The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

The southern side is a deep red, while the northern side is dark blue with faint traces of ice and snow, which is the opposite of the ice volcano on the island.

However, the temperature difference is only obvious on the surface; in reality, there is not much difference in temperature here, and the overall temperature is quite comfortable.

Although the two envoys responsible for rewarding good and punishing evil didn't say anything, everyone instinctively thought upon seeing this "giant rock" that their destination must be here...

"Island Lord Long and Island Lord Mu have been waiting for a long time, so let's not delay any longer... However, there is one thing I must say beforehand: once you enter the stone cave, you must not lightly circulate your true energy, otherwise... hehe." The Good Samaritan's words were unclear, and most of the people present thought they were a threat.

"You're courting death!" the Executioner added coldly.

Many people were either indignant or apprehensive...

However, Chu Luren and Murong Jiu both appeared normal.

Murong Jiu also learned the truth about Xia Ke Island from Zhao Wushi, and even explained it more clearly than the mysterious Zhang Zhenren—that circulating true qi in the stone chamber where the Dao patterns of heaven and earth are located would drag one into an illusion.

Illusions may not be fatal, but they can trigger inner demons, making people increasingly obsessed with the Dao patterns of heaven and earth, unable to extricate themselves...

The two island lords, Long and Mu, will explain this matter to everyone later.

However, in the past thirty years, only Zhao Wushi listened to advice and did not enter it, and only Zhang Sanfeng was able to leave after comprehending the Dao patterns of heaven and earth!

Upon reaching the foot of the rock, there was a small cave entrance, just wide enough for three or four people to walk side by side and about one and a half people high. Above it hung a crooked plaque with the four characters "Stone Sinks, Broken House" written on it...

"Gentlemen, please come into the dilapidated house of the two island lords." The Good Samaritan bowed with a smile and invited everyone in.

He was so domineering when he was asking for favors, but now he's all polite!

Seeing that neither Chu Luren nor Nan Murong hesitated, the others could only secretly muster their courage and follow the two in single file...

Chapter 947 Eat and Drink Well

Although this "stone-sinking dilapidated house" was only part of the demonstration and didn't even have a window, relying entirely on some kind of lamp for lighting, the air was fresh and the temperature was pleasantly cool.

The group first walked along the passageway, and after several dozen steps, the space suddenly opened up to reveal a huge "square" in the rock, where tables and chairs had already been set up—not for elegant private seating, but for lively round tables.

There were fifty-five tables set up, with ten chairs at each table...

After entering this dilapidated stone house, the two envoys who rewarded good and punished evil became even more taciturn. Seeing the scene here, everyone hesitated for a moment before taking their seats.

Chu Luren went straight to the front and sat down at the head table facing the main stage.

Murong Jiu snorted coldly, not to be outdone, and sat down to Chu Luren's left, even leaning the chair to the right as if she were the one in charge.

Everyone watched with bated breath—given the skill levels of these two, if the other side were to suddenly use a dirty trick, would they be able to dodge it in time at this distance?

They actually sat so close together just because of a momentary argument...

Seeing the two locked in a fierce confrontation, no one dared to approach and they all went to other tables. Dog Bastard originally wanted to sit next to Chu Luren, but he was pulled away by Bai Zizai.

Zhou Zhiruo wanted to stand by Chu Luren's side—she had been given a good beating by Huang Rong before, and at least she was outwardly obedient.

However, after much hesitation, he finally backed down...

In this way, Chu Luren and Murong Jiu ended up monopolizing the table.

As for the others, although there was no coercion or rule, they all tacitly agreed to be seated according to their status in the martial arts world. The tables at the front were occupied by people who could sit in the front row at various martial arts gatherings, while those at the back were less well-known.

Before long, a piece of ancient music, complete with zither, bells, and drums, began to play. Chu Luren suppressed his urge to compete and simply sat down to wait, while the others felt a chill run down their spines...

Amidst the soft music, two elderly men emerged side by side from a stone cave on one side of the platform; one wore a yellow robe, and the other a green robe.

"The two elders of our humble island, Dragon and Wood, welcome esteemed guests to our island." Dragon Island Master and Wood Island Master bowed deeply on the high platform as they spoke.

That's quite proper etiquette!

Although everyone else had been prepared to fight to the death, the way the two old men were behaving made it difficult for the crowd not to rise and return the greeting, including Chu Luren and Murong Jiu, who also stood up at the same time...

The Dragon Island Master, dressed in a yellow robe, laughed heartily and said with a beaming smile, "My brother Mu and I live on a secluded island. We are honored to meet you all today! However, the things on this deserted island are simple and the hospitality is inadequate. Please forgive us!" His voice was very gentle, and although the island was isolated in the South China Sea, he spoke with a Central Plains accent.

Island Master Long had a somewhat charitable style, while Island Master Mu, as expected, was a sour-faced fellow, coldly saying, "Please, everyone, have a seat!"

