The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

"A mighty general, Qing Jiugai!"

While reciting with a strong voice, he also wielded the Judge's Pen, and small characters formed from sword energy charged towards the Chu deer with each movement of the Bald Pen Master.

The poem he wrote was "Poem of General Pei," a poem from the early Tang Dynasty praising General Pei Min, a master swordsman known as the Sword Saint. The poem is grand and majestic, and the author, Bald Brush, wrote it with a powerful and unrestrained sword spirit!

It was as if they were truly going to recreate the thousands of troops under Pei Jiansheng's command...

However, Chu Luren's swordsmanship became even more overwhelming, pressing down on the poem with the force of the Five Sacred Mountains. Suddenly, all the horses fell silent, and even the bald-brush old man's brush tip broke, his chest felt blocked, and he could no longer write.

"You flatter me." Chu Luren didn't say much.

“Brother Li, your swordsmanship is indeed superb. We brothers have not ventured into the martial world for over a decade, so it seems we are outdated… I can’t remember your swordsmanship, but how about we have a game of swordsmanship?” Hei Baizi said at this moment.

Of the three, Hei Baizi left the most marks. In the original work, Hei Baizi was also the only one among the four people of Plum Manor who had a greedy desire for the "Star Absorbing Technique".

Generally speaking, among the four arts of qin (a stringed instrument), chess, calligraphy, and painting, the other three are all "arts without a first place," and there is no clear distinction between them. However, chess involves winning and losing. When black and white pieces are immersed in the way of chess, it is inevitable that their competitive spirit will be stronger.

With his black hair and pale face, Hei Baizi looked like a zombie at first glance. If he were to wander the martial arts world now, he might be mistaken for a member of the Ancient Tomb Sect...

No sooner had he said "how about it" than, before "Li Zhong'er" could even respond, the black and white pieces were already being thrown at Chu Luren with both hands moving in unison, one black piece in one hand and one white piece in the other!

It looks like a hidden weapon technique, but those with some swordsmanship skills can see that it is actually streaks of black and white sword energy...

Chu Luren really wanted to ask—weren't you going to play chess with me? How come both the black and white pieces are yours?

You're the most vulgar one!

Chu Luren didn't bother with him. He directly transformed his sword energy into mountains and rivers, using the valley as a chessboard and the mountain peaks as chess pieces, and clashed head-on with these black and white chess pieces.

At first glance, the two sides seemed evenly matched, but after more than ten exchanges, the black and white pieces became mentally shaken and their internal energy became disordered. In the end, they lost their grip on the pieces and disrupted their own game.

As a chess player, Black and White Stones were no longer willing to make a move and could only sigh...

Xiang Wentian watched from the sidelines, secretly amused. This was precisely why Chu Luren had to take action!

Chu Luren's famous battle was "supposedly" fought with a sword, but in several later public occasions, Chu Luren did not use a sword at all...

This makes many people's impression of "Chu Luren's swordsmanship" rather vague. However, the Holy Maiden has accurate information channels and clearly understands that Chu Luren's strongest skill is definitely swordsmanship!

That's why Xiang Wentian decided to set the bet on "sword fighting".

The three brothers, who were skilled in chess, calligraphy, and painting, were indeed competing in swordsmanship. They did not deliberately test their internal strength or use their agility to leap and entangle each other; they were simply competing in swordsmanship and sword intent.

Otherwise, even if the three of them were to lose, they wouldn't have lost so quickly and decisively!

And even now, the three of them have not realized Chu Luren's identity, and truly believe that he is a young sword master who has just emerged from seclusion.

"Brother Tong, don't be too happy yet! Our eldest brother hasn't made a move yet," Dan Qingsheng immediately said.

However, after they finished speaking, the three brothers looked at each other, their faces filled with helplessness.

Although the four of them were sworn brothers, Huang Zhonggong was the most imposing. The other three, who usually joked and played around, were all very obedient when they saw Huang Zhonggong.

Now, the three of us have lost to a junior, and we even have to trouble our eldest brother to help us. We're all losing face...

Of course, since it was their eldest brother who took action, the three of them had no worries.

If it were a real martial arts contest, Huang Zhonggong might only be slightly better than them, but if it were a sword contest... I'm afraid even the most unparalleled masters wouldn't fare well against Huang Zhonggong!

The reason is simple: Huang Zhonggong's swordsmanship has been integrated into his sound techniques...

If it were a real martial arts contest, one could withstand the sonic attack and simply smash the zither or attack Huang Zhonggong himself. However, if it were a sword contest, one must fight with swords—using sword intent to counter!

