The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

He is mean-spirited, opportunistic, insidious, and has extremely low moral standards!

Being merely mean-spirited is one thing, but it can also be seen as a lack of magnanimity. Being a little opportunistic is also acceptable; one doesn't necessarily have to be indifferent to fame and fortune to be considered good. However, Zhao Zhijing's despicable act is that he has no moral bottom line in pursuit of his own self-interest!

In the novel "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber", He Taichong, the Kunlun Sect Leader who repaid kindness with enmity, was already considered a moral low point. However, after being captured by the Mongols, he would rather have his sword-wielding hand crippled than back down.

In the original work, Zhao Zhijing, in order to obtain the position of leader of the Quanzhen Sect, colluded with the Mongols and attacked Chongyang Palace...

However, at this time Zhao Zhijing was still playing the role of "good disciple" and "good senior brother", and Chu Luren had no evidence to expose him.

"I am Zhao Zhijing, a disciple of Quanzhen Taoism. Thank you for your guidance, Great Hero Chu." Zhao Zhijing was even more displeased than Chu Luren—why should a young man be worthy of "guiding" me?

At the same time, there was also a bit of resentment directed at Patriarch Wang Chongyang—why were the good things not kept in Chongyang Palace, but instead spread outside?

However, he remained outwardly calm, because Zhao Zhijing also coveted the "Innate Skill".

How powerful it is is secondary. The main thing is that in the Quanzhen Sect, only the founder Wang Chongyang had mastered this skill. If I could also master it, my position as the third-generation sect leader would be secure, right?

Chu Luren deliberately concealed his abilities. Although it was clearly the "Seven Illusions Rainbow Light Finger Force," he pretended to put his palm on Zhao Zhijing's "Fengmen acupoint" on his back and did not remove it. He let Zhao Zhijing perform the exercise in this way, as if only in this way could it be effective!

The Seven Illusions Rainbow Light Finger Force seeped into Zhao Zhijing's meridians. Because he was meditating and practicing his cultivation, he easily sensed the intrusion of the foreign true energy. However, due to Chu Luren's earlier words, Zhao Zhijing did not resist and obediently began his cultivation...

Chu Luren was truly dedicated, guarding him for a full hour before finally letting go and saying, "Alas, what a pity. Master Zhao's physical strength and internal energy are actually quite good. If his temperament were more stable, perhaps he could have succeeded."

Chu Luren spoke in a tone that suggested, "This child isn't stupid, he just doesn't study hard."

Zhao Zhijing was already somewhat unwilling, and Chu Luren's words made him even more awkward...

It's one thing if his physical aptitude isn't good, after all, Zhao Zhijing is already over thirty. But what Chu Luren means is that his temperament is lacking.

"The 'Innate Skill' was something that Master Chongyang realized after seeing through worldly affairs. If one's ambition is too strong, one will not be able to sense the innate energy... Ahem, I've said too much, Master Zhao, please don't take it to heart." Chu Luren looked somewhat embarrassed.

Of course, Chu Luren's statement was pure nonsense; Zhao Zhijing's problem was simply that his body couldn't handle it!

Zhao Zhijing was furious upon hearing this and wanted to lash out, but remembering that his superiors were nearby, he had no choice but to suppress his anger and said with a smile, "Hehe, if I gain it, I'm lucky; if I lose it, it's fate. I can't force it, hehehe..."

Ma Yu glanced at Zhao Zhijing, then offered a few words of comfort.

In fact, Ma Yu had also noticed some of Zhao Zhijing's ambition, but... he hadn't noticed enough. For example, at this point, he already believed that Zhao Zhijing was still able to control his ambition.

"Zhen Zhibing, come forward," Ma Yu then called out.

Chu Luren remained expressionless, but inwardly he was deeply disgusted with this person—when it comes to the most hated Quanzhen disciples in Jin Yong's martial arts novels, Zhen Zhibing is undoubtedly the uncrowned king.

Initially, the character's name was "Yin Zhiping," just like the Seven Masters of Quanzhen, which was the real name of a historical figure in Taoism.

