Chapter 18

Beiming Gongfu (北冥神功)

Moxiang returned to Bonta and received a severe reprimand from the leader. After completing his mission, he was to be under house arrest for five years, but the leader found out that he had caused more trouble without permission.

Moxiang was given an additional two years of house arrest for challenging someone on Wudang Mountain. He lived a monotonous life, repeatedly practicing every day. His martial arts skills increased to the point where he could count the pine needles, but after four years, there was no further progress.

For a year, Moxiang continuously pondered why this was happening and reflected on his mistakes, but he knew there was no other way and sought out the leader. There was something Moxiang had long desired from the leader, and perhaps it could be the key to breaking through the barrier in front of him. The leader, though Moxiang was under house arrest, did not refuse his request to discuss his martial arts practice. When Moxiang entered and greeted the leader, the leader asked brusquely:

"Why are you here?"

"Please let me see Beiming Gongfu (北冥神功)."

"Beiming Gongfu is a martial art that only the successive leaders have seen. Therefore, you do not have the right to see it."

"Still, I hope for the leader's grace."

"Why? You are already strong. Why are you so obsessed with strength?"

"I am not obsessed with strength alone. I just want to understand the ultimate level of martial arts, nothing more, nothing less. Recently, I have been practicing repeatedly, but I can no longer make progress. The limit of human ability is right in front of me, and I cannot overcome it with my current skills. I am asking because I hope there might be a way to break through this limit."

"All the previous leaders have seen that manual, and I have seen it too. But it might not be as helpful as you think..."

"Still, I want to see it once."

"No matter how much you want it, I cannot break the rules set by the previous leaders. If you want to become the next leader, I might show it to you."

"I thought that was already settled."

"Then I cannot show it to you. I cannot break the rules until you take my place."

At this, Moxiang instantly gathered his energy and drew the Muhun Sword. As soon as he drew it, the Muhun Sword glowed blue and flew toward the leader. The leader, as if he had anticipated this, barely managed to step back.

"Wait! I'll show it to you. You really have a short temper..."

The leader grumbled while touching his neck.

"I still doubt if it's still there. Your sword technique is truly terrifying. Even though I said you should cut my neck, I didn't expect you to actually do it... Fortunately, I was prepared, or I would have gone to the other world with just a joke."

"Will you show it to me?"

"I'll show it to you. But only you... And you cannot take it out. You must read it in my practice room."

"Thank you."

"Follow me."

Moxiang waited in the leader's private practice room, and soon the leader returned with a book. The leader handed it to Moxiang.

"Here it is. I don't know if it will help..."

Moxiang looked at the book with trembling hands.

「Beiming Gongfu (北冥神功)」

When he opened the first page, the writing was in a grand style, allowing him to guess the writer's boldness.

「I, the current leader, gathered twelve pieces of stars from the distant sky of Beiming and left them here, naming this Beiming Gongfu. Each piece is related and unrelated, and it is both a martial art and not a martial art. The one who can fully understand this will open the realm of life and death (生死境), which all martial artists have dreamed of.」

On the next page, on one side, there were ancient Bohai characters, about the size of red beans, recorded on old parchment. The parchment was fixed to the book with a piece of bronze to prevent it from falling out, and from the back page, the Bohai characters were translated into Chinese characters. The parchment had twelve pages, most of which were worn out over time, making some characters hard to read, and some were torn or burned, causing some content to be lost. The translation on the back pages, unlike the grand style of the front pages, was written in a meticulous, delicate, and soft style, indicating that it was likely the work of a scribe. Since the leader, Guhui, did not know Bohai, he must have asked a scribe who knew Bohai to translate it.

Moxiang, after being advised by Yubai to learn Bohai characters, had spent a long time struggling with them and could now read Bohai to some extent. He began to read the original text on the parchment and compare it with the scribe's translation to see if they matched.

After reading for a while, Moxiang realized that the content was quite familiar. As he read further, he understood that it was related to his sword technique. However, he noticed that the method of using internal energy in the scribe's translation was slightly different from his own. Upon closer examination, he found that there was a problem with the scribe's translation. Some parts of the internal energy technique were incorrectly recorded, and it was clear that this was done intentionally. The reason for the scribe's mistake was not important. Moxiang compared the original text with his own knowledge, experimented, and gradually researched which method was better. Since he was familiar with the content, he could even guess the parts that were unreadable.

