The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

Zhou Zhiruo looked at Chu Luren's back again and again, and finally made up her mind in secret - if Chu Luren died, then the Dragon Slaying Saber would remain on Xia Ke Island, and all the talk of avenging her master and reviving Emei would be just a dream. It would be better to die together!

It was a bold and unrestrained way of drinking...

Of the rest, about 30% drank the Laba porridge, while the others remained hesitant.

There were also those with short tempers who couldn't stand the evasive and vague answers from the two island masters, Longmu and Yu, so they threw the porridge on the table and questioned Xia Ke Island about its actions over the years.

Then, disciples from Xia Ke Island caught the bowl of porridge steadily without spilling a drop. Moreover, the two island masters, Long and Mu, were both good-natured, especially Long Island Master, who actually explained the reason...

Chu Luren then took the time to remind his fourth brother that if he was extremely hungry, he could drink the porridge that others didn't want.

On the high platform, the Dragon Island Master explained in detail that everyone had been summoned here solely to study martial arts. As for the subsequent "gradual emergence of inner demons," which caused everyone to be so focused on comprehending martial arts that they were unwilling to leave the island, well, that's not our fault!

Besides, we meant well and are trying our best to help everyone, which is why we invited you here.

If any of you can thoroughly understand the "Tai Xuan Jing," then we can all leave together...

Of course, the Dragon Island Master was not forcing everyone to cultivate. He made it clear that if anyone was unwilling, they could turn back now!

These words left the crowd with mixed feelings of belief and skepticism...

At this time, the Dragon Island Master also specially ordered someone to retrieve intelligence from various factions to prove that the two envoys who reward good and punish evil were not unjust in killing people!

Of course, the people of Chulu mostly agreed with this statement, while also disdaining it.

“Lord Long, you said that Master Nie, whose family was wiped out by you back then, bribed the county magistrate and forcibly bought and sold the farmers’ land… Such behavior certainly deserved to be killed, but why did you let that county magistrate and all the other landlords and gentry in the county who were doing the same thing go free?” Chu Luren asked rhetorically.

"My Xia Ke Island is merely a coincidence, and its purpose is simply to restrain those in the martial arts world," said Island Master Long without any embarrassment.

Chu Luren chuckled.

Others also questioned the authenticity of Xia Ke Dao's information, but when they casually asked questions they didn't know the answers to, Xia Ke Dao was able to provide them, and they gradually came to believe it.

Chu Luren then turned his eyes and asked, "May I ask the two island lords, who was the person who used the 'Absorption Technique' to absorb hundreds of experts from various sects more than twenty years ago? And who has been colluding with Japan in recent years to cultivate spies like Li Tianhao in the Giant Whale Gang?"

Everyone was baffled by these words—wasn't Li Tianhao the one who colluded with Japan? Wasn't Gu Santong the one who absorbed the essence of the various sects back then? What was there to ask?

"You surnamed Chu! What do you mean?" Murong Jiu slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

Everyone then realized—oh, so they were suspecting Zhao Wushi!

Wait a minute! Since Chu Tai Sui dared to ask this at this moment, could it be...?

However, the Dragon Island Master then showed a hint of embarrassment and said, "This... we don't know."

Seeing the Dragon Island Master's reaction, Chu Luren was not annoyed. After all, he already knew that Xia Ke Island and Hu Long Manor had some tacit understanding, and... the Dragon Island Master did not lie directly, but instead pretended not to know, which to some extent confirmed Chu Luren's doubts.

How could they possibly "not know"?

If you really don't know anything, you shouldn't just say it's ancient Santong!

Chapter 949 Strange

The Dragon Island Master's words sounded sincere, but the crowd remained skeptical...

Only after Chu Luren, Gou Zazhong, and the others had finished their meal and drinks did Island Master Long invite everyone inside for a look!

It wasn't that Island Master Long was snobbish and didn't care whether others were full or not; it was just that there were really very few people eating.

After all, apart from Chu Luren and Murong Jiu, everyone else had been presented with a booklet detailing their own dirty deeds—as if killing them wouldn't be unjust!

Of course, a large part of it wasn't really anything serious. Some things, like smashing someone's shop or robbing some rich guy, were just written down to make up the numbers. Even if they didn't do it themselves, there were always disciples in the sect who were brave and fierce.

As for the Chu Lu people...

If he were representing the Righteous Alliance, there would be so much to write about. However, he just sat there with his eyes wide open, and no one placed any pamphlets in front of him. On the contrary, Island Master Long would occasionally raise a glass with him to toast, praising the Righteous Alliance for maintaining order in the martial arts world.

