Legend of Zhan Zhao

Chapter 90: Another Grandmaster of Swordsmanship has emerged in the Central Plains martial arts world!

'The martial arts skills of Venerable Wanjue are truly legendary!'

'This person's strength is indeed formidable; no wonder he dared to be so audacious as to replace the Four Great Constables and infiltrate deep into enemy territory, stirring up trouble!'

Despite the opponent's aggressive offensive, Zhan Zhao remained calm and thoughtful.

Han Zhaoye is not yet a martial arts master.

As the Daoist of Wine once said, if it is a self-created martial art, the moment one opens the innate Qi Sea in the dantian, it is enough to build a bridge between heaven and earth, draw the power of nature into the body, and achieve the realm of a martial arts grandmaster.

However, if one learns martial arts from others, even if one opens up one's innate Qi Sea, one may still be stuck at the Bridge between Heaven and Earth, unable to make the power of nature work for oneself, and thus get stuck at this crucial bottleneck.

When Zhan Zhao was young, he didn't understand, but after entering the martial arts world and personally fighting against various masters, he also began to subdivide the strength of martial artists below the Grandmaster level.

Those below the top tier will not be considered.

Taking Zhou Wuxin, one of the Four Great Constables, as a reference, he belongs to the standard first-class martial artist.

Grand Eunuch Guo Huai has excellent skills, but he lacks practical combat ability and doesn't have the mindset of a martial artist. He is inferior to Zhou Wuxin, placing him among the weaker of the top-tier masters.

Gu Lin and Lian Caiyun, two members of the Seven Clouds of Yunqi Manor, are both top-tier among first-class masters. Gu Lin is much stronger than Zhou Wuxin.

The latter is slightly weaker than Zhou Wuxin, but he has also inherited the Heart Sword Divine Technique and is a person with extraordinary swordsmanship talent. You'll only know once you've fought him.

Besides the above, another top-tier master is Pang Lingyi, the daughter of Pang Ji, who is also a disciple of the Wine Daoist. However, since she has not experienced actual combat, she cannot be compared with Zhou Wuxin.

In fact, Zhan Zhao was at this level when he first entered the martial arts world.

He was able to defeat all of the aforementioned individuals by relying on the exquisite Six Lines Formless Sword Qi and his own formidable innate talent.

However, every top-tier master must be taken seriously, as there is a chance of defeat if he becomes careless.

However, once Zhan Zhao comprehends the first acupoint's wondrous "yao light," with both the mechanism and numerical values ​​complete, things become completely different.

From that moment on, he established a substantial gap between himself and top-tier experts. Not only could he dominate in one-on-one combat, but he could also move freely when surrounded.

The battle at the Six Doors headquarters is clear proof of this.

Therefore, it can be called top-tier.

After that, one becomes a near-Grandmaster.

Zhan Zhao believed that the dividing line between top-tier and near-grandmaster was the opening of the innate Qi Sea.

By condensing and refining the acupoints and accumulating internal energy, and once this accumulation is complete, one can open the primordial Qi Sea in the Dantian. From then on, the true Qi transforms from acquired to innate, possessing various miraculous effects.

The improvement in this step is extremely significant.

Zhan Zhao had not yet opened his innate Qi Sea. Although he had the help of acupoints and his own innate talent and inheritance were all excellent, he was still still a first-rate.

The monks he had recently come into contact with—the Cloth Bag Monk Jiewen, Madam Gu, and the Blackwater Palace Master Han Zhaoye—were all near-Grandmasters.

With such a detailed breakdown of the minor realms below the Martial Arts Grandmaster level, the comparison of combat power becomes much clearer.

Not to mention that Zhan Zhao had fought against Madam Gu before, and was clearly seriously injured in front of the Six Doors, even in his prime, he was no match for her.

Now they are naturally at a significant disadvantage.

But his expression was calm and composed, as he fought and retreated, seemingly accumulating something in silence.

‘Something’s wrong! ’

Han Zhaoye's words just now were not simply to get back at Su Wuqing, but to undermine the fighting spirit and confidence of the person in front of him.

However, whether he praised the other party for having extraordinary talent or said that Su Wuqing had miscalculated and put him in danger, Zhan Zhao remained calm, as if he was not the one being evaluated.

Unfortunately, the opponent is now being suppressed and forced to retreat, yet still shows no intention of running away.

Why not run away?
Doesn't this kid realize that if things continue like this, he'll really beat himself to death?

