The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

Chu Luren didn't specifically inquire, but he already had some guesses in his mind.

In the storyline of Tianlong, it should be that Kumārajīva is about to come to Tianlong Temple to challenge them, which is why there is such a tense atmosphere.

only……

Chu Luren is not too worried about this now. After all, this is not the world of the original Tianlong. Since Duan Zhengming also has the identity of "Southern Emperor", he should not be inferior to Kumārajīva.

You can see this from the fact that Duan Zhengming has a superior martial arts skill compared to Duan Yanqing—if Mu Gaofeng hadn't joined forces, Duan Yanqing would have barely lasted thirty moves against Duan Zhengming!

Even the Southern Emperor before the "Second Mount Hua Sword Tournament" shouldn't be too far inferior to the current Kumārajīva, right?

After all, according to the storyline of Tianlong, Kumārajīva is not at his peak in terms of martial arts at the moment.

Moreover, there are also masters in Tianlong Temple. Whether it is Master Kurong, who has been detached from worldly affairs for a long time, or the four masters of the Ben generation, including Abbot Benyin, their martial arts skills are still first-class or near-first-class, even if they are inferior to the Southern Emperor.

Duan Zhengming's trip took almost half a day, and it wasn't until nearly dark that a young monk came to invite Chu Luren to the main hall.

Considering the time interval, Chu Luren estimated that Duan Zhengming had already completed his tonsure...

Sure enough, when they met "Uncle Duan" again, his head was shining brightly.

“Amitabha, from now on, my nephew, you may call me by my Dharma name ‘Yideng’. You can get rid of the secular titles.” Duan Zhengming… no, Yideng corrected Chu Luren’s form of address, but he still addressed himself as “nephew”.

As for why the disciples of Benyin, Benguan, Bencan, and Benxiang all have the Dharma name "Yideng," Chu Luren can only say: The monks are surnamed Duan, and the temple is also surnamed Duan. Whatever makes you happy...

After all, this lamp doesn't sound good, and it also has a subtle terrorist connotation.

Chapter Twenty-One: Ugly-Cute?

Just as Chu Luren had predicted—Duan Yu's madness could be cured!

The current Southern Emperor has only recently changed his Buddhist name to Yideng. His martial arts skills may not be weaker than Ku Rong's, but his knowledge in this area is still lacking.

In response to Duan Yu's "qi deviation," Ku Rong offered an alternative solution besides suppressing it with internal force.

That is to use the Six Meridians Divine Sword to regulate the chaotic true qi in Duan Yu's body—true qi, a word that Chu Luren has learned to use in the past two days.

According to Uncle Duan... who is now Master Yideng, internal martial arts are divided into internal strength and true qi. Generally speaking, true qi is of higher quality and is derived from internal strength after it reaches a certain level.

Some internal martial arts cultivate true qi, while others use external martial arts to drive internal force and transform true qi. Generally, sword qi and saber aura belong to the category of true qi.

Of course, in an actual contest, true qi is definitely very strong, but internal strength is not necessarily weak. For example, some hard skills that combine internal and external cultivation require internal strength as an aid.

As for Duan Yu, it was pure luck—a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse—and he was also stuffed...

Ku Rong realized that Duan Yu had accidentally mastered true qi and had accumulated a considerable amount of it. If they relied solely on external forces to suppress it, it would not be a long-term solution.

At the same time, he also told Duan Zhengming about a difficult problem facing Tianlong Temple, which made Duan Zhengming's ordination as a monk particularly smooth!

“Nephew, Tianlong Temple is not safe right now. You should return to Dali first thing tomorrow morning,” Yideng advised Chu Luren.

"With so many experts at Tianlong Temple, how could there be any instability?" Chu Luren asked knowingly.

But thankfully I asked, and that's how I found out...

"The Tibetan National Preceptor Kumārajīva, and the Blood Blade Ancestor of the Black Sect's Blood Blade Clan, recently sent a visiting card to Tianlong Temple. I'm afraid... their intentions are not good," Yideng sighed.

Chu Luren: ...

Alright, there are definitely more people here!

That Blood Saber Ancestor actually came with Kumārajīva?

Well, thinking about it, the Black Sect is indeed located within the present-day Tibet. I wonder what benefits Kumārajīva used to persuade the Blood Blade Ancestor, or whether he also had designs on the Six Meridians Divine Sword.

At this time, Kumārajīva's reputation was not as great as it was in the later stages of the Tianlong series, but he was already a well-known master, especially in the Zen community, where he was extremely famous.

And the Blood Saber Ancestor goes without saying...

A notorious lecher!

