C12 The Raging Bull Force Was Extraordinary!

"What the heck? I wouldn't have guessed that a prison cell for detaining warriors would be this modern!"

Mo Fanchen voiced his astonishment as he stood before the entrance to the A-grade cell, pressing the "six" button on the door.

"Squeak, squeak!"

An odd noise erupted from beneath Mo Fanchen's feet, apparently setting off some sort of mechanism. But before he could bend down for a closer inspection, the door in front of him creaked open, slowly swinging inward.

With a mix of curiosity and caution, Mo Fanchen pushed the door open and stepped inside. He was immediately greeted by a transparent glass window, roughly one square meter in size.

Peering through the window, Mo Fanchen could clearly make out a man inside a dark, azure chamber. The man, bare-chested and with a physique that could rival a bodybuilder's, was sitting cross-legged on the floor, his body enveloped in a thin layer of Qi, seemingly in deep cultivation.

Yet, the Qi around him was being siphoned off by the surrounding walls!

The sight instantly sparked Mo Fanchen's imagination, conjuring up plots from martial arts films and television dramas. A supreme warrior, betrayed and imprisoned in a lightless dungeon, resigned to a grim fate.

And just by chance, the protagonist stumbles upon this formidable warrior, inherits his entire repertoire of skills and cultivation techniques, and goes on to vanquish all the villains in the martial arts world, with a beauty by his side and a life filled with glory and laughter!

These daydreams, however, were fleeting. Mo Fanchen quickly dismissed them, knowing all too well that the man before him was none other than Niu Daben, a jester capable only of devising the most rudimentary of skills.

In the grand scheme of the martial arts world, Niu Daben was merely a minnow, nowhere near the stature of a legendary warrior.

Sensing the presence of a visitor, the unkempt man slowly opened his eyes—eyes as large as saucers—and fixed his gaze on Mo Fanchen, who was still assessing him. In a deep, gruff voice, the man asked, "Kid, who are you? What business do you have with Old Niu?"

Mo Fanchen didn't respond to Niu Daben's inquiry. Instead, he scratched his head and mumbled to himself, "Niu Daben certainly has the look of a master, so how come the skill he's created is so basic?"

"What are you mumbling about, kid?"

Through the glass, Niu Daben had not quite caught Mo Fanchen's earlier words. He rose slowly and approached Mo Fanchen, his towering and muscular frame exuding an impressive presence, like a dark cloud overshadowing half the sky above Mo Fanchen's head.

Looking up at Niu Daben, who stood as tall as two or three of him, Mo Fanchen, aware that he was in a position of needing a favor, involuntarily swallowed hard. With due respect, he greeted Niu Daben with a bow, "Sir, I'm just a common laborer at the Innate level of Scourgehold. Learning that the esteemed creator of the skill, Mr. Niu, was present, I've come to seek your guidance."

"What?!" Niu Daben's eyes bulged, as big as bells, his excitement causing him to stutter, "You, you learned my skill?! Are you referring to Mad Bull Fist or Raging Bull Force?"

Is it really worth getting so worked up over a skill that isn't even top-tier?

Could there be some secret about these two skills that others aren't aware of?

Mo Fanchen couldn't help but speculate upon seeing Niu Daben's fervor, but facing the man himself, he honestly replied, "I've practiced both."

"Where did you acquire these two skills?" Niu Daben pressed eagerly against the window, his gaze filled with anticipation as he pressed for an answer.

Mo Fanchen's brow creased slightly, pondering whether there was some past connection with the Su family. But that didn't seem right; if there was a history, why would the Su family so readily give away a friend's skill to someone else?

With this in mind, Mo Fanchen decided to be cautious and not disclose anything about the Su family. Instead, he fabricated, "I'm a mere servant from the Shen family in Zouver. Thanks to a favorable relationship with Shen Tianyue from the Shen family, he generously bestowed these two skills upon me for cultivation."

"The Shen family in Zouver?" Niu Daben's eyes narrowed, yet a chilling intent still emanated from his gaze.

"Heh, who would have thought that a skill from the prestigious Twelve Heavenly Gates would end up in the hands of that old scoundrel, Shen Tianhao!"

Niu Daben's revelation allowed Mo Fanchen to breathe a sigh of relief. He hadn't anticipated that Niu Daben harbored resentment towards the Su family. It was a good thing he had been cautious and hadn't spilled the beans; otherwise, he would have unwittingly caused Su Muyan and the others a heap of trouble.

Still, what was the nature of Niu Daben's grudge against the Su family? Su Qinghe and his kin seemed too amiable to be the type to forcibly steal skills from others.

And then there was the Twelve Heavenly Gates—such an imposing name! What kind of sect could it be, and how much more powerful than the Su or Shen families? Yet, their skills and disciples didn't seem worthy of praise.

Lost in thought, Mo Fanchen was brought back to reality by Niu Daben's sudden shift to a melancholic tone. "Alas, to think that the Ox Gate's skill has fallen into the hands of a lowly servant! How the times have degraded!"

