The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

Previously, I managed to snag some good stuff from Langhuan Paradise with Young Master Duan, so if I'm really desperate, I might as well "gamble" once!

Chapter Three: Yue Laosan

Based on previous experience with fusion, if the fusion is successful, the new technique will inherit the characteristics of the fused technique and can be "equipped".

Each martial art has a different nature and can be equipped in different positions. Some can be equipped in multiple positions at the same time, or you can choose only one.

Chu Luren currently has three "materials," among which "Emperor Taizu's Vitality" is the only one that Chu Luren can use, but fusing it with any kind of martial art is full of flaws!

However, the other two are both good things: the Lingbo Weibu and Beiming Divine Skills that I "borrowed" from Young Master Duan at the foot of Wuliang Mountain!

Even in this chaotic world, based on Chu Luren's previous experience learning various common martial arts, these two styles of martial arts from the Xiaoyao Sect can be considered top-tier in the world.

Using his consciousness, Chu Luren placed the Northern Darkness Divine Art and Lingbo Steps into the furnace pattern. After thinking for a moment, he decided against putting "Emperor Taizu's Vitality" in as well, since who knew if this fusion system would have any bad apples?

Chu Luren prayed in his heart: I don't want a critical hit, please don't make any silly mistakes.

Seeing Chu's worried expression and muttering to himself, Duan Yu sighed inwardly, "He truly is a master; even his way of comprehending superior martial arts is so unique."

After a long while, Chu Luren took a few deep breaths, dismounted, and ran around to relax before opening his eyes and looking at the product of the fusion...

"Kun Soars Through the Void" - Equipable slots for "Qi", "Skill (Movement)", and "Skill (Lightness Skill)"!

"Brother Duan, wait for me a moment." Chu Luren said, casually finding a place to sit cross-legged by the roadside, and put two-thirds of the fusion fragments he had obtained into the space between his eyebrows.

In Duan Yu's view, Chu Luren pointed his sword at his brow, and then... his entire demeanor changed. As he continued to meditate, he seemed to merge with his surroundings!

About half an hour later, Chu Luren let out a long sigh and stood up gracefully.

Upon seeing this, Duan Yu was overjoyed and asked, "Brother Chu, have you mastered your divine skill? Are you able to deal with that Yue Laosan?"

"Brother Duan, please don't be impatient. Let me take another moment to adjust my breathing."

Chu Luren carefully experienced the effects of "Kun Swimming in the Void" again—high internal strength does not necessarily mean strong combat power. Previously, Chu Luren's internal strength was far weaker than Zuo Zimu's, but he still won the battle with the "Supreme Sword Manual".

Thinking of the Supreme Sword Manual, Chu Luren felt a pang of heartache again and quickly looked at the product of this fusion to comfort his wounded heart!

"Kun Soars Through the Void" allows for unpredictable and ever-changing movement techniques in combat, which can disrupt the opponent's lock-on. While shifting positions, it continuously absorbs the dissipated internal energy from both sides, forming an aura that can suppress the enemy and enhance the user's attack. However, this aura dissipates rapidly after the battle ends.

Chu Luren clicked his tongue, roughly understanding what "Kun Swimming in the Void" was all about.

Unfortunately, he did not inherit what he wanted most: the ability of the Northern Darkness Divine Art to absorb the opponent's internal energy!

Although it can still absorb internal energy, it will not be absorbed into its own dantian, but will instead circulate around the body and can only be used for a short time.

However, this also has its advantages, namely that there is no need to worry about the problem of mixed internal energy, and the characteristics of Lingbo Weibu are also well inherited.

Moreover, compared to the "Northern Darkness Divine Art", the "Kun Soaring in the Void" is more practical in actual combat. The "Northern Darkness Divine Art" requires the acupoints on one's palm to directly contact the corresponding meridians of the opponent's body in order to exert the effect of "absorbing mana"!

In "Kun Swimming in the Void," you can continuously stack buffs on yourself during battle, but you no longer have the function of expanding your mana bar...