Unlike the lecherous thieves like Yun Zhonghe and Tian Boguang, who could outrun but couldn't be defeated, Blood Saber Ancestor possessed profound swordsmanship and accumulated considerable internal strength. In terms of internal power and moves, he was no weaker than Duan Yanqing, and because he was not crippled, he was even superior to Duan Yanqing in actual combat.

“In that case, I will return to Dali immediately and ask Uncle Duan to send troops!” Chu Luren said with a good idea.

Kumārajīva? Blood Saber Ancestor?

If you send several thousand armored soldiers, equipped with powerful bows and crossbows, no matter how high your martial arts skills are, you won't be able to cause any trouble!

“No, this is a matter for Tianlong Temple, and Dali will not interfere,” Yideng stopped them.

Chu Luren was taken aback when he heard this—Isn't your Tianlong Temple just a sanatorium for retired cadres of the Dali Kingdom?

"The affairs of the martial world are settled in the martial world. This applies not only to Dali but also to Tianlong Temple... Amitabha." After explaining, Yideng probably felt it was too vulgar and couldn't help but chant Buddhist prayers.

Although it was just a hint, Chu Luren understood it.

Only if the Dali Kingdom doesn't interfere with Tianlong Temple's affairs, and Tianlong Temple doesn't interfere with the Dali Kingdom, will Tianlong Temple not be implicated if there is any turmoil in Dali in the future and the Duan family's royal position is lost. It might even be possible to save a group of Duan family members.

After all, Dali was just a small country, so it still put a lot of effort into the wisdom of survival.

Since Dali had this idea, Chu Luren didn't try to persuade him, but he didn't leave either. Instead, he said that they could watch the excitement, and even if they couldn't help, they could take Duan Yu away later.

After hesitating for a moment, Yideng simply told Chu Luren to just observe and not to take any risks.

Shortly after Yideng left, just as Chu Luren was about to rest, he heard two "plop" sounds, as someone tapped on his window with pebbles.

Upon seeing this, Chu Luren rushed forward, held his breath, and opened the window to look, but all he saw was a somewhat familiar figure flashing across the rooftop in front of him...

"What the hell? He actually dares to come to Tianlong Temple?" Chu Luren looked around to make sure no one was there, then used his lightness skill to follow him.

After wandering around for a while, they arrived at a secluded courtyard where sweeping tools and firewood were stored, and the other party was already standing there.

"You've got some nerve, young man, coming after me." A voice, seemingly muffled from under the covers, rang out; it was Duan Yanqing.

Hearing this, Chu Luren felt even more at ease. It seemed that Duan Yanqing's stubbornness had faded considerably, and he had even upgraded his way of addressing him from "youngster" to "young man".

"I don't have the courage of Senior Duan... This is Tianlong Temple." Chu Luren couldn't help but say.

"Hmph, who do you take me for? The likes of Duan Zhengming are nothing but usurpers! This is Tianlong Temple, the national temple of Dali. So what if we are discovered?" Duan Yanqing was still very annoyed when he brought up the matter.

Chu Luren naturally wouldn't question Duan Yanqing's legitimacy, but simply offered a few insincere compliments.

"Originally, I only heard that my child had been corrupted by those two fools, the Duan brothers Zhengming, and came to Tianlong Temple to heal his injuries, so I came to see him... and found you here as well, young man, so I came to repay your favor! Is there anything troubling you?" Even though Duan Yanqing had given up his competitive spirit, he still wouldn't say anything nice to the Duan brothers Zhengming.

"Senior Duan, you're too kind." Chu Luren said "you're too kind," but his face was full of expectation for "favor": "I wonder if, besides the One-Finger Divine Skill, Senior, you have any other martial arts that you can teach me?"

Chu Luren's request was very direct, and Duan Yanqing was also very open about it. He took out two secret manuals from his pocket, probably intending to repay the favor in the first place.

Upon seeing these two secret manuals, Chu Luren's face fell in a moment of bewilderment.

"Soul-Chasing Staff Technique", "Ventriloquism Technique", "Pulse-Deficient Qigong"...

Chu Luren glanced at the manual, then at Duan Yanqing…

Do you still have a cute and innocent persona? Or an ugly-cute one?

I'm a perfectly healthy young man. I only sprained my ankle before, and I'm all better now, okay? Is it appropriate for me to learn staff fighting techniques?

Needless to say, my vocal cords are so bad that I could easily learn to be a comedian. Why would I need to use ventriloquism?

"The Meridian Circulation Technique" is a degraded version of the Duan family's internal energy cultivation method. Duan Yanqing developed it by experimenting to adapt to his incomplete meridians. For normal people, it has very little reference value!

"The Soul-Chasing Staff Technique was created by me by combining my insights from several weapons with the techniques of the One-Finger Divine Skill. Ventriloquism can not only replace words, but also, when activated by profound internal energy, has the effect of intimidating the enemy's mind..."

