The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

"Left by my senior brother? How is that possible? You're not Feng Heng either... No! Even if you are Feng Heng, I never showed it to you. I destroyed the original version..." Zhou Botong was completely dumbfounded.

Feng Heng was able to borrow the "Nine Yin Manual" because she used her photographic memory to trick Zhou Botong!

Chu Luren ignored him and began reciting: "At the four cardinal times of Zi, Wu, Mao, and You, return the Qi to the Dantian and push the palms forward, face north and back to the south, with the mind following the movement of the two palms in the middle..."

Zhou Botong was stunned upon hearing this, and disregarding the others around him, he realized he should stop Chu Luren.

Even after Chu Luren finished reciting, he didn't stop. Instead, he continued to analyze how this layer caused the Yin to become excessive and lead to disaster, how many hidden dangers there were, and where things were wrong.

His eloquent explanation likely revealed a more thorough understanding than Zhou Botong's—after all, although Zhou Botong had also memorized it, he had always tried his best to avoid trying to comprehend it himself due to his senior brother's instructions.

In the original work, when Zhou Botong made Guo Jing memorize it, he naturally understood it and therefore felt guilty and tied his hands to prevent himself from unconsciously using the skills from the Nine Yin Manual when fighting with others.

And then... it's not over yet!

After the analysis, Chu Luren brought up another theory, addressing how to solve the various problems of excessive Yin energy causing disasters.

Zhou Botong, after hearing half of it, suddenly realized what was going on and grabbed Chu Luren's shoulder, asking, "Are you really talking about the general outline? How did you glean these meanings from those words?"

What others don't know is that the Nine Yin Manual was also Wang Chongyang's regret back then, which is why Zhou Botong cares so much about this matter, and thus he was able to overcome his fear of being "about one-fifth the size of the Southern Emperor" and even dare to grab Chu Luren's shoulder.

"The content following the general outline seems like utter nonsense, but it's actually a transliteration of Sanskrit pronunciation. Senior Huang Shang probably encrypted it so that it wouldn't fall into the hands of treacherous people," Chu Luren said honestly.

"Not only do you speak Japanese, but you also speak Indian?" Yunluo asked in surprise.

Huang Rong and Mu Wanqing also looked over curiously—they didn't even know that the Chu Lu people could speak the Fusang language!

"Ahem, not really. I mainly know professional Sanskrit and Japanese... but I'm not very good at everyday listening and reading. I only have a pretty accurate grasp of martial arts-related vocabulary, and I can translate what I hear!" Chu Luren didn't deny it, but he also didn't want to admit it.

What if we encounter Japanese or Indian visitors again and need Chu Luren to act as our translator? Chu Luren can only understand a few words like "yamete"... Why would Japanese people use "yamete" with Chu Luren?

Therefore, the Chu Lu people specifically emphasized that they knew "professional Japanese" and "professional Indian"!

Zhou Botong stared blankly at Chu Luren, then muttered incoherently, "Could it be... that my senior brother sent you to tell me this?"

"Huh? Didn't Patriarch Chongyang pass away a long time ago?" Chu Luren looked at him in bewilderment.

"So, let me ask you, have you ever dreamed of a middle-aged man wearing a Taoist robe? He has a rather square face..." Zhou Botong seemed to have imagined something very magical.

“No, this has nothing to do with Patriarch Chongyang.” Chu Luren quickly shook his head.

“How can it be unrelated? You must be… my senior brother’s successor! Otherwise, how could you speak such fluent Sanskrit?” Zhou Botong insisted.

Chu Luren really couldn't explain this problem, and then casually said, "You can interpret it however you want, but in short... it's impossible for me to acknowledge a master or a senior uncle."

Seeing Chu Luren's "Don't take advantage of me" expression, Zhou Botong suddenly burst into tears, crying so hard that his snot and tears were everywhere.

Seeing that he was such a grown man crying so bitterly, Huang Rong and Yun Luo couldn't help but comfort him, while secretly giving Chu Luren a meaningful look.

"Hey, is it okay to cry like this just because you're not officially a disciple?" Chu Luren said helplessly.

"No! Blow, blow... I was thinking how wonderful it would be if my senior brother were still alive. If I had known the contents of the general outline twenty years earlier, my senior brother could have mastered the Nine Yin Manual and wouldn't have died!" Zhou Botong seemed to be making a fuss, but his tone was very sincere, which showed that he really had deep feelings for his senior brother.

Suddenly, Zhou Botong perked up, stopped crying, and grabbed Chu Luren's shoulders, saying, "How about this then! You don't need to acknowledge me as your senior uncle, nor do you need to admit that my senior brother is your master. You... be my junior brother!"

Chu Luren: ? ? ?

Chapter 293 I Am Amazing

"Why don't you become my junior brother? My senior brother accepted me as his disciple on behalf of our master, so how about I accept you as my disciple on behalf of our master?" Zhou Botong said to Chu Luren in a friendly tone.

His tone was full of sincerity, and... pleading.

