The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

In the original work, Guo Jing was able to overcome the strong with the weak and drain it dry...

However, having obtained Liang Ziweng's Snake Raising Manual, Chu Luren naturally wanted to fully cultivate the snake to maturity.

However, this incomplete fragment of the snake-raising manual left Chu Luren feeling both bewildered and impressed. The first part of the record was missing, but judging from the places where it was recorded, the beginning... should just be a simple legend of gods and monsters, right?

Back then, Liang Ziweng was a ginseng gatherer from Changbai Mountain. He killed a senior hermit who was seriously injured and obtained a martial arts manual and more than ten medicine prescriptions from his clothes. He practiced martial arts and studied pharmacology according to the manuals. Such good fortune is rare for Chu Luren. It is estimated that the senior hermit either knew that he was about to die and was preparing to find a successor, so he took all his possessions with him, or he was seriously injured in order to seize these fragments!

The part that Chu Luren obtained was only the method of raising snakes, and he didn't find any martial arts. After all, Liang Ziweng must have remembered the martial arts very well, and had long since destroyed or hidden them somewhere. As for the method of raising snakes, it was incomplete to begin with, and he was worried about losing it after more than 20 years of hard work, so he was checking it at this time...

In fact, Chu Luren's guesses were not only correct, but completely correct!

The martial arts manuals carried by that senior extraordinary person were not actually that profound. One set was the Lost Track Fist, which was also called Wild Fox Fist because it resembled the movements of a wild fox. The other set was the Medicine Sect Internal Kung Fu, which was cultivated by nourishing oneself with medicine.

The reason I carried this with me is because I felt I might not make it through, so I wrote it down specifically to find a successor!

As for the snake-raising manual, it was something he fought with others to obtain, and it was also the "culprit" that led to his severe injuries and near death...

Chu Luren read this book on snake raising, which is divided into three parts. The first part is a general introduction, the second part is the method of raising snakes, and the third part is the method of "digesting" mature snakes, including taking them orally, bathing them in medicine, and using other drugs. In retrospect, Guo Jing really wasted a lot of resources.

All three parts are incomplete, with the first part being the most severely damaged, the second part being less so, and the third part being the most complete.

Unlike the general principles of martial arts, snake raising is a means, a skill. The so-called general principles are broad and general, and one can raise snakes normally even without them.

Moreover, in Chu Luren's opinion, this first part... was just "nonsense," or rather, supernatural tales, introducing strange and magical beasts that shouldn't exist in the martial arts world, which was utterly ridiculous.

The second part, the method of cultivation, is also divided into three types. The first type is complete and requires at least twelve years to cultivate a Crimson Treasure Serpent. When cultivated, the serpent is entirely crimson, over ten feet long, and its blood is scalding hot. This corresponds to the first application method in the third part, which can increase internal strength, improve aptitude, and has a certain "poison-avoidance" effect...

That's right, Liang Ziweng raised it according to this method, but it was extremely difficult. He even had to use his internal energy to guide the snake to digest the medicinal power. Moreover, there was no corresponding martial arts technique. Liang Ziweng did not know the method, so naturally he achieved half the result with twice the effort. It took him more than 20 years to almost succeed.

Both parts are present on the fragment and do not hinder its use.

However, what made Chu Luren frown was that there was a second way to raise it, which required raising it for sixty years—a full 60 years!

After it matures, its body radiates golden light, it grows fleshy horns on its head, and it becomes over five zhang long, with a deep purple gall bladder...

Chu Luren was very glad that Liang Ziweng did not raise this, probably because he was not so confident in his own lifespan, and some of the medicinal materials on it were completely unheard of. "At least" it would take sixty years to raise, then Liang Ziweng's grandson probably had no hope!

The second part only contains these two articles, but judging from the comparison with the third part, the second part should be missing one article. It is also unknown how long it needs to be raised. The third article in the third part mentions that this third kind of precious snake should have its horns cut off and its reverse scales peeled off. It should be nailed alive with seven nine-zhang-long iron nails, and then it should be entered into the snake's belly to connect its own meridians with the giant python's meridians to perform its exercises...

