The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

After arriving at Yang Buhui's room, Xiao Zhao activated a mechanism on the seemingly integrated stone bed, revealing a passageway.

"It's quite a coincidence that this room is actually in the room of Yang Zuoshi's daughter," Chu Luren exclaimed.

"Actually, this place has mostly been inhabited by the wives of the sect leaders throughout the ages. Left Envoy Yang proclaimed himself the acting sect leader, and after Miss returned, he vowed never to marry, so he arranged for Miss to live here," Xiao Zhao explained, still habitually addressing Miss as Miss.

“You should resume your original status now, instead of always calling yourself ‘young master’ or ‘young lady’.” Chu Luren felt a little awkward hearing this.

"Hmm? Young Master doesn't like being called Young Master?" Xiao Zhao looked at Chu Luren with a puzzled expression.

"Young Master, why... are you unhappy?" Xiao Zhao asked, noticing that Chu Luren looked sentimental.

"It's nothing..." Chu Luren felt a little uncomfortable.

When did it start that I began to feel awkward being called "Young Master"?

This is probably the price of growing up...

Xiao Zhao glanced at Chu Luren, whose eyes were almost red, and thought he was a strange person.

"Then I..." Xiao Zhao couldn't think of a way to address him for a moment.

Chu Luren added, "You can just call me Brother Chu."

"Brother Chu..." Xiao Zhao hesitated for a moment, then respectfully agreed.

Xiao Zhao, who had no relatives other than her mother and rarely received care because she was an undercover agent, found it quite...comfortable to suddenly have an older brother.

Although this older brother is a weirdo...

Deep down, Xiao Zhao was not truly persuaded by Chu Luren. She still thought that if she obtained the "Great Shift of the Universe" but could not master it herself, she would copy it to atone for her mother's and her own sins.

Before long, the two arrived at the "end" of the secret passage—if it were so easy to see "The Great Shift of Heaven and Earth," Xiao Zhao wouldn't have waited until now.

At the end of the passage was a large pit, about ten feet deep and two feet wide, which blocked the entire passageway.

The depth was too great for a trap, and there was nothing deadly inside. On the other side of the pit, there was only an impenetrable wall, with no other passageways to the left or right.

"I've searched here many times, and this is the only mechanism I've found. I don't know what it's for, or how to proceed. Perhaps it's someone with great skill who can push open this bronze wall?" Xiao Zhao speculated.

"How do you know this is where Yang Dingtian is in seclusion? Isn't this where the sect leader's wife lives?" Chu Luren asked.

"My mother said that back then, Master Yang often went into Madam's bedroom and didn't leave for a long time afterward, so..." Xiao Zhao said, a little embarrassed.

Dai Qisi was certain that this place was Yang Dingtian's secluded cultivation spot. However... Xiao Zhao sometimes wondered if it was because the sect leader's wife was beautiful?

Xiao Zhao spoke with a hint of embarrassment. She had more experience with the affairs of the martial world than Dai Qisi had in her youth, so she always felt that Brother Chu might have the wrong idea—only the Holy Maiden would…

Upon hearing this, Chu Luren's eyes lit up, and he said, "Haven't been out for a long time? It seems this place must be where Yang Dingtian cultivates!"

Xiao Zhao: ……

Xiao Zhao stared blankly at Chu Luren, noticing his undisguised expression and the sincerity in his eyes as he looked ahead.

Who would have thought that Brother Chu would have such pure thoughts as his mother, who was a saintess? Or is it just that I'm the only one with too many thoughts?

Xiao Zhao became a little embarrassed...

"Huh? What's wrong with you?" Chu Luren looked at Xiao Zhao, who was blushing, with a puzzled expression.

"N-nothing! Let me show Brother Chu the mechanism I found!" Xiao Zhao quickly changed the subject.

She fiddled with things in the hidden spots on both sides of the wall, and then the "pit" in front of her rose up until it was level with the ground—but what was the point? There was still a wall in front of her!

Besides, the pit is only two feet wide. If we really want to get across, there's no need to raise the pit, right? Wouldn't it be better to just jump across?

The difference is that this way, when you reach the wall, you have more footholds, making it easier to push. Moreover, this is the only wall in the passage that is made of cast copper, so it's no wonder Xiao Zhao thought that she might have to use brute force to push it!

Chapter 614 Honest Man

Chu Luren stepped onto the raised floor and walked over, first pushing against the wall in front of him—it didn't budge!

Clearly, the mechanism here is different from the one in the original work; it cannot be opened by brute force.

Otherwise, if even his own strength wasn't enough, Chu Luren felt that Yang Dingtian's resurrection would be futile; it was just the fourth level of the "Great Shift of Heaven and Earth," even if...

