Supreme Being: The Sword of True Martial Arts

The darkness receded like a tide.

Lin Yan abruptly sat up, gasping for breath. In that instant, he felt as if he had been thrown into a bottomless abyss, falling and falling, surrounded by endless darkness and deathly silence. The feeling was so real that even after he regained consciousness, his heart was still pounding.

Then he saw the scene before him.

This is a plaza paved with stones resembling white marble, its center empty, surrounded by a ring of statues of mythical creatures such as dragons, phoenixes, kui oxen, and pixiu. Each statue is lifelike, with every scale and feather meticulously detailed, as if it might come to life at any moment. Above the plaza, there is no sky, only a layer of misty white fog, and light from an unknown source illuminates the entire plaza.

"Where is this?" Suddenly, a clear female voice, tinged with wariness, entered Lin Yan's ears.

He looked in the direction of the sound. On the other side of the square, a young monk in a gray robe was looking around blankly. Next to him stood a girl in a pale yellow dress, with delicate eyebrows and large eyes. An ancient long sword hung at her waist, and she was looking around with a puzzled expression.

Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei. Lin Yan silently repeated these two names in his heart.

Meng Qi struggled to his feet, looking around in equally bewilderment, not understanding what had happened. He was peacefully sleeping in his meditation room, so how did he end up here, and even encounter these exceptionally talented disciples from various sects? Was he still dreaming?

Suddenly, a face filled with rage appeared before Meng Qi. A young Taoist priest, wearing a seven-star crown and a yin-yang robe, raised his eyebrows and roared, "What does Shaolin want? Do you want to become the common enemy of all sects?"

Meng Qi had no idea what he was talking about and looked at him with increasing confusion.

"Qingjing, don't jump to conclusions yet. Check behind the statue again and see how things develop." A calm voice rang out. Lin Yan turned to look and saw a swordsman in a blue robe, with a composed face, a long sword at his waist, and an extraordinary air about him. Zhang Yuanshan from the Zhenwu Sect. According to seniority, Lin Yan should call him Senior Brother.

Jiang Zhiwei frowned slightly, walked over to Meng Qi's side, and said in a calm tone: "The little monk is just a menial monk. Even if this matter is related to Shaolin, he wouldn't know. Why make things difficult for him? Besides, I don't think we have anything that Shaolin would want to scheme against us."

Qingjing angrily waved his right hand: "Isn't it obvious? Shaolin has this Kongwen, a terrestrial immortal who has attained the golden body of the Arhat who subdues dragons. Who could possibly hide from his divine eyes and ears and silently take us away from Shaolin Temple and from our elders? I really can't think of any other possibility besides him doing it himself!"

"I...I'm not at Shaolin..." At this moment, a timid man emerged from behind a statue. He was probably around thirty years old, with a robust build and a thick beard, but his expression was completely at odds with his imposing physique—timid and fearful, his eyes darting around, like a frightened rabbit.

"Who else? Friends, come out and greet me. I am Zhang Yuanshan of Zhenwu." Zhang Yuanshan was taken aback at first, then said loudly.

"Senior Brother Zhang, so you're here too." Two more people emerged from behind the different statues. One was a tall, slender girl with her hair tied up with a white handkerchief, her skin tanned, and her features delicate; the other was an ordinary-looking young man with a solemn and serious expression.

Zhang Yuanshan paused for a moment, his expression growing increasingly solemn: "So it's Qi Xia, the junior sister of the Great River Gang. You also woke up here after falling asleep?"

Jiang Zhiwei stood beside Meng Qi and said thoughtfully, "She is the youngest daughter of Senior Qi Yuantong, the deputy leader of the Dajiang Gang, and she has also come to Shaolin this time."

Meng Qi could only answer honestly, "I don't know..." Countless thoughts swirled in his mind as he began to guess what had happened to him and the others.

Qi Xia frowned and pointed at the sleazy-looking man: "Young Taoist Qingjing's guess is probably wrong. This is Yan Wujiang, the leader of our Great River Gang, a member of the Yan family of Jiangzuo with the surname Wu. He did not come to Shaolin with us and should still be in Maoling, Jiangdong at this time."

"Yes, yes, yes! Third Miss, I just won a fortune at the No. 1 Casino in Maoling and hired some popular actresses to sing for me, but when I woke up, I was in this strange place!" Yan Wujiang looked scared and terrified.

