial arts.
The martial arts techniques quickly mastered using domineering aura differ from the original version because of the inherent differences between domineering aura and true qi. Domineering aura is more aggressive, while true qi is relatively gentle.
Of course, even if true qi is relatively gentle, injecting a large number of foreign species into the other person's body is not saving a person but killing them. Healing with true qi must be done carefully, step by step, and slowly.
Speaking of true qi, let's also talk about spiritual qi used in cultivation.
Hao Jiu had always thought that the true qi in martial arts was a weakened version of spiritual qi. After the spiritual qi was depleted, the powerful beings in the martial arts world had to settle for second best and discovered true qi, a lower-level energy, and created true qi martial arts.
Compared to true qi, spiritual energy is an enhancement in all aspects, and it also possesses some 'obedient' qualities, which is why there are so many supernatural powers, spells, and abnormal ultimate moves.
However, compared to that, the domineering aura is still stronger. Perhaps only the immortal energy used by immortals can rival it. However, the ability to unleash the domineering aura is a hurdle that blocks the vast majority of people. Without being able to unleash the domineering aura, they cannot unleash its true power.
That's why the cultivation of domineering aura is so niche. Xiang Yu, the Overlord, was truly a chosen one of heaven, able to break through and unleash his domineering aura.
Getting back to the main point, Xiang Yu not only learned the Lingbo Weibu, the ultimate skill of the Xiaoyao Sect, in just a few hours, but he also essentially mastered a shortcut to quickly mastering all the martial arts of the Xiaoyao Sect, and even all the martial arts in the world.
Hao Jiu never doubted Xiang Yu's talent. Xiang Yu's ability to learn anything quickly was also a major characteristic, and he could even surpass his teachers. His personal bravery and military tactics were unparalleled in the world, and there was a reason for that.
Xiaoyaozi slowly closed his mouth, which had been open for who knows how long, and cupped his hands, saying, "Your Highness's talent is extraordinary, and Xiaoyaozi admires you greatly."
"The fact that the Free and Unfettered Sect Leader can create so many unparalleled divine skills truly shows his extraordinary talent. Is the card complete?" Xiang Yu asked.
"Just finished, I'll show it to you two right away." Hao Jiu was now a little hesitant. Xiang Yu had already learned the Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique), so he should be able to master other martial arts as well.
So, how many of these near-perfect Xiaoyaozi cards should we make?
It feels like a waste of time and effort to create only one card after all that work. But creating more cards wouldn't be particularly useful, since the original Xiaoyaozi is already under Xiang Yu's command. Creating a few weaker versions of Xiaoyaozi wouldn't make sense, and Xiang Yu himself can learn the Xiaoyao Sect's martial arts.
However, Hao Jiu does not intend for Xiang Yu to cultivate the most important skill in the Xiaoyaozi card, the Longevity Technique. Every thirty years, all the power is lost. This drawback is the fundamental reason why, despite the Xiaoyao Sect's ability to achieve immortality, no one in the sect ultimately succeeds.
This vulnerable period will gradually increase with the number of times she rejuvenates. Once enemies or traitors come knocking, it will be very difficult to protect herself. Tianshan Tonglao died during the 90-day period of weakness after her third rejuvenation.
However, if one obtains the rejuvenating ability of the Longevity Technique through cards, this drawback can be greatly reduced. After the first thirty-year rejuvenation, one can remove the cards after thirty days of cultivation to restore one's power, and then put them back on.
"This is so frustrating..." Hao Jiu raised her head dejectedly. "Huh? That star just now... it seems to have disappeared? Did I see it wrong, or...?"
Chapter 373 Shocking Change (Part Two)
Hao Jiu didn't tell Xiang Yu about seeing a star disappear earlier, because he wasn't sure and might have been mistaken.
Besides, even if this plane is about to collapse, what does that have to do with him?
If you tell Xiang Yu, given his temper, he might have to find a way to solve the problem of the plane's collapse. He hasn't even solved the problem of his own Chu-Han plane yet, so does he want to buy another primary and secondary plane array plate?
That's over a million energy points! Even if I could afford it, I wouldn't buy it!
Besides, what if they're wrong and it's not a sign of dimensional collapse? Wouldn't that be a huge loss? Why worry unnecessarily?
Of course, even if it really is a plane collapse, there will definitely be subsequent anomalies. Moreover, this kind of collapse is completely different from the creation of split planes. It won't collapse in just one or two years; it will take at least a hundred years.
How could a mission in this dimension take so long to complete!
Before there were any obvious signs of dimensional collapse, they had already completed their mission and moved on to other dimensions. They would deal with the future later.
In fact, Hao Jiu believes that lower planes are not stable enough and collapse is a natural law. Moreover, since the plot of Tian Long Ba Bu has come to an end, is there any need for the Tian Long Ba Bu plane to continue to exist?
If it continues to develop, will it become like The Legend of the Condor Heroes and The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber? There's a long gap between the three, who will fill that gap?
Perhaps collapse is the normal fate of such a small plane; without destruction, there can be no construction. Perhaps after the collapse, it will immediately be rebuilt into the Legend of the Condor Heroes.
So, Hao Jiu should focus on settling the Xiaoyaozi card matter first; it's best to just pretend he didn't see some things.
Xiang Yu learned the Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique) using domineering energy rather than true qi. It's hard to say whether using domineering energy to cultivate the function of immortality can have the effect of reversing aging. Reversing aging should be an extreme development of the healing properties of true qi, while domineering energy is mainly for killing and seems to have no such effect.
Therefore, Hao Jiu ultimately decided to create two Xiaoyaozi cards, one for Xiang Yu as a backup and the other to be kept by Xiaoyaozi to pass on his mantle. Otherwise, if Xiaoyaozi wanted one in the future, and you told him that you only made one because you thought the price was too high, what would become of the strongest system's reputation?
But two of them would cost two hundred thousand...
It's impossible for Hao Jiu to cry herself unconscious in the toilet; she'll definitely earn that energy back from Xiaoyaozi in the future!
There's just one problem: Xiang Yu's card is already priced at 100,000 energy points in the shop. If we price Xiaoyaozi's card even higher, wouldn't that make the Overlord lose face?
"New items are available, your card," Hao Jiu said through gritted teeth.
Xiaoyaozi had been waiting for this. As soon as the system shop refreshed, he saw his own card. "Wow, 100,000 each, not bad, not bad, hahaha, I didn't expect my card to be priced the same as Bawang's."
Hao Jiu curled her lips, "There's nothing to be proud of. That card was recorded by Ba Wang a long time ago. The stronger the card, the higher the price. In addition, I deliberately lowered the price of Ba Wang's card to make it easier for everyone to buy it."
"God of Wine, you are truly virtuous. Alright, having seen the cards, I'll go and rest now. Overlord, you should also get some rest, as we have a long journey ahead tomorrow; Shaolin Temple is quite a distance away." Xiaoyaozi smiled, then bowed and returned to his room.