"This is a good deal." After Chu Luren forced himself to accept that he hadn't lost out, he mounted his horse and set off again with Duan Yu.

At this moment, Chu Luren's internal energy has been boosted again due to his previous "enlightenment". Moreover, this time it is the method of "Kun Swimming in the Void" as the "qi" and the efficiency of replenishing mana is much higher!

Now Chu Luren feels that he can defeat Zuo Zimu without using the "enlightenment" state. That's right, the reason why Chu Luren was able to unleash the wonders of the Supreme Sword Manual when he faced Zuo Zimu before was because he used the "enlightenment" state in the battle.

This is why Chu Luren left behind a portion of the "fusion fragments," so that if he were to encounter Yue Laosan later and fall short, he could still use "enlightenment" as a combat buff...

At this moment, Chu Luren had switched his "Qi" and "Technique (body technique)" and "Technique (lightness skill)" to "Kun Soaring in the Void," but in terms of moves, he still only had "Emperor Taizu's Vitality," which made him feel slightly uncertain.

However, considering that Duan Yu subdued Yue Laosan with just Lingbo Weibu in the original work, Chu Luren feels that it shouldn't be a big problem.

The two rode at full speed and finally arrived at the agreed mountain on the appointed day.

Not long after, a shrill laugh rang out: "Hahaha, my disciple has finally arrived."

At this time, Yue Laosan became entangled with Duan Yu because he was acting crazy and wanted to take Duan Yu as his disciple. For this reason, he even kidnapped Mu Wanqing, who was Duan Yu's sister whom he did not recognize.

A black-clad figure with wide, sweeping movements came running and leaping along the way. From a distance, it was far from aesthetically pleasing; it looked more like a ball come to life... This reassured Chu Luren—seeing that your movements weren't very good, I felt relieved.

"Duan Lang." A clear female voice came from afar.

A woman dressed in black rode on horseback, seemingly paralyzed by pressure points. Her delicate, fair features were like a crescent moon, or snow piled on flowering trees...

Seeing Mu Wanqing looking at Duan Yu, and remembering that this was the best time for their relationship, Chu Luren thought to himself: Lovers will eventually become siblings!

Just as Duan Yu was about to step forward, Chu Luren stopped him, signaling him not to rush.

"My dear disciple, why did you bring someone else with you?" Yue Laosan said in a gruff voice.

When Chu Luren saw this person's appearance—nostrils flared up, beady eyes, and eyebrows that looked like they were rebelling—he immediately felt a sense of superiority.

"So you're Yue Laosan? So you want to take my brother Duan as your apprentice? I'm here to see what you're made of. Tsk tsk, with your skills, you dare to mislead others? Look at the way you walk, let alone take others as apprentices, even if you were my apprentice, I'd think you're too old!" Chu Luren was extremely sarcastic.

As expected, Yue Laosan's face darkened with anger: "It's Yue Laoer!"

This completely shut Chu Luren up—So all that rambling on was about how you actually cared most about "the third brother"?

Yue Laosan continued, "Pretty boy, watch me snap your neck, then come and catch up with my disciple!" As he spoke, his hands cracked, clearly indicating that in addition to the crocodile scissors, he must have practiced some external martial arts.

Unfortunately, Chu Luren's other slots are empty except for "Qi" and "Shu". It is speculated that "Body" is the location for practicing external martial arts, while "Mind" and "Power" are unclear.

Chapter Four Techniques

"Look at him, look at him. This kind of person isn't very capable, and he has a terrible temper. Brother Duan, you mustn't ruin your future." Chu Luren said in a persuasive tone.

Duan Yu said as previously agreed, "Brother Chu may have some misunderstanding. This Yue Lao Er's martial arts are quite high."

Upon hearing this, Yue Laosan nodded in satisfaction, whether it was because he was satisfied that he was called "Yue Lao Er" or because he was pleased that Yue Laosan was skilled in martial arts.

