The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

"Ahem, Madam... he's still a child." Chu Luren quickly interrupted Li Qingluo's resentment.

Although Duan Zhengchun's lovers generally hated each other, the one who attracted the most hatred was undoubtedly Dao Baifeng.

Firstly, Dao Baifeng was Duan Zhengchun's only legal wife and the only victor. Secondly... if Dao Baifeng hadn't been the daughter of the Baiyi chieftain, hadn't been important to Dali, and hadn't followed the Baiyi's monogamous rule, Duan Zhengchun would definitely have had three wives and four concubines.

Everyone else wanted to have Duan Zhengchun all to themselves, but they all couldn't resist his sweet talk—in the original story, before Duan Zhengchun ascended the throne, on his way back to Dali from Shaolin, he successfully got the women to get along harmoniously for a while, but…

He was then ambushed by Murong Fu, and because Duan Zhengchun refused to be threatened by Murong Fu and Duan Yanqing even to the death, he even committed suicide after they killed him.

It is evident that without Dao Baifeng or the rules of the Baiyi people, Duan Zhengchun would most likely have had a happy ending.

Therefore, Li Qingluo naturally harbored great resentment towards Dao Baifeng's son. However... Chu Luren did not keep it a secret, after all, Duan Zhengchun was suspected of coming to Mantuo Manor!

As expected, although Li Qingluo resented Duan Yu, she still flung her sleeves and said, "Then please, this so-called young master, get out of the manor immediately!"

What else could they do? If Duan Zhengchun hadn't sent a letter, Li Qingluo might have actually taken action against Duan Yu out of jealousy. At most, she might have hesitated, but at worst, she would have detained him and sent a "kidnapping notice" to Dali.

But now...

If she killed him, she wouldn't be able to face Duan Zhengchun, whom she had finally managed to meet. Detaining him... that's even more absurd! Was she going to keep him around to watch his father come and have a secret rendezvous with her?

Li Qingluo doesn't have such strong tastes!

Duan Yu also realized that Li Qingluo's anger towards the Duan family, or rather the Duan family of Dali, seemed to be... due to her own father.

Looking at the "Fairy Sister" again, Duan Yu suddenly had a bad feeling.

"Ahem, it just so happens that I have recently gained some insights into martial arts, and it is time for me to gain more experience..." Chu Luren was also preparing to take his leave of Li Qingluo.

"Well, then Yu Yan will be in Young Master Chu's care from now on." Li Qingluo tried her best to calm down when she heard that Chu Luren was leaving.

Duan Yu: ? ? ?

"Yu Yan, you promised me and Young Master Chu before that you would behave on the road and avoid contact with disreputable people!" The "disreputable people" that Li Qingluo used was originally reserved for Murong Fu, but now she also glared at Duan Yu.

How could Li Qingluo not see the lecherous look on his face when he looked at Wang Yuyan?

Although I don't think my daughter would be interested in Duan Yu, ... better safe than sorry, this is no joke.

At the same time, Li Qingluo was also a little puzzled—Duan Yu was nothing like Duan Lang in this respect, otherwise she really wouldn't dare to let her daughter have too much contact with him, and maybe she would have to talk things out just in case.

“Daughter knows, but what about Azhu and Abi…” Wang Yuyan whispered a reminder.

"Get them out of here too! Warn them that from now on, Mantuo Manor will not welcome anyone from the Murong family. Anyone who comes will be killed!" Li Qingluo was also eager to clear the area, and didn't want anyone to come for at least six months.

However, upon hearing this, Wang Yuyan breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Chu Luren with gratitude—as expected, he knew how to make his mother happy.

Chu Luren didn't really dare to take credit; it was mainly Uncle Duan who did the work...

To avoid any unforeseen complications, Wang Yuyan quickly took Chu Luren and the distraught Duan Yu to the stone chamber where A Zhu and A Bi were imprisoned.

On the way, Duan Yu asked Chu Luren dejectedly, "Brother Chu, how did you meet Madam Wang and Miss Wang?"

"Huh? Uncle Duan didn't tell you that he and Madam Li are very close? I gave Uncle Duan's letter to Madam Li before, and she... cough cough, it's nothing, it's probably because you don't come to Jiangnan!" Chu Luren saw Yu Yan walking ahead and whispered some information to Duan Yu.

"My father... really has a wide circle of friends!" Duan Yu's mood dropped another 5.

“That’s right. After reading Uncle Duan’s letter, Madam Li seemed to trust me a lot. She even asked me to take Yu Yan out for a walk and not to come back for at least half a year.” Chu Luren added another blow.

"Brother Chu's character is naturally trustworthy. I think Madam Li has also seen this, hahaha..." Duan Yu's mood dropped to -10. He felt that "returning at least half a year later" was very suspicious.

“Madam Li is indeed eccentric, but it’s not directed at you. Don’t hold a grudge. After all, you came with the Murong family. Although the old lady of the Murong family is Madam Li’s sister-in-law, she always argues with Madam Li because Madam Li gave birth to Yu Yan less than half a year after marrying her brother. She even slanders her behind her back… You understand?” Chu Luren comforted her.

