Boyang City.
Inside a private room atop the Qingfeng Building.
Wu Ming held an ice jade crane-necked pot, pouring wine into his cup, his gaze fixed out the window.
Outside, willows swayed gently in the pleasant breeze, presenting a warm and inviting scene.
On the streets below, one could frequently spot martial artists, dressed in fine clothes, riding furiously, swords and blades at their waists, exuding heroic auras.
“A similar ancient style, yet a different world, a different charm…”
Wu Ming downed his wine in one gulp, letting the fiery sensation course through his body, experiencing a uniquely novel feeling.
“You’ve arrived at the prefectural city. What are your plans from now on?”
Lin Xinlan entered, tossing over a small, heavy bundle.
Wu Ming opened it and found stacks of gold and silver coins inside, dazzlingly bright, forged into the size of copper coins, along with a bundle of banknotes, their watermarks clear, with intricate patterns and insignias too numerous and complex to counterfeit.
“With this wealth, you could buy a grand mansion in Boyang City, hundreds of acres of fertile farmland, and a retinue of servants and maids… Well? Is it enough to repay your debt?”
Lin Xinlan huffed coldly.
Even a wrecked ship has its nails; although the Lin family had been wiped out, it seemed their hidden reserves remained.
Wu Ming was slightly surprised but unhesitatingly pocketed the money. If he wanted to avoid becoming a highway bandit in this world, such things were indeed quite important.
“More than enough… As long as you do one last thing for me!”
“What is it?”
“Take me to meet the leader of the Sanyang Sect!”
Wu Ming smiled slightly.
“Meet him?”
Lin Xinlan shook her head immediately. “Ding Jiao, the master of the Sanyang Sect? He wouldn’t meet outsiders casually. Besides… my current identity…”
“Oh!”
Wu Ming nodded understandingly. Precious treasures stirred desires. Even if the Sanyang Sect wasn’t her enemy, Lin Xinlan might still fear they would overpower her.
“Then forget it. We’re even now. You may go as you please!”
Wu Ming waved his hand.
Yet upon hearing this, Lin Xinlan did not leave. Instead, she sat down opposite Wu Ming, staring at him intently. “You really are a strange person. Why do you want to see Ding Jiao?”
“To ask him to do a few things, and to visit the Sanyang Sect’s library!”
Wu Ming replied directly.
His main purpose in coming to the Shenwu World was to investigate the possible whereabouts of components of the Main Shrine, an artifact of strange and mystical nature that might be recorded in historical texts.
Unfortunately, the Shenwu World was fragmented, lacking a unified dynasty, so Wu Ming had no choice but to search painstakingly, one by one.
If there were no clues in the texts, then he would have to explore ancient ruins and dangerous places, turning the world upside down.
In either case, he would have to travel across the land.
“Hmph… What a bold claim!”
Lin Xinlan scoffed. “Who do you think you are? A martial expert ranked among the Celestial Rankings? What makes you think Ding Jiao will obey you?”
“I may not be a Celestial-ranked martial artist, but I do have my own methods. You needn’t worry about that!”
Wu Ming exhaled lightly.
Although he could now draw upon the power of a Celestial Immortal, it was extremely draining, as it required resisting the world’s suppression, which in turn required assistance from the Main Shrine.
Before fully deciphering this world’s rules and breaking through the crystal barrier system, fighting off a few ants simply wasn’t worth the effort.
“Perhaps… I should also focus on cultivating martial arts… I can’t rely solely on Celestial Immortal power for everything… It’s like using a cannon to kill mosquitoes—too wasteful!”
Martial cultivation in this world naturally wouldn’t face such suppression.
Moreover, Wu Ming had previously converted just a sliver of his Celestial Immortal energy into a profound internal force that even surprised Lin Xinlan, clearly indicating its efficiency and worthiness of further exploration.
“Still…”
Wu Ming paused halfway, then sighed. “Rather than worrying about me, you should be more concerned about yourself. It seems you’ve got some trouble coming!”
“Trouble?!”
Lin Xinlan was startled, and soon after, the sound of many footsteps approached from outside, surrounding the Qingfeng Building entirely.
“This is official business of the Sanyang Sect! Bystanders, clear out!”
A deep and resonant voice rang out, vibrating the eardrums. Instantly, hurried footsteps echoed as people hastily retreated.
“The girl must be in this tavern. She can’t have gone far!”
A seductive voice followed, making Lin Xinlan shudder. “It’s Miaoniangzi!”
She opened the door slightly and saw Miaoniangzi entering the building, leaning on the arm of another martial artist. Around them were Sanyang Sect disciples, exuding an air of arrogance.
The martial artist she leaned on appeared to be in his forties or fifties, with a masculine face, wearing a blue robe with a blazing sun pattern on the back. His eyes were sharp and radiant, like swords.
As his gaze swept the area, he immediately sensed something and turned his eyes, locking onto Lin Xinlan’s location.
“Finished!”
Lin Xinlan nearly collapsed. “This is Xiang Kun, one of the Eight Enforcement Elders of the Sanyang Sect, ranked 355th on the Heroic Rankings, known as the Blazing Palm! I never expected Miaoniangzi to collude with him. We’ve practically walked into the tiger’s den!”
“Haha… Little girl, big sister sees you now. Why don’t you come down obediently?”
Miaoniangzi giggled, her face filled with vengeful satisfaction. “And that boy, I’ll have him sliced into pieces to satisfy my hatred!”
“Is that so?”
