The world of martial arts, the immortal swordsman in the mortal realm.

Chapter 109-124, The Wonderful Use of the Shifting Stars Technique, the Martial Arts Tournament! [Bonus Chapter, Please Vote!]

After leaving the Lakeside Manor.

Murong Fu's eyes shone brightly, and he walked with such excitement that he almost flew.

As natives of Jiangnan and from a wealthy and prestigious family, the Murong family, though not involved in maritime trade, had some knowledge of it.

Therefore, Murong Fu knew that if he wanted to go to sea, it would be extremely convenient.

One can board a boat directly on Taihu Lake to transport goods, personnel, equipment, and provisions, and then travel all the way from Taihu Lake to the Qiantang River via the Jiangnan Canal without disembarking.

Before the fleet departs from Taihu Lake, retainers can be sent to Hangzhou Prefecture to prepare ships and hire guides in advance.

When the Murong family's river fleet arrives, they can directly transfer to ocean-going vessels and set sail.

This was infinitely more convenient and much less costly than a long-distance expedition by land.

As for the sea winds and waves...

The Song Dynasty has plenty of experienced pirates; what's a little problem like this? With his and his four chief retainers' martial arts skills, they might even be able to subdue a few pirate groups and use them as a vanguard for conquering India.

Besides, in order to restore his country and become emperor, why wouldn't he dare to take the small risks of the sea?

While envisioning a bright future, he was also thinking about how to sell the farmland, shops, and manors of the Murong and Wang families, procure food and equipment, and arrange manpower.

Gongye Qian suddenly asked in a low voice:
"Young master, how have you explained things to Miss Wang?"

Murong Fu did not hesitate:
"Just tell her the truth: we lost! We couldn't even win against one enemy, how can we get revenge? Also tell her that there is no place for the Murong clan in the Central Plains anymore, and that we are going to move to India to endure hardship and bide our time..."

At this point, he suddenly remembered another use for his cousin:
Although Wang Yuyan's personality is not likable, she is intelligent and good at managing household affairs and accounts.

When preparing to set sail, the meticulous tasks that the four retainers could never handle, such as selling off the assets of the two families, procuring provisions and equipment, arranging personnel, and managing the transportation of supplies, could be entrusted to Wang Yuyan.

When we arrive in India, these tasks can be entrusted to her during our campaigns in the south and north.

However, doing so would be tantamount to giving Wang Yuyan the power of a strategist.

If you want her to give her all, you can't keep her hanging on like this.

“Abi, after you return to Canhe Village, go and tell Miss Wang that if we succeed in restoring the kingdom in India, she will be my queen.”

Wang Yuyan no longer had a maternal family; Murong Fu was her only support.

If he were to grant her the title of Empress, wouldn't she dedicate herself wholeheartedly to his great cause?
Abi responded softly, then asked in a low voice:
"What should we do about Sister Azhu? Should we stop looking for her?"

Murong Fu hesitated for a moment.

A'Zhu was also his trusted maidservant. In terms of closeness, A'Zhu and A'Bi were no different from the four great retainers.

But now, he has to devote all his energy to the conquest of India, and his subordinates are also busy with this matter, so where would he find the time to look for A'Zhu?

While hesitating, Deng Baichuan said:

"In order to treat A'Zhu's injuries, Qiao Feng single-handedly stormed Juxian Manor and fought a bloody battle against the heroes. Given A'Zhu's personality, she probably wouldn't marry anyone but Qiao Feng in this life."

Murong Fu suddenly felt enlightened and laughed:

"Indeed. Qiao Feng is also a hero, and now that his injustice has been cleared by Young Hero Lu and Heroine Huang, it would be a good match if A'Zhu could marry Qiao Feng. It's a pity that we can't find her and can't prepare a generous dowry for her."

"Well, we won't sell the estate under her name. We'll hire people to guard it and keep it for her dowry. With Qiao Feng around, I doubt anyone will dare to seize her property."

With a bright future ahead and seeing the true hope for the revival of the Great Yan Dynasty, Murong Fu's mind broadened.

The four retainers and Abi had no objection to this decision and sincerely wished Azhu a happy and fulfilling future.

