The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

However, Chu Luren clearly noticed that the man regretted his words as soon as he finished speaking, and even glanced at the suona at his waist as if he were not paying attention...

The man who was holding the martial arts contest to find a husband was not the one with the banner, but a woman under another banner. This woman looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old. Although she looked travel-worn, she had bright eyes, white teeth, and a beautiful face.

"I am still young, still young!" Chu Luren bowed and declined.

The burly man and the woman: ...

Well, people in the martial arts world, especially men, tend to get married later the more famous and skilled they are. In the original work, someone like Guo Jing was an outlier.

Thinking of this, Chu Luren instinctively glanced at Huang Rong.

Mu Wanqing, Huang Rong: ? ? ?

If they weren't both used to it, Chu Luren's often absent-mindedness might have caused a huge misunderstanding!

But just then, two other idlers, swearing foully, entered the scene.

Why is he called an idler?

A monk with a face full of scars and an ugly middle-aged man—neither of them seemed to fit the age limit!

However, the other person was shameless and insisted on competing with the girl, claiming that if he won, they would get married. But since there were two of them, they naturally started fighting like dogs...

Chu Luren felt that the scene before him was somewhat familiar, so he asked Mu Wanqing, "Brother Mu, what is the surname of this person seeking a husband?"

“That big man just said that his surname is Mu and his given name is Yi. I wonder if it’s the ‘Mu’ in my family name. The girl’s name is Mu Nianci… What? Brother Chu, you’ve suddenly grown up and fallen for her?” Mu Wanqing said deliberately.

Upon hearing this, Chu Luren was momentarily stunned—another unexpected event had occurred.

So, how did they end up in Luoyang?

No, Yang Tiexin, who used the alias Mu Yi, and his adopted daughter Mu Nianci should have been holding martial arts contests to find a husband along the way. If that's the case, Luoyang should be one of their stops, right? Wanyan Kang or Aisin Gioro Kang wouldn't suddenly appear in Luoyang, would they?

"This girl is really pretty. If these two decide a winner later, I might as well join in the fun!" Mu Wanqing said to herself when she saw that Chu Luren was distracted again.

However, Mu Wanqing was not worried. The two thugs were fighting like dogs, evenly matched, and were locked in a stalemate when "Mu Yi" intervened and settled the matter.

However, at that moment, a young man in fine clothes, after the servants had cleared the way, pushed through the crowd and stepped forward to ask Mu Yi about the rules of the marriage selection...

Mu Yi's respect was clearly tinged with reluctance—he secretly wondered what if this young master, who looked to be either rich or noble, was actually an official.

Not all officials are bad people, however... if they were officials under Wu Sangui, how could they still be human?

However, since the other party was clearly a local strongman and had come forward according to the rules, Mu Yi couldn't openly offend them.

After Mu Yi explained the rules, the young master was really going to step into the arena and compete with Mu Nianci. Mu Yi could only hope in his heart that he was just an ordinary commoner, or even a wealthy merchant, and definitely not someone who worked for Wu Sangui!

However, Chu Luren had already overheard people whispering about the young master's background...

Chapter 175 The Heir Apparent

Wu Kang, courtesy name Yingxiong, was the only son of Wu Sangui and the future Prince of Pingxi, the "Crown Prince" of Luoyang.

When Chu Luren heard the discussions in the crowd, he was quite upset...

When Wu Kang first appeared, he was elegant and had an extraordinary air about him. However, after he was careless and lost the battle with Mu Nianci, he immediately revealed his true colors!

When Mu Nianci tore off a piece of his sleeve when he was not paying attention, Mu Yi, who was already somewhat uneasy, wanted to take the opportunity to leave with his daughter.

However, Wu Kang, enraged, attacked again by force...

When Wu Kang made his move earlier, Chu Luren clearly saw it—the martial arts foundation of the Quanzhen Sect!

The martial arts of the Quanzhen School, especially its basic martial arts, are not very lethal, which gave Mu Nianci an opportunity to take advantage of the situation. However, when Wu Kang made his move again, every move was ruthless, and Chu Luren was able to recognize some of his techniques...

Nine Yin Manual!

Moreover, it is an incomplete version of the Nine Yin External Skill, only the second part of which has been practiced, and it is somewhat of a yin-dominant and disastrous version.

When Wu Kang changed his tactics, Mu Nianci was immediately overwhelmed. If one's kung fu is too gentle, one is easily overwhelmed by these ruthless moves when one's internal strength is not deep.

While Chu Luren was at it, he also patrolled the crowd—in the original work, Yang Kang was accompanied by experts from the Prince's Palace!

If it were just the original cast, Chu Luren wouldn't care at all. However, Peng Lianhu and Sha Tongtian had already surrendered to Western Xia and were unlikely to be here. Liang Ziweng and Lingzhi Shangren weren't much of a threat either. Most importantly...

Chu Luren's first priority was to look for someone who was neither male nor female, embroidering in the crowd. If he found one, he would definitely pull Mu Wanqing and Huang Rong away immediately, so his attention was completely elsewhere.

