Martial Arts Crossover: My master tricked Huang Rong into becoming my wife!

Chen Yanzhou's temples bulged with veins, and he let out a muffled groan.

The right arm instantly became congested and swollen, with muscle lines undulating and bulging like a dragon, and the subcutaneous blood vessels could even be clearly seen throbbing.

The heavy iron sword was three inches off the ground.

Next comes a foot.

Until he held it up to his chest with one hand.

But that's all there is to it.

The terrifying downward force pressed down from his wrist all the way to his shoulder blade. Chen Yanzhou gritted his teeth and tried to steady himself, but his arm still trembled violently uncontrollably.

one second.

two seconds.

three seconds.

"when--"

A deafening clang of metal echoed through the valley.

Chen Yanzhou ultimately couldn't withstand that strange force; his hand loosened, and the heavy sword crashed onto the bluestone ground.

Sparks flew everywhere, and the hard rocky ground was smashed into a shallow crater, with fragments of rock flying everywhere.

"Huff... huff..."

Chen Yanzhou braced his hands on his knees, panting heavily. His entire right arm was so sore and numb that he had almost lost all feeling, and his fingertips were still twitching slightly.

This thing is really not for humans to play with.

A soft chuckle came from the side.

Huang Rong looked on with amusement: "Oh, you're already exhausted? Well, being able to hold on for three breaths isn't too bad."

It sounded like a compliment, but paired with her smug expression, it just sounded awful.

Chen Yanzhou straightened up, glared at her irritably, and shook his aching wrist: "It's easy for you to talk when you're not the one suffering. If you're so capable, why don't you try lifting it for three breaths? Go away, go play somewhere else, don't get in my way."

"Tch, if it's no good, it's no good. What's with the excuses?"

Huang Rong pursed her lips and stopped dwelling on the ugly black iron sword. She turned and walked to the end of the stone mound, her gaze falling on the last wooden sword.

Time has eroded the sword, leaving only a piece of withered wood that would turn to ashes at the slightest touch.

But this did not stop Huang Rong from being attracted to the words on the stone carving.

"After the age of forty, one is no longer attached to material things; grass, trees, bamboo, and stones can all be swords. From then on, one refines one's skills and gradually progresses to the realm where having no sword is better than having a sword."

Huang Rong recited softly, her playful expression gradually fading, replaced by an undisguised shock and admiration.

As the only daughter of Huang Yaoshi, the Eastern Heretic, her vision far surpasses that of ordinary people. Most people in the martial arts world practice swordsmanship in pursuit of exquisite sword techniques and sharp weapons, but this Senior Dugu has actually reached a state of returning to simplicity.

"After the age of forty, one can be more powerful without a sword than with one's own..." Huang Rong stretched out her finger, tracing the vigorous strokes in the air, and murmured, "Such talent truly lives up to the name 'Seeking Defeat.' My father always boasted that his talent was unparalleled in the world. If we had lived in the same era, I'm afraid he would have to admit defeat to this person."

Chen Yanzhou had recovered by this time. Hearing this, he stepped forward, looked at the pile of rotten wood, and casually said, "It is said in the martial arts world that the senior Dugu Qiubai comprehended a set of 'Dugu Nine Swords,' which is said to be able to break all the techniques in the world. Whether it is swordsmanship, saber techniques, spear techniques, or fist and foot techniques and hidden weapons, it can be broken with just one sword."

"The Nine Swords of Dugu?"

Huang Rong's eyes lit up instantly, and she immediately moved closer to Chen Yanzhou, her face full of a fawning smile. The speed at which she changed her expression was astonishing.

"Brother, what about the manual for the Dugu Nine Swords?"

Her big eyes blinked eagerly as she scanned the area around the stone mound. "Since the swords are all here, the sword manual must be here too, right? Did you bring me here just to find this?"

Looking at her greedy expression, Chen Yanzhou shrugged and said, "Don't look at me, I don't know where the sword manual is either."

"You don't know?" Huang Rong's smile froze, and she stared at him suspiciously. "How could you not know? You even know there's a divine eagle and a strange snake here, how could you not know where the sword manual is?"

"I really don't know." Chen Yanzhou said frankly. "There are only swords and stones in this stone tomb. You saw it just now. Where are there any books or papers? Besides, a master like Senior Dugu would not necessarily write down his insights on paper."

Huang Rong's face fell instantly, and the light in her eyes went out.

Seeing this, Chen Yanzhou comforted him, saying, "Hey, don't be discouraged. If it really doesn't work, we can figure it out ourselves."

After saying that, he looked at the Divine Condor and changed the subject.

"It's indeed difficult to figure it out on your own, but isn't there a ready-made 'master'?"

"Master?" Huang Rong followed his gaze, but apart from that ugly, feather-shedding bird, she couldn't see a single ghost.

"You mean..." Huang Rong pointed at the Divine Condor, her lips twitching, "that this bird will teach me?"

