"Alright, Senior, I know the answer."
Ren Yuanhao was somewhat disappointed and, filled with questions, prepared to leave. Unexpectedly, the old man coughed twice and called him back.
Ren Yuanhao squatted down again. He heard the old man say, "Kid, although I think you might be bluffing me, your expression looks terrifying and incredibly serious. Could it be that someone truly exists who has absorbed the elemental origin ability cores of the four elements?"
"It's absolutely true," Ren Yuanhao felt there were no problems with his description. However, in the old man's eyes, there were great problems.
He took a gulp of cola, let out a satisfied burp, and then said, "Kid, this sort of thing, like true qi in the body, sometimes absorbing more doesn't necessarily mean stronger ability. It depends on whether the user can perfectly coordinate it."
"Perfect coordination?"
"Yes. For instance, among the five elements, fire, wind, and emptiness have the strongest offense, while earth and water are for defense. This means he currently possesses offensive and defensive integrated elemental abilities. He appears quite arrogant, but that's right?"
Ren Yuanhao nodded, "Exactly. While his offense is extremely strong, he also has the strongest defense. With integrated offense and defense, his aura must far surpass mine."
To his surprise, the old man laughed heartily after hearing this, "Kid, if you understand it this way, you're completely mistaken."
The old man suddenly stood up, casually picked up two sticks, tossed one to Ren Yuanhao, and held one himself.
"Kid, let me ask you, between a group of death row inmates encountering a pack of wolves and a group of ordinary people encountering a pack of wolves, who would survive in the end?"
Ren Yuanhao answered almost without thinking, "Of course, it's the death row inmates, because those who seek death have no retreat. Killing intent will only make them braver, while the desire to survive will make them harbor false hopes."
The old man smiled, "Very good. Then let me ask you, what is the best defense?"
"Offense, of course."
After answering these questions, Ren Yuanhao seemed to understand the idea the old man wanted to convey.
"Therefore, what I want to say is that what appears perfect on the outside is the greatest imperfection. A perfect circle can never compare to a sharp thorn. Do you understand?"
This supplementary remark from the old man immediately enlightened Ren Yuanhao.
"Kid, throughout the entire river of history, few people have been able to open up the five qi. And when the five qi clash, it's like having a perpetual motion machine in your body, with inexhaustible true qi. This means that while others are fighting you, they might have to hold back and dare not use their ultimate moves, but you can unleash ultimate moves with every strike!"
Ren Yuanhao naturally understood his own advantages, and also others' advantages, so he retorted, "But if someone kills me in one move, all my true qi will be useless."
"Then you make every move lethal, every move a desperate one, forcing him to have no moves to unleash. Isn't that how it works?"
The old man said it so casually, but Ren Yuanhao didn't believe him. After all, only he had witnessed how terrifying elemental origin ability users were during battles. No matter how strong a skill was, it probably couldn't suppress the opponent from making a move.
"Alas, forget it. I'm neither a perpetual motion machine nor do I have the powerful moves you speak of. However, if this elder is willing to impart some of his knowledge..."
Before Ren Yuanhao could finish, the old man, just like last time, no, to be precise, he became even more sophisticated, directly presenting his 'payment QR code'.
"Here, don't say I don't look out for you. I assume you've learned the Nine Yang Divine Skill I gave you last time?"
"I just learned it in two hours."
The old man's eyes suddenly became strange, "What? You learned the Nine Yang Divine Skill in two hours? Are you bluffing me! It took me over three months to even get the basics of it, what level could you possibly have learned in two hours?"
"Perhaps it's because of the fire-attribute true qi in my body. Moreover, I've previously practiced the Azure Sea Tide Wave Art, the Three-Part Yuan Qi Convergence, and the Five Elements Cultivation Manual, so..."
Before Ren Yuanhao could finish speaking, the old man jumped up from his incredibly comfortable 'bed', raised his eyebrows, and said, "Hey, kid, try hitting me with the Nine Yang Divine Skill at five-tenths of your power!"
"Are you sure your body can take it?"
Although Ren Yuanhao knew the old man in front of him was formidable, his age was still a factor. What if he accidentally killed someone by mistake...
"What nonsense are you talking! Just do as I say. If you kill me, all these secret manuals will be yours. You'll be laughing so hard! I don't believe you can have achieved any level in two hours. Come on!"
The old man began to circulate his true qi. Ren Yuanhao felt a distinct kind of true qi flowing from the old man, not much weaker than his own. He then emboldened himself, circulated the fire-attribute true qi in his dantian, formed his right hand into a fist, and infused it with the most rigid and yang true qi. With a punch, he aimed directly for the old man's shoulder!
Seeing this, the old man immediately put away his playful attitude, his brows furrowed. He promptly activated his wood-attribute restorative true qi, which possessed inexhaustible vitality, to counter the opponent's Nine Yang Divine Skill.
This punch, though seemingly ordinary, struck the old man with the force of a thousand pounds. Even with the protection of his wood-attribute true qi, the old man was forced to retreat step by step by the extremely rigid and yang true qi. After more than ten steps, he barely managed to stabilize himself!
The old man's face was pale. He circulated his wood-attribute true qi for several more breaths before he could finally neutralize the power of Ren Yuanhao's five-tenths Nine Yang Divine Skill.
"Kid, I have to say, I need to thank you first." The old man shook his clothes, his expression shifting from shock back to composure. "If you hadn't only exerted three-tenths of your power, my old bones might have been in danger."
Ren Yuanhao cupped his hands slightly, "Senior, you jest. Even at five-tenths, it absolutely wouldn't have harmed you in the slightest. Your wood-attribute true qi is vast, and your recovery ability is astonishing. It was I who was being overly cautious."
"Hahahaha, good, I like young people like you. Your flattery is just right, without any worldly airs. Come, sit with this old man and have a drink!"
The old man's laughter was incredibly hearty, as if he had found a treasure.
The two sat down on the ground. Ren Yuanhao glanced at the old man's private collection and his heart stirred, "Elder, Huo Shao Dao!"
"How? You know how potent this stuff is, right?"
"I do. I haven't had it in a long time, and I'm craving it."
The old man directly handed Ren Yuanhao a pot. He took the wine pot and downed the entire pot of Huo Shao Dao in one go, looking as if he wanted more.
"Good kid, I've seen your talent. I didn't expect your alcohol tolerance to be so amazing. But aren't you afraid I might have drugged the wine?"
The old man's expression turned somewhat sly.
Just as Ren Yuanhao was about to reply, he felt as if his brain had filled with water. With a sway, he became as if drunk and fell onto the old man's carpet. Immediately, his vision went dark, and he fell into a deep sleep.