As for the Murong family, they have a lot of scandals, but Murong Jiu is currently representing the Dragon Guard Manor, and like Chu Luren, she is nominally in charge of the Reward Order, so no one is bothering her.

Even major righteous sects like Emei were presented to Zhou Zhiruo with accusations that their disciples were using others' power to intimidate others, and that Miejue had harmed innocent people during her campaigns against demons...

The bastard was nominally there on behalf of his good-for-nothing brother, which meant he represented the Chang Le Gang. However, he didn't even glance at the booklet in front of him, focusing only on eating and drinking. He didn't even recognize the three characters "Chang Le Gang" on the cover, let alone any charges!

Seeing Chu Luren put down his chopsticks...

The two island masters, Long and Mu, led the group toward the passageway behind the square in the rock. The passageway wound for dozens of feet, making the heroes nervous, fearing that some vicious traps might shoot out from the surrounding rock walls.

However, nothing actually happened, and they arrived peacefully at a stone gate at the end of the road.

Chu Luren discovered that this stone door was somewhat unusual...

In the previous passageway, traces of artificial excavation could still be seen, but here it is completely natural, as if it grew naturally.

"There are twenty-four stone chambers inside this cave. Please feel free to come and look around. If you get tired of looking, you can go outside the cave for a stroll. All necessities such as food and clothing are provided in each stone chamber. Please help yourselves and don't be shy," said the Dragon Island Master with a smile.

"Everything is up to you, except you can't leave the island, is that it?" Tan Gong mocked.

This fellow wasn't originally part of a sect; the Chongxiao Cave in the Taihang Mountains consisted of him, his wife, two or three disciples, and Zhao Qiansun, who frequently visited...

But who told him to join in the siege of Bright Peak and get caught back then?

Mr. Tan was very afraid of his wife, but he had a violent temper when dealing with outsiders.

"Mr. Tan, what makes you say that? You all came to Xia Ke Island of your own free will. If you want to leave, who would dare to force you to stay? At the port, there are all kinds of ships, large and small. You can leave whenever you wish." Island Master Long still seemed very easy to talk to.

The island lord looked conflicted at this moment, and finally managed to utter, "If you're going to get out, then get out!"

The crowd was used to the clerk's sour face, so they didn't pay attention to his rudeness. However, Chu Luren gave the two of them a deep look.

"Oh? Is that really so?" Tan Gong said, taking a step back, and sure enough, no one stopped him.

However, Tan Gong then thought that since he could leave at any time, he might as well go in and see if any martial arts were really so mysterious.

Are Master Yu Cha and Master Miao Di really still alive?

It would be better to go and see for yourself first, and be cautious by not using your internal energy or practicing; just watch the spectacle...

Once the idea popped into my head, I couldn't stop it.

And quite a few people have this idea!

Seeing this, Chu Luren deliberately reminded him, "Master Tan, you can come in too. Even if you can't return to Chongxiao Cave, Zhao Qiansun will take good care of Granny Tan! We all know that..."

Upon hearing this, Tan Gong was startled and exclaimed, "Ah!" His previous greed dissipated by more than half!

But then, a look of confusion crossed his eyes—good heavens! He still has to be conflicted?

Chu Luren was now certain that the situation on Xia Ke Island had indeed changed after the Heavenly Gate opened!

Even without directly entering the twenty-four stone caves to practice, one will be "lured" by an invisible force.

Even Chu Luren didn't notice this at first. It was only when he entered a state of "enlightenment" and his mind became clear and he saw everything that he realized something was wrong.

At this point, we tried it with Tan Gong and found that something was indeed not quite right!

"Did the old monkey give you another task? He didn't let you in, did he?" Chu Luren asked Murong Jiu telepathically.

[His mission was just to distract me; I was already prepared to go in!] Murong Jiu guessed what Chu Luren wanted to say, but directly refused.

It wasn't just the "temptation" of her inner demons, but also because Murong Jiu originally wanted to go in—after all, she wanted to be the emperor, so naturally she believed more than ordinary people that "I am special, I am the protagonist of the world!"

Others who saw it couldn't resist the temptation and stayed here, but... who knows, maybe I'll be able to master unparalleled martial arts and become the number one in the world?

Even after much hesitation, Tan Gong said defiantly, "Hmph! I believe Madam... doesn't need Zhao Qiansun's care! She's going in today!"

As a result, Chu Luren's gaze towards the two island lords, Longmu and Dizhu, became somewhat strange...

The actions of these two individuals were already quite "strange".

