Zongwu: Aspiring to be the mastermind behind the scenes

Chapter 373 The Drawbacks of Divine Skills, A Wise Man's Considerations

"Ah!"

The emperor sneezed loudly, causing his fishing rod to sway and splash water.

Zhou Ming said, "Your Majesty, the lakeside is quite humid. Why don't you go inside the pavilion to rest?"

The emperor shook his head: "No need. How could I not withstand this little bit of moisture?"

After saying that, he sat up straight, looking as if he were content to fish.

Seeing this, Zhou Ming stopped arguing and continued fishing in peace.

On the other side, Lu Xiaofeng wasn't particularly interested in fishing. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "Old Zhou, do you think Zhuge Shenhou can really defeat that Iron-Blooded Shenhou this time?"

Upon hearing this, before Zhou Ming could even speak, the emperor tightened his grip and couldn't help but listen intently.

Zhou Ming nodded and said, "There's probably an 80% chance."

Lu Xiaofeng exclaimed in surprise, "So tall? That's the Iron-Blooded Marquis!"

Zhou Ming laughed and said, "Do you know why His Majesty invited people from the eight major sects?"

Lu Xiaofeng nodded: "Of course I know, because that Iron-Blooded Marquis cultivated the Absorption Technique and was the real mastermind behind the Battle of Taihu Lake twenty years ago. He has grudges against all eight major sects."

Zhou Ming said, "Those who practice evil techniques like the Absorption Technique often regard other martial artists as delicacies. Cao Zhengchun, who has cultivated the Heavenly Gang Child Skill for decades, possesses extremely refined and pure true energy, making him a rare delicacy in the world."

Now that Zhu Wushi has mastered this skill, once he defeats Cao Zhengchun, he will absolutely not let Cao Zhengchun's true energy go!

Lu Xiaofeng frowned: "If that's the case, wouldn't Iron-Blooded Marquis be even stronger, like a tiger with wings?"

Zhou Ming shook his head: "On the contrary, his strength will be directly reduced."

"what?"

"Old Lu, if you have a hundred men under your command and you summon them to do something, but at this moment, your enemy has planted fifty spies under your command. Although they are subordinate to you, they do not obey your orders and even hinder you. In this situation, do you think your strength has increased or decreased?"

"This is clearly a weakening. With so many people holding us back, I not only can't unite my subordinates as one, but I also have to spend my time and energy dealing with those traitors."

"This is the drawback of the Absorption Technique. If Zhu Wushi were given time to fully absorb Cao Zhengchun's power, his strength would naturally increase. But unfortunately, there isn't that time!"

"I see!"

Lu Xiaofeng nodded.

After hearing this explanation, the emperor felt reassured and relaxed considerably.

This theory might not be something that Lu Xiaofeng, a seasoned veteran of the martial arts world, truly didn't understand.

However, the emperor, whose martial arts cultivation was extremely shallow, truly did not understand.

Zhou Ming's words were less an explanation to Lu Xiaofeng and more an explanation to the emperor.

"Moreover, what is a Three Flowers Grandmaster? It is someone whose essence, energy, and spirit are condensed, gathered together, and intertwined. Although it cannot be said to be a fusion, there is still enough influence between them."

If Zhu Wushi had only absorbed Cao Zhengchun's true energy, the impact might have been less significant. But if he had also absorbed Cao Zhengchun's essence and spirit, it would likely have been a catastrophe!

"Why is this again?"

Have you ever heard of the existence of Living Buddhas in the Great Yuan Dynasty?

"I've heard a little about it. Legend has it that some children, only five or six years old, possess wisdom far beyond that of ordinary people. They are said to be reincarnations of Buddha, living Buddhas."

"Heh, just playing tricks. That faction is especially skilled in spiritual cultivation, and is famous for its earth-shattering spiritual technique. When they cultivate to a high level, their spirit becomes condensed."

If one's lifespan is nearing its end, one will transfer one's spirit into the body of a newborn child. When the child grows to five or six years old, the memories attached to these spirits will gradually resurface.

And this is the truth about the so-called Living Buddha!

In essence, they were nothing more than a group of cowardly old monks possessing the bodies of infants!

"hiss!"

Lu Xiaofeng couldn't help but gasp. He had heard about what had happened before.

But this was the first time he had ever heard of the Living Buddha's secrets.

Zhou Ming said, "The spiritual power of the Three Flowers Grandmaster is no less than that of those Living Buddhas who specialize in spiritual cultivation. If Zhu Wushi also absorbs Cao Zhengchun's spiritual power, the result will probably be no different from that of a Living Buddha!"

Lu Xiaofeng asked in surprise, "You mean, Cao Zhengchun will be revived inside Zhu Wushi's body?"

"If Zhu Wushi were to suppress it with all his might, this would naturally not have happened. However, if he were to encounter a powerful enemy at this time and focus all his energy on fighting the enemy, thus neglecting his internal health, then this kind of thing might really happen!"

