The Grand Elder couldn't help but scowl when seeing the performance of the younger generations below.
The fact that they didn't even dare to step up to Mo Yangling was already somewhat telling to him.
'That brat may be rude, but he's not entirely wrong either... I'm sure the King can tell as well...'
Even though Guo Zhu looked much younger, he was actually from around the same generation as Mo Ling, with the current Grand Elder of the Mo Family being only 10-20 years older at best.
The two of them had even been brothers in arms at one point, alongside some of the Grand Elders of the other Noble Clans and Kong Tingfeng, Clan Head of the Kong Clan who was also around as old as the king.
Being a coward was akin to a death sentence during their warring era.
Even if you were weaker you still very often were forced to face opponents stronger than you, being daring was what mattered most, grasping every chance you had to take a life before yours was taken.
What was the point of an opportunity, if one was too scared even to attempt to grasp it? Without guts, how was one expected to go against the heavens?
Cultivators who didn't even dare stand up to someone in their generation would never even make it to the old age of the elders.
'Cowardice in this world kills a lot more people than Arrogance does... It's just a slower, meaningless death.'
This was one of the big reasons why Mo Ling butted heads with Mo Weisheng often. The man was a coward, but a talented one, which was annoying in the Grand Elder's eyes.
He planned to use most of his remaining lifespan to beat the coward out of Mo Weisheng both physically and mentally. But that was going to take time...
In a sense, Mo Yangling was the most daring one there, making him the most talented in the eyes of those old people.
'The King surely sees things as I do...' Mo Ling felt a bit proud in his cold heart, that the most promising young man among the 4 Great Families originated from his family.
Even while the Clan Head was shitting bricks, the Grand Elder was just smiling widely watching the scene below.
Especially when he watched his great-granddaughter try to fight him. He didn't interact that much with his family, but he hadn't expected her to also be a hidden talent.
She certainly had more guts than those young Martial Masters that lingered around.
Not one of them dared to go on the podium after seeing Mo Yangling break the entire platform with a single half-hearted stomp, yet she was still attacking and fighting like normal.
'Heh, seems like I can at least take her as a disciple, her achievements are bound to be great in the future... Too bad Mo Yangling decided to learn External Martial Arts...'
The King was also having similar thoughts about Mo Yangling, somewhat agreeing with him, whilst also somewhat annoyed by just how bold he was even to his elders.
'Cowards die, but too much arrogance can also kill you...'
Guo Shen seemed to have sensed his father's slight annoyance and had immediately acted. Much like any young man, he was eager to prove himself to his father.
"Your External Martial Arts can only take you so far, Mo Yangling! I shall be the one to teach you respect today!"
The First Prince seemed to almost glide towards the monk, his palm clenched into a fist as he prepared to strike with all of his strength, his entire body glowing with a mist-like Internal Energy.
"Teach me? Amitabha, I do not need to learn anything... Especially not from someone this inexperienced!~"
The monk immediately stomped on the ground, the ground underneath him trembling just as the first prince got close.
"Petty tricks!" He shouted as a few rocks shot up from the ground and evaporated into mist when touching his body.
What he didn't expect was for the cracked tile that the Monk had pressed on to also move in a violent and sudden manner just as he stepped on it with his right leg.
The cracked tile was raised instantly, forcing him to do the splits as his eyes widened. Then, the monk's leg broke through the tile and immediately, kicked the First Prince's abdomen, making him spit out blood as he got sent flying backwards.
'Bastard, touching me directly like that is going to be the biggest mistake of your life! Say goodbye to that leg!'
A sadistic smile appeared on Guo Sheng's face, he then gritted his teeth as he used his best offensive mystic art, 'Decaying Mist' to the maximum whilst managing to stop himself by digging his arms into the arena floor before getting thrown out.
The monk saw that smirk of his and also felt a slight tingling in his leg. Looking down, he could see that his entire leg was covered in the First Prince's internal energy, it seemed to stick to him in the form of a thin mist.
In the stands above, all of the Elders and Clan Heads that saw that judged the battle to be already over.
"Hah! That arrogant brat didn't even know about the Decaying Mist... Serves him right." The Head of the Luo Family commented with a scowl on his face.
"To think he wouldn't even have any precautions for such a mystic art... What else can you expect out of an external arts cultivator?" The leader of the Su Clan, Su Zemin also didn't have that strong of a reaction.
