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### Chapter 45: The Graceful Snow Cloak

The fame of "Silver Moonlight" in Jacia, the capital of the Fasin Kingdom, rose rapidly not only due to his strength and appearance but also because of his peculiar attire. He wore an immaculately white battle robe, adorned with bizarre bone armor, and had a four-foot-long sword at his waist. Most strikingly, he wore a white fur cloak even during the sweltering summer, leaving all who saw him speechless.

In truth, I was quite helpless. To gain quick fame, one needs a memorable characteristic—a lesson taught to me by Leimen. Wearing a fur cloak in summer is akin to Zhuge Kongming fanning himself in winter—it can become a signature trait. However, unlike Zhuge Kongming's fan, my cloak is made from the hide of an ice mountain Beamon, imbued with ice magic. After being processed by the female mage Hai Ruo and the old Shaman of the Blizzard House, it remains temperature-controlled, warm in winter and cool in summer. Even though I have reached a level where I am impervious to cold and heat, I still cherish this cloak. This cloak, named "Ruyi Xue," appears as a single piece but is actually composed of thousands of pieces of fur. Its inner lining is crafted from the tendons of a nine-headed hydra by elven artisans, forming an elastic mesh that can extend up to seventy feet when infused with internal energy, flexible and versatile.

This "如意雪" was specifically designed to complement my newly mastered Nine Yin Supreme Art, "Minghai Kunpeng Dance." This supreme art allows the use of any soft weapon—whips, sleeves, cloaks, robes, or even hair—to unleash astonishing power, capable of striking with the force of a thousand-mile wave. When practiced to perfection, it can even counter the flames of the Demon Sect's Fire Banner and the poison water of the Flood Banner. Choosing the ice mountain Beamon fur for this weapon makes it even more formidable. Unbeknownst to me, after my death in my previous life, my wife Chaofeng also chose to practice this supreme art, using a silver dragon whip to compensate for her blindness—a strange coincidence indeed.

The reason for practicing new martial arts was to conceal my identity. The "Xuanfeng Golden Bell Shield" has begun spreading throughout the Orc Alliance, and the Radiant Temple would surely investigate me. The Golden Bell Shield, Nine Yin White Bone Claw, and Heartbreaking Palm are well-known, and Lanster of the Temple has personally experienced their power. If I continued using these techniques, my identity would eventually be revealed. Fortunately, the "Heaven and Earth Annihilation Blade" has never been fully displayed, and "Yellow Spring Phantom" has undergone significant changes since its mastery, otherwise, it would have been even more troublesome.

Now was the time for "Ruyi Snow" to showcase its power.

With the little girl in my left arm, I channeled Nine Yin True Qi into the "Ruyi Snow," causing the hydra tendon mesh to instantly transform into a thick, long whip. It first ensnared the black-clad man before me, and with a series of cracks, his neck, ribs, and spine were crushed. With a flick of my wrist, he flew several feet away, dead by the time others checked on him.

When it comes to sheer destructive power, internal true qi cannot compare to the might of aura. However, the subtlety and versatility of internal true qi far surpass those of aura. I once witnessed Master Chongyang demonstrating his innate skill by curling the rim of a fine porcelain teacup with his tongue without cracking it (inspired by a scene from the novel "Huo Yuanjia"). The finesse involved is remarkable. While internal martial arts may be less effective against super-powerful magical beasts, they reveal their true power against human opponents. No matter how much aura one uses to enhance oneself, the basic structure of the human body remains unchanged. Bones will never be as hard as steel, and flesh and organs will never turn into rubber. Warriors can resist external attacks with aura, but against the mysterious and penetrating internal true qi, which tears and crushes organs, they stand no chance and are killed instantly.

The black-clad warriors of the Star Shield Chamber of Commerce, numbering over thirty, were merely led by a few Silver Warriors and a group of Bronze Warriors. Even without using the Nine Yin Manual skills that rival Catherine's "Emperor Martial Overlord Art," I could easily defeat them with the reduced-power third level of the "Ice Prison Demonic Thorn Art."

However, my goal was not just to defeat them but to further my fame by intervening in their conflict. Although the Star Shield Chamber of Commerce is not renowned across the Mainland, it is well-known in the Four Sacred Nations. This internal strife would likely lead to my being placed on a wanted list, spreading my name quickly. Therefore, I deliberately suppressed my power to avoid making them feel hopeless.

The "Minghai Kunpeng Dance" is grand and majestic, like the North Sea Kunpeng striking out over three thousand miles, soaring nine miles high. Sweeping the "Ruyi Snow" around, it covered an area of several dozen feet, breaking bones and causing the black-clad warriors to spurt blood and die. Fortunately, I suppressed my power, allowing a few Silver Warriors to escape the cloak's reach.

"'Silver Moonlight,' you dare interfere with the affairs of the Star Shield Chamber of Commerce? Prepare for assassins across all of Fasin!" The fleeing black-clad warriors, now feeling safer on horseback, turned back to shout threats.

"Tsk, although I suppressed my attack, I didn't intend to let you leave alive! Feel the power of the Sun Flame Spirit Pearl—Explosion!" I retracted the "Ruyi Snow" and conjured ten blazing fire pearls, throwing them into the air. They automatically locked onto the enemies and flew out at the speed of the Hawk Clan's "Heavenly Peng Soaring," catching up to the galloping Star Shield warriors and exploding into mushroom-shaped clouds of smoke several feet high. When the dust settled, ten large craters remained, along with twisted metal armor fragments.

By evening, I had not left the hillside. I cleared a graveyard in the forest and buried all the dead, regardless of which side they belonged to. It wasn't out of kindness but to maintain a noble image, knowing that today's actions would eventually reach the Radiant Temple. Of course, compassion is reserved for the dead; I never show mercy to living troubles. Thus, the second batch of Star Shield warriors was also buried alongside the first. Conveniently, I had just dug graves using the newly mastered "Hundred Blades Shatter Mountains" technique combined with Moon Flame Aura, so burying them together was effortless.