Chapter 45: Obtaining the Beiming Divine Energy

Zhang Jie swept away the dust with his sleeve and walked along the secret passage within the cliff face.

After walking over ten meters, under the dim light, he discovered that the passage ended in a hidden chamber.

“The world where martial arts exist is truly wondrous.”

Zhang Jie murmured in amazement.

Only because Su Xinghe and the others possessed formidable martial skills could they have possibly,

with just a dozen men, excavated such a vast tunnel and chamber within a few years—it would have been impossible otherwise.

The size of this tunnel rivals the tombs of Han dynasty nobles discovered by archaeologists in the 21st century.

Among tomb robbers like the Gold Seekers, the Earth-Excavating Celestials, the Mountain-Removing Giants, and the Mountain-Moving Daoists,

there circulates a saying used to locate dragons and probe graves:

“Buried on mountain peaks in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States eras; buried on mountain ridges in Qin and Han;

buried on mountain slopes in the Eastern Han and Southern Dynasties; buried at the foot of slopes in Sui, Tang, and Song.”

Yet Han dynasty noble tombs were built by thousands of craftsmen over decades.

Even so, many remained unfinished.

Zhang Jie sighed as he stepped into the chamber.

The moment he entered, he saw an old man “floating” in midair.

The old man had a three-foot-long beard, each strand now white, his face like polished jade, utterly free of wrinkles,

clearly ancient, yet still radiant and elegant.

“At his age, Wuyazi still retains his former splendor—

no wonder the Child of Mount Tian and Li Qiushui both fell for him.”

Zhang Jie, knowing the man in midair was Wuyazi, marveled—Wuyazi truly had an impeccable presence.

Zhang Jie inwardly sighed, yet his face showed genuine astonishment:

“Could this be a celestial descending to earth?”

In the world of Tianlong, who else but a celestial could fly?

“Hah! Young friend, you jest.”

“I am but a dying man clinging to life—how could I be a celestial?”

The Wuyazi “floating” in midair laughed heartily.

It turned out Wuyazi’s back was tied to a rope, suspending him several meters above the ground.

And since the chamber had only one ventilation and light hole, no larger than a sea bowl,

even when sunlight outside was bright, the chamber remained dim.

In the dim light, the dark rope was naturally hard to see, making newcomers who had not yet adjusted to the darkness

mistake Wuyazi for floating in midair.

“Disciple Zhang Jie, may I ask who you are, Elder?”

Zhang Jie promptly masked his astonishment and asked politely.

“Hmm.”

Wuyazi grew more satisfied the more he looked at Zhang Jie.

Zhang Jie’s appearance and physique alone rivaled his own youth,

and what pleased him most was the indescribable charm Zhang Jie exuded in every gesture.

Such a paragon belonged in his Xiaoyao Sect, and should become his disciple, Wuyazi’s own.

With this man, he could surely avenge himself and restore the Xiaoyao Sect’s glory.

“I am Wuyazi. The Zhenlong Chess Puzzle outside was set by me.”

Wuyazi smiled.

“I never imagined the Zhenlong Chess Puzzle was your doing.

Its brilliance surpasses all under heaven—your chess skill, Disciple, I deeply admire.”

Zhang Jie began flattering Wuyazi.

As the saying goes: a thousand lies may be exposed, but flattery never fails.

He once read a fable:

A court official posted to the provinces went to bid farewell to his master.

The master said: “Serving as an official outside the capital is difficult—be cautious.”

The official replied: “I have prepared a hundred high hats; I give one to every person I meet, so I’ll never offend anyone.”

The master grew angry: “We uphold the righteous path—why such deceit?”

The official replied: “How many people in the world, like you, dislike wearing high hats?”

The master nodded: “Your words are not without insight.”

The official left and told others: “I had a hundred high hats—I now have only ninety-nine!”

Of course, if you flatter and hit the wrong spot, you’re on your own.

“Hah! Young friend, you flatter me too much.”

Though Wuyazi spoke humbly, his smile could not be suppressed.

In his life, he was proudest of mastering music, chess, calligraphy, painting, medicine, gardening, and theater—all perfectly.

Now, praised by the paragon he had chosen, how could he not be delighted?

Moreover, since Zhang Jie solved the Zhenlong Chess Puzzle, he must be a true chess enthusiast—perfectly aligned with his own tastes.

“May I ask, Elder, why did you set the Zhenlong Chess Puzzle?”

Zhang Jie asked, pretending ignorance.

At this, Wuyazi’s smile faded:

“I am the second patriarch of the Xiaoyao Sect…”

Wuyazi recounted how, after becoming patriarch,

he had once lived in seclusion with his junior sister Li Qiushui in the “Langhuan Fudi” of Wuliang Mountain in Dali.

Later, his disciple Ding Chunqiu betrayed him, pushing him off a cliff—but he miraculously survived.