Filled with lofty ambitions, Murong Fu and his party returned to Canhe Village by boat and began planning their journey to the "Promised Land".

……

Time flies...

In a small building at the lakeside manor, Lu Chen explained the mysteries of "Star Shift" to Huang Rong.

With Rong'er's talent and intelligence, she could probably make a name for herself with the skill of shifting and deflecting force, using the opponent's strength against them.

In fact, in the original timeline, although Murong Fu seemed to be constantly hitting walls and living a miserable life after his official debut, he also had two shining moments.

Both of those moments of glory were related to "the shifting of stars and constellations".

One of them was a one-on-one fight against Ding Chunqiu.

Murong Fu used the "Shifting Stars" technique to transfer Ding Chunqiu's poison, transferring it to Ding Chunqiu's disciples three times in a row.

One of those instances involved the transfer of "Three Laughs of Leisure Powder".

Then the two sides officially started fighting. Because he was less experienced than Ding Chunqiu, Murong Fu was outmaneuvered and Ding Chunqiu grabbed his arm.

Ding Chunqiu used the "Dissolving Power Technique" to try to neutralize Murong Fu's power, but instead, Murong Fu captured Ding Chunqiu's disciples and transferred all of the Dissolving Power Technique to a group of Ding Chunqiu's disciples.

Even the extremely minute, almost invisible poison powder of the Three Laughs of Leisure, and the "Dissolving Power Technique" can be transferred, which shows that "Shifting Stars" is definitely a miraculous skill and deserves the title of the Murong family's clan's supreme skill.

This is still because Murong Fu's cultivation of "Shifting Stars and Changing Constellations" is still shallow.

Otherwise, the "Dissolving Power Technique" could be directly reflected back onto Ding Chunqiu himself, to see if Old Monster Ding could dissolve his own power.

The second highlight was at the foot of Misty Peak, where he used "Shifting Stars" to catch Xu Zhu and Tong Lao, who were falling from Hundred-Zhang Mountain.

At a height of over 100 zhang, the impact of a strong monk and a little girl falling vertically was neutralized by Murong Fu, who instantly changed the straight fall into a horizontal flight. Although Murong Fu was also exhausted, it was truly a highlight.

In short, although Murong Fu's performance was not good later on, it was due to his own mentality and skill level.

The skill "Shifting Stars and Changing Positions" itself is absolutely correct.

now.

After listening to Lu Chen's explanation, Huang Rong pondered and reflected for a while before attempting to use the "Small Formless Skill" to activate "Star Shift".

The power of the Star Shift is closely related to one's own skill level.

The deeper one's skill, the greater the power of the "Shifting Stars" technique, and the more variations one can perform.

Although Huang Rong's current skill level is not as high as Murong Fu's, she has already mastered the Lesser Formless Skill, so she can still manage to perform some tricks.

After thinking for a moment, she had an idea, raised her right hand, palm facing Lu Chen:

"Brother Lu Chen, hit me a few times with your internal force, but be gentle."

Lu Chen smiled, raised his palm, and tapped her snow-white palm three times. He used a little internal force with each tap, but it felt like some of the force disappeared into the sea with each tap.

However, Huang Rong did not deflect that force back, nor did she seem to shift it elsewhere.

Lu Chen looked puzzled, while Huang Rong chuckled, "One more palm strike."

Lu Chen lightly slapped her again. This time, when their palms collided, Huang Rong's palm suddenly burst out with a counterforce. Not only was there her own palm force, but also the portion of Lu Chen's palm force that had disappeared during the previous three slaps, all of which rebounded back.

Lu Chen raised an eyebrow:
"You've stored up all the force that you dissipated with the first three high-fives?"

Huang Rong smiled and nodded: "That's right. The palm force that was diverted by the first three high-fives was all stored in the meridians of the palm, and then it exploded again in the end."

Lu Chen thought for a moment, then smiled and said:

"I understand. But wouldn't that put a lot of strain on the meridians?"

Human meridians have their limits and cannot endlessly accommodate foreign types of vital energy.

