Grand Thief Showdown: Birth of the Ultimate Secret Technique!

Under the cloak of night, the Eye of Heaven Forest stood with towering trees. The scenery of Moon Lake was enchantingly beautiful, and by its shores, the Cloud Banner soared high. Yet, beneath it, a shroud of mist obscured any clear view of the goings-on within.

Within the mist, four women, draped in long white gauze robes, were deep in peaceful slumber. Yet, directly above them, two figures clad in black were engaged in a desperate, life-or-death struggle!

Brockman struck first. His ten fingers danced with uncanny dexterity, each digit extending a ribbon of water light. Ten swirling water ribbons lashed out, free-flowing and uninhibited, like a painter wielding his brush against the canvas of the sky, splashing ink with grand strokes! This was none other than Brockman's most cherished move from his Secret Technique, "Azure Tsunami"—the Water Brush Painting Vivid Scenes!

Secret Techniques represented one's identity. Confident that few knew his unique Secret Technique, Brockman unleashed himself, an endless torrent of exquisite maneuvers erupting forth. Du Chen, however, was in a predicament. He dared not reveal his signature Secret Technique, Vanishing Snow Burial of Petals, and could only contend with his Lotus Sacred Artifacts, utterly devoid of any sophisticated moves.

As the ten water ribbons approached, Du Chen deployed his remaining two lotus artifacts—the one protecting the Thirteen young girls and the spoils of his heist already occupied. His Lotus Azureveil Shield swiftly disintegrated into five smaller implements, all blocking the incoming water ribbons. In total, fifteen dull, lusterless battle qi manifestations and artifacts intertwined and clashed in the sky, a magnificent and dazzling spectacle!

Yet, there was not a single sound! The atmosphere was terrifyingly silent, eerily chilling.

Du Chen, fully concentrated on controlling his artifacts to meet the enemy, was utterly focused. But just at that moment... without any warning, Du Chen's right shoulder sank downwards! "What's happening? Why did my body move without my command!?" Puzzled, Du Chen then startlingly realized a water ribbon had shot past his right side! If not for that instinctive, sinking shoulder reaction just now, even if he hadn't been defeated, he would have been in an extremely sorry state! Strange, his body could actually rely on instinct to dodge his opponent's killing moves! What was going on!?

Like knights clashing on a battlefield, the two engaged briefly before immediately separating, aiming to avoid prolonged entanglement and the creation of noise. Facing each other from three feet above the ground, Brockman taunted in sign language, "Are you afraid your Secret Technique will reveal your identity, so you're abandoning it? Then, with such an unskillful fighting style, today, it is you who will die!" "That's not necessarily true, let's fight and see!" Du Chen had unspoken grievances! He could only charge headlong, using one lotus artifact to clear a path, with the serrated rotating cutting function of his Lotus Azureveil Shield immediately following.

"Good, again!" Brockman's second move arrived! He surged forward, closing the distance. Just as he was about to engage Du Chen in close combat, his ten fingers suddenly elongated, appearing like ten daggers. On closer inspection, they were blades of ice! Like a blade carving stone, Brockman mysteriously lowered his center of gravity, evading the lotus artifact and shield, then aimed his ten fingers at Du Chen's legs! Nimble, ingenious, as if meticulously sculpting a perfect human figure! In this moment, Brockman's perceptive and dexterous hands were no less skilled than any master sculptor!

"When stone is cut and polished into a sculpture, this must be what it feels like, right?" As Du Chen soared upwards to dodge, this thought suddenly flashed through his mind. The two separated again. Brockman elegantly clasped his hands behind his back, resembling a sculptor admiring a newly finished masterpiece! Two moves had passed, and he knew that with the exquisite precision of his Secret Technique, he was sure to win today!

Little Tyran Beast Homan praised in Brockman's Battle Soul, "Daddy is so amazing! Homan wants to learn this move, 'Ice Blade Sculpting Graceful Form' too!" Brockman smiled smugly, his Battle Soul replying to his son, "You're still too young, you can't use this move yet!" Glancing disdainfully at the awkwardly dodging Du Chen, he lovingly told Homan, "But Homan, there's a move you can learn, called 'Clear String Stirring Water Melody'! Remember, combat is also an art! When you use this move, you must be as extraordinary and elegant as a musician playing a Harp! It uses Water Ripple Resonance to emit... a silent shockwave for sneak attacks!"