The difficulty has more than doubled.

Xiang Wentian's biggest worry was Huang Zhonggong, but there was no better way. Moreover, after hearing Xiang Wentian's description, Chu Luren seemed very confident, so Xiang Wentian had no choice but to trust him...

Chapter 247 The Gambler

"You three all lost?" An elderly man, sitting behind a zither and looking considerably older than the three chess, calligraphy, and painting masters, asked as he flipped through the "Guangling San" that Tong Huajin had given him.

Black and White Chess, Bald Brush Old Man, and Danqing Sheng all looked embarrassed, and the answer was self-evident.

"Well then, please invite him in." The old man was none other than the head of the manor here—Huang Zhonggong.

Upon hearing this, Dan Qingsheng went out and brought "Li Zhong'er" in. As for the Japanese man... let him stay outside!

As soon as Chu Luren entered, he clasped his hands in greeting and said, "This junior greets Master Huang."

"No need for formalities. To be honest, I found many parts of 'Guangling San' difficult to understand after just a cursory glance. Brother Li, do you have any thoughts on this?" Huang Zhonggong had just heard his three sworn brothers mention that Li Zhong'er always set a unique style when they competed in sword intent.

"I only have a rudimentary understanding of music. If the old master is interested, I can come next time to discuss it with him. This time... let's have a sword fight!" Chu Luren said truthfully.

After all, in order to conceal his identity, Chu Luren didn't bring his suona (a traditional Chinese wind instrument) and couldn't play a duet with Huang Zhonggong...

"Very well." Huang Zhonggong seemed completely absorbed in music, appearing rather dull about everything else.

He then handed the "Guangling San" to Hei Baizi for safekeeping, so as not to be injured by the sword energy later, and then placed his hands on the zither.

"Since it's a sword fight, then I'll shamelessly take advantage," Huang Zhonggong said, stroking the strings of his zither with both hands.

They definitely got the better deal. If it weren't for the sword fight, how could they have watched him sit so calmly and play the zither?

However, Chu Luren did not deny or argue. He stood proudly in front of Huang Zhonggong, almost raising his chin.

"This sword is the Seven-Stringed Invisible Sword!" Huang Zhonggong said, plucking the seven-stringed zither in front of him.

Controlling swords with sound!

The sound waves transformed into sword energy, stirring and cutting through the meridians of everyone within range!

Upon hearing this, the three men, Hei Baizi and his companion, quickly retreated. The intro had only been played five times, and the three of them were almost out of the house.

Tong Huajin was also waiting outside, pretending to be calm and collected no matter how anxious he was.

Seeing this, Dan Qingsheng said indignantly, "Brother Tong, you should persuade Brother Li not to be so insistent. Even a peerless master cannot listen to Brother Li's music for long."

"It won't last long either," Tong Huajin added.

Then neither side spoke. As time went on, Dan Qingsheng and the others became more and more uneasy and doubtful, while Tong Huajin, dressed in a golden suit, became more and more composed and natural!

That's right, Chu Luren is not afraid of any sonic attacks at all.

If Chu Luren had a suona (a traditional Chinese wind instrument), he would definitely "play" a duet with him to see who could outdo whom.

It doesn't matter if you don't have a suona. As for sonic attacks... apart from physical sonic attacks that damage sound waves, they will lose 90% of their power if you don't have internal energy!

In the original work, Linghu Chong was able to remain unmoved by the "Seven-String Invisible Sword" only because he had lost all his internal energy.

Chu Luren also had experience in this area. When he fought against Huang Yaoshi's "Azure Sea Tide Song", Chu Luren did just that – he used the characteristics of the "Minor Chaos Skill" to "stop" his internal energy!

So Chu Luren now looks arrogant, and to make it realistic, he even deliberately shows the posture of "peacock spreading its tail", and his whole person is like the image of a peacock spreading its tail, but in reality... he didn't use any force at all.

When dealing with Dan Qingsheng and the other two, Chu Luren had at least experienced a sudden enlightenment because he had to use the "True Understanding of the Five Mountains," which was quite an effort. But now he's just posing for the sake of it.

Huang Zhonggong was increasingly alarmed as he played the instrument—could this person's internal strength be so high?

Even though the sword intent wasn't particularly strong, it remained unmoved by my zither playing.

Just as Xiang Wentian said, Huang Zhonggong's playing won't last long either...

As the piece was about to be finished, Li Zhong'er still hadn't given up, causing Dan Qingsheng and the others to hold their breath.

Just then, a loud thud was heard. The three of them exchanged glances and rushed into the house.