Jiang Zhi chuckled softly, seemingly introducing him to Meng Qi or speaking to herself, "He's from the Wu generation, and he's a cousin of Yan Wuwo, the leader of the Zombie Fist Sect. With such a high seniority, he's only a branch leader in the Great River Gang. There seems to be a reason for that..."

Qingjing frowned, took a few steps to stand in front of Yan Wujiang, and demanded, "You gambling addict, you must be a habitual liar. How can you prove that what you say is true?"

Yan Wujiang's lips moved a few times: "You, you can go to the No. 1 Casino in Maoling and ask if I just won two thousand one hundred taels of silver!"

"Who is this?" Zhang Yuanshan frowned and turned to ask the ordinary-looking man who did not smile.

Jiang Zhiwei suddenly stepped forward, her beautiful eyebrows slightly furrowed: "Brother, I think I've seen you before. Hmm, among the disciples accompanying the Huanhua Sword Sect."

The man, dressed in a blue robe and wearing a small cap, appeared to be in his early twenties, but lacked the vigor and eagerness expected of his age. His face was as if wearing an iron mask, devoid of any expression other than solemnity. He nodded slightly: "It is an honor that Miss Jiang remembers me. I am Qi Zhengyan, an ordinary disciple of the Huanhua Sword Sect, who has come to Shaolin with you this time."

Zhang Yuanshan patted his left hand with his right, revealing obvious confusion for the first time. This matter was really too strange—it included future pillars of the four sects, ordinary disciples, and incense masters with low martial arts skills, and even errand-sweeping monks. It was really hard to see the selection criteria.

Jiang Zhiwei pursed her lips, wrinkled her delicate nose, and said with a wry smile, "I originally thought this was aimed at the disciples from various sects who came to Shaolin, but who knew that Master Yan was also there."

Qingjing sneered: "Regardless of whether the people present have any real common ground, how many of them could take us away from Shaolin silently? Hmph, even the Venerable Monk Kongwen, ranked third on the Heavenly Ranking, and even Senior Chonghe, who has attained the Pure Yang Dao Body, couldn't do this!"

He still targeted Shaolin, but couldn't understand why they would do such a strange thing.

Just then, Zhang Yuanshan's gaze finally fell on Lin Yan.

"Who is this?"

All eyes turned to him simultaneously. Jiang Zhiwei's gaze was scrutinizing, Meng Qi's was filled with curiosity, Qing Jing's face was full of vigilance, and Qi Xia and Qi Zhengyan also looked at him.

Lin Yan stood up from the ground, dusted off non-existent dust from his Taoist robe, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Zhenwu Sect, Lin Yan. Disciple of Master Su Mochen."

Zhang Yuanshan was slightly taken aback: "Master Su's disciple? When I left the Zhenwu Sect to travel, Master Su hadn't yet taken on any disciples. When did you join the sect, junior brother?"

"My master made an exception and accepted me after the outer sect competition," Lin Yan answered truthfully.

Zhang Yuanshan nodded without asking further questions. Now was clearly not the time for reminiscing.

Qingjing glanced at Lin Yan, his brows furrowing even deeper: "Were you also brought here from Shaolin?"

"No," Lin Yan shook his head. "I'm from Jiangzhou."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed. From Shaolin, from Maoling, from Jiangzhou—the Lord of the Six Paths of Reincarnation could simultaneously pull people into the cycle of reincarnation from different locations. This method was far more terrifying than they had imagined.

when--

A melodious bell rang out, drawing everyone's attention to the center of the White Jade Square.

"Welcome to the world of reincarnation!"

"There are endless dangers here, but you can also get everything you want from here!"

A grand, cold voice drifted in with the tolling of the bell, as if descending from the heavens or rising from the depths of hell. Meng Qi frowned. He felt he might have seen or heard something like this somewhere before.

"Who's there? Come out!" Qingjing pushed off with his feet and rushed towards the center as fast as a galloping horse, but the place was empty and there was nothing there.

"You may call me—the Lord of the Six Paths of Reincarnation," the voice continued.

Meng Qi subconsciously turned his head and saw Jiang Zhiwei and Zhang Yuanshan's eyes shining brightly, like purple lightning flashing in the darkness, intently and seriously watching the source of the sound. Then, they looked at each other and shook their heads.

Qingjing, his right hand gripping the hilt of his sword, paused there and shouted, "What is your purpose in capturing us?"

