The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

In martial arts, Zhou Botong not only created the Ambidextrous Fighting Technique, but also created the "Empty Fist" during the more than ten years he was trapped on the island. Based on the principles of "using emptiness to strike the solid" and "using emptiness to achieve clarity," he comprehended the concept of "insufficiency over excess" and created a set of extremely yin and soft fist techniques.

The reason why Zhou Botong was able to suppress the Eastern Heretic and Western Poison with his "Ambidextrous Fighting Technique" despite having inferior internal strength is precisely because of the wonder of this Empty Fist.

Otherwise, if one's internal energy is forcibly countered, even the Ambidextrous Technique will be useless...

Moreover, putting aside his martial arts skills, Zhou Botong's affair with Ying Gu, though a scoundrel and indeed reflecting his character flaws, could be described as "humble and open-minded" if his grudges with the Southern Emperor were set aside.

Zhou Botong was imprisoned by Huang Yaoshi for sixteen years. However, in the original work, after Zhou Botong realized that he was the best in the world, his revenge against Huang Yaoshi for imprisoning him for more than ten years and breaking his leg was limited to making a filthy trap and drenching Huang Yaoshi when he entered the cave, which was considered to "even things out".

If Zhang Wuji's act of saving his mother's enemies before her death in the original work was a forced forgetting of hatred for the sake of righteousness, then Zhou Botong truly didn't take it to heart.

It's like he's been away for half his life, only to return still a mischievous kid...

However, when asked by Zhou Botong to deliver the message, Chu Luren naturally shook his head and said, "No, no, you have hands, feet, and a mouth, why don't you go and explain things to my uncle and Ying Gu yourself?"

“I… right! Huang Yaoshi won’t let me leave! He broke my leg back then, and I’m still lame!” Zhou Botong said, limping.

Chu Luren didn't waste any words. He directly raised his index finger, picked up the "One-Finger Divine Skill," and stabbed it at Zhou Botong's lower body—it was also to help Uncle Duan vent his anger... although Master Yideng himself had long since lost his breath.

In terms of internal strength, Chu Luren even used "Minor Chaotic True Qi" to simulate solidified innate Qi. Although it was not as good as the Six Meridians Divine Sword in terms of being able to leave the body, it still condensed more than two inches of finger strength.

Zhou Botong's martial arts skills are definitely superior to Chu Luren's. Even if he is still confused and cannot use the "Ambidextrous Technique" in actual combat, Chu Luren would have to at least achieve the Golden Immortal level to defeat him.

Using a half-baked "One-Finger Divine Skill"? Forget it!

However... Zhou Botong's attempt to feign lameness while dealing with Chu Luren was far too presumptuous. Although the "Empty Fist" was good at defense and deflecting force, his true movement technique was revealed in just a few moves.

After all, Chu Luren didn't need to consider defense at all. When Zhou Botong saw "One Finger Divine Skill", especially since Chu Luren even simulated "Innate Skill", he immediately regarded Chu Luren as the successor of Emperor Duan. How could he have the face to fight back?

"Stop, stop, stop! Is this how you use the One-Finger Divine Skill? Is it specifically for the low-level tricks?" Zhou Botong jumped in and said.

"Your legs are in pretty good shape," Chu Luren said, also putting away his stance.

"I..." Zhou Botong knew he couldn't fool them, and his face became full of worry again.

Just then, a rustling sound came from the cave entrance...

Chapter 291 The Nine Yin Manual

Just as Zhou Botong and Chu Luren were dawdling, small snakes from the snake formation began to creep over...

"Be careful, the snakes on the island are all raised by Ouyang Feng, and they are highly venomous!" Chu Luren warned.

"Ugh... that old poisoner still comes up with these disgusting things." Zhou Botong shuddered uncomfortably.

Chu Luren noticed that when the old rascal saw a snake, he would always involuntarily want to look away. Even if he forced himself to look directly at it, he couldn't stand it after a few breaths.

