Chapter 351: Mastering All Martial Arts Under Heaven

Shen Mizhi left Duan Rong, took the cableway to the mountain peak of the Lower Courtyard, and walked along the edge of the cliff; when she reached the iron chains near Taipu Hall, she suddenly stopped.

She looked at one of the iron chains, her gaze flickering.

That iron chain led to the mountain peak where the Stone Workshop was located.

Shen Mizhi did not hesitate for long before tying the beast skin wrap around her waist and sliding onto the cableway. Duan Rong had asked her to inquire about Lv Qingzhu, and she felt she still had to tell Xiao Yu.

The two of them were like sisters; no matter what, she should not keep this from Xiao Yu.

When Shen Mizhi arrived at the Stone Workshop, Xiao Yu was just preparing to go into the cave to start work.

Xiao Yu was very happy to see Shen Mizhi arrive suddenly, but seeing that Shen Mizhi's expression was not quite right, Shen Mizhi pulled her into a corner and told Xiao Yu everything, from Duan Rong asking her to inquire about Lv Qingzhu to some of the circumstances regarding Lv Qingzhu, without leaving anything out.

Xiao Yu's moth-like eyebrows furrowed slightly, and a cold glint of deep thought flashed in her eyes.

She remembered the look in Duan Rong's eyes as he gazed at the horizon for a long time on the night Lv Qingzhu left on the Cloud-Feather Mad Eagle.

"Could it be that something is really going on between them?"

But Xiao Yu was certain that when Lv Qingzhu left, she didn't even seem to glance at Duan Rong.

Yet if there was nothing between them, why did Duan Rong react that way? And why, after returning to the Sect, did he even have Shen Mizhi go to the Elder Council to inquire about Lv Qingzhu's situation?

No! There must be a problem!

Xiao Yu's vigilance suddenly surged!

Shen Mizhi said, "Sister Xiao, I have to go; if I'm any later, I'll be scolded by the Nanny!"

Xiao Yu said, "Good sister, thank you for rushing over to tell me."

Shen Mizhi said, "Sister Xiao, I am not trying to stir up trouble. I thought about this over and over, and it didn't feel right to hide it from you."

Xiao Yu said, "Sister, don't overthink it; I am grateful to you for this. You did the right thing!"

Shen Mizhi said, "It is enough that Sister understands my intentions."

Xiao Yu held Shen Mizhi's hand and saw her to the entrance of the Stone Workshop. Shen Mizhi left in a hurry.

Xiao Yu returned to the cave to work, but she was somewhat absent-minded all day; after she finished her shift, she tidied up and washed, then headed to Duan Rong's mountain peak.

When Xiao Yu arrived at Duan Rong's mountain peak, it was only the Shen hour of the afternoon; she wandered around there but did not see a trace of Duan Rong.

Xiao Yu did not know where Duan Rong had gone, so she simply waited for him in his cave.

It was not until midnight that Duan Rong walked out of the alchemy cave.

In the sky were a bright moon and twinkling stars, the clouds were thin, and the distant dense forest echoed with the faint chirping of insects and cicadas.

Duan Rong walked along the cliffside in high spirits, the moonlight illuminating the bare cliff face until it was bright white.

Duan Rong held a porcelain bottle in his hand, sniffing it at his nose from time to time.

Tonight's pill refining was as if helped by a god; all three portions of medicinal herbs were successfully refined, totaling more than thirty Zhengyang Pills.

That was more than thirty Contribution Points!

With this success, the costs of the two previous failed attempts had all been recovered!

Refining medicine oneself is truly cost-effective!

Duan Rong walked happily to the entrance of his cave, only to see the bright white moonlight slanting into the cave, illuminating the entrance area.

Just as Duan Rong was about to enter the cave, his eyebrows suddenly twitched.

"Who? Come out!"

Duan Rong was certain there was the sound of breathing inside the cave; his left hand gripped the porcelain bottle of pills, and his right hand had already grasped the hilt of the Minghong Saber.

At this moment, a delicate cough echoed faintly from within the cave.

Although it was just a cough, Duan Rong recognized it immediately—it was Xiao Yu.

Duan Rong thought Xiao Yu had come to find him perhaps because something had happened; he was just about to speak when he heard a rustling sound from deep within the cave.

He saw Xiao Yu draped in a beast skin blanket, walking out from the depths of the cave and standing at the entrance, in the patch of bright white moonlight.

Xiao Yu was barefoot, and under the reflection of the moonlight, she looked like white jade emitting a cold, pale light.

Duan Rong stared blankly at Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yu's two hands, which were crossed over her chest holding the blanket, suddenly loosened, and she gently flicked the two corners of the blanket behind her.

