In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 128 Too Much Medicine, Too Willful

Seeing Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan's furrowed brows, Gu Shaoan chuckled and said, "Alright, there's no point in thinking about other things. We'll deal with whatever comes our way. Isn't the reason we work so hard to cultivate ourselves so that we can turn danger into safety when we encounter problems?"

"That's true! Anyway, with my senior brother here, there's nothing to worry about."

At this point, Yang Yan curiously moved closer to Gu Shaoan.

"Speaking of which, what level has your strength reached, Senior Brother?"

Upon hearing this question, Zhou Zhiruo also looked at Gu Shaoan with curiosity.

Faced with the two women's curiosity, Gu Shaoan did not hide anything and, after a moment's thought, said directly, "He should be considered one of the best in the world!"

Zhou Zhiruo's eyes flashed: "Master once said that if one's internal energy cultivation can reach the level of Condensing Yuan Qi into Gang Qi, one can be considered a first-rate master in this world. In other words, Junior Brother, you are now comparable to a martial artist who has reached the level of Condensing Yuan Qi into Gang Qi?"

Gu Shaoan smiled and said, "That depends on the person."

Gu Shaoan's skill is too profound.

Despite being only eighteen years old, he possessed the skill of a full sixty-year-old.

Moreover, it is a profound skill at the level of "excellent" in terms of innate talent.

With a single palm strike, even a martial artist who has condensed their inner energy into a protective aura would likely have their protective energy shattered by Gu Shaoan.

But if it were someone like the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets, Sun Baifa, it wouldn't be enough.

Putting aside skill level, Sun Baifa is not necessarily weaker than Gu Shaoan, and in terms of martial arts realm, Sun Baifa has even reached the level of perfect harmony between man and staff.

It's equivalent to the state of perfect harmony between swordsman and sword in martial arts.

In comparison, Sun Baifa is obviously much stronger.

Unless, of course, Gu Shaoan can master a special skill that even Sun Baifa has not mastered.

For example, in terms of controlling force, the level of "making light movements seem heavy" will naturally make the difference between the two smaller.

However, we'll only know exactly how much it can be reduced after the match.

After all, for true masters, any single factor can determine the outcome of a battle.

It cannot be generalized.
The next day, in Luyang Prefecture.

Inside and outside the wide city gate, pedestrians thronged, shoulder to shoulder.

The pedestrians on the street were dressed in various styles. There were local wealthy people, dressed in fine silks and satins and surrounded by servants, as well as many martial arts practitioners carrying swords and knives. Some were chatting in small groups, while others were alone, their eyes scanning their surroundings like those of a hawk.

Perhaps because of the Ming Cult's reputation over the years, although the Ming Cult is prosperous, it has gathered more people from all walks of life than other famous and righteous sects such as the Emei Sect.

The atmosphere of the martial arts world is also clearly much stronger.

West of the city.

Moon Tower.

Pushing open the door to the elegant room, Yang Yan removed the bamboo hat from her head, revealing her fair and delicate face, and sat down next to Gu Shaoan.

"I just asked the waiter. Bright Peak is located 30 li north of the city. You can get there by following the official road."

After saying that, Yang Yan asked, "So, are we going to climb Bright Summit next to secretly find out the terrain of the mountain?"

With his gaze fixed on the medical book in his hand, Gu Shaoan replied casually, "Not bad."

As he spoke, Gu Shaoan sighed inwardly.

If this incident only involved the Ming Cult, with Gu Shaoan's current strength, he could easily infiltrate the Bright Peak headquarters alone and eliminate Yang Xiao and all the other people in charge of the Ming Cult.

Once the Ming Cult is leaderless, it will naturally be routed when faced with attacks from the six major sects.

Gu Shaoan knew that the siege of Bright Peak by the six major sects was not so simple and involved other forces and people.

This makes things much more complicated.

Gu Shaoan didn't have the energy to take care of the other five sects, but he would naturally protect as many as he could from the Emei disciples.

When they descended the mountain, Abbess Miejue had already told Gu Shaoan that the Emei Sect would be sending a thousand disciples this time. Not only would Miejue personally lead the team, but Abbess Juechen, Abbess Juejue, and more than half of the elders would also participate in the attack on the Ming Cult.

With the four Qi Condensation Realm martial artists—Abbess Miejue, Abbess Juechen, Abbess Juejue, and Gu Shaoan—keeping an eye on them, they could protect the disciples of the sect as much as possible even during a battle.

Therefore, for the Emei Sect, the biggest problem in this attack on the Ming Cult was not fighting with the Ming Cult members.

