Huang Rong from The Return of the Condor Heroes: Guo'er, calm down.

Yang Guo sat cross-legged, feeling the six years of pure internal energy that had suddenly appeared in his body.

With the accumulation of previous efforts, the internal energy of the sixteen years surged and churned in the dantian, like a monkey that had escaped its cage, eager to release its energy.

"Seventh rank..."

Yang Guo muttered to himself. The description of the seventh grade of "One Finger Divine Skill" came to mind—the force is highly concentrated, like an invisible steel nail, piercing through armor and breaking through wood, striking directly at the inside.

This doesn't sound difficult.

Yang Guo raised his right hand and pointed with his index finger.

"drink!"

He let out a low shout, attempting to forcefully channel the immense internal energy within his dantian into the Shangyang acupoint on his index finger.

However, as soon as the internal energy surged into his fingertips, the narrow meridians could not contain this immense force, and a piercing, throbbing pain immediately followed.

"hiss--!"

Yang Guo gasped and quickly withdrew his finger.

His index finger was red, swollen, and shiny, clearly indicating that his veins were narrow and could not withstand great force.

"No, it's too scattered."

Yang Guo frowned. When he was at the eighth rank, his internal energy was not much, so he could still control it. Now that his internal energy had surged, if he were to unleash it all outwards like before, his finger would be ruined before he could even injure the enemy.

The essence of One-Finger Divine Skill lies not in "quantity," but in "purity."

The goal is to compress and condense that vast inner force, like a mighty river, and gather it all within the small space of one's fingertips, solidifying it into a tangible form.

This tests not only internal strength, but also mental fortitude.

Yang Guo closed his eyes, no longer in a hurry to strike with his finger.

He began to try to activate the mental techniques of the Yi Jin Duan Gu Pian (易筋端骨篇) to gradually tame the rampant internal energy.

Once, twice, three times...

Sweat dripped down onto the cold jade bed, instantly freezing into ice beads.

Three full hours passed.

Yang Guo felt as if his meridians had been burned, but the light in his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

He suddenly remembered the word "death" on the stone tablet.

That is an extreme form of convergence.

Without any frills or superfluous emotions, life and death are condensed into that final stroke.

"Life and death are intertwined...only death remains."

"Put yourself in a do-or-die situation, and you will survive!"

Yang Guo seemed to understand something.

He raised his finger again.

He slowly channeled the internal energy he had accumulated over sixteen years into the meridians of his arm. When it reached his fingertips, he did not release it immediately. Instead, he used the sword intent of "death" that he had comprehended to firmly "lock" this power.

compression.

Compress it again.

Yang Guo felt his fingertips become incredibly heavy, as if they were weighed down by a thousand-pound boulder. His fingertips turned purplish-red from congestion, and his nails throbbed with pain.

The internal force struggled wildly at his fingertips, trying to break free of its restraints, but was forcibly suppressed by Yang Guo with his strong willpower.

Until that force was compressed to its limit, becoming a singularity about to explode.

"go."

Yang Guo gently pointed at the hard blue stone in front of him.

The movements were slow, even somewhat sluggish.

The moment my fingertips touched the bluestone.

It emitted an extremely dull sound.

Yang Guo withdrew his finger, looking completely exhausted, panting heavily. That one finger strike had almost drained all his energy.

He stared intently.

On the surface of the bluestone, there was only a faint white mark, which looked inconspicuous.

"It failed?"

Yang Guo was taken aback, and a sense of disappointment welled up in his heart.

He reluctantly reached out and gently pushed the bluestone.

"Click."

A crisp sound.

The bluestone, as big as a millstone, actually cracked open from the inside, turning into a pile of rubble scattered all over the ground.

The breaks in each piece of gravel were frighteningly clean, as if they had been cut by some kind of sharp blade.

The rock in the center, in particular, was shattered into dust!

The exterior was undamaged, but the interior was completely shattered!

This is the true power of the Seventh Grade One-Finger Divine Skill – Penetrating Force!

Instead of relying on brute force to smash stones, it uses finger strength to instantly penetrate the surface and create a violent explosion inside the object.

"Heh...hehe..."

Yang Guo looked at the rubble on the ground. Although his fingers were in excruciating pain, he couldn't help but grin.

This is the real One-Finger Divine Skill!

If this finger strikes a person, even if the person is wearing a breast shield, their internal organs will be shattered by the penetrating force in an instant.

"Seventh rank achieved!"

Yang Guo was not satisfied with this.