He then explained how he set the Zhenlong Chess Puzzle to await a destined disciple to avenge him.

“Will you inherit my legacy and avenge me?”

Wuyazi gazed at Zhang Jie with hopeful eyes.

“This… I am deeply moved by your plight, Elder,

but I have trained in martial arts for too short a time—I fear I am no match for Ding Chunqiu.”

Zhang Jie hesitated, clearly troubled.

Wuyazi, far from being alarmed, was delighted:

Had Zhang Jie agreed instantly, he would have suspected him.

Those who promise easily are quick to break promises.

Zhang Jie’s hesitation proved he had seriously considered killing Ding Chunqiu to avenge him.

“Hah! I have already prepared for this. Our sect possesses the supreme art: the Beiming Divine Skill…”

Wuyazi told Zhang Jie he could transfer his entire internal energy to him via the Beiming Divine Skill.

“The Zhuangzi’s ‘Free and Easy Wandering’ says: ‘Far north of the hairless land lies the Dark Sea, a Celestial Pool.

There dwells a fish, thousands of miles wide, whose length no one knows.’

It also says: ‘If water is not deep enough, it cannot bear a great ship.

Pour a cup of water into a hollow on the floor, and a mustard seed becomes a boat; place a cup there, and it sticks—the water is shallow, the boat too large.’

Thus, the essence of our sect’s martial arts is the accumulation of internal energy.

Once your internal energy is profound, all martial arts under heaven become yours to wield, just as the Dark Sea

carries great ships and small boats alike, embraces great fish and small fish without exception.”

Wuyazi continued explaining the philosophy and marvels of the Beiming Divine Skill.

“Master, please accept this disciple’s bow.”

The preliminaries complete, Zhang Jie, sensing the moment had come, immediately knelt before Wuyazi,

bowing with full reverence.

“Good, good, good!”

Wuyazi exclaimed repeatedly.

With such a worthy disciple, how could his vengeance fail?

“Good disciple, come before me—your master shall now transfer my internal energy to you.”

Wuyazi spoke eagerly, and activated the mechanism to descend from midair.

Zhang Jie stepped forward, sat cross-legged before Wuyazi, and extended his hands to meet Wuyazi’s palms.

Wuyazi activated the Beiming Divine Skill and began absorbing Zhang Jie’s Nine Yang Divine Art internal energy.

Feeling his Nine Yang Divine Art energy slowly draining, Zhang Jie remained calm:

Wuyazi had just told him that the Beiming Divine Skill’s method differed from other martial arts.

The Beiming Divine Skill’s ability to absorb internal energy stemmed from its unique reverse flow of energy,

entirely opposite to conventional internal energy cultivation paths.

It seemed to exploit the principle that opposite magnetic poles attract, reversing internal energy to

generate a force akin to a negative pole drawing in a positive one.

This force connects through the meridians to the opponent’s acupoints,

naturally drawing in the opponent’s internal energy.

Yet this method of reversing internal energy carries extreme cultivation risks.

To cultivate the Northern Darkness Divine Art, one must overcome two major obstacles.

First, the cultivator must be a complete beginner or have already discarded all prior martial arts foundations from other sects,

and must memorize this sect’s energy circulation method precisely, to avoid errors in meridian flow

that could prevent absorption of the enemy’s internal energy—or even endanger life.

Second, the Northern Darkness Divine Art’s ability to absorb internal energy has strict limitations:

it can absorb only opponents whose internal energy is weaker than one’s own.

If the enemy’s internal energy is profound, it is like seawater flooding into rivers,

overwhelming the cultivator’s meridians and potentially destroying them entirely.

Wu Yashu was now erasing Zhang Jie’s original Nine Yang Divine Art internal energy.

As his internal energy diminished, the weakness Zhang Jie had not felt since entering the shared space returned to him.

Yet knowing this was a necessary step in cultivating the Northern Darkness Divine Art, Zhang Jie closed his eyes and endured silently.

“Such pure internal energy!”

Wu Yashu, absorbing Zhang Jie’s internal energy, was stunned by the Nine Yang Divine Art’s power.

Such pure, supremely yang and forceful internal energy—he had never seen its like.

“It seems my disciple is a man of great fortune,

having inherited a lost legacy from ancient times.”

Wu Yashu, unfamiliar with the Nine Yang Divine Art, attributed its origin to an ancient inheritance.

“Disciple, focus your mind on your dantian!”

Wu Yashu reminded Zhang Jie.

Knowing Wu Yashu was about to transmit his energy, Zhang Jie instantly concentrated fully.

The next instant, a vast torrent of internal energy surged from Wu Yashu’s body,

entering Zhang Jie’s body through the Shao Shang acupoint on his palm.

Entered Zhang Jie’s body through the Shangshang acupoint on his palm.