His voice was very high-pitched, and his accent was very similar to Lin Pingzhi's...

After everyone was seated, the two island lords, Long and Mu, took their seats on the high platform.

As for the other disciples of Xia Ke Island, they had no seats. Zhang San and Li Si, in particular, stood with their hands at their sides on both sides of the square in the rock.

Everyone felt something was strange – the Xia Ke Island was very domineering in its hospitality. Without the protection of the Heroic List, they would easily wipe out an entire family. However, once on the island, their manners were very courteous. Although it seemed like a hypocritical and pretentious act, it was still quite convincing!

Some of the braver ones couldn't help but think: let's see what tricks they'll use next, and then it won't be too late to join forces with Alliance Leader Chu/Murong's secret agent to fight back...

The others, who had already lost their will to live, thought to themselves: When the prisoner is taken out to be beheaded, we should at least give him a good meal and a few words of comfort... This banquet in front of us is probably our last meal before we are executed!

Chu Luren observed the two island lords. He saw that the Dragon Island Lord had a completely white beard and eyebrows, and a ruddy complexion, like a child; while the Wood Island Lord had a sparse beard, mostly black with little white, and his face was full of wrinkles.

It's impossible to tell their exact age just by looking at them. However, according to what Master Zhang said, they discovered Xia Ke Island when they were over fifty years old, and they had been dealing cards for thirty years. They must have studied it for a long time before that. So they should be over ninety years old now, and it's not impossible that they are over a hundred.

As soon as he sat down, his disciples immediately served him wine and dishes—chicken, duck, fish, meat, bear paws, and yellow lips, all delicacies.

The ingredients were top-notch, the cooking techniques were exceptional, and even the oysters, each the size of half a face, were served raw...

Murong Jiu's eyes lit up at the sight, and with a cold "humph," she flicked her fan and pushed it in front of Chu Luren: "Brother Chu, don't you like seafood?"

"Brother Murong, please." Chu Luren chuckled dryly, placing his hand on the table and secretly gathering his strength.

Everyone assumed that the two of them disliked the smell of the food and were secretly competing with each other...

Meanwhile, the disciples of Xia Ke Island were pouring wine into everyone's cups, and for Chu Luren and Murong Jiu, it was Zhang San and Li Si personally pouring wine...

But all the wine was a pale green color!

The wine smelled sweet and mellow, but upon seeing it, everyone couldn't help but secretly suspect that it contained an unknown amount of poison!

However, the same was true for the wine of the two island lords, Longmu and Shiwu. At this moment, the two elders raised their wine cups and said, "Please!" Then they drank it all in one gulp.

Chu Luren and Murong Jiu had no reservations and drank heartily. They already knew that this wine was a great tonic, and Chu Luren even guessed that the herbs his little master had asked him to find probably contained quite a few of them, so he could ask the two island masters of Longmu Island to send him some later.

Of course, not everyone else was so readily obliging; most were just going through the motions, raising their glasses but not even touching their lips...

Only a small number of heroes, either acting impulsively or feeling that it wasn't worth poisoning them if Xia Ke Dao wanted to kill them, acted without any scruples.

Strangely enough, after drinking this cup of wine, I only felt a warmth in my chest and abdomen, and a sense of comfort throughout my body—for a third-rate master, these few cups of wine were quite precious!

The disciples from Xia Ke Island nearby didn't urge him on; they simply refilled the cups of those who had finished their drinks.

After the three rounds of drinks, they finally got to the main event. Island Master Long waved his hand, and two rows of disciples filed in from the back, serving each person at each table a bowl of hot, blue Laba porridge!

The porridge, at first glance, appears to be a deep indigo, but at a slightly tilted angle, a gradient towards a pale green can be seen…

The ingredients that should be in normal Laba porridge, such as red dates, lotus seeds, and longan, are nowhere to be found. Instead, there are strange things, some of which look like small pieces of twigs and branches, some like pieces of tree roots, and some are torn pieces of colorful mushroom caps!

Moreover, even though it had clearly stopped boiling, the "ingredients" inside were still tumbling and bubbling away...

Upon closer inspection, one of the ingredients resembled cassava, which was wriggling and moving slightly, disturbing the entire bowl.

Unlike the drinks, Chu Luren immediately recognized several of them as medicinal herbs that his junior master had asked him to keep an eye out for. This "cassava" was even the "Earth Dragon Ginseng Fruit" recorded in the *Medicine King's Divine Treatise*, which could only grow underground where ice and fire meet…

Chapter 948 Questioning

When the heroes saw the sign for "Laba Congee" on Xia Ke Island, they were all immediately filled with trepidation...

Not only did it unabashedly exude a medicinal fragrance, but... this appearance was a bit too much?

It has a strange color and it's rolling and bubbling on its own?

The thought of how many poisonous snakes, centipedes, spiders, and scorpions might have been put inside made many people feel nauseous!