Are there any reinforcements?

impossible!
The other party can set a trap to lure the snake out, but the route of my actions just now was definitely not under my control.

Moreover, precisely because it's a ploy to lure the snake out of its hole, experts like Jie Wen and Madam Gu are unlikely to follow.

In fact, if such a trap truly existed, Han Zhaoye would never have fallen for it. He would have safely escorted Zhan Zhao to the stronghold long ago and continued to conceal himself.

Therefore, in this remote outer city area, there are only the two of them, masters.

'Does this kid think he can beat me on his own?'

While Han Zhaoye took it seriously, a sense of threat also subtly rose within him.

It is not a future threat.

But now.

But how is it possible?
Could it be that he, the successor of the world's number one master, is unable to defeat a mere fifteen-year-old boy who has already fought two major battles and is seriously injured?
"Aren't you wondering why, now that I know the truth, I still fought with Madam Gu like that?"

As if in response to this thought, Zhan Zhao, who had been taking a step back, suddenly spoke.

Han Zhaoye's smile vanished completely, his expression turned incredibly solemn, and he threw even faster punches.

But Zhan Zhao's voice still came through clearly: "By the way! I just said that revealing the truth was to buy time and absorb the effects of the Perfect Restoration Pill..."

"That's the truth, but it's not the whole story."

"In fact, buying time is also for one thing."

"I need to get used to a newly learned sword technique and utilize an external power!"

The words fell.

Han Zhaoye's eyes widened suddenly as he felt the vast sword intent rising from Zhan Zhao's body, and he exclaimed in disbelief:
"Heart Sword Divine Technique?"

……

In front of the Six Doors.

The monks from Daxiangguo Temple arrived and helped guard the empty headquarters of the Six Doors.

The main purpose was to monitor Madam Gu and her son, Gu Lin.

Pang Wen, as Gu Lin's guard, wanted to escort him inside.

However, the dungeon had just been burned down, and they were still capturing escaped prisoners inside.

With both of them staring intently at him, he felt a chill run down his spine and could only remain motionless.

But the next moment, Madam Gu actually walked over here.

Pang Wen was horrified and quickly looked at Jie Wen.

Great monk, please save him!

Jiewen stared at Madam Gu, his eyes flickering. He seemed to have noticed something, so he stepped aside and did not stop her.

As Pang Wen instantly stood at attention, Madam Gu approached Gu Lin and released his pressure points.

Filled with remorse, Gu Lin bowed again: "Master's wife! I just realized that I've probably been used by someone! I've ruined you all! I've tarnished Master's lifelong reputation!"

"It's not that serious, it's all good now that we've talked it out." Madam Gu's focus, however, was rather strange: "Now that you know about the past, why are you still calling me 'Master's Wife'?"

Gu Lin trembled, his lips pressed together again and again, and finally he managed to squeeze out a single word: "Mother!"

After saying it, he felt a great sense of relief, and his eyes welled up with tears.

I thought I would never have the chance to call out to someone in person until the end of my life, but I never expected that the other person would recognize me.

But Madam Gu continued, "You said before that you shouldn't have come into this world. Why do you feel that way?"

Gu Lin's expression changed again: "I...I..."

He gritted his teeth and finally asked the question that had always puzzled him: "Why did you give birth to me?"

Madam Gu seemed stunned as well, and murmured repeatedly, "Why did I give birth to you?"

Gu Lin clenched his fists, his expression revealing unprecedented fear.

He was afraid of hearing a shocking answer from his biological mother.

So much so that Zhong Kui, whom countless people revered and feared, cowered like a child for the first time.

However, after only a moment's thought, Madam Gu gave a calm reply in her usual indifferent tone: "Because you are in my belly, why shouldn't I give birth to you?"

Gu Lin was stunned: "But...but...my father is..."

Madam Gu frowned, but still repeated, "Does it matter who your father is? You're in my belly."

Gu Lin was stunned.

After a long pause, he slowly said, "Mother...you...you really...don't mind that matter?"

"Of course I mind."

Madam Gu said, "I never knew who that villain was, so when my father went to fight the Venerable Wan Jue, he felt that he had failed to get justice for me. I felt my father's pain, so I have never let it go in the past twenty years."

"Now I finally understand, it was Jiang Heming all along."

