The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

It was a boat of similar size to the one Chu Luren had used when he sailed on Taihu Lake, and it was still Chu Luren who used his internal energy to propel it with a large-scale "water strike for three thousand miles".

When Murong Jiu first saw this move, she was secretly amazed, but also somewhat unconvinced—after all, Murong Jiu's goal had always been to become the number one young person in the martial arts world!

She was four or five years older than Chu Luren and four or five years younger than Qiao Feng, so she naturally regarded them both as "rivals".

Murong Jiu thought to herself that she would have to use her internal energy to steer the boat...

While it's not impossible, it certainly wouldn't last as long as Chu Luren's. In fact, Murong Jiu never understood why Chu Luren was able to persist for so long...

Is his internal strength really that profound?

Murong Jiu felt something was amiss!

Inside the cabin, Wang Yuyan watched as her "cousin" stared intently at Chu Luren, and felt even more uneasy—she couldn't even discern what emotions she should be experiencing.

"Brother Murong, you can just wait in the wooden house with me. You don't need to keep me company in the wind and sun." Chu Luren also felt awkward being looked at.

The way you address someone shouldn't be changed easily, otherwise, if you get used to it and say it in front of others, wouldn't that expose you?

If it's not exposed, it'll be even worse; people might misunderstand and think you have some strange fetish...

“Men and women are different. What kind of behavior would it be for me to squeeze in with two women?” Murong Jiu wasn’t pretending; it was something she had long been used to.

Murong Jiu hesitated for a moment, then said, "Young Master Chu has been on the boat for almost an hour, so why don't I give it a try too!"

"Ah? Brother Murong, I'm afraid you can't hold on for long. I'm not tired, so let's just give up," Chu Luren said honestly.

"Does Young Master Chu look down on me?" Murong Jiu started to take things too seriously.

Without saying a word, Chu Luren stood up and walked into the wooden hut—what was so unreasonable about it? There was still plenty of room for three people inside, and they could even stretch their legs a little!

Murong Jiu glared at him fiercely from behind before heading to the bow of the ship...

Unlike Chu Luren, after Murong Jiu knelt down, he held onto the bow of the boat with one hand. Then... Chu Luren felt the boat shake strangely a few times before it began to slowly move in one direction!

"This is..." Chu Luren was still somewhat puzzled.

However, Wang Yuyan pursed her lips at this moment, and then explained, "She... she's not using lightness skill, it's 'Shifting Stars'! The Murong Clan's 'Shifting Stars' can deflect all external forces."

Clearly, Wang Yuyan was still not used to and could not call him "cousin," but after learning the truth, calling him "cousin" felt strange.

After receiving a hint from Wang Yuyan, Chu Luren finally understood...

Indeed, if you look closely, you'll notice that the boat has risen quite a bit higher than before!

Murong Jiu's approach differed from his own. Instead of using lightness skills on the entire ship, he used "shifting stars and changing constellations" to concentrate the power of the water flow from all directions onto the ship, bringing it all to a single direction.

In other words, a portion of the buoyancy is converted into thrust on the ship, which naturally allows the ship to move forward stably. Moreover... once you get the hang of it, the speed may not be much slower than that of the Chu Lu people!

The reason why, despite having stronger internal strength than Chu Luren, the boat was still slower than Chu Luren's in speed was not because there was anything wrong with "Shifting Stars and Changing the Universe," but because, theoretically, a larger boat was needed to fully utilize the advantages of this boat-controlling method.

Of course, if it's a ship that's too big, neither Chu Luren nor Murong Jiu could "control" it!

Moreover, Murong Jiu was far less endurance than Chu Luren. After a little over two quarters of an hour, Murong Jiu had to give up and switch back to Chu Luren. Clearly, "adjusting" the buoyancy of a ship was a considerable burden for Murong Jiu.

……

Three days later, Chu Luren and his group were almost at the Taihu ferry crossing in Jiaxing.

During this time, Murong Jiu, who was arguing with someone, repeatedly interrupted Chu Luren's "controlling the ship". As soon as he recovered, he insisted on trying it himself!

Indeed, the progress is obvious, but... unless there is an efficient way to recover energy, such as "Three-Part Return to Origin Qi", "Controlling the Ship" is destined to be impractical - driving for half an hour and then resting for most of the day is completely inefficient.

However, Murong Jiu still suggested taking the sea route, starting from Jiaxing, following the coastline, and landing in Fuzhou, seemingly indicating that the competition was about to continue...

