Swords emerge from Mount Hua, sweeping across the heavens from the world of Swordsman.

He gave a wink to his disciples, and screams soon followed.

After dealing with all the scoundrels, Yu Canghai also wrote down the martial arts manual.

Yue Zhuoqun took it, glanced at it a few times, and nodded in satisfaction: "You're smart enough to leave now."

Chapter 30 Zhang Haiduan's Ambition

"Mr. Yue, thank you for saving my Zhang family from dire straits."

After everything had come to a close, Zhang Haiduan and his family came before Yue Zhuoqun and bowed deeply.

During their last meeting, although he didn't act superior to Yue Zhuoqun, he displayed the refined and aloof scholarly air of a former Grand Secretary to the fullest extent.

Otherwise, when Yue Zhuoqun warned him that he would be targeted by the Jianghu people who coveted the remains of Rama, he wouldn't have said that his connections in the court were still intact and that no one dared to defy him.

As a result, martial arts masters from the underworld actually stormed into the mansion. If it weren't for Yue Zhuoqun leading the Huashan disciples to the rescue, the Zhang family would probably have been wiped out.

Therefore, at this moment, he completely set aside his status and expressed sufficient respect and gratitude to Yue Zhuoqun.

However, Yue Zhuoqun did not let him actually kneel down. With a wave of his hand, an invisible force lifted Zhang Haiduan's body up.

Zhang Haiduan felt the power that was both ethereal and real, and his expression grew increasingly respectful.

“Master Zhang, I wanted to ask you this last time.”

Ultimately, the inner power of Rama is something that martial arts practitioners pursue. As a former prime minister, you may even have the possibility of being reinstated in the future, and your status is highly respected.

Why insist on fighting with a group of martial arts practitioners for the remains of Rama?

Zhang Haiduan sighed: "What does Mr. Yue think of the Ming Dynasty court now?"

"Although I am not a member of the officialdom, I know that there are many factions in the court and serious infighting among officials."

Throughout history, the factional struggles in the Ming Dynasty court were arguably the most severe, even forcing the emperor to resign and lie down.

The Wanli Emperor is the most representative example. Because of a quarrel with his ministers, he did not attend court for a full twenty-eight years.

The reigning emperor was Emperor Zhengde, Zhu Houzhao, and the dynasty had not yet reached the Wanli era.

However, this is still a martial arts world, so the situation is somewhat different.

The struggles in the imperial court were no longer limited to the civil official group; they were mainly between the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, led by Cao Zhengchun, and the Dragon Guard Manor, led by Zhu Wushi.

These two men, relying on their superior martial arts skills, completely disregarded the civil officials in the imperial court, frequently fabricating crimes, imprisoning people privately, and using torture.

If a civil official wants to survive in the imperial court, he has no choice but to choose one of the two sides.

Zhang Haiduan refused to side with either of them, which led to his isolation by most of the court officials. Ultimately, he was dismissed from his post and forced to live a life of leisure at home.

"The current emperor is young and playful. However, Cao Zhengchun and Zhu Wushi are very powerful, and their constant fighting has caused chaos in the court."

If we want to restore order to the current regime, we must have the strength to contend with both of them.

It's not just about having a voice in the imperial court; it's also about having martial arts skills.

That's why I'm so determined to seize the remains of Rama, hoping to use this martial art to train a group of masters.

Yue Zhuoqun suddenly realized that he admired Zhang Haiduan's ambition, but did not agree with his approach.

Cao Zhengchun's Tiangang Boy Skill, honed over sixty years, was extremely refined, comparable to other current internal energies.

Zhu Wushi's Absorption Technique was even more abnormal, having absorbed the internal energy of countless martial arts masters.

Moreover, his Absorption Technique is more advanced than Ren Woxing's Star Absorption Technique, and it does not have the drawback of being incompatible after absorbing the internal energy of others.

In this world, judging solely by the terrifying level of his internal strength, he is undoubtedly the number one.

Zhang Haiduan's idea of ​​cultivating a master who could rival these two with just the Luo Mo internal energy technique is simply a pipe dream.

Even if he really found a martial arts genius who was one in a million, it would take twenty or thirty years to train him to that level, by which time it would be too late.

"Zhang Gong's thinking is too simplistic."

You are not a martial arts practitioner, so you don't know the difficulties of practicing martial arts.

The birth of a master is not just about having powerful martial arts skills; it also requires talent, comprehension, patience, and time.

To put it bluntly, Cao Zhengchun might be slightly inferior, but Zhu Wushi's martial arts skills are likely the best in the world right now.

Zhang Haiduan's face darkened, and he said bitterly, "Is the imperial court truly beyond saving?"

"That's not necessarily true."

Yue Zhuoqun smiled and said, "If you trust me, Master Zhang, my Huashan sect can provide you with assistance."

Zhang Haiduan was startled and said with delight, "Please come with me to the study, Mr. Yue, for a detailed discussion."

……

After walking out of the Zhang residence, Yu Canghai turned around with a gloomy expression, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

"That despicable Yue Buqun has gone too far in bullying my Qingcheng."

