The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

Not only is cultivation dangerous, but once mastered, one's mind will become distorted, making it difficult to maintain one's original intentions.

However, through his refined cultivation, Dongfang Bubai comprehended another direction—the growth of all things and the transformation of heaven and man.

She gradually came to understand that "the nameless is the mother of all things," and believed that the mother body was the root of everything in the world. She not only wholeheartedly considered herself a woman, but also pursued the theoretical "body of the Heavenly Mother."

She did not become psychologically twisted or go astray; instead, she embarked on a path completely different from that of the Sunflower Ancestor who created the manual.

"Young Master Chu, it's been a long time," Dongfang Bubai said.

Now, this is real talk.

Thirteen years ago, after Dongfang Bubai captured Ren Woxing alive, he used Ren Woxing as a condition to exchange him for the "Mother Goddess Qigong" from the Eastern Kingdom, which he then used as an inspiration to enlighten the Iron-Blooded Marquis, on the condition that the Four Friends of Plum Manor guard him.

Extract its essence, discard its evil methods that distort human nature, and combine it with a part of the "Sunflower Manual".

Finally, not long ago, Dongfang Bubai opened the two Heavenly Gates of "Power" and "Mind," making cultivation much easier and allowing him to come into contact with the Power and Mind of the Mother of All Things...

Of course, the Mother of All Things here is not some evil god, but refers to the realm of "birth of all things" in Taoist scriptures.

Thus, Dongfang Bubai also broke through to a completely new level, only half a step away from "Celestial Being Transformation". Once she crossed this half step, her body could completely transform into the "Celestial Mother Body".

"Huh? We've met before? Cough cough, sorry, I'm always too focused on intelligence." Chu Luren thought that this was the contact person he had met in Lin'an or other Qunyu Academy locations.

"I want to know..." Chu Luren wanted to ask about the rumors circulating in the martial arts world regarding Wuxi and the story of Guo Juxia.

However, he was interrupted as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Don't rush, how about I play a tune for you?" Dongfang Bubai said, her domineering aura weakening by three points and her charm increasing by three points.

Chu Luren was also puzzled, thinking to himself: Why is this contact person acting so strangely? I've never encountered someone with such a strange temper before.

and……

That voice is so beautiful!

If Dongfang Bubai's appearance is comparable to Wang Yuyan and Xiaolongnu, but her style is unlike anything Chu Luren has ever seen, then her voice is truly unique and wonderful.

Have I heard this sound before? How could I not remember?

Chu Luren was very puzzled, but he did not interrupt the other party's playing of the zither.

Indeed, Dongfang Bubai's voice is a sign that she has taken another step forward, the true voice of the Heavenly Mother.

However, Dongfang Bubai encountered an even greater challenge—he had already completed the cultivation technique!

Whether it's the "Sunflower Manual" or the "Mother Goddess Qigong," she has completely mastered the parts that she considers "nutritious."

To reach that final step, she herself has to take it.

After all, there was no such technique before, which directly points to the "transformation of heaven and man".

The reason she appeared in Lin'an was twofold. Firstly, it was for the cooperation with Wu Sangui—Dongfang Bubai did not lose her ambition and domineering spirit after practicing the incomplete "Sunflower Manual" as Ren Woxing had imagined; she still had her own pursuit of power. Secondly, it was also to put her martial arts deductions into practice.

The mother of all things is "the nothingness that gives birth to existence." Ordinary people say that men are yang and women are yang, but Dongfang Bubai believes that these are acquired male and female appearances, which are born from "existence." The innate female appearance is the true "nothingness," which is neither yin nor yang.

For this reason, Dongfang Bubai once took advantage of Zhang Sanfeng's seclusion and defied the world to go to Wudang to seize the true teachings of Tai Chi!

She also had to admit that, when it comes to the "mysteries of Yin and Yang," nothing in this world surpasses Tai Chi, and nothing surpasses Zhang Sanfeng...

Unfortunately, she was the leader of the Holy Sect, and Zhang Sanfeng knew he couldn't possibly sit down and discuss the Dao with her, so he took a risky move.

In the end, Dongfang Bubai stole a portion of the deduction manuscript of "Pure Yang Wuji Gong" from Wudang. People say that Dongfang Bubai hurriedly fled when Zhang Sanfeng came out of seclusion, but... in fact, Dongfang Bubai and Zhang Sanfeng did fight!

Although it only took ten moves, Dongfang Bubai knew he was no match for him and immediately fled. However, they did exchange blows, and Zhang Sanfeng did not catch up.