However, upon seeing the young master's demeanor, Mu Wanqing immediately raised her eyebrows and glared, raising her hand to throw a dart. Wu Kangxing, who knew some sound-based positioning skills, managed to dodge it.

However, facing his angry glare, Mu Wanqing preemptively questioned, "The outcome is already decided. What kind of hero are you, making things difficult for that young lady?"

"Heroes and heroines? Fine, I'm not a hero or heroine, but today, heroes and heroines have come to Luoyang!" Wu Kang had already lost face, and now that his shortcomings had been exposed in public, he became furious.

After saying that, he turned his ten fingers into claws and kept grabbing at Mu Wanqing...

Chu Luren had by then confirmed that there was no one who resembled Dongfang Bubai, only a Taoist priest, a lama, and a bald man—the three of them kept their eyes on Wu Kang, and the sharp glint in their eyes indicated that they were masters of internal martial arts.

Of the three, the Taoist priest seemed to be the leader, but Chu Luren couldn't guess his identity. He assumed the other two were Lingzhi Shangren and Liang Ziweng.

However, since Dongfang Bubai is not around, Chu Luren doesn't need to worry too much...

That makes sense. Dongfang Bubai is a man of such status. Even if he were to cooperate with Wu Sangui, he would still maintain his composure and would not be able to wander around with a prince!

Chu Luren was about to make a move to prevent Mu Wanqing from suffering a loss, but someone was a step ahead of him. It must have been the same time Mu Wanqing made her move that someone had already jumped down from the second floor of the restaurant next door, landing with a thud and saying, "That's right, this brother is right!"

"Huh?" Huang Rong exclaimed softly upon seeing this.

Upon seeing this, Chu Luren guessed the identity of the young man who looked a year or two younger than himself—he was probably Guo Jing, who had previously given Huang Rong the horse and coat.

Huang Rong's attire was completely different at this moment, and Guo Jing did not recognize her as the little beggar.

Guo Jing had already disapproved of Wu Kang's actions. In fact, when Mu Wanqing launched her dart, he had already stepped over the railing of the restaurant, even faster than Chu Luren...

"Another busybody? Ha!" Wu Kang mocked as he attacked Guo Jing.

Seeing that this person was not much older than her and did not intend to fight against her with superior numbers, Mu Wanqing stepped aside and went to visit Mu Nianci.

Seeing this, Mu Yi sighed inwardly—if this young master were a man, he would be a good match, but... for an old hand like Mu Yi, Mu Wanqing's men's attire was too perfunctory, and she wasn't even willing to make herself look ugly.

Huang Rong's beggar outfit before was the real effect of a woman disguised as a man!

As for the young man who jumped down later, Mu Yi... or rather Yang Tiexin, first thought that this person looked kind, but then he didn't have time to think much about it, because under the young master's rapid attack, the honest young man was already in danger.

In Chu Luren's opinion, Guo Jing's internal strength was actually superior to Wu Kang's, but both of their internal strength came from the Quanzhen School of Internal Medicine.

This technique is really good for building a foundation, but its power is quite weak before you've mastered it...

Guo Jing's slight advantage in internal strength could not be converted into a victory. On the contrary, Wu Kang's Nine Yin External Skill, although only a fragment and not a complete system, was still much stronger than the miscellaneous skills of the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan!

More importantly, Wu Kang was clearly more quick-witted, while Guo Jing was somewhat rigid, falling for the "hidden fist in the sleeve" trick several times.

but……

Based on Chu Luren's understanding of martial arts, and judging from their current performances, even without any extraordinary encounters, ten years from now, Guo Jing's skills will most likely be superior!

Of course, in essence, the two are still weaklings fighting each other, and Chu Luren is not in a hurry to make a move.

Just then, amidst the commotion, Chu Luren saw six burly men carrying a large red-roofed sedan chair coming from another direction...

Just then, the Taoist's lips moved slightly, and Chu Luren knew it was some kind of secret telepathic communication technique, most likely a reminder to Wu Kang—your mother is here.

Wu Kang was like a primary school student playing a 1v1 in an internet cafe. After learning that his parents had arrived, he immediately made a series of blunders. However, Guo Jing was a kind-hearted person. Even when he had the upper hand, he did not take the opportunity to launch a strong attack. Instead, he dismantled the defense and advised, "If you apologize to this girl, I will not fight you anymore!"

"Shut up!" Wu Kang wanted to tell his mother that he was there to look up study materials, so he naturally wanted to shut her up.

Lingzhi Shangren couldn't stand it any longer. Disregarding his status, he leaped up and struck Guo Jing with a palm, saying, "Young Master! Let me deal with this brat for you first, so as to avoid future trouble."

Before the palm strike even landed, the force of the blow was already overwhelming. Guo Jing was greatly alarmed, thinking to himself: Even my masters probably don't have such skill...

In the midst of the panic, there was no time to dodge; instead, they instinctively raised their arms to try and block!

However, if no one intervenes, Chu Luren believes he will only have his arm and skull shattered.