Even when practicing skills like "Northern Darkness Divine Art" and "Star Absorbing Technique" that plunder the power of others, one must refine the foreign true energy in time, otherwise one's meridians will be stretched to the point of bursting, or even one will go into qi deviation.

While the "Shifting Stars" technique has the ability to shift and deflect force, and to use force against force, it lacks the method to refine other people's unique true energy; it can only be borrowed and used on the spot.

Rong'er's ability to leverage force three times to build up and unleash it demonstrates her quick wit and exceptional understanding, but this method also clearly has many limitations.

Huang Rong smiled sweetly:
“That’s right. If too much force is borrowed at once, the meridians will naturally find it difficult to accumulate it multiple times. It must be rebounded on the spot or redirected elsewhere. That’s why I told you to strike gently. But this is also a way of applying it, isn’t it?”

Lu Chen nodded and smiled:

"That's true. If the meridians are wide and strong enough, and the acupoints in the arms are refined to the point that they can temporarily hold a large amount of foreign true energy, this method can become quite practical."

Through repeated collisions, the borrowed force is temporarily stored in the meridians and acupoints until it reaches its limit. Then, it is unleashed once more. With its own power combined with the accumulated external force, the explosive power is naturally extraordinary.

Lu Chen felt that this method was not something that ordinary people could use.

Even if Rong'er possessed the Lesser Formless Skill, she couldn't truly apply this technique in actual combat. After all, the enemy wouldn't strike lightly, allowing her to safely and effortlessly borrow small amounts of force to accumulate it.

But Lu Chen can play it this way himself.

Because he possesses the "Sword Body of Three Kingdoms" and "Super Recovery".

It is not afraid of too much foreign true energy, which could injure itself.

At that moment, Lu Chen and Rong'er were discussing and researching how to more safely borrow force multiple times, and which meridians and acupoints were more suitable for accumulating external force when accumulating power.

Their discussion continued until the night deepened.

It was only then that the two of them remembered they hadn't eaten yet.

Huang Rong went to the kitchen to cook, and also instructed the servants in the manor to boil water.

After finishing dinner with Lu Chen, the water was ready. Rong'er personally filled the bathtub with hot water, adjusted the temperature, and added some "rose water" produced locally in the Song Dynasty. Then she called to Lu Chen:
"Brother Lu Chen, the hot water is ready, come and take a bath!"

After saying that, he jumped into the bathtub first and took his place.

Lu Chen entered the bathroom and saw that Rong'er was not in the bathtub at all, only her head was above water, and her long hair was floating on the surface of the water like seaweed, making her delicate body wrapped in a thin gauze dress appear and disappear underwater. He couldn't help but smile:
"Why wear clothes while taking a bath?"

As he spoke, he quickly stripped naked and jumped into the bathtub.

When he took off his clothes, Huang Rong closed her eyes and dared not look at him.

Only after he entered the bath and sat down opposite her did she open her eyes, her face flushed as she looked at his broad, muscular chest and shoulders, and said in a soft, sweet voice:

"That's why I wouldn't be as shameless as you."

"Isn't it common sense to shower without clothes on? How am I shameless?"

"So, you're taking a bath with me now?"

"You're my little darling, what's wrong with that?"

As he spoke, Lu Chen grabbed her snow-white, delicate, and soft little foot and held it in his hand, playing with it gently.

Rong'er giggled and kept trying to pull her feet back:
"Don't tickle me!"

Unfortunately, he couldn't escape Lu Chen's clutches.

After playing with her for a while, Lu Chen stretched out his arm and embraced Rong'er's soft, delicate body, pulling her close and making her straddle his lap. He held her slender waist with one hand and lifted her chin with the other, gazing into her bright eyes, and whispered:

"Rong'er performed well today. She was so focused during the martial arts competition that she forgot to eat and sleep. So, I have to reward you properly today."

Rong'er blushed and scolded:

"Who wants your reward?"

Although she also liked Lu Chen's gluttony, she still felt that it was more of a reward for himself than a reward for her.

Lu Chen smiled slightly and said nothing more, only lowering his head to kiss her sweet lips.