It was through this brief encounter, coupled with the partial deduction manuscript of "Pure Yang Wuji Gong", that Dongfang Bubai became increasingly convinced that his direction was correct - Zhang Sanfeng's "Pure Yang" is also an innate male appearance, above "acquired Taiji Yang", which is why it is called "Wuji".

Later, Dongfang Bubai used this farewell manuscript to exchange with Ao Bai for some secret manuals that the Qing court had looted from the Northern Shaolin Temple...

Based on various accounts, Dongfang Bubai suspected that Zhang Sanfeng achieved "pure yang" by merging his true energy with that of some kind of mysterious yin beast.

Dongfang Bubai did not think this was the best choice. Indeed, Zhang Sanfeng only broke through the Heavenly Gate with "momentum" rather than "qi". Dongfang Bubai speculated that only by following the natural balance of Yin and Yang could one achieve the status of a celestial being!

Of course, this union of yin and yang is not just about male-female sexual intercourse, but refers to a deeper level of "dual cultivation".

However, this put Dongfang Bubai in a predicament once again—she had not yet achieved the Heavenly Mother Body, and therefore could not truly achieve Yin-Yang harmony. To achieve the Heavenly Mother Body, she must first achieve Yin-Yang harmony…

This kind of predicament often occurs when one is figuring out a way forward. Dongfang Bubai decided to use a simple method—try it first!

If you can't do a certain step, just stop.

But for yin and yang to achieve harmony, one must be completely devoted. After much deliberation, Dongfang Bubai realized that the only person he could truly consider worthy of his attention was…

Well, it just so happens to be the Empress Dowager's birthday, and Chu Luren will definitely be there too, so we can celebrate together!

Dongfang Bubai understood that the other party had to be fully engaged as well, which was easy to do; he would simply play a tune on his zither.

However... when it came to the end, Dongfang Bubai felt that it should be a proper ending - originally Dongfang Bubai had even thought of kidnapping his niece Yingying, but unfortunately, after Ren Woxing escaped recently, Ren Yingying also went into hiding.

Just as Dongfang Bubai was selecting other candidates, Liu Sheng Piaoxu came knocking on the door...

She was beautiful and captivating, and it was clear she was a virgin, and that she had chosen willingly—Dongfang Bubai felt that the person he had chosen was worthy of the "help" from the Chu Lu people!

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 545 Everything is going according to plan

It would have been better if Chu Luren hadn't listened to the music. Although he was surrounded by beautiful women and listening to wonderful music, Chu Luren had cultivated too many techniques to calm his mind, so he could barely remain unaffected by external things.

However, upon hearing this melody, Chu Luren's heart began to flutter with romantic feelings...

First came a tune of war and cavalry, its powerful and majestic sound captivating the Chu Lu people. While they admired the musician's skill, they paid no attention to anything particularly special.

However, starting from the middle section, the melody changes, becoming somewhat like "The Phoenix Seeks Its Mate," but in some places it is completely different, even with the opposite mood.

At the same time, from the perspective of the music, it does not seem abrupt—it's like a queen who rules the universe and caresses the sun and moon, starting to pursue someone... It can't be said that there is no transitional relationship at all.

At this moment, Chu Luren's thoughts were already immersed in the music, and following the music, he too began to feel a stirring of romantic feelings.

During this time, the "Dao Embryo Spiritual Awareness" did not issue any warnings at all—because Dongfang Bubai was also investing his true feelings, and this zither music was not some kind of mind-controlling sound technique, but a normal "pursuit"!

The current reaction of the Chu Lu people is not due to poisoning or being bewitched; in essence, it is because they are moved by the overwhelming "pursuit".

It's just that the level of "pursuit" is too high to be viewed in the conventional sense of romantic love.

Gradually, Chu Luren became lost in his own romantic feelings...

As the final section finished playing, Dongfang Bubai gently plucked a string, causing the surrounding red gauze to part. At the same time, with a flick of his long sleeves, he pulled the Chu Luren, who was several feet away, into the bed curtains...

Even now, Chu Luren remains immersed in springtime passion, not just simple desire, but a purer emotion.

A moment later, Dongfang Bubai had already withdrawn—she had done all she could, and now she just needed to savor the incomplete union of Yin and Yang and figure out how to break through it.

And... we can also observe from the sidelines another kind of yin-yang interaction, complete yet rudimentary.

However, just as Dongfang Bubai left the room and secretly watched from outside, Chu Luren naturally kissed Liu Sheng Piaoxu, whose face was covered with a handkerchief, when he suddenly felt a chill in his heart!

They had just fallen in love, but Chu Luren's spiritual senses did not react in the slightest.