Does this mean that a person has ample space to sit cross-legged inside the belly of this third type of precious snake? Why would a nine-zhang-long nail be needed to secure it?

This corresponds to the general outline in the first part, which mentions that the method of raising snakes was to compensate for the scarcity of rare and exotic beasts after the extinction of mythical beasts, and the method of creating artificial exotic beasts...

Chu Luren: ? ? ?

Chu Luren is now very worried that the person who wrote this might be suffering from severe chuunibyou (middle school syndrome)!

Is this recipe reliable? Should I eat this snake?

Chapter 185 Yu Zhenzi from the Heart

Chu Luren looked at the prescription, feeling conflicted...

People from Chulu who grew up in the information age know best that what is written in books is not necessarily true... Could this be a storybook?

Spiritual energy depletion, the end of the Dharma era?

impossible!

Having practiced internal energy for so long, Chu Luren knew all too well that spiritual energy didn't exist in this world, and internal martial arts didn't involve breathing in external spiritual energy. The reason deep mountains were suitable for cultivation was because they were quiet...

If even the concept of spiritual energy doesn't exist, then theoretically there shouldn't be any such thing as the depletion of spiritual energy, right?

If we don't consider the spiritual energy system, how could those rare and exotic beasts, or even divine and ferocious beasts, have disappeared?

"Master, your prescriptions are all packaged." The shopkeeper mustered his courage and took a few steps closer, holding several bundles of paper packets in his hand, each packet containing one dose of medicine.

"Give me three packets!" Chu Luren said, and with a flick of his left hand toward the shopkeeper, the three packets of medicinal herbs were instantly drawn toward him by an invisible internal force.

Although most of it was still left, Chu Luren said, "We don't need the rest."

The shopkeeper breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this—if it was only three portions, considering the amount Chu Luren paid, he had actually made quite a profit!

However, he only hoped that the wandering swordsman would leave quickly, and... he had no intention of silencing him.

Chu Luren took the medicinal herbs and, without much skill, pried open the snake's mouth and stuffed them in. Then, his left hand, which had been holding the torn page, changed its position—his index finger pushed out and pressed against the snake at about three-tenths of its length.

Liang Ziweng doesn't have a technique to guide the medicinal power of the precious snake, but Chu Luren's Seven Illusions Rainbow Light Finger Technique is worth a try...

As the finger force continuously surged into the snake's body, Chu Luren attempted to mobilize the medicinal power accumulated within the snake's body—though this wasn't entirely suitable, since the Seven Illusion Rainbow Light finger force primarily manipulated the meridians. At this moment, he was merely utilizing its latent nature to stimulate the viper's meridians and acupoints to absorb the medicinal power.

The reason only three portions of medicinal herbs are used is that these three portions are merely the starting point.

Because of a lack of guidance, Liang Ziweng spent almost twice as much time and effort to raise the giant viper, resulting in a large amount of unused medicinal power accumulating in its body!

At this point, as long as Chu Luren can activate this medicinal power, the final small step can be completed in a short time.

Chu Luren could see clearly that the precious snake was entirely crimson, except for a large, lump-like protrusion on its head. The tip of this lump was still a thumb-sized reddish-brown—once this part also turned crimson, the precious snake would be fully mature.

Liang Ziweng judged that even using his clumsy method, it would take a few more days for it to mature.

Chu Luren secretly thought that if he could activate the medicinal power dormant within the precious snake, even just a small portion would be enough to make it mature quickly!

According to the fragments recorded on the page, Chu Luren stimulated the viper's meridians and acupoints accordingly...

The serpent seemed to be in great pain, and it coiled even more vigorously. Chu Luren's clothes were already tattered, but it still couldn't shake Chu Luren's protective Lesser Return to Emptiness Force.