After absorbing this information, Lu Xiaofeng couldn't help but sigh, "An evil technique is still an evil technique. No matter how exquisite it is, it will still cause endless trouble!"

Zhou Ming smiled faintly, neither confirming nor denying the matter.

Skills are static, but people are dynamic.

How one cultivates a martial arts technique ultimately depends on the individual.

The Northern Darkness Divine Skill of the Free and Unfettered Sect also has the ability to absorb people's internal energy, but Wu Yazi never did so, yet he still managed to cultivate an astonishing divine skill.

In terms of absorption, the Absorption Technique far surpasses the Northern Darkness Divine Art, but in terms of pure cultivation, it is inferior.

Therefore, the Strange Hero of Tianchi also possessed the Indestructible Vajra Divine Skill to complement it.

This skill is specifically designed to cultivate one's spirit and energy, much like forging iron, turning a pile of scrap iron into a piece of unyielding steel.

Not only does it cultivate both internal and external strength, but once activated, it makes fighting opponents of higher levels a piece of cake.

However, the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill also has a flaw: its power is consumed extremely quickly.

It would take a martial artist of the same level an hour or half an hour to exhaust their internal energy, while the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill could only last a few minutes at most.

Therefore, it is necessary to use the Absorption Technique to absorb the power of others in order to rapidly accumulate one's own power.

Only by complementing each other can one ultimately achieve the status of a grandmaster.

Zhu Wushi only cultivates one of the techniques, which is bound to have many drawbacks, isn't it?
Even though he searched for countless methods over the decades, and even created the Heart Lotus Technique, it was still no match for the exquisite Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill.

But then again, this precisely proves that Zhu Wushi's aptitude is insufficient to elevate him to the level of a Grandmaster.

There are many people in the world who have continued the techniques of their predecessors and cultivated to the level of a grandmaster.

However, there are also many who have cultivated to the level of Grandmaster using their own created techniques.

If Zhu Wushi had sufficient talent, he could probably create a unique skill comparable to the Vajra Indestructible Divine Art, temper his own essence, energy, and spirit, and thus reach the realm of a Grandmaster.

In reality, the Lotus Heart Technique he created could only resist mental intrusions and was useless in other aspects; moreover, it had many flaws.

"Speaking of which, why are we still talking about Iron-Blooded Marquis? What if Cao Zhengchun wins in the end? Or what if Zhu Wushi gets away?"

Lu Xiaofeng asked.

Zhou Ming shook his head: "If Cao Zhengchun wins, that would be good news. He's just a notorious eunuch. Compared to the famous imperial uncle, he's much easier to deal with."

As for Zhu Wushi's escape... hehe, have you ever noticed what kind of sword Song Yuanqiao, the great hero of Wudang, wore at his waist?

Lu Xiaofeng thought for a moment and said, "It seems to be a fairly ordinary sword." Zhou Ming chuckled, "That sword is called the True Martial Sword!"

"The True Martial Sword? Master Zhang's sword?!"

Lu Xiaofeng gasped: "Master Zhang is far away in Wudang. He only sent a sword. Is that enough to guarantee that Iron-Blooded Marquis won't escape?"

"That's for sure. The power of a Grandmaster at the second level is beyond your imagination."

Zhou Ming nodded.

Even in ancient times, this level of attainment could be described as that of an immortal.

Although they can only be considered as a relatively low-level existence among the many immortals and gods, their methods are so mysterious and wondrous that they far exceed the imagination of ordinary people.

While most of the legends about gods and immortals circulating in the world today are fictional, a few are based on fact.

The only difference is that the person who did those things wasn't a god, but a grandmaster-level expert.

An existence like Master Zhang, with a wisp of martial intent left on his sword, can gather the power of heaven and earth from all directions to unleash an extremely powerful strike when he uses it.

However, Zhang Sanfeng was never one to seek fame, and even though he had secretly broken through to the second level of the Grandmaster realm, he remained silent.

If it weren't for the battle with Mu Daoren, probably no one would have known this.

Even in his battle with Mu Daoren, he tried to use only the power of an ordinary Grandmaster. It wasn't until Mu Daoren and Jin Jiu joined forces that he revealed his true abilities.

The reason for concealing their strength in this way is naturally to avoid Wudang becoming too famous and becoming a target of public criticism.

Zhang Sanfeng, the only Grandmaster at the second level, was still so secretive. Naturally, no one knew what kind of exquisite and powerful techniques he could possess after reaching the Grandmaster level.

Zhou Ming learned about these things through Jian Yue, Yin Zhong, and records in some ancient books.

"In that case, let alone the fact that Zhu Wushi has no chance of escaping, even if he did, well, now that his crimes have been exposed, he will inevitably face the pursuit of the eight major sects. From now on, he will probably have to live a life of hiding and living a life worse than death!"

