With a reputation of 70,000, one leader travels across countless worlds with his adventure team.

Bai Ze, along with Zhu Danchen and Ba Tianshi, escorted Duan Yu back to Dali. He told Emperor Duan Zhengming and Prince Zhennan Duan Zhengchun about how the two found Duan Yu, and also mentioned how the young hero Bai Ze had helped him along the way.

Prince Duan Zhengchun of Zhennan had been traveling extensively in the martial world and had already heard about many things concerning Bai Ze and the Xiaoyao Sect. He then spoke to his elder brother, the emperor:

"Brother, Bai Ze is a white-haired young hero who has recently become a hot topic in the martial arts world. The first news about him came from the Beggars' Sect of the Song Dynasty. It is said that he came from the Xiaoyao Sect, which had never been heard of in the martial arts world. He went north to Xingxiu Sea alone and destroyed the Xingxiu Sect. He even cut off Ding Chunqiu's head."

Then came the news yesterday that this person killed Yun Zhonghe, one of the Four Evils, in the Wuliang Mountain area, and also cut off one of Ye Erniang's arms, who was known for her wickedness, and saved the child of Zuo Zimu, the leader of the Wuliang Sword Sect.

However, little is known about his gang, the "Free and Unfettered Sect," and their origins are unclear. But judging from Young Master Bai's actions, he seems to be a righteous person, having rid the martial world of two great scourges in succession.

Emperor Duan Zhengming of the Dali Kingdom listened to his younger brother's explanation and nodded, saying:

"Then we should treat Young Master Bai well and not embarrass the Duan family of Dali."

Prince Zhennan, Duan Zhengchun, along with Zhu Danchen and Ba Tianshi, bowed and acknowledged the order.

Duan Zhengming then asked the two retainers who had brought Duan Yu back:

What's wrong with Yu'er's health?

Zhu Danchen said, "Your Majesty, we found the Crown Prince near Wuliang Mountain. At that time, the South Sea Crocodile God of the Four Evils and I started fighting without saying a word."

In the chaos of battle, the prince grappled with us. Suddenly, I felt a strong suction force pull me in, and the inner strength of me, Ba Tianshi, and the Crocodile God of the South Sea all surged toward the prince. In a short while, all of our inner strength was drained by the prince.

The prince was in pain and struggled, and he fell down. It was only after we separated him that we were able to separate him. The prince was immediately dizzy and his face turned red. We could only help him leave the place.

Later, after the prince regained some consciousness, we set off to return. We met Young Master Bai Ze on the way, which helped us get back to Dali so quickly.

We learned this on the way: Young Master Bai had killed Yun Zhonghe and driven away Ye Erniang before he met us.

We don't really know what happened to the Crown Prince either.

After listening to Zhu Danchen's words, Duan Zhengming and Duan Zhengchun pondered them. Duan Zhengming said:

"I've only ever heard of a technique that absorbs internal energy, and Ding Chunqiu of the Xingxiu Sect has a similar technique called the Dissolving Power Technique. I don't know what it is on Yu'er's body."

Duan Zhengchun suddenly realized what was happening and said:

“There is someone here who understands Ding Chunqiu’s martial arts. Since Young Hero Bai Ze was able to kill Ding Chunqiu, he must know something about Ding Chunqiu’s martial arts. Why don’t we ask that Young Hero Bai Ze? Maybe he knows something.”

Duan Zhengming's eyes lit up, and he said:

“That’s right. We’ll be hosting a banquet tonight to entertain Young Hero Bai Ze, and we can take this opportunity to ask him if he knows anything about this martial art that absorbs other people’s internal energy.”

If Bai Ze knew about their conversation, hey~ you guessed right, I know everything about it~ (old Beijing accent)

 …

That evening, Emperor Baoding, Duan Zhengming, invited Bai Ze to a banquet. Prince Zhennan, Duan Zhengchun, also attended the banquet. After several rounds of drinks, Duan Zhengchun glanced at his elder brother, and Emperor Baoding, Duan Zhengming, nodded to Duan Zhengchun.

Then Duan Zhengchun asked Bai Ze:

"Young Master Bai Ze, I raise a toast to you. Thank you for ridding the martial world of the villain Ding Chunqiu of the Xingxiu Sect."

Bai Ze knew that Duan Zhengchun and Duan Zhengchun would definitely seek him out regarding Duan Yu's physical condition and martial arts techniques, so he wasn't in a hurry. He chatted with them leisurely, and when Duan Zhengchun offered him a toast, he smiled and said:

"Your Highness is too kind. Anyone can rid the people of the martial world of evil, but it just so happens that Ding Chunqiu has some connection with my sect, so for the sake of my sect's reputation, I have no choice but to eliminate him!"