On the contrary, they were concerned about the traps and mechanisms on Bright Peak that were placed in unknown locations.

Bright Peak is, after all, the Ming Cult's stronghold. The Ming Cult has been cultivating Bright Peak for a hundred years, and there are probably countless traps and mechanisms on the mountain. If we don't find out beforehand, these traps and mechanisms will definitely cause the Emei Sect to lose a lot of manpower when we besiege Bright Peak.

This is one of the main reasons why Gu Shaoan took Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan to Bright Peak ahead of time.

In the afternoon, after purchasing some items in the city, Gu Shaoan and the others put on straw hats and covered their faces with light veils.

Although this kind of attire is still quite eye-catching compared to ordinary people.

But it's much better than the three of them showing off their outstanding looks and temperament without makeup.

After leaving the city gate, the three rode their horses along the official road.

The horses galloped swiftly, and in just an hour, after crossing the edge of the plain, the terrain suddenly became treacherous.

A deep canyon stretched out in front of them, becoming the only gateway to Bright Peak, the stronghold of the Ming Cult.

The canyon entrance is narrow, with towering and steep mountain walls on both sides.

The narrowest part of the canyon entrance was only wide enough for a few people to pass side by side. The sky above was squeezed into a thin line, the light was dim, and it added a sense of oppression. It was the first natural pass leading to Bright Summit.

Emerging from the canyon, the terrain opens up dramatically, but at the same time, it is surrounded by even taller mountains.

These mountains stretch endlessly, with peaks and ridges of various shapes, some as steep as blades piercing the sky, others as solid and imposing as giant beasts crouching.

The mountain exposes a large area of ​​gray-brown rock base, with sparse drought-resistant shrubs and tenacious pine trees growing on it, giving it an overall desolate and rugged texture.

A steeper, winding mountain path, carved into the mountainside, appears and disappears among the peaks, stretching laboriously along the ridge or cliff face.

At the highest point of these continuous mountain ranges lies the Ming Cult's headquarters, Bright Peak.

The terrain of Bright Summit is particularly unique: the base of the mountain is huge and heavy, and the terrain narrows as you go up, forming an extremely tall and steep giant cone-shaped mountain.

More importantly, its summit is not sharp, but rather an exceptionally wide and relatively flat plateau. Its size is so great that it can be clearly seen from a distance, resembling a huge platform supported by a pillar reaching to the sky.

Above that platform were rows of buildings.

It is also the core of the Ming Cult's headquarters.

Unlike other factions, there were no disciples guarding the entrance to the canyon.

With Gu Shaoan's keen senses, his perception range could already extend to thirty feet.

As Gu Shaoan approached the canyon, with the true energy within his body quietly circulating, his hearing, enhanced by the true energy, immediately detected several soft breathing sounds from the canyon entrance.

They were clearly Ming Cult disciples hiding in the shadows.

In response, Gu Shaoan used his true energy to transmit his voice, leading Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan on a bicycle ride to the dense forest on the other side of the canyon.

After settling the horses in the woods and providing them with water and fodder, the three of them used their light-footed skills to ascend the mountainside.

The canyon walls are about ten zhang high.

Although it is not polished to a mirror-like finish, it is absolutely impossible to enter the canyon by using light-footed skills to move along the mountain wall without sufficient skill.

However, among the three of them, even Zhou Zhiruo, with the help of Gu Shaoan and Yang Yan over the past few years, has cultivated "The Three Manifestations of the Divine Dragon" to the level of "comprehension" and "The Nine Shadows of the Spiral" has reached the level of "entering the inner sanctum".

With the combination of two light-foot techniques, it was naturally not difficult to climb up the mountainside and sneak into the Bright Summit.

As they moved quickly using their light-footed skills, Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan's gazes also constantly shifted around them.

Thus, they spent a full ten days on Bright Summit, and Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan jointly drew a map of Bright Summit on a piece of sheepskin.

In addition to the terrain of Bright Summit, the location of sentry posts is also meticulously recorded.

The only blank space is the main hall of the Bright Summit, which is unmarked.

"Mission accomplished!" Yang Yan put down the calligraphy brush in her hand, stretched her slightly sore shoulders, and breathed a long sigh of relief.

Zhou Zhiruo, who was standing next to her, immediately came over to carefully examine the map, checking whether Yang Yan had missed anything.

A few breaths later, after Zhou Zhiruo confirmed that the content newly drawn and recorded by Yang Yan was no different from what she had previously written down, Zhou Zhiruo gestured to Yang Yan and breathed a sigh of relief.

