The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

Of course, Chu Luren had never heard of "Phantom Minor Technique," but if it were "Phantom Grand Technique" or "Phantom Divine Skill," Chu Luren would be very familiar with them!

It is precisely the martial arts of the Four Ghosts of Xiangxi in "The World's Number One" that are known for their ghostly movements and ability to neutralize all internal force attacks. They combine defense with offense, and no matter what kind of attack they use, it will disappear without a trace...

In the original work, these four ignored other people in the martial arts world and did not get involved in its affairs. They only served as Wan Sanqian's bodyguards. The four of them could defeat Cao Zhengchun when they joined forces. Unfortunately, they were eventually killed by Tie Dan Shenhou, who exposed his true colors and turned against Wan Sanqian.

Thinking about why Shenhou was able to break the "Phantom Divine Skill" in the original work, Chu Luren understood even more clearly - because Wan Sanqian and Shenhou had worked together before, and ordered the Four Ghosts of Xiangxi to train the Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals and Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends for Shenhou, thus enabling Shenhou to understand the weakness of the "Phantom Divine Skill".

The training location is right here in Qingcheng Mountain!

After thinking about this, Chu Luren also vaguely suspected that the fact that the number one manor in the world was supporting Yu Canghai was not simply because "his subordinates" had accepted bribes, but because Yu Canghai had already secretly pledged allegiance to the Divine Marquis.

The martial arts of the Six Immortals of Peach Valley are indeed similar to those of the "Four Ghosts of Western Hunan". They are all ghostly in their movements and can neutralize the internal force that attacks them. However, their attack methods are very simple. Their moves are just random tearing. Their internal martial arts are only mysterious when multiple people grab the enemy at the same time.

Of course, compared to the legendary Four Ghosts of Western Hunan, the Six Immortals of Peach Valley are still quite inferior.

The four ghosts of Xiangxi, when they joined forces, were comparable to the top masters of the time, and their defense was truly invincible. As for the six immortals of Peach Valley... in the original work, Ning Zhongze was able to injure one of them with a fierce move. When Chu Luren fought with them before, he only found them troublesome, but not "indestructible".

Furthermore, since they claim to practice the "Phantom Giant Technique," and emphasize it as if it were stronger than the original "Phantom Grand Technique," it's highly likely that... their skill level is actually shallower, or the technique is incomplete, making it weaker than the original and only a "Phantom Minor Technique."

Linghu Chong then realized that it was highly likely that his junior sister Yilin had won the bet against these old men and had also managed to extract the identities of the "Six Immortals of Peach Valley".

"The Peach Valley Six Immortals are renowned in the martial world. If you ask me to go to Hengshan, how dare I refuse? It's just that Zuo Lengchan of Songshan is arrogant and unreasonable..." Linghu Chong had an idea in mind and wanted to instigate the Peach Valley Six Immortals to fight against the people of Songshan.

This way, I can avoid them getting entangled with me and at the same time help my master!

The names of the Six Immortals of Peach Valley also come from the peach tree. Starting with the eldest, they are called: Peach Root Immortal, Peach Trunk Immortal, Peach Branch Immortal, Peach Leaf Immortal, Peach Blossom Immortal, and Peach Fruit Immortal. Among them, Peach Branch Immortal and Peach Leaf Immortal are the third and fourth eldest, respectively, and even their parents couldn't say for sure how they were named...

Judging from their appearances, these six women were likely born in the same family. In a female-oriented novel, their mothers would be the protagonists of many stories.

Linghu Chong was also eloquent, praising the Six Immortals of Peach Valley to the skies, from their reputation in the martial arts world to their appearance and character, even going so far as to praise each of their names.

"Peach Blossom Fairy... Hmm, what a beautiful name! Brother Chu, don't you think so?" Linghu Chong said with a look of praise, glancing at Chu Luren as he spoke.

Chu Luren frowned upon hearing this, then muttered, "Thank goodness there's no seventh brother, otherwise wouldn't he have to be called 'Peach Kernel Immortal'? That sounds awful..."

Linghu Chong: !!!

Peach Fairy: ...

The way Linghu Chong looks at Chu Luren now is probably the same way Chu Luren looked at the Wu couple back in Lu Family Village, when they were stirring up hatred.

"Peach Kernel Fairy? Disliked?"

"Chu Luren is an unpleasant person to listen to!"

"Rude people, masturbators, ptooey..."

