Chapter 1: Gu Qing of the Quanzhen Sect

The moon shone bright and clear.

Xiaolongnu lay on the grass, gazing at the stars above; recently, Yang Guo had repeatedly expressed a desire to leave the mountain, filling Xiaolongnu with dread. Tonight, yet another father figure had appeared—mad and bizarre—seeking to teach Yang Guo martial arts, and even had pinned her acupoints.

When Xiaolongnu attempted to unblock her points using the methods recorded in the Nine Yin True Classic, she did not realize these were the reverse Nine Yin acupoint techniques—her attempt to escape only tightened the lock, leaving her stranded on the ground, staring blankly at the heavens.

Suddenly, a cloth covered her eyes.

Xiaolongnu’s mind cleared, yet she could not cry out; her vision remained blocked. She thought inwardly: Could it be Guo playing a trick on me?

The moment this thought arose, Xiaolongnu felt a willingness to accept it. Over the years she had lived with Yang Guo, their bond had grown deep; Yang Guo had even vowed to die for her, and Xiaolongnu naturally regarded him as her destined partner.

Zhen Zhibing gazed at Xiaolongnu, as flawless as jade; beneath the moonlight, her pale skin faintly flushed. He leaned down, intending to kiss her.

“Zhen Zhibing, what are you doing?!”

The voice came abruptly, shattering the tender moment. Zhen Zhibing looked up in confusion to see a figure standing nearby. A palm breeze swept past, lifting the cloth from Xiaolongnu’s face—she opened her eyes and saw Zhen Zhibing’s disgraceful posture.

That shout was like a bucket of ice water poured over their heads, cooling both Zhen Zhibing and Xiaolongnu instantly.

Xiaolongnu felt profound gratitude and turned to the speaker—he wore the complete Daoist robe of the Quanzhen Sect, tall and clean, smiling brightly under the moonlight.

Yet to Xiaolongnu, that brightness was shadowed for Zhen Zhibing. He clenched his lips twice, then asked warily: “Gu Qing, how did you get out?”

The Quanzhen Sect’s seniority hierarchy was divided into “Chu, Zhi, Qing, Jing.” Zhen Zhibing belonged to the Zhi generation; Gu Qing belonged to the Qing generation. Because their names sounded identical, no additional characters were added. But one thing Gu Qing had done, Zhen Zhibing knew he could never accomplish.

That was: Gu Qing had defeated every single Qing-generation disciple in the Chongyang Palace.

The Quanzhen Sect’s internal energy cultivation was orthodox Xuanmen practice. In its early stages, progress was painfully slow—far slower than heterodox qigong methods, often requiring twenty or thirty years of training to catch up with practitioners of other schools. But after two or three decades, the path ahead became smooth and unobstructed, while those who practiced heterodox internal arts mostly stagnated.

Thus, the longer one trained, the purer one’s skill became. Yet Gu Qing had entered the Quanzhen Sect for only two years—and his martial progress had already neared that of the Zhi-generation disciples. This abnormal speed of advancement stirred much gossip within the sect.

“Did you hear? Gu Qing is actually the Master’s illegitimate son. He’s been training Quanzhen internal arts since childhood—this is just a formality. He’s destined to become the next Master.”

Such rumors spread widely throughout the Quanzhen Sect.

Many in the sect believed Gu Qing’s genius was a fabrication—his progress was simply too incredible.

But three months ago, he vanished without a trace.

That day was the monthly Qing-generation evening recitation. All Qing-generation disciples were present. After the students chanted the “Sutra of Deliverance from Suffering and Sin” and the “Sutra of Ascension and Attainment of the Dao,” they respectfully saw off the ritual master. Just as they were about to disperse, Gu Qing shut the temple doors.

Inside the hall, ninety-six Qing-generation disciples were gathered. The rumors swirling around the Chongyang Palace had reached all of them. Gu Qing declared he could not identify the ringleader, but if he beat every single person present, he would surely find the culprit—and as for the rumors themselves, merely repeating them made you complicit.

The atmosphere in the Three Pure Ones Hall had been cheerful—until Gu Qing began to strike.

Zhen Zhibing did not know how enduring Gu Qing’s stamina was, nor how refined his techniques. But when he heard the commotion and rushed to the Three Pure Ones Hall, the ninety-six Qing-generation disciples of Chongyang Palace were wailing and crying—some crouched beneath tables, others clung to rafters, most huddled in corners. In the cleared center, Gu Qing was pounding a man named Lu Qingdu.

After the brawl in the Three Pure Ones Hall, one disciple, unable to endure, confessed that Lu Qingdu had spread the rumors.

The incident shocked the Seven Masters of Quanzhen. Ma Yu, Qiu Chuji, Wang Chuyi, and Liu Chuixuan convened and agreed that although Gu Qing had acted recklessly, his motives were understandable. In the end, both Gu Qing and the rumor-spreader Lu Qingdu were imprisoned.

But that night, Gu Qing somehow slipped into Lu Qingdu’s confinement and beat him again.

The Master was furious and extended Gu Qing’s sentence by three years.

Gu Qing should now be locked away in prison—he should not be here.

Yet remembering how Gu Qing had slipped into Lu Qingdu’s cell and beaten him again, Zhen Zhibing felt it was only natural for him to appear here.

“Gu Qing, return to your cell at once. I’ll pretend you never left.”

Zhen Zhibing shouted, voice harsh but hollow: “Neither of us saw the other.”

Today he had seen a perfect chance to defile Xiaolongnu. Though he failed, his disgrace had been witnessed. Now Zhen Zhibing was panicked, desperate to bury the truth.