"All of Qingcheng's martial arts have fallen into Yue Buqun's hands. From now on, Qingcheng will inevitably be controlled by Huashan. This won't do!"

Yue Zhuoqun told him that he would not spread Qingcheng martial arts, and that the disciples of Huashan would not even look down on it, but he did not believe it at all.

In the martial arts world, who would complain about having practiced too many martial arts techniques?

"There's no chance of getting Rama's remains, but we must obtain the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual."

Only by obtaining the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual can we regain the possibility of fighting against Mount Hua.

"Once I master it, I'll even surpass Yue Buqun in strength. Then I can not only reclaim the Qingcheng martial arts, but also seize the Huashan martial arts."

He was extremely envious of Yue Zhuoqun's Xuanming Divine Palm, One-Finger Divine Skill, and even the advanced swordsmanship and deflection techniques practiced by the Huashan disciples.

If he were to master all these martial arts skills, he might even become invincible in the martial arts world and sit as the leader of the martial arts alliance in this era.

"Lin Zhennan and his group are still in Beijing. I need to make some preparations. As soon as they leave the city gates, that will be my chance to make my move."

Thinking of this, Yu Canghai's eyes regained their sparkle, and he strode away.

……

Yue Zhuoqun and Zhang Haiduan talked in the study for two hours, but no one knows exactly what they talked about.

Two hours later, the two walked out of the study with smiles on their faces.

Yue Zhuoqun left Xi Yu, Lei Bin, and Lian Sheng behind to protect Zhang Haiduan's safety for the time being, and the power of Black Stone could also do things for Zhang Haiduan.

He then led his disciples back to the Huayue Inn, carrying the box containing the upper half of Rama's remains.

A day later, news spread throughout the martial arts world that Yue Zhuoqun had single-handedly killed the Purple and Green Twin Swords and the Wheel King, thwarted Yu Canghai, the leader of the Qingcheng Sect, and saved the former prime minister's family.

The martial arts world was greatly shaken and began to reassess the strength of the Huashan Sect.

After a long period of seclusion, Zuo Lengchan emerged from his retreat and summoned the masters of the Songshan Sect to discuss countermeasures against Huashan.

The underworld figures raised Yue Zhuoqun's danger level several notches, and they began to consciously avoid areas frequented by Huashan disciples when traveling the martial arts world.

Upon returning to Huayue Inn, Yue Zhuoqun was greeted with the long-awaited system reward notification.

[Ding! Killed King of Reincarnation and the Purple and Green Twin Swords, subdued the Black Stone Organization and the Qingcheng Sect, and increased the prestige of the Huashan Sect in the martial arts world.]

Rewards include 50 Inner Strength Points, 25 Martial Coins, the complete martial arts skills "Azure Nine Strikes, City Eighteen Breaks" and "Azure Water Sword Technique" (complete version), and 2 Great Completion Scrolls.

He had just finished collecting his reward when Wang Xing, the innkeeper, knocked on the door:

"Sect Leader, a monk named Lu Zhu has arrived at the inn. He says he has something to ask you."

Chapter 31 The First Young Man of Shaolin

(Xi Yu used the Water-Splitting Sword and Water-Splitting Sword Technique, not the Azure Water Sword; this has been corrected in the previous text.)

Lu Zhu, at the age of six, went to Yunhe Temple in Nanjing to listen to Master Chi read the Diamond Sutra. At the age of ten, he went to Shaolin Temple to practice martial arts with his hair intact for twenty-seven years.

Abbot Fangzheng of Shaolin Temple personally certified that Lu Zhu was the number one Buddhist martial arts master among the young and middle-aged generation of Buddhists in the world.

There may be some self-aggrandizement involved in this statement, but since Fang Zheng dared to say it, Lu Zhu must have some extraordinary abilities.

Amidst the rain of swords, this monk once used a pair of iron chopsticks to break through King Yama's Water-Splitting Sword in four moves.

This knowledge of martial arts alone is enough to show that his martial arts skills are far superior to those of King Yama.

Unfortunately, this monk was highly skilled in both Buddhist teachings and martial arts, but his six senses were not pure. Not only did he interfere in the matter of Rama's remains, but he also fell in love with the female assassin, Xiyu.

In the end, in order to move Xiyu, he willingly died by Xiyu's sword.

The fates of everyone in this world have changed. Lu Zhu did not seek out Xi Yu, but instead sought out Yue Zhuoqun.

Yue Zhuoqun walked downstairs, and Lu Zhu was standing in the lobby of the inn.

He wore a coarse cloth monk's robe, had thick, short black hair, and wore a string of Buddhist beads around his neck, giving him the appearance of a compassionate and enlightened monk.

He clasped his hands together and gave a slight bow: "This humble monk, Lu Zhu, greets Sect Leader Yue."

"What brings Master Lu Zhu to see me, Yue?"

"This humble monk is utterly unworthy of the title of Master."

Lu Zhu smiled slightly and said:

"This humble monk has come with two matters. First, to thank Headmaster Yue and the esteemed disciples of Mount Hua for their generous assistance in saving the Zhang family and averting a bloody tragedy in the martial world. Second, to inquire about the remains of Rama."