After spending a long time with the first page, Moxiang gained considerable help. He realized that a slight difference could affect the power of his sword technique and identified where he had misunderstood in learning it. Moxiang had not discovered his sword technique through long experience and enlightenment but by piecing together various similar sword techniques, which was why there was a slight difference from the orthodox method.

The second page detailed the mindset and precautions needed to practice advanced martial arts. Since much of this was already ingrained in Moxiang's body, it was not difficult to understand.

The third page explained the concept of martial arts from the very basics. It described the process of accumulating internal energy, techniques for controlling and releasing it, and methods for instantly gathering and releasing ten levels of internal energy. Reading this, Moxiang felt a great thrill. Martial artists always gather their internal energy before a fight. It was impossible to release ten levels of internal energy without preparation. Even releasing five levels of internal energy suddenly to counter an ambush could cause significant internal injuries. This is why many experts were killed by assassins with inferior skills. However, the content here described how to instantly gather up to eight levels of internal energy and the techniques for doing so. Unfortunately, part of this section was torn, leaving Moxiang unable to know the rest, which was very disappointing.

The fourth page offered advice on handling swords and knives, including many details needed to form advanced sword techniques. The content was divided into two main parts: methods for containing energy in the sword and methods for releasing it. Containing energy in the sword results in a sword technique, while releasing it results in sword qi, sword wind, and sword beams. The numerous techniques and precautions were briefly but precisely described, indicating that the writer was a great master.

The fifth page was about hard qi (剛氣), detailing various techniques for generating it and how to control it when releasing multiple strands.

The sixth page described methods for controlling energy, from absorbing objects with energy (能空攝物) to transmitting sound with energy (御氣傳聲). While most of the applications of energy were covered, the explanations were too brief, making them difficult to understand.

The seventh page was about the sword technique of controlling energy. This part was similar to the earlier sections on sword techniques, but the right side was burned, making it hard to read. However, since Moxiang knew the technique, he could guess how it connected.

The eighth page recorded techniques for controlling hard qi (剛氣), leading to the ability to use heart sword (心劍) with deeper practice. Unfortunately, part of this section was torn, so he could not know the entire content.

The ninth page described various techniques for releasing energy, which were more extensive for widespread destruction. It detailed methods for releasing different types of energy, such as soft, hard, explosive, and attracting.

The tenth page recorded methods for eliminating useless and harmful energy in the body. While it could be applied to acupuncture techniques, it was a more advanced method, capable of eliminating rampant energy through demonic transformation or even completely dissolving all internal energy.

The eleventh page was about methods for absorbing energy, detailing techniques for absorbing natural energy into the body. With slight modifications, it could also be used to absorb an opponent's internal energy. However, the original content was about absorbing natural energy to build pure internal energy, which required significant time and effort. Once all techniques were mastered, it could lead to a divine realm.

The twelfth page described techniques for evenly distributing energy in the body, a method for dispersing excessive internal energy.

After reading all the content, Moxiang finally understood how the Demon Sect's Xingcheng Dafa (吸星大法) was created. Xingcheng Dafa absorbed an opponent's internal energy and stored it in the body, combining the techniques from the eleventh and twelfth pages. However, since it was difficult to control the absorbed energy, the Demon Sect used the Shaolin's Jingang Hehuanxinfa (金剛合幻心法) to blend different types of energy. The problem was that absorbing too much energy could be overwhelming, and even with the Jingang Hehuanxinfa, it was impossible to completely prevent minor conflicts between different types of energy. In severe cases, losing control of the energy could lead to demonic transformation and a tragic death. Therefore, true experts in the Demon Sect did not learn Xingcheng Dafa.

What puzzled Moxiang was the eleventh parchment. The bottom part was written in even older Bohai characters, and the translation of this part was torn. Moxiang could not interpret this part, so he suspected it contained something very important and copied it down.

Moxiang resumed his intense practice. Beiming Gongfu was too briefly described, making it difficult to understand the overall content. However, he was grateful for any help, and there was no other way to learn it. As time passed, the one-year period of his house arrest, set by the leader, was approaching. Moxiang received a call from the leader. When he arrived, the leader was discussing with several elders and greeted Moxiang.

"Welcome. I have a task for you."

"What is it?"