Huh? The Great Shift of Heaven and Earth?

Chu Luren suddenly thought of something, and used his hidden strength to pat the bronze wall...

"Hmm?" Although there was no movement, Chu Luren made some other discoveries.

When Xiao Zhao first saw that Chu Luren couldn't push it, she knew she had guessed wrong and was feeling disappointed. But when she saw that Chu Luren seemed to have made a discovery, she asked expectantly, "Brother Chu, have you discovered something?"

Then Chu Luren looked down, patted the wall in front of him that seemed to be made of molten copper, and smiled slightly, as if he had already figured out the mechanism.

“There must be mercury in this.” Chu Luren patted the “wall” in front of him.

"Ah? Could it be a trap?" Xiao Zhao said, still shaken.

I thought that as long as I broke through this wall, mercury would gush out from behind—then how could I possibly survive?

"No, this isn't a wall. You can think of it as a thick copper brick filled with mercury..." Chu Luren somewhat understood the purpose of this thing.

Chu Luren leaned against the "copper wall" and began to exert his strength again...

Just as Xiao Zhao was confused, Chu Luren took a step back, and then...

The wall was stuck to Chu Luren's palm, and it also "retreated" a step!

Chu Luren actually used his power to pull the huge stone wall back two feet in just a few steps—just enough to overlap with the edge of the floor that had been raised earlier.

Seeing Chu Luren looking over, Xiao Zhao, after her initial surprise, quickly realized what was happening and immediately restarted the mechanism, causing the floor to sink. Sure enough, the wall was a "large brick," ten feet high and two feet wide, with a length just enough to block the passageway. It sank down along with the floor, revealing what lay behind it.

There was a wall behind, but a secret passage was revealed on the left. If you just kept pushing, you would only push the "copper brick" against the wall, and naturally you couldn't move it.

Those who have mastered the "Great Shift of Heaven and Earth" can use their internal strength to cause the mercury inside to sway slightly, and then use their power to make the copper wall move backward on its own—otherwise, no matter how strong one is, there is no ring or handle on the copper wall, so one cannot exert force outward.

Of course, "Tai Chi energy" and "shifting stars" can also achieve similar effects!

If one's "Star Absorbing Technique" is mastered to a high enough level, one can use its suction power to forcefully pull the copper wall towards them—without even needing mercury.

Therefore, Chu Luren had some guesses about the effect of "Qiankun Da Nuoyi" (Great Shift of Heaven and Earth), which was probably similar to the borrowing and deflecting techniques in "Dou Zhuan Xing Yi" (Shifting Stars) and "Zhen Chuan Tai Chi Quan Jian" (True Transmission Tai Chi Fist and Sword).

This is different from the "Star Absorbing Technique," which can generate its own suction force and does not require the addition of mercury to facilitate the use of force.

Of course, it's definitely different from "The Shifting Stars". When Yang Xiao was fighting Wei Yixiao and the Four Wanderers with their internal energy, Chu Luren had already noticed something.

If we used "The Shifting Stars" to do it, even if we managed to do it, the scattered people wouldn't feel cold...

In essence, the shifting of stars and the changing of constellations changes the direction of force, including internal energy, which can be deflected. However, it cannot make the incoming energy circulate within one's body and exit.

If Murong Jiu had replaced Yang Xiao at that time, Wei Yixiao and Zhou Dian would have been unable to resist shifting their strength at the very beginning of their exchange, resulting in them hitting each other instead of having the stealthy and unpredictable nature of Yang Xiao's feigned magic.

As for the true Tai Chi power...

Chu Luren is still comprehending and has not yet integrated any martial arts. Now, even if Chu Luren were to integrate any martial arts, unless it is an emergency or something he has to do, he would definitely comprehend it thoroughly first before integrating it. In this way, he can better achieve enlightenment and guidance, and after guidance, there will not be too high requirements for comprehension.

Several moments of sudden enlightenment guided Chu Luren to understand some of the patterns.

Simply integrating the two parties only leverages the latter's initiative and strengths, but it may not meet the client's needs. However, true enlightenment comes during integration, allowing the client to incorporate their own will, much like the client proposing specific requirements...

Good or bad, it's hard to predict. If the client is a simpleton, it may seem like the function has been implemented, but the actual product is not practical. In other words, it requires a very high level of understanding and can only be achieved in theory.

Ideally, one should act as a client with some professional knowledge.

The person who designed this secret passage only said that "only those who have cultivated the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth can enter," and obviously did not expect that someone would come to break in after cultivating the Star Absorbing Technique and the Star Shift!

Chu Luren was also curious about what the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth actually looked like...

