Martial Arts Showdown: My Wife Asked Me to Be the Champion

Chapter 36 The Senior's Incantation, The Great Yin Yang Five Elements Technique

"Ximen Ruoshui, that timid woman, truly lives up to her reputation as a native of Liaodong!"

Upon hearing the name "Ximen Ruoshui," Dongfang Qingmu, who had been imprisoned for over a decade and whose heart had remained calm, flew into a rage, like a furious lion.

Xu Qingya gave a helpless, bitter laugh.

Dongfang Qingmu's ancestral home is Qinghai. He angered a native Qinghai person so much that he spoke Northeastern dialect with a standard retroflex ending. You can imagine the psychological trauma he suffered.

Ximen Ruoshui is a true "Northeast Tiger," the most ruthless of tigers. Even Xu Chu, who is known as the "Tiger Fanatic," appears gentle and refined in comparison.

In Dongfang Qingmu's life in the martial arts world, the greatest psychological trauma he suffered was not from traitors or the great defeat of the rebel army, but from Ximen Ruoshui.

What's even more "hellish" is that this brute Ximen Ruoshui is actually the "brain trust" of the Four Directions Sect.

Absolutely no sarcasm intended; it is purely literal. Ximen Ruoshui's intelligence is indeed the highest in the Four Directions Sect.

How should I describe it?

These idiots make Xu Chu look like Xun Yu!

Xu Qingya heard some of the story of the Four Directions Gate from Ximen Changhai, Yang Yan collected some more, and with the advantage of being a prophet, he knew about 70-80% of it.

For specific details, please refer to Dongfang Qingmu.

Xu Qingya bowed respectfully: "Senior Dongfang, this junior only wishes to help my master find his younger sister! Please tell me, senior, where my master's aunt went missing!"

"Prove it first! You claim to be Ximen Changhai's disciple, but how's your swordsmanship?"

"I know a little bit!"

"Show me a move!"

"Senior, watch out!"

Xu Qingya raised his palm into a blade and slashed at Dongfang Qingmu's shoulder with the move "Peerless". Dongfang Qingmu swung his claws to grab Xu Qingya's wrist. Xu Qingya flipped his wrist and used the Chuang Blade to counter the move, then struck the opponent's Shenmen acupoint with his backhand.

Dongfang Qingmu's speed was incredibly fast, unleashing seventeen or eighteen attacks in an instant. Xu Qingya countered with flicks and thrusts, seizing upon the enemy's weaknesses and attacking when the enemy had to defend. He met Dongfang Qingmu's attacks head-on, effortlessly deflecting all of Dongfang Qingmu's ingenious moves.

Dongfang Qingmu's interest was piqued. He hadn't fought anyone in a long time and could only deduce martial arts techniques in his mind. His bones were practically rusting. Upon seeing a master like Xu Qingya, he couldn't help but unleash his family's secret technique, "East Wind Mystic Skill."

A whirlwind suddenly rose from the cell, and clear, emerald-green internal energy gathered between Dongfang Qingmu's palms. Then, with a "whoosh," two finger strikes were aimed at Xu Qingya's shoulders, causing his beard and hair to flutter.

Xu Qingya kept a close eye on everything around him, his eyes fixed on Dongfang Qingmu's pulse point. He created his sword at will, and for every move Dongfang Qingmu made, Xu Qingya could come up with a corresponding counter-move, determined not to back down even a single move.

In less than half an incense stick's time, the two had already exchanged over a hundred moves. Guo Jiucheng rang a bronze bell outside to indicate that the visiting time was approaching and that they should not waste any more time.

Xu Qingya took a half step back and smiled, "This junior has quite a few connections in the Six Doors. I'll have plenty of time to spar with you later, senior. Let's get down to business!"

As he spoke, he handed over a food box.

Inside are dishes prepared by the master chef of Zuixianlou Restaurant, as well as a pot of Dukang wine aged for over thirty years. It looks no different from plain water, with only a faint aroma of wine. The lighter the aroma, the longer the aftertaste.

The Six Doors has nine levels in total, with each three levels considered a major level. The prisoners held on the seventh, eighth, and ninth levels are all high-profile criminals, either with special identities or carrying big secrets, and their living conditions are not bad.

At least his food wasn't bad. Dongfang Qingmu, whose crimes were relatively minor and who resisted less, could apply for a bath every two or three months.

However, this was only so-so; it couldn't compare to the fine wine and food that Xu Qingya brought!

Dongfang Qingmu swallowed hard, unable to resist the temptation of the wine. He picked up the wine pot and gulped down more than half of it in one go. He patted his chest, let out a long burp, and then enjoyed the delicious food with great satisfaction.

He who eats another's food is bound to him!

They ate while recounting stories from the past.

