Chapter 597: Breaking Through to Advanced Martial Master

Kongque Laoliu wreaked havoc in the Ten Thousand Poisons Secret Workshop, killed Poison Martial Arts disciples such as Wu Kui, and finally succeeded and retreated.

After he used a Heavy Talisman to return to Fucheng, the news spread and caused a sensation in all directions; some even believed it to be false news.

What kind of place is the Ten Thousand Poisons Secret Workshop? It is filled with poisonous insects and overgrown with poisonous weeds; birds do not fly over it, and beasts detour around it.

A crowd of Poison Martial Artists made the place foul and murky; outsiders viewed it as hell, and there was even a powerful Poison Martial Venerable, Du Taiyue, presiding over the place.

Previously, Chi Riqianli and several powerful martial artists were blocked at the edge of the Zhaohai, unable to even cross the boundary, and they even lost a companion.

Yet, Kongque Laoliu turned the enemy's heartland upside down this time—how astonishing is that? Not long after, news from the Ten Thousand Poisons Secret Workshop verified the truth of the matter.

Wu Kui was killed, Ha Rugou was killed, and countless accomplices and lackeys on the wanted list also died one after another under his sword.

With one strike of his Colorless Formless Divine Sword, Kongque Laoliu claimed at least a thousand lives; this was even the count provided by his enemies.

"Peerless Divine Sword, Kongque!"

The martial arts circles of Fucheng collectively gave him this nickname, and almost no one objected.

One must know that before this infiltration operation, everyone considered it a suicide mission; the participants were either suffering from terminal illnesses, desperate for money, or dead soldiers doing dirty work like the Cao family martial masters.

No one could imagine a martial master wreaking havoc in the Ten Thousand Poisons Secret Workshop, killing hundreds, and still returning alive.

Kongque Laoliu did it!

He became famous in one battle, enjoying boundless glory.

As for his poor background, originally being a bandit roaming the countryside, and his sworn brothers all being notorious, these were all minor details and of no importance.

It is heard that Du Taiyue was furious about this; from Fu Manlun downwards, all inner disciples lined up to receive slaps, their faces beaten until they were as swollen as pig heads.

There was only one exception, and that was the inner disciple Lu Zhigang, who stepped forward to block Kongque.

As the youngest disciple, Lu Zhigang performed meritorious service in this battle, which could be considered as saving the crumbling face of the Ten Thousand Poisons Secret Workshop.

The great battle between Kongque Laoliu and Lu Zhigang ended in a draw, with their strengths being evenly matched.

Even though Du Taiyue was incredibly angry, he still heavily rewarded Lu Zhigang, giving him all the property and Servant Lineage of the fallen Wu Kui and Ha Rugou, and also bestowed upon him a precious poison pool for his use.

This operation was very successful; it killed the provocative Wu Kui and also made Du Taiyue suffer a small loss.

The only unfortunate thing was that the abducted Cao Xuan'er met a tragic end; it is heard that Kongque Laoliu reported that after this woman entered the Wanli Zhaohai, she died suddenly from poisoning due to Acclimatization.

For a time, many young talents who had admired her felt dejected and sorrowful, scattering wine and picking flowers to commemorate her.

As for the matter of Lu Zhigang taking in a beauty of mysterious origin as his foster daughter around the same time, it was not as sensational; the Poison Martial Artists in the Ten Thousand Poisons Secret Workshop all sighed that he really knew how to play.

Having just tossed the great beauty Cao Xuan'er to her death, he immediately started role-playing; listening to a delicate 'foster daughter' while exerting force—could it be that there was an additional effect? These were all the public reports!

At least Zhou You, in his guise as Lu Zhigang, knew the truth behind Du Taiyue's rage: it was not that Kongque killed people on his turf, but that he had no prior knowledge of how this group had infiltrated.

Fu Manlun not only received slaps but also had a testicle crushed by a ruthless hand as punishment for his incompetence; after all, the power to gather intelligence and plant spies for the Ten Thousand Poisons Secret Workshop was in Fu Manlun's hands.

To preserve his last bottom line of 'Merry Christmas', Fu Manlun had no choice but to swear oaths that he would find out the truth even if it cost him his life.

The trip to the Thousand Faces Hall was a complete victory, which verified the effectiveness of the Heavy Talismans and also handled the aftermath.

