Narration System for the Journey of Martial Arts

The long dragons of swords surrounding him rang out with a metallic clang, as if cheering for him. Two of these dragons, one on the left and one on the right, swam rapidly around him.

In an instant, the intent of the blade and the sword surged forth.

The former is like a king sitting high on his throne, radiating a domineering and extraordinary aura of a king, with each long sword resembling the scales of a dragon king, its blade energy emanating from it.

The latter is like a celestial king descending to earth, noble and elegant with an ethereal air, seemingly not a sword of this world. Once its sword intent is unleashed, all swords submit, commanding all swords, supreme and noble, supreme and great.

As the figure gradually gathered his inner energy, a flash of light, as fast as lightning, streaked past, blinding everyone. They couldn't help but close their tear-filled eyes.

When everyone opened their eyes again, the figure stood quietly beside the deep pit, her flowing hair held back by a simple twig.

Although their clothes were tattered, the way their garments fluttered made them seem like immortals descending to earth, making anyone who saw them feel ashamed, realizing that they were the most ordinary of all.

………………

You are locked onto by... energy.

This world is devoid of spiritual energy... its vitality is about to dissipate.

You are being targeted by... energy; you will be attacked.

You were struck by a wisp of heavenly lightning.

[You forcibly absorbed a trace of heavenly lightning power, your body was tempered, your true energy was tempered, your primordial spirit was tempered, and you encountered a stroke of good fortune.]

You sensed a trace of the power of heavenly thunder.

Your body has evolved, becoming as strong as gold and as indestructible as jade, impervious to divine weapons, immune to all poisons, and incorruptible for millennia.

[Your primordial spirit possesses a trace of illusory heavenly lightning power, which can suppress all evil. All true energy, spells, poisons, etc., targeting the soul will be ineffective or weakened.]

Only after absorbing that wisp of heavenly lightning did Yi Yuchen breathe a sigh of relief, realizing that he had been too arrogant earlier.

If that lightning bolt hadn't been only as thin as a hair and half a foot long, even a tiny bit longer, he would have surely died.

If one does not cultivate one's mind, body, energy, and skills simultaneously, and at the moment the heavenly lightning strikes, one cannot use skills to deflect most of the lightning, possess an indestructible body to withstand it, avoid being melted by the lightning, and have a perfect and unobstructed Dao heart, thus avoiding the appearance of inner demons when suffering pain.

All of these factors mean that if any one of them were missing, I would surely be dead today.

However, this is not the time to worry about himself. Ming Daohong had almost had all his energy drained by the tortoise shell, and now he desperately needed to be saved.

With a thought, Yi Yuchen caused the flying swords and dragons in the air to return to their positions; with a step, a flash of lightning appeared on the spot, and he had already crossed five zhang and appeared under the big tree.

Yi Yuchen glanced at her and felt a sense of relief. The little girl was indeed a person with profound opportunities and all her meridians were connected, and she had managed to hold on until now.

With a flick of his sleeve, a surge of true energy lifted Ming Daohong into the air. As he thought of it, streams of pure yang true energy flowed into her hundreds of meridians and bones!

………………

As soon as everyone regained their sight, before they could even greet each other, they saw swords and knives fly back automatically and insert themselves into their scabbards with a clang.

A sliver of lightning bounced a few times in place before turning into blue light and dissipating. Then, Yi Yuchen's figure flashed, and he was already beside the woman under the tree.

The next moment, Yi Yuchen's true energy surged like water, enveloping the woman and transforming her into a pale golden cocoon of light, shining brightly under the tree.

Those who knew their stuff looked on with envy. What was the difference between this and the I Ching's marrow cleansing and bone reshaping? Even if this girl was made of mud before, after such a cleansing, she would become made of jade.

"Another genius has been born!" many people exclaimed in their hearts.

Yi Yuchen didn't care about any of that. For him, the amount of true energy he had consumed was not enough to move him. What interested him more was the tortoise shell in Ming Daohong's hand.