However, his actions were truly too slanderous, and the name "Yin Zhiping" had already appeared in The Legend of the Condor Heroes, and was several years older than Guo Jing, which did not fit the plot of The Return of the Condor Heroes. Therefore, he was later changed to the original name "Zhen Zhibing", completely separating himself from the "Yin Zhiping" who appeared in The Legend of the Condor Heroes.

Now that "Zhen Zhibing" really exists, it's clear that he's the one who's to blame...

"I am Zhen Zhibing, and I thank you for your guidance, Great Hero Chu." Zhen Zhibing seemed a bit more shy than Zhao Zhijing.

"No problem, no problem." Chu Luren continued to feign ignorance, just as he had done with Zhao Zhijing before, placing his palm behind Zhao's back to observe his practice.

This observation was significant; Chu Luren discovered that... this guy actually had some talent for cultivating the "Innate Skill"!

Not too good, but after more than half an hour, his innate energy was indeed activated without him even realizing it.

Chu Luren's "Minor Chaos Technique" constantly draws upon innate energy, which is why it was able to be discovered.

Seeing that Chu Luren had taken his hand off in less than an hour, Ma Yu and the other two had a glimmer of hope in their eyes. Zhao Zhijing's eyes first flashed with resentment, but he tried his best to hide it.

Among the second-generation disciples, Yin Zhiping, who was originally the most outstanding, is now obsessed with the art of alchemy. He spends his days studying Taoism and neglects even his martial arts training. He has long forgotten about whether or not he is the sect leader. His master, Qiu Chuji, can't do anything about him.

Therefore, the position of sect leader will most likely be chosen between Zhao Zhijing and Zhen Zhibing, with Zhao Zhijing being the more likely candidate.

Now that Zhao Zhijing sees that Zhen Zhibing might actually master the "Innate Skill", how could he not be anxious?

"Master Zhen! You've almost succeeded so many times, why do you always go down the path of... the path of depravity? Can't you even do the most basic thing like restraining lustful... cough cough, restraining distracting thoughts? Ah... I misspoke, please forgive me, please forgive me." Chu Luren looked at him with a disappointed expression.

He then realized his mistake and repeatedly apologized to Ma Yu and the other two.

Seeing Chu Luren's attitude, Ma Yu and the other two disciples returned the greeting, promising to strictly discipline their disciple in the future, and asking Chu Luren not to take offense...

After all, in their eyes, Chu Luren had no grudges against anyone. His previous comments on Zhao Zhijing were also based on evidence. Now, his "criticism" of Zhen Zhibing seemed genuine. It seemed that he was truly disappointed in Zhen Zhibing and regretted that he couldn't get the hang of it.

Zhen Zhibing was stunned. He looked at the sect leader and his two uncles, and the occasional reproachful glances they gave Chu Luren between their polite exchanges. He felt ashamed.

So it turns out... I hadn't even reined in the most basic lustful thoughts, which is why I was delayed in learning the "Innate Skill"?

How come I didn't even notice it myself... No! I don't know this Chu Luren, so he must have really noticed it, which is why he's so anxious, right?

Sigh, I have indeed been feeling a bit lustful lately, but... has it gotten to the point of having lewd thoughts?

Thinking about it this way, Zhen Zhibing lowered his head even further, and at the same time... Zhao Zhijing suddenly found Chu Luren more pleasing to the eye!

After seeing how angry Chu Luren was, Ma Yu changed the subject and first treated Chu Luren to dinner. Then, during the evening class of the Quanzhen disciples, Chu Luren checked on the two of them again...

Chapter 129 Only Son

For five consecutive days, Chu Luren helped the Quanzhen disciples examine their bodies...

The result was even more disappointing for Chu Luren and Ma Yu—not a single person had the aptitude to cultivate the "Innate Skill"!

“Master Ma… the ‘Innate Skill’ requires different aptitude than ordinary martial arts. Why don’t we invite other second-generation… or even third-generation young disciples to try it out?” Chu Luren said somewhat embarrassedly.

After all, he really wanted to pass on the "Innate Skill" and put his mind at ease, but unexpectedly, apart from Zhen Zhibing, no one else had the aptitude to cultivate it!