"Brother Eagle has followed Senior Dugu for many years and has become quite intelligent through constant exposure," Chen Yanzhou said, making up a story with a straight face. "If all else fails, you can ask Brother Eagle to teach you a few moves. Maybe you can even comprehend some kind of 'Divine Eagle Sword Technique'."

As if to echo Chen Yanzhou's words, the divine eagle actually turned its head, made a "coo" sound at Huang Rong, then flapped its wings twice, and its huge head nodded in a human-like manner.

Huang Rong looked at the large, bald bird with fierce eyes and a faint fishy smell, and suddenly everything went black.

"I don't want to!" Huang Rong took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and shook her head in despair.

"Pretentious."

Chen Yanzhou chuckled but didn't press the matter.

"Alright, stop pretending to be dead. Now that we're here, we can't leave empty-handed. Pick one of these swords and take it with you."

Huang Rong opened her eyes, her gaze sweeping over the swords.

The Xuan Tie Heavy Sword is just a big iron rod, and the wooden sword is a realm of its own; taking it back would be useless.

Finally, her gaze fell on the first cyan sword.

"I want this one." Huang Rong walked over and picked up the gleaming blue sword.

The sword is long and slender, with a chilling gleam, and it feels light in the hand, which is perfect for someone like her who takes an agile approach.

"You have good taste." Chen Yanzhou nodded, then bent down and picked up the heavy black iron sword with both hands.

Now that we're here, this divine weapon can't just sit here gathering dust. If we can melt it down in the future, we can forge it into the Heaven-Slaying Sword and the Dragon-Slaying Saber.

"Let's go back."

Chen Yanzhou carried the heavy sword and walked to the edge of the cliff.

Huang Rong followed, carrying the Qingguang Sword. She peered at the steep cliff and then at the heavy iron lump in Chen Yanzhou's hand, her brows furrowing slightly.

"Hey, this thing weighs at least 70 or 80 pounds. How are we supposed to get down there if you're carrying it?"

Carrying her up here was already tough enough, and now we have to carry this burden too. The stone walls are smooth, and one wrong step and we'll be smashed to pieces.

Chen Yanzhou thought about it and realized it was indeed a problem.

If you carry it with one hand, it will not only affect your balance, but also greatly deplete your internal energy.

His gaze swept around, finally settling on the ancient vines hanging from the stone wall.

"That's easy."

Chen Yanzhou put down his heavy sword, walked to the edge of the cliff, pulled up a few tough, thick vines, tugged on them to make sure they were sturdy, and then walked back.

"Turn around."

"What are you doing?" Huang Rong took a half step back warily, holding the Qingguang Sword protectively in front of her chest.

"I'll tie you up," Chen Yanzhou said matter-of-factly. "This sword is too heavy for me to carry. Let's divide the work: I'll take you down, and you'll carry the sword."

"What?!" Huang Rong's eyes widened as she pointed at the heavy black iron sword on the ground. "You want me to carry this thing? It's heavier than me!"

"It's not like I'm asking you to memorize it forever, it's just for a little while." Chen Yanzhou waved his hand impatiently. "Hurry up, stop dawdling. If you don't memorize it, I'll just leave you here."

Just then, the Divine Eagle cried out and strode towards Huang Rong.

"I'll carry it! I'll carry it, okay?!"

Huang Rong was so frightened that she could only turn away with a wronged expression.

Chen Yanzhou moved swiftly, twisting several thick vines together to tightly wrap the Xuan Tie Heavy Sword, then gestured to Huang Rong's slender figure.

"It might be a bit heavy, just bear with it."

After saying that, he held the heavy sword upright and pressed it against Huang Rong's back. The vines wrapped around her shoulders and waist, and he tied a tight knot.

The massive blade of the Xuan Tie Heavy Sword almost covered Huang Rong's entire back, with the hilt towering high above her head. From a distance, it looked like a small turtle carrying a giant tortoise shell.

"Are you done yet? You're choking me..." Huang Rong frowned, feeling like she was having trouble breathing.

"Alright, perfect."

Chen Yanzhou dusted off his hands, took two steps back, and looked at his masterpiece with satisfaction.

"No problem, these vines are very sturdy, they definitely won't fall down."

However, before he could finish speaking...

Huang Rong, who had been standing perfectly still, suddenly let out a gasp.

"Huh? Huh?!"

Because the heavy sword on her back was so heavy, her center of gravity shifted backward instantly. Her two slender legs couldn't support the sudden weight at all, and she felt as if she were being pulled backward by an invisible hand.

Chen Yanzhou didn't even have time to reach out and help.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud.

Huang Rong lay on her back, like a turtle whose lid had been flipped over, her hands and feet flailing helplessly in the air.

"Chen! Yan! Zhou!"

Chen Yanzhou watched this scene, his lips twitching wildly, and finally he couldn't help but burst out laughing.