Chapter 21: Dragon Step, Dragon Stele Hand

"Two sets of Genesis Arts?!" Zhou Yuan's heart trembled, and then he looked at Yaoyao with fervent eyes. The "Dragon Breath Art" that Master Cang Yuan had taught him was profound and intricate, clearly not an ordinary technique, and the two sets of Genesis Arts contained within it, he thought, should not be too simple either.

"These two sets of Genesis Arts are the Dragon Step and the Dragon Tablet Hand," Yaoyao said slowly, gently stroking Tun Tun in her arms.

"Dragon Step? Dragon Tablet Hand?" Zhou Yuan mused.

He could vaguely sense that some profound mysteries were indeed hidden within the ninety-eight forms of the Dragon Forging Play. However, he couldn't clearly distinguish them. After all, Master Cang Yuan had simply given him the "Dragon Breath Art." For many things, relying solely on a disciple's self-exploration would undoubtedly lead to slow progress.

Thus, he could only turn his gaze to Yaoyao for guidance.

Yaoyao smiled faintly and winked at him.

Zhou Yuan understood her meaning. With a wave of his hand, a maid immediately brought over a jade bottle of fine wine. Only then did Yaoyao nod contentedly. She then picked up Tun Tun from her arms with her delicate fingers and tossed him outside the stone pavilion.

Seeing her action, Zhou Yuan's eyelids twitched, and he had a bad feeling. "Could it be that Tun Tun can also do this?"

Yaoyao's red lips curved slightly, revealing a hint of playful mockery. "When Grandpa Hei had nothing to do back then, he taught Tun Tun," she said. "So, strictly speaking, Tun Tun could even be considered your senior brother."

Zhou Yuan's mouth twitched, and he felt an uncontrollable urge to roar inwardly. Was this Tun Tun a human in beast skin? It could even cultivate Genesis Arts?! What kind of creature was this exactly?

However, no matter how much he roared internally, what needed to be learned still had to be learned. So he could only look at Tun Tun, gently stroked its head, and showed an extremely gentle smile. "Good Tun Tun, please demonstrate the Dragon Step and Dragon Tablet Hand for me."

However, Tun Tun, having just been thrown out by Yaoyao, was also full of displeasure. So it just lazily glanced at Zhou Yuan and lay there motionless.

Zhou Yuan reached out a finger and poked Tun Tun's chubby belly, causing ripples of flesh. Yet, the latter remained as still as if dead, showing no reaction no matter how he poked it.

Seeing this little beast feigning death, Zhou Yuan raised an eyebrow and beckoned. Immediately, a maid brought over a plate of dried Genesis Beast meat.

Smelling the aroma, Tun Tun's eyes moved, and it instantly got up, letting out a yelp, and pounced towards the plate.

Zhou Yuan quickly withdrew his hand, pulling the plate away. Tun Tun pounced on empty air and immediately bared its fangs at Zhou Yuan, howling and growling.

"Demonstrate one set, and then you can eat," Zhou Yuan said with a smile.

Tun Tun looked at Zhou Yuan, then at the plate of tempting Genesis Beast meat. Ultimately, it compromised in the face of the delicious food. It then stood directly on its hind legs, its paws stepping at an angle, creating a series of peculiar steps.

Its movements were broad and flowing, yet they exuded a sense of etherealness. Soon, its figure became somewhat blurred, indistinctly resembling a true dragon soaring through clouds and mist, its true form difficult to discern.

A small beast standing up and performing intricate footwork was originally quite a comical sight, but Zhou Yuan's expression was exceptionally solemn, his gaze fixed, not blinking.

"This is the Dragon Step. The dragon hides in the clouds, ethereal and unseen. The Dragon Step also embodies the essence of elusive emptiness, making one impossible to fathom," Yaoyao's clear voice drifted from the stone pavilion.

"You can try attacking Tun Tun."

Hearing this, Zhou Yuan gripped his hand, and the Heavenly Yuan Brush appeared in his grasp. "Combat Form!"

The foot-long Heavenly Yuan Brush suddenly expanded. Zhou Yuan gripped the brush body with both hands and shot forward. The sharp tip of the brush already cut through the air with a whistling sound, piercing artfully towards Tun Tun.

In recent days, Zhou Yuan had extensively practiced basic spear techniques, so when wielding the Heavenly Yuan Brush now, he had developed a bit of imposing presence.

The brush tip shot out forcefully. However, just as it was about to pierce Tun Tun, Tun Tun's paw slid diagonally, and its body seemed to blur for a moment. The brush tip then flew diagonally past it.

Seeing this, Zhou Yuan, somewhat disbelieving, channeled power into his arms. The Heavenly Yuan Brush thrust out with fierce, rapid jabs.

