The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

Old Shui also dotes on his daughter. Although they are both his "disciples," he never shows any favoritism to his nephew, Wang Xiaofeng.

Shui Dai and Shui Sheng were unaware that Chu Luren had been playing around with the sword he borrowed from the Tie family in the house for a long time, and then... with a determined effort, he fused the useless "Soul Chasing Staff" and "Missing Meridian Technique" together!

Not for any particular result, but only for the resulting fusion fragments.

The Peacock Nine Forms did not actually form a badge, and the Chu Lu people did not believe that this was Shui Dai trying to trick them.

In fact, some flashy martial arts moves in the martial arts world that don't involve proper practice won't be converted into badges. This is the most common situation among common items sold at street stalls. Otherwise, Chu Luren wouldn't have been able to collect only a few common badges before.

However, the Peacock Nine Forms are clearly different from those fancy moves. Whether it's Shui Dai's instructions, the power Wang Xiaofeng displayed, or Chu Luren's own feelings, there must be something more to it than meets the eye.

Chu Luren himself only had a vague understanding of "mind, body, qi, technique, and momentum," so he naturally wanted to give it a try.

The night was deserted, yet Chu Luren remained in the courtyard, brandishing his sword...

With its vibrant wings, the peacock spreads its wings, pecking and clawing... the peacock displays its tail feathers!

The nine moves were repeatedly demonstrated by Chu Luren.

If Wang Xiaofeng and Shui Sheng were present, they could only see that Chu Luren's swordsmanship seemed to be getting more and more proficient. However, if Shui Dai were present, he would definitely drag Chu Luren to Wudang!

At this moment, Chu Luren's movements were becoming increasingly refined, bringing the peacock-like essence, imbued with a hint of Tai Chi, to a state of perfection...

Although the Soul-Chasing Staff and the Meridian-Deficient Qigong are not very useful to normal people, they are actually of high quality, after all, they are the result of the meticulously crafted One-Finger Divine Skill, Duan Family Internal Skill, and Duan Family Sword Technique.

Therefore, the resulting fusion fragments were not as few as the Chu Lu people had imagined. This meal lasted for more than three quarters of an hour, almost half an hour!

After a meal, two new badges appeared in Chu Luren's mind: one was the "Earthly Deficiency Technique" he had fused with before his enlightenment, and the other was... "Peacock Spreading its Tail"!

The name is "Peacock Spreading its Tail," the same as the last move in the Nine Forms of the Peacock. Chu Luren knew after a little try that he could use "Peacock Spreading its Tail" directly without needing to integrate it—perhaps because... he had comprehended it himself?

What surprised Chu Luren even more was that the equipment slot for "Peacock Spreading its Tail" was not "Technique", but the previously empty "Power" slot!

After equipping the "Peacock Spreading its Tail" badge, Chu Luren's moves are no longer limited by the framework of the "Nine Forms of the Peacock," but rather each move carries the artistic conception of "Peacock Spreading its Tail."

This is a level that Wang Xiaofeng could never reach even after several more years of practice...

Although there are nine forms in the Peacock Nine Forms, the first eight forms are actually a prelude to the ninth form, which is just a side branch of Tai Chi Sword. Shui Dai has gone to great lengths for his daughter and disciple.

Of course, Chu Luren also understood that this "momentum" was not easy to comprehend. Even after a quarter of an hour of enlightenment, he only barely grasped it.

Moreover, this is largely thanks to the artistic conception, or rather the martial arts philosophy, contained within the "Peacock Spreading its Tail," which is only a minor aspect of "Tai Chi." That's why I was able to grasp the "momentum" within it so quickly!

If it were the authentic Tai Chi Chuan or Tai Chi Sword of the Wudang School, one would probably not even get a scratch in three quarters of an hour.

Chu Luren finally understood the difference between "momentum" and "tactics"...

In "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber", after Zhang Sanfeng taught Zhang Wuji Tai Chi, who could not use the "Nine Yang Divine Skill" and "Great Shift of the Universe" moves, he deliberately asked him "Have you forgotten?" This should be the reason why the true Tai Chi should contain extremely profound "momentum"!

