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

This is it!

Yang Guo slapped his thigh and jumped up excitedly.

The Nine Yin Manual is the general outline of all martial arts in the world. The lightness skills in it are definitely ten or a hundred times better than those of the Ancient Tomb Sect!

Once I master this, I can show off my skills to Xiaolongnu and let her see what true peerless martial arts are. Then she'll be begging me to teach her!

With this in mind, Yang Guo was full of energy.

He found a flat grassy area and began to practice according to the instructions in the scriptures.

He now possesses ten years' worth of refined internal energy, and with the foundation of the "Yi Jin Duan Gu Pian" (a classic text on internal energy cultivation), he learns things extremely quickly.

But as Yang Guo practiced the "Snake-like Leaping and Fox-like Turning" technique, he felt that something was not right.

The first form is snake walking.

The body must be pressed tightly against the ground, relying entirely on the strength of the waist, abdomen, and spine to wriggle, like a long, legless worm slithering through the grass.

Yang Guo lay on the ground, his buttocks wiggling, getting himself covered in mud and grass clippings.

That pose... how could it be so lewd?

The second move, the fox flip.

That's even more amazing.

They just want to roll around on the ground.

It wasn't the kind of graceful roll on the spot, but rather like a lazy cat, it would get on all fours, arch its back, and then roll wildly on the ground to avoid enemy attacks.

Yang Guo practiced for a while, then stopped to catch his breath.

He looked down at himself.

His once clean Taoist robe was now covered in mud stains, and a few strands of withered grass clung to his hair, making him look like a beggar who had just crawled out of a ditch.

"This isn't right..."

Yang Guo frowned, looking disgusted.

In his mind, the ideal of light-footed skill was to be dressed in white, lightly touching the treetops with one's toes, and flying away—how elegant and dashing that would be!

But this thing?

Is this some kind of light-footed skill?

This is clearly the kind of tactic that thugs use when they lose a fight and throw a tantrum on the ground!

If I encounter a great demon while traveling the world in the future.

Once they brandished their weapons, their imposing presence was overwhelming.

He would lie face down on the ground and start writhing like a maggot or rolling around like a mad cat.

The scene was so beautiful that Yang Guo couldn't even imagine it.

Even if he wins, he'll probably be too ashamed to keep the title "Condor Hero" and will have to change it to "Loach Hero" or "Rolling Dragon".

"You must have practiced something wrong."

Yang Guo did not believe in superstition.

The Nine Yin Manual is a prestigious martial art. Huang Shang was such a remarkable figure, how could he have created such a shameful martial art?

He patiently recited the scripture again in his mind.

That's right.

Every single word matches perfectly.

This "Snake-like Leaping Technique" was originally a life-saving move that Huang Chang comprehended in a desperate situation to escape the pursuit of powerful enemies.

Since the priority is survival, practicality is paramount; aesthetics are irrelevant.

Survival is the only thing that matters.

Yang Guo sighed, his heart filled with conflicting emotions.

Practice it, it's really bad for your image, it's too ugly.

If he doesn't practice, he has no other light-body skills to learn. He can't really go back and call for "Dad," can he?

"That's enough!"

Yang Guo gritted his teeth, "Ugly is fine, as long as it's practical! As long as I can avoid that damned woman's slaps, I'll accept being a slippery eel!"

He lay back down on the ground and continued to writhe.

"Sink your Qi to your Dantian...unite your waist and stance..."

Yang Guo rolled around on the grass like a wild monkey who had gone mad.

However, after practicing it, he discovered that this skill did indeed have unique features.

It has a very low profile and a stable center of gravity.

Moreover, those contorted movements that defy common sense often allow one to evade a fatal blow at the last possible moment.

If this move had been used in the stone chamber, Xiaolongnu's slap would never have hit his butt, because he was rolling on the ground at the time, and at most she would have stepped on him.

"Whoosh—"

Yang Guo suddenly shrank back, and like a spring, he darted three feet away, skimming the ground.

Extremely fast.

And it happened silently.

"That's interesting."

Yang Guo's eyes lit up, and he wiped the mud off his face.

Although the posture was awkward, the explosive power was truly formidable.

Combined with the internal energy of the Toad Style, this leaping force is enough to catch anyone off guard.

He became more and more enthusiastic as he practiced.

Before we knew it, the sun had already begun to set.

Yang Guo felt that he had grasped the essence of this skill.

Although I can't yet achieve the "rolling like a wheel, fast as lightning" described in the scriptures, at least I won't twist my ankle anymore.

He stood up and dusted himself off.

Looking at the mess on the ground and his own disheveled state, Yang Guo gave a bitter smile.

"If Sister Long sees this, she'll definitely laugh at me."

He straightened his clothes, trying to make himself look presentable.

"No, I need to practice how to use this move more gracefully."