"Ha, Brother Duan, that's why you're so easily fooled when you're new to the world. Look at him, he's so old, at least twice my age, he probably can't even touch the hem of my clothes."

"Ugh! You're driving me crazy! I, Yue Lao Er, am going to twist your eyebrows today!" Yue Lao San's eyebrows, which were already on the verge of a fight, now completely clashed together.

Duan Yu pretended to consider whether Chu Luren's words were true or false, and Chu Luren immediately said, "Yue Laosan, don't try to fool my brother. If you have the guts, fight me!"

"Fine, let's fight! I'm not afraid of you pretty boy!"

"Alright! Yue Lao Er, if you beat Brother Chu, I... I'll become your disciple. But what if you lose to Brother Chu?" Duan Yu said through gritted teeth.

"That's impossible! If I lose, I'll become his disciple. Anyone who goes back on their word is a son of a bitch!"

After saying that, Yue Laosan bared his teeth and claws and started tearing at Chu Luren. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought it was a shrewish fight where she was about to tear clothes off.

However, Chu Luren dared not be careless. At most, a shrew would tear clothes, but this Yue Laosan... could probably tear a steel plate without any problem!

This is another inexplicable thing that Chu Luren discovered about this world—the level of martial arts is very high.

Even the previously unknown Zuo Zimu could create some flashy sword aura afterimages when twirling his sword. Although they had little killing power, they could still pierce through clothes and were quite intimidating. Yue Laosan, who could barely be considered a master, was definitely stronger than Zuo Zimu.

However, with the Kun swimming in the void by his side, Chu Luren's figure swayed, and Yue Laosan didn't see what happened before he tore something to pieces.

Yue Laosan's lightness skill looked somewhat pathetic, and his movement technique wasn't very good either, but his internal strength was clearly superior to Chu Luren's, who had learned it quickly, and he also had some external martial arts skills!

Furthermore, compared to Zuo Zimu, who spent his days holed up in Wuliang Mountain except for internal strife with other factions within the sect, Yue Laosan had far more combat experience. Seeing Chu Luren's agile movements, he showed no fear whatsoever, turning his head and swinging his sword again...

Although Chu Luren repeatedly dodged Yue Laosan thanks to his agility, he saw that Yue Laosan's fleshy hands left a gap when he gripped a tree and scattered stone chips when he gripped a rock, and he was also sweating profusely.

He doesn't have any protective techniques; relying solely on his internal energy for protection, he'd probably lose some parts if he even got close...

Although Chu Luren was unsure of himself, he was not honest with his words: "Beat me? Hahaha, I'll admit defeat if you even manage to grab the hem of my clothes!"

After all, given Yue Laosan's personality, it's too late for Chu Luren to beg for mercy now. It's better to provoke him so that there will be more openings in his moves. Why not provoke him?

"Waaaah! You pretty boy, prepare to die!" This enraged Yue Laosan so much that he turned into a living Zhang Fei.

Seeing that he hadn't been able to defeat Chu Luren after more than fifty moves, Yue Laosan directly took off the alligator scissors he was carrying on his back—compared to his hard skills, this unusual weapon was his signature move!

Yue Laosan wielded his crocodile scissors with incredible skill, and between the opening and closing movements, a faint, purplish-red phantom of crocodile head-shaped true energy, larger than the giant scissors themselves, appeared, shattering any rocks it touched!

At the same time, Chu Luren also felt that Kun's efficiency in absorbing internal energy in the void had increased significantly.

Although it was effective just now, because Yue Laosan mainly uses external hard skills, there is very little internal energy dissipated. Now, by stimulating the internal energy to leave the body, the effect is even stronger.

However, Chu Luren dared not say "it's good that it came", because once Yue Laosan got serious, he could hardly hold on!

Taking advantage of the opportunity, he leaped up and touched the head of Yue Laosan's giant purplish-red crocodile phantom with his toes, then flew backward a short distance, creating some distance between them.