Even though Duan Yanqing was speaking using ventriloquism, his tone was getting weaker and weaker, clearly indicating that he knew his technique was somewhat awkward. So he added, "Do you have any other wishes?"

Chu Luren was disappointed and didn't ask anything more of Duan Yanqing, only casually saying, "I am quite interested in the Six Meridians Divine Sword..."

Chu Luren hadn't held out much hope, but Duan Yanqing remained silent for a long time, seemingly deep in thought, though his expression betrayed nothing.

"Are you and my child good friends?" Duan Yanqing suddenly asked.

Chu Luren thought for a moment about that silly boy who was also his meal ticket and the tool for cashing out his One-Finger Divine Skill, and said, "The relationship is alright..."

"You're willing to risk your life to save someone just because they're passable?" Duan Yanqing was referring to the incident in the stone chamber where Chu Luren pushed Duan Yu to leave first.

Before Chu Luren could explain, Duan Yanqing continued, "Since you and my child are friends... fine, I'll go get you the Six Meridians Divine Sword manual. But if my child ever gets into trouble in the future... well, I don't need to say anything more about these things."

Chu Luren was startled upon hearing this: "Senior Duan, the Six Meridians Divine Sword Manual is currently with Zen Master Kurong and several masters from Tianlong Temple. You should..."

"You'd better not overestimate yourself"—Chu Luren only kept the second half of the sentence to himself, but he didn't think that if this old man were exposed to Kurong and the others, they would call him "Your Highness Crown Prince Yanqing," and he might be captured.

"Hmph, I am the true successor of the Dali Duan family. There are some secrets in the temple that even the old monk Kurong does not know!"

After Duan Yanqing finished speaking, he turned and left. Chu Luren also realized that Duan Yanqing probably knew about some secret passages and chambers in Tianlong Temple. The reason why he was able to visit Duan Yu under Master Kurong's nose without being discovered was probably because of this, rather than his so-called legitimate identity.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Re-understanding the Kunyu

Is there really such a good thing?

Chu Luren looked at the Six Meridians Divine Sword Manual in front of him and was overjoyed.

However, upon further reflection, it becomes clear that given Duan Yanqing's mindset after experiencing such a major upheaval, the entire Duan family combined is not as valuable as his son.

Since you think Chu Luren is your son's friend, and will be of great help to your son in the past and future, what's wrong with giving him the Duan family's sword manual?

Judging from the still-wet handwriting, it must have been copied by Duan Yanqing.

Duan Yanqing tossed the sword manual to Chu Luren and, before leaving, added, "In my opinion, you are still far from being able to use this 'sword technique'!"

Aside from that, they didn't even mention anything about it not being allowed to be leaked...

It is true that Chu Luren cannot use the "Six Meridians Divine Sword". Not only because it is "unsynthesized and cannot be equipped", but also because after Chu Luren secretly went back to his room and read through the sword manual, he understood that the "sword manual" has extremely high requirements for internal strength!

To be precise, one can only use internal energy after it has evolved into true qi.

The Six Meridian Divine Sword, though called a "sword manual," is essentially a technique that "processes" true qi through the meridians to create a sharp and solid qi force similar to sword qi. Six different "processing" methods can create six different types of "sword qi."

However, if he were to cultivate normally, given Chu Luren's internal strength, he definitely wouldn't stand a chance...

After burning the rubbing of the sword manual, Chu Luren looked at the "Six Meridians Divine Sword" in meditation, feeling conflicted and hesitant.

Now, in addition to the "Six Meridian Divine Sword" and the previously known "Vitality Finger" and "Kun Swimming in the Void", Chu Luren also has several other skills, such as the "Soul-Chasing Staff Technique" and "Ventriloquism Technique", as well as a few other skills that Master Yideng passed on to him on the road. These skills are not top-tier or ultimate, but they are quite practical for traveling in the martial arts world.

However, when it comes to skills that are "worthy" of the Six Meridians Divine Sword, there is only "Vitality Finger"!

Although the Six Meridian Divine Sword cultivates true qi to resemble sword energy or sword qi, it is ultimately still a finger technique that circulates through the meridians. It is only because it is close to sword energy that it can be used as a sword move.

"Vibrant Finger" is also a finger strength technique, so it's a barely acceptable match...

Moreover, the Six Meridian Divine Sword is said to have been derived from the One-Finger Divine Skill by Duan Siping. Normally, one would start by practicing the One-Finger Divine Skill, and the "Vitality One-Finger" has some of the properties of the One-Finger Divine Skill.

Moreover, apart from that, the only thing Chu Luren can offer is "Kun Swimming in the Void," which has absolutely nothing to do with the Six Meridians Divine Sword. Combining them might easily lead to some problems.