Forgetting the moves signifies that Zhang Wuji has mastered the true essence of "Tai Chi".

Just thinking about this made Chu Luren feel a little jealous—by that calculation, Xiao Zhang, who was still nowhere to be found, was probably many times more intelligent than himself.

"However, it can't be calculated like that. The Nine Yang Divine Skill originally had the effect of 'comprehensively understanding the ultimate principles of martial arts, and all martial arts in the world can be picked up and used,' and the Great Shift of the Universe also 'integrates the principles of martial arts'... These two martial arts should inherently increase comprehension and wisdom." Chu Luren muttered to himself.

The method of obtaining fusion fragments and catalyzing "enlightenment" by Chu Luren is the perfect match for this type of martial art.

Unfortunately, martial arts techniques that enhance wisdom and improve comprehension are extremely rare and precious.

All the Chu Lu people can say now is: Let it be!

After equipping himself with the "Peacock Spreading its Tail" technique, Chu Luren casually practiced it again—and sure enough, every horizontal slash, vertical cut, thrust, and upward slash carried the essence of the "Peacock Spreading its Tail." If he were to fight someone at this moment, he would naturally be able to use the "parrying" concept within it.

Indeed, the "peacock spreading its tail" posture emphasizes the "defense" stance, which can be considered a side branch of "Tai Chi" in this respect.

Chu Luren has only grasped the essence of "momentum" so far. Although he has reached a certain level of proficiency, he is not yet a master. His skill is not particularly evident in normal sword use, and even with knives, spears, and clubs, he is not much different. However...

When Chu Luren tried to apply the "Peacock Spreading its Tail" technique to his finger strength, he encountered some trouble.

If Chu Luren's finger technique is based on the nature of "Six Meridian Divine Sword", then there will be no problem. The finger force of Six Meridian Divine Sword is like sword energy, which is "swish swish swish". However, the finger force of "Pulse Summoning" is similar to One Finger, which is "BIUBIUBIU"!

Not only is the sharpness lacking, but the consistency is also much worse.

When Chu Luren returned to his room to rest, his face was pale, and he appeared to be severely depleted of his internal energy. However, he still forced himself not to fall asleep immediately, but instead sat cross-legged and practiced internal energy cultivation all night to recover his strength...

Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Lively Courtyard

After spending the night at the Tie residence, Chu Luren set off for Hengshan early the next morning with Tie Wushuang and the others.

However, as the journey progressed to midday, Chu Luren, the Bell and Sword Duo, and Tie Wushuang's two disciples set off ahead of them...

Tie Wushuang and Shui Dai are both burdened by the reputation of being "renowned martial arts masters," so they will probably rest well in the small town they pass through tonight and then head to Hengshan City early in the morning.

Although Liu Zhengfeng's retirement ceremony is tomorrow, Tie Wushuang and Shui Dai have no intention of rushing on their way—they just need to arrive as soon as possible!

Since the Songshan Sect wanted to establish its authority, it would definitely take action when the sect was about to retire from the martial arts world. Otherwise, if it did so a day or two in advance, it would be considered a "sneak attack," which would not only fail to establish authority but would also make it a laughing stock.

The reason for sending the disciples ahead was twofold: firstly, to scout out the situation, and secondly, to give them experience.

Not everyone will arrive "on time", especially those who live far away. How can they be sure that they will arrive "on time"?

In fact, Hengshan City should now be teeming with martial arts practitioners!

Chu Luren also wanted to check out the situation first, and being a young man himself, he set off on horseback with the Bell Sword Duo, as well as Bai Qiong and Song Yu from the Iron Mansion.

Finally, just as the sun was setting, we arrived at Hengshan City, a place where fortunes were at their peak...

"We're late. I don't know if there are any inns left in town," Bai Qiong said with some concern.

"Senior brother, we just need to take the visiting cards and stay at the Liu residence temporarily. Are you worried about not having a room?" Song Yu wasn't worried at all.