The beast skin blanket slid off Xiao Yu's body and fell behind her.

Xiao Yu, inside the blanket, was not wearing a single thread, completely naked.

A near-perfect body, under the cold moonlight, seemed to shine with a kind of sacred radiance.

Duan Rong was instantly mesmerized.

The porcelain bottle in his hand clattered to the ground and shattered; the pills he had just refined tonight rolled all over the floor.

But Duan Rong still stared blankly at Xiao Yu in the moonlight; at this moment, he actually felt reluctant to touch her. Perhaps the moonlight was too beautiful, or perhaps Xiao Yu in the moonlight was too beautiful, as if one touch would cause that beauty to fade away...

Just at this moment, a night breeze suddenly blew past.

Xiao Yu suddenly felt a chill; she wrapped her arms around her chest and hunched her shoulders.

Seeing Xiao Yu looking so delicate and unable to withstand the cold wind, Duan Rong immediately walked over, picked up the blanket from the ground, and covered Xiao Yu with it.

Then he scooped Xiao Yu up in his arms.

Duan Rong stood with his back to the moonlight, blocking the bright light behind him; Xiao Yu looked up at Duan Rong from within the shadow of the moonlight.

The two gazed at each other for a long time; Duan Rong lowered his head, and Xiao Yu's arms wrapped around Duan Rong's neck as their lips met.

Perhaps because she had stood in the night breeze for too long, Duan Rong felt Xiao Yu's lips were somewhat cold.

After a long kiss, Duan Rong carried Xiao Yu into the depths of the cave...

In the sky outside the cave, the starlight was like a dream.

After the two were intimate, Xiao Yu lay on Duan Rong's chest.

Duan Rong's hand slid across Xiao Yu's shoulder.

Both of them were covered in a fine sweat, breathing slightly.

Xiao Yu lay there, and at this moment she could hear the sound of Duan Rong's heartbeat; that steady, rhythmic thumping gave her a sense of security.

In the darkness, Xiao Yu's eyes flickered as she pondered how to ask Duan Rong about the matter of Lv Qingzhu.

But Duan Rong suddenly said, "Xiao Yu, there is something I want to tell you."

Xiao Yu used her finger to trace circles on Duan Rong's chest and said, "What is it?"

Duan Rong said, "Do you remember the Sect Emissary who came to Xiangu County to inspect the Talent Selection Meeting, Lv Qingzhu?"

Upon hearing the name Lv Qingzhu, Xiao Yu's heart trembled.

Then, Duan Rong told Xiao Yu everything that had happened between him and Lv Qingzhu, including their ambush by the Filthy Blood Sect monsters in the wilderness, how he had hidden in a ruined temple, how he had encountered Lv Qingzhu inside the temple, and how he had been drugged with an aphrodisiac... Duan Rong told her every detail.

Of course, Duan Rong still concealed the matter of him practicing the Filthy Blood Divine Art.

Duan Rong even mentioned that he had asked Shen Mizhi to inquire about Lv Qingzhu at the Elder Council two days ago, and he also included Lv Qingzhu's background.

After hearing this, not only did Xiao Yu not blame Duan Rong, but she was instead deeply moved, and before she knew it, two lines of clear tears had fallen.

Such a secret matter, yet Duan Rong had not hidden it from her at all and had told her everything. Moreover, this matter was, in the end, an accident; under those circumstances, it was not something Duan Rong could have controlled.

Furthermore, Lv Qingzhu was the only daughter of an Elder of the Elder Council and also possessed the bloodline of a Taiyi Sect Ancestor; how could she possibly take a fancy to a poor boy like Duan Rong?

In other words, Lv Qingzhu would never come to snatch Duan Rong away from her.

In fact, Duan Rong had never intended to keep the matter between him and Lv Qingzhu hidden from Xiao Yu forever. It was just that he had never found a suitable opportunity to tell her.

But tonight, with Xiao Yu acting like this, after their intimacy, Duan Rong calmed down and had vaguely guessed that it was most likely that little girl Shen Mizhi who had betrayed him and told Xiao Yu about him asking her to inquire for news of Lv Qingzhu.

This avoided the situation where Xiao Yu might ask him directly, in which case, even if he told the truth, Xiao Yu would likely only be half-believing.

Moreover, to tell the truth, with Lv Qingzhu's background, it was truly difficult for Duan Rong to climb that high.

Even if Lv Qingzhu were willing, her father and that Taiyi Sect Ancestor would not be, and if things went wrong, it would just be a heap of trouble.

Besides, would Lv Qingzhu even be willing?

"The day we meet again will be the day I kill you."

