Chapter 37

Chapter Thirty-Six: The Path of Plundering Martial Treasures

"Xue'er?" Song Qingshu muttered to himself, deeply engraving this name in his heart.

He had been hesitating about whether to continue chasing after her. He took a few steps forward but ultimately pulled back. What would be the point of chasing her?

At this moment, Song Qingshu had a strong desire to become stronger. Initially, it was due to the urgency of Zhou Zhiruo's pursuit, but now he had a new reason: to be able to be with Xue'er in the future.

He clearly remembered the immense obstacles Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü faced in their union. Yang Guo nearly died at the hands of Guo Jing, leading to a series of tragic events.

What caused all this? One could say it was the bloodless killing by societal norms, or one could say it was due to Yang Guo's lack of strength in the early stages.

When Yang Guo later became the Invincible Divine Condor, and Xiaolongnü's dual-fighting technique with the Jade Maiden Heart Sword forced the Golden Wheel Dharma King into a desperate retreat, who would dare to comment on their relationship? Would Guo Jing and Huang Rong still dare to use societal norms as an excuse?

Song Qingshu did not want to repeat the mistakes of Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü. Thinking that Hu Furen would either go to the Medicine King's Manor to find Hu Fei or return to the Jade Pen Manor in Liaodong, he knew it wouldn't be difficult to find her. His immediate priority was to enhance his own strength.

Reaching the top of the mountain, Song Qingshu sat on a large rock and meditated on the martial arts he remembered. Although his meridians were once severed, he had deliberately memorized the Nine Yin Manual and the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms from the Dragon Slaying Saber and the Heaven Sword. He never thought these would actually come in handy. After half a day, when Song Qingshu opened his eyes, his internal energy had become even more substantial and concentrated.

Although he had learned the Nine Yin Manual and the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms in a short time, Song Qingshu was not particularly happy. His ability to instantly master martial arts was indeed extraordinary, but he now realized that this ability only allowed him to learn them.

Martial arts have a degree of compatibility. Only when a practitioner's temperament matches the style of the martial art can they maximize its power.

For example, Song Qingshu now knew both the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms and the Nine Yin Bone Claw, but these two martial arts did not match his temperament very well. Therefore, when he used the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, his power was far inferior to that of Qiao Feng and Guo Jing. Similarly, when he used the Nine Yin Bone Claw, his power was not as great as that of Zhou Zhiruo and Mei Chaofeng.

The Nine Yin Manual contains many martial arts, such as the Nine Yin Bone Claw, the White Python Whip Technique, the Great Demon Subduing Palm, and the Heart-Crushing Palm. Was there none that matched Song Qingshu's temperament? Of course, there was.

Song Qingshu's expression was strange. How did he manage to master this skill so well? Was his temperament really destined to be that of a lecher?

He was now very confident in this skill. Looking around the world, no one else could have practiced it as deeply as he had. If caught off guard, they would be captivated by his charm.

Besides the compatibility of martial arts, Song Qingshu had a significant problem: his lack of combat experience. Although he knew every move, he was unsure which martial art to use to counter an enemy's attack and which move to use next for a counterattack. He was completely in the dark.

"I am the opposite of Wang Yuyan," Song Qingshu said with a bitter smile. "She has excellent eyesight but no martial arts skills, while I have many martial arts skills but poor eyesight."

"Whatever, in the end, speed and strength are what matter in martial arts. I'll focus on these, and I'll achieve victory without using any moves. Hahaha~" Thinking of this, Song Qingshu couldn't help but laugh out loud.

On his way down the mountain, Song Qingshu practiced the Shenzhao Scripture and circulated the Nine Yin energy. His face gradually turned grim. The two internal energies, one extremely hard and yang, and the other extremely soft and yin, were completely incompatible. If he didn't want to die from an internal explosion, he would have to choose one to practice.

"Damn it!" Song Qingshu couldn't help but curse. Both divine skills had their advantages, making it difficult to choose.

After much deliberation, he finally gave up thinking and temporarily let the two energies coexist. After all, it wouldn't reach a critical point anytime soon.

On his way down the mountain, he was constantly thinking about where to go next. When he reached the foot of the mountain, Song Qingshu had made a decision: "To the Jade Grotto of Wuliang!"

In his previous life, he had seen a post on a forum: "If you are transported to the world of Jin Yong's martial arts, you should at least master the Nine Yin and Nine Yang, and the Six Pulse Sword Technique. Otherwise, you won't have the face to show yourself to others." Now, he deeply agreed. With his ability to learn anything at a glance, not mastering all the martial arts in the world would be a waste of heaven's gift.

The Northern Mystic Skill in the Jade Grotto of Wuliang was not a big deal. Since Song Qingshu already had the Shenzhao Scripture and the Nine Yin energy, his internal energy was already very powerful. The Northern Mystic Skill required him to dispel all his internal energy, making it a useless skill for him. The Six Pulse Sword Technique, however, was a different story. It was the best choice for self-preservation.

