Chapter 99

"Xing'er, you said earlier that the demon sect leader Ren Woxing has reappeared and might have subdued the four elders?" Yue Buqun asked. He was still extremely concerned about this matter, after all, although Ren Woxing had not been active for many years, he had once dominated the martial world for decades, and the name of the Sucking Star Technique was enough to strike fear into people's hearts, even more so than the current Dongfang Bubai.

Yue Fangxing replied, "Indeed, I even fought with Ren Woxing that day, exchanging dozens of moves."

Yue Buqun was startled to hear that Yue Fangxing had fought with Ren Woxing and began to ask him in detail.

Yue Fangxing recounted the details of his battle with Ren Woxing and added, "Although Ren Woxing's Sucking Star Technique is powerful, it has hidden dangers. Although his current strength is still very high, it is far from being as superior as before. To be honest, the Sucking Star Technique can only be considered a highly advanced internal skill. On the contrary, his fist, foot, and sword techniques have reached an extremely high level, making him very difficult to deal with." This was Yue Fangxing's experience from fighting Ren Woxing. Although Ren Woxing's strength was very high, they were all top-notch experts, so how much difference could there be? Instead, because his true qi was impure, he could only suppress it with a domineering method and could not fully mobilize it. Therefore, even though Yue Fangxing's Hanyuan Gong was not yet complete and his strength was slightly inferior, he could still fight with Ren Woxing by leveraging his weapons and sword techniques.

Yue Buqun shook his head and said, "Regardless of the power of the Sucking Star Technique, the most concerning aspect is its ability to absorb others' strength." Unless one consistently practices external skills, internal skills are the foundation for any martial artist. Knowing that one's strength could be absorbed, how could it not cause fear? Ren Woxing's reputation was so great, making people pale at the mention of his name, largely because of the Sucking Star Technique's ability to absorb strength. If a martial artist loses their strength, even if they don't die, what is the point of living?

Yue Fangxing smiled slightly and said, "I have already found a way to counter Ren Woxing's Sucking Star Technique." He then explained the Hanyuan Style he had summarized, which had been verified and was not afraid of Ren Woxing's Sucking Star Technique. Even if it was not as complete as his, as long as one could use the true qi circulation method, it could greatly suppress the Sucking Star Technique's absorption.

Yue Buqun was both pleased and moved. Thinking back to his youth, he had grown up hearing about Ren Woxing's reputation. He never imagined that his son would now have created a method to counter the Sucking Star Technique and could fight Ren Woxing on equal terms. Truly, the world is unpredictable! While feeling moved, he also felt ashamed, thinking that despite his years of hard work on the Sunlight Sword Technique, he had not yet achieved great success, far inferior to his son!

However, Yue Buqun soon felt proud again. No matter how great Yue Fangxing's achievements were, he was still his son! Looking at the martial world, there were very few father-son pairs like them, let alone both reaching the level of top experts. Were these sects lacking in skills? Of course not. Although Hanyuan Gong was good, it was not a divine skill. Yue Fangxing's ability to push this skill to its complete form, and even further, to a level unprecedented, was due to his talent, insight, and opportunities, but Yue Buqun's guidance was also indispensable. Now, the Huashan Sect had three top experts, and they could fear no one.

Subsequently, the father and son discussed further. To avoid making his father feel awkward, Yue Fangxing pretended to seek advice while sharing his insights with Yue Buqun. Knowing his son's intentions, Yue Buqun did not refuse. With decades of martial arts experience, he and Yue Fangxing together refined various martial arts, both benefiting from the exchange.

The next day, the Huashan Sect members set off for Longyan. Since they had been in Fujian for several months and had received the order, they had to at least make an appearance.

On the journey, the Huashan Sect members traveled slowly. Yue Fangxing, having nothing to do, checked on the progress of the Huashan Sect members and provided guidance. The Huashan Sect had not had any significant events in the past few months, and being in a dangerous place, everyone had been quite diligent. Among the external disciples practicing knives, several had already mastered the fast knife techniques Yue Fangxing had taught, demonstrating considerable power and could be considered second-rate peak experts. However, advancing to the first-rate level was extremely difficult, and they might not achieve it in their lifetimes. Therefore, Yue Fangxing only gave them some guidance and did not pay much attention, focusing more on the progress of the internal disciples.

After several months of training, the internal disciples of the Huashan Sect had all made progress, generally advancing to a higher level. In particular, Liang Fa, Shi Dai, and Gao Genming were expected to match the so-called Qingcheng Four Heroes—now two heroes, as Luo Renjie was killed by Linghuchong on Mount Heng, and Hong Renxiong was lost during the struggle for the *Evil-Exorcising Sword Manual* a few months ago, leaving only Hou Renying and Yu Renhao. However, Yu Canghai was decisive and used this opportunity to distance himself from the *Evil-Exorcising Sword Manual* controversy, returning to Sichuan to recuperate.

As for Lu Dàyǒu, Tao Jun, Ying Bai, and Shu Qi, their progress also pleased Yue Fangxing. Tao Jun, Ying Bai, and Shu Qi had passed the meridian stage and entered the third-rate level. Lu Dàyǒu had made progress in both internal skills and sword techniques, reaching the second-rate level. Yue Fangxing encouraged him to continue practicing diligently and promised to teach him lightness and hidden weapons upon their return to the mountain.