Duan Yu's mood is -100, and he doesn't want to talk—isn't the case already solved? I've read the script once!

Fairy Sister... no, I mean Fairy Sister!

Seeing Duan Yu's dejected appearance, Chu Luren breathed a sigh of relief...

Chu Luren had previously suspected that when Duan Yu kowtowed countless times before Li Qiushui's jade statue, he seemed to be influenced by some kind of "heart" left in the jade statue. In modern terms, he was being manipulated by Li Qiushui!

It is now estimated that most of the effects of PUA have been lost, and Chu Luren has once again upheld world peace and promoted positive energy.

Chu Luren has once again spent another day doing a good deed...

Chapter Sixty-Six: True Qi Simulation

Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tick-tick...

On the surface of Taihu Lake, Abi and Azhu are rowing a boat while Chu Luren is improvising a piece of "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer"!

Originally, Abi was singing the Lotus Picking Song, but Chu Luren, being a musician, naturally didn't want to be left behind, so he took the initiative to play a tune on his instrument.

However... the atmosphere was somewhat silent!

At first, when Wang Yuyan saw Chu Luren take out the suona from his waist without saying a word, she felt embarrassed and could only smile politely at A Zhu and A Bi.

Actually, she had wanted to ask Chu Luren for a long time why he always carried a suona with him. Now it seems... it's not a suona-shaped mechanism or hidden weapon, it's a suona!

Because the suona is so popular in grand occasions, and because its tune is so high-pitched, it can be quite strange to suddenly hear someone playing it out of nowhere.

However, as they listened, the three sensed the struggle against the "constraints" of the martial arts world within the music, as well as the performer's pursuit of freedom and joy. For a moment, even they themselves felt a longing for freedom...

It sounds pretty good!

Only Young Master Duan still seemed somewhat melancholy—A'Zhu and A'Bi were also puzzled. When they had just escaped from that Tibetan monk, Young Master Duan wasn't like this at all. Why is he suddenly so quiet?

At this time, the five had already left Mantuo Manor. Chu Luren didn't have any particular goal. It was still early in August, and Taihu Lake wasn't far from Nanhu Lake. There was no need to rush the matter of Lu Manor. Li Qingluo only asked Chu Luren to take good care of Wang Yuyan and train her for at least half a year. As for the matter of "revenge," she only said that Chu Luren should make his own decision.

As for Ding Chunqiu... Chu Luren estimated that his martial arts skills were definitely still far behind those of the Starry Constellation Old Monster. Even if he had an epiphany, he would only be "unafraid" at most, not capable of winning. He was not even afraid of the "non-poisonous" Starry Constellation Old Monster.

Once Ding Chunqiu uses poison, the Chu Lu people, who currently have limited resistance to poison, may be in danger of losing their lives!

The innate energy of "Xiantian Gong" has a certain effect in preventing poisoning, and "Xiaohun Dun Gong" also inherits this. However, it is still far from those martial arts that claim to be immune to all poisons.

So Azhu and Abi wanted to return to Murong Manor and invited Chu Luren to be their guest as a way of thanking him for saving them. Chu Luren did not refuse—what if they could find the "Fossil Divine Skill" or the "Returning Water Pavilion"?

The current Murong Manor is merely the Canhe Manor in Tianlong...

Can thwarting the remnants of the Yan state's plot to wreak havoc on the world be considered stealing knowledge?

Speaking of Ding Chunqiu's "poison," Chu Luren immediately thinks of Duan Yu...

"Brother Duan, you said before that after swallowing that Manggu Toad in Wuliang Mountain, you became immune to all poisons?" After finishing a tune, Chu Luren began to look for inspiration from Duan Yu.

"Hmm." Duan Yu didn't really want to talk to him, and at the same time, he felt a little guilty: Duan Yu, Duan Yu, Brother Chu went through so much trouble to come to Jiangnan to find you, how can you be so cold? Besides... she's your sister!

"Then why was the poison Duan Yanqing used on you effective in the stone chamber?" Chu Luren pressed.

Duan Yu: ...

Duan Yu suddenly wanted to ignore him even more! And he did so with a sense of righteous indignation!

"The Manggu Toad? Is it the legendary Manggu Toad, the king of all poisons, whose voice is like that of a bull and whose body is entirely crimson?" Wang Yuyan asked, taking the initiative to ask after hearing Chu Luren's words.

Upon seeing Wang Yuyan approach, Duan Yu forced himself to be energetic—a brother should act like a brother!

"That's right, I accidentally swallowed this divine object in Wuliang Mountain before. At that time..." Duan Yu explained in a good tone, and even described it vividly.

Duan Yu's attitude surprised Wang Yuyan, but she intuitively felt that although Duan Yu seemed attentive, he did not have much desire, so she was not too uncomfortable.