Unfortunately, he only touched it lightly with his true energy, and the tortoise shell seemed to have exhausted its energy, turning into ashes and disappearing.

Various guesses flashed through Yi Yuchen's mind. Although he felt regretful, he was not disappointed. After all, this did not seem to be an opportunity left for him. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but glance at Zhang Junbao.

At this moment, as the pure yang energy continued to refine him, Ming Daohong's vitality rapidly recovered, quickly returning to its previous level.

Yi Yuchen knew that going too far would be counterproductive, and he only needed to wait for her to wake up. He put the little girl back under the tree, then turned around and looked at the crowd not far away.

Chapter 217 Plans Against Ming Daohong

When his gaze swept over everyone, they immediately felt as if they were being watched by an ancient behemoth.

Those with profound internal strength felt a chill run down their spines, as if they were being targeted by a natural enemy, and their blood seemed to freeze. Those with shallow internal strength, on the other hand, felt their minds go blank for a moment, and they became dazed and confused, as if they had lost consciousness.

Qin Sirong felt it most deeply; at that moment, it seemed as if all her secrets, from the outside in, were seen through.

"He knows! He must know! He's just indifferent, like a dragon wouldn't care about the provocation of an ant!" Qin Sirong screamed inwardly.

Fortunately, the gaze lasted only a moment. As soon as the gaze shifted away, everyone subconsciously relaxed, and many people began to breathe heavily.

Regardless of their mood, everyone felt relieved, wiped the sweat from their foreheads, and returned to their most rational and clear-headed state.

At this moment, no treasure, no relics of Yue Fei, no secret martial arts manuals matter; what matters is that he is still alive!

Yi Yuchen smiled, his smile instantly warming everyone like a gentle spring breeze. Although it was late, everyone felt as if they had returned to the warmth of spring...

"Yi had an epiphany and thus found himself in a state of sudden enlightenment here. My brother, in his haste, disturbed everyone. On behalf of Mingjian Manor, I apologize to everyone."

"As for Yue Fei's relics, I, Yi, can vouch for Junbao at this time. As long as someone can find General Feilong, Junbao will definitely return the relics in their original form!"

"If anything goes wrong in this matter, you are all welcome to come to Mingjian Manor to demand an explanation from me. I will not avoid you. Does anyone have any objections?"

Everyone shook their heads, practically shaking their heads until they were like rattles. Of course, who would dare to object now? Did they think they'd lived too long?

“Young Master Dayi is the heir to the Famous Sword Manor, which is also the leader of the Jiangnan martial arts alliance. We naturally trust your guarantee!” Xie Zheng said, cupping his hands in greeting.

Master Qingmu nodded and said, "Mingjian Manor holds the reins of the martial arts world, so naturally they wouldn't fool us common folk. We have no objections."

Yi Yuchen cupped his hands and said, "In that case, please make yourselves at home. There is still someone here who hasn't woken up yet, so please feel free to come and go as you please."

With that, the six sword servants of Mingjian Manor withdrew. Yi Yuchen led Zhang Junbao, Yi Jifeng and others back to the tree, regardless of what the martial arts people chose.

Yi Jifeng finally found an opportunity and hurriedly asked, "Brother, how are you feeling? What happened just now?"

Zhang Junbao and Qin Sirong also looked curious. Yi Yuchen smiled, took Ming Daohong's pulse for a moment, and then said...

"It's a long story, but there's no rush. I still have questions for Miss Ming to ask her when she wakes up."

"Sword Four, Sword Five, Sword Six, the three of you must immediately go to Ming Family Village and bring Ming Daohong's parents and relatives to settle near Mingjian Manor."

"Stay there a while longer. If anyone trespasses on the Ming family property, kill them!"

Jian Si bowed in agreement and quickly left with the two men.

Yi Yuchen released Ming Daohong's wrist and said, "She's alright now. She'll wake up in a quarter of an hour. Miss Qin, please carry her while we find an inn to stay in."

