Gao Wu: Ten years of sparring experience, one move and the world knows him.

Chapter 221 Watching the Martial Arts Tournament
"Thank you for saving me!"

Once Mr. Zeng was freed from the cave, his entire body seemed to inflate like a balloon.

The surrounding icy true energy instantly covered his entire body, and as he trembled, all kinds of filth fell off like ice crystals.

He instantly regained his handsome and extraordinary appearance.

Zhao Rui's eyes lit up slightly; he hadn't expected the Frost True Qi to have such a special cleaning skill.

There's truly no limit to the art of martial arts!
"Easy to do!"

Zhao Rui smiled faintly, turned his head to look at the large, frozen, monstrous block of ice on the ground, and asked curiously, "Do you know what kind of thing it is? How did you get captured by it, and what about the others?"

Master Zeng shook his head and said, "To be honest, it was my lack of vigilance. Ever since the two realms were connected, my Tianshan Sect has been determined to communicate with this realm and return to our homeland..."

Mr. Zeng briefly explained what had happened.

It turned out that the Tianshan Sect had been unable to return to Blue Star because there was no one to guide them in this world. It was only when the various sects of Guixu returned on a large scale that they had the opportunity to send their disciples to follow them.

Unfortunately, this disciple had already been secretly replaced by the people of the Great Zhou.

The entire Tianshan Sect unknowingly stepped into the trap set by the enemy, suffering heavy losses.

Only Mr. Zeng managed to escape with all his might, but when he arrived at Tianshan, he discovered that the other party had been waiting there for a long time.

After a fierce battle, Mr. Zeng's strength was diminished, and he was further restrained by the opponent's underhanded tactics, ultimately becoming a prisoner.

"What is that ice crystal elemental stone?"

"This……"

Master Zeng hesitated for a moment before saying, "This is a rare stone from my Tianshan Sect, and it has some effect on ice-based martial arts..."

"Oh, I see. I was just curious."

Zhao Rui smiled nonchalantly, not paying much attention. He guessed it was a sect heirloom, just like the Autumn Water Sword of Emei.

"What are your plans for the next step, fellow Daoist?"

"I?"

Zhao Rui hesitated for a moment, then said, "When falsehood is taken for truth, even truth becomes falsehood. Why don't you use truth to confuse falsehood..."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Zeng's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but nod.

"The hatred of destroying a sect is irreconcilable! As you say, from now on, I will follow your lead."

Mr. Zeng said solemnly.

"No need for that. Now that the Blue Star of Guixu has been united, the situation is about to descend into chaos. Saving you, fellow Daoist, is also a way to accumulate more strength for the righteous sects."

Zhao Rui waved his hand dismissively, saying it was too early to talk about such things, and the future situation was still unpredictable.

However, since Master Zeng is willing to continue to lie low within the "Tianshan Sect," he is not a bad pawn.

"Mr. Zeng, have you ever heard of the Snow Mountain School?"

"Snow Mountain Sect?"

Mr. Zeng was taken aback, then shook his head and said:

"I've never heard of it, but there is a Mingwang Palace in the Great Snow Mountain!"

"The Mingwang Palace in the Great Snow Mountain?"

"Yes, this is a secret place in the Great Zhou Dynasty of Guixu. There is a sect inside, namely the Mingwang Palace of the Great Snow Mountain."

Mr. Zeng pondered for a moment before speaking.

Zhao Rui nodded, and used the Crane Control and Dragon Capture Technique to suck the fake Mr. Zeng on the ground into his hand.

Then, he directly broke through the solid ice, held it against the opponent's head, and instantly activated the Demonic Sound Bewitching Technique.

"what!"

Mr. Zeng roared and uttered a foreign language that Zhao Rui couldn't understand at all.

"This is the language of the Great Zhou Dynasty."

"He said that he was the Demon Refining True Man of the Mingwang Palace in the Great Snow Mountain, who was ordered to descend the mountain to assist the Great Zhou Dynasty in sweeping across the world."

"As expected, they are people of the Great Zhou."

Zhao Rui's expression was somewhat grim; the Great Zhou had already begun its operation.

It seems that war is imminent, but we don't know when that tipping point will be.

"This person said..."

Before Mr. Zeng could finish speaking, the fake Mr. Zeng suddenly started bleeding from all seven orifices, his neck lolled to the side, and he died.

"Forbidden technique?"

Zhao Rui was taken aback, reached out and released his grip on the fake Mr. Zeng's hand, then said in a deep voice.

"Indeed, it must be a forbidden technique, one that requires one to utter the truth."

"It's alright, the rest is up to Mr. Zeng."

"Ok!"

The two exchanged views on the current situation and future communication. After reaching a consensus, Zhao Rui opened a large pit in the cave floor, threw the fake Mr. Zeng into it, and then sealed the entire ground with solid ice.

On this cold and desolate Tianshan Mountain, this seal will not loosen in the slightest for decades or even centuries without external intervention.