Better not to meet!

Duan Rong held Xiao Yu and felt a patch of dampness on his chest.

It was Xiao Yu crying! But those were tears of joy.

Duan Rong kissed away Xiao Yu's tears with pity, and Xiao Yu's arms wrapped around his neck again...

The next morning, the two did not wake up until the sky was bright.

Xiao Yu hurriedly put on her clothes, needing to rush back to the Stone Workshop for work.

Duan Rong went with her and saw her to the entrance of the Stone Workshop, and only then did the two reluctantly part ways.

From then on, Xiao Yu had no more knots in her heart, and the two of them lived better with each passing day.

And the matter of Lv Qingzhu, like a small interlude, vanished into thin air between them from that point on.

After this, the lives of the few of them settled down; they usually worked in their respective places, and when the agreed-upon time arrived, they would come to Duan Rong's place to go to the Guanglu Courtyard together to accept tasks.

As for Duan Rong, while they were working in their respective places, he would go to Xia Honghua at the Medicine Pavilion every day to audit accounts for two hours, and after returning, he would immerse himself in the dullness of cultivation.

Ever since he began refining medicine himself, the cost of his cultivation had been pressed down to a very low level. The points on his Star Disk could be seen increasing bit by bit.

But Duan Rong knew that the further one went in cultivation, the greater the expenses would be; although there was a slight surplus now, when he truly reached the True Qi Realm Third Layer or Fourth Layer, it might not necessarily be enough.

Therefore, despite having a surplus, Duan Rong still calculated carefully and was unwilling to waste a single Contribution Point.

Although cultivation was dull, Xiao Yu would occasionally come to have secret trysts with him.

The hill where Shang Xiangyu lived was very remote, and with the two of them alone there, they could do whatever they pleased.

This morning, Qin Laotou suddenly came to find Duan Rong.

Duan Rong thought Qin Laotou was looking for him for some matter, but it turned out he had come to collect that medicinal liquid of Water Moon.

The last time he collected the medicinal liquid, Pan Yong had told him to control the dosage, so two months had already passed since he came to collect medicine this time.

Duan Rong told him that the medicine cabinet of Shang Xiangyu had already been confiscated by Yang Yi, and the Water Moon medicinal liquid was also in that cabinet.

Duan Rong then told him to go to the Ruling Sect Justice Division to ask Yang Yi for it.

In fact, Duan Rong could now fully formulate that Water Moon medicinal liquid himself.

After all, having devoured the old items that had been by Shang Xiangyu's side for many years, Duan Rong was completely clear on the formula and refining techniques for that medicinal liquid.

However, it was not that Duan Rong was unwilling to refine it; he just did not want to expose his own abilities in front of Qin Laotou.

Because he had only been by Shang Xiangyu's side for a little over a month, and even Pan Yong did not know how to formulate this medicinal liquid, how would he know?

If he helped Qin Laotou formulate the medicinal liquid and the news leaked out from him, letting Yang Yi or Yang Sixuan know, it might result in him being dragged back to the Ruling Sect Justice Division for a strict interrogation.

July arrived in the blink of an eye.

And the third day of the seventh month was the day for the mid-year audit at Xia Honghua's place.

The person responsible for the audit was a History Supervisor from the Inner History Department of the Elder Council.

This History Supervisor was surnamed Pan, and he was in charge of the Sect's disbursements, transfers, and warehouse audits; his power was quite great.

Duan Rong had already finished auditing all the accounts back in the middle of the sixth month.

That History Supervisor Pan randomly picked a month for his subordinate Attendants to check, while he himself also flipped through it roughly on the side; he saw that the accounts were orderly and clear, and the Attendants checking them were also full of praise.

That History Supervisor Pan then praised Xia Honghua greatly, saying that the accounts here were the best among all the Sect's departments, and he would subsequently issue a document to reward her.

Xia Honghua had originally only wanted to muddle through, but who would have thought she would become the best; she was instantly overjoyed.

Xia Honghua specially rewarded Duan Rong with twenty Contribution Points, and Duan Rong was naturally happy to earn more.

With the praise from History Supervisor Pan, Duan Rong's position at Xia Honghua's place was basically very stable.

Originally, Xia Honghua had been considering replacing Duan Rong; after all, Duan Rong only worked for two hours a day and often slacked off and didn't show up, which made Xia Honghua very annoyed.

With this praise from History Supervisor Pan, even if Xia Honghua had the heart to, she dared not replace him; if she replaced him and the new person was not as good as Duan Rong, when the year-end audit came, wouldn't the good impression she had finally built up with History Supervisor Pan be ruined?

"Let him be a bit slack if he wants. As long as he gets the work done well for me!"