This old rascal is...

Phobia of insects?

No wonder such a master would get bitten by a small snake in the original work; he simply didn't want to come into contact with snakes and even subconsciously ignored them!

In the original work, after nearly being poisoned to death by a venomous snake, he became so terrified that he would panic and be unable to fight back whenever he saw anything resembling a snake.

Now that Zhou Botong is not facing this life-threatening ordeal, his fear of snakes is slightly less. He only controls it to the level of impatience and disgust, and he is still able to control himself and not show too much panic.

This also has an advantage...

"Zhou Botong, the snake formation has spread over here. I don't have time to waste here with you. Come with me now!" Chu Luren said sternly.

"Well...maybe not? Actually, I'm not that afraid of snakes. If no one brings me food, I'll just cook some snake soup..." Zhou Botong was still a little reluctant.

Actually, if Huang Rong had come to invite him now, or if Zhou Botong didn't know that Chu Luren was related to the Duan family, he would probably have left half-heartedly. However, now his "fear" of Emperor Duan and Ying Gu has been transferred to Chu Luren to some extent!

“Ouyang Feng is currently trying to kill me. If you delay like this, and Ouyang Feng injures me later, it will be entirely your responsibility. Moreover, if Ouyang Feng sees you, he will definitely interrogate you about the Nine Yin Manual. At that time, you will not only be letting down my Uncle Duan, but also your senior brother.” Chu Luren began to speak frankly.

Zhou Botong's face turned purple with suppressed anger, but after a moment he finally said, "I'm scared of you! I'm leaving..."

Indeed, you have to be strict with unruly kids.

Chu Luren instantly fell asleep, his meridians transformed into those of a Golden Immortal. Then, his entire body erupted with golden flames, releasing his energy and sending all the small snakes within a foot of him flying.

Zhou Botong couldn't help but look at Chu Luren with curiosity, instinctively sensing the instant Chu Luren switched to the Golden Immortal realm. If he weren't somewhat "afraid" of him now, he would have already asked...

"I'll lead the way. Be careful of poisonous snakes. Here's some snake medicine." Chu Luren said, tossing a bottle of snake medicine to Zhou Botong before walking out first.

"How could I possibly do that? I should be the one leading the way! Unfortunately, I don't know the way at all... Hahaha." Zhou Botong chuckled awkwardly.

He actually really wanted someone to scare away the venomous snakes, but he was too embarrassed to admit it.

Perhaps after Chu Luren and Zhou Botong came out, the snake slaves had already discovered them and were informing Ouyang Feng, but it would take him some time to get there.

Along the way, Chu Luren also discovered several snake slaves hiding, which he casually "absorbed" with his Pill Stealing Technique. When they were almost in front of him, he changed his approach and used his palm strike to kill them in the snake swarm—he never actually absorbed any random stuff.

Without the snake slaves secretly directing them, the surrounding snake formations became quite scattered.

Before long, Chu Luren brought Zhou Botong back to Peach Blossom Residence through the back door. Fortunately, Ouyang Feng didn't arrive until Huang Rong opened the mechanism.

"Brother Chu, this senior... can he deal with that Ouyang Feng?" Mu Wanqing asked Zhou Botong skeptically.

When Mu Wanqing was alone with Chu Luren, she often called him by his name, but when there were other people around, she called him Brother Chu.

Zhou Botong certainly doesn't have the image of a master now. He has no proper posture, and he bounces around like a dog, curious about everything.

Especially after dodging Chu Luren, they wanted to play with the control board with its mechanisms...

In comparison, Ouyang Feng's demeanor truly embodies the air of a grandmaster!

Chu Luren couldn't say it outright, but Zhou Botong shook his head vigorously after hearing it: "Ouyang Feng? To be honest, little girl, I'm probably still about this far from that old poisoner..." He gestured with two fingers, indicating an inch.