This surprised Emperor Duan Zhengming and Duan Zhengchun of Baoding. They did not expect that Ding Chunqiu was related to the Xiaoyao Sect behind Bai Ze.

Duan Zhengchun asked:

"I wonder about this Ding Chunqiu..."

Without hesitation, Bai Ze told the two of them Ding Chunqiu's identity and the origin of his Xiaoyao Sect. Duan Zhengming and Duan Zhengchun were both surprised, never expecting that Ding Chunqiu was actually a traitor to the Xiaoyao Sect!

Duan Zhengchun then asked directly:

"Since Ding Chunqiu is a traitor to the Xiaoyao Sect, I wonder if Young Master Bai knows about Ding Chunqiu's Huagong Dafa? My son Duan Yu encountered something before and actually learned a martial art that absorbs people's internal energy."

Before returning to meet you, young hero, he absorbed the internal energy of the Crocodile God of the South Sea and his two retainers, which is why his face is flushed and he is feeling dizzy. I wonder if you, young hero Bai Ze, have a way to resolve this.”

Bai Ze pondered whether to directly reveal the Northern Darkness Divine Skill in order to negotiate with Duan Zhengming and Duan Zhengchun for the Six Meridians Divine Sword. However, it was precisely because Duan Yu had mastered the Northern Darkness Divine Skill that he was able to fully master the Six Meridians Divine Sword. Both of these things and martial arts were rare and hard to come by.

The reason why the masters of Tianlong Temple can only practice one sword is that they do not have the Beiming Divine Skill as a foundation. If they had the Beiming Divine Skill to open up their meridians, the masters of Tianlong Temple would also be able to unleash six swords at once.

It was precisely because of the connection between the Six Meridians Divine Sword and the Free and Unfettered Sect that Duan Yu was able to fully activate the Six Meridians Divine Sword after accidentally learning the Northern Darkness Divine Skill.

Bai Ze looked at Duan Zhengchun, whose face was filled with anxiety, and said:

"I know! Moreover, the cultivation technique that the young master unintentionally learned is related to my Xiaoyao Sect, and it is also the sect's most treasured artifact!"

Upon hearing Bai Ze's words, Duan Zhengchun's eyes widened, and he exclaimed, "Ah!"

Duan Zhengming also quickly asked:

"I wonder what kind of martial arts Yu'er is learning from your sect? Could you please tell me? If you have any ideas on how to deal with this, I would be grateful if you could lend a hand, Young Master Bai!"

As Duan Zhengming spoke, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Bai Ze, who returned the gesture and asked Duan Zhengming:

"I wonder if Your Majesty knows about your ancestor, Duan Siping."

Duan Zhengming was puzzled. What did Yu'er's matter have to do with his ancestors? He said:

"I only know that my ancestors overthrew the unpopular Yang Ganzhen and united many tribes in Dali to establish the present-day Dali Kingdom. Other detailed events may still be found in the family's collection of books, but they are from a long time ago, so I am not familiar with them now."

Bai Ze nodded and said, "Duan Siping, the ancestor of the Duan family in Dali, was injured and defeated by Yang Ganzhen. On his way to escape, he happened to meet the wandering master of the Xiaoyao Sect, Mr. Chen Tuan, and was saved by him."

Duan Siping learned acupoint striking techniques from Chen Tuan and integrated them with his own family's One Yang Finger technique, enabling him to strike acupoints remotely. He also simplified his own Seven Techniques Sword Qi into Six Meridians, which is the Six Meridians Divine Sword, a secret treasure of the Dali Duan family.

Duan Siping mastered the Six Meridians Divine Sword, wielding it with ease and greatly increasing its power. This enabled him to later gather the tribes of Nanzhao, overthrow Yang Ganzhen, and establish the Dali Kingdom!

(The above content was discovered by chance while I was researching the Xiaoyao Sect. The Xiaoyao Sect in Tian Long Ba Bu starts with Xiaoyaozi. According to the information, the Xiaoyao Sect already had successors in the Tang Dynasty. This was for the purpose of writing the book, so please don't delve too deeply into it.)

"Sigh~"

Upon hearing Bai Ze's words, Duan Zhengming and Duan Zhengchun both gasped in shock. They never expected that the reason their family could not cultivate the Six Meridians Divine Sword was here. Even more unexpected was that their kung fu originated from the Xiaoyao Sect behind the young hero Bai Ze sitting here!

Duan Zhengming and the other man were momentarily dizzy and remained silent. Bai Ze looked at them and continued:

"My master's seniors had previously arranged for me to go to the Langhuan Blessed Land in Wuliang Mountain to retrieve some things they had left behind when they lived there. However, when we arrived, we discovered that a scroll of our sect's martial arts techniques was missing from the cave."