More than half a year passed, and Xiao Yu and Shen Mizhi finally achieved the Great Perfection of the Inner Breath Realm and could practice martial arts of the True Qi Realm.

Because the initial strand of True Qi is born from within the Internal Breath. Therefore, if one's Inner Breath Realm is not sufficiently thick and stable, forcibly practicing True Qi Realm martial arts can easily lead to that initial strand of True Qi being very unstable.

If that initial strand of True Qi is unstable, even if one practices bravely and accumulates a quantity of True Qi, the True Qi will not be solid, and the realm achieved will be hollow. The long-term consequences are endless!

Therefore, Martial Artists usually only begin to practice True Qi Realm martial arts after achieving the Inner Breath Realm Great Perfection.

Of course, there are those who, after reaching Entering Micro, remain stuck at Great Perfection for over a decade without being able to break through, and many such Martial Artists will give up on the Great Perfection realm to forcibly practice True Qi Realm martial arts. However, even if such Martial Artists achieve the True Qi Realm, they are the bottom-tier existences of that same realm.

The Head Constable of Xiangu County, Xie Daohan, is one such case.

This day, Duan Rong came to the Scripture Repository with Ximen Kankan, Xiao Yu, and Shen Mizhi.

Ximen Kankan, Xiao Yu, and Shen Mizhi had come to the Scripture Repository to select True Qi Realm martial arts Secret Manuals.

In fact, Ximen Kankan had already achieved the Inner Breath Realm Great Perfection several months ago, but he was not in the least bit anxious, saying he wanted to wait for Xiao Yu and Shen Mizhi to come and choose together.

Duan Rong had always known that Ximen Kankan was never very attentive to martial arts practice, and forcing him would be useless, so he had to let him be.

After they presented their Sect Cloud Token, they walked into the Scripture Repository.

Ximen Kankan said, "Why is this Scripture Repository guarded by so few people?"

On the plaza of the Scripture Repository, there were only a few scattered people walking about, and at the main entrance, there were only two people on duty.

Moreover, this place did not seem like the Medicine Pavilion, which had several Arrow Towers erected.

But Duan Rong knew that the defense here was loose on the outside but tight on the inside, because the moment they stepped through the gate, two strands of Divine Sense swept across their bodies in an intersection.

Duan Rong said, "Let's go quickly."

The group crossed the plaza and walked toward the building where Registered Disciples exchange for True Qi Realm Secret Manuals.

It was a low, crude wooden building, inside which sat only a bald old man, waving a cattail fan behind the counter.

From that old man, they received a booklet that had been flipped through by who knows how many people until it was tattered; not only was the cover ruined, but the booklet, which was clearly once a single volume, had actually been split into four parts.

Ximen Kankan, Xiao Yu, and Shen Mizhi found a place with good light, each holding a part of the booklet, and began to study it.

"With so many martial arts, how should one choose?"

Shen Mizhi looked at the dense list of martial arts and was suddenly at a loss.

Ximen Kankan was also scratching his head and flipping through it randomly; although there were quite detailed annotations after each entry introducing some basic information about the martial art, there were just too many.

As the saying goes, the profusion of flowers begins to dazzle the eyes. With so many martial arts, how could one know which one was suitable for oneself?

Duan Rong looked at the three people's confused expressions, hesitated slightly, and said, "You are suited for the Orchid Inverted Chaotic Sword; you are suited for the Splitting Sky Saber; you are suited for the Floating Cloud Snow Shadow Saber."

Duan Rong spoke very quickly, pointing at one of them with each sentence; after three sentences, he had already pointed at all three of them.

Ximen Kankan was slightly stunned and said, "What Splitting Sky Saber? You didn't even look, what are you blindly directing for?"

Duan Rong said, "Flip through the booklet in your hand and look for the Splitting Sky Saber."

"If I can't find it, I'll split you..." Ximen Kankan said halfway, then suddenly choked on his words.

"There really is a Splitting Sky Saber!?" Ximen Kankan looked at Duan Rong with suspicious eyes.

In fact, the most surprised person was not Ximen Kankan, but Shen Mizhi, because the martial art Duan Rong had just suggested for her was the same one her father, Shen Yanliu, had told her about.

It was the Orchid Inverted Chaotic Sword. This was a sword technique Shen Yanliu had specifically instructed her to look out for before she left Xiangu County, saying it was suitable for her.

And Duan Rong had just pointed out directly that she was suited for this sword technique.

Shen Mizhi looked at Duan Rong in shock, stunned for a moment.