"Sixth brother, he bullied you, we have to teach him a lesson!"

Upon hearing this, the six were about to attack Chu Luren again when Linghu Chong hurriedly tried to change the subject. However, Chu Luren took the initiative to say, "Regardless of whether my name sounds better than yours, Brother Linghu has already heard the messages you conveyed to Little Master Yilin. Please make yourselves at home."

Linghu Chong was alarmed upon hearing this, not understanding what was wrong with Chu Luren—these "seniors" didn't seem like they were being reasonable at all.

Actually... Chu Luren also wanted to test how strong his current "Enlightenment Dream God" was, and the Six Immortals of Peach Valley were undoubtedly good sparring partners!

Firstly, although it is still unknown how much the martial arts of the six people are related to the "Phantom Divine Skill", it is undoubtedly a skill that combines defense with offense, with high defense and low offense, which is very suitable for practicing moves.

Secondly, the temperament and logic of the Six Immortals of Peach Valley are different from ordinary people. Although they took the initiative to provoke us, if we handle it well, we may even benefit from it.

Thirdly, in the original work, the Six Immortals of Peach Valley were the direct descendants of the Holy Maiden, and among Ren Yingying's countless subordinates, they were among the very few staunch supporters. Unlike the many evil sect members who were controlled by poison, intimidated by the infamous reputation of the Sun Moon Cult, and loyal to Ren Yingying out of fear...

No matter how things turn sour, Chu Luren can easily extricate himself by invoking his friendship with the Holy Maiden.

What kind of relationship?

Although Ren Yingying ignored Chu Luren's sob story last time when he wanted to learn another "Pure Heart and Universal Benevolence Mantra," Chu Luren felt that at least they had gone for a night run together in the woods!

I ran ten miles...

Furthermore, Chu Luren felt that if he brought a few unorthodox individuals to the Righteous Qi Hall to help Yue Buqun, Yue Buqun would not only be even more dissatisfied with his eldest disciple, but would also not remember his favor.

Provoked by Chu Luren, the Six Immortals of Peach Valley were about to make a move, but Chu Luren stopped them and said, "If you make a move without any explanation, wouldn't you be the biggest fools in the world? If others knew, they would definitely laugh at you."

"Brother, what he said makes sense!"

"Pah! Who dares to laugh at us?"

"No! There are six of us, how can we be the biggest fool in the world?"

"That's right, we have to determine who's first and who's sixth..."

While angry, the Six Immortals of Peach Valley quickly went off-topic.

Chu Luren interrupted, saying, "Ahem, how about this... Since you seniors were able to defeat Master Yilin and came here for this reason, let's make another bet. If I lose, then Tao Mou Xian will be the most beautiful name in the world. If I win... Tao Mou Xian will also be a beautiful name. However, I would like to ask you seniors to give me some pointers on the 'Phantom Giant Technique'!"

Chu Luren proposed a fair, just, and transparent bet, which impressed Lin Pingzhi and Lu Dayou.

However, Peach Immortal retorted angrily, "You brat, stop trying to fool us! What good is it if you say it's the best-sounding name in the world?"

Chu Luren was taken aback upon hearing this, touched his nose, and thought to himself: He really isn't that easy to fool...

“That’s right! If we win, you…you’ll take our surname, ‘Tao,’ that’s fair!”

"Peach...yes, your name will be 'Peach Kernel Immortal'! Hahaha..."

The Six Immortals of Peach Valley quickly finalized a new bet.

Chapter 148 A Draw

Chu Luren didn't want to be called "Peach Kernel Immortal," nor did he want to be the "seventh" among the six crazy old men. Therefore, as soon as he made his move, he entered a state of enlightenment!

Moreover, it was several times stronger than the usual "sudden enlightenment"...

The previous enlightenment only made Chu Luren extremely talented in combat, and he could use all kinds of moves at the right time. For Chu Luren, who was not good at fighting at first, the improvement was terrifying.

However, as Chu Luren himself grew stronger, the increase in combat power brought about by "enlightenment" gradually became more moderate.

After all, enlightenment cannot make Chu Luren's internal strength or strength greater; it only allows Chu Luren's "attributes" to be brought to their full potential.

As Chu Luren's grades improve, the improvement to a perfect score naturally becomes smaller and smaller.

However, this "enlightenment" was a fundamental improvement for Chu Luren—the "True Understanding of the Five Sacred Mountains" could only be used under the influence of enlightenment!