As the treasure snake struggled, Chu Luren soon saw a patch of reddish-brown, about the size of a thumb, begin to visibly diminish. After thirty breaths, the treasure snake completely turned crimson!

At the same time, Chu Lu Ren felt its strength instantly increase by 30%, and Xiao Gui Xu Jin also felt the pressure...

But at that moment, Chu Luren withdrew his left hand from the fingers that were pressing against it, and then with a muffled sound, the treasure snake quickly weakened—the finger force that had been lurking inside its body, originally stimulating the meridians and acupoints to help absorb the medicine, now had a destructive effect!

The giant viper's body structure is different from that of humans. Even with its meridians severed and vital points ruptured, it is only weak, not dead. Chu Luren then brought the viper's motionless head to him, pried open its eyes, and faced him...

Dream God, Sudden Enlightenment, Soul Transfer Technique!

This is a type of skill from the "Nine Yin Manual Fragments" obtained from an ancient tomb. It belongs to the Mind Control Technique and is similar to hypnosis. It involves the guidance and collision of mental power.

In the vast world of martial arts, the power of the mind is even more elusive than internal energy. However, according to the Soul Transfer Technique chapter of the Nine Yin Manual, it is generally related to the strength of one's mind and one's own internal energy...

If one's internal strength is inferior to that of the opponent, it is difficult to achieve results unless the opponent's mind wavers. If one's internal strength is superior to that of the opponent, the Soul Transfer Technique is not necessary. Therefore, it is not very effective in a real fight, and if one fails, one will be countered by the opponent and suffer mental damage.

In the original work, Yang Guo used this trick to tease Darba because he took advantage of Darba's simple mind and was deceived by Yang Guo into thinking that he was the reincarnation of the senior brother. Therefore, Darba was almost unguarded. During the Beggars' Sect gathering at Junshan, Elder Peng used the Mind Control Technique to deal with Huang Rong. However, Huang Rong stabilized her mind with some knowledge of the Soul Transfer Technique. As a result, Elder Peng almost laughed himself to death due to the backlash.

In addition, Chu Luren discovered that the "enlightenment" state can greatly enhance mental power, and the Dream God state is also very suitable for mental adjustment.

Although this precious snake was large and had some spirituality, it was far from being intelligent. Moreover, it was in a weak state when the snake was easily put to sleep by Chu Luren!

The snake was now mature, and killing it with a single blow wouldn't have much of an impact. However, to avoid wasting the medicinal properties, Chu Luren temporarily captured it alive.

Chu Luren asked the shopkeeper for another large sack to cover the big red snake he was carrying, and then reminded him, "The shopkeeper made an ordinary deal tonight, so I won't disturb you... If it's an ordinary deal, then you have to report it to the government, hehe."

"Don't worry, sir! For ordinary business... our shop takes the utmost care about the privacy of our customers!" the shopkeeper quickly replied.

"By the way, you still have a lot of money left, right? Keep the change, and get me some of this." Chu Luren said, as he also prepared the ingredients for digesting snake gall and making the medicinal bath.

Even if he did report it to the authorities, Chu Luren wouldn't do anything. He'd just want to scare him a little, just in case he actually got scared...

Chu Luren deliberately climbed over the side wall and, before dawn, swam through the void all the way back to the inn!

Huang Rong was waiting anxiously at the back door. She had already changed into her night clothes, indicating that she had handed over the poison and antidote to Wang Chuyi.

As a qualified Taoist priest, Wang Chuyi certainly understood pharmacology, so he could make his own judgment. Even if he needed any other medicine, he could instruct Guo Jing to buy it overnight.

The Prince of Pingxi's residence is in chaos right now, so Wu Kang certainly won't be able to bother sealing off the pharmacy.

Meanwhile, in the Prince's mansion, Yu Zhenzi was apologizing to Wu Sangui, while Ouyang Ke and the others looked at him with disdain.

It wasn't that he knew about Chu Luren's recent fight with him, but rather that Yu Zhenzi had only just arrived!