A grand, cold voice said, "As the world turns, you will experience one world after another, completing the tasks I assign and accumulating merit. Merit can be exchanged for anything you desire—whether it's unparalleled martial arts, divine weapons, longevity elixirs, or rare and precious herbs, anything you've heard of is here; even things you don't know about are also here."

"And with each completed mission, you will return to your own world and await the start of the next cycle of reincarnation."

Meng Qi's mouth was half-open, like a carp suffocating from lack of oxygen. This... isn't this an infinite flow story? Wasn't I in a fantasy martial arts world? This art style is wrong!

"Get everything you want?" Qingjing scoffed. He came from the "Xuantian Sect," which claimed to be the lineage of the Heavenly Emperor. He was well-versed in divine skills, secret techniques, and rare treasures, and he simply did not believe that this inexplicable "Lord of the Six Paths of Reincarnation" could collect all those legendary items—after all, some of them were already within his own sect!

The "Lord of the Six Paths of Reincarnation" remained silent. A beam of light descended from the high white jade dome, the top of which read "Peerless Divine Skill Manual," and the first line below it clearly stated—

"The Tathagata's Palm. Complete version. Exchange price: one million merit points."

Everyone present gasped in astonishment. Two major martial arts sects in the world established their temples based on these incomplete techniques, aiming directly at the golden body of the Buddha, representing the supreme Dao!

Meng Qi's heart suddenly warmed up, and he temporarily forgot about the problem of "the style being wrong".

Then, Jiang Zhiwei read out the second line with a hint of excitement: "The Seven Swords of Heaven-Slaying are missing the third and sixth forms. Exchange price: 750,000 merit points."

Zhang Yuanshan's fists clenched silently. The two fundamental divine skills of the Zhenwu Sect were derived from the seventh move of the Seven Swords of Heaven-Slaying, "The Extinction of the Dao and the Birth of the Dao".

Qingjing was taken aback at first, then sneered, "Missing the third and sixth swords? Don't you have everything?"

As he spoke, his laughter gradually subsided. This method of specifying what was missing was more convincing than simply writing everything down—it seemed as if there truly was something missing!

"Only the third and sixth swords are missing..." Jiang Zhiwei moved her lips slightly, her stunningly beautiful face radiating a dazzling light, as if the pursuit of the Seven Heavenly Swords was her greatest dream.

Lin Yan watched all this quietly, his mind racing. His gaze swept over the "True Martial Seven Intercepts Scripture"—the complete version, worth 150,000 merit points. And in his pocket were the first three volumes, handwritten by Su Mochen, free of charge. Having a master was truly wonderful.

The light screen continued to flip. Following the "Peerless Divine Skill Manual" were "Dharma Body Level Divine Skills," "Outer Realm Level Ultimate Skills," "Aperture Opening Level Martial Arts," "Qi Accumulation Stage Martial Arts," and "Foundation Building Stage Basic Skills." Meng Qi vaguely saw Ananda's Breaking the Precepts Saber Technique, as well as the Nine Yang Divine Skill and the Nine Yin Manual, among others.

"Arhat Fist, exchange price: two merits." Meng Qi looked at the last few lines of the last page and suddenly felt very "poor".

After the exchange list was flipped through, the light screen disappeared.

"If we want to escape the cycle of reincarnation, what should we do?" Zhang Yuanshan suddenly asked.

This question immediately attracted everyone's attention.

"Accumulate 300,000 merits to exchange for the Other Shore Talisman, and you can escape the cycle of reincarnation." The voice of the Lord of the Six Paths of Reincarnation was as cold as ever. "Sources of merits: quest rewards and item exchanges. If it is not missing from the list, the price is only 30%; if it is a missing item from the list, the price will be increased on the original basis depending on the situation."

"Hmph, so you think I can get the Other Shore Talisman by stealing the middle volume of the Heavenly Emperor's Jade Book and exchanging it?" Qingjing roared angrily. "So that's what you Shaolin are after!"

"Exchange is possible." The Lord of the Six Paths of Reincarnation's voice remained completely calm. "Anyone who attempts to reveal the existence of the Reincarnation World to outsiders will be eliminated; anyone who kills a companion or member of the same faction will have twice the merit points awarded in the current main quest deducted from their merit points, and if the merit points are insufficient, they will be eliminated; anyone who exchanges secret manuals with others will be eliminated—secret manuals obtained in the quest world are not included in this category."

He announced the rules one by one in a grand and solemn voice.

Erasure. Erasure. Erasure.