Given Tie Wushuang's reputation, and since they were paving the way for their master, they should have received some respect from all sects and factions in the Hunan martial arts world. Moreover, they were originally there to help the Liu family, so they naturally had a psychological advantage.

“No, we don’t know if something will happen tomorrow, or how we will act if something does happen. If we stay at the Liu residence first, wouldn’t that be giving them a handle to use against us?” Bai Qiong was clearly still resentful about Chu Luren causing trouble for the Tie family.

Chu Luren pretended not to understand his concern and said directly, "Why don't we split up and gather information, and then attend Senior Liu's retirement ceremony at the Liu residence tomorrow morning?"

"That's fine too!" Bai Qiong said, looking very pleased.

Chu Luren rode directly into the city, and Bai Qiong, who later wanted to travel with the Bell and Sword Duo, was also refused.

After the group parted ways, Shui Sheng complained, "Senior Tie's disciple is so unreliable. He speaks out against injustice and acts righteously, but he talks so much about it. He's not even as good as that Chu Luren."

“The Songshan Sect is currently enjoying great momentum, and it is also the leader of the Five Mountains Sword Alliance, so it is natural for them to have some concerns,” Wang Xiaofeng said.

"So what if we're on a winning streak? No matter how big the punch, it can't outweigh reason..."

Shui Sheng and Wang Xiaofeng exchanged a few words, but Wang Xiaofeng didn't argue with Shui Sheng and simply agreed.

Meanwhile, the Chu Lu people have already discovered a "lively" event in Hengshan City!

The largest "smoky willow area" in Hengshan City—Qunyu Courtyard—was quite noisy tonight. First, people from the Qingcheng Sect and Hengshan Sect followed Hengshan disciple Yilin in, only to encounter Wanli Duxing Tian Boguang.

Unfortunately, the two men were mediocre in martial arts, and instead of bringing justice to the lecherous thief, they were killed and wounded by Tian Boguang's swift blade.

But what kind of place is Hengshan City now?

Not only are there many people from the martial arts world here, but also all the famous masters from the Five Sacred Mountains Sword Sects, except for the Songshan Sect, are here!

This Tian Boguang is incredibly audacious; he actually dares to come to Hengshan City at this time...

However, it was probably for this reason that even Tian Boguang did not dare to forcibly abduct respectable women at this time, but instead came to Qunyu Courtyard to have fun.

When a Hengshan disciple is injured, he naturally seeks help from his elders.

In addition, Yilin had been harassed by Tian Boguang before. If it weren't for the clever rescue by Linghu Chong, the senior brother of Huashan Sect, she would have lost her chastity. Therefore, when she saw Tian Boguang here, she thought that Yilin had been captured by him again!

When Chu Luren heard that there was some commotion, he arrived at Qunyu Courtyard and saw a middle-aged nun on the roof of the courtyard, cursing Tian Boguang...

Partly based on hearsay and partly on his own guess, Chu Luren estimated that this must be the nun Dingyi, one of the "Three Ding of Hengshan".

Although he was a Buddhist disciple, Dingyi was fierce and hated evil, unlike ordinary monks. His martial arts skills in the Hengshan Sect were second only to the sect leader, Dingxian.

If it really comes down to a fight, he might not necessarily lose to Tian Boguang. However, this is Qunyu Academy after all, and the people in the martial arts world in Hengshan City are now a mixed bag. Many of them, while not villains like Tian Boguang, are still from the lowest rungs of society.

Dingyi was concerned about his reputation and was unwilling to enter Qunyu Academy directly. Tian Boguang took advantage of this and kept verbally harassing him!

In other places it might be one thing, but in a place like Qunyu Courtyard, a place of pleasure and debauchery, how could a nun possibly out-argue a lecherous thief? Enraged, Dingyi stomped on and smashed the tiles of the surrounding rooms…

Chu Luren pondered for a moment and roughly understood what was going on.

