The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

Because the Empress Dowager had died long ago, the situation in the capital was not as stable as in "history," and the young emperor did not even dare to keep the Empress Dowager in the capital.

After all, the idea that the empress dowager would close the city gates and install a new emperor as soon as the emperor left is nothing new since ancient times, and given the situation of the Qing court, it was entirely feasible!

At the same time, the young emperor did not even have Prince Feng accompany him, but instead hinted that he should leave Manjing, which already showed that the two were deeply estranged!

Qiao Feng had never wanted to fight for these things, and since he was going to leave Manchuria and even the Qing court for a period of time, then...

We should also have a proper discussion with the Southern Shaolin Temple about Xuanci's matter!

After listening to Huang Rong's analysis, Chu Luren finally understood that his elder brother's situation was not good.

Moreover, considering that he had crippled two first-class guards and yet there was still no warrant for their arrest... this matter could also be one of the triggers.

Chu Luren considered whether he should persuade his elder brother not to go back this time, or... take advantage of the Empress Dowager's incomplete exposure and pull off a big heist?

Chu Luren pondered the matter over and over but came to no conclusion. The main thing was that this matter depended on his elder brother's opinion. For now, he should first sneak into Shaolin Temple at night. There was still almost a month until the Lion-Slaying Assembly. If he could rescue Xie Xun without him even realizing it, that would be even better.

Lion-slaying convention?

Of course, we must participate as usual. Heh, if Shaolin can't hand over Xie Xun, Chu Luren will be the first to question him!

"It seems this trip is unavoidable no matter what," Chu Luren sighed.

"Although no one in the Southern Shaolin Temple can do anything to Brother Chu on the surface, those monks might have some hidden tricks up their sleeves. If you're going to sneak in at night, be very careful and don't underestimate them," Huang Rong reminded Chu Luren repeatedly, without stopping him.

"Don't worry, I'll treat it as if there's a master inside who can capture me." Chu Luren nodded.

Chu Luren also wanted to investigate the foundation of the Southern Shaolin Temple—even if he really encountered the Sweeper Monk, Chu Luren felt that he was not without a chance to escape, and perhaps... he might not even be discovered.

After all, the second Buddhist master who knocked on the Heavenly Gate had a breakthrough at the Northern Shaolin Temple, which was likely "involved" by the Bodhidharma Cave. Guihai Yidao's appearance at the Southern Shaolin Temple makes this even more certain.

Aside from that mysterious Buddhist master, who could have taken away the demon-possessed Guihai Yidao and placed him in the Southern Shaolin Temple without anyone noticing?

However, judging from the chaos in the Northern Shaolin Temple, even if one were to encounter a sweeping monk in the Southern Shaolin Temple, he would certainly be a sweeping monk who was affected by the Bodhidharma Cave and was not in good condition!

Of course, it's also possible that you'll never encounter it at all.

Moreover, given the Sweeper Monk's personality of not showing himself for many years, Chu Luren felt that even if he discovered him, he might not want to keep him!

If I really do encounter this situation and am captured, I can simply wait six months... no, four and a half months, for Yaoyue to come and pick me up.

Chu Lu only logged in during the day today, and has been very careful not to reveal his identity, all for the sake of exploring the place tonight.

However, there's no need to involve those bastards in this kind of thing.

As night fell, Chu Luren appeared and disappeared mysteriously from the moment he left the inn, without affecting anyone...

During his month at sea, Chu Luren gradually organized what he had learned. Considering that a major battle might be fought at the Southern Shaolin Temple, Chu Luren did not touch his fundamental internal energy or physical training.

Instead, he started with various "techniques" and organized what he had learned using the "Marrow Washing Classic"!

Chu Luren's goal is to reorganize swordsmanship, spear techniques, hidden weapons, palm techniques, fist techniques, finger techniques, leg techniques, as well as lightness skills, body techniques, and sound skills—among which swordsmanship, spear techniques, and hidden weapons can also be referred to as "short weapons," "long weapons," and "throwing weapons," and all eighteen kinds of weapons can be included in this category.