On the surface, Wu Sangui reassured Yu Zhenzi and even offered him a way out, saying that it wasn't a failure to protect him, but rather that he had been searching for assassins in the surrounding area...

However, Liang Ziweng and the others knew that this fellow had encountered a courtesan today and had forcibly "invited" him back. He hadn't appeared for half the night afterward... What else could he have been doing? Discussing music?

Yu Zhenzi wanted to cry when the matter was brought up, but he dared not say a word about it, including the incident where Chu Luren allegedly struck him with a palm!

Chapter 186 Swallowing Gallbladder

Yu Zhenzi never mentioned that he had been instantly killed by a certain courtesan and then knelt down begging for mercy.

Moreover, it was that ghostly courtesan who secretly instructed him to divert Chu Luren's attention. Although the courtesan also left without giving him any instructions after Chu Luren left, since she had asked him to show mercy to Chu Luren, Yu Zhenzi naturally protected Chu Luren as well.

otherwise……

Who knows if they might be killed in their sleep?

In this way, the assassin's identity remains unknown—shouting the slogans of the Heaven and Earth Society, using the First-Class Hall's "Sad Breeze" sword technique, and finally, when escaping, fighting off the guards at the gate and some martial arts masters using the Songshan School's swordsmanship...

The mysterious assassin circled the palace, crippling many guards before disappearing without doing anything else, which aroused Wu Sangui's suspicion.

At this juncture, Wu Kang naturally wouldn't bring up the fact that he had offended some people in the martial arts world because of a moment of "fun," and that he had even set up a banquet to ambush Wang Chuyi. Yu Zhenzi also didn't mention that his room had been ransacked, and the few people in the know couldn't connect it to this.

Later, Liang Ziweng naturally discovered that all his remaining snake-raising manuals and the precious snake that was on the verge of success were gone!

For a moment, he was so anxious that he felt as if he had lost his parents. Although he later learned from the survivors that the assassin had indeed left carrying a very large basket, it still did not help in identifying him.

Because Yu Zhenzi arrived much late, Liang Ziweng suspected that he had conspired with outsiders to steal his precious snake. In response, he was beaten by Yu Zhenzi, who was already in a bad mood…

Seeing the chaos, Wu Sangui touched his nose, offered a few words of mediation, and it's unclear whether he believed them or not.

Yu Zhenzi's poisonous materials and medicinal herbs were taken away without mentioning it, and the princess was not told that a message was sent by iron spear. Wu Sangui was also puzzled—could it be that they came specifically for Liang Ziweng's snake?

Regardless of what they thought, at this moment in the inn, Guo Jing was preparing medicine for Wang Chuyi as instructed, while Yang Tiexin was outwardly calm but inwardly anxious, waiting for the agreed-upon three days later.

But Chu Luren, Mu Wanqing, and Huang Rong were all absent...

In the morning, Chu Luren went to Green Bamboo Lane, partly to tell Ren Yingying that he probably wouldn't have time to discuss rhythm again in the next few days, and partly to say goodbye!

It's estimated that by the time Chu Luren has made full use of the precious snake, Lin Pingzhi should have already finished talking with his maternal grandfather about their relationship. They were already on their way to help carry the coffin, and besides... Wang Yuanba's feelings for his grandson might not be that genuine either, so staying for this long as a formality should be enough.

Furthermore, the Prince of Pingxi's mansion could track him down at any time, and Chu Luren wasn't sure when he would have to leave Luoyang.

The fact that there was no trouble at all was beyond Chu Luren's expectations—Yu Zhenzi didn't even suspect him.

Even though my face was covered, he should have been able to recognize my voice and body shape.

Is it...

It was the nature of the Tianshan Six Yang Palm that led him to mistakenly believe it was the Songshan Great Yin Yang Hand.

Is this guy really that bad?

At this moment, Chu Luren, Mu Wanqing, and Huang Rong were in a dilapidated temple in the wilderness of Luoyang. After all, such a large snake would be difficult to handle in an inn.