“I don’t know much about Senior Zhou’s martial arts either, but I think Wang Chongyang’s junior brother would never disgrace his ancestor Chongyang,” Chu Luren interrupted directly.

Zhou Botong, who was about to say "still a little bit short," immediately started to retract his two fingers, leaving only a "tiny" gap between them: "Just a tiny bit!"

Zhou Botong was taught by Wang Chongyang on behalf of his master, and he always greatly admired his senior brother. Whenever Chu Luren mentioned Wang Chongyang, he had to bite the bullet and go along with it.

However, Huang Rong, Mu Wanqing, and Yunluo clearly saw that Zhou Botong was putting on a show, and they couldn't help but look at Chu Luren with suspicion...

"Sigh." Chu Luren sighed, then said, "Originally, I wanted to deal with Ouyang Feng myself and ask Senior Zhou to deal with that giant snake, but Senior Zhou... seems to be very afraid of snakes?"

"I...I wasn't scared! I was disgusted and repulsed!" Zhou Botong emphasized.

"Senior Zhou, it seems your martial arts haven't improved at all these years on Peach Blossom Island? Rumor has it that the Nine Yin Manual, which the Five Greats fought over, was given to you by Patriarch Chongyang, wasn't it?" After Chu Luren finished speaking, Huang Rong secretly glanced at him.

She instinctively sensed that this was likely one of Chu Luren's true objectives...

"That old Huang Yaoshi has been keeping me locked up and often comes over to play the flute, so I can't even go into seclusion! As for the Nine Yin Manual... my senior brother said that I absolutely cannot practice it, so of course I listen to him," Zhou Botong said helplessly.

“Old rascal, Brother Chu has already mastered the ‘Innate Skill,’ so he can be considered your senior brother’s successor, right? If you can’t practice it, how about passing it on to Brother Chu?” Huang Rong’s eyes darted around as she offered her assistance.

Unfortunately, Zhou Botong still shook his head vigorously: "No, no, my senior brother said that this skill is very evil, and no one can practice it!"

"Evil? This is a martial arts manual that Senior Huang Shang comprehended from the Daoist Canon. How could it be 'evil'?" Chu Luren asked, feigning ignorance.

"You don't know this, back then Huang Shang..." Zhou Botong said, recounting how Huang Shang created the Nine Yin Manual.

The meaning is also very clear—it is intended to show that Huang Shang's "Nine Yin Manual" was created by mixing many killing techniques when he was eager for revenge!

Therefore, there is a danger of "yin becoming too dominant and causing disaster." If one practices for a long time, the temperament of the practitioner will also be affected, becoming cold and cruel.

Chu Luren then understood that Wang Chongyang's concern was not only that people with "bad intentions" would learn this martial art, but that this martial art would gradually corrupt the minds of practitioners.

Although Zhou Botong was innocent and kind-hearted, he was also more susceptible to influence, and Wang Chongyang required him not to cultivate.

"But I've heard that the general principles of the Nine Yin Manual were created by Senior Huang Shang, and that it's a true internal skill that balances Yin and Yang?" Chu Luren didn't explain where he heard that from.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Botong also said, "There is such a saying, but this 'General Principles'... it's not even human language! It's because there are no General Principles that my senior brother... sigh." Zhou Botong said with some distress.

"What do you mean by 'not human language'? Since you can't understand it, can you at least teach me this general outline first?" Chu Luren quickly asked.

Zhou Botong was not an inflexible person. Since he knew why his senior brother forbade him and other Quanzhen disciples from practicing the Nine Yin Manual, he naturally wouldn't be so dogmatic.

After hearing Chu Luren's words, Zhou Botong said, "Then... listen carefully!"

Then Zhou Botong began to speak. The beginning was fine, with the words "The way of Heaven is to take from those who have more and give to those who have less," which can be said to be the general outline of the general principles. Zhou Botong's Empty Fist was inspired by these few unencrypted words.