Xu Qingya threw two silver ingots into the tunnel, indicating that he would continue for another half hour. Guo Jiucheng accepted the money and left after taking the silver ingots and patting his backside.

It should be noted that these two silver ingots were earned by Xu Qingya through his own abilities, not as living expenses given by Yang Yan and Yin Susu. They were the reward money he received for helping the imperial court solve a case a few days ago, and the most valuable one belonged to Tian Boguang.

Tian Boguang committed many serious crimes and was also highly skilled in martial arts, making him difficult to catch. The reward was very high, and after deducting various expenses, he received a total of three thousand taels of silver.

As everyone knows, the infamous Thief Saint, Pearl Jade White Jade Soup, once he got carried away with gambling, staked his entire life on the gambling table, totaling one hundred taels.

Based on this ratio, Tian Boguang's net worth is equivalent to thirty legendary thieves, which is definitely a high value. Many criminals imprisoned on the fifth or sixth floor are not as valuable as him.

Dongfang Qingmu hadn't spoken for a long time, and when he did, he spoke haltingly. Because he had been holding back for so long, he had an extremely strong urge to express himself, making him even more talkative than Ding Dian.

The story dates back to the first ancestor of the Four Directions Sect...

In theory, the Four Directions Sect is not a traditional martial arts sect, but rather an alliance formed by four martial arts families. In terms of sect functions, the Four Directions Sect is not a martial arts force, but more like an "imperial guard".

The Four Directions Sect has been a group of bodyguards for generations.

By the time of Dongfang Qingmu's generation, the Four Directions Sect was mostly in a state of division, with the four elders each leading their own lives, scattered across the country, and rarely meeting.

Until more than 20 years ago, Sifangmen joined forces with a rebel leader, hoping to make a name for himself.

Just as the rebel army was gaining momentum, it suddenly suffered a series of defeats. The rebel leader was led into a gourd-shaped valley and was tragically killed by a hail of arrows.

Before his death, the leader told the four elders about a treasure, instructing them to use their unparalleled martial arts skills to fight their way out, unlock the treasure, rebuild the righteous army, and rise again.

After the four elders broke through the encirclement, they opened the treasure according to the leader's instructions. At this moment, Ximen Ruoshui said that there was a mole among the four elders of the Four Directions Sect. One of you three is the mole. The mole must either admit it or all three of you are. Today, I will fight all three of you.

Everyone knew that Ximen Ruoshui was in love with the leader. If it were just a fit of temper and some random insults, the three of them wouldn't have taken it to heart. However, at that time they were inside a great treasure trove, with deadly traps everywhere. Ximen Ruoshui used his ultimate move right up to their face. Who could stand that?

Masters all have tempers!

In a life-or-death situation, who will pamper you?

Frankly speaking, Ximen Ruoshui's martial arts skills are undoubtedly the best among the four elders. In a one-on-one fight, he can completely defeat one of them. He can fight two opponents to a draw. In a one-on-three fight, he is defeated in less than a hundred moves.

Ximen Ruoshui, with his fierce personality, saw that he was no match for the enemy and recklessly activated the treasure's mechanism, intending to drag the other three down to hell with him. Immediately afterward, a huge explosion occurred.

After the explosion, Ximen Ruoshui disappeared, and the three were seriously injured. A few months later, Nangong Lie could not stand the atmosphere of Sifangmen and left on his own initiative. Dongfang Qingmu was captured by the God of Arrest and imprisoned at the bottom of the Heavenly Prison.

Dongfang Qingmu scoffed, "Now that I think about it, the rebel army definitely had spies. With Ruoshui's intelligence, if she had controlled her temper and patiently investigated, who could have been kept in the dark? Ruoshui's temper... truly befits her nickname, the Northeast Tiger!"

Xu Qingya quickly followed up with a sarcastic remark: "It's known that there's a mole among the elders of the Four Directions Sect. The mole isn't a senior, nor is it my aunt. Since Nangong Lie left the sect, the most likely mole is Beitang Mo!"

Dongfang Qingmu sneered: "Young man, is it possible that Nangong Lie is a traitor? His departure from the sect wasn't because he couldn't stand the atmosphere of mutual suspicion, but to avoid being discovered? You're thinking too simply!"

Xu Qingya held up one finger: "What's the reason for betraying the rebel army? It's obviously for profit! Whoever gains the most profit is the traitor."

"Who sent you to find me?"

"Bei Tang Mo's daughter, Bei Tang Xin'er!"

"You mean that it was Beitang Mo who betrayed the rebel army back then, and for more than ten years afterward, Beitang Mo not only did not usurp power, but also diligently assisted my son, and even sent his daughter all the way to the capital to rescue me? From this perspective, you might as well just suspect me directly!"