He closed his eyes again, continuing to contemplate his earlier insights.

This practice lasted for an entire night.

……

The next morning.

The woods outside the ancient tomb were shrouded in mist.

Yang Guo stood before the broken stele, his expression solemn.

After a night of practice, his understanding of the One-Finger Divine Skill deepened.

Having achieved the seventh rank, the next step is to stabilize the realm and attempt to fuse the power of the One-Finger Divine Skill with the sword intent gleaned from the stone tablet.

"The Quanzhen Sect's forbidden area; anyone who trespasses shall be executed."

He has completely grasped the meaning of these eight words.

Each word is a sword technique, a state of mind.

The One-Finger Divine Skill is the vehicle through which these sword intents are unleashed.

Yang Guo took a deep breath and moved slightly.

"Complete!"

He pointed out with his right index finger, his finger strength like a sword, drawing an arc in the air.

This gesture was bold and expansive, radiating righteousness.

The surrounding mist was stirred by this finger force, forming a small vortex.

"real!"

The gesture changes, becoming unpredictable and difficult to discern.

"ban!"

With finger strength like a net, it blocks all directions.

……

Yang Guo became more and more skilled and excited as he practiced.

He discovered that using the One-Finger Divine Skill to unleash these sword intents was even more convenient than using a sword.

Because the fingers are part of the body, the force of the fingers can be exerted as soon as the mind moves.

Unlike using a sword, it doesn't require the transmission of energy through the wrist, hilt, and blade.

The finger is the sword, and the sword is the finger.

When practicing the last word, "death".

Yang Guo's eyes narrowed, and his entire demeanor changed drastically.

A chilling killing intent emanated from him.

He didn't make any unnecessary movements; he simply pointed forward.

"laugh!"

An invisible force shot through the air.

Five zhang away.

A pine tree, as thick as a bowl, suddenly trembled.

There were no splinters flying, nor the sound of a tree trunk breaking.

But next second.

"Click."

The upper half of the pine tree slowly slid down.

The cut is as smooth as a mirror.

It was as if I had been instantly severed by an incredibly sharp blade.

Yang Guo withdrew his finger, looked at the broken tree, and exhaled a long breath.

"Peak of the seventh rank."

He looked at his fingers, his eyes gleaming with confidence.

Although his One-Finger Divine Skill has not yet reached the level of the sixth grade, where the aura extends three feet outward, the destructive power of this seventh-grade One-Finger Divine Skill, thanks to his sixteen years of refined internal energy and the unparalleled sword intent left by Wang Chongyang, far exceeds what ordinary people can imagine.

Yang Guo was in a great mood.

He dusted himself off and turned to walk toward the ancient tomb.

Having been out for so long, I wonder if Sister Long has emerged from seclusion yet.

If she knew that not only had his internal strength greatly increased, but he had also mastered the seventh level of the One-Finger Divine Skill, I wonder what kind of expression she would have.

Will it be...

Yang Guo's mind was once again filled with the image of Xiaolongnu's aloof and otherworldly face.

"Hehe, I'll let her experience the power of my One-Finger Divine Skill then."

Of course, this test is not the same as that test.

He was thinking of acupressure, but as for where to apply it... well, that depended on his mood.

As soon as we arrived at the entrance of the ancient tomb, we smelled the aroma of food.

Yang Guo's stomach growled twice at just the right moment.

"Grandma Sun's cooking skills are getting better and better."

He pushed open the stone door and strode into the dining room.

"Grandma, what are we having for dinner today?"

Yang Guo started shouting even before he entered the door.

However, when he saw the scene in the dining room, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Grandma Sun and Little Dragon Girl sat on either side of the dining table.

Both men looked solemn and remained silent.

Seeing the strange atmosphere, Yang Guo couldn't help but ask, "Sister Long, what's wrong? Why are you and Granny Sun acting like this?"

Granny Sun gave a wry smile and said, "Guo'er, I'm afraid trouble is about to break out in the ancient tomb!"

Yang Guo felt a chill in his heart. The ancient tomb was located behind Zhongnan Mountain, with the Quanzhen Sect blocking the way in front. What trouble could it possibly cause?

Could it be that the Quanzhen Sect is about to attack the ancient tomb?

Seeing Yang Guo frown, Granny Sun didn't hide anything and said, "This old woman went down the mountain this morning and heard rumors in the city that the most beautiful woman in the world is holding a martial arts contest to find a husband in an ancient tomb behind Zhongnan Mountain!"