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

The three men surrounded Yang Guo.

The leader had a full beard and carried a thick-backed, nine-ringed broadsword.

On the left is a thin man, holding a finely crafted steel Emei dagger in each hand. On the right is a short, stout man, with a soft whip coiled around his neck.

"A mere Taoist priest from the Quanzhen Sect?" The bearded man sized Yang Guo up and down, noticing that although he was wearing a Taoist robe, it was disheveled and the collar was slightly open, making him look nothing like a monk. He couldn't help but sneer, "He hasn't even grown his hair yet, and he dares to try and block the road like others?"

Yang Guo wasn't annoyed. He chuckled and said, "Brother with the big beard, I see your forehead is dark and your eyes are puffy. You must be having some trouble with your sex life lately. How about I draw you a talisman to ensure your 'golden spear' never fails?"

The bearded man was taken aback, then flew into a rage: "You little brat, how dare you make fun of your grandpa! I only wanted to get rid of you, but now it seems I'll have to bleed you dry!"

"Brother, why waste words with him!" the skinny man said sinisterly. "This kid has slicked-back hair and looks like a scoundrel. Let's kill him so we can scout out the forest."

"Let's do it!"

With a roar, the bearded man swung his nine-ringed broadsword, bringing a fierce gust of wind with it, aiming straight for Yang Guo's forehead. The blow was powerful and heavy, the nine iron rings on the back of the blade rattling loudly, creating a terrifying sound.

At the same time, the skinny man moved swiftly, like a ghost, his two Emei daggers aimed at Yang Guo's lower body. The short, fat man's soft whip also coiled towards Yang Guo's waist.

The three worked together seamlessly, clearly seasoned bandits; countless heroes had fallen victim to their combined attacks.

Yang Guo stood still until the wind from the blade stung his face before he suddenly moved.

He used the "Snake-like Leap" technique from the Nine Yin Manual, bending his body backward as if he had no bones, barely avoiding the powerful and heavy knife.

"Excellent swordsmanship! It's just a pity it's a bit slow."

Yang Guo was sharp-tongued, but inwardly he was startled.

Although his dodge had saved him from the broadsword, the short, fat man's soft whip had nearly wrapped around his ankle. Had it been wrapped around, the skinny man's Emei dagger would likely have pierced two transparent holes in his leg.

"It seems that actual combat is indeed different from practicing on your own."

Yang Guo put away his contempt. He had been practicing his skills alone these days and rarely had the opportunity to spar with others.

Now is the time to put what you've learned to the test.

Yang Guo lightly touched the ground with his toes, his body rising into the air. He used the Quanzhen Sect's "Golden Goose Skill," taking three steps in mid-air and instantly widening the distance between them.

The bearded man's blade missed its mark, striking the ground and kicking up a cloud of dirt and stones. He cursed as he pulled the knife out: "You little brat, are you some kind of mudskipper? Don't you dare run away!"

"Who said I was going to run away?"

Yang Guo landed on a blue stone not far away, broke off a branch beside him, and stripped off its leaves.

"That was just a warm-up. Now, I'm going to use you guys to practice my swordsmanship."

With a flick of his wrist, the withered branch emitted a crisp "hum," as if it had truly transformed into a sharp sword.

"Arrogant!"

The three pounced again.

This time, Yang Guo no longer simply dodged.

The word "complete" on the stone tablet came to mind.

The term "全" (quán) signifies having a comprehensive grasp of the overall situation and a bold, expansive approach.

Faced with the bearded man's slash coming again, Yang Guo thrust out a tree branch in his hand. This move seemed simple, but it was aimed precisely at the weakest point of the greatsword's force.

"when!"

A muffled thud.

The bearded man felt an immense force coming from the hilt of his sword, which made his hands go numb and almost caused the sword to fly out of his grasp.

"This kid's internal strength is incredibly strange!" The bearded man exclaimed in shock.

He looks like he hasn't even grown any hair yet, but his internal strength is so profound.

How could a broken tree branch withstand his nine-ringed broadsword?

Yang Guo was also secretly delighted.

In that last strike, he channeled his inner energy into the tree branch. Although he couldn't control it perfectly yet, the effect was truly astonishing.

"Take another strike from me!"

Yang Guo, having gained the upper hand, pressed his advantage. With a flick of his branch, he transformed it into a sky full of sword shadows, enveloping the three of them.

But he soon discovered the problem.

Although this "complete" sword move is powerful, it also consumes a lot of energy. Moreover, the transitions between his moves are awkward; often, he has just exerted his strength in one move and before the next move can follow up, a flaw is revealed in between.

"laugh!"

The skinny man seized the opportunity and used his Emei Dagger to cut a gash on Yang Guo's left arm.

Although he was protected by internal energy, he only suffered minor cuts to his skin, but his Taoist robe was ripped open with a large tear.

"Oh my god!"

Yang Guo looked at the tear in his sleeve, wincing with heartache. "This was a garment that Sister Long personally altered for me! You bunch of bastards, can you afford to pay for it?"

As he was distracted, the short, fat man's soft whip came again.

The whip tip caught the branch in Yang Guo's hand.

"Let go!" The short, fat man grinned maliciously and pulled hard.

If it were an ordinary person, they would surely lose their weapon in that moment.

However, Yang Guo possessed the internal energy refined by the Nine Yin Manual's Tendon-Changing and Bone-Forging techniques over sixteen years.

"Trying to steal my sword? You think you're worthy!"

Yang Guo snorted coldly, not only refusing to let go, but also flicking his wrist, causing his internal energy to surge out like a river bursting its banks.

"Come here!"

The short, fat man felt a powerful force coming from him, and Yang Guo actually used a tree branch to forcefully pull him into the air, sending him flying straight into the bearded man next to him.

"Bang!"

The two collided and tumbled to the ground, flying a great distance.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Yang Guo broke free from the soft whip. Although the branch in his hand was already covered with cracks, the light in his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"I see."

That brief exchange gave him a new understanding of the application of "force".

Internal energy is not stagnant water; it is dynamic.

It should be like mercury seeping into the ground, penetrating everywhere.

"Hey, you skinny monkey over there, stop peeking around, come on over here."

Yang Guo pointed at the skinny man who was still trying to launch a sneak attack and beckoned with his finger.

Seeing his two companions suffer, the skinny man felt a little scared, but he was now in a difficult situation and had no choice but to bite the bullet and charge forward.

Yang Guo took a deep breath and cleared his mind of distractions.

The words on the stone tablet flashed through my mind one by one.

Complete, True, Forbidden, Land, Unauthorized, Enterer, Death.

I just used "all", now let's try "ban".

Forbidden, blocked, suppressed.

Faced with the skinny man's barrage of Emei daggers, Yang Guo no longer swung the branch in his hand wildly, but instead drew circles in his hand.

With each circle drawn, an invisible layer of resistance seemed to be added to the air.

The skinny man felt as if his weapon was sinking deeper and deeper into the mud, and his movements became slower and slower.

"What...what kind of kung fu is this?" Cold sweat poured down the skinny man's forehead.

Little did he know that this was Yang Guo taking the upright, peaceful, and endlessly righteous spirit from the "Song of the Great Dao of Quanzhen" and combining it with the sealing essence of the "Heavenly Net and Earthly Net" formation of the Ancient Tomb.

One orthodox and one unorthodox, one hard and one soft, have achieved the true balance of Yin and Yang.

Although Yang Guo is not yet able to completely "forbidden the void", it is more than enough to deal with this second-rate stuff.

"Did you enjoy the game?"

Yang Guo grinned at the skinny man's constipated expression, "Now it's my turn."