Immediately afterwards, as if she had thought of something, Yang Yan turned her head and glanced at Gu Shaoan, who was flipping through a medical book not far away, before whispering to Zhou Zhiruo.

"Senior sister, the map is done. How do we check for these traps and mechanisms? We can't just have the three of us search the whole mountainside one by one, can we?"

The Bright Summit is a magnificent mountain, surrounded not only by the valley below but also by several other mountains.

If one were to try them one by one, it would take at least six months to figure out all the traps and mechanisms.

Moreover, the Ming Cult members are not fools. If they were to trigger all these traps and mechanisms, they would surely become alert.

Zhou Zhiruo thought for a moment and said, "We probably don't need to try all over the mountains. The six major sects should also have maps of the area around Bright Peak, but they are not as detailed as the one we have. And the six major sects can't attack from the same direction all at once. After passing through the canyon, the people of the six major sects should attack along different routes."

"As long as we find out these six attack routes and figure out the locations of the traps and mechanisms along these routes, we'll be fine."

Yang Yan nodded and said, "That's right. As long as we figure out the traps and mechanisms on these routes, we can ensure our safety no matter which route our Emei Sect takes to ascend the mountain."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan both turned to look at Gu Shaoan.

Seeing that Gu Shaoan did not offer any other suggestions, the two women then deduced, based on the terrain map, the most suitable routes for the six major sects to attack.

Looking at Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan's heads close together, Gu Shaoan chuckled inwardly.

It is better to teach people to fish than to teach people.

For Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan, in the preceding years, Gu Shaoan focused on instilling in them correct values ​​and how to react to situations.

Over the course of these three years, as the two women handled more and more matters, their thinking and actions became more comprehensive when faced with problems.

To some extent, both Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan now possess the ability to protect themselves while navigating the world alone.

After the two women had discussed the matter and reached a conclusion, Gu Shaoan put down the medical book in his hand and slowly stood up.

"Let's not rush the matter of the organization. Anyway, it's still a few months before Master and the others arrive. Before that, let's go to the Ming Cult's forbidden area!"

Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan were both taken aback upon hearing this.

The two women had been drawing maps these past few days, and naturally they had passed by the Ming Cult's forbidden area on the mountainside behind Bright Summit.

Based on the understanding of the Ming Cult among the six major sects, it is clear that this forbidden area of ​​the Ming Cult is the burial place of all the Ming Cult leaders after their deaths.

Zhou Zhiruo asked curiously, "Junior Brother, why do you want to go to the forbidden area of ​​the Ming Cult?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Shaoan said frankly, "Since we're already here, I'm a little curious. Let's see if there are any secrets hidden in this forbidden area."

Everyone in the martial arts world knows that the Ming Cult has a legendary martial art that has been used to suppress the cult for a long time, called "The Great Shift of Heaven and Earth".

It would be a lie to say that Gu Shaoan had no interest in "The Great Shift of Heaven and Earth".

The way of martial arts is not about working behind closed doors, but about pooling wisdom and ideas.

This episode doesn't depict the act of blindly learning superior martial arts techniques upon seeing them.

Rather, it refers to martial artists adopting the strengths of others to make up for their own weaknesses, or drawing inferences from similar cases, thereby improving their martial arts skills or strength.

Learning everything haphazardly will only result in being a jack of all trades and master of none.

Gu Shaoan is currently stuck on the aspect of "condensation" when it comes to the skill of "treating light matters as heavy ones".

The Great Shift of Heaven and Earth is precisely an extremely ingenious method for utilizing strength and power.

When one reaches a high level of skill, one can command the entire spirit and strength of a martial artist at will, releasing and withdrawing at will, all according to one's will.

If he could obtain the "Great Shift of the Universe," Gu Shaoan would like to see if he could use it to further improve his control over his internal energy, overcome his current hurdle, and move on to the next level of research.

If it were before, Gu Shaoan might have been wary of the traps and mechanisms in the Ming Cult's forbidden area.

However, with Gu Shaoan now possessing the attribute of "Indestructible Vajra," coupled with his own skill, it wouldn't hurt to take a risk.

Even if we encounter some special mechanism, there's still plenty of fragrant cardamom.

As long as the head is okay, no matter how serious the injury, you can just take three pills.

The main selling point is that there are many medicines available, and they can afford to be capricious.

When we are young, we are naturally curious.

Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan were initially quite curious about this forbidden area of ​​the Ming Cult.

Now that Gu Shaoan has taken the initiative to suggest going to the forbidden area, the two women naturally won't object.