"No need, thank you for your concern, Brother Chu. However, the other disciples' foundations in Taoism are not yet profound. It might not be a good thing for them to rashly cultivate advanced martial arts." After hesitating for a moment, Ma Yu said sadly.

In fact, most of these major sects, especially those associated with Buddhism and Taoism, have a Buddhist or Taoist influence on martial arts.

Like the Shaolin sect in the original "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" novel, even though they lost the Yi Jin Jing, they didn't make a big fuss about it... Just like the puppets in "Arhat Subduing Demons Divine Skill", they've been missing for so long, and we haven't seen them come out to look for them.

It's simply because people with insufficient character won't be able to master it, while those who achieve something are unlikely to be evil in character.

Then Ma Yu chuckled self-deprecatingly: "Actually, it's because my cultivation is insufficient. Even though I know martial arts are nothing but external things, I still have thoughts about them..."

Just then, a young Taoist boy rushed in and exclaimed, "Sect Leader! Sect Leader! Grandmaster Qiu has returned!"

“Junior Brother Qiu is back, what are you afraid of? Only by calming down can you achieve stillness! Go back and copy the Taoist scriptures from these evening lessons ten times.” Ma Yu said with a frown.

"Yes... but Master Qiu went to the back mountain, he's probably going to argue with Master Yin again," the young Taoist said, sounding aggrieved.

Upon hearing this, Ma Yu's lips twitched, and then he gave Chu Luren an awkward smile, saying, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Brother Chu."

That's right, Qiu Chuji, who was not at Chongyang Palace before, has also returned—in terms of martial arts, Qiu Chuji is the leader of the Seven Masters of Quanzhen.

In front of Chu Luren, Ma Yu was too embarrassed to say anything more. Just as Chu Luren was about to make an excuse to go back to his room to rest and give Ma Yu a chance to deal with internal affairs, a commotion broke out and Qiu Chuji dragged his disciple Yin Zhiping over!

Calling it an "argument" isn't quite accurate...

After all, Yin Zhiping didn't make a fuss; it was just that Qiu Chuji got angry when he saw Yin Zhiping's overly "Taoist" demeanor.

Originally, Yin Zhiping was the leader among the second-generation disciples. However, a few years ago, he became obsessed with Taoism, especially the art of alchemy, and stopped practicing martial arts. As a result, his junior brothers overtook him.

Moreover, although Qiu Chuji was dissatisfied, in the end, this was not only the Quanzhen School, but also the "Quanzhen Sect of Taoism". Since they were studying Taoism, Qiu Chuji could not be too harsh on them.

However, Qiu Chuji knew that Chu Luren had come to visit and intended to pass on the "Innate Skill". Upon returning, he heard that none of the second-generation disciples were capable of practicing it. So Qiu Chuji went to the back mountain to find Yin Zhiping.

As a result, Yin Zhiping naturally had no intention of trying. In fact, Ma Yu had asked him about it long ago, but Yin Zhiping had lost interest in martial arts.

This approach worked on Ma Yu, but it was useless on Qiu Chuji. Seeing Yin Zhiping's lazy and listless demeanor, Qiu Chuji was furious. However, no matter how much he scolded Yin Zhiping, Yin Zhiping remained unmoved, which only fueled Qiu Chuji's anger...

In the end, Yin Zhiping couldn't fight against Qiu Chuji's superior strength and was dragged over, leading to the scene we see today.

"Haha, this must be Young Hero Chu, right? Seeing is believing, indeed a hero emerges from among the young... I'd like to trouble Young Hero Chu to give this good-for-nothing a try!" Qiu Chuji said, pushing Yin Zhiping forward.

In fact, Yin Zhiping is older than Zhao Zhijing, but... perhaps he has achieved some results in his research on the Golden Elixir technique, so he looks very young.

He wasn't embarrassed when his master pulled him over. Instead, he performed a Taoist bow and said, "This humble Taoist, Yin Zhiping, greets my senior master and young hero Chu."

Since he couldn't escape it anyway, Yin Zhiping came to terms with it—he might as well give it a try.