Meanwhile, Du Chen watched Brockman extend his arms and deftly move his ten fingers, just like Porter playing his Harp, with extreme elegance. Following this, he felt a sky-filling surge of sharp, murderous intent assail him! There was no escape. The Lotus Azureveil Shield protected his entire body, yet Du Chen seemed to have fallen completely into a defenseless situation!

Just then, that strange instinctive reaction occurred again. Du Chen involuntarily darted towards the sky in the southeast, which, astonishingly, was the only weak point in his opponent's overwhelming assault! Brockman's "refined art" was indeed formidable. Seeing Du Chen dodge with no apparent openings, completely enveloped within a light barrier, he calmly chuckled to Homan, "My child, remember, the 'Water Brush Painting Vivid Scenes' I just used has another purpose: it's specifically designed to pry open full-body defensive shields!" The water ribbons reappeared!

"Homan, do you see? To deal with an enemy who tries to flee, you must be like a great author dipping his quill into ink, crafting an intricate plot. That is something you've never seen before... the Azure Tsunami's Feather Ink Heart-Lock!"

"My child, your wisdom surprises me. Yes, we should avoid the opponent's frontal attacks. Oh, no! To say it like that is too unrefined! It should be... the Bitter Tears Poetic Farewell!"

Their combat prowess was comparable, but one's Secret Technique was exquisitely subtle, with peak-level moves emerging endlessly, while the other's was limited to a few straightforward, repetitive actions. The battle, it seemed, held no suspense! "Damn it!" Brockman's battle qi intensity, even with his inner strength boosted, was roughly equal to his own. Du Chen's advantage lay in his artifacts being stronger than Brockman's sacred artifacts, but Brockman's techniques completely suppressed him! If he didn't use the Vanishing Snow Burial of Petals blade, he might be in trouble tonight!

However, if he were to use the Vanishing Snow Burial of Petals blade tonight, Brockman would immediately know his opponent was Francis! This was just as Du Chen had already confirmed his opponent was Brockman—during the Hidden Boa Mountain battle, Du Chen had witnessed Brockman's Secret Techniques several times! Du Chen could even name several of Brockman's Secret Techniques!

While frustrated, Du Chen also harbored a doubt in his heart! He kept asking himself, "Why does my body seem to naturally and easily evade Brockman's flamboyant attacks? Conversely, the more I consciously try to dodge, the more I fail to escape! This seems to be an instinctive reaction! How can this be? Our techniques are clearly so vastly different!" "I shouldn't have sent Deboning to chat with Bairu just to completely clear my suspicion!" Du Chen sighed inwardly. "Before, I didn't think much of Brockman's Secret Techniques when I saw them, but facing him firsthand, I now know how powerful this 'artist,' whom I've betrayed multiple times, truly is!"

Such thoughts ran through his mind, but Du Chen's hands showed no slack! Brockman was now explaining the third function of "Water Brush Painting Vivid Scenes" to Homan. The target, naturally, was Du Chen! Seeing the ten water-brush-like ribbons appear for the third time, Du Chen became a little more composed. He carefully observed his opponent's move. "Water Brush Painting Vivid Scenes... Adams used some 'Armor-Piercing Bone-Splitting Lock' to counter this move back then! But I don't know any 'Armor-Piercing Bone-Splitting Lock'... Huh? Wait a minute!"

After seeing the same move repeatedly, Du Chen suddenly discovered a problem—a major problem! "Damn it, I know why I've been having such strange instinctive reactions now—I couldn't dodge Brockman's tidal assaults with my true skills, but my body's natural reactions easily resolved them... So that's how it is! Brockman's ten water ribbons had been constantly dancing, but their trajectories... Damn, this looks like a lock-picking technique! Yes, it's picking a 'Three-Core Rotary Lock'! Exactly! The different techniques for opening various types of locks—that's what all these applications of his move are! So, Lord Brockman, the Divine Grant Earl's 'refined art,' was actually..."

Du Chen suddenly realized! "Damn it, what 'Ice Blade Sculpting Graceful Form'? It's just a thief using a razor blade to cut a pocket! Feather Ink Heart-Lock... setting traps in shops to make the owner fall in, thereby diverting their attention! The all-encompassing killing formation, the 'Clear String Stirring Water Melody' that forced him into an inescapable situation... that's a group heist! As for that 'Bitter Tears Poetic Farewell'... Brother, if you're just running away, why give it such a name? Are you insulting poets, or are you insulting your fellow practitioners in the Rogue Sect!?"