Until Yi Yuchen and his group left, the other martial arts heroes just watched silently, and no one was so foolish as to want to cause trouble for themselves. When they could no longer see anyone, the heroes had no choice but to disperse.

A moment later, Xie Zheng snapped his folding fan shut, his face turning extremely grim. He asked the people beside him, "Does anyone else remember what that Young Master Da Yi looked like?"

Fa Yuan, Qing Meizi, Murong Xue, Yi Pingzi and the others looked at each other in bewilderment. But as they thought back, Yi Yuchen's face became more and more blurry until it was just a blank. They were all shocked.

Fa Yuan raised an eyebrow and muttered, "All conditioned things are impermanent, all phenomena are without self. All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows; all that is perceived by self is empty..."

Hearing Fa Yuan's incoherent verses, the heirs of the major powers found them increasingly meaningful. After a long while, they sighed softly and dispersed with mixed feelings.

………………

By evening, news of what had happened that day had quickly spread throughout the martial arts world and the imperial court.

Although some people didn't believe it and some had doubts, with Mingjian Villa acting as guarantor, everyone tacitly maintained their belief.

Since we can't afford to offend them, let's find General Feilong, and then everyone will be able to see what Yue Fei's relics are.

There is an inn, and its name is simply "There is an inn".

At this moment, in a secluded courtyard in the backyard of the inn, Yi Yuchen sat at the head of the table drinking tea; Zhang Junbao, Ming Daohong, Yi Jifeng and others were wolfing down their food.

"Brother Yi, are you sure you don't want to eat something?" Zhang Junbao asked, holding up the bowl in his hand.

Yi Yuchen smiled and shook his head, indicating that they could eat by themselves. Zhang Junbao shook his head, shrugged, and continued eating.

“I’m so full!”

After filling their stomachs, Yi Jifeng couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle as he watched Zhang Junbao and Ming Daohong leaning back in their chairs without any regard for their image.

Yi Yuchen smiled and then said...

“Miss Ming, I’m very sorry for what happened before. I didn’t expect it to damage your tortoise shell. I also bear some responsibility for this.”

"Because of my matter, along with the issues of Junbao and Yue Fei's relics, you have been implicated. To prevent Qin Hui's men from taking action, I have already sent people to pick up your parents and relatives and settle them near Mingjian Manor, so that they will have a secure future."

“If Miss Ming is willing, I can ask my grandfather to make the decision and have him write a letter to Master Zhang, saying that you have been accepted as a disciple by my grandfather and will be going into seclusion to cultivate, so the wedding is temporarily canceled.”

"After some time has passed and the heat of this matter has died down, Mingjian Manor can step in and dissolve the engagement with the Zhang family without hurting each other's feelings. Miss Ming, how about you stay at Mingjian Manor as a guest elder?"

Ming Daohong waved his hands repeatedly and said, "No need, no need, this matter is too troublesome. Besides, I don't know martial arts. How can I be a guest of Mingjian Villa? I won't do something like taking money and not doing anything."

Zhang Junbao joked, "Exactly, exactly, did she go to Mingjian Manor to have her fortune told?"

"Hmph! Zhang Junbao!" Ming Daohong said angrily, "My calculations were very accurate, okay!"

Zhang Junbao scoffed and said...

"Do you think I'm stupid? Brother Yi, what you're implying is that your fortune-telling is accurate because of that tortoise shell!"

"But speaking of which, Brother Yi, is there anything different about that tortoise shell?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Yi Yuchen, including Ming Daohong, who also looked over curiously.

Yi Yuchen shook his head and said...

"I'm not entirely sure about this matter either, but Miss Ming's unusual behavior at the time was indeed caused by that tortoise shell."

"That tortoise shell can absorb a person's essence, energy, and spirit to fulfill their divination wishes. However, the bigger the matter you want to divine, the more essence, energy, and spirit you need. In severe cases, it can drain a person into a dried-up corpse."