However, Liu Shengxiaoxu was tense all over—even though she had prepared herself for the possibility of losing her virginity, deep down she still refused!

In this way, Chu Luren became completely driven by desire. Suddenly, all sorts of mind-purifying techniques, especially the "Buddha's Palm," took effect. Buddhist light illuminated his mind, and the Daoist essence cleansed his desires...

Chu Luren's eyes immediately regained their clarity. Looking at the figure in front of him with a handkerchief covering his face and feeling the softness in his hand, Chu Luren was startled—what am I doing?

Chu Luren immediately stood up...

Then, somewhat nervously, she gently lifted the handkerchief with her fingers, revealing a beautiful face underneath, with red eyes, seemingly trying to convince herself to accept her fate.

Because of the previous comparison, Chu Luren's first reaction was... disappointment?

“You are…” Chu Luren recognized her—wasn’t this the female knight who was accidentally trampled by a horse before?

"Excuse me." Chu Luren noticed that she had been acupunctured and first helped her release the pressure points.

However, immediately afterward, in a fit of anger, Liu Sheng Piaoxu drew a short sword from his robes and thrust it at Chu Luren.

Dongfang Bubai didn't take this thing away just now, after all... is it even a weapon?

Liu Sheng Piaoxu's martial arts skills were already inferior to Chu Luren's, and now, with her heart in turmoil, her thrusts of the short sword were haphazard and were easily knocked away by Chu Luren in just two moves.

“Girl, let me explain… no, you should explain first, what exactly happened just now? I remember I seemed to be with a…” Chu Luren’s memory of what happened before was a bit blurry, he only vaguely remembered that the “strange” contact person played the zither for him.

Then... it felt like I had experienced a passionate love affair, but I couldn't remember the details of that affair at all.

Liu Sheng Piaoxu didn't want to hear his explanation, nor did she want to explain anything to him. In addition, after calming down a bit, she remembered her mission!

Although the plan was fraught with difficulties from the very beginning—first, they tried to rescue someone from under the horse but were trampled by it, then they tried to kidnap the minor leader of the Qunyu Academy but were instead kidnapped by that terrifyingly strong guy…

But overall... it seems the mission objective has been achieved?

After glaring at Chu Luren, Liu Sheng Piaoxu used her lightness skill to escape outside.

"Hey..." Chu Luren tried to persuade him to stay, but he didn't actually stop him, because he still thought the other party was a complete victim.

Chu Luren's mind was in turmoil as he pondered what had happened, becoming increasingly suspicious—after all, this was Qunyu Academy, and if someone had plotted against him here…

Is Ren Woxing going to completely turn against me?

Or did Dongfang Bubai quietly regain control of the Qunyu Courtyard in Lin'an?

However, even though it was called a "ambush," Chu Luren felt that something was amiss. Firstly, there was no sneak attack while he was unconscious; they had only tied up a female warrior and wanted to frame him. Secondly, the Dao Embryo Spiritual Sensing only reacted at the very end, which meant that the other party should not have been hostile before.

Because of his suspicions, Chu Luren did not call anyone from Qunyu Academy to question him or shout "I want to see the Holy Maiden" or anything like that. Instead, he considered whether he should leave first.

Firstly, the current Qunyu Courtyard may not be so safe;

Secondly... "Desire" is not superfluous. Although Chu Luren has cultivated many martial arts techniques that enlighten the mind and see one's true nature, he has only ever used them to control his desires in situations like the one just now, so as not to become a prisoner of desires. He has never had the habit of erasing desires or having a desireless mind. Therefore, Chu Luren also needs to return to a quiet place to comfort himself... his wounded heart.

However, just before leaving, Chu Luren saw the female knight's short sword. Considering whether he should return it to her next time they met, he picked it up without thinking, only to discover later...

"Huh? Isn't this... a short sword from the Yagyu Shinkage-ryu school?" Chu Shikaren recognized the sword based on his experience fighting Yagyu Tajima-no-kami.

Thinking back to that female warrior, how nimbly she drew her sword from her bosom, it doesn't seem like the sword was deliberately placed on her as a trap. After all, drawing a sword from that spot wouldn't be so easy.

Could it be that the Yagyu family is up to something?

Was the woman in red some kind of illusion? Or a magic trick?

The thought had barely crossed Chu Luren's mind when he immediately shook his head—there was no such trick!

Illusions shouldn't be this realistic, and if the woman in red was also part of the illusion, then she should have already succeeded.

Instead of what happened just now, if it weren't for the warning from his own Dao Embryo Spirit, he would have already "succeeded".

……