To bring back to light all sorts of buried "techniques"...

Once he succeeds, Chu Luren plans to call himself the Ten Great Martial Saints. If everyone still calls him the Red and White Tai Sui, he will go to Juxian Manor, change its sign to Ten Great Manor, and live there for a few years until everyone changes their minds!

Of course, the progress is still quite slow; to be precise, it's not even at the very beginning.

During their time at sea, Chu Luren primarily focused on dismantling the most advanced martial arts techniques, such as the Mingyu Gong, the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill, the Star Absorbing Technique, and the Great Bright Scripture. He ensured that their internal energy was integrated into "Qi," their physical training into "Body," and their external techniques into "Techniques," rather than having them obscured each other as before, which resulted in a significant waste of their profound mysteries.

Moreover, the main point is to make good use of the extracted "techniques," and to be cautious when moving the "qi" and "body," otherwise one's strength may decline in the short term.

At this time, the progress of "The Secret Essentials of the Ninja Sect" and "The Limitless Technique of Heaven and Earth" is most obvious. The latter has absorbed the wonders of "Transferring Flowers and Jade" and the "Great Brightness Canon", while the former has absorbed the perception of the "Bright Jade Technique"...

The perception ability of "Mingyu Gong" before the ninth level comes from the great enhancement of vision and hearing by internal energy, especially hearing, which can reach a level that is not typical of martial arts. Lianxing is an example of this.

At the ninth level, or rather, at the peak of the perfect eighth level, after perfectly mastering the Supreme Forgetfulness state of mind, one's perception is no longer limited to hearing.

The essence is one's own "utmost stillness," which makes external disturbances sensitive to the stillness—this is also the reason why Yaoyue's perception is more fundamentally enhanced than Lianxing's.

Chu Luren was walking on Jiulian Mountain at this time. He not only concealed himself, to the point that he could walk in white clothes at night without being noticed by others, but also visualized Mingyutai in his mind, so that his inner self was in a state of "utmost stillness".

Within a hundred feet, every insect flying and crawling was perfectly displayed. It was not only "heard" but also sensed even the slightest rustling of wind or grass within a thousand feet.

If it were a normal, unrestrained conversation, Chu Luren could listen from thousands of feet away. However, without the "Supreme Forgetfulness of Emotions" state of mind, he needed to specifically calm his mind and enter a meditative state to listen. Otherwise, it would be easy to hear, but he would be unable to eliminate other interferences. The noise would be deafening, and he would not be able to distinguish what he heard at all...

The fact that Yaoyue and Lianxing are not disturbed by "noise" is due to their state of mind, especially Yaoyue, who is a cold information processing machine under the state of "supreme detachment"!

Chapter 756 I was ready to finish him off right then and there

The Southern Shaolin Temple is now "criminal for possessing a treasure," so naturally, it has to have hidden sentries. If any martial arts practitioners approach, disciples will appear to warn them that Shaolin will not receive outsiders before the first day of the sixth lunar month.

However, Chu Luren went up Jiulian Mountain and could "see" clearly whether the monks' heads were shaved or not, but no one noticed him!

Unlike the divine consciousness and spiritual consciousness in the fantasy novels that Chu Luren had read, the special ability of "Mingyu Gong" is not about probing out consciousness, but rather about completely restraining oneself and putting oneself in a state of "utmost stillness" to receive external disturbances, or rather, information.

As for locking onto a killing intent, it will definitely elicit a response, yet it won't alert anyone's senses—this is the source of Chu Luren's confidence to still come and investigate even when it seemed like the Sweeper Monk would be there…

"Huh?" Suddenly Chu Luren discovered that about two miles to the west of the mountain, there was a cave with a seriously injured person inside!

When they first discovered it, the Chu Lu people thought it was dead.