"There's a conflict with the Tang Sect (唐門) in Sichuan. Initially, it was a minor dispute between the Spider Society (蜘逞會), a faction of the Evil Alliance, and the Tang Sect. As neither side would back down, the situation escalated into three bloody battles. Two of the Five Great Families (五大勢家) joined the conflict, leading to a siege. They have requested support from our sect, and we have sent experts from three branches, but the opponents are too strong, and we have not achieved significant results. We could easily wipe out the Tang Sect, but the Five Great Families are not to be underestimated. They have the support of the Nine Sects and One Sect and the Martial Arts Alliance. We do not want a full-scale war over this trivial matter, and now is not the time. Ideally, we want to resolve the situation amicably. Can you handle this?"

"Well, I am under house arrest..."

"Hahaha, forget about the house arrest. Your memory is good. I had already forgotten. I granted your request, so will you not grant mine?"

"Isn't there someone else who can do it, like Elder Hemuwang?"

"No. This situation could escalate into a full-scale war at any moment, but we cannot commit all our resources. We have the Asura Blood Sect and the Dark Demon Sect to consider... If a full-scale war breaks out, we need to be prepared to handle everything with our current strength. I am sending you because, in the worst case, you can eliminate their leaders without escalating to a full-scale war..."

"Aha! I understand why you need me. Alright."

"Good. I will give you the Asura Demon Slaying Team (修羅魔斬隊)."

"Do I need to bring them to handle this properly?"

"No, I am not asking you to use them, but to use them as a show of force. Try to build the prestige of both sides and resolve the conflict. If words fail, give them a taste. They seem to have become overconfident because we have been quiet. If a full-scale war breaks out suddenly, the strength we can gather from the three nearby branches and one secret branch is not enough, so take them as a precaution. The team consists of about 500 people, so they won't be too noticeable."

"Understood. Is there anything else?"

"Hmm, hmm..."

Then the leader used Yiqizhuan (御氣傳聲) to speak to Moxiang. Yiqizhuan is a martial art that involves completely controlling energy and transmitting sound through it, which is impossible without reaching a high level of internal energy. The higher the internal energy, the farther the sound can travel, and at the Hua Jing level, one can send sound up to five zhang. Unlike the transmission technique (傳音) used by ordinary martial artists, which involves sending sound with internal energy and requires a slight movement of the mouth, Yiqizhuan transmits thoughts through energy without moving the mouth. Some martial artists who have learned ventriloquism (腹話術) can imitate Yiqizhuan, but it is only a modified form of transmission. Many people know that Yiqizhuan is superior to transmission but do not use it because it is difficult to learn and has a short transmission range.

《This is a bit embarrassing... Hmm... I know someone living near Sichuan. On Denglai Mountain (燈亮山), there is a temple called Zhengliang Temple (整良寺). Please deliver this to Master Zhishi (知晳).》

The leader then took out a small package and gave it to Moxiang, followed by a black jade pendant with a vividly carved Asura.

"Take this Tianma Ling (天魔令) and handle everything. Resolve this matter quickly, by any means necessary. I grant you permission to act in the name of the leader."

"Understood!"

Moxiang first dispatched the Four Gentlemen to gather information and called Dongfang Leiwu (東方雷武), the leader of the Asura Demon Slaying Team, one of the five elite forces of the Demon Sect and the 11th in rank. The Asura Demon Slaying Team had only been deployed three times, and the reason it was almost unknown in the martial world was that all witnesses were eliminated.

Dongfang Leiwu, who was 5 chi 6 cun tall and had a lean build, carried a 4 chi 3 cun long sword on his back. When he first led the Asura Demon Slaying Team, he killed so many people mercilessly that his name changed to "Human Butcher" (人屠).

"Did you call me?"

"Welcome. I need your help to resolve the conflict in Sichuan."

"Yes."

"Lead the Asura Demon Slaying Team and wait at the secret branch. I will call you if necessary. Do not release your subordinates until I do. We must strive for peace. Only use force if it is impossible. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Leave in three days."

"Understood!"

Moxiang set out in the afternoon. The weather was pleasant, and he felt light-hearted, as it had been a long time since he had seen the world. With his troublesome subordinates all dispatched, he felt even more relaxed. He rode slowly, enjoying the scenery and stopping to look at anything interesting.