"Unfortunately, when Miss Ming wanted to calculate my destiny in this life, the tortoise shell couldn't withstand it and there was no spiritual energy to replenish it, so it lacked the strength to continue and eventually turned into ashes."

"Legend has it that Fuxi obtained the Hetu and Luoshu from the Luo River and evolved them into the Eight Trigrams of the Primordial Era, which can be used to deduce all things. Therefore, tortoise shells have been used by our ancestors for divination since ancient times."

"I always thought that Miss Ming was extraordinary, but I never expected that it was the tortoise shell that was unusual. As for this tortoise shell, I am also curious about its origin."

Ming Daohong shook his head blankly and said, "That's something I picked up casually by the river when I was a child. I really don't know what's so special about it. I always thought I was particularly accurate at fortune telling."

At this point, she looked dejected and said, "So, will my fortune-telling be less accurate in the future?"

Yi Yuchen smiled and shook his head, saying...

“In ancient times, fortune telling and divination involved first observing, then guessing, and finally investigating the truth.”

"Nowadays, most fortune tellers have only read one or two books and then just guess and make assumptions."

"Once you've looked at the faces, hands, clothing, speech, and so on of a thousand people, you'll have a basic understanding of most of them."

"Then, based on his questions, we can prescribe the right medicine and naturally get the answer pretty close to the truth. At the very least, we can get to his heart's content."

"As for you, Miss Ming, to be honest, I'm not too sure either. But you can try practicing martial arts first to improve your essence, energy, and spirit. Even if you can't predict the future, you'll still be able to escape if someone chases you."

Hearing this, Ming Daohong looked deflated, while Zhang Junbao laughed heartily, making her so angry that she didn't know whether to leave or sit down.

Chapter 218 Yi Yuchen's Scheme: A Storm is Brewing in the Court

Yi Yuchen didn't take their playful fighting to heart. He said to Ming Daohong:

“Miss Ming, you probably don’t know this, but back in the woods by the official road, I used my inner energy to cleanse your meridians and marrow. Now, if you’re not the most outstanding in the world, you’re certainly a martial arts prodigy.”

"Your current aptitude is no less than that of Junbao and Jifeng. As long as you have a suitable martial art to practice, you will surely become famous throughout the world in the future."

"As for martial arts manuals, you don't need to worry. As long as you become a guest of the Famous Sword Manor, although I can't pass on the Eight Styles of Famous Swords to you, I have collected quite a few over the years."

"I have a copy of the Nine Yin Manual here. It is a true Taoist skill. The first part describes the Taoist way of cultivating Qi, and the second part describes techniques such as fist, palm, sword, whip, and lightness skill."

"This is not the martial art of Mingjian Villa. I can decide to pass it on to you as compensation."

Zhang Junbao exclaimed, "Wow! You're lucky, witch doctor! The martial arts that Brother Yi has collected must be extraordinary!"

Before she could refuse, Yi Yuchen made the decision and asked Yi Jifeng to write a letter to Yi Yun, asking him to discuss the annulment of the engagement with Zhang Tao.

Knowing that he was going to teach Ming Daohong martial arts, the three of them got up to say goodbye.

………………

Lin'an, the Imperial Palace.

Although it was late, Emperor Gaozong Zhao Gou was still busy. At this time, he was in his prime and still held hope for the Northern Expedition to recover the Central Plains, so he was naturally very diligent in his duties.

As dusk settled and lanterns were lit throughout the palace, he sat behind his desk, put down the last memorial, and wearily rubbed his forehead.

An old eunuch serving nearby handed Zhao Gou a hot towel. Zhao Gou wiped his face and was immediately refreshed.

Before he could ask, the old eunuch waved to dismiss the others and whispered, "Your Majesty, the Imperial City Guard reports that the Qiankun Pill has been successfully refined."

"Oh!!!"