Chu Luren was very familiar with this method of feigning death after severe injury—the *Yuan Gui Qi Gong*! One of the secret internal cultivation techniques of the Xin Yin Liu school…

Back then, Liu Sheng Piaoxu had also faked his death using the "Yuan Gui Qi Gong" while seriously injured. In comparison, this person's internal strength was slightly better than Liu Sheng Piaoxu's, and he had been practicing the "Yuan Gui Qi Gong" for a longer time. He already had Yuan Gui Jin protecting his body. At this moment, while faking his death, he was slowly nourishing himself. Even if left unattended, there was a 50% chance that he would come back to life on his own.

Upon discovering this, Chu Luren paused, then hurried towards the western foothills...

The person's identity is already obvious, given that he is even more skilled and experienced in using the "Yuan Gui Qi Gong" than Liu Sheng Piaoxu.

Chu Luren swiftly traversed the two-mile mountain path, parting the clumps of weeds to reach a small cave barely large enough for two people. Sure enough, inside was a figure in black clothes, curled up. Chu Luren pulled off the figure's mask and saw that it was none other than Yagyu Tajima-no-Kami!

At this point, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami's bodily functions had almost ceased; if someone else had found him, they might have buried him immediately.

Curious about what had happened to Yagyu Tajima-no-kami and who had injured him, Chu Shikato removed all of his straight sword and short blade, threw them aside, and used six different techniques to seal his pressure points. He then positioned Yagyu Tajima-no-kami in a cross-legged position to help him heal.

In a short while, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami's face came back to life, no longer that of a corpse. Half an hour later, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami woke up.

However, the instincts of the Japanese ninja swordsmen suppressed the various instinctive reactions that a normal person would have when waking up from a coma. They did their best to pretend to be still unconscious, remaining motionless and quietly sensing the state of their surroundings.

If someone was waiting nearby to coerce him, he would then face a thunderous attack. Especially after discovering that his sword was gone and several vital points had been sealed, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami became even more nervous.

He was still mentally calculating how he could break through the pressure points without alerting the other party...

However, at the same time, Chu Luren stopped circulating his energy and said coldly, "If you're awake, don't pretend to be unconscious."

Yagyu Tajima-no-kami squinted and, upon recognizing Chu Shika, muttered to himself, "What bad luck!"—Why is it this guy again?

Nothing good ever comes from running into him...

Is my recent bad luck really that bad?

Yagyu Tajima-no-kami was not surprised; Chu Shika-to knew he was alive—after all, his daughter had betrayed him!

Beforehand, Yagyu Hyōshū had already sent a message to Yagyu Tajima-no-kami, informing him that he no longer wanted to be an undercover agent, that he was still alive, and that he had already told his "sister" that he did not want his "sister" to feel guilty. He also mentioned other secrets that she had not told him, and hoped that her father and the Marquis would not bother her anymore.

"So it's Chu Sang. Long time no see." Yagyu Tajima-no-kami, who had been wearing a long face, relaxed slightly and asked, "How is she?"

"Ha, Mr. Yagyu, why pretend? When have you ever cared about such things?" On the jade platform where Chu Luren was meditating, the unnaturalness on his face was clearly visible.

Chu Luren was also relieved that he hadn't lied to Yaoyue before, right?

“Chu Sang also wants to deal with the Southern Shaolin Temple. We can join forces. The Righteous Alliance and our Dongying... as well as the Dragon Guard Manor, have no fundamental conflict of interest,” Yagyu Tajima-no-kami said directly.

In her final letter, Yagyu Hyōseok tells Yagyu Tajima no Kami that she will not reveal the connection between the Shinkage-ryū and the Dragon Guard Manor, provided that the Divine Marquis does not target her.

However, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami didn't believe him at all...

As it turns out, no one knows a daughter better than her father; you'd be right not to believe it!

Not going undercover was already the last vestige of integrity that Liu Sheng Piaoxu had left.

Now, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami and Jinhou feel that Murong Fu is not entirely trustworthy. After all, the evidence that Chu Luren had turned against him in private was provided by Yagyu Hyouse. Who knows if Yagyu Hyouse betrayed him at that time?

Therefore, regarding this matter at Southern Shaolin, the Dragon Guard Manor also sent Murong Fu, a secret agent with the yellow rank, to observe the relationship between the two. Furthermore... if Chu Luren dares to go to Lin'an to see Princess Yunluo, they will arrange a major event to thoroughly verify whether Murong Fu is trustworthy.