At this moment, Chu Luren felt as if he were holding not a sword, but his own mind, from which countless thoughts arose.

The Six Immortals of Peach Valley surrounded them with ghostly movements, but Chu Luren's sword strike possessed the imposing grandeur and iron-clad spirit of the Songshan Swordplay, the ancient simplicity and unpredictable variations of the Taishan Swordplay, the ever-changing and profound skills of the Hengshan Swordplay, the righteous brilliance of the Huashan Qi Sect, the exquisite ruthlessness of the Sword Sect, and the hidden sharpness and fluid, intricate movements of the Hengshan Swordplay...

Tao Ganxian charged at Chu Luren, trying to create an opportunity for his brothers, but was forced back by Chu Luren's sword. It seemed like a wide and powerful sword strike, and Tao Ganxian wanted to take it head-on, but in an instant, he felt Chu Luren transform into a pine tree on the top of Mount Huatai. The branches were ancient and rugged, yet twisted and gnarled. This was the "Five Great Masters Sword" that he had learned from the Five Great Masters Pine by the founder of the Mount Tai Sect.

Legend has it that the Five Great Pine Trees were built when the First Emperor of Qin was offering sacrifices to Heaven. He took shelter in the pine trees during a heavy rain and was thus honored as the "Five Great Pine Trees" for his "meritorious service in saving the emperor." Later, the founder of the Taishan School of Taoism discovered the Five Great Pine Trees sword, which is both ancient and unpretentious yet possesses extraordinary danger, within its trees.

Chu Luren's move not only possessed the unpredictable yet skillful style of the Five Great Swords, but also the hidden-needle swordsmanship of the Hengshan School. It not only had the strength of a pine trunk and the wonder of pine branches, but also the concealed sharpness of "pine needles," a technique not found in the Taishan School of swordsmanship...

Tao Ganxian realized the deadly move and retreated hastily. After all, the "Phantom Giant Technique" was meant to deceive others, not himself, and it was not as powerful as the "Phantom Great Technique".

Peach Blossom Fairy retreated, and Chu Luren had no chance to pursue her, because Peach Branch Fairy and Peach Blossom Fairy were already attacking Chu Luren from the left and right. Peach Leaf Fairy, showing no trace of her predecessor's cunning, went straight for Chu Luren's crotch...

Just as he was dazzled by enemies all around him, Chu Luren remained calm and composed. He casually twirled his sword, making the nearby immortals feel as if they were surrounded by clouds and mist, as if they were being lurked by hidden enemies!

"Ah!" Lin Pingzhi couldn't help but exclaim.

He had just used the "Heavenly Pillar Cloud Mist" technique, but compared to Brother Chu... well, Chu Luren's technique had already surpassed the scope of Heavenly Pillar Cloud Mist and even showed traces of the Hengshan Myriad Flower Sword Technique.

It's like looking at flowers through a fog, and... it's a flower that exudes murderous intent!

Lin Pingzhi could still discern some traces of "Heavenly Pillar Clouds and Mist," seemingly belonging to the likes of Lu Dayou, but he couldn't recognize any connection between it and the Five Mountains Sword Technique.

Then, Chu Luren calmly exchanged dozens of moves with the Six Immortals of Peach Valley. Although he was using a soft sword, his swordplay was steady and powerful.

In particular, the combination of movement and sword strikes is so profound that if a Taishan disciple saw it, he would only think it was more profound than his own Taishan Eighteen Bends. If a Tianmen Taoist saw it, he would most likely notice traces of the Taishan Eighteen Bends in it!

In a daze, it seemed like the Joyful Three Swords that fiercely attacked the enemy's vitals, or the equally ferocious Three Immortal Swords that took lives...

At first glance, it evokes the exquisite beauty of wild geese returning to Zhurong, but upon closer examination, it also resembles the sword intent of the ancient dragon and the homage of ten thousand mountains, which are completely opposite to it...

Previously, Chu Luren, relying solely on his "Dream God" ability, faced three of the Six Immortals of Peach Valley to a draw. Now, under the "Enlightened Dream God" ability, he also faced all six to a draw, but there was a fundamental difference between the two.

The reason why Chu Luren could not win in the "1 vs 3" battle was because the "Phantom Giant Technique" was not good at attacking. However, the reason why he could not win in the "1 vs 6" battle was because the "Phantom Giant Technique" was ghostly and had the ability to neutralize the internal force of the enemy.