The term "lowly" rankled Mo Fanchen, but before he could react, Niu Daben's mood swung again, and he interrogated Mo Fanchen with an erratic intensity.

"Since you're a servant of the Shen family, why are you working as a laborer in Scourgehold?"

Caught off guard, Mo Fanchen quickly regained his composure and responded with feigned resignation, "It's because Shen Tianyue injured some civilians, and I'm here to take the fall for him."

"Take the fall?" Niu Daben's eyes bulged before he scoffed, "I suspect the Shen family has been pulling strings with Crime and Punishment behind the scenes! A bunch of sanctimonious, disgraceful characters!"

Before Mo Fanchen could fully process his words, Niu Daben pivoted the conversation, fixing him with an intense look. "Kid, you said you came to seek my guidance, right? Well, I have a question for you—do you want to rule the martial arts world?"

"Rule the martial arts world?" Mo Fanchen was momentarily taken aback by the question, but he quickly replied with feigned enthusiasm, "Absolutely! I dream of ruling the martial arts world!"

"Good. Promise me one thing, and I will teach you the way to rule the martial arts world," Niu Daben declared.

"Agreed! Agreed! Whatever you say, Mr. Niu!"

Mo Fanchen was quick to assent. The feud between the Su family and Niu Daben, along with the Twelve Heavenly Gates, were now secondary concerns. His primary objective was to leverage Niu Daben's assistance to further his own cultivation, with the distant goal of reaching the Innate Realm before addressing anything else.

As for the promises he made, he'd see them through if there was something in it for him. Otherwise, he'd simply ignore them. Once he was out of Scourgehold, Niu Daben would be a nobody, perhaps just another man shoveling manure!

Unaware of Mo Fanchen's inner calculations, Niu Daben spoke through clenched teeth, "Exterminate the entire Shen family in Zouver for me! Can you manage that?"

"Uh, Mr. Niu! That's quite the tall order! Considering my current level at the early stage of Body Tempering, to annihilate the Shen family is nothing short of a fantasy. Even if I could pull it off in the future, the other righteous sects and noble families surely wouldn't let me off the hook! We might both end up imprisoned here in Scourgehold, with no chance of ever dominating the martial world," Mo Fanchen explained with feigned difficulty.

"The Shen family is mere garbage compared to our Twelve Heavenly Gates. Wiping them out would be a breeze!" Niu Daben huffed with contempt before continuing, "I'm aware that people look down on the Raging Bull Force, but what do those superficial fools know about the depth of this skill?"

"Kid, the Raging Bull Force you've been practicing is incomplete, barely scratching the surface! The true Raging Bull Force involves circulating genuine energy to unlock the six fonts of might within the body: Earth, Mountain, Dragon, Moon, and Sky. Only by mastering these can you harness the full, mighty power of the Raging Bull Force. That's the real crux of the skill!"

The Raging Bull Force was indeed extraordinary!

Upon hearing Niu Daben's elucidation, Mo Fanchen's eyes sparkled with excitement. Eagerly, he inquired, "So, Mr. Niu, how exactly do I unlock these six fonts of might?"

Upon hearing Mo Fanchen's inquiry, Niu Daben's countenance dimmed significantly. Shaking his head, he said, "I'm just as clueless about unlocking these points as you are. My mastery of Raging Bull Force is merely at the beginner level too! Otherwise, Xuan Xiu wouldn't have been able to deceive me so easily."

Great, he's said so much only to lead me on a wild goose chase!

Mo Fanchen inwardly scorned Niu Daben.

Yet, Niu Daben's subsequent words sparked a ray of hope for Mo Fanchen.

"However, there is some information about the remaining fragments of Raging Bull Force. To my knowledge, they're scattered among various sects and noble families."

"Mr. Niu, if our practice of Raging Bull Force is just the basics, then the remaining fragments must be significantly more potent. Those sects will surely guard them as prized possessions and not reveal them lightly! How am I supposed to gather these fragments?" Mo Fanchen questioned.

"Indeed, the complete Raging Bull Force is only revealed when combined with the secret techniques of the Twelve Heavenly Gates. Only then will its true power be unleashed. Without their combination, the fragments are incomplete, with their effects limited to opening the internal font of might at best. So, to master the full Raging Bull Force, you'll have to make a considerable effort to seek them out."

Mo Fanchen bit his lip, remaining silent. It was clear that the Raging Bull Force was a formidable skill, but mastering it would require significant dedication and hard work.

"Young man, the journey with Raging Bull Force is not the end; it's merely the beginning! The crux lies within the Twelve Heavenly Gates! I hope you live up to the trust placed in you when the time comes."

Niu Daben spoke these cryptic words with a weathered voice, then turned to continue, "Although I, Niu Daben, am only at the Innate Realm, helping you advance to the Blood Forging Realm will be no trouble at all! Now, I'll explain the intricacies of Mad Bull Fist and Raging Bull Force in detail! Pay close attention!"

"Understood!"