"Hiss~ Senior is right!"

Xu Qingya gasped. What Beitang Mo had done was indeed illogical.

Dongfang Qingmu's reasoning makes a lot of sense.

Xu Qingya couldn't think of a normal rebuttal.

There's no need to speak up for reasons that aren't valid.

Dongfang Qingmu hadn't met any juniors in a long time. Xu Qingya wasn't a disciple of the Four Directions Sect, but according to seniority, he was a junior within five degrees of kinship. He inevitably developed a talkative nature and gradually started discussing martial arts, starting with those events from back then.

Elders often like to act as teachers when they encounter younger people.

Especially when encountering a younger generation with exceptional talent.

I have a question: what is meant by "five degrees of mourning"?

The "clothing" in "five mourning garments" refers to mourning clothes.

When someone passes away, relatives mourn for him, arranging their friends and relatives from closest to furthest, into five levels, each wearing one of five different mourning garments. The closest relatives wear hempen mourning clothes, while those more distant relatives simply wear a white cloth.

"Beyond the five degrees of mourning" means that, from the perspective of blood relations, one is not qualified to offer condolences, and from the perspective of kinship, one is one level lower than a neighbor.

Xu Qingya is Ximen Changhai's personal disciple, which is equivalent to Ximen Changhai being half a son, Ximen Ruoshui being half a nephew, and similarly, Dongfang Qingmu being half a nephew. From the perspective of the inheritance of martial arts, the relationship between the two is even closer than that between nephews and nieces.

A sect might not pass on its most secret martial arts skills to its own nephew, but there is a high probability that they will be passed on to a disciple with exceptional talent. For a sect, the master-disciple relationship is even more important than blood ties.

"What kind of internal energy cultivation do you practice?"

"The Heart Method of Yi Wood".

"Ximen Changhai, you have great magnanimity!"

Dongfang Qingmu gasped.

When a martial arts master like Ximen Changhai sees a gifted young man like Xu Qingya, he often imparts all his martial arts knowledge to him, allowing him to inherit his mantle. However, this can stifle the growth of a genius.

What Ximen Changhai taught Xu Qingya, whether it was internal energy cultivation or swordsmanship, was the most basic level. He only explained the experience of swordsmanship and did not teach specific routines.

Xu Qingya needs to figure everything out for himself.

The Yi Wood Heart Method was created by Guan Yu, but it is not a high-level heart method. It is a common method that is half a level higher than the Spring and Autumn Blade Method and the Five Tigers Breaking the Gate Blade. It is one of the ten basic "Five Elements Heart Methods" circulating in the martial arts world.

Why are there "ten types" of the "Five Elements"?

The Five Elements are divided into Yin Five Elements and Yang Five Elements.

In short:

Jia wood, Yi wood;

Bing Fire and Ding Fire;

Earth of the Earth element (戊土, 己土);

Geng metal, Xin metal;

Ren water, Gui water;

It is said that some people are born with the five elements in their bodies and cultivate ten mental techniques simultaneously, called the "Great Yin Yang Five Elements Technique". The consequence is that they waste too much time in the foundation building process, resulting in them being neither good at literature nor martial arts. Since ancient times, no one who has tried to cultivate Yin Yang and the five elements simultaneously has achieved great success.

Masters specialize in one particular skill, then use the transformation of Yin and Yang to comprehend the corresponding mental techniques, and then use the interaction of the Five Elements to gradually and steadily improve. In the beginning, they are extremely refined and pure, and during the foundation building phase, their foundation is solid. The later they progress, the faster they become, and everything comes naturally.

The most perfect example is—Zhang Sanfeng!

Zhang Sanfeng used Ren water as a foundation, comprehended the Gui water mental method through the transformation of Yin and Yang, and then water generates wood, wood generates fire, fire generates earth, earth generates metal, metal generates water, thus achieving a continuous and flawless cycle within his body.

This leads to the ultimate realm of returning to the origin of the two poles, returning to the source of the Taiji, returning to the ultimate unity, and returning to the true nature of the Wuji, ultimately cultivating a transcendent state of immortality, agelessness, and indestructibility, becoming no different from a terrestrial immortal.

Unfortunately, among all the Wudang practitioners, only Zhang Sanfeng himself was able to master the "Nine Heavens True Scripture." Even Song Yuanqiao, the leader of the Seven Heroes of Wudang, only managed to reach the seventh level.

Xu Qingya practices the Spring and Autumn Blade Technique, which naturally starts with the wood attribute. This is very advantageous, as the wood attribute has endless vitality and can also evolve into the wind and thunder attributes, with the wind being swift and the thunder being masculine.

In other words: East Wind Mystic Art and West Thunder Mystic Art!