He saw Mo Yangling's fate as sealed from the moment he first disrespected the king anyway.
"M-Mo Yangling..." Mo Weisheng sounded almost heartbroken as he watched his son lose a leg.
'My dear wife... I think I finally understand why you never wanted your son to cultivate...'
As grief was overwhelming him whilst the Elders were laughing in contempt.
Only Mo Ling, Guo Zhu and the head of the Kong Family didn't comment in any way. They had the highest cultivation of anyone present, and they could feel Mo Yangling's calm.
'Decaying Mist should cause enough pain to cause most to faint... Yet, he has no reaction at all...'
"Hmm? A martial art of sorts?" The monk certainly felt quite a bit of pain, but he could bear it enough to see the effect of the technique.
After a few seconds, he decided that he had enough and flexed his quads, blowing the steam away with the overwhelming Origin Energy contained within at the same time.
The monk observed that the leg of his pants was decayed, and some of his skin was missing, showcasing his muscle fibres as they flexed.
"Amitabha, I didn't think you'd even be able to injure me." The Monk smiled as he marvelled at the strange use and application of Origin Energy in front of him.
"W-what? How can an external cultivator..." Guo Shen gulped when seeing the monk just shrug off his Gup Clan's greatest killing move.
"I keep hearing that over and over... But what's the big deal about External Cultivation Anyway?" The monk tilted his head and scowled, ignoring the bleeding wound on his leg and focusing on the First Prince's shocked face.
"W-wait, you really don't know?" Guo Shen blinked a few times before slowly standing up, still clutching at his bruised abdomen beneath his white robes.
"Well, I do know it exists... But I haven't read any books about it." The monk scowled, as he remembered the fabled 'Cultivation for Dummies' not having any information on External Cultivation.
"T-then how are you even cultivating it..." The First Prince was utterly flabbergasted, unsure who he was even trying to fight at that point.
"Hmm? Well, I don't have any specific cultivations arts or whatever...
I just used the Origin Energy around me to constantly strengthen every single fibre within my muscles, then I moved on to organs, then to bones."
The Monk flexed his biceps for a moment, striking a pose as the wooden beads around his neck seemed to shine, alongside his teeth.
"That... That's external cultivation, the basics of it anyway, some use special methods to strengthen their bodies, but the methods that use Origin Energy directly are called 'External Cultivation'. It's essentially humans trying to mimic the Demonic Beasts." The Mist around Guo Shen dissipated as his hands relaxed for a moment.
The Monk blinked a few times, only now finally understanding that he had accidentally been an External Cultivator the entire time.
"So like... What's so bad about it? No offense, but I did that and I'm much stronger than you... Don't take that personally, that applies to most of the elders present too."
The First Prince gulped a bit when hearing Mo Yangling's words, and many of the Elders above scowled.
"Well, if you managed to shrug off my 'Decaying Mist' that easily, then I do believe you... An External Cultivator that has reached such a high level is almost unheard of."
Guo Shen looked up to meet his father's gaze. He sighed in relief when noticing that Guo Zhu seemed intrigued enough to hear more.
'He likely wanted me to test Mo Yangling... We've already found out what mattered most. Didn't think I'd be the one to deliver such heavy news though.'
"This stuff would be easier found in history books. As you know, External Arts Practitioners take in Origin Energy raw in the wild to strengthen their bodies... I don't think I have to explain further, do I? It's just... Primitive."
The monk blinked a few times as he finally understood the situation more.
'Ancient humans... External Cultivation was something that the ancient humans used, a primitive method to gain quick strength...
Wasn't expecting that stupid 'Great White Snake' to have given me a clue as well, but it's all coming together now...'
Still, the monk didn't take all of the fearmongering of the people around him to heart. He was healthier than he had ever been.
"Not to mention, those that practice External Arts have their meridians sealed, their charged muscles growing and constricting them.
It's impossible for a high-level practitioner of External Arts to also cultivate Internal Arts to a high level.
They can still wield the Origin Energy they store within their muscles and organs, but their reserves are lower than even the Dantian of a Martial Soldier..."
The monk blinked a few times, his smile shaking slightly.
"That's just plain wrong isn't it?"
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Managed to upload a bit earlier today too! Snuck out of some work, but am otherwise fine.
Hope you all have a great day!
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