Each "annihilation" was like a sword hanging over everyone's heads, making the faces of everyone present turn solemn.

As soon as he finished speaking, the light and shadow shifted. Lin Yan felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, and when he could see clearly again, he found himself in a passageway with stone walls on all sides, having left the White Jade Square. The passageway was narrow, only wide enough for two people to walk side by side, with torches stuck in the stone walls on both sides, their flames flickering.

Tiny specks of greenish embers burned lines of text onto the stone ground—

"In order to seize the throne, the Lord of Hidden Emperor Fortress invented the Heart-Stealing Pill and secretly controlled the leaders of various sects. The great hero Ma Lianghan accidentally discovered this conspiracy, so he invited three other masters to break into Hidden Emperor Fortress together, but they were careless and were trapped in the fortress by the traps."

Main Quest: Kill the Lord of Hidden Emperor's Fortress within three hours. Those who complete the quest together will each receive fifty merit points. Failure to complete the quest will result in the collective annihilation of all members!

Side Quest: Rescue the four masters trapped in the Hidden Royal Castle. Each participant will be rewarded with ten merit points for each master rescued. There is no penalty for failure.

After a few breaths, the eerie fire died down, and everything returned to normal.

"Hmph, this is definitely a conspiracy by the Shaolin Temple!" Qingjing's face was contorted with rage. "I will absolutely not take on this inexplicable mission! What exactly are you trying to do?"

He stared at Meng Qi, not understanding how there really was a mission.

Meng Qi shrugged and remained silent. He thought to himself, "I can't possibly tell you an infinite flow story like I did to my junior brother, can I?"

At this moment, Jiang Zhiwei drew her right hand, and the long sword was unsheathed, its sound like a dragon's roar and its light like autumn water.

She glanced at everyone, her expression grave, and said, "I think we'd better complete the mission. A master who can move us around so easily in this way is at least a terrestrial immortal of the Dharma Body level. Killing us would be incredibly simple for them. So, let's do as he says and see what happens."

As she spoke the last half of her sentence, she tilted her head slightly again.

"Junior Sister Jiang is right," Zhang Yuanshan nodded in agreement.

Qi Xia thought for a moment, then pulled out a water-splitting thorn that shimmered with a blue light: "Things have come to this, we can't just sit and wait to die. According to the Lord of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, after completing a mission, we can return for a while, and then we can think of another way. For now, let's complete the mission!"

"I... I'll do whatever Miss Yan says!" Yan Wujiang said tremblingly.

Qi Zhengyan nodded slightly: "Although I am not very knowledgeable, I think what Miss Jiang said makes sense."

Qingjing pursed his lips tightly, turned his head to look at the torch stuck in the stone wall beside him, and after a few breaths, he said with a tense face, "I am not afraid of any mission. If you die here, don't blame me."

"Life and death are all up to fate." Zhang Yuanshan smiled as he saw everyone united.

Jiang Zhiwei subconsciously said, "I will fight against fate with the sword in my hand!" She smiled and didn't continue. This was a difference in the principles that the Sword Washing Pavilion and the True Martial Sect had learned from the "Seven Swords of Heaven-Slaying," a clash of ideologies, and there was no need to create internal strife at this time.

She turned to Meng Qi and smiled, "Little monk, would you like to join me on a mission?"

Meng Qi was quite moved. Everyone else subconsciously ignored his opinion as a menial monk. Fortunately, someone remembered: "Of course, please take good care of me, Miss Jiang."

Jiang Zhiwei chuckled: "You should address me as Benefactor Jiang."

Meng Qi took a deep breath and spoke before the others could, "I think we should rescue the four masters first, and then go and besiege the Lord of Hidden Emperor Fortress."

"Isn't this a waste of time?" Qingjing still thought that everyone in Shaolin Temple was a bad person.

Meng Qi looked at Jiang Zhiwei, Zhang Yuanshan, and Qi Xia and said, "First, we don't know the strength of the Hidden Emperor's Fortress Master, so going there rashly would be extremely dangerous. Second, I don't think any side quest needs to be announced at the beginning; rather, it should only be announced when it's actually triggered. I suspect the real meaning of this side quest is that the Lord of the Six Paths of Reincarnation doesn't think we can complete the main quest independently, so he wants us to find help first."

Jiang Zhiwei, Zhang Yuanshan, and the others nodded slightly in agreement. Having four more knowledgeable helpers would be ideal, but they worried about wasting time and causing the mission to fail.