After everything was done, the two left the cave and parted ways.

……

The Tianshan region is vast and sparsely populated.

After leaving the mountain where the Tianshan Sect was located, Zhao Rui began to wander around the entire Tianshan mountain range for several days, but unfortunately he did not find any trace of any evil masters.

His gaze involuntarily drifted towards the Dashang area across the street.

What if they came from a large merchant state?
With their abilities, a small border line is not enough to stop them.

Just as Zhao Rui was pondering, Da Chou called, saying that Shaolin had decided to hold a martial arts conference at Shaoshi Mountain in seven days to discuss the future of the martial arts world.

Upon hearing this news, Zhao Rui had no choice but to abandon his plan to infiltrate the Shang Dynasty to search for the enemy.

Then they sped off towards Shaoshi Mountain.

Shaolin Temple's Shaoshi Mountain was very famous in the past. It was here that Chief Qiao fought against three great masters.

Since ancient times, Shaolin has been the leader of the martial arts world, with countless masters and various divine skills emerging from within its ranks.

The Seventy-Two Unique Skills are renowned throughout the world; mastering any one of them will instantly make you a famous master.

Not to mention the Yi Jing Marrow Cleansing Skill, which can cleanse the marrow and remove impurities, and the Nine Yang Divine Skill, which is the most powerful and yang-like skill in the world.

This is the ultimate martial art that countless martial artists dream of.

With so many amazing skills, it would be a lie to say Zhao Rui wasn't tempted.

Since the other party was willing to hold a martial arts tournament, Zhao Rui naturally wanted to go and join in the fun.

After all, opportunities to take advantage of Shaolin Temple are rare. The old monk Zhao Rui encountered last time was so skilled that even now, he still finds him unfathomable.

The journey to Shaolin was long, but fortunately there was still plenty of time, so Zhao Rui chose to walk quickly.

Traveling along the way allows you to enjoy the scenery.

Just as he was wandering aimlessly on his way to Shaolin, a group of uninvited guests from the Tianshan Sect arrived.

The group chatted with the "real" Mr. Zeng for a long time before descending from Tianshan Mountain.

……

The land of great merchants in Central Asia.

In front of a magnificent residence, resembling an ancient palace, a row of neatly arranged soldiers stood on both sides, holding long halberds, their heads turned to look to the right front.

At this moment, a luxurious black car was parked to the right. A pretty and playful girl got out of the car and stepped lightly across the carpet on the ground into the palace.

"Sister, you're finally back. Father's hair has turned quite a bit gray these days."

At the palace gate, a tall young man with rosy lips and white teeth greeted the girl with open arms and a smile.

"elder brother!"

Upon seeing the young man, the girl's eyes instantly reddened, and tears welled up uncontrollably. "My dear, Ling'er, you've suffered so much on your journey."

The young man said reassuringly.

It turned out that the girl was actually Mo Ling'er, the Great Shang Dynasty's Witch Lord who had escaped from the Great Zhou Dynasty.

"I wasn't wronged at all. The Ancestor wouldn't allow anyone to bully me..."

At this point, her expression darkened, clearly recalling the time she spent in Guixu and the various acts of affection the Ancestor showed her.

"Yes, I know. But... let's go in and see Father."

The young man smiled nonchalantly, took his sister's hand, and entered the main hall.

In the center of the main hall, a dignified man with a resolute face and a beard as sharp as steel needles sat upright on a wooden chair, holding a book in one hand and the armrest with the other, engrossed in reading.

"Daddy!"

Upon seeing the imposing man, Mo Ling'er hurried forward and knelt down.

"Ling'er has worried her father."

"Ah, my dear girl is back. It's good that she's back. It's good that she's back."

The dignified man looked both surprised and delighted. He quickly stood up, helped Mo Ling'er up, looked her up and down, and sighed, "You've lost weight."

"Father has lost weight too."

After catching up with Zhao Rui, Mo Ling'er recounted how she and Zhao Rui had narrowly escaped death some time ago, and how she had left the Yun family mansion.

"This young man is indeed a prodigy!"

Mo Ling'er's father smiled faintly and said with his pupils slightly contracted.

"Father, he's just a petty thief, and he's a master at escaping."

Mo Ling'er couldn't help but recall the fun times she had with Zhao Rui during that period.

A smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

"Is it?"

Mo's father's eyes grew even sharper, but he said gently, "If you have the chance in the future, you should still thank him. After all, he helped you escape from the wilderness."

"Um"

Mo Ling'er nodded in agreement.

"You must be exhausted from your journey. Go and rest for a while. You can go see your mother later."

"Yes, Father."

Mo Ling'er bowed and then left the main hall.

After Mo Ling'er left, Mo's father couldn't help but look at the handsome young man and said in a cold tone, "This person must be Zhao Rui of the Qingcheng Sword Sect, who returned to the Central Plains some time ago."

