Seeing Yunli's face darken, Yanqing didn't stop—instead, he fanned the flames.
"And it doesn't even restrict the stance~"
As he spoke, he made a little stick figure motion with his hands, flipping it upside down. With a laugh, he added, "With this technique, you might even learn to walk on your hands and attack with your feet! Normal people can only walk upright, but you—you could use hands and feet interchangeably! Imagine it—defeating your enemy with a single kick from your palm, haha…"
Yanqing finally couldn't hold it in. Though he thought laughing out loud would be too improper, he still turned his back and snickered uncontrollably.
"It can also be used in a sitting position," Stelle said seriously after hearing Yanqing's insight. Her expression suddenly turned composed, as if she were explaining a solemn matter. "For example, if I'm attacking you with a bat, you could, while sitting upright, place both hands on the ground and catch my bat between your legs! Grip it tight! That position might be lower than doing a full handstand, but it's much more practical!"
"You sound awfully serious for something so indecent, you know."
March 7th was speechless at Stelle's complete lack of filter.
That girl had a strange knack for taking bizarre topics way too seriously.
But at least glance at Master Yunli's expression, will you? The problem isn't the technique, it's that this skill sounds like something straight out of a cursed comedy scroll!
If it were her, March 7th would've shot herself on the spot.
Because once you used a technique like this, you'd be stuck wearing pants forever—so many cute skirts doomed to the wardrobe! For a beautiful girl, that was simply unbearable!
March 7th looked at Yunli with eyes full of sympathy and silent support, every bit of her gaze saying 'I get you.'
But Yunli didn't get her 'I get you'. She just stared at the scroll in her hands, lips pressed tight and trembling slightly, her wide eyes shimmering like rippling water.
Her whole expression looked like someone squatting by the roadside, watching a tall, white-haired man holding a berrypheasant skewer, waving it temptingly in front of her face—only to toss it into the gutter just as she opened her mouth for a bite.
How cruel could fate get?!
This was utterly mortifying. And after hearing Yanqing and Stelle's wild "battle applications," she definitely wasn't going to fight like that!
Using hands and feet together? Catching bats with her legs? Absolutely not!
"Shopkeeper Sylvester!" she suddenly turned, shouting his name—but halfway through, her tone faltered, and she fidgeted nervously. "You're sure you didn't misspeak just now? It wasn't 'Barehanded Blade Catch' right?"
The sheer embarrassment had her mind scrambling for an escape route.
Maybe he just bit his tongue during breakfast and slurred his words?
"Of course not."
Sylvester shattered her fragile fantasy without mercy.
Then, raising his voice slightly, he continued solemnly, "In truth, this is an authentic top-tier technique. Its 'Blade-Catching' effect works on any weapon, and no matter how powerful your opponent's strike, the instant you activate it, their attack becomes null. Master it fully, and you can even develop a faint conceptual force—enough to affect an Emanator! You could call this the ultimate anti-weapon art!"
After that grand declaration, his eyes drifted aside for a moment before he added quietly, "Though… yes, the activation pose is rather… undignified."
Rather undignified?! It was extremely undignified!
Yunli glanced down at her smooth thighs and short skirt, silently fuming.
If this were a game, even the Realm-Keeping Commission's censors wouldn't let it pass!
Yet, despite everything, Sylvester's words were undeniably tempting.
If she could use this move to pin down Yanqing's Massacre Ruler…
No—no, that wouldn't do either! If only it really were Barehanded Blade Catch, I wouldn't have to deal with this nonsense!
"Then, Shopkeeper, if it's really that powerful, why is it only a blue-grade technique?"
Yanqing was stunned. A technique that could even affect Emanators, and yet only blue-grade? That seemed a little too accessible.
"Kid, you've spotted the blind spot!"
Sylvester shot him a thumbs-up, then explained patiently, "In actual combat, it has quite a few flaws. The biggest one is that most fighters rely on their hands—Feixiao and Jing Yuan are no exceptions."
"And once you use this technique, your hands are… occupied. So most people, even after restraining their opponent, can't counterattack effectively and must rely on their teammates' coordination."
"I see."
Yanqing nodded in realization. Running the scenario through his head, he saw it made sense—while the technique offered excellent control, it also left you wide open, turning battles into one-for-one trades.
Sylvester spread his hands and went on, "That's why only certain aerial spell masters—those who can freely fight while flying—can restrain foes with their legs and still attack effectively. For everyone else, its potential is wasted. Hence, its grade was naturally lowered."
Then, his tone brightened again. "But that's exactly what makes it good! It's much better than Barehanded Blade Catch. With that one, you'd have to rely on leg attacks for life. But with this, as long as you learn flight, your hands remain free! You know how rare strong leg techniques are—far fewer than hand-based ones."
He clapped his hands decisively. "Use your feet to parry blades, your hands to strike. Control and damage—perfect synergy! What more could you want?"
"Hmm…"
Yunli rubbed her chin, finding his logic strangely… convincing?
It did sound more flexible than Barehanded Blade Catch.
Only one tiny issue…
She couldn't fly.
Still, that wasn't a big problem.
She could just ask her grandfather about flight arts later. She distinctly remembered that both the Generals and many Vidyadhara could fly.
Once she studied under them, she'd surely pick it up!
And when she mastered it, developing conceptual force—heh heh…
With a smug little smile, Yunli glanced at Yanqing, confidence radiating from her like victory had already been secured.
That Massacre Ruler of yours—I'll make sure I catch him and never let go!
Glowing with triumph, Yunli strutted back to the seating area, giving March 7th a proud pat on the shoulder. "Little March, your Master Yunli just brought you a stroke of good fortune—make the most of it!"
"Yes, Master Yunli!" March 7th replied, beaming.
Only Stelle looked around at the suddenly cheerful group, a little confused.
Huh? Weren't they all acting completely different just five minutes ago?