"Hmph, you talk like you know a lot about the Lord of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, as if you're very experienced?" Qingjing glanced at Meng Qi.

Of course, experience in playing games and reading novels—Meng Qi thought to himself.

At this point, Zhang Yuanshan began assigning tasks.

"Judging from the map, the traps that have trapped the four masters are located on the east and west sides respectively. Considering the time needed to break through the traps and overcome the guards, we must split up." He stood up and said calmly, "Junior Brother Qi, you, Qingjing, and I will go to the east side and try to rescue Hero Ma Lianghan and Hero Tan Wenbo as soon as possible."

Then he looked at Jiang Zhiwei and Qi Xia: "Junior Sister Jiang, Junior Sister Qi, please look after Junior Brother Zhen Ding and Master Yan, and go to the west side to rescue people. If you are unable to do so, do not linger. Try to rescue one person and then come directly to the center to meet us."

He paused, his gaze falling on Lin Yan.

"Junior Brother Lin, what about you? What are you good at?"

Lin Yan thought for a moment and then replied, "My senses are slightly stronger than those of other martial artists of the same realm. I can be responsible for scouting the way ahead and marking the locations of traps and guards."

Zhang Yuanshan pondered for a moment. This junior brother's cultivation level wasn't high—he could sense that Lin Yan's cultivation was at the peak of Qi Accumulation, only stronger than Meng Qi and Yan Wujiang among this group. But he also had a vague feeling that this junior brother was not simple. Someone who could be exceptionally accepted as a disciple by Uncle Su couldn't be judged solely on their cultivation level.

"Alright." Zhang Yuanshan nodded. "Junior Brother Lin, you and Junior Sister Jiang will be responsible for scouting the way ahead. Your perception abilities are crucial to us."

Jiang Zhiwei glanced at Lin Yan, her gaze becoming more serious.

The group quickly split into two. Zhang Yuanshan, Qingjing, and Qi Zhengyan headed east, while Lin Yan followed Jiang Zhiwei, Qi Xia, Meng Qi, and Yan Wujiang west.

The passageway was narrow and deep, and the torchlight could only illuminate a few feet ahead and behind. Lin Yan walked at the front, keeping the Myriad Manifestations Sword Heart operating at a minimum level—not triggering the Weakness Insight, but only using his sword sense to perceive the surrounding environment.

"There's a tripwire at the corner, about twenty feet to the left," he said without turning his head.

Qi Xia quickened her pace, peered ahead, and turned back with surprise in her eyes: "There really is one. It's very well hidden, concealed in a crevice in the rocks."

"There is a hidden hole in the stone wall to the right front; it should be a poison arrow trap."

Qi Xia checked it again and nodded.

After several repetitions, Qi Xia's gaze towards Lin Yan shifted from disbelief to admiration. Meng Qi even moved closer to Lin Yan, about to speak—

Suddenly, a dark shadow flew from the front. "He" never touched the ground and remained flying in mid-air, like a floating evil spirit.

Meng Qi felt a chill run down his spine. Was something...a ghost?

Just as his legs felt like lead, unable to move forward or backward, a bright sword light flashed and struck the void above the "evil spirit".

With a thud, the dark figure fell straight to the ground, flailing its arms and legs, but unable to stand up for a moment.

Jiang Zhiwei sheathed her longsword and snorted, "Playing tricks."

Lin Yan then noticed that there was an inconspicuous guide rail on the stone wall above, with a rope hanging down, swaying precariously, only half of it remaining.

Jiang Zhiwei looked ahead and smiled at Meng Qi, saying, "Senior Brother Zhang and I have already opened our eyes, just like you have entered the first stage of the Buddhist Heavenly Eye. Although the lights here are dim and the rails and ropes are hidden by the environment, they still can't escape our eyes."

As she spoke, she stepped forward, preparing to examine the man in black.

Just as Lin Yan was about to follow, his Myriad Manifestations Sword Heart suddenly detected an extremely faint aura—about thirty feet away to the side.

They didn't come from the front of the passageway, but from behind the stone wall.

"Watch out!" he shouted suddenly.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a long sword emerged from a crack in the rocks, aimed straight at Yan Wujiang, who was walking at the very back.

what--

A scream rang out. Yan Wujiang's face contorted in agony as he collapsed, blood gushing from his wounds.

"It turns out that some of the stone walls were hollow behind..."

"The first one."

Looking at Yan Wujiang's distorted face, Lin Yan felt a chill run through her body.