A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 41 Viewing the Ceremony
Song Qingshu awoke from his meditation and carefully sensed the changes within his body.

"Thanks to the sect leader's writing, otherwise it would have taken a lot of time to master this skill." The Pure Yang Profound Skill is so difficult to understand that it ranks first among all martial arts in Wudang. Currently, there are only a handful of people in Wudang who are qualified to practice it.

Song Qingshu got up and pushed open the door. Looking at the warm sunlight outside, the green mountains and forests, the waterfalls hanging from the cliffs, the gurgling water, and the clear chirping of birds, he couldn't help but feel relaxed.

"Senior brother, the sect leader has instructed you to go to the Zixiao Palace." Upon hearing this, Song Qingshu glanced at the person who came and said with a smile, "So it's Junior Brother Qingfeng. Alright, I'll go right away."

After Yu Daiyan no longer needed care, Qingfeng lost his purpose for a while. Later, he was taken in by Gu Xu, but he mostly served as an errand boy. However, others envied him greatly, as he was often by the sect leader's side and could receive a few pointers from him, which was invaluable.

Qingfeng knew that his talent was limited and his aptitude was not first-rate, so he followed Gu Xu's advice and decided that it was better to specialize than to learn a lot. In the past ten years, he only practiced the Nine Yang Divine Skill and a set of Mountain-Shaking Iron Palms, and he has already mastered them quite well.

After greeting Qingfeng, Song Qingshu went to Zixiao Palace alone.

"Sect Leader," Song Qingshu bowed to Gu Xuxing, who nodded and said, "Sit down."

After taking a sip of tea, Song Qingshu praised, "Senior Brother Sect Leader, Wudang has become increasingly prosperous under your leadership."

As they walked along, the disciples' spirits and energy were completely transformed compared to before; he could feel that each of them possessed a vigorous and upward-striving spirit.

"I'm not surprised at all by this phenomenon in sects. If someone in Wudang is still thinking about cheating and shirking their duties, they will eventually be squeezed out by those who come after them. Competition creates pressure, and that pressure forces them to keep moving forward. Otherwise, they can only watch helplessly as their juniors overtake them."

Gu Xu looked at Song Qingshu and continued, "For a sect to prosper, rules are indispensable. The Zhengqing Academy has just dealt with several people who did not follow the rules. Their fate will serve as a warning to future generations."

"Sect Leader, what did these people do wrong?" Song Qingshu had just come out of seclusion and was unaware of the reason, so he asked curiously.

Gu Xu said, "These people were originally outer disciples. Because they were far away, Wudang was caught off guard and they took advantage of the situation. Relying on Wudang's reputation, these people supported their families in annexing various places and even made some small sects pay tribute to them every month. If anyone refused, they would use Wudang's reputation to kill them all..."

After listening to Gu Xu's account, Song Qingshu's face turned very ugly, and he unconsciously tightened his grip. These scoundrels not only did not think of being grateful, but instead repaid kindness with enmity, ruining the reputation of Wudang. Even killing them ten thousand times would not quell the hatred in his heart.

You should know that even if a person does a hundred good deeds, they may not necessarily get the approval of others, but if they do one bad thing, they will definitely be criticized by others.

Song Qingshu knew all too well how difficult it was to build a sect's reputation. The Huashan Sect was in decline because of Xianyu Tong. Even after so much time had passed, the Huashan Sect was still somewhat sluggish.

Once your reputation is ruined, it's incredibly difficult to recover.

"Senior brother, what happened to those people?" Song Qingshu asked through gritted teeth, wishing he could kill them himself.

"The Zhengqing Academy has already followed the rules and punished them all according to the sect regulations. They have also taken out all the illegal gains of their families and returned them to their rightful owners. Finally, they have also made it so that all the descendants of those families will never be allowed to join the Wudang sect again."

Upon hearing this, Song Qingshu agreed, saying, "This approach is appropriate, although it may seem a bit inhumane, but such drastic measures are necessary."

The others were fine, but the last one was particularly problematic: the younger generation of the family was not allowed to join Wudang. This practically cut off their escape route. If Wudang wouldn't accept them, the other sects would certainly not either.

When one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven; when one person commits evil, the entire clan bears the responsibility.

"Let's not talk about that anymore. Now that you've come out of seclusion, I feel at ease handing Wudang over to you. Don't even think about shirking your responsibility. I've worked hard for over twenty years, and it's time for me to rest. You wouldn't want me to work so hard again, would you?"

Now that Wudang is developing well, I have completed my mission. With the remaining time, I will focus on comprehending the martial arts and pursuing the pinnacle of martial arts in the highest realm.

"Don't worry, senior brother, I will definitely protect Wudang well." Song Qingshu didn't say anything like "I dare not accept such praise." He only wanted to do his best to prevent Wudang from declining in his hands.