The Chu Lu people naturally had no objections, and even hoped for a successful outcome.

"Young Master Chu, if he's dragging his feet on his practice, it must be because he's not taking it seriously on purpose. You must tell me." Qiu Chuji looked like he was about to clean house.

Yin Zhiping twitched his lips helplessly and squeezed out, "Master is joking. How could I dare?"

Perhaps startled by Qiu Chuji, Yin Zhiping's practice was quite steady this time. Before long, his pulse was flowing like a dragon and snake, and he even... connected with the first wisp of innate energy!

"Huh?" Chu Luren stopped in surprise.

"What did Brother Chu discover?" Having learned from Zhen Zhibing's previous experience, Ma Yu didn't dare to immediately assume it was a success.

"This... Master Yin must be able to sense it himself, right?" Chu Luren asked.

Chu Luren used his finger strength to assist in the investigation, simply to avoid them being unaware that they were not sensitive to innate energy.

However, given the scale of what Yin Zhiping was causing, he absolutely couldn't miss it, so he didn't need Chu Luren at all!

Upon hearing Chu Luren's words, Qiu Chuji immediately glared at him, while Yin Zhiping helplessly turned to look at Chu Luren, as if blaming him for saying it.

"Ping'er..." Qiu Chuji called out in a very cold tone, though the address sounded affectionate.

Hearing his master's greeting, Yin Zhi forced an explanation: "Ahem, Master, actually, I've been focused on the Great Dao for a long time, and I no longer care about ordinary martial arts. Naturally, I haven't tried the 'Innate Skill' for a long time..."

Seeing that Qiu Chuji still had a cold face, Yin Zhiping added, "It must be because after I naturally followed the natural flow of Qi that I was able to truly understand the essence of the 'Primordial Qigong' created by our patriarch!"

Qiu Chuji wanted to say something more, but Ma Yu interrupted him, saying, "Great news, great news! Since Zhiping has mastered the 'Innate Skill,' this is truly a cause for celebration."

Distracted by Ma Yu, Qiu Chuji realized that it was not appropriate to reprimand his disciple in front of outsiders, especially since Yin Zhiping was currently the only disciple who could practice the "Innate Skill".

Afterwards, Chu Luren returned to his own room. As for how Yin Zhiping would be disciplined, that was none of Chu Luren's concern.

In the following days, Chu Luren completely passed on the "Innate Skill" to Yin Zhiping.

During this time, Chu Luren also discovered that Yin Zhiping really had no interest in martial arts, which indeed fits the setting of completely disappearing to seek the Dao in the revised version!

However, it was clear that Yin Zhiping's approach failed to "influence" Qiu Chuji, and he was ultimately forced to finish learning it.

"Brother Chu has caused me so much trouble. Actually... I think Junior Brother Zhen is quite good too. Can't he cultivate as well?" Yin Zhiping complained to Chu Luren.

Chu Luren was startled. He looked at Yin Zhiping carefully and was sure that he was just making a normal assessment and had not discovered Chu Luren's selfish motives. So he shook his head and said, "No, Daoist Zhen may be able to cultivate, but his mind is not stable and he indulges his desires too much. It may not be a good thing for him to cultivate."

Yin Zhiping didn't suspect anything. After all, the Chu Lu people were willing to teach him the complete "Innate Skill" and explained it in detail. They wouldn't have any reason to frame Junior Brother Zhen. So he thought to himself that he should advise and supervise Junior Brother Zhen in the future.

After all, he and Zhen Zhibing were both Qiu Chuji's disciples. Especially after he lost interest in martial arts and disappointed Qiu Chuji, Zhen Zhibing became Qiu Chuji's most valued disciple!

"Master Qiu is really busy. He left again after only a few days back?" Chu Luren originally wanted to take this opportunity to find out exactly how many years ago Qiu Chuji made a bet with the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan.

However, Yin Zhiping then said, "Well, Master took in a troublesome junior brother outside, and lately he's been... cough cough, it's nothing..."

Yin Zhiping quickly changed the subject, but Chu Luren vaguely guessed something.