Although it did have some training and cultivation effects, Chu Luren still rejected the suggestion.

After all, rumors are already circulating that Yan Nantian's treasure map is on Chu Luren. If he disappears now, what effect will it have on making a name for himself?

He might actually be mistaken for someone who's hiding away and secretly searching for treasure!

Therefore, the Chu Lu people were to make a grand and imposing advance southward by land...

Chapter 343 Conflicts in the Martial World

After Murong Jiu used "Shifting Stars" to control the ship to dock, he discovered that Chu Luren had been watching him the whole time.

Murong Jiu frowned at first, because she instinctively realized that Chu Luren was not looking at her, but at "Dou Zhuan Xing Yi"!

Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, Murong Jiu smiled and asked, "Want to learn?"

"Brother Murong, would you like to exchange ideas? Actually, I also have a set of martial arts techniques for deflecting force..." Upon hearing this, Chu Luren immediately became interested.

Wang Yuyan and Mu Wanqing rolled their eyes at him from behind.

"It's not an exchange. 'Shifting Stars' is a family martial art of the Murong clan, so naturally one must become a disciple before learning it," Murong Jiu said matter-of-factly.

Chu Luren: ...

Chu Luren had not yet "sold" his intentions for the sake of "Dou Zhuan Xing Yi".

“Cousin…brother is really stingy. The secret manuals in my Langhuan Jade Cave, especially the martial arts of the Xiaoyao Sect, are no less than ‘Dou Zhuan Xing Yi’, yet I gave them directly to Brother Chu to watch?” Wang Yuyan suddenly interjected.

Murong Jiu unfolded her folding fan, turned her head away, and ignored her.

……

Upon arriving in Jiaxing, Chu Luren, along with Wang Yuyan, Mu Wanqing, and Murong Jiu, headed south of the city with practiced ease.

Seeing this, Murong Jiu asked, "Where are we going? To an inn?"

“No, it’s the Jade Academy,” Chu Luren said matter-of-factly.

Murong Jiu:? ? ?

Murong Jiu had been to places like Qunyu Courtyard before. After all, when you're traveling the martial world, who hasn't felt lonely and wanted to listen to some tunes?

But you're taking the three of us to Qunyu Courtyard?

It's true that Murong Jiu usually wears men's clothing. Wang Yuyan and Mu Wanqing also wear men's clothing for convenience, but unlike Murong Jiu's, their clothing is not professionally made. Anyone with a discerning eye can tell that they are women.

Not only seasoned veterans, but even brothel madams might not be fooled!

more importantly……

What's going on with you guys? Why didn't you seem surprised or object at all when he said he wanted to go to Qunyu Academy? Do you two go there together all the time?

"What are you doing at Qunyu Courtyard?" Murong Jiu frowned and stared intently.

"Rent a horse! What else can you do with it?" Chu Luren looked at Murong Jiu with a puzzled expression.

Rent a horse? Do you think I've never been to Qunyu Academy? I've never heard of it...

Upon arriving at the entrance of Qunyu Courtyard, the servant saw Chu Luren and quickly turned to go inside to report—it was afternoon, and Qunyu Courtyard's "business" was heating up.

Murong Jiu was puzzled... Did Chu Luren seem to be a regular customer?

As the four reached the door, the madam came out to greet them warmly, asking, "Young Master Chu, are you here to store your horse or to use it?"

Murong Jiu:? ? ?

"Did you see me leading the horse? Of course, it's a horse. Also... bring two more! No boys over eighteen!" Chu Luren whispered the last part to the madam, also wanting to gather some information about the martial arts world.

Then Chu Luren turned to Wang Yuyan and the other two and said, "You go and choose your horses first. I'll go in for a bit and be back soon."

Murong Jiu:? ? ?

So Wang Yuyan and Mu Wanqing went to the stables of Qunyu Courtyard to buy horses...

The little red horse had already been returned to Huang Rong, and she needed a fast horse in Lin'an to deal with emergencies.

Murong Jiu frowned the whole way, and when they arrived at the stables, she couldn't help but ask, "Cousin, Young Master Chu... is he always this fast?"

Wang Yuyan was somewhat reluctant to talk to her, partly due to her dissatisfaction with her previous deliberate humiliation, and partly due to her discomfort with her "change" in status.

However, when Murong Jiu asked her this, Wang Yuyan still reluctantly replied, "Not necessarily, it depends on how much intelligence we have... Why are you asking this?"