Just then, two people, including Chu Luren, made their move at the same time. The other person was also a Taoist priest who flew down from the restaurant where Guo Jing had just jumped down. Moreover, he and Chu Luren had just discovered each other, and their simultaneous attack was quite coordinated.

The Taoist priest flicked his whisk, aiming it at the lama, while Chu Luren swayed and positioned himself between the other royal retainers and the arena...

Chapter 176 Iron Sword Gate

Seeing that Master Lingzhi was bullying the weak and that the honest young man was about to die at his hands, Wang Chuyi, who had been in the restaurant earlier, could no longer bear it!

Previously, Wang Chuyi had recognized Wu Kang's martial arts skills and was already angry at his lack of martial ethics. Naturally, he would not stand by and watch the servants of the Wang family act violently.

When Wang Chuyi made his move, it also alerted the Taoist priest in the Wang Mansion. Sensing his unusual behavior, Chu Luren flashed and stood in front of him and Liang Ziweng!

The mere display of movement technique was enough to startle Liang Ziweng, and while the Taoist priest wasn't exactly terrified, he became more serious and abandoned his plan to launch a sneak attack...

On the other hand, Wang Chuyi waved his whisk and wrapped it around Lingzhi Shangren's hand, which had become noticeably larger. Although a piece of it was torn off, it still blocked Lingzhi Shangren's Tantric hand seal.

Wang Chuyi had already pulled the young man away and made a Taoist gesture of respect, saying, "Master's palm strikes are powerful, and he must not be an unknown figure in the Tantric sect. Why make things difficult for a junior?"

At the same time, the Taoist priest from the Prince's Mansion also noticed the suona (a type of Chinese wind instrument) on Chu Luren's waist. He then made a Taoist bow and greeted both Chu Luren and Wang Churen, saying, "You must be Chu Luren, the Red and White Tai Sui, right? May I ask if this fellow Taoist is Qiu Zhenren or Wang Zhenren, one of the Seven Masters of Quanzhen?"

This highlights the importance of a distinctive character design...

In terms of fame, before the Battle of the Broken Temple, Chu Luren was not actually more famous than Wang Chuyi. However... among the Seven Masters of Quanzhen, there were too many overlaps in their personalities, but Chu Luren's suona was easy to identify!

Upon hearing this, Wang Chuyi didn't say much. He took a step with his left foot, seemingly landing lightly before retracting it. However, a clear shoe print was left on the bluestone paving stones.

Among the Seven Masters of Quanzhen, Wang Chuyi was inferior to Qiu Chuji. His senior brother Ma Yu was only about equal to him a few years ago, but in recent years, as Ma Yu has gotten older, he is probably even less capable.

Wang Chuyi was known in the martial arts world as "Iron-Legged Immortal." This wasn't because he was skilled at kicking. Many Taoist masters liked to appear as enlightened sages, and it wouldn't look good for them to lift their robes and start kicking in a fight. Even if not all of them were as concerned with appearance as the Free and Unfettered Sect, who doesn't care about their demeanor? Not everyone is as open-minded as Yu Lianzhou of Wudang!

This "iron foot" refers to his lower body strength.

He once stood atop a rock pillar, facing the howling wind, atop a bottomless valley, his power shaking the martial arts world of Shandong and Hebei...

Legend has it that even on sheer cliffs, Wang Chuyi could climb step by step!

It was precisely because of his strong lower body technique that Wang Chuyi was able to exert even more force when he exerted himself. Even if someone had slightly better internal strength or physical strength than him, they would be no match for him when he was locked in a downward thrust.

Seeing his skill in exerting force on flat ground, how could the crowd not know his identity?

"So it's the Iron-Legged Immortal King! My apologies for my rudeness!" the Taoist said, flicking his whisk and placing it on his elbow.

Chu Luren then realized that this fellow's whisk only had white threads on the outside, while the inside was made of gold and silver threads, shining brightly. It was clearly made of real gold and silver threads!

Chu Luren's knowledge was mostly found on the list of chivalrous heroes, but this person had never been on it. Chu Luren didn't recognize him at first glance, but Wang Chuyi's expression grew colder as he said, "So it's Fellow Daoist Yu Zhenzi... I wonder if I should address him as 'Fellow Daoist' or respectfully as 'Master'?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Zhenzi paused for a moment and said, "Heh, I am Yu Zhenzi of the Iron Sword Sect. Perhaps Master Wang has some misunderstanding because of my good-for-nothing senior brother."

Chu Luren has been dealing with the Five Mountains Sword Sects a lot lately. When he hears the name "Yu Zhenzi", the first thing that comes to mind is the Taishan Sect - Yu Jizi and Yu Yinzi. These are the senior uncles and senior sisters of the Taishan Sect Leader, Tianmen Daoren. Before, when he was in Huashan, Yu Jizi was mixed up with the people of Songshan, but he was more reserved than Lu Lianrong.

It wasn't until he heard about the "Iron Sword Sect" that Chu Lu realized that this was the junior brother of Mu Sang Daoist of the Iron Sword Sect—the villainous combatant in the novel "The Sword Stained with Royal Blood"...