Normally, given that Chu Luren is a formidable figure known as "Emperor Duan" and is suspected to be a descendant of Emperor Duan, Zhou Botong would absolutely not want to get involved with him, much less consider taking on a disciple on behalf of his master.

However, Zhou Botong now believes that Chu Luren's appearance before him might be the guidance of his senior brother's spirit in heaven, or even... his senior brother's reincarnation? Judging from Chu Luren's age, if you calculate the time, it's not too far off!

Taoism also has the concept of reincarnation. According to legend, Zhongli Quan, also known as Han Zhongli, was a disciple of Donghua Dijun. Later, Donghua Dijun was reincarnated as Lü Dongbin and became Zhongli Quan's disciple.

Zhou Botong was not a Taoist priest, but a layman. However, he was very familiar with Taoist legends and was deeply influenced by them.

“You call Emperor Duan ‘Uncle,’ so you must not be Emperor Duan’s disciple, right? Becoming my junior brother wouldn’t be a taboo!” Zhou Botong said, forcing himself to speak, completely ignoring the difference in seniority.

Although Chu Luren was unaware that Zhou Botong had already created the persona of "Wang Chongyang reincarnation" in his mind, he understood to some extent why Zhou Botong would develop so many feelings for Wang Chongyang in his own persona.

When Chu Luren first began practicing the "Innate Skill," he suspected that the "Nine Yin Manual," and especially the "True Nine Yin" with a general outline, should have the ability to accelerate the recovery of "innate qi."

Many abilities of the "Innate Skill" are achieved by consuming "innate energy," which makes the "Innate Skill" not only difficult to learn, but also very slow to recover after the "innate energy" is consumed, and there are also great side effects once it is overdrawn!

Therefore, in the original work, Yideng would often be unable to recover for decades after saving people, but after cultivating the Nine Yin Manual, he recovered completely in three months...

Chu Luren thus deduced that "True Nine Yin" has unique advantages in restoring or strengthening innate Qi.

And it is also speculated that...

Could it be that Wang Chongyang, a master of internal martial arts, died in his prime because his innate energy was depleted?

If that's the case, then Wang Chongyang was indeed wronged—if the general outline hadn't been encrypted using Sanskrit transliteration, Wang Chongyang could have easily recovered it using the Nine Yin Manual.

After listening to Zhou Botong's words, Chu Luren hesitated for a moment before asking, "Who exactly is your master, and who is the master of Patriarch Chongyang?"

Chu Luren really didn't know about this, and it wasn't mentioned in the original work either!

Upon hearing this, Zhou Botong made a whispering gesture, leaned closer, and said to Chu Luren in a low voice, "Emperor Donghua."

Chu Luren: ? ? ?

Seeing Chu Luren's face, which clearly said, "Are you really crazy?", Zhou Botong said embarrassedly, "Anyway, my senior brother really dragged me to the Donghua Emperor Temple to kowtow and worship our master!"

Chu Luren thought about it carefully and realized—the founder of Quanzhen Taoism was Wang Chongyang. There was no "Quanzhen Taoism" before Wang Chongyang, but Wang Chongyang also recognized a grand ancestor for Quanzhen Taoism, namely "Taishang Daode Tianzun". Needless to say, this is the common ancestral master recognized by all Taoism. Later, they also recognized a progenitor, namely "Donghua Dijun"...

The Quanzhen School only came into existence after Wang Chongyang. However, after the Quanzhen School flourished, Donghua Dijun and other Taoist masters of the Han Zhongli lineage were all considered to be part of the Quanzhen School.

It is likely that Wang Chongyang practiced martial arts on his own and did not have a master. The so-called "recruiting a disciple on behalf of a master" was just because he valued Zhou Botong's comprehension but thought he was too old to be a disciple, so he recognized Zhou Botong as his junior brother.

The master they are apprenticing to is not a specific person, but the Taoist Emperor Donghua!

Now that Zhou Botong is going to take on disciples on behalf of his master, he'll naturally follow the same approach—just go and kowtow to "Emperor Donghua"!

“Well… it’s not impossible, but I’m quite familiar with the Seven Masters of Quanzhen. It would be rather embarrassing to suddenly ask them to kowtow and call me ‘Uncle-Master.’ You can accept disciples on behalf of your master, but it has nothing to do with the Quanzhen Sect,” Chu Luren emphasized.

Huang Rong and the others looked at him strangely—was that an embarrassed expression on your face? This is nothing, and you're already thinking about the Seven Masters of Quanzhen kowtowing to you and calling you Martial Uncle? And how could you not laugh when you said that?

"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. What does it have to do with those Taoist priests? I'm not from the Quanzhen Sect either! I'm just a lay disciple." Zhou Botong shook his head repeatedly.

"Senior Brother Zhou!" Chu Luren admitted it in a second.

"Good, good, good! Junior Brother Chu is young and promising. He will surely be able to kill that old poisoner in the future." Zhou Botong laughed so hard he jumped up and down.

Because of the addition of fellow disciples, Zhou Botong's original "fear" of the Chu Lu people faded away.

"I am very capable, please give me the Nine Yin Manual." Chu Luren said directly, reaching out his hand.