“A few days ago, Wuji came back and gave me a few books, saying they were martial arts from the Ancient Tomb Sect. I was thinking that after you become the sect leader, you should send these martial arts to the library, where only inner disciples are allowed to see them. This would also be a way to leave some legacy for the Ancient Tomb Sect,” Gu Xu said, taking a few books from the table next to him and handing them to Song Qingshu.

Song Qingshu was taken aback upon hearing this, then took the book and casually flipped through it a few times. He discovered that most of these martial arts techniques were incredibly profound, with the "Heartbreak Palm" being the most comprehensive and masterful.

“Senior brother, your concerns are not without merit. These martial arts are all profound and unfathomable. Those who lack the cultivation level will only achieve the opposite of their goals by recklessly practicing them. However, Wudang has its own lineage, so there is no need to be greedy. In the future, all inner disciples can read the books and broaden their horizons.”

"You can make your own decisions about these matters after you become the sect leader. I won't interfere anymore. The sect leader succession ceremony will be held in three days. You can prepare in advance. There is also one more thing. Emei will also hold a succession ceremony on the nineteenth of next month. I have already selected Wuji to attend the ceremony. As for the gift list, Chengxu will show it to you at that time. You can decide whether to add or subtract anything."

Song Qingshu nodded and said, "It would be appropriate for Wuji to go and attend the ceremony. Also, Junior Brother Yin can go along as well."

The junior brother Yin that Song Qingshu mentioned is Yin Liting's son, named Yin Hao. He is now an adult and has an extraordinary appearance, but he is a bit unruly. He is not as gentle and quiet as his sister, nor as shy as Yin Liting, which makes Yin Liting and his wife very unhappy.

“Alright, let Junior Brother go with Wuji,” Gu Xu said without hesitation.

After exchanging a few more words, Song Qingshu took his leave. He had originally intended to visit his father, but upon learning that his father was in seclusion at a crucial moment in comprehending Tai Chi, he feared he would not have time to meet him, so he decided against it.

Three days later, witnessed by the leaders of various sects, Song Qingshu received the golden seal from Gu Xu and became the fourth leader of Wudang.

After the ceremony, Abbess Jingxuan of Emei paused for a moment, bowed to Song Qingshu, and said, "Sect Leader Song, the nineteenth of next month is the ceremony for the succession of our sect's new sect leader. We would like to invite Wudang to attend." As she spoke, she took out a gold-embossed invitation card. Song Qingshu nodded, and the young Taoist beside him accepted the invitation card.

"Rest assured, Abbess Jingxuan, please tell Abbess Miejue that my junior brother Wuji and Yin Hao will go there in person."

Jingxuan felt relieved after receiving confirmation. Zhang Wuji and Yin Hao were already quite important, and in her opinion, this was a great honor for Emei. Although the relationship between Wudang and Emei had become somewhat distant over the years for various reasons, there was still some respect between them.

This time, Abbess Miejue specially invited Wudang to attend the ceremony in order to rebuild the relationship between the two sects. Watching Abbess Jingxuan leave with her disciples, Song Qingshu shook his head. Although Wudang and Emei are still on good terms now, the relationship will eventually disappear with the passing of the older generation. As for the future relationship between the two sects, that can only be left to future generations.

After stepping down as the sect leader, Gu Xu settled in the back mountain and secluded himself to study Tai Chi.

Tai Chi is easy to learn but difficult to master. It can be said to be the most common martial art, yet also the most profound. It is common because the threshold is low; any Wudang disciple can learn it and master it easily. It is profound because to learn its essence, one must put in a lot of effort, and this skill seems to have no upper limit.

From existence to non-existence, from non-existence to existence—these eight simple words almost perfectly encapsulate Gu Xu's evaluation of Tai Chi.

Gu Xu has only just reached the stage of going from existence to non-existence, and there is still a considerable gap between him and going from non-existence to existence.

"Every time I practice Tai Chi, I gain something different, and I don't know where its ultimate goal is," Gu Xu said after finishing a set of Tai Chi movements, carefully reviewing the previous steps.

Before, when practicing Tai Chi, Gu Xushang felt somewhat awkward and something felt off. It was only after several real battles that he gradually figured out the way to do it.

In his previous fights, Gu Xu mainly relied on speed to take the initiative. However, Tai Chi emphasizes striking after the opponent has acted first, which is not in line with his fighting style, so he inevitably stumbled a bit. Fortunately, he had read so many Taoist books before, which gradually helped him to restrain his temper. If he was sharp and aggressive before, he is now sheathing his blade.

峨眉山

Abbess Miejue said to the woman standing beside her, "Zhiruo, tomorrow I will pass on the position of sect leader to you. You must remember to carry forward the Emei Sect, understand?"

