Chapter 26

Black Dragon Gang.

"Report—"

"Reporting to the Second Leader, someone has come to challenge us outside!"

"Who dares to challenge the Black Dragon Gang? They must be tired of living! Chop them to pieces!"

"Yes!"

Not long after, the Second Leader of the Black Dragon Gang heard the sounds of a fight growing closer. A man in black, accompanied by a young swordsman in white, had stormed in. The Second Leader immediately roared, "Who are you? Don't you know this is the headquarters of the Black Dragon Gang?"

"The Black Dragon Gang has committed countless evils and is ripe for destruction. Since you refuse to accept my challenge, you have no reason to exist." The man in black's voice was cold as ice, and in a few swift steps, he was already in front of the Second Leader, his long sword piercing through the chest!

"Who dares to cause trouble in the Black Dragon Gang!" A loud voice like a thunderclap echoed in everyone's ears. A silver light suddenly appeared in the main hall, and a long saber whistled through the air toward the man in black! The man in black's sword cut into the saber, then spun, causing the saber to spin around his sword. With a thrust, the saber flew back along its original path!

A well-dressed man with a saber leaped out from the hall, splitting the saber in two, and then raised it to strike the man in black. At the same time, the Black Dragon Gang members surged forward like a tide.

Suddenly, the man in black's figure blurred, and the saber struck empty air. A black figure quickly darted through the crowd, and by the time the saber was retracted, the man in black was back in front of them, as if he had never moved. Blood dripped from his sword, and the surrounding gang members fell to the ground.

"Who... who are you!" The man with the saber was terrified, his hand trembling.

"Lord of White Cloud City—Ye Gucheng!" As the words fell, the man in black leaped, and the man with the saber turned to look around but saw no one. Suddenly, the sky darkened, and the man in black was standing on his shoulders, his sword already piercing his head!

...

River Luo Sword School.

Long Blade Sect.

Guiyun Manor.

...

Over the next few months, major forces in Henan were all challenged and defeated by a single move, the Heavenly Flying Immortal. The name of Lord of White Cloud City, Ye Gucheng, spread along the Yellow River, and the Heavenly Flying Immortal became a legendary sword technique, hailed as the supreme sword art in Central China. Meanwhile, the instigator, Luo Fan, was leisurely walking on the mountain path of Mount Song.

At this time, Yang Guo had already mastered the Nine Swords of Dugu and had been taught the Nine Yin Manual by Luo Fan. He was now a minor expert, reaching the second-class level.

Luo Fan was not unwilling to teach the Nine Yang Manual, but the final stage of the Nine Yang Manual required enduring intense heat and passion. Otherwise, the Nine Yang internal energy would only be stored, and using it would not be as effective, leading to excessive exhaustion and death after a battle. During the internal energy competition, Luo Fan suddenly felt his true energy vanish, nearly dying from excessive exhaustion. The danger was evident, so he was reluctant to teach the Nine Yang Manual.

On the mountain path, Yang Guo ran breathlessly using his lightness skill, while Luo Fan walked calmly. Strangely, Yang Guo felt he couldn't catch up, so he shouted, "Master, wait for me!"

"Amitabha!" A guest monk approached, reciting a Buddhist greeting, "Are you Lord of White Cloud City, Ye Gucheng? Please follow me."

Luo Fan smiled and asked, "Oh? You know me?"

"The abbot said you would challenge major forces and eventually come to Shaolin."

"Indeed." Luo Fan laughed, surprised that even the old monk in the mountains knew his name.

They followed the guest monk to a meditation room, where an old monk with white eyebrows greeted them. It was the Shaolin abbot whom Luo Fan had met when he obtained the Nine Yang Manual.

"I know your purpose," the old monk said, holding a Buddhist gesture, "But the Muscle Changing Classic is only taught to Shaolin disciples, and I cannot break this rule. If you want to see other martial arts, I can show you."

Luo Fan thought he had already learned the Nine Yang Manual from Shaolin, and it would be unreasonable to force them to give him the Muscle Changing Classic. He nodded, "Other martial arts are fine, but given the value of my Heavenly Flying Immortal sword technique, you should at least show me two secret manuals."

"Choose any two secret manuals to view. As a monk, I will not fight you."

"Really?" Luo Fan looked at the old monk, puzzled, but decided to take the offer. He followed the old monk to the scripture hall.

Luo Fan didn't realize that the old monk's martial arts were not very high, at most on par with Huo Du. Knowing he would lose, the old monk chose to let Luo Fan view the manuals, gaining a reputation for compassion.