Immediately, the three moved swiftly, avoiding the Ming Cult disciples hidden in the shadows, and appeared on the back mountain of Bright Peak.
Beneath a prominent, massive rock, a unique tomb entrance was constructed.

Beside the tomb entrance, there is a huge rock, ten feet high, with the words "Forbidden Land" written on it in large vermilion characters.

Upon arriving at the entrance to the forbidden area, Yang Yan glanced around and muttered, "I was wondering before, why isn't there a single disciple guarding this forbidden area of ​​the Ming Cult? Aren't the people of the Ming Cult worried about outsiders sneaking in?"

Zhou Zhiruo said softly, "Sometimes, the safer something seems, the more dangerous it often is behind it."

"The Ming Cult has set up many hidden sentries in other parts of Bright Peak, but there is not a single disciple around this forbidden area. There is probably only one possibility that makes the Ming Cult feel so at ease: the danger inside this forbidden area must be far greater than outside."

Gu Shaoan nodded and said, "That's right. Since it's a forbidden area, how could anyone dare to leave it so wide open without any support? This Ming Cult forbidden area is full of traps and deadly dangers. Ordinary people who dare to step in rashly will have a nine-out-of-ten chance of dying."

Yang Yan looked at Gu Shaoan with some curiosity and said, "Senior brother, you don't usually come down the mountain, how come you seem to know so much?"

Gu Shaoan raised his hand and tapped Yang Yan on the head.

"The news is spread by people. Over the years, as my reputation for free medical consultations has spread, it's not just ordinary people from Jiading Prefecture who come to me during my free medical consultations, but also quite a few martial arts practitioners."

"Over time, you hear about these things more and more."

Although Gu Shaoan's words were perfunctory, they did not arouse suspicion from Yang Yan and Zhou Zhiruo who were standing to the side.

Without delving further into the topic, Gu Shaoan changed the subject, saying, "When you go inside later, remember to stay close to me and try not to touch anything around you to avoid triggering any mechanisms."

After the two women nodded in acknowledgment, Gu Shaoan took the lead and his figure disappeared silently into the dark entrance like smoke.

Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan followed closely behind.
As soon as they stepped through the tomb gate and into this forbidden area, an indescribable chill and antiquity swept over them, as if instantly isolating them from all life outside.

The ground beneath my feet was a dark, cold, and hard bluestone. Before me lay a straight, deep passage, its destination unknown.

On both sides are cold stone walls, polished relatively smooth, with a faint oil lamp lit every few feet, emitting a murky, yellowish glow.

The light of the oil lamp appeared so small in the endless darkness that it not only failed to dispel the deep gloom but also made the passage seem even more profound, oppressive, and like the esophagus of a giant beast.

The light cast three long, swaying, and twisted eerie shadows on the wall. Each step echoed with a hollow resonance, unusually clear in the deathly silent passage, adding to the unsettling mystery.

Not to mention Zhou Zhiruo, even Yang Yan couldn't help but move a little closer to Gu Shaoan while walking.

As the group walked along the passage for about a hundred steps, Zhou Zhiruo suddenly felt a slight difference in the sensation of her shoes when she put her feet down.

It made a very faint sound, like an ordinary person stepping on and breaking a toothpick.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh—!
In the next instant, hundreds of crossbow bolts, gleaming with a deep blue light, rained down like a storm.

A sharp, piercing sound suddenly erupted from the numerous tiny holes in the stone walls on both sides of the passage.

The moment the sound reached his ears, Gu Shaoan reacted instantly, his true energy surging within him. He raised his wide sleeves, rotated his right hand counterclockwise once, and then pressed down suddenly after the true energy passed through his palm.

"Ang~"

A soft dragon's roar echoed from Gu Shaoan's body. His true essence, mixed with a unique force that was both gentle and strong, instantly condensed into three dragon-shaped energy streams, each ten feet long, enveloping Gu Shaoan, Zhou Zhiruo, and Yang Yan.

It is the only defensive move in the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, "Dragon Appearing in the Field".

The seemingly three dragon-shaped energy streams, each ten feet long, were actually a powerful yet gentle force that covered a three-foot radius around Gu Shaoan, Zhou Zhiruo, and Yang Yan.

As the arrows approached, they seemed to pierce into mud, the force on the arrowheads almost instantly dissipating before falling to the ground.

　I burned paper money yesterday, got caught in the rain, and sweated a lot, so I have a fever today. I'll only be updating today as I'm going to the hospital for an IV drip. I'll make up for the missed chapter later! Sorry!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)