The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 238 The Old Taoist Priest Who Suddenly Appeared

Wu Chengyu was also somewhat embarrassed. He really hadn't expected Ma Yu to mean that, and he hadn't taken the small Taoist temples and the wild Taoist priests deep in the Zhongnan Mountains seriously.

These past few days I've been busy teasing little Mochou and plotting to get to the Tomb of the Living Dead. And that old Taoist priest Ma Yu likes to speak in riddles, revealing only half of what he means. What can't he say outright?

However, where did this old Taoist priest come from? To be addressed as "senior" by Ma Yu, he must be at least of Wang Chongyang's generation, and he has deep ties with the Quanzhen Sect. He might even be Wang Chongyang's fellow Taoist. It's very difficult for outsiders to know of the existence of someone who spends his entire life in seclusion and cultivating Taoism.

Since ancient times, countless Taoist practitioners have lived in seclusion in the Zhongnan Mountains, and the Quanzhen School was just one of the larger organizations among them.

Not only now, but even in the Zhongnan Mountains of later generations, there are many people who hide in the mountains to cultivate Taoism. It is not surprising that we often see this when we watch short videos in later generations. These people are of varying quality, and there are quite a few swindlers. It is because of this impression that Wu Chengyu did not go to visit these wild Taoist temples.

How did this old Taoist priest know Wu Chengyu's condition? He even took the initiative to ask the Seven Masters of Quanzhen to help him comprehend the Tao. If he really could see it at a glance, then he must be unfathomably profound in Taoist magic and martial arts.

Most importantly, as the saying goes, there is no such thing as a favor without a reason. Why would this old Taoist help him? Who is he? What are his intentions? Wu Chengyu had no idea about any of this, so he had to be vigilant.

“I understand. I will find time to visit the senior you mentioned. I also want to know why he favors me so much.”

However, the most important thing right now is to avenge Master Qiu. I also request that Master Ma tell me the location of those Jin spies, and I will descend the mountain immediately.

Wu Chengyu did not want to go to the old Taoist priest to find out immediately. He had doubts about this unknown existence and wanted to wait and see.

Upon hearing Wu Chengyu's words, Qiu Chuji's face lit up with joy. He realized that Wu Chengyu had not intended to take advantage of his predicament, but simply wanted to clarify his doubts. He then regarded Wu Chengyu as a good friend with similar temperament.

If Wu Chengyu knew his thoughts, he would only say that Qiu Chuji was being wishful. Wu Chengyu could never be as passionate and public-spirited as Qiu Chuji. All his choices were driven by his own selfish motives. He would admire people like Qiu Chuji, but he would never become Qiu Chuji.

But Ma Yu thought differently: "Such actions are bound to be dangerous. Our sect will not let our friends take risks for us for nothing. The question just now cannot be considered our sect's intention towards Benefactor Wu. If it were only that, it would make our sect seem like we don't know how to behave."

The Quanzhen School is ultimately a Taoist sect. Although they practice martial arts, it is only for the purpose of protecting the Tao. Fortunately, they do have quite a few unique martial arts skills.

Master Wu's martial arts skills amazed us, the Seven Masters of Quanzhen, and he is firmly ranked first among the young masters of our time.

However, we can learn from others' experiences. The martial arts of our Quanzhen Sect all come from our master Wang Chongyang, and they also have their unique aspects.

Whether it's fist techniques, sword techniques, or internal energy cultivation methods, martial arts practitioners can choose one of them.

Even the innate martial arts techniques left behind by our late master can be shown to you if you are interested, Benefactor Wu. I wonder if you would be satisfied.

Wu Chengyu raised an eyebrow, not expecting Ma Yu to be so generous, even willing to use the Innate Skill.

Consider the time when Wang Chongyang exchanged the Innate Skill for the One-Finger Divine Skill with the Southern Emperor. Although it was called an exchange, the Innate Skill was Wang Chongyang's fundamental skill, the supreme martial art of the Quanzhen Sect. In contrast, the One-Finger Divine Skill of the Dali Duan family was only practiced by the Duan family members during the Tianlong era, but by the time of The Legend of the Condor Heroes and The Return of the Condor Heroes, the Southern Emperor's four disciples—the Fisherman, the Woodcutter, the Farmer, and the Scholar—all knew the One-Finger Divine Skill. It was even later passed on to Wu Dunru and Wu Xiuwen, who had been disciples of Guo Jing since childhood.

