Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

"This is the Sacred Flame Token, the most precious treasure of the Ming Cult?"

Li Shengnan picked up the Sacred Flame Token and curiously tapped it a few times, producing a crisp and melodious sound.

There are six Sacred Flame Tokens, each about two feet long. They are made of a material that is neither gold, copper, nor iron, and are quite tough, capable of directly confronting divine weapons such as the Heaven-Slaying Sword and the Dragon-Slaying Saber.

Each sacred fire token is engraved with Persian script and represents the lifelong skills of the Old Man of the Mountain, Huoshan. These are mostly unorthodox techniques, capable of killing someone on their first encounter.

However, the materials used to forge the Sacred Flame Token are quite mysterious. Sending it to the Sword Forging City and having the swordsmiths study the Sacred Flame Token might allow them to forge a few divine weapons.

If the Ming Cult has any objections, they can have the Ming Cult leader negotiate with Li Zhaoting. However, since the Ming Cult has no leader, no one will come to negotiate, which proves that they have no objections.

Li Zhaoting laughed and said, "Plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum, you go and test your strength. I will send the Sacred Flame Token to the Sword Forging City and have a few of you custom-made swords and sabers."

Having read the family tree, Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju knew that the Lord of Sword Forging City was Li Zhaoting's lover. Without any hesitation, they each picked up a Sacred Flame Token to test their strength.

Bored, Cheng Huaixiu went to the dungeon to interrogate the Twelve Treasure Tree Kings, and then left with a depressed look on his face.

Li Zhaoting, Cheng Huaixiu, and Li Shengnan's analyses were all wrong, while Mei Lan Zhu Ju's analysis was 90% correct. The person was simply lost and came to rob them.

Does robbery require logic?
From the perspective of the Persian Ming Cult, this matter is very logical, and each step can be explained in its own way. There is only one abnormality, which is the reason.
Why did the Persian Ming Cult travel to China?

As early as the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the Persian Ming Cult lost contact with the Great Ming Zun Cult. The Kunlun Ming Cult nominally respected the Persian Ming Cult as its master, but in reality, there was no subordinate relationship between them.

The only contact was twenty years ago when Dai Qisi came to Bright Peak from Persia, made great contributions, and was named the Purple-Robed Dragon King, becoming one of the Four Great Dharma Kings.

Under Cheng Huaixiu's persistent questioning, Baoshu Wang had no choice but to reveal the truth—the Persian Ming Cult had declined!

The Persian Ming Cult had a rule that the leader must be a pure and innocent virgin, and each leader would select the young daughters of three elders as saintesses after taking office.

The three holy maidens took their oaths and traveled to all corners of the land to perform meritorious deeds for the Ming Cult. After the leader of the cult passed away, the elders of the cult gathered to discuss the merits of the holy maidens.

The one who made the greatest contribution was the cult leader.

In recent decades, the Persian Ming Cult has lacked outstanding talent. They tried to select the best from the worst, but the worst were simply too poor, resulting in several mediocre leaders.

In times of peace, even a mediocre leader can manage to keep the family in check.

Persia's continuous foreign wars put any religious sect in danger of destruction. The leader of the Ming Cult possessed a certain divine nature, and even the King of the Precious Tree could not usurp his power. These mediocre leaders acted recklessly, causing the Ming Cult to decline steadily.

Even the ultimate martial arts such as "The Great Shift of Heaven and Earth" and "The Scripture of Wisdom for Controlling All Laws" have been lost. If it weren't for the fact that they accidentally bought the Sacred Flame Token from a merchant and studied the evil martial arts inscribed on it, they wouldn't even be able to gather the three envoys.

The purpose of this trip to the Central Plains is to use the Sacred Flame Token to command the Five Elements Banners and strengthen the power of the Persian Ming Cult.

Another task is to find the previous Holy Maiden, Dai Qisi. The leader of the Persian Ming Cult passed away a few months ago, and a new leader needs to be elected within a year.

Cheng Huaixiu's face darkened upon hearing this.

With such an important mission, you actually got lost in the deep mountains and forests just to save face. If this delays the election of the sect leader, how will you face going back...?

Male Gobi!

So that's what the plan was!
It's much more comfortable to be a tyrant and a local lord in Lingxiao City than to be ordered around by a madwoman in Persia!

In the words of the King of Wisdom Tree, the last five leaders of the Persian Ming Cult were either mediocre idiots, insane madmen, or pleasure-seeking.