“Zhen Zhibing.”

Gu Qing spoke suddenly: “In the Three Pure Ones Hall, I took twenty-three punches. Nineteen were from sparring with my brothers—fair exchanges, I accepted them. But four punches—you held me back after pretending to break up the fight, giving Lu Qingdu the opening to strike me.”

“I repaid Lu Qingdu’s share that same night. But yours—I’ve remembered it ever since.”

So it was this…

Then why don’t you blame Zhao Zhijing for not holding Lu Qingdu back?

Zhen Zhibing recalled the incident: he had restrained Gu Qing, Zhao Zhijing had restrained Lu Qingdu. Aside from his sin against Xiaolongnu, Zhen Zhibing had always acted upright—he had held Gu Qing with full effort. But Zhao Zhijing had deliberately loosened his grip.

“Why don’t you go after Zhao Zhijing?!”

Zhen Zhibing cried out angrily.

Lu Qingdu was Zhao Zhijing’s disciple. Zhao Zhijing had deliberately let go.

Zhen Zhibing felt he was being unfairly blamed.

“Don’t worry—he won’t escape either.”

Gu Qing moved. He slashed downward—Quanzhen’s Frost-Cracking Palm. Before its revision, this technique was called the Three Flowers Gathering Crown Palm—the most supreme art of the Quanzhen Sect. Now, as Gu Qing wielded it, Zhen Zhibing felt the wind slash his face, stinging like blades. He immediately countered with Quanzhen martial arts.

But the moment Zhen Zhibing launched his move, Gu Qing’s technique shifted—his strike came with impossible speed. In an instant, Zhen Zhibing felt his acupoints seized, his chest burning. Gu Qing’s palm force surged, reversing his blood flow, forcing it to pool in his heart. His circulation choked. Dizziness and darkness overwhelmed him.

“This isn’t Quanzhen martial arts!”

Zhen Zhibing cried out desperately.

“This is the Ancient Tomb style!”

Xiaolongnu recognized the technique—it was the Heaven’s Net and Earth’s Web Formation.

The Ancient Tomb style held extreme dominance over Quanzhen martial arts—it had allowed Xiaolongnu to kill Zhao Zhijing, the strongest Zhi-generation disciple of Quanzhen, with a single palm.

Now, Gu Qing had first used Frost-Cracking Palm to lure Zhen Zhibing into full attack, then switched instantly to Heaven’s Net and Earth’s Web Formation. Zhen Zhibing had been tricked—and in a single move, this Zhi-generation disciple was effortlessly subdued by Gu Qing.

“I stole it.”

Gu Qing spoke casually, uttering a taboo of the martial world. He turned to Xiaolongnu and said: “Sorry—I sneaked into the Ancient Tomb.”

Xiaolongnu’s face turned instantly icy.

Gu Qing said “sorry,” yet showed no remorse. He reached out, untied Zhen Zhibing’s belt, then looped it around his neck.

“Master Gu, what are you doing?”

Zhen Zhibing, feeling the belt tighten, cried out in dread.

“Of course I’m killing you!”

Gu Qing’s voice was calm, as if stating a trivial fact.

“Our grudge was only those four punches.”

Zhen Zhibing panicked. This man was ready to kill him over a grudge—and he meant it. Zhen Zhibing could not accept it. “Fine! Let me take forty punches! Let you vent your anger!”

Gu Qing did not hesitate. He tightened the belt. “You’ve long courted death. Even without those four punches, I would have killed you.”

Reading novels means identifying with the protagonist. Having been betrayed with a cybernetic green hat, Gu Qing was furious.

As he spoke, Gu Qing pulled the belt taut. “Zhen Zhibing, now you can beg me.”

“Beg… you… to… spare… me?”

Zhen Zhibing’s neck constricted, veins bulging. His words came in gasps.

“Beg me to give you a quick death.”

Gu Qing said.

Zhen Zhibing sneered. He was already in Gu Qing’s grasp. He had nothing left to say. He would accept death quietly. But to beg for mercy before Xiaolongnu? He could not do it.

Especially not before Xiaolongnu!

As the belt tightened to the point of suffocation, Gu Qing suddenly loosened it.

“Do you know? When someone is strangled to death, they defecate and urinate everywhere. It’s disgusting.”

Gu Qing spoke, letting Zhen Zhibing gasp for air—then tightened the belt again.

“Kill me! Quick! Please!”

Gu Qing’s relentless torment and psychological pressure had made Zhen Zhibing feel utterly degraded. He preferred a dignified death—so Xiaolongnu would not see him as utterly vile.

“Why didn’t you say that sooner?”

Gu Qing raised his hand and struck Zhen Zhibing’s lower back. The impact shattered his seven orifices—he collapsed, dead.

【Satisfied Zhen Zhibing’s wish for a swift death. Good Deed Points +1】

Good Deed Points were the ability Gu Qing carried with him after his reincarnation. Whenever someone sincerely begged him for something, and he fulfilled their request, he gained Good Deed Points—which he could then spend to enhance himself.

He could boost his sinews and bones, internal energy, organs, bone marrow, sword techniques, strike speed—anywhere he wished, however he wished. Even injuries and illnesses could be healed by consuming Good Deed Points.

This all-purpose Good Deed Points system was Gu Qing’s foundation.

It was through Good Deed Points that he became the martial prodigy of the Chongyang Palace.

“Zhao Zhijing, come out now!”

Gu Qing rose, his voice ringing out.

He offered no mourning for Zhen Zhibing’s death. The next challenger was Zhao Zhijing—the top Zhi-generation disciple of the Quanzhen Sect!

(End of Chapter)