In this violent world, Song Qingshu was quite wary. Survival skills were never too many.

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. There were so many martial arts treasures waiting for him to discover, such as the Nine Yang Divine Skill on Kunlun Mountain, the Sword Tomb of Dugu, the Nine Swords of Dugu on Mount Hua, the Golden Snake Manual in the Golden Snake Cave, and the Evil-Repelling Sword Technique in Fujian... Ah, forget it, that one doesn't count! Thinking about these, Song Qingshu's mood, which had been gloomy due to Xue'er's departure, gradually brightened.

After a long journey through rugged terrain, he finally found the location of the Wuliang Sword Sect. Although Song Qingshu knew the Jade Grotto of Wuliang was near the Wuliang Sword Sect, he didn't know the exact location. He had to use the jade wall as a reference and search around.

After more than half a month, he finally found the Jade Grotto of Wuliang. "Fairy Sister, I'm here~" Song Qingshu ran in happily. If there were others present, they might have had some wild thoughts.

From a distance, he saw the jade statue, which indeed looked like a living person. The light yellow silk robe on her body trembled slightly, her eyes shone brightly, and the white jade texture faintly revealed a rosy hue, indistinguishable from human skin.

Staring at her pitch-black eyes, Song Qingshu felt his heart skip a beat. "No wonder Duan Yu was immediately captivated. It's really a bit eerie."

Thinking of his purpose, Song Qingshu didn't have time to admire the beauty. He hurriedly lifted the hem of the jade statue's robe and carefully searched.

Finally, he found the mat. When Song Qingshu noticed the hole on it, his face turned grim. After searching for a while and finding nothing, he finally gave up.

It seemed that Duan Yu in this world had already beaten him to it. Although he had noticed that the plot of this world was different from the original, he had still hoped that Duan Yu hadn't been here yet. Now, it seemed he had been thinking too much.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Night Raid on Tianlong Temple

"Zhang Wuji at least left a note saying 'Zhang Wuji buried the scripture here,' but Duan Yu's behavior is really too unsightly." Song Qingshu grumbled, thinking of Zhang Wuji, which made him even more unhappy.

"I remember the fairy sister in the painting was completely naked, demonstrating the flow of acupoints with her body," Song Qingshu thought, and a smile of understanding appeared on his face. As a man, he would have kept it to himself and not let others see it.

Since Duan Yu had already learned the Northern Mystic Skill and the Six Pulse Sword Technique, Song Qingshu wondered if he had also learned the Six Pulse Sword Technique. Unwilling to make a long journey in vain, he decided to visit Tianlong Temple.

The Yi Jing Forging Bone Chapter of the Nine Yin Manual could greatly accelerate the cultivation of internal energy. Now, with the Nine Yin Manual and the Shenzhao Scripture, Song Qingshu believed his internal energy was sufficient to perform the Six Pulse Sword Technique.

The people of Dali were devout Buddhists. When they heard he was going to Tianlong Temple, they all gave him enthusiastic directions. However, when Song Qingshu arrived at the temple, it was already dark.

"Nowadays, each martial arts sect treasures their skills. The Six Pulse Sword Technique is not even taught to lay disciples, so it's impossible for me to borrow it." After some thought, Song Qingshu realized his ability to learn at a glance was useless here. He had no choice but to be a thief. He had no psychological burden about stealing, as he wasn't taking anything away, just looking at it once. Could it be considered stealing for a scholar?

He circled around the walls of Tianlong Temple, found a secluded spot, and quietly leaped over. He landed silently inside and hid his tracks as he explored and searched. Passing through Qingdu YaoTai, Wutian Jing, Sanyuan Palace, Doulv Dashi Yuan, Yuhua Yuan, and Bore Tai, he came to a few pine wood houses. The feeling was completely different from the golden and splendid surroundings he had seen earlier. Song Qingshu's heart stirred, thinking this might be the place where Kuirong meditated as described in the book.

He carefully jumped onto the roof and gently lifted a tile. Song Qingshu's brows furrowed immediately.

Inside, six monks were sitting on mats around the room, their expressions serene and their breathing deep, clearly indicating their profound cultivation.

"This is a problem," Song Qingshu sighed. "The Six Monks of Tianlong are all here. Even Jiumozhi couldn't take it by force, so I have no hope."

"Since you have honored us with your presence, why not show yourself?" The monk facing the wall spoke, and his thumb flicked, sending a scorching sword qi toward Song Qingshu. Song Qingshu was taken aback and used his internal energy to break through the roof, spinning several times before landing safely inside.

"I apologize for my late-night visit and any offense I may have caused. I hope the elders will forgive me," Song Qingshu said, bowing as he landed.

The monks inside had already opened their eyes and were watching him warily. Kuirong Chan Master, still facing the wall, sneered, "Your words are respectful, but your actions are suspicious. What brings you here at this hour?"

Song Qingshu hesitated for a moment. It seemed that his plan to secretly obtain the scripture was hopeless. He had to...