I believe it was by chance that the Prince of Zhennan obtained that scroll of martial arts manual in the cave, and it was that scroll of martial arts manual that allowed the Prince to leave Wuliang Mountain safely.

It should be noted that the Wuliang Sword Sect and the Shennong Gang had been fighting on Wuliang Mountain. The fact that the young master was able to come out of the mountain safely should be thanks to that cultivation scroll.

"I think the scroll must contain the core techniques of our sect's Northern Darkness Divine Art. Ding Chunqiu's Dissolving Power Technique is derived from the Northern Darkness Divine Art; it can only dissolve power, not absorb it. The young master learned the absorption technique of the Northern Darkness Divine Art, but now he can't dissolve power, which is why his face is flushed and he's feeling dizzy."

Upon hearing my words, Duan Zhengming immediately sent someone to check Duan Yu's resting place to see if Duan Yu had the cultivation scroll that Bai Ze had mentioned among his belongings. A short while later, a servant returned to the banquet hall with a scroll and gave it to Duan Zhengming.

Duan Zhengming didn't even look at the scroll. He had his servant take it to Bai Ze for inspection. Bai Ze took the scroll from the servant and opened it. The first four characters, which were surrounded by a naked beauty, read "Northern Darkness Divine Art".

Bai Ze flipped through the pages and found the complete Lingbo Weibu technique, which was how Duan Yu escaped from the Wuliang Sword Sect.

Bai Ze nodded and said:

"It is indeed the Northern Darkness Divine Art of our sect. There is also a set of lightness skills called Lingbo Weibu. The young master must have learned this set of lightness skills before he escaped from Wuliang Mountain."

Duan Zhengming, unsure how to thank Bai Ze and the Xiaoyao Sect behind him for their help to the Dali Duan family, asked:

"I must thank you for your help to my Duan family of Dali, young hero. I never expected that my Duan family had such a connection with the Xiaoyao Sect. I don't know how to repay you, young hero. Please tell me, and my Duan family of Dali will do whatever it takes!"

Bai Ze thought for a moment, then looked at Emperor Baoding and said:

"I want the Six Meridians Divine Sword!"

Duan Zhengming and Duan Zhengchun were speechless, taken aback by Bai Ze's blunt words. Good heavens, he came right out of the gate and stated his true purpose without any attempt at concealment. Both of them stood there, mouths agape, unsure of what to say.

Bai Ze continued:

"I won't take your Duan family's Six Meridians Divine Sword for nothing. I will pass on all 36 training diagrams of this Northern Darkness Divine Art to the Prince of Zhennan, so that he can master the entire Northern Darkness Divine Art. As for whether the Prince will give it to someone else or... I don't care."

The Six Meridians Divine Sword will only be used by the upper echelons of my Free and Unfettered Sect and will not be circulated outside. You can rest assured.

"Now that the young master possesses readily available internal energy, once he fully masters the Northern Darkness Divine Art, he can refine all of it. Then, the young master can try learning the Six Meridians Divine Sword. If the effect is as I described, you can then hand over the Six Meridians Divine Sword manual to me. How does this condition sound?"

Duan Zhengming and Duan Zhengchun pondered for a while. Duan Zhengming nodded to Duan Zhengchun. As long as Yu'er learned the Beiming Divine Skill, the entire Duan family would naturally learn it. This would be a good thing for the inheritance of their family's Six Meridians Divine Sword, so there was no reason not to agree.

Since their own Six Meridians Divine Sword originated from a senior member of the Free and Unfettered Sect, doing a favor would be beneficial for both parties.

Duan Zhengming looked at Bai Ze and said:

“Alright, then let’s go to Tianlong Temple together. All the books and martial arts manuals of the Dali Duan family are kept at Tianlong Temple and are under the care of the masters. It would be perfect for Yu’er to learn the Beiming Divine Skill there and to improve his health.”

Bai Ze nodded in agreement to Emperor Duan Zhengming's request. The group discussed their departure time for the next day and then went back to rest.

Early the next morning, Emperor Duan Zhengming of Baoding and Prince Duan Zhengchun of Zhennan, along with several retainers, escorted Duan Yu. Bai Ze also led the women on their way to Tianlong Temple.

On the way, Prince Duan Zhengchun of Zhennan looked at Bai Ze's large and small entourage and said to Bai Ze with a smile:

"Young Master Bai, you are quite the ladies' man! Each of your companions is a beauty in her own right! They are all lovely ladies to behold!"

Duan Zhengchun, the old man, was unaware that his illegitimate daughter, Mu Wanqing, was also in the group. His casual teasing made Mu Wanqing roll her eyes at Bai Ze, snort, and ride off.