Lu Xiaofeng clicked his tongue and said, "A dignified Iron-Blooded Marquis has actually been outmaneuvered by you. You cunning people are truly terrifying."

Zhou Ming laughed heartily: "If the Iron-Blooded Marquis is truly flawless and has never made any mistakes, even if we wanted to scheme against him, we wouldn't have a chance. If anyone is to blame, it's only himself for committing such a heinous crime twenty years ago."

At this point, he changed the subject: "However, Lao Lu, you don't think that all of this was the best I could have imagined a few days ago? You're really overestimating me."

"Oh? I'd like to hear the details."

Zhou Ming said, "There is absolutely no plan in the world that can predict a person's future, let alone one that involves two capable people like Cao Zhengchun and Zhu Wushi."

In fact, our initial plan consisted of only one step and one objective. The step was to force Cao Zhengchun to take a risk. The objective was to make Zhu Wushi reveal that he possessed the "energy-absorbing technique."

All other decisions were made on the spot based on the actions of the two individuals themselves.

Only by turning the tables and gradually guiding the outcome towards our original goal can we achieve our objective.

That's absolutely true. How could someone like Cao Zhengchun be easily schemed against?
Moreover, the changes in human emotions are unpredictable even to the gods.

Faced with a life-or-death situation, who knows whether a person will take a desperate risk or give up in despair?

Even someone as ambitious as Cao Zhengchun, if he were seventy or eighty years old and his strength had fallen to the level of a second-flower or even first-flower grandmaster, he would probably prefer to enjoy his old age in peace rather than take risks.

Fortunately, he is now in his sixties and still has some of the drive he had when he was young, which is why he decided to take the risk.

Even so, he made many preparations, and Zhou Ming secretly assisted him by sending him intelligence.

As for Cao Zhengchun's sudden recollection of the truth about the Battle of Taihu Lake, it was indeed Zhou Ming who gave him the hint.

Therefore, Cao Zhengchun always knew that someone was pushing him from behind.

That's why he said those things before he died.

Wow...

At the sound of water, the emperor suddenly stood up and raised his fishing rod high: "A fish has taken the bait!"

He was also a martial artist. Although his cultivation level was not high, he was still proficient in the use of some internal force and quickly caught the fish.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a large fish, about half an arm's length in size.

"That fish is quite big!"

The emperor laughed and said, "Fishing... is quite interesting."

Zhou Ming glanced at the motionless fishing rod in front of him and forced a smile: "Congratulations, Your Majesty..."

While the three were chatting and laughing, the battle in the wilderness had essentially come to a conclusion.

Zhu Wushi, who had already depleted a large amount of his true energy in his previous battle with Cao Zhengchun, had just absorbed all of Cao Zhengchun's essence, energy, and spirit, but had not refined it at all. Instead, he had to devote some of his energy to suppressing this power.

Therefore, his combat strength decreased rather than increased.

Faced with the combined attack of Zhuge Zhengwo and more than a dozen masters, he was defeated in less than ten moves and immediately revealed his weakness.

Song Yuanqiao thrust his sword forward, about to pierce Zhu Wushi's chest, but at that moment, he suddenly exerted force, and the sword tip bent directly.

The sword strike missed Zhu Wushi entirely, instead grazing past him and only tearing his sleeve.

Zhu Wushi was taken aback.

At this moment, the Great Compassion Master of Shaolin Temple swung his iron palm, the fierce palm wind no less powerful than the sword energy, but just as it was about to hit, it passed over Zhu Wushi's head and missed.

Zhuge Wuwo sighed inwardly.

This is truly a tough job.

Despite the emperor's decree and the hatred from the eight major sects, Zhu Wushi was still a member of the imperial family.

These people were willing to capture him, but none of them were willing to kill him.

Indeed, the deaths of 108 masters in the Battle of Taihu Lake were truly heartbreaking.

But that was twenty years ago.

In the martial arts world, ten years is considered a generation, let alone twenty years.

It is extremely unlikely that someone who died twenty years ago would have a close relationship with the current generation of masters.

In other words, to those present, the group of masters from twenty years ago were merely fellow disciples they didn't know well.

Who would be willing to stain their royal blood for them?
Don't tell them this is the emperor's order.

The Zhu family royal family is a large group, and many of them hold power. If any prince dislikes their faction because of this matter, it is no small matter.

Therefore, everyone naturally took action, but each of them held back, unwilling to be the one to kill members of the royal family!

Therefore, no one in the world can calculate everything.

Even Zhu Wushi himself didn't expect that he could still see a glimmer of hope when he was at his wit's end!
However, he did not notice the increasingly sharp gaze of Zhuge Zhengwo.

They were completely unaware that a throwing knife was already poised to strike in the distance.

(End of this chapter)