“Back then, my father suspected many great enemies, but he never suspected those around him. It was because Jiang Heming and Jiang Hanxing were both saved by my father that they followed him wholeheartedly. My father was initially unwilling, and Jiang Heming even knelt down for a long time.”

"At that time, my father described Jiang Heming as a diligent and honest person with considerable talent. However, his talent lay not in martial arts but in literature. Therefore, my father advised him to become a scholar, take the imperial examination, and enter officialdom."

"The more my father said that, the more Jiang Heming seemed to want to prove himself. He practiced his skills every day, rain or shine, and was much more diligent than me."

"However, his talent in martial arts was limited, and he was never able to learn superior martial arts. Later, he had to give up, but he was unwilling to leave and always followed him."

“His father pitied him and advised him, but never doubted him.”

"And it just so happened to be him."

When Madam Gu mentioned this name, she also showed emotional fluctuations.

But after hatred, anger, and regret...

In the end, all that remains is indifference: "In the end, it is an obsession with unfulfilled desires and a futile scheme."

"Jiang Heming's scheming was ultimately aimed at achieving the superior martial arts he had always pursued, becoming a powerful and respected hero."

"As a result, he was first rejected by Uncle Yun Si as a disciple, and later tried to steal the Heart Sword Divine Technique several times, but failed to get the hang of it. As a result, he gave up on himself and indulged in a life of debauchery."

“I could sense the distortion in his mind, so I became even less inclined to pay attention to him and simply retreated to the backyard.”

"This kind of person is not worth ruining your life for."

At this point, Madam Gu looked at her son and said, "Child, you should have told me sooner."

“You don’t need to do all this alone. I will work with you to take down those conspirators, avenge the past, and comfort your grandfather.”

"Remember, you were born into this world not because Jiang Heming is your father, but because I am your mother."

Gu Lin was stunned.

His painstaking revenge, including faking his death to deceive everyone, was all for the sake of his mother's satisfaction when he finally succeeded. But things turned out quite differently...

I don't know whether to feel disappointed or happy.

But in the end, he was genuinely happy that his mother was able to truly let go.

"It was my fault!"

Just as he was about to kowtow again, an invisible force slowly pushed him away.

Not only Gu Lin, but also Pang Wen beside him and Jie Wen, who was silently protecting him not far away, slowly retreated.

An invisible barrier of energy appeared between everyone and Madam Gu.

Madam Gu looked up at the sky, her black hair flying in the wind, her eyes reflecting the starry sky.

Heart and sword resonate, traversing the void.

It was as if an invisible bridge connected the inside and outside, and the power of nature transformed into an invisible vortex, surging towards this tide.

"Heaven and earth, nature, are at my disposal!"

Jie Wen revealed genuine envy and joy, and put his hands together: "Congratulations to Gu Tanyue on reaching the realm of Martial Arts Grandmaster!"

Those who can borrow the power of heaven and earth, even for a fleeting moment, are true martial arts masters.

From then on, martial arts entered a completely new realm, far beyond the ordinary.

The martial arts world of the Central Plains has gained another master of swordsmanship!

Gu Lin was overjoyed, but he soon realized something was wrong.

Although Madam Gu had opened a bridge between heaven and earth and used the power of nature for her own purposes, her aura was not particularly strong.

While his skill level is undoubtedly genuine, this weakened state is definitely not the imposing presence of a normal martial arts grandmaster.

Gu Lin was shocked: "Mother, what's wrong? Where's your skill?"

"It will take some time to repair it..."

Madam Gu explained calmly, "Before the first sword duel, in the middle of the lake, Zhan Zhao transmitted his voice and said that you were not the mastermind. I asked him if the mastermind was strong, and he said that he should be very strong, so I passed on the Heart Sword Divine Technique to him."

"During our second encounter, Zhan Zhao said he knew the whole truth and asked me to help him injure him so that the real culprit could be brought out and you could be completely cleared of suspicion of killing Pei Handeng."

"I helped Zhan Zhao so that he could return safely."

Madam Gu wasn't someone who trusted people easily.

In that instant, her mind and sword were fully unleashed, reaching the realm of perfect clarity of mind, allowing her to clearly perceive Zhan Zhao's calmness in seeing through the truth and his unwavering determination.

What the other party said is true.

The other party can absolve their son of sins he did not commit.

Therefore, in order to ensure Zhan Zhao's safe return, Madam Gu did something that no ordinary person would do: "I passed on ninety percent of my power to him."

(End of this chapter)