My Co-renting Lady Boss-Chapter 1623 - 1622: The Secret to Breaking Through as a Martial General
"Scared the daylights out of me."
Tang Ming discreetly wiped away cold sweat; if the old madman really found him ahead of time, he would definitely die terribly. Even without his legs, the old madman could easily kill him.
"You’re lucky. After we arrived, a Dragon Tooth appeared here, and the master kept a low profile, so he didn’t come to settle scores with you."
Sun Zhuangjia snorted discontentedly.
"Haha, maybe I should really thank Dragon Tooth then."
Tang Ming swallowed nervously and quickly changed the subject: "Second Master, when I was healing Sun Zhuangjia, you seemed to know the origin of the Tianxuan Nine Needles and mentioned a name, what was that?"
"That belongs to one of the Eight Great Marvelous Arts..."
The old madman hesitated: "Forget it, since your master didn’t tell you these things, he must have his reasons, and I can’t tell you directly now."
"Oh come on! I still don’t know who I am, can’t you just do me a favor and tell me?"
Tang Ming pleaded while looking at the old madman.
"You don’t know your own background?"
The old madman was startled and examined Tang Ming incredulously.
"Do you know?"
Tang Ming’s face changed slightly; for years, he’s been troubled by the mystery of his background. Since the old servant’s passing, the secret of his lineage had become an unsolvable puzzle. Could the old madman know?
"Lift your foot."
The old madman became excited and commanded in an undeniable tone.
"Which one?"
Tang Ming looked blankly at the old madman.
"Any."
The old madman snorted, reached out, and Tang Ming’s right foot lifted uncontrollably. The old madman then touched the sole of Tang Ming’s shoe with his finger.
"Pff!"
The sneaker on Tang Ming’s foot instantly fell apart.
"Haha, indeed! Just as I thought!"
The old madman stared at the bottom of Tang Ming’s foot, bursting into laughter.
"What do you mean?"
Tang Ming looked at the old madman in confusion.
"I know seventy percent of your background, but I can’t tell you."
The old madman released Tang Ming’s foot. "Your master didn’t tell you to protect you, so I can’t reveal it either."
"Why are you all like this? It’s just a background, why keep it a secret?"
Tang Ming stomped in frustration. Tang Cha did it, and now the old madman too; it’s driving him crazy.
"We do this for your benefit; but I promise you, once my cultivation recovers, I’ll definitely tell you the truth."
The old madman smiled confidently at Tang Ming: "Because once my cultivation is restored, I have the strength to protect you. If I tell you now, it will only bring disaster."
"Is it that serious?"
Sun Zhuangjia became intrigued, observing Tang Ming with curiosity: "Could he be some reincarnated evil star, destined to wreak havoc?"
"You’re the reincarnated evil star. Your whole family is!"
Tang Ming glared at Sun Zhuangjia, sighed helplessly: "Since Second Master won’t tell me, I can only wait."
"Actually, you can work hard on your cultivation. With guidance from your master and me, you’ll definitely become someone who surpasses us, and by that time you can uncover the truth."
The old madman stroked his beard, smilingly looking at Tang Ming.
"My cultivation is stuck at the peak of nine-star. Though I have two Dantians, the full nine-star Dantian can’t break through to Martial General."
Tang Ming shook his head helplessly, looking at the old madman expectantly: "Second Master, if your strength is so formidable, you must know how to break through to Martial General, right?"
"Of course I know, didn’t your master teach you?"
The old madman looked puzzled at Tang Ming.
"I... became independent early, and I was just a Martial Artist when I left the mountain, so the master didn’t have time to teach me."
Tang Ming smiled awkwardly.
"I see, that explains why your body is so weak."
The old madman nodded in realization, chuckling: "In fact, breaking through from martial master to Martial General requires meeting two crucial conditions. Only when both are satisfied can you have the chance to break through."
"What are these two conditions?"
Tang Ming and Sun Zhuangjia became interested simultaneously.
"First, you must elevate your cultivation to the peak of Nine-star Martial Master."
"I’ve achieved this."
Tang Ming nodded repeatedly.
"Second, you must train your body to a level comparable to the peak of Nine-star Cross Training Martial Master."
The old madman introduced with a smile.
"This..."
Tang Ming widened his eyes, unable to believe as he looked at the old madman: "There’s such a condition?"
"So, you always insisted on internal and external cultivation to prepare me for breaking through to Martial General later on."
Sun Zhuangjia suddenly realized; his inner cultivation progressed rapidly, yet the old madman often tormented his body, causing him great pain.
"Did you think I really had a mental illness, tormenting you for fun?"
The old madman rolled his eyes at Sun Zhuangjia, then frowned while observing Tang Ming: "You are in a unique situation now. Although you haven’t trained external marital arts, you have two Dantians. Even I don’t know if you can break through to Martial General."
"It’s such a headache. My master indeed mentioned that I should practice external martial arts, but I neglected it after my meridians were damaged and subsequently recovered, never expecting such a restriction."
Tang Ming rubbed his chin in distress: "So, I need to work hard on external martial arts too?"
"Haha, why else do you think so many are stuck at the Nine-star Martial Master realm, and those who’ve broken through to Martial General are mostly elderly?"
The old madman laughed, explaining: "It’s because those who reach the peak on one side have to retrain external martial arts. With your talents, you should be able to break through to Martial General with ten years of cultivation."
"Ten years? I’d be thirty then."
Tang Ming shook his head rapidly.
"Kid, a thirty-year-old Martial General is phenomenal. Except for disciples from super forces who practice internal and external from a young age and can break through young, those who don’t know the secret may never break through in their lifetime."
The old madman rolled his eyes at Tang Ming.
"I see, that’s why the Dragon Group said I had no chance of breaking through to Martial General if I didn’t join them—the secret to breaking through was hidden."
Tang Ming suddenly understood, feeling both angry and helpless.
"Hehe, that means I’ll definitely break through to Martial General before you."
Sun Zhuangjia grinned mischievously at Tang Ming, his eyes full of malice.
"Do you believe that I’ll ruin you now?"
Tang Ming fiercely glared at Sun Zhuangjia.
"Master, look at how my junior is treating me!"
Sun Zhuangjia immediately complained to the old madman.
"Alright, alright, you two are brothers; be affectionate and don’t repeat the mistakes of others by harming each other."
The old madman solemnly warned, slightly frowning.