Yet, Tun Tun maintained its unhurried pace, its figure occasionally blurring. No matter how Zhou Yuan attacked, he couldn't touch it in the slightest.

Finally, Zhou Yuan stopped, panting, his eyes shining. He had also perceived the profoundness of the Dragon Step. Such ethereal footwork was enough to make an opponent dizzy and disoriented, clearly not an ordinary movement Genesis Art.

Seeing Zhou Yuan stop, Tun Tun also slowed down. It then patted its chubby belly with its small paw and pointed at Zhou Yuan, scoffing.

"When the Dragon Step is mastered, your own Genesis Qi will vibrate with the air, creating an effect similar to an illusion. This is that blurring effect," Yaoyao explained. "In other words, someone might appear to be attacking your throat, but their attack actually deviates three inches from your true body. And the Dragon Step fully displays its profoundness in this three-inch shift."

"Next is the Dragon Tablet Hand," Yaoyao said unhurriedly.

Zhou Yuan looked up at Tun Tun. At this moment, Tun Tun lunged out fiercely, its beast claws either slapping or grabbing, with broad, sweeping movements. Vaguely, it resembled a giant dragon extending its claws, exuding a fierce and weighty power, as if a mighty dragon were seizing a stone tablet and crushing a mountain.

Claw shadows appeared, heavily striking a massive boulder. Immediately, the boulder shattered, and countless fragments splattered outwards.

Zhou Yuan's pupils constricted slightly. The power of this technique was indeed formidable. Most importantly, he could feel that Tun Tun hadn't circulated much Genesis Qi. This meant that even if he were to master it, its power wouldn't be weak.

This "Dragon Tablet Hand" was clearly stronger than the Primal Chaos Palm and the Sky-Rending Transparent Fist.

Owooo.

Tun Tun hopped in front of Zhou Yuan, its paw pointing at the plate of dried Genesis Beast meat, urging him with yelps.

Zhou Yuan put down the dried meat, a thoughtful look in his eyes. He had made some progress in his cultivation of the Dragon Forging Play these past few days. Thus, he could tell at a glance that both the Dragon Step and Dragon Tablet Hand were essentially derived from the Dragon Forging Play.

Zhou Yuan stood still for a long time in silence. Suddenly, he lifted his foot and stepped out diagonally. His movements were unusually wondrous, like a soaring dragon. At the same time, the first meridian within him began absorbing Genesis Qi from the world, which then spread throughout his body.

The moment the flow of Genesis Qi within Zhou Yuan combined with his footwork, he moved sideways. His body actually blurred at that instant, leaving no trace, which was quite peculiar.

Seeing this, Yaoyao, in the stone pavilion, her beautiful eyes flickered slightly, and then a smile of appreciation appeared on her pretty face.

Clearly, Zhou Yuan had grasped the essence of the Dragon Step.

Zhou Yuan continued to practice. After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, his initially awkward footwork became much more proficient. His seemingly casual shifts in movement caused his body to blur and become elusive from time to time.

Zhou Yuan's movements stopped, his eyes filled with pleasant surprise and excitement. This Dragon Step was quite extraordinary. The momentary blurring effect was actually due to a unique reaction between his own Genesis Qi and the surrounding air, concealing his true location. This blend of reality and illusion made him difficult to grasp.

After gaining some understanding of the Dragon Step, Zhou Yuan once again turned his attention to the "Dragon Tablet Hand."

This Genesis Art was like a mighty dragon lifting a stone tablet to smash a mountain, fierce and weighty. Its instantaneous explosive power was clearly quite astonishing.

This Genesis Art was not too complex. It merely required visualizing the mountain-collapsing and earth-shattering sensation of a giant dragon smashing a tablet when executing the move, allowing Genesis Qi to flow through the meridians, then striking with fierce determination.

Zhou Yuan's fists and palms shifted, slightly slow, yet imbued with a sense of immense weight, as if holding a heavy tablet, building up momentum.

Meanwhile, within his body, Genesis Qi flowed through his meridians, finally surging into his palm.

At a certain moment, Zhou Yuan's gaze suddenly sharpened, and his young face became stern. His palm suddenly moved, drawing and pulling, as if a giant dragon was roaring down, the stone tablet on its claw smashing towards a continuous mountain range.

Zhou Yuan's fist heavily struck a thick tree trunk nearby. A furious force erupted from his fist as its center, immediately sending wood chips flying. The entire tree trunk was pierced through by Zhou Yuan's single punch.

Sweat streamed down Zhou Yuan's face, but his eyes became exceptionally bright. He knew that with the Dragon Step and Dragon Tablet Hand, his combat power would greatly increase.

Next, as long as he could unblock his second meridian, he would have no more reservations during the grand examination.