Perhaps out of rebellion and resistance toward her father, deep down she did not want to choose the sword technique Shen Yanliu had suggested. But after Duan Rong pointed it out just now, she instantly changed her mind; she felt this was not a coincidence. That sword technique might truly be very suitable for her.

Shen Mizhi immediately started flipping through, but after she finished flipping through the part of the booklet in her hand, she did not find the Orchid Inverted Chaotic Sword.

Xiao Yu said, "Sister Mizhi, the Orchid Inverted Chaotic Sword is here."

Shen Mizhi was delighted, took that part of the booklet from Xiao Yu's hand, and looked at it carefully.

Xiao Yu also found the Floating Cloud Snow Shadow Saber, which Duan Rong said was most suitable for her, in the final fourth part of the booklet.

The three of them looked at it carefully.

Ximen Kankan looked for a long time, then suddenly raised his head from the yellowed, tattered booklet, looked at Duan Rong with a strange expression, and said, "How did you know I was suited for this Splitting Sky Saber?"

Ximen Kankan had read the detailed introduction of the martial art, and he had to admit that this saber technique was very suitable for him to practice, fitting both his style and his temperament.

Duan Rong smiled and said, "You have a nickname, do you know that?"

"What nickname? Red Training Boy?"

"What Red Training Boy, how long ago was that?"

"Also true, you probably aren't a boy anymore either." As Ximen Kankan said this, his eyes drifted toward Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yu had originally been looking down at the booklet, but at this moment, her head lowered even further, and her cheeks were already red to the roots of her ears.

Although the days Xiao Yu and Duan Rong spent together were chosen on the nights they were working in their respective places, so much time had passed that Ximen Kankan and Shen Mizhi had already seen some clues.

"What are you rambling about?" Seeing Xiao Yu's ears turn red, Duan Rong immediately changed the subject and said, "I also have a nickname, called 'Hundred-Knower'!"

"'Hundred-Knower'?" Ximen Kankan didn't understand at first.

Duan Rong said, "'Hundred-Knower'. It means being well-versed in all the martial arts under heaven."

"Get lost!" Ximen Kankan cursed, "You, well-versed in all martial arts under heaven? Then I also have a nickname."

Duan Rong asked, "What's your nickname?"

Ximen Kankan said, "'Hundred-Not-Born'!"

"What does that mean?" Duan Rong asked.

Ximen Kankan laughed and said, "It means the father of the 'Hundred-Knower'!"

"Damn it, you dare take advantage of me!" Duan Rong jumped up, ready to pinch Ximen Kankan's mouth.

Xiao Yu and Shen Mizhi were already laughing together on the side.

Ximen Kankan and Duan Rong were chasing each other near the window when suddenly, a powerful pressure of Divine Sense descended abruptly.

Ximen Kankan's face turned deathly pale in an instant, fine cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and his legs went soft, causing him to half-kneel on the ground.

Duan Rong only felt his Divine Soul being impacted, but it was still within a range he could bear; however, from the corner of his eye, he had already seen that Xiao Yu and Shen Mizhi had also half-knelt on the ground.

Duan Rong immediately knelt halfway beside Ximen Kankan, imitating Ximen Kankan's posture, lowering his head, his body trembling slightly as if he were struggling to hold on.

Just then, a figure walked out from behind a shelf not far away, looked at the group, and said, "How can you play around inside the Scripture Repository?! If there is a next time, this old man will cripple you!"

Once that person finished speaking, the Divine Sense pressure on their bodies suddenly vanished.

Ximen Kankan's body tilted, and he nearly fell over, but fortunately, Duan Rong grabbed him to steady him; Duan Rong turned his head and saw Xiao Yu and Shen Mizhi also supporting each other, their eyes filled with intense fear.

As for the figure who had walked out from behind the shelf, the moment the Divine Sense pressure vanished, he had already disappeared without a trace.

Duan Rong supported Ximen Kankan as he stood up.

Ximen Kankan's eyes were full of lingering fear. In that instant just now, he even had a feeling of being near death.

Seeing that all three were somewhat panicked, Duan Rong helped them sit down to rest for a while.

After a good while, the three of them slowly recovered their senses.

They then began to flip through the booklets again, searching for and selecting martial arts for the True Qi Realm.

They compared one after another, only to find that what Duan Rong had said at the beginning was indeed the most suitable for them.

In fact, in the cave where Ximen Kankan piled up discarded weapons, Duan Rong had already devoured enough Spirit Tools, and those Spirit Tools were all martial arts of the True Qi Realm.

As for those martial arts on the Scripture Repository's catalog, Duan Rong dared not say he knew them all, but he had already mastered more than half, and since he understood these three very well, he naturally knew what kind of martial arts were suitable for them.

(End of chapter)