Martial arts like "Phantom Divine Skill," which combines defense with offense, naturally have both advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantage is that it is difficult to defeat the enemy, while the advantage is that it is also difficult to defeat the enemy!

Chu Luren was also aware of this at this time. The improvement during the "sudden enlightenment" was not only from "three people" to "six people", but also... the difference between the lower limit and the upper limit of a draw.

The "Phantom Divine Skill" is indeed not simple. Even the "Phantom Giant Technique" of the Six Immortals made it difficult for Chu Luren to gain the upper hand.

If it were any other martial art, Chu Luren, under the "Enlightened Dream God" technique, would most likely win. However, when he was fighting the three opponents using only the "Dream God" technique, he would probably suffer a loss...

Having fought the Six Immortals of Peach Valley to this extent, Chu Luren estimated that he could be evenly matched with Zuo Lengchan!

With this in mind, Chu Luren, having ascertained the opponent's strength and understood his own level, considered ceasing the fight. After all, the Six Immortals' skills were formidable, and Chu Luren, currently in the "Dream God" state, could expend his inner strength indefinitely. However, "enlightenment" required consuming fusion fragments!

Although I harvested quite a few fusion fragments on the Cliff of Contemplation, wouldn't it be better to use them for cultivation?

Chu Luren's internal energy cultivation is now so high that he can never have too many sudden enlightenments!

After hundreds of moves and some gains and losses, Chu Luren wanted to break up the fight, but the Six Immortals of Peach Valley were reluctant. After realizing this, they continued to fight with the ghostly movements of the "Phantom Giant Technique".

However, it was ultimately Chu Luren's advantageous position. More importantly, although Chu Luren did not obtain the "Nine Swords of Dugu", the "True Explanation of the Five Mountains" also contained the profound meaning of "breaking".

The main one is "How is Mount Tai?" from the Taishan sword style—arguably the most complex sword technique, somewhat similar to the Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique). Before learning this sword technique, one must first study the I Ching, the Eight Trigrams, and the Nine Palaces arithmetic...

Its core essence is to be able to "calculate" where the opponent will strike next, and then restrain and counter it!

It requires both fighting and calculation, so it's not suitable for those who lack mental strength or are bad at arithmetic. Moreover, even if you only manage to master it, you still need to use your left hand to slightly bend your middle, index, and ring fingers to simulate a nine-square grid, which is quite troublesome and not very practical.

However, Chu Luren was completely able to control it in his state of enlightenment, and this "calculation" was contained in every move of the "True Understanding of the Five Sacred Mountains"!

Compared to the "grasp" of a flower in full bloom, the way Mount Tai leans more towards "responding" is undoubtedly a martial art for breaking through.

With these two factors combined, even though the six immortals were all slippery and hard to capture, Chu Luren could retreat whenever he wanted. The fact that he could voluntarily withdraw from the battle from the six people who practiced the "Phantom Giant Technique," a skill that was so entangled, was enough to show that Chu Luren's strength surpassed that of the six.

However, the Six Immortals of Peach Valley were not giving up. They shook their heads and insisted on coming forward again, determined to determine a winner.

Lin Pingzhi keenly noticed that Brother Chu seemed to have given up on fighting, so he quickly stepped forward and said, "Six seniors, I think continuing to fight won't yield any results, so it's not really a draw. If... if you seniors aren't satisfied, you can try another method. We can find some formidable opponents later, and the six seniors and Brother Chu can take turns fighting. Whoever can handle more opponents will win!"

Lin Pingzhi had already realized that Chu Luren's martial arts were superior to those of the Six Immortals of Peach Valley; it was just that the martial arts of these six old men were difficult to determine a winner...

Chapter 149 One Change at a Time

"...If the seniors are not satisfied, we can try another method. We can find some formidable opponents, and the six seniors and Brother Chu can take turns to fight. Whoever can handle more opponents will win!"

Lin Pingzhi had a good idea. He saw that the Peach Valley Six Immortals were already at a disadvantage, but Brother Chu was not easy to win. Changing the betting method would not only allow Chu Luren to win, but also allow him to use others to do his dirty work, making the Peach Valley Six Immortals and the Songshan Sect fight amongst themselves.

However, the Six Immortals of Peach Valley were not fools in this regard...