Aside from Kongque, all the personnel who knew about the Heavy Talismans died in the Ten Thousand Poisons Secret Workshop, leaving no survivors.

Of the four responsible for procurement, Sea Pearl was a disciple of Chi Riqianli, the Pavilion Master Chang was the owner of the Rare Treasures Pavilion, and the remaining Pei Li and Zhou You faced the greatest risk, but as long as they stayed in the Fucheng martial arts halls, they did not fear Du Taiyue's people.

Ten days later, the Thousand Faces Hall solemnly held a ceremony, inviting Kongque Laoliu to become the Grand Venerated Guest of the Thousand Faces Hall.

A Venerated Guest is essentially the same as a Gate Guest; there is no direct subordinate relationship, nor are they ranked in the hierarchy, belonging to a semi-employed relationship.

Kongque Laoliu being a Grand Venerated Guest meant he was the leader of the many Venerated Guests, with the best treatment, the highest status, and top-tier standing in every aspect. Besides valuing his strength and reputation, it was also for the sake of secrecy; after all, Kongque was the only one who had used the Heavy Talismans twice, and his grasp of the details was unmatched.

"A total of 8 Heavy Talismans; 3 were used going there, 1 was used coming back, and 4 remain."

"There is no need to ask about the last 4; they are definitely clutched in the hands of Chi Riqianli."

Inside the Daqian Martial Arts Hall, Pei Li counted on his fingers; he was conversing with Zhou You.

The two of them had been a bit bored lately; the Thousand Faces Hall gave a 'friendly reminder' of the danger, so naturally, it was not good to show their faces and be flashy.

After all, the Ten Thousand Poisons Secret Workshop is not to be trifled with; having lost so much face this time, they would certainly retaliate. It is said that many spies have already infiltrated Fucheng, and they have even activated hidden agents buried for decades.

Aside from visiting each other, the two of them only traveled between the martial arts hall and their homes, and it was not advisable to go out.

"True, 4 is not a small number, but it is not a large one either."

"The Thousand Faces Hall must be drafting a list of powerful martial artists to infiltrate, seeking to wipe out Du Taiyue in one battle."

Zhou You analyzed.

The carrying capacity of a Heavy Talisman is limited; one can drag 4 martial masters, but if they are powerful martial artists, then it is 1 person per talisman, never overloading.

Chi Riqianli will definitely go, and the remaining 3 spots must be carefully considered; they must be powerful experts.

"It seems Hai Li'er has gone to Chongguang Cheng again."

Pei Li said this; Zhou You had not heard this news, and he was surprised at first, then realized the reason.

This was because they had tasted the sweetness and wanted to purchase more Heavy Talismans, but unfortunately, he, the producer, did not intend to sell.

Things like Heavy Talismans are fine if a small amount leaks out, but if too many appear at once, it is easy to disrupt the balance and invite hatred! Moreover, he had no time for manual labor recently.

Chatting until the sun went down, Pei Li rose to take his leave, finishing another day of drinking tea and chatting—plain and unremarkable.

Late at night!

Zhou You sat in the courtyard wearing a coat, gazing at the night sky above.

Calming his heart, he suddenly thought of Bao Shuixian again; after that meeting outside the city, there had been no news of her.

The encounter with the female powerful martial artist caused him to dig into this past memory, and it became unstoppable.

The silent night was soundless; he emptied his mind, immersing his self in this vast and boundless world.

Zhou You's heart stirred, and a sense of emotion welled up; it was something that had always existed deep in his memory.

"Yin-Yang Harmony, so I have already mastered it."

From Primary Martial Master to Intermediate Martial Master is the transition from extreme hardness to softness, and the Advanced Martial Master further up is the combination of hardness and softness.

The fusion of two completely different extremes, hardness and softness, the principle behind it is... Yin-Yang Harmony.

This night, Zhou You remembered a woman he had forgotten for many days, triggering the latent power deep within his soul.

Under the moonlit night, in the courtyard, the wind swayed the tree shadows.

In an instant, the flower bloomed; he broke through, leaping to become a High-Level Martial Master.

Just like that, so sudden, so simple! Zhou You stood up and stretched, "Back to the room, time to sleep!"

(End of this chapter)