"Yes, Father. According to the intelligence we have, this person is Zhao Rui from the Qingcheng Sword Sect. He returned a few months earlier than Ling'er."

"He is indeed a talented person, but I don't know if he can be of use to our Great Shang Dynasty."

"I will take care of this matter."

"Yes, the Great Zhou is pressing forward relentlessly. The land of Guixu, once belonging to the Great Shang, is in grave danger. It's only a matter of time before they abandon their territory and move their capital to Central Asia..."

"Father, the Marquis of Chong now commands hundreds of millions of troops, has a large army and many generals under his command, and is supported by Blue Star technology... I'm afraid he won't easily..."

"It's alright. My Mo family leads its own army and has the support of the eight major tribes. Whoever moves into the palace will need our support."

Mo's father had a cold expression, and his gaze seemed to pierce through layers of time and space, looking towards the distant land of Guixu, the Great Shang Dynasty.

"My son understands."

The handsome young man nodded, exchanged a few more words, and then stepped out of the main hall.

……

The news of Shaolin's martial arts conference spread throughout the martial arts world. Whether it was the various sects and schools in the Central Plains or the original martial arts associations and university martial arts teams on Blue Star, all martial arts organizations received the news.

As the number one sect in the world, it still has this much influence.

As the time for the tournament drew near, more and more martial arts practitioners began heading towards Shaolin Temple on Mount Song.

Many of these people were not invited; they went, but at most waited outside the temple.

Those truly qualified to enter are only members of prestigious sects, top martial arts masters, senior figures in the martial arts world, and some official organizations and departments.

If you stand on the clouds and look down, you will see that all the martial artists in the Central Plains are heading towards Mount Song.

It was vast and magnificent, like the game of Snake from a past life.

After seven days of trekking and sightseeing, Zhao Rui finally arrived in Henan.

At this point, there were less than three hours left before the martial arts tournament began.

As dawn broke, Zhao Rui awoke from his meditation and began his journey towards Mount Song.

A mountain is not famous for its height, but for the immortals who dwell there. Although Mount Song is one of the Five Sacred Mountains, it probably wouldn't be so famous as to be known to every household if it weren't for the Shaolin Temple.

At this moment, on the mountain path of Songshan, groups of martial arts practitioners, like locusts, were tirelessly rushing up the mountain.

"There's a fight ahead, and the momentum is quite astonishing. They must be experts at the Divine Void Realm..."

"Don't they care? We're guests from afar, they have to protect our safety."

"Shaolin Temple only has so many people; they're all swamped with work these past few days. They don't care who you are."

The crowd was whispering among themselves when they heard a cheer coming from ahead.

"Shaolin has made a move. They're incredibly powerful; they've intimidated the troublemakers with just one action."

They watched as the two troublemakers were captured by Shaolin monks and sent down the mountain.

The crowd erupted in deafening cheers.

"As expected of the leading figures in the martial arts world. These two mere monks actually possess strength above the Divine Void Realm."

"That's right, they actually dared to cause trouble right under the nose of Shaolin Temple. They really don't know their own limitations."

A massive, dark mass of at least tens of thousands of people surged into the area at the foot of Mount Song.

These people are martial arts practitioners who have come from all over the country.

In the past, even if such a grand event existed, due to reasons such as space and time, so many people would not have gathered.

But things are different now. The strength of martial artists has undergone earth-shattering changes. Not to mention walking on mountains and plains as if they were flat ground, there are many who can even fly briefly in the air.

Not only these top martial artists, but even ordinary people have reached the level of level five or six in martial arts cultivation.

Splitting mountains and cracking rocks is no problem for them.

Many of the people gathered at the foot of the mountain were martial artists from nearby cities. They had a geographical advantage and naturally arrived early.

The vast majority of these people were native to Earth and had never heard of or even witnessed a martial arts tournament.

Although martial arts were flourishing in the past and there were various martial arts competitions, they were completely different in nature from the martial arts tournament organized by Shaolin Temple.

This is what the martial arts world is all about.

Now that they've heard about this, the enthusiasm is comparable to when the local area hosted the Olympics in my previous life.

"Make way, the masters of the Kongtong Sect have arrived."

With a shout, the martial artists gathered on the mountain path all looked down.

Led by Master Changkong, the disciples of the Kongtong Sect solemnly followed the Shaolin monks up the steps leading up the mountain.

"Click, click!"

Cameras were set up and started snapping photos of the Kongtong Sect members.

With everyone having a mobile phone, who wouldn't want to take a picture of such a martial arts master, just in case they discover some unparalleled martial arts skills?

Although Changkong Zhenren was a native of Earth, he was still embarrassed by the vast crowd and the exaggerated atmosphere.

I wish I could find a crack in the ground and disappear right now.

But by this point, the die was cast. He could only feign the air of a wise and enlightened sage and stride confidently up the mountain.

(End of this chapter)