In fact, Yilin is not in Tian Boguang's hands now. Linghu Chong made a bet with Tian Boguang, asking him to become Yilin's disciple. Linghu Chong won against Tian Boguang by cheating, even at the cost of serious injury. Although Tian Boguang was not as straightforward as Yue Laosan and did not formally kowtow to become his disciple, he was also unwilling to see Yilin at all.

The reason Yilin came here was because the seriously injured Linghu Chong was rescued by Qu Yang, an elder of the Sun Moon Sect, who happened to be passing by, and placed in Qunyu Courtyard to recuperate. Qu Yang's granddaughter, Qu Feiyan, used the excuse of knowing "the location of Linghu Chong's body" to lure Yilin, who thought Linghu Chong was dead and had even lost his body, to Qunyu Courtyard to meet Linghu Chong.

This Jade Courtyard is indeed strange. A place of misty willows and smoke, yet it has secret passages and mechanisms, and it's a "chain store." Chu Luren suspects that this might be a meeting place for the Sun Moon Cult...

Yilin may have already seen the seriously injured Linghu Chong, but she is awkwardly cornered in Qunyu Courtyard!

In Chu Luren's understanding, the background of "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" is already the Ming Dynasty, where the rules of etiquette and morality are very strict. From the perspective of this great martial arts world, the Five Mountains Sword Alliance is a group that upholds the righteous path and has many rules and regulations.

Yilin felt that her presence at Qunyu Courtyard would damage the reputation of the Hengshan Sect, so she missed the best opportunity to come out and explain the misunderstanding, and now she absolutely cannot come out!

Others were just watching the show. After all, Tian Boguang's skills were no joke for him to have survived to this day. Moreover, the people of the Five Mountains Sword Sect always considered themselves to be from a prestigious and righteous sect, which was too much of a mistake and resulted in them having very little popularity in the martial arts world.

However, Chu Luren stepped out from the crowd and came to the center of the courtyard of Qunyu Courtyard. He shouted at Tian Boguang's room, "You treacherous scoundrel, stop with your glib tongue! The monks of Hengshan Sect can't do anything to your filthy mouth. Your grandpa Chu Luren will cut off your lewd root!"

In particular, he used his internal strength to pronounce the three words "Chu Luren" with perfect clarity and precision!

In an instant, the martial arts practitioners around them either silently memorized the text or took out cheat sheets, and soon some of them realized who "Chu Luren" was.

After Chu Luren finished speaking, without listening to what Tian Boguang had to say, he drew his sword and, with a figure like a Kun shadow, leaped into the room on the third floor where Tian Boguang was...

What no one saw was a short figure, about a meter tall, standing awkwardly on the gate of Qunyu Courtyard across the street!

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Battle with the Quick Blade

Dingyi angrily denounced Tian Boguang, but was instead squeezed out by this lecherous scoundrel using his "location advantage." Meanwhile, another "victim," Yu Canghai, also arrived!

Yu Canghai is the leader of the Qingcheng Sect and a master swordsman, but... his stature seems to contradict his swordsmanship, appearing to be only about one meter tall.

The Qingcheng Sect disciples who came to Qunyu Academy before died at the hands of Tian Boguang. Yu Canghai naturally wanted to come and demand an explanation, but before he could speak, someone jumped out and stole the show!

Chu Luren leaped into the room where Tian Boguang was, pointing his sword at Tian Boguang, who was now surrounded by women on either side of him.

"Hahaha, what? Want to compete with Grandpa? Who will Wang Bao'er be with tonight?" Tian Boguang underestimated Chu Luren because of his youth, and was still flirting with the woman in his arms.

"Hehehe, Uncle Tian, ​​don't be jealous. I'll only keep you company tonight... Being young doesn't necessarily mean I have any romance."

These skilled women from the Jade Courtyard were also quite bold. Perhaps because they often entertained wandering travelers, they even chimed in after Tian Boguang's teasing.

Chu Luren didn't waste any more words with him and directly thrust his sword at Tian Boguang.

This thrust gave Tian Boguang even more confidence!