King Baoshu had to deceive his followers and serve the madwoman, which put him under so much pressure that he couldn't sleep. These past few months in the Central Plains were the most comfortable time for them.

Cheng Huaixiu sneered: "Since it's so comfortable, then enjoy it! In a few decades, when you've all come to your senses, I'll release you."

The King of Wisdom Trees did not understand the meaning. He thought he would be subjected to physical torture and was prepared to be whipped. Unexpectedly, for the next few days, dozens of bald men stood guard outside every day, striking wooden fish and chanting scriptures loudly.

The dantian of the Twelve Treasure Tree Kings was broken, all their power was lost, and they could not close their ear canals.

The chanting was like a demonic sound, relentlessly assaulting their ears. Bai Wanjian hated them to death and summoned all the monks and Taoists in Lingxiao City.

On odd-numbered days, monks take turns chanting Buddhist scriptures.

On even-numbered days, Taoist priests take turns reciting the Taoist canon.

Initially, the Twelve Treasure Tree Kings would recite Mingjiao scriptures as a form of resistance. After a few months, they gradually forgot the Mingjiao scriptures and only remembered Amitabha Buddha, the Infinite Heavenly Venerable, and the endless wooden fish.

Many years later, Li Zhaoting returned to the Snow Mountain Sect and discovered that half of the Twelve Treasure Tree Kings had become monks and half had become Taoist priests. They had all attained enlightenment and were no longer filled with resentment.

……

After Bai Zizai's passing, Axiu should have observed three years of mourning. However, the Snow Mountain Sect had suffered a series of disasters and needed to do something joyous to maintain the sect's morale.

"Morale" is a very mysterious thing.

It cannot be measured by data and will not produce results in the short term. However, it will create a very terrifying negative cycle until the sect is destroyed.

Without morale, disciples become lazy. The lazier the disciples are, the lower the sect's morale becomes, gradually turning laziness into decline, and eventually leading to a complete collapse.

Shi Xiaocui gritted her teeth, thinking that it was enough for her son to observe mourning for his father; there was no need for her granddaughter to do so.

We asked Li Zhaoting to be the officiant so that Gou Ge and A Xiu could get married. However, there's a problem: how do we handle Gou Ge's name? How do we register his identity information?

"Dog bastard," that name is definitely not acceptable.

Shi Potian, that name is too domineering.

Shi Yidao, that name is too menacing.

"Big Zongzi" is a nickname used between lovers.

Dog Brother asked with a worried look, "Brother Li, you're very knowledgeable, can you give me a name?"

Li Zhaoting laughed and said, "I am skilled in divination and I have calculated that your surname is indeed 'Shi' (石). Your character is as resilient as a stone, so why not call me Shi Zhongjian (石中坚)?"

The softest thing in the world can overcome the hardest. My sister-in-law is the most innocent, kind, gentle, and virtuous wife and mother I have ever met. She is the softest of people, yet within that gentleness lies a certain resilience.

My brother is the most sincere, honest, and trustworthy Nascent Soul cultivator I have ever met. He is an extremely steadfast person, yet he can also turn things around when they reach an extreme, adding a touch of gentleness and benevolence.

Brother Shi, what do you think of this name?

Dog Bro exclaimed excitedly, "Great! This is a nice name! I'll be called Shi Zhongjian from now on!"

The Snow Mountain Sect was in serious internal strife, but even a weakened camel is bigger than a horse. It occupied an entire city and could squander its wealth accumulated over hundreds of years.

The goal is to bring good fortune, but the celebration should not be extravagant.

Shi Xiaocui only sent invitations to a few wealthy families in Lingxiao City. At the same time, she ordered people to send compensation to the people that Bai Zizai injured when he had an attack. Dog Brother naturally didn't care about the scale of the wedding, and Axiu didn't care much either. Li Zhaoting changed into a brocade robe and acted as the witness for the two of them.

The following morning, Li Zhaoting took his leave.

Shi Xiaocui sighed deeply and fainted.

She was exhausted and nearly at her wit's end.

Fortunately, the Snow Mountain Sect's warehouse contained a large quantity of rare medicinal herbs, including several hundred kilograms of nourishing medicines.

Brother Gou used the purest Buddhist essence to harmonize Shi Xiaocui's yin and yang. After seven or eight days of rest, Shi Xiaocui gradually recovered her health, except that her hair had turned much whiter.