However, what surprised Yue Fangxing the most was Lin Pingzhi. When they parted ways, Lin Pingzhi's internal skills were on par with Shu Qi, but now he had become a second-rate expert and was quite strong, almost catching up to Liang Fa, Shi Dai, and Gao Genming. His progress was truly astonishing!

Yue Fangxing was quite puzzled. Even if the Sunlight Skill progressed quickly, it shouldn't have reached this level. After asking, he learned that during the boat ride on the Yellow River, Lin Pingzhi, under provocation, drank the Five Treasures Flower Honey Wine of the Five Poisons Sect, which suddenly increased his strength by over a decade. Of course, Yue Buqun also helped him resolve the effects of the medicine; otherwise, with his limited strength, he might not have been able to handle it. After his strength surged, he spent the past few months practicing the Hanyuan Pile, familiarizing himself with his strength. Additionally, he practiced sword techniques more, making significant progress in his sword skills, catching up to Lu Dàyǒu in all aspects.

However, while Lin Pingzhi benefited, he also had a problem. Although he was immune to all diseases and poisons, his blood contained a potent toxin. Upon discovering this, he had to keep a distance from the Huashan Sect members. Fortunately, Yue Fangxing had obtained medical notes from Ping Yizhi, which included methods to resolve potent toxins. He had already helped Linghuchong resolve the toxins in his blood during their journey, and with some remaining medicine, he also helped Lin Pingzhi, much to his delight. This way, he no longer had to worry about accidentally poisoning his friends and family.

Seeing his rapid progress, Yue Fangxing understood why Yue Buqun was eager to create the Sunlight Sword Technique. According to Lin Pingzhi's current progress, he would reach the second-rate peak in a few years. Without further skills, it would be awkward. Fortunately, Yue Buqun had been thinking about this for years and had recently made some progress, and he expected to complete it soon.

In addition, Yue Lingshan's progress in martial arts also surprised Yue Fangxing. His sister, with her lively personality and less advanced internal skills, had always been on par with Liang Fa and others. However, the recent injury and separation of Linghuchong had greatly stimulated her, and she had been practicing diligently. Combined with the partial *Nine Yin Manual* she received a year ago and the ancient tomb martial arts she practiced with Ning Zhongze, her sword skills and lightness techniques had reached the first-rate level, except for her internal strength, which was still slightly lacking. Her lightness techniques were even on par with Tian Boguang, and in the martial world, she could be considered a quasi-first-rate expert.

However, perhaps due to the lack of companions and Linghuchong's absence, Yue Lingshan's personality had become somewhat cold. She only showed a smile when Linghuchong returned. Yue Fangxing guessed that she was heartbroken over Linghuchong and influenced by the *Nine Yin Manual*. Fortunately, he knew that Ning Zhongze was combining her own skills with the *Nine Yin Manual* and the *Evil-Exorcising Sword Manual* to create a new internal skill, which had already achieved some success. He could then let Yue Lingshan switch to this new skill, so he was not too worried.

After several days of travel, they were about to reach Longyan and took a break at a roadside teahouse to drink tea and rest.

While drinking tea, Yue Fangxing's ears perked up, sensing that a few people were approaching, and their strength was considerable.

Not knowing if they were friends or enemies, Yue Fangxing looked at his father, who nodded, indicating he understood. They had already discussed that if they encountered enemies, Yue Fangxing would handle them, while Yue Buqun would protect the group and intervene if necessary. His Sunlight Sword Technique was not yet complete, and he was better at defense. Moreover, Yue Buqun's true strength had not been revealed in recent years, and outsiders only knew that his strength had increased, but not to what extent. Unless necessary, it was better not to reveal his strength.

Yue Fangxing focused his hearing and sensed that the people were getting closer and suddenly sped up, causing him to reach for his Zhanjie Sword.

At that moment, a person suddenly darted out from a corner of the teahouse, moving extremely fast and agile. Just as he was about to escape, he was surrounded by the approaching group.

Yue Fangxing relaxed slightly and observed the person, who was wearing a silk robe, bald on top but with a shiny, smooth head, a black beard, and a plump, ruddy face, looking very kind. He held an emerald snuff bottle in his left hand and a foot-long folding fan in his right, dressed in expensive clothing, resembling a wealthy merchant.

This person's aura was very concealed, even evading Yue Fangxing's detection. If he hadn't fled, he might have remained hidden. The martial world was truly full of surprises, and Yue Fangxing reminded himself not to underestimate others just because his strength had greatly improved.

The group surrounding the person consisted of six people, three of whom were a long-haired monk, a monk, and a Taoist, a rather unusual combination.

The people in the teahouse, seeing the commotion, quickly dispersed, leaving only the seven people and the Huashan Sect members. The Huashan Sect members gathered together, each on guard.

The monk sneered and said, "You slippery eel, hard to catch!" The monk added, "Today, we have you surrounded, where do you think you can run?" The Taoist said, "You secretly stole the *Evil-Exorcising Sword Manual*, hand it over quickly!" The other three also joined in, shouting in unison.