Luo Fan met Jueyuan again, but now that he had mastered his skills, Jueyuan was no longer a threat. He read the Burning Wood Saber Technique and the Plucking Flower Finger Technique, earning 2,000 exchange points. He felt an impulse to read all the Shaolin manuals but quickly dismissed it when he sensed a powerful aura locking onto him. He couldn't think of anyone in the Divine Carving world who could make him feel this way, so he left hurriedly after reading the two manuals.

In a secluded area of the Shaolin back mountain, a disheveled monk was drinking from a gourd. After a few sips, he muttered, "This kid, he's already mastered his skills after a few years?" He stretched and added, "That bookworm in the scripture hall is still the same after all these years. What a waste of my true scripture." His words were disjointed, like a madman.

"Master, why are you walking so fast? Wait for me!" Little Yang Guo shouted as he ran behind Luo Fan, who ignored him and continued down the mountain.

"Master, why do you need so many martial arts manuals?"

"Adult matters, don't ask." Luo Fan glared at Yang Guo.

"Okay." Yang Guo found his master strange, saying he had private business but bringing him along to challenge and collect manuals. He didn't dare ask more and just followed.

A few days later, they arrived in Lin'an City.

Lin'an was originally the capital of the Wuyue Kingdom (907-978). The Southern Song Dynasty made Lin'an its capital, and the rulers invested national resources to develop the city. Hangzhou, once a provincial capital, became the national capital, entering its most glorious period. The Wuyue palace was expanded, and new temples, altars, and roads were built. The city became the political, economic, and cultural center of the nation.

Lin'an was nestled against Phoenix Mountain to the south, with the West Lake to the west, and plains to the north and east. The city was an irregular rectangle, with the palace occupying the southern part of Phoenix Mountain and the commercial district to the north. The imperial street, extending from the palace's north gate, ran through the city, becoming the most prosperous area. The southern part of the imperial street was the administrative district, the middle part the central commercial district, and the northern part the residential area. The city was dotted with gardens and cultural sites.

In the suburbs of Lin'an, the spring scenery was beautiful, with sparse forests and mist, and a few thatched cottages, wooden bridges, streams, old trees, and boats. Even before entering the city, Luo Fan saw the bustling city gate, with people riding horses and carrying loads, returning from spring outings and tomb-sweeping.

But Luo Fan wasn't there for the scenery. After entering the city, they found a inn and settled in. After sending Yang Guo to bed, Luo Fan waited until midnight, then changed into night clothes and leaped out the window. He lightly stepped on the window sill and floated to the roof.

He then made a strange move—walking a few steps and standing still on the eaves. Soon, the window below creaked open, and a figure climbed onto the window sill, looking up.

"Ah!" The figure was startled by Luo Fan on the eaves and fell off the window sill. Luo Fan leaped down, used a technique to catch the figure, and then lightly stepped on the ground, rising and throwing the figure back into the room before returning to the eaves.

"Guo'er, go to sleep."

"Yes, Master." Yang Guo reluctantly agreed but was angry that he couldn't follow. He could only lie in bed, sulking.

The night sky of Lin'an was quiet, and a black figure swiftly moved across the rooftops, heading for the imperial palace.

"Where is the palace library?" In a hidden corner of the palace, Luo Fan captured a guard and demanded, "Speak, or I'll kill you!"

The guard pointed in a direction, and Luo Fan disabled him, then quickly moved in that direction.

"The Imperial Academy?" Luo Fan arrived at the indicated place and saw the sign. He thought, "I should have asked where the martial arts manuals are."

Still, he entered, thinking the emperor might read martial arts manuals. He searched the bookshelves.

"The Way of Freedom? No." Luo Fan picked up a scroll, read it, and put it back.

"The Civilizing Influence?" He didn't even bother to read it.

...

After about an hour, Luo Fan found two martial arts manuals, cursing inwardly. He captured another guard and asked, "Where are the martial arts manuals in the palace?"

Under threat, the guard pointed in another direction. Luo Fan quickly went there and saw a sign reading "Wu Ge." He flipped through a book, and a system notification sounded, "Ding, congratulations on obtaining the Ghost Head Saber Technique, 800 luck energy, and 800 luck points."

"Ding, you have collected 50,000 luck energy, the world task is complete. Do you want to return to the main world?"

"No." Luo Fan had many things to do and didn't want to return.

"Ding, you choose not to return to the main world. You can stay in this world by paying 5,000 luck energy per year or 100,000 luck energy for permanent residence."

"Ding, your luck energy is insufficient for 100,000, so 5,000 luck energy will be deducted."

"Luck energy? It's not exchange points, so it's not useful for now. Ignore it." Luo Fan continued reading the manuals and carved something on the bookshelf. Excited by the many manuals, he didn't notice a figure suddenly appearing at the Wu Ge entrance!

...

The drinking monk in the Shaolin back mountain, familiar to those who know the Divine Carving, should be recognizable. As for the figure in the palace, can anyone guess?

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