However, after those few sentences, it started to "gibberish," which at first glance certainly didn't sound like human speech...

Chapter 292 Be My Junior Brother!

Chu Luren looked at Zhou Botong with an expression that said, "I see," "I understand," and "There's only one truth," forcing him to continue reciting.

Zhou Botong originally thought that Chu Luren would give up after hearing just a couple of sentences of this inhuman language, but seeing his expression now, he had no choice but to continue memorizing it.

Mu Wanqing frowned as she looked at Chu Luren. Based on her understanding of Chu Luren, she was sure that he was faking it. Huang Rong, on the other hand, was quite certain that she had seen through Chu Luren's acting. Yun Luo... even had a bit of admiration, thinking that Chu Luren had really understood!

Actually, none of them guessed correctly. Chu Luren is currently somewhere between understanding and not understanding, in a Schrödinger-like state of listening—whether he understood or not will only be known after he finished listening.

To prevent the manual from being obtained by despicable piracy, Huang Shang specially implemented anti-piracy measures—the general outline was written in Sanskrit, which is a phonetic transliteration of Indian language!

It can be said that neither the Indians nor the people of the Central Plains could understand it...

Huang Shang probably told this secret to someone, but unfortunately, the secret has now been lost.

Chu Luren had previously tried using the "Divine Foot Scripture" and found that even in foreign languages, as long as he read every single word, he could form an emblem in his mind.

but……

The general outline of the Nine Yin Manual is not in Sanskrit, but a transliteration of Sanskrit, which is very subtle. Only after listening to it will Chu Luren know whether he can understand it!

Fortunately, in Zhou Botong's eyes, Chu Luren was roughly equivalent to "one-fifth of Emperor Duan." In front of Emperor Duan, Zhou Botong dared not act recklessly at all. Otherwise, given his personality, he would definitely recite a few lines randomly to test whether this kid was faking it, and then he would never understand.

Fortunately, Zhou Botong had no intention of playing around when facing Chu Luren, and he obediently recited the entire text.

Then... a badge with the inscription "Nine Yin Manual: General Principles" appeared in Chu Luren's consciousness!

"Well? Did you really understand? Without this general outline, I definitely couldn't teach you the Nine Yin Manual. I see you know quite a few martial arts, but you're not proficient in any of them, especially Emperor Duan's 'One Finger Divine Skill' and my senior brother's 'Innate Skill.' If you can master these two, that old poisoner won't be a match for you!" Zhou Botong was naturally perceptive.

Along the way, Zhou Botong had already discovered that Chu Luren had many tricks up his sleeve, but his actual strength was just average. When Chu Luren used "One-Finger Divine Skill" and "Innate Skill," Zhou Botong only thought of him as an ordinary young talent, a rising star among the younger generation...

When Chu Luren, in his Golden Immortal form, broke through the snake formation, Zhou Botong felt that Chu Luren's strength was quite good even among the older generation, and that he would have to put in some effort to defeat him.

Because Zhou Botong had never seen Chu Luren face off against an enemy while having suddenly realized his abilities, he was somewhat skeptical that Chu Luren could contend with the Old Poison Master!

Chu Luren closed his eyes, savored the moment, and then slightly curled the corners of his mouth.

"Excellent! As expected of Senior Huang Shang!" Chu Luren exclaimed.

Zhou Botong looked at Chu Luren with curiosity, Mu Wanqing had a "please begin your performance" look on her face, while Huang Rong was confused—how come she seemed to really understand?

Yunluo... needless to say, she believed it from the very beginning!

“Senior Zhou, actually, I obtained the mental cultivation method of ‘Nine Yin Manual, Volume 1’ from other places, as well as some martial arts techniques, which were also left behind by Patriarch Chongyang in other places. Let me recite them for you, and see if they are correct…” As soon as Chu Luren said this, Zhou Botong almost jumped up.