Then Duan Yu saw that Brother Chu, just like before he started practicing, pointed his sword at his brow...

If he's not in a state of "enlightenment," Chu Luren can only play around with the unserious Yue Laosan!

Yue Laosan, who had been given some distance, snorted coldly, lunged forward, and moved sideways, holding the alligator scissors at the front. With a combination of opening and closing movements and fueled by his internal energy, he flew sideways.

Not only was there a phantom image of a crocodile head on the giant scissors, but true energy also surged around it, only in a lighter color, as if a giant true energy crocodile was drifting over, shattering rocks and broken wood along its path...

However, the world in Chu Luren's eyes was very different from before. He felt that his ears and eyes were sharp and his mind was full of inspiration. Various changes in the Kun swimming in the void came one after another!

Chu Luren could indeed become "familiar" with martial arts instantly, but this familiarity was like having just downloaded a "monster-slaying" game, selected a weapon, tried out all the buttons, and understood their functions.

While fighting enemies in the "enlightenment" state will not increase attributes, it will make Chu Luren like a veteran hunter with thousands of hours of experience. Even with the same equipment, his combat power will be completely different from that of a newbie!

Just moments before, when Yue Laosan wasn't serious, Chu Luren was somewhat flustered and only managed to stay unscathed thanks to his superior agility. However, once Yue Laosan got serious, Chu Luren became even more at ease.

No matter how powerful Yue Laosan's moves were, or how impressive the special effects, Chu Luren could dodge them by moving along the baseline and constantly circling around him. He could even... take advantage of Yue Laosan's inattention to pat him on the shoulder from behind.

Not only that, what made Yue Laosan even more suspicious was that this pretty boy not only had an astonishingly high level of lightness skill, but when he sparred with him, it was as if the acupoints all over his body had been opened, and his internal energy would burst out exponentially if he was not careful.

As the battle dragged on, a colorless Kun fish shape began to form around Chu Luren, and the surrounding air seemed to ripple as the Kun fish stirred up waves of energy, much like the Kun fish's homeland, the Northern Sea.

The Kun fish could take advantage of the situation, but Yue Laosan's crocodile scissors were clearly not used to the environment in the Northern Darkness Void, and he vaguely felt a resistance that appeared out of nowhere...

Often, this move consumes a lot of internal energy, but only has six or seven tenths of its power. Moreover, this feeling is becoming more and more obvious. As Yue Laosan gradually calmed down, he thought about what he had said before he made the move and couldn't help but feel a little regretful. He also lost a lot of strength in his hand.

If Chu Luren had any powerful techniques to injure the enemy, he should have already secured victory by now, but... he hasn't.

Let alone being powerful, Chu Luren now finds Taizu Changquan (a style of martial arts) quite impressive—Taizu Changquan at least has some basic techniques for practicing its movements.

Unfortunately, it's gone now, and even the Chu Lu people can't use the pure Taizu Changquan.

In fact, if it's just a simple move or stance, Chu Luren can use it without needing any "equipment".

The purpose of equipment is to allow internal energy to flow in a specific way. As for those common sword techniques that do not involve the flow of internal energy, Chu Luren can use them. However... without the support of internal energy, even if Chu Luren were given a sword, it would be difficult for him to break through Yue Laosan's hard skills.

As a quarter of an hour was about to pass and the effects of his epiphany were gradually fading, Chu Luren became anxious and no longer cared about his image.

Chu Luren, relying on his agile movements, once again created an opening for Yue Laosan, and taking advantage of Yue Laosan's weakened "Crossing Crocodile Charge" move, he appeared behind him, and then...

Chu Luren raised his right foot high, but his body remained straight, his left and right feet stiffly forming a ninety-degree angle. The tail of the Kun fish phantom was directly attached to Chu Luren's right foot, while his left foot lifted off the ground...

"Take this... kicking exercise!"

With a slap, he landed on Yue Laosan's round, basin-sized buttocks, sending him flying far away with a loud thud...