After walking a few steps with Xiao Zhao, they came across two corpses, both of which were just piles of bones.

However, one of them, even in death, was still in a seated position, while the other seemed to be crawling towards the seated one, and there was a dagger between its ribs.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Zhao was immediately excited, after all, this was what she and her mother had wanted since they were children.

Despite her excitement, she stepped forward and bowed to the seated skeleton, saying, "Master Yang, Xiao Zhao, the Holy Maiden of the Persian Headquarters and daughter of Dai Qisi, the Purple-Robed Dragon King, has retrieved the 'Great Shift of Heaven and Earth' today... I am deeply grateful for the Master's generous gift, and I will certainly pass on the Master's other last words to the Ming Cult!"

At this moment, Xiao Zhao also saw the parchment scroll with the words "Great Shift of Heaven and Earth" written on it, which also had patterns and totems of the Persian Holy Fire Church on it, and she also saw... some bloody words on the back of the parchment scroll!

It is likely that Yang Dingtian wrote this on his deathbed.

If Yang Dingtian's dying words had been spread, the Ming Cult would not be in its current state.

“Brother Chu! This should be it!” Xiao Zhao said to Chu Luren after picking it up.

Even the fake face, which rarely shows any expression, appeared somewhat moved.

Chu Luren then stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Yang Dingtian, saying, "Master Yang, rest assured, although the Ming Cult brothers outside are killing each other after your death, bringing shame to the Ming Cult and even threatening its collapse, I, Chu, today, with Master Yang's blessing, will definitely help the Ming Cult, establish Xiao Zhao as the leader, and enable the brothers in the cult to work together again!"

Xiao Zhao: ……

Under Chu Luren's tireless guidance, Xiao Zhao... had already believed it to some extent!

Some people think they might actually be able to become the leader of this cult?

After Chu Luren stood up, Xiao Zhao hurriedly said, "Brother Chu, here is the will left by Master Yang. It turns out... Master Yang wanted to appoint Lion King as the acting master. Alas! Master Yang was a man of great reputation, but in the end he died..." Xiao Zhao didn't say it out of consideration for the taboo, but just handed it to Chu Luren to read.

That's right, it says here why Yang Dingtian died—because this will was originally meant for the leader's wife!

When Yang Dingtian was in seclusion, he happened to catch his wife and Cheng Kun having a secret rendezvous in another passage separated by a mechanism. Cultivating the "Great Shift of Heaven and Earth" was already extremely dangerous, and Yang Dingtian was further agitated by this incident.

After suffering a qi deviation, Yang Dingtian knew he was doomed, so he wrote a will for his wife...

It is clear that Yang Dingtian was indeed an honest man. At this moment, he only wanted to trap Cheng Kun here to die, and he also wanted to separate his wife, who was pregnant with Cheng Kun's illegitimate child.

Chapter 615 I'm afraid they'll feel awkward

In Yang Dingtian's last letter, the first part was filled with self-reflection. He felt guilty for neglecting his wife's emotional connection due to his diligent practice of the "Great Shift of the Universe" and his rough nature.

Xiao Zhao and Chu Luren, who witnessed this, were also somewhat embarrassed.

In the middle, he explained the reason for his hard work: the Persian headquarters had recovered the lost Sacred Flame Token of the Ming Cult in the Central Plains through other channels, and ordered that either the leader of the Ming Cult in the Central Plains could retrieve it after achieving great success in his divine skills, or he must re-establish the headquarters as the leader.

At that time, the Mongols had already conquered Persia. The high-ranking members of Yang Dingtian Sect believed that the Ming Cult had already spread throughout the Central Plains. Since the Persian headquarters had surrendered to the Tartars, they absolutely could not obey the headquarters' orders!

Even when the Tartars marched south, the Ming Cult vowed to fight to the bitter end and live up to the expectations of China.

However, since the Sacred Flame Token had to be retrieved, there was only one other path to choose. As such, Yang Dingtian naturally devoted himself to cultivation every day, neglecting even his beloved wife. Moreover... his wife also had a childhood sweetheart senior brother!

Finally, Yang Dingtian also wrote that he had gone mad with qi and was on the verge of death, and was preparing to activate the mechanism to trap Cheng Kun and himself together.

However, another secret passage was drawn on it, hoping that the lady would consider their past relationship, take the book and leave, entrusting this will to the two envoys, the four Dharma Kings, and the five wandering monks...

The above contains his final arrangements for the Ming Cult—Xie Xun would serve as acting leader, in charge of the "Great Shift of the Universe," and the one who "retrieves the Sacred Flame Token" would become the new leader. Before that, Xie Xun would act as the leader.