The four men—fisherman, woodcutter, farmer, and scholar—were not only ministers and disciples of the Southern Emperor, but in essence, they were more like household servants. Since they could all learn the One-Finger Divine Skill, exchanging it for the Innate Skill would be a loss for Wang Chongyang. It was impossible for him not to have other martial arts of equal value.

However, Wang Chongyang still made the exchange, which shows that Wang Chongyang himself, or the Quanzhen Sect, did not value the Innate Skill that much.

The reasons must be very complicated. Perhaps Wang Chongyang was already close to death at that time and had long understood the drawbacks of his Innate Skill, especially since it was completely inconsistent with the Quanzhen School's doctrines. The Seven Masters of Quanzhen should have also known about it later.

Otherwise, it would be hard to explain why no one in the Quanzhen Sect practiced the Innate Skill anymore. Wu Chengyu had already determined that although this skill was difficult to practice, it was not as later generations speculated, that only people born with innate energy could practice it. It just required a certain level of aptitude and comprehension.

Even though none of the Seven Masters of Quanzhen were virgins, there were over a thousand Quanzhen disciples. It was impossible that they couldn't find a single one who could cultivate the Innate Skill and instead kept him on a pedestal.

However, for other martial arts practitioners, the Innate Skill is the supreme divine skill. Anyone who knows of its existence would yearn for it. Ma Yu's willingness to offer the Innate Skill already shows his sincerity.

However, Wu Chengyu was the only one who had no interest in the Innate Skill, or rather, the martial arts manual version of the Innate Skill. Wang Chongyang had already proven that this skill conflicted with the Quanxing Sect's doctrines, and if Wu Chengyu practiced it, he would end up on Wang Chongyang's old path. Moreover, this Innate Skill required one to remain a virgin.

Wu Chengyu felt that his current Quanxing Nameless Divine Skill was the true innate skill, and that the one in Chongyang Palace should have the word 'fake' added to its end.

"The Innate Skill is the supreme secret technique of your sect. How could I, an outsider, possibly covet it? Besides, I have my own path, and the Innate Skill seems unsuitable for me."

Upon hearing this, Ma Yu's eyes lit up, and he nodded, saying, "Congratulations, Benefactor Wu. It seems that Benefactor Wu has found his own path. Now I shall address Benefactor Wu as fellow Daoist."

However, besides the Innate Skill, I wonder what other Quanzhen martial arts techniques you might be interested in? Or perhaps you have any requests for our sect? Please feel free to speak your mind.

Wu Chengyu lowered his head and thought for a moment. Of course, he couldn't be polite if there were benefits, but apart from the Innate Skill, the other Quanzhen martial arts were not bad, but they wouldn't be of much help to Wu Chengyu. The Quanzhen Sect's fist and foot skills were not as good as the few unique skills he had. The Quanzhen sword technique was good, but he didn't practice swordsmanship.

After pondering for a moment, Wu Chengyu said, "I came to Chongyang Palace initially to learn about the Tiangang Beidou Formation left by the Chongyang Patriarch. Unfortunately, Master Qiu is seriously injured and I'm afraid I won't be able to see the sword formation personally performed by the Seven Masters of Quanzhen for another year or two. I wonder if I can see what secrets the Tiangang Beidou Formation holds?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Yu and Qiu Chuji exchanged a glance and both gave a wry smile.

"Fellow martial artist, you may not know this, but it's not that I'm going back on my word. In fact, the Heavenly Dipper Formation is not a pure sword formation."

Besides the Quanzhen Swordplay and formations, my master also created a set of martial arts for each of us seven. These seven martial arts are independent yet complementary. Only when the seven of us work together can we unleash the power of the Big Dipper Formation.

(End of this chapter)