"You're not trying to secretly find out something, are you?" Mu Wanqing looked over suspiciously.

Murong Jiu:? ? ?

"What intelligence?" Murong Jiu felt that these two seemed to have no concept of this matter, unlike him... When he usually traveled the martial arts world, he used his male identity, and he had been raised to do so since childhood. He had also heard a lot of dirty jokes from the lowest-class martial arts people, so he knew what he needed to know.

Wang Yuyan and Mu Wanqing exchanged a glance, neither of them offering any further explanation.

Murong Jiu had already guessed some of it herself; it seemed that this group of Jade Academy members also served as a source of information, as for what was behind them...

Given the size of Qunyu Academy, there are only a few suspicious ones. Adding in some rumors from the martial arts world, Murong Jiu estimates that it is seven or eight out of ten Sun Moon Cult!

In addition, there have always been rumors in the martial arts world that Chu Luren has a close relationship with the Holy Maiden of the Sun Moon Divine Sect, so Murong Jiu was naturally able to understand Chu Luren's actions to a great extent.

After selecting four horses, Wang Yuyan and her two companions led them out directly—these horses were not bought, but rented. They could exchange them for new horses when they arrived at Qunyu Courtyard in the next city… This is the spirit of sharing!

And just as Chu Luren said, he came out very quickly.

Chu Luren only gathered some basic information, which was what was rumored in the martial arts world, and those with good connections already knew about it.

Indeed, in the past few days, the news that the treasure map of the Southern Heavenly Treasure had fallen into the hands of Chu Luren has been spreading like wildfire in the martial arts world of Jiangnan.

However, there are currently no experts who are interested in this treasure and that Chu Luren should pay attention to – after all, most real experts think that the Southern Heaven Treasure is unreliable!

Most notably, some skilled outlaws and unorthodox individuals might make a move...

However, it has only been a few days, and there has been no news of these outlaw masters taking any collective action against the Chu Lu people.

In addition, there is another major event in the martial arts world recently, namely the "explanation" that Shaolin gave to Wudang, which has finally been freshly released - it seems that more than half a year has passed since the Heroes' Gathering in mid-March this year.

After discussions and investigations by the Shaolin Temples of the North and South, the high monks unanimously concluded that it was true that Yuanzhen was "Chengkun" before he became a monk, but now there is only Yuanzhen and no Chengkun. As for the matter of Yu Daiyan's disability, the changes in the Beggars' Sect, and even the split and universal condemnation of the Ming Cult... none of these have anything to do with Shaolin!

The most pressing concern for Wudang was the murderer who injured Yu Daiyan. While Shaolin claimed no involvement, they also emphasized that if Wudang was dissatisfied, they could come to Shaolin to consult all the masters of the two temples who were skilled in the Vajra Finger technique, as a comparison.

As for the Shanhaiguan ambush and the Ming Cult split thirty years ago, the former was a matter of national righteousness, and the latter was a consequence of their own actions; Shaolin did not respond much to these events…

Wudang was naturally not satisfied with this "explanation," but since Zhang Sanfeng had not yet emerged from seclusion, Wudang had not taken any action for the time being. In fact, there were signs that they were summoning their disciples back to the mountain and restricting their branch families from causing trouble. Therefore, many people suspected that something had happened to Zhang Sanfeng and that their previous tough stance against Shaolin was just a pretense!

There were also some collateral branches that beat drums to cheer on Shaolin, claiming that Chu Luren should come out and confront Shaolin...

Chu Luren simply smiled and remained silent. From the beginning, Chu Luren had not made any speculations, but had simply sorted out the facts. After seeing the facts that were already clear, everyone naturally began to suspect Shaolin... What was there to confront about that?

I have said that the things involving the Ming Cult and the Beggars' Sect must have been done by you bunch of bald monks.

On the contrary, the only question Chu Luren asked Shaolin about whether the leader was actually from Shaolin has yet to receive a direct answer.

However, this matter has little to do with Wudang, and no one necessarily pursued the question to Shaolin. Perhaps many people also felt that even if the leader made a mistake in judgment, morally speaking... apart from Qiao Feng, he did not owe anything.

As for Qiao Feng's matter, most people in the martial arts world didn't want to get involved. They couldn't directly accuse Qiao Feng of being a Jurchen spy after being cornered by Chu Luren, but his Jurchen identity was no longer a lie...