Zhou Zhiruo solemnly replied, "Master, rest assured, I will do my utmost."

Upon hearing this, Abbess Miejue nodded in satisfaction. Among the Emei disciples, only Zhou Zhiruo was capable of shouldering great responsibilities, unlike Wudang, which was full of talented individuals. Not to mention Gu Xu, just consider Song Qingshu and Zhang Wuji. The only one in the entire Emei who could compare to the two was Zhou Zhiruo.

"Master, I heard that Senior Brother Zhang is the one who came to observe the ceremony for Martial Arts this time?"

Although Zhou Zhiruo was a woman, she had great ambitions. Now that Shaolin was in decline, she didn't take the Kunlun and other sects seriously. Only the Wudang people were worthy of her attention, and among them, Song and Zhang were the two she was particularly interested in.

“That’s right, this time, Junior Nephew Wuji will come in person, and your Senior Sister Ji’s child will also come.” Abbess Miejue knew that Song Qingshu and Gu Xu were of noble status and would not come to attend the ceremony. She originally thought that it would be a few other people of the Xu generation who would come. When Jingxuan reported that it was Zhang Wuji, Abbess Miejue was stunned.

She was overjoyed. With Song Qingshu becoming the sect leader, he would surely regard Zhang Wuji as his right-hand man. In a sense, Zhang Wuji's presence at the ceremony was no different from Song Qingshu's. In this way, the two sects could restore their former relationship.

When the imperial court bestowed honors upon Wudang, Emei was somewhat worried, which is why they gradually distanced themselves. In retrospect, Abbess Miejue regretted it, but the deed was done and she never found an opportunity to make amends. This succession ceremony was a good chance to mend the rift between the two factions.

"Zhiruo, from now on you will be in charge of Emei. Remember, never make enemies with Wudang."

Zhou Zhiruo nodded in agreement.

The next day, Zhang Wuji and Yin Hao went up the mountain and arrived at the main hall under the guidance of the Emei disciples. At this time, there were already several people talking with Abbess Miejue in the hall, including Tan Fangrui, the leader of Qingcheng Sect.

"The Wudang Sect has arrived!" As the voice reached her ears, Abbess Miejue stood up and looked at Zhang Wuji and his companion as they entered the hall.

"Greetings, Abbess," Zhang Wuji and Yin Hao bowed respectfully and handed the gifts to the Emei disciples standing nearby.

Abbess Miejue said, "Nephew, you must be tired from your journey. Please sit down and rest for a while. The succession ceremony will begin shortly."

Zhang Wuji and Yin Hao were seated in the front row. Tan Fangrui, who was standing next to them, glanced at them a few more times. In recent years, the most famous people in Wudang were Song Qingshu and Zhang Wuji. Now that he saw them, they were indeed extraordinary and hard to see through. Even Yin Hao, who was standing next to them, was a skilled practitioner who had achieved great success in cultivation.

Tan Fangrui sighed inwardly. In the past ten years or so, the Wudang sect had been suppressing the entire martial arts world to the point of suffocation. Even Shaolin had suffered a great loss and was now much more low-key, which was truly alarming.

At noon, the succession ceremony began. Abbess Miejue passed the Iron Ring of the Sect Leader and the Heaven-Slaying Sword to Zhou Zhiruo, who thus became the fourth generation leader of Emei Sect.

Zhang Wuji observed that although Zhou Zhiruo had a delicate appearance, her eyes revealed a flamboyant spirit, leading him to guess that she must be a person who was outwardly gentle but inwardly strong.

After the succession ceremony, Abbess Miejue deliberately kept Zhang Wuji and another person behind to chat and build rapport.

Abbess Miejue asked how Gu Xu was doing, and Zhang Wuji replied, "Senior Brother Gu Xu has gone into seclusion to cultivate, saying that he wants to focus on martial arts and no longer care about sect affairs. I rarely get to see him."

Abbess Miejue was somewhat disappointed. She had originally planned to send Zhou Zhiruo to Wudang, but since Gu Xu was in seclusion, the matter had to be abandoned.

Although Song Qingshu is currently the sect leader, in terms of prestige, he is far inferior to Gu Xu.

After exchanging a few more words, Zhang Wuji and his companion took their leave.

“Master, you don’t need to be like that. Although Wudang is currently very famous, our Emei is not bad either. As long as our descendants are ambitious, we may not be inferior to it,” Zhou Zhiruo was confident that she could lead Emei to another level.

Abbess Miejue smiled bitterly upon hearing this. Emei's foundation was still far inferior to Wudang's, but she would not speak ill of it. It was good for her disciples to have a competitive spirit.

"I am very pleased with your words. It will be worth it to meet the Ancestral Masters in the future."

(End of this chapter)