Wu Ming pushed open the door. “Looks like you haven’t learned your lesson yet!”
“This gentleman?”
Xiang Kun bowed slightly to Wu Ming. “I am Xiang Kun of the Sanyang Sect. May I know how to address you?”
“Wu Ming.”
“Ah, Brother Wu. This Miss Lin Xinlan is involved in a serious murder case related to our Sanyang Sect. Would you be so kind as to grant me this favor?”
Xiang Kun couldn’t quite gauge Wu Ming’s strength and, ignoring Miaoniangzi’s glare, spoke directly.
“Finished!”
Upon hearing this, Lin Xinlan’s heart sank.
She realized Xiang Kun was attempting to let Wu Ming go in exchange for his non-interference.
Without this mysterious Taoist beside her, she would have no hope today!
“Favor?”
To everyone’s surprise, Wu Ming chuckled. “What are you? Who do you think you are, to deserve me granting you a favor?”
His words were sincere, his expression genuinely earnest, but Xiang Kun’s face flushed red, as if struck a heavy blow.
“Good! Very good!”
Xiang Kun sneered. “This is the first time I’ve encountered someone so audacious in Boyang City! Please, sir, name your terms!”
He stepped forward leisurely, his palms gathering fiery energy. In his mind, he quickly reviewed all the top martial artists from the Heroic and Earthly Rankings, confirming that none matched this young man before him.
“A duel? That’s indeed novel!”
Wu Ming had never encountered such “martial world etiquette” before, finding it quite amusing.
After all, he had always dealt with enemies using Daoist techniques, annihilating their souls and bodies entirely.
He turned to Lin Xinlan and said, “Looks like you owe me another favor today!”
With a flick of his wrist, he leapt over the railing and landed straight down.
“Brother Kun, be careful! This man has formidable internal energy but lacks martial techniques. He probably consumed some rare treasure!”
Miaoniangzi immediately warned.
“Please!”
Xiang Kun lowered his chest and straightened his back, his stance firm. Even though he faced an unknown opponent, he immediately entered a fighting posture.
Beside him, Miaoniangzi’s eyes gleamed with excitement and hatred.
Lin Xinlan anxiously gripped her skirt hem: “This Wu Ming doesn’t even know martial arts at all. He only has immense internal energy, like a raging bull. How can he possibly defeat the Blazing Palm?”
“Please!”
Wu Ming, however, had no such concerns and simply waved his hand.
Boom!
As soon as he spoke, Xiang Kun had already advanced with eight swift steps, appearing before him in an instant. He launched the first strike, his right palm radiating scorching energy, slashing downward fiercely.
Swoosh!
In a flash, Wu Ming sidestepped, and the high-quality red sandalwood table behind him was split in two, its cross-section blackened and charred.
“Blazing Palm!”
Lin Xinlan gasped from upstairs.
“Fascinating… manipulating meridians and acupoints to alter the nature of internal energy?” Wu Ming’s eyes gleamed. “This technique doesn’t exist in the Dazhou World!”
“Dodging well!”
As Wu Ming’s gaze swept over him, Xiang Kun felt his hairs stand on end, as if his entire being had been stripped bare, igniting his fighting spirit. He surged forward, unleashing a series of palm strikes. “Blazing Sun Thirty-Six Forms!”
Crash!
Wu Ming dodged to the side, and the golden-threaded nanmu pillar behind him bore another black palm imprint, deeply embedded an inch into the wood.
“Will you only dodge?”
Xiang Kun roared, his palm shadows densely surrounding Wu Ming, radiating scorching heat outward, making him seem like a blazing furnace.
The astonishing heat forced even the Sanyang Sect disciples nearby to retreat several steps.
“He’s using his full strength!”
Miaoniangzi’s face showed surprise.
“To be able to exchange blows evenly with someone ranked on the Heroic Rankings…” Lin Xinlan’s face suddenly showed a glimmer of hope. “Perhaps… my great vengeance…”
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Inside the Qingfeng Building’s main hall, figures darted rapidly.
In an instant, Xiang Kun had executed all thirty-six forms of the Blazing Sun Palm, yet hadn’t even grazed Wu Ming’s robe.
He felt deeply perplexed, knowing that Wu Ming hadn’t practiced any advanced martial arts, yet seemed to predict his every move, evading with uncanny agility and grace.
Unable to stop now, after completing the thirty-six forms, he began again from the start.
“Is that all you’ve got?”
Wu Ming dodged another palm strike, his face showing disappointment. “What a pity… I was hoping to see more… Well then…”
His figure flickered, suddenly appearing at Xiang Kun’s side.
“Eight Steps, Shadow Flash?!”
Xiang Kun cried out in shock, only to see the opponent’s palm strike toward him, radiating the same scorching internal energy, further deepening his astonishment. “You…”
Bang!
The palms collided. Xiang Kun felt an overwhelming force surge from Wu Ming’s palm, scorching internal energy instantly burning through his meridians. He spat blood and flew backward.
Crash!
He crashed heavily into a banquet table, scattering dishes and cups, his body splattered with oil and food stains. His face turned as red as a boiled crab, and he spat out another mouthful of dark purple blood.
“My respects!”
Wu Ming mimicked Xiang Kun’s bow, while all the martial artists in the hall stared in stunned silence.
“What did I just witness? A young man actually defeating Xiang Kun, the Blazing Palm, in a duel?”
The crowd murmured in astonishment. “Does this mean… this person’s martial prowess is sufficient to rank him on the Heroic Rankings, taking Xiang Kun’s place?”
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