"No problem, no problem, junior brother, what part are you missing?" Zhou Botong was still excited, laughing like a child who was almost sixty years old.

Finally, Chu Luren completed all the martial arts techniques in the second volume of the Nine Yin Manual, along with the general outline.

The second volume is a collection of several techniques, and the general outline is actually a "badge" that forms with the first volume. It is not added as a patch, but is like a martial arts manual that complements the Nine Yin Manual.

Practicing only the first volume of the mental cultivation method will lead to the calamity of "yin excess causing disaster." Using this internal force to activate the external skills in the second volume will inevitably have a malicious connotation, and using it too much will also affect one's temperament.

However, practicing the general principles alone is too metaphysical and does not have any effect on accumulating internal strength. You definitely need to cultivate internal strength on your own. If you cultivate the first volume of the mental technique, you can eliminate the hidden dangers of the first volume of the mental technique and maximize the power of the second volume of the Nine Yin Manual!

If one's cultivation method is not the first volume of the Nine Yin Manual, then using the martial arts of the second volume may not be suitable. However, it is certain that after cultivating the general principles, regardless of what internal energy cultivation method one practices, it will be particularly effective for the extraordinary skills in the second volume, such as the "Healing Chapter" and the "Tendon Changing and Bone Strengthening Chapter"...

Seeing Chu Luren listening intently to Zhou Botong teach him martial arts, completely oblivious to his surroundings, Huang Rong and the other two exchanged glances for the first time—all looking disgusted.

However, they were later invited indoors to avoid discussing martial arts in the open air...

Zhou Botong had nothing to say to his new junior brother. After teaching him the complete Nine Yin Manual, he took the initiative to mention that over the past ten years, he had created the "Empty Fist" from the opening few sentences of the general outline!

The Chu Lu people naturally accepted it all...

Moreover, although it is said to be unrelated to the Quanzhen Sect, Wang Chongyang taught Zhou Botong everything he knew, such as the Golden Goose Skill, the Frost-Treading Ice-Breaking Palm, and the One Qi Transforms into the Three Pure Ones.

Chu Luren learns really fast, never needing to do it a second time—seeing this, Zhou Bo's eyes grew brighter and brighter, as if he was becoming more and more certain of something!

Chu Luren had a feeling that he had subtly misunderstood something...

Finally, Zhou Botong finished teaching, but he still seemed unsatisfied. He scratched his head impatiently and asked, "Junior brother, I've been trapped on the island by Huang Yaoshi for the past ten years. With nothing to do, I've learned a set of martial arts to amuse myself. Do you want to learn it? If you get locked up in the future, you can use it to have some fun. Otherwise, you'll go crazy from being cooped up!"

These words sounded unpleasant no matter how you looked at them, but Chu Luren's eyes lit up when he heard them...

Chapter 294 Ambidextrous Fighting Technique

Chu Luren had almost given up—after all, in the great martial arts world, the fights of heroes are all accompanied by "waves," and simply using two different moves with one hand would not have any enhancement effect.

After all, there's only one set of meridians; at most, the techniques can be a bit more unpredictable...

However, since Zhou Botong brought it up, Chu Luren was about to agree, but just then Huang Rong brought over the food and happened to be there. After hearing what the old rascal said, she wrinkled her nose and said, "Pah, pah, pah! Brother Chu will never be locked up for more than ten years!"

"It's hard to say! Maybe we'll run into someone as unreasonable as your father... Alright, alright, I won't say anything." Zhou Botong quickly blocked Huang Rong's attempt to take his share and feigned weakness.

After Huang Rong left, Zhou Botong whispered to Chu Luren, "Junior brother, not to be rude, but you're in great danger right now, do you know that?"

“Danger? Impossible… I think the general principles have perfectly solved the problem of Yin excess causing disaster, it can’t be!” Chu Luren said, then checked his cultivation again.

Zhou Botong shook his head and said, "It's not that kind of danger. Tell me... if you didn't know martial arts and encountered three tigers on the mountain, what would you do?"

At this moment, Zhou Botong was thinking nothing but "women are tigers!"

Chu Luren thought for a moment, then said, "Sit on the sidelines and watch the tigers fight?"

The Old Rascal: ...

How come I didn't realize you were so smart, junior brother?

"That's not what I meant! What I wanted to tell you is that women are tigers!" Zhou Botong corrected him with exasperation.

Chu Luren was also baffled—what's going on lately? The Undefeated Rascal wants to give me a lesson in relationships, and now you, the Old Rascal, also want to give me a lesson in relationships? How much do you look down on me?

"Let's talk about playing by ourselves," Chu Luren said, steer the conversation back to serious matters.

When Zhou Botong heard Chu Luren bring up the matter, he perked up and excitedly said, "Come on, let me demonstrate for you!"

As Zhou Botong spoke, he actually sat down cross-legged, and then... he just sat there without moving.

Chu Luren: ...

So you're just using your imagination to wage war against yourself?

This isn't a battle with yourself, it's a struggle with yourself, isn't it?

Just as Chu Luren was feeling disappointed and speechless, he suddenly noticed something "strange"...