"Young Master Duan actually had such a miraculous encounter? It is said that after the Manggu Toad enters the body, it can form a special kind of true energy, making one immune to all poisons... What kind of strange poison did Brother Chu just mention?" Wang Yuyan suddenly became curious about what kind of poison Duan Yu had been poisoned by in the stone chamber.

Since he is now Wang Yuyan's guardian, Chu Luren has also changed her title.

Duan Yu: 囧

Duan Yu naturally hesitated and didn't want to talk about it. After all, even siblings wouldn't want to talk about such things, let alone Wang Yuyan who didn't know he was her brother!

Chu Luren, however, noticed another sentence Wang Yuyan uttered: "Wait! Yuyan, you said it would form a special kind of true energy?"

"I've only seen it in some ancient books of the Free and Unfettered School, so it may not be reliable," Wang Yuyan explained.

It seems the Free and Unfettered Sect has quite a few miscellaneous arts that aren't martial arts, things that Chu Luren hasn't seen before...

As for the formation of true qi, it sounds magical, but it's not new. This concept existed in the first edition of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" when it was being serialized. In fact, Duan Yu's ability to absorb energy in the first edition was a mixture of Zhuha's true qi and Hehuan San.

Wang Yuyan later explained that she vaguely remembered a record in the ancient books that if the Manggu Toad was swallowed alive, its toxins would stimulate the corresponding meridians, and there was a certain chance that the body of the live Manggu Toad would become part of her own meridians, thus allowing her to be guided by the toad to perform her internal energy cultivation...

From the perspective that internal strength and true qi both originate from the body, it is indeed not unreasonable—perhaps the toxins of the toad paralyzed Duan Yu's meridians, causing the meridians to perceive that the toad and Duan Yu were one, so they directly transported true qi along with the toad!

In this way, after the toad is digested, the true energy of the person who consumes it will also undergo some miraculous changes...

"Besides the Manggu Toad, are there any other divine objects with similar effects?" Chu Luren pressed.

To deal with Ding Chunqiu, not having poison resistance is a big problem!

Several legendary martial arts techniques that supposedly grant immunity to all poisons are also candidates, but the Chu Lu people currently lack all of them, so they are naturally interested in external objects that can ward off poison.

After thinking about it carefully, Wang Yuyan shook her head and said, "It shouldn't be written in the classics."

Chu Luren was somewhat disappointed upon hearing this, but then he had Duan Yu "transfer" some of his inner energy to him...

Chu Luren decided to try and see if he could imitate it to some extent using the "Minor Chaos Technique".

For an ordinary person, losing true energy is not something that can be done so easily—whether it's attacking with true energy, healing with internal energy, or using someone else's body as a "battleground" to compete with them in true energy, none of these can be considered as losing one's true energy to another.

This involves the change in the nature of true qi. When true qi leaves the body, its nature has already changed. Otherwise, someone like Duan Yu, whose entire body was filled with the sword qi of the Six Meridians Divine Sword, would have already torn himself to pieces!

Not all cultivation techniques can transfer true qi to others, but the "Northern Darkness Divine Art" is one of them, which is why Wu Yazi was able to bestow this power upon others. No matter how long other schools have been passed down, they have never seen this kind of operation.

Duan Yu was initially worried that something might go wrong, since he wasn't very good at controlling this skill. However, encouraged by Chu Luren, he pressed his thumb against Chu Luren's chest. Duan Yu had only practiced the "Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian" of the Beiming Divine Skill, so only the Shaoshang acupoint on his thumb could absorb and exhale true qi.

This kind of inhalation and exhalation is the direct inhalation and exhalation of the most "original" true qi, which is of the same nature as the true qi circulating in the body.

Chu Luren immediately waved Duan Yu's hand away—transmitting true energy like this would damage the "residual root," or in scientific terms, it would deplete the maximum value of the mana bar.

Chu Luren only wanted a tiny bit to understand the nature of it, and then simulate it using the "Minor Chaos Technique"...

Chapter Sixty-Seven: Turmoil in the Martial World

After receiving Duan Yu's true energy, Chu Luren, through his understanding of the "Northern Darkness Divine Art," analyzed the nature of the "Vermilion Toad Buff"...

Duan Yu's true energy is essentially "Northern Darkness True Energy" with the Zhuha buff. Others might find it hard to distinguish, but Chu Luren is very familiar with "Northern Darkness True Energy" and can naturally subtract it.

After simulating it with the "Minor Chaos Technique," let's tentatively consider the simulation a success!

Whether it can achieve two or three points of effect, or four or five points, Chu Luren is still unsure and needs to be proven in practice.

Why are the results so poor?

Even if you use the "Minor Chaos Technique" to simulate the Northern Darkness True Qi, you can learn about 80-90% of it, but... ultimately, humans have their limits!

When Duan Yu was giving himself a buff, he was inexplicably driven to practice by the poison of the toad. At that time, the toad was one with him, meaning that he had the toad's meridians and acupoints on his body, which is why he was able to cultivate "Toad True Qi".