Yang Guo pondered.

If you could strike a cool pose while rolling, or deliver a powerful line the moment you dash out, you might be able to salvage some face.

Just as he was gesturing in the air, trying to improve this light-body skill.

suddenly.

A faint, sweet fragrance wafted by.

Yang Guo twitched his nose.

This taste...it's so familiar.

A faint, cool fragrance, like a lotus flower on a snow-capped mountain.

He stiffened and mechanically turned his head.

Not far away, under the shade of a tree, stood a little dragon girl dressed in white, standing quietly.

She was still holding the porcelain bottle containing honeydew, clearly out feeding the bees.

I don't know how long she stood there.

It's unknown how long she watched it.

At this moment.

Yang Guo was still in a "snake-like" starting stance—lying on the ground with his buttocks sticking out, hands supporting him on the ground, and turning his head to look back.

This posture.

It looks just like a weasel that's about to steal a chicken.

Eyes facing each other.

The air suddenly became eerily quiet.

A crow cawed as it flew overhead, as if mocking the awkward scene.

Little Dragon Girl's perpetually frozen face remained expressionless.

But Yang Guo clearly saw that the corners of her mouth were twitching wildly.

Those were the subtle movements of wanting to laugh but desperately holding it back.

"that……"

Yang Guo coughed lightly, casually getting up from the ground, his movements as natural and fluid as possible. "Sister Long, what a coincidence! You're out sunbathing too?"

Little Dragon Girl didn't say anything.

She simply watched Yang Guo covered in mud and with his messy hair.

at last.

She couldn't resist.

"Pfft."

A very soft laugh escaped from her lips.

Although she quickly composed herself and regained her composure, her crescent-shaped eyes couldn't hide the smile she was wearing.

"Is this... the backbone you're talking about?"

Little Dragon Girl pointed to the patch of grass that Yang Guo had rolled across, "Is this your...unyielding lightness skill?"

Yang Guo's face flushed red, burning with embarrassment.

How embarrassing!

This is incredibly embarrassing.

She actually saw me writhing on the ground like a maggot!

"Ahem!"

Yang Guo straightened his back, forcibly salvaging his dignity, "Sister Long, you may not know this. This is... this is an extremely profound internal martial art called 'Earth Dragon Turns Over'! It specifically absorbs the spiritual energy of the earth to strengthen the power of the waist and kidneys!"

"Oh~~~"

Little Dragon Girl smiled enigmatically, "Absorbing the earth's spiritual energy? I thought you were loosening the soil!"

Yang Guo was speechless.

This woman's quick wit is getting better and better.

Who did you learn from?

Oh no, it seems like he learned it from himself.

"You've practiced well."

Little Dragon Girl walked over, looked him up and down, and said with a hint of disgust in her eyes, "You're just too dirty. If you didn't know better, you'd think a wild boar had wandered into our ancient tomb."

Wild boar?

Yang Guo's lips twitched.

Is this how I appear in your eyes?

"Go wash up."

Little Dragon Girl handed him the porcelain bottle, saying, "Wash it clean and come in. Grandma has prepared dinner."

Yang Guo subconsciously took the porcelain bottle, its surface warm and smooth to the touch.

"Um... Sister Long."

Yang Guo watched her turn and walk away, and couldn't help but call out.

Little Dragon Girl stopped and turned her head slightly: "What is it?"

Yang Guo gritted his teeth, thinking that although the "Snake-like Leap" technique was practical, it was really unsightly.

If you want to truly move with the grace of an immortal, you still have to learn the authentic lightness skill of the Ancient Tomb Sect.

The indomitable spirit he had shown earlier had largely dissipated after being mocked by Xiaolongnu.

"About the light-footed skill..."

Yang Guo hesitated before speaking, "Is there any way to discuss this?"

Little Dragon Girl turned around and looked at his conflicted expression, her smile widening.

"Yes, you can."

She parted her lips slightly and uttered two words.

"Conditions remain the same."

After saying that, she lightly touched the ground with her toes, and her figure, like a white crane, floated gracefully towards the entrance of the ancient tomb.

That figure.

That demeanor.

This is a world apart from Yang Guo, who was just lying on the ground digging in the dirt.

Yang Guo watched her disappearing figure and scratched his head hard.

"Oh shit!"

He kicked the grass angrily. "That woman did it on purpose! She just wanted to see me embarrass myself!"

"So what if it's slithering and flipping? So what if it's ugly? As long as you can win, it's good skill!"

Yang Guo comforted himself.

But he looked down at his mud-covered body and then at the graceful white figure in the distance.

The scales in my heart began to swing violently.

Ultimately, it's about being a practical loach.

Or is it just for the sake of looking cool, to sell one's soul and call someone "Dad"?

This is truly a soul-searching question.