"Greetings, you have come from afar. Our humble island has nothing to offer in return! This bowl of Laba porridge is a specialty of our island, and it is not easy to find outside. The most important ingredient, the 'Heart-Severing, Bone-Corroding, and Heart-Rotting Grass,' only becomes fully effective after it blooms! However, this grass only blooms once every ten years, so we always wait until it blooms before inviting fellow martial artists to come and share it with us... Counting on my fingers, this is the fourth time we have invited you."

This year, in particular, everyone is exceptionally fortunate. The 'Heartbreak, Bone-Corroding, and Heart-Rotting Grass' is growing exceptionally well. While it has always been miraculous, we have never seen anything like it.

Please, please... everyone, don't be so polite!

As they spoke, Island Master Long and Island Master Mu each held a bowl of porridge in their left hands and raised their chopsticks in their right hands, inviting each other to join in.

"Heart-breaking, bone-corroding, and soul-rotting grass? Is that a name that Island Master Dragon gave himself?" Chu Luren asked after laughing heartily.

"Hmm? Alliance Leader Chu, do you perhaps know of any records of this item? We are but humble ones, and merely offered a name offhand, which has amused Alliance Leader Chu," said Island Master Long politely.

"It's just a name. It's given by predecessors and given by successors, so it doesn't really matter... It's just that the Medicine King Sect calls this 'Earth Dragon Ginseng Fruit,' because the root and stem only become more potent and can be detoxified and refined after the flower blooms!"

If one is not careful, if the processing is improper, or if the flowers are not in bloom or are missed, then it becomes highly poisonous. Even slight contact will weaken the heart and blood vessels, soften the bones, and cause the intestines to rot... Not only is there no cure, but it will also torment a person for hundreds of days before finally taking their life, causing unbearable suffering!

After Chu Luren finished speaking, everyone felt a chill run down their spines...

The two island lords, Long and Mu, were stunned by what they heard. Long Island Lord, in particular, patted his chest and said, "Indeed! Alliance Leader Chu is indeed a learned man! Alliance Leader Chu, rest assured, although we brothers do not know the name of this 'Heartbreak, Bone-Corroding, and Heart-Rotting Grass' in the 'Medicine King's Divine Treatise,' we have obtained a method to deal with it, which will ensure that nothing goes wrong!"

Upon hearing the Dragon Island Master's guarantee, everyone scoffed inwardly—"I don't believe you for a second!"

Quick! Alliance Leader Chu, throw the porridge in his face, let's fight!

However, Chu Luren replied, "Alright! Then I'll try it first!"

As Chu Luren spoke, he picked up the bowl and gulped it down in one go.

What the others didn't notice was that Chu Luren was about to wipe his lips with his hand after finishing his drink when he suddenly felt Murong Jiu's gaze. So he awkwardly took out a handkerchief from his pocket that he wasn't used to carrying and wiped his lips.

"Hoo... Ha! Good..." Chu Luren exclaimed a few times, then gave a thumbs up and said, "That's awesome!"

Everyone was speechless—so after all that talk, you actually tasted it yourself?

For a master like him, the effects of "Laba porridge" are no longer sufficient to significantly enhance his power.

However, Chu Luren noticed that after finishing the porridge, his internal energy was becoming more active, somewhat like... the feeling of sudden enlightenment?

A normal moment of enlightenment begins with a change in the mind, which then affects internal strength—internal strength is an abstract concept that is a mixture of mind and blood.

The effects of this "Laba porridge" start from the blood and qi, then move in the opposite direction to affect the spirit, as if it is trying to force the person who takes it into a state similar to enlightenment!

Chu Luren clicked his tongue, then spontaneously activated his consciousness, entering a state of "enlightenment" on his own...

The original intention was to try it out and compare the differences between the two kinds of enlightenment. However, after I started to sublimate from the spirit, when it affected my internal strength and blood circulation in reverse, this surge actually dispersed the effects of the "Laba porridge".

Chu Luren was slightly taken aback, but shook his head without regret—the effect of this "Laba porridge" was ultimately just a simulation of enlightenment, and true enlightenment was not something that Chu Luren rarely had.

However, at this moment, Chu Luren suddenly paused, then his expression became somewhat serious, and he carefully examined the expressions of the two island masters, Longmu and Erdao.

"Vulgar!" Murong Jiu muttered under her breath, then leisurely ate the porridge with a spoon.

The others were still uneasy—Chu Taisui was immune to all poisons, and... didn't he say that it would take a hundred days to die in agony after drinking the poison? So, Chu Taisui might not really be alright, right?

However, some people weren't afraid. For example, Gou Zazhong was already hungry, and since his second brother said the porridge was delicious, he naturally believed him completely and immediately slurped it all down...

Seeing that his grandson-in-law was drinking so heartily, Bai Zizai was not about to be left behind, so he quickly drank as well.