Chu Luren still stood there with an arrogant expression, while Huang Zhonggong was covered in sweat, his hands trembling slightly, and he was about to collapse onto the zither.

"Indeed... heroes emerge from among the young! And allow me to ask, with your inner strength... how were you able to ignore this 'Seven-String Invisible Sword'?" Huang Zhonggong's voice sounded much older due to exhaustion.

Chu Luren thought for a moment, then pointed and said, "Let him be strong, the breeze still caresses the mountain; let him be arrogant, the bright moon still shines on the great river." His arrogance was almost dripping from his face.

Huang Zhonggong was stunned for a moment after hearing this, then said with relief, "No wonder, no wonder. I didn't expect you to have reached such a level. My defeat was not unjust!"

"Hahaha, I've also retrieved 'Guangling San'. Let's go pick it up, Li Pinnan! I trust the four of you, you are men of your word..." Tong Huajin walked in on his own at this moment.

As he spoke, he grabbed the Guangling San from Hei Baizi's hand. Hei Baizi instinctively tried to stop him, but after only two moves with his wrist and palm, Tong Huajin had already taken the Guangling San into his own hands!

If they were to really fight, Xiang Wentian would most likely have to reveal his true skills, which carries the risk of being recognized. However, if they were to fight like this, there would be no problem.

"You!" Hei Baizi was annoyed at the sight.

Thinking back to how he hadn't even read two pages of the Encounter with Immortals chess manual, he felt even more frustrated.

"Alright, take them with you... Just say they're dead! Your Giant Whale Gang knows the rules, don't let him appear in his original identity again, otherwise the four of us brothers will be a minor problem, but you... hehe, you understand." After Huang Zhonggong finished speaking, he acted as if he was seeing the guests off. Indeed, he had just expended a lot of internal energy and physical strength.

"Take them both with you," Hei Baizi said in a bad mood after leaving the house.

Then Chu Luren and Xiang Wentian were led to a secret passage behind the artificial hill. Guided by Dan Qingsheng and Tu Biweng, they wound their way down...

Chu Luren thought to himself: If Li Pinnan is really released, wouldn't all our efforts have been in vain?

However, seeing Wentian's smug look, Chu Luren didn't say anything more. After all, he was just there to compete in swordsmanship, and nothing else mattered to him.

Just as they finally arrived at the entrance to the seventh level of the Heavenly Prison, Hei Baizi hurriedly rushed up from behind: "Wait!"

"What, are you trying to back out?" Tong Huajin said, feigning displeasure.

“We will not deny it, but you yourself said that there is no one here whose swordsmanship can defeat Brother Li, is that right?” Hei Baizi sneered.

Upon hearing this, Dan Qingsheng was first puzzled, then said with a mixture of worry and anticipation, "Second Brother, do you mean to..."

"Don't worry, Big Brother has already agreed!" Hei Baizi had just gone to discuss this matter with Huang Zhonggong.

"You are the strongest here." Tong Huajin looked very angry.

"No, no, no, let alone the mysterious ninth level of the Heavenly Prison, there are already masters on the eighth level whose swordsmanship surpasses that of this young man," Hei Baizi said calmly.

“They won’t listen to you.” Tong Huajin was taken aback upon hearing this, then his momentum weakened a bit… Xiang Wentian, that old fox, really acted like a pro.

"No need for Brother Tong to worry about that. There's still one more person. If Brother Li wins, we'll have nothing to say." Hei Bai Zizhi said smugly.

Chu Luren glanced at him with a hint of sympathy, but at that moment, none of the three gamblers noticed...

Even Chu Luren didn't know that at this time, a "candidate eunuch" who hadn't been castrated accidentally stumbled upon a secret passage in the palace and also arrived at the Heavenly Prison, and... he was in the ninth level!

Chapter 248 The Old Demon at the Bottom of the Lake

In his resentment, Tong Huajin, along with Hei Baizi and the other two, led him and Li Zhong'er past the entrance to the seventh floor but failed to enter. They then descended to the eighth floor, where there was no further path.

Chu Luren also admired Xiang Wentian. At this moment, he was still acting without revealing his true intentions, occasionally glancing up at the top. Anyone who didn't know better would really think that his goal was the seventh floor!

"It's not advisable for too many people to enter the Heavenly Prison. Third Brother, Fourth Brother, you two stay outside with Brother Tong and wait. I'll take Brother Li in," Hei Baizi said.

Dan Qingsheng and Tu Biweng naturally had no objections, while Tong Huajin looked like he wanted to say something but ultimately didn't.