……

The deal with the Great Wheel King and the battle with Murong Fu brought Lu Chen great gains. He was not in a hurry to seek further opportunities and continued to live in the quiet and elegant lakeside manor, patiently digesting what he had gained.

In the world of Tianlong, internal energy cultivation is easier. Rong'er's "Xiao Wuxiang Gong" makes significant progress every day, and her martial arts skills are gradually becoming integrated and mastered under Lu Chen's practical guidance.

Now, with the addition of "Shifting Stars," there are even more ways to play. Coupled with Lu Chen's occasional "rewards," Rong'er's enthusiasm for martial arts has soared again. While she may not be working day and night, she has at least reached half of Lu Chen's level of diligence in her training.

Lu Chen, of course, needs no introduction; his daily cultivation time is fully scheduled.
The old man's fist technique altered his physical constitution, half a move of the first sword technique increased his sword qi, he comprehended the imprints of the first and second sword techniques, he tempered the second step of the "third sword body" – flesh refining, he digested the various sword techniques he learned from Murong Fu, he discussed the cultivation and application of the "Star Shift" and "Small Formless Skill" with Huang Rong, and he would occasionally have a guidance battle with Rong'er...

With his cultivation schedule so packed, Lu Chen felt that the days were too short.

Of course, he also knew the principle that haste makes waste, so he always managed to adjust his mindset in time and cultivate calmly and patiently. His internal energy, swordsmanship, sword body, and other skills all saw steady progress every day. Although it wasn't fast, it was solid and reliable.

During his cultivation, Huang Rong would occasionally drag him to stroll around the city, sometimes revealing a juicy piece of news. They even bumped into the Murong family, who were selling off their land and shops.

Lu Chen thus confirmed that Murong Fu had truly made up his mind to go to India to develop his career.

In the blink of an eye, another month or so had passed. The various news Huang Rong revealed gradually spread throughout the martial arts world, along with merchants traveling along the Grand Canal and martial arts figures coming and going from the north and south.

Shaolin Temple naturally learned of the "leader's" news. Faced with questions from martial arts figures, Shaolin decided to hold a martial arts conference to clarify the matter. They also wanted to resolve the doubts surrounding Xiao Yuanshan and Murong Bo.

Xiao Yuanshan did not die; he killed Qiao Sanhuai and his wife, Zen Master Xuanku, and Murong Bo faked his death to secretly cause trouble, killing many martial arts figures and Shaolin Xuanbei. Are these things true?

There's also the injustice done to Qiao Feng. Is it true, as rumored, that Kang Min and Bai Shijing orchestrated the whole thing, with Xiao Yuanshan secretly pushing things along, gradually turning Qiao Feng into a public enemy of the martial arts world?
Whether for its own reputation or for the mystery surrounding the deaths of the two eminent monks of the Xuan generation, Xuanku and Xuanbei, Shaolin had no choice but to convene this gathering of heroes.

Thus, Shaolin sent out invitations to heroes, and Lu Chen and Huang Rong, who had not concealed their whereabouts, naturally received invitations from Shaolin lay disciples.

Murong Fu, who was suspected of murdering Xuan Bei, naturally also received a hero's invitation.

However, his ambitions had already shifted away from the martial arts world of the Central Plains, and he didn't take the invitation to the hero seriously. Instead, he sent two heavy gifts to Lu Chen and Huang Rong, asking them to clear things up for him.

As for what will happen to Murong Bo...

Murong Fu is about to become emperor, how could he still care about that father who caused him trouble?
It would be fine if we didn't have connections, but now that we do, it would be very uncomfortable if we worked hard to conquer the country, only to have an emperor emeritus squatting above us.

Lu Chen and Huang Rong were, of course, going.

Shaolin is the host, and this martial arts conference is such a grand event. How could Master Rong not go and join in?
Lu Chen also wanted to take this opportunity to meet the heroes of the world and see if he could get his hands on some useful advanced sword techniques.

He also wanted to meet Murong Bo to see if he could gain more from Murong Bo's swordsmanship and "Shifting Stars".

[An extra chapter at the end of the month, please vote with your monthly tickets!]

(End of this chapter)