All of Brockman's move variations were nothing but thieving techniques! These antiquated techniques had already permeated his very bones in his previous life, becoming an ingrained instinct he would never forget! That's why he could instinctively evade Brockman's flamboyant attacks! Haha! With one insight, a hundred followed. After the two separated once more, Du Chen recalled his recent combat experience. At first glance, Brockman's moves seemed incredibly exquisite. But seeing their true essence now, in the eyes of the Thief Ancestor... these things were utterly mediocre! How embarrassing that he had been forced into such a sorry state; he absolutely couldn't let any other professionals know...

In thieving, Du Chen was a genius among geniuses to begin with. And in the Battle God World, he possessed the Heaven-Bestowed Hydro-Body, an unparalleled talent whose advancement speed was second only to Charlemagne and Aliza! What does genius plus genius equal...? Du Chen smiled. Why had he never considered this question before? Fortunately, Brockman had given him an answer today! Then, the battle restarts now!

Staring strangely at Brockman, Du Chen made a gesture in sign language, "Wait, who is your master!?" Brockman froze, then signed back, "Does Your Excellency not understand the rules? To ask about my sect at this moment, you are too foolish!" "If you won't say, then don't. I merely suspected you were a junior from my own sect!" Du Chen waved his hands. Being a Hydro-element Battle God himself, he effortlessly manifested ten water ribbons using the technique for opening a "Three-Core Rotary Lock"!

The ten water ribbons were identical to Brockman's. Though still a bit clumsy and somewhat disjointed, a tempest surged in Brockman's heart! Azure Tsunami! His opponent also used Azure Tsunami! One must know, there were three crucial requirements to cultivate Azure Tsunami: first, a water attribute; second, possession of his family's Divine Scion bloodline! Third, a very high "artistic level"! His opponent couldn't possibly possess all three conditions simultaneously! Could it be... he was a lost Collateral Branch of his family!? Brockman was confused! Homan's prompt startled him awake, "Daddy, right shoulder sinking!"

Forcing Brockman back with a single move, Du Chen wanted to throw his head back and laugh heartily three times. But he couldn't make a sound now, or disturbing the Aqua Cloud Divine Envoy would be bad... "Next, let's try some bladesmanship. Back when I stole from Master Grape, I used a razor blade to cut his jade pendant's silk cord!" Du Chen closed in, using The Sixth's Chainsaw Cogwheel as a blade, laughing wildly in his heart. "Master Grape couldn't dodge my blade, so what are you, Brockman!?" Ice Blade Sculpting Graceful Form! Damn it, this was his very own Ice Blade Sculpting Graceful Form! Brockman was stunned. His body awkwardly fled, guided by the Tyran Beast's prompts, but he thought, "No, the Ice Blade Sculpting Graceful Form only has six variations! But how many has my opponent already used!? Ten, fifteen... twenty!?" Don't forget, the technical gap between them was a hundred years!

"Hmm, a rare good opponent; mustn't push him too hard!" Du Chen grinned slyly, gave up chasing Brockman, and manifested ten more water ribbons, intending to use Brockman to practice his still-unfamiliar new Secret Technique! The two fought in one spot. Gradually, Brockman understood. Although his opponent's Secret Technique was very similar to his own, its core was definitely different! Because... his opponent's techniques were even more profound than his own! And far too much more profound! They weren't even on the same level! Gods, how could this be?! One must realize, this also meant that the opponent's "refined artistic level" was countless tiers above his own! Du Chen fought with increasing ease!

"Hey! Right, lock-picking doesn't necessarily require ten fingers! Brockman's move has ten water ribbons because the thieving techniques in the Battle God World are too primitive, only using ten fingers..." Du Chen thought as he fought. "Why should I remain at his level!? I can pick locks with a wire in my mouth, with my toes, with my elbows... I can use anything! Hmm, let's try it!" Suddenly, Du Chen recalled all ten water ribbons from his hands. Brockman had just breathed a sigh of relief when Homan urgently called out, "Daddy, run to the left!" He looked, and thousands of water ribbons were radiating from Du Chen's body... a Water Brush Painting Vivid Scenes enhanced many, many times over!

Du Chen laughed as he watched Brockman flee in panic, thinking, "Excellent effect! By the way, Brockman's move uses the technique for a Three-Core lock. Three cores, too primitive! Let me show you a Nine-Core technique... Haha!" Water ribbons danced across the sky. Du Chen's thoughts were no longer entirely on Brockman. "Even Deboning would probably be amazed and praise this Secret Technique. I should give it a good name, but what should it be?"