Of course, these behind-the-scenes schemes do not affect the temporary cooperation with Chu Luren when facing the Southern Shaolin!

Especially now that his life is in their hands, even if they don't really cooperate, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami has to keep up appearances for now.

Chu Luren naturally didn't believe in any cooperation, but he wanted to know why he had fallen here, so he pretended to consider it and pondered for a moment before asking, "Oh? Divine Marquis also wants to deal with Southern Shaolin? To what extent?"

Yagyu Tajima-no-kami, though weak, stared intently at Chu Shika-to—lying and detecting lies with the naked eye are essential skills for ninjas, but unfortunately... although Yagyu Tajima-no-kami is also skilled in this area, he lacks Chu Shika-to's perception, so only Chu Shika-to can see through him.

"The Divine Marquis wants to disrupt the Butcher's Assembly, but it's inconvenient for him to intervene in his official capacity, lest he be criticized by his enemies in the court," said Yagyu Tajima-no-kami calmly.

Chu Luren guessed that what he said wasn't entirely true, so he feigned sarcasm and said, "Oh? The Marquis doesn't have any thoughts about Xie Xun?"

“Yes, but compared to the Butchering Knife Tournament, the Lion-Slaying Tournament is not important to the Divine Marquis. If Chu Sang is willing to join forces, you can rescue the Lion King, and we… will secretly take Guihai Yidao away.” Yagyu Tajima-no-Kami remained calm.

However, Chu Luren still felt that he hadn't said everything and must have other motives.

"They rescued Guihai Yidao? So... Guihai Yidao is really at the Southern Shaolin Temple? They dared to secretly imprison the Earth-level secret agents?" Chu Luren understood the implied meaning.

Yagyu Tajima-no-kami knew that Chu Shika would inevitably ask about the reason for his injury, so in order to gain his trust, he decided to bring up the topic himself instead of avoiding it.

"No, the abbot of the Southern Shaolin Temple probably doesn't know that it was a high-ranking monk who removed Guihai's demonic thoughts with a single stroke in the back mountain," said Yagyu Tajima-no-kami with a sigh.

Chu Luren looked at him strangely: "Then your injury is..."

When Yagyu Tajima-no-kami heard him mention this, his face twitched slightly: "I've observed him several times and noticed that the high monk is always extremely tired after pulling out the demonic thoughts from Guihai Yidao at noon every day, so today I tried to ambush him..."

Chu Luren: ...

Chapter 757 Ancestral Tradition of Kicking Iron Plates

As expected of Yagyu Tajima-no-kami...

Chu Luren was speechless with frustration—the Shin-Kage-ryu ancestral technique of kicking iron plates was indeed living up to its reputation.

At the same time, Chu Luren also understood that the person who was able to make Yagyu Tajima no Kami's sneak attack fail and instead escape seriously injured while in a weakened state was most likely the Sweeper Monk himself!

In particular, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami also said that he was an unknown high monk, and even the Southern Shaolin Temple did not know that Guihai Yidao was in the Sutra Pavilion, so there is no doubt that the other party usually hides his identity in the temple.

With Guihai Yidao also present, it seems quite possible that this Sweeping Monk is a disciple of both the Northern and Southern Shaolin schools. It's just unknown how long his "commut" will take.

In this world, the distance from Dengfeng to Xinghua is roughly ten thousand miles...

If you've spent half a month at the Northern Shaolin Temple, then you can't spend too little time at the Southern Shaolin Temple, can you?

The sneak attack by Yagyu Tajima-no-kami here is somewhat similar to his sneak attack on Master Jutsu in the original work.

In "The World's Number One", Master Liaojie was in the back mountain of Shaolin Temple, where he was eliminating demons for Guihai Yidao. However, due to his weakness and being distracted by Guihai Yidao, who was dissipating his power, he was killed by Yagyu Tajima-no-kami, whose martial arts were inferior to his own.