Bai Wanjian entered a long-term seclusion.

When Li Zhaoting killed the three envoys of Fengyunyue, he used the Snow Mountain Sword Technique. The speed of his moves was not fast. Bai Wanjian remembered it clearly, but when he used it himself, he could only crudely imitate the moves and could not comprehend the profoundness of the sword techniques.

After a long time, everything became clear.

It wasn't that he was too useless, but that Li Zhaoting's talent was too strong. Ordinary moves could unleash tremendous power, and a wooden stick was a divine weapon.

This insight comes from a good son-in-law.

Bai Wanjian discovered that Brother Gou didn't possess any exquisite moves; the martial arts he used were all commonplace techniques like Luohan Fist and Taizu Long Fist. His Golden Crow Saber Technique was taught by Axiu, and every move was purely defensive, lacking any offensive power.

The most widely circulated common martial arts technique, when enhanced by the Arhat Subduing Demon Divine Skill, can shatter a palace with a single punch and send dozens of people flying with a single kick. For Brother Gou, are there any exquisite moves that would affect his combat power?
……

I've visited the Tianshan Sect, Lingjiu Palace, and Xueshan Sect. In a while, I'll be going to Xia Ke Island to drink Laba porridge. Before that, I'll definitely go home to be with my beautiful wife and concubines, and I'll also need to make a trip to Wudang.

Go to Zixiao Palace in Wudang to obtain the "Heavenly Silkworm Skill".

Zhang Sanfeng probably wouldn't refuse, right?

I'm helping him relieve some of his burdens!

The journey was uneventful, and we quickly returned.

Upon arriving in Chang'an, they learned that Bao Zheng's trip was not only to inspect official conduct, but also to find a spiritual medicine called Tianmang. Bao Zheng, Gongsun Ce, Tang Yin, and Li Xunhuan were all in the group, and many unknown secrets of the martial arts world were gradually revealed to everyone.

Bao Zheng and his entourage are now in Xianyang County.

Two days ago, Governor Liu Yi died suddenly. Because the locals believed in the practice of "spiritual communication," Liu's wife ordered a gathering of sorcerers to select one to perform spiritual communication.

Bao Zheng felt something was amiss and led Gongsun Ce and others to offer condolences. In Bao Zheng's view, Liu Yi either committed suicide out of fear of punishment or faked his death to escape. The fact that you died suddenly just as I arrived is not normal at all!
Bao Zheng had inquired and learned that Liu Yi had an extremely bad reputation. He was known for extortion, corruption, and bribery. Miaoshoutang would send Liu Yi a huge sum of money every year.

The person is dead, but the accounts have not yet been settled.

Bao Zheng will definitely come and investigate.

Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju were leaving home for the first time, and everything seemed new and exciting. Hearing that there was a spiritual competition, they begged Li Zhaoting to stay for a day so they could go and see what was going on.

Li Zhaoting naturally wouldn't refuse.

The group consisted of seven people: a handsome young man, two stunningly beautiful women, and charming quadruplets.

She becomes the center of attention wherever she goes.

After you see it clearly, stay far away from it.

The effects of Li Zhaoting's trip to Chang'an have not yet dissipated, and who knows what might happen next.

However, considering the massacre of the entire Miaoshoutang family and the death of the tyrannical governor Liu Yi, coupled with the recent executions of some officials by Bao Zheng, from the perspective of the common people, Li Zhaoting should stay in Chang'an and not go back!

Liu Yi has a terrible reputation, but he is rich.

Lady Liu offered a reward of ten thousand gold pieces for Liu Yi's spiritual communication, and the "hermits" who were cultivating in seclusion in Zhongnan Mountain came to try their luck, hoping to make money.

The plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums looked around excitedly.

They stopped in front of the fortune-telling stalls one by one.

Zhou Banxian: One coin for divination and fortune telling!
Master Huang: A master of weather prediction!

A divine revelation: Face reading and character analysis reveal the secrets of heaven!

Successor of Dongfang Shuo...

Successor of Zhuge Liang's Eight Trigrams...

Li Zhaoting suddenly remembered that when he first started out, he was known as a "commoner fortune teller" whose predictions were inaccurate nine out of ten times, which was even more impressive than the Black and White Impermanence's soul-summoning banner.

Seeing so many colleagues, Li Zhaoting couldn't help but feel a little itchy to buy some new clothes at the general store.

—Nine out of ten divinations are inaccurate! (End of Chapter)