On the one hand, they kept the secret and never spread the truth about Xia Ke Island, while on the other hand, they kept "inviting" people to come here.

Although it was done under the guise of "saving people," the martial arts practitioners who had come here before were all deeply troubled by their inner demons. They were determined to stay here and comprehend superior martial arts techniques, and their minds could not hold anything else. Even if they were knocked unconscious and taken away, they would lose their appetite, act like madmen, or even dance wildly until they died. The two island masters, Longmu and Zhang Zhenren, both judged that only when someone thoroughly comprehended the Dao patterns of heaven and earth here could everyone's inner demons gradually dissipate...

However, it is hard to say that the actions of the two island masters, Longmu and Yu, who repeatedly invited people and increased sunk costs time and time again, were justified!

The original work is similar. Although Xia Ke Island in the original work is not as strange as the one in the Great Jianghu, the two island masters, Long and Mu, know that no one ever returns and that everyone seems to be possessed, yet they still keep inviting people to the island—which is completely inconsistent with their upright and honest character.

Moreover, whether in the original work or in the grand world of martial arts, these people not only don't leave, but none of them even write a single letter to their relatives and friends...

What Chu Luren found even more bizarre was that he had thought about and wanted to figure out these strange things before coming to Xia Ke Island, but after arriving at Xia Ke Island, he inexplicably forgot about them or subconsciously ignored them!

It was only in a state of sudden enlightenment that I began to notice these things again...

It is evident that the Chu Lu people had also been affected silently before.

"Fourth brother, could you go back and deliver a letter for me?" Chu Luren suddenly whispered to Gou Zazhong.

"Hmm? Sure. But second brother, you won't be in danger, will you?" The bastard agreed immediately.

Chu Luren breathed a sigh of relief and then said, "Well, I might be in danger, so you should stay and help me!"

At least Gou Zazhong is still okay. According to the law of cause and effect in the martial arts world, although Xia Ke Island has changed a lot, with Gou Zazhong around, there shouldn't be any problems.

Even without Chu Luren, could that bastard really comprehend the complete *Tai Xuan Jing* on his own and lead everyone away...?

Chapter 950 Stone Chamber

No matter how strange it is, Chu Luren will definitely come in to take a look!

Everyone thinks they are different... including the Chu Lu people.

And it really is different; at least he can use "enlightenment" to get rid of the influence!

We arrived at the first stone chamber. Compared to a "house", this stone chamber was quite spacious, with a diameter of more than ten zhang and a height of two or three zhang. However, it was a bit small to call it a "square".

When the group entered, there were already more than a dozen people in the stone chamber, each quite far apart. Some were sitting cross-legged practicing meditation, while others were gesturing and practicing, seemingly trying to comprehend some kind of technique...

Chu Luren and Murong Jiu entered first, but the earliest people here had come to Xia Ke Island ten years ago and had never returned, so Chu Luren naturally didn't recognize any of them.

Ten years ago, Murong Jiu was just starting out in the martial arts world. Although he recognized the senior figures from that time, he wasn't very familiar with them.

Instead, Bai Zizai, who was standing next to the bastard and in the second batch, exclaimed in surprise, "Brother Wen? You're still alive!"

The man he addressed as Brother Wen was an elderly man in black with a full head of white hair. He seemed to be comprehending some kind of movement technique, circling around in place, sometimes appearing to have a sudden realization, and sometimes looking troubled...

Hearing someone call his name, "Brother Wen" looked up, paused for a moment, and recognized Bai Zizai. However, he didn't seem particularly surprised, but simply smiled and said, "Why are you only arriving now?"

Bai Zizai was taken aback, but he wasn't angry. Instead, he introduced his old friend to the bastard—Wen Renhou, the leader of the Eight Immortals Sword Sect, who was invited to Xia Ke Island ten years ago and has been out of contact ever since… to this day.

Bai Zizai couldn't help but complain about Wen Renhou. Since he was still alive, why didn't he write a letter to inform the sect? Instead, he thought that Wen Renhou had been murdered!

"This place contains the most profound and extensive martial arts secrets of all time. Even if we exhaust our minds, we cannot comprehend even a tenth or a second of them. How can we possibly be distracted by worldly affairs?" Wen Renhou said dismissively.

After that, every sentence revolved around martial arts, and the phrase "Zhao guest wears a silk tassel, Wu hook shines like frost and snow"—on the rock wall of the stone chamber, the first two lines of the famous poem "The Knight-Errant" by Li Bai, the Three Immortal Swordsmen, were carved, along with a mural of a scholar holding a sword...