Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

"Qin Shi Huang was obsessed with the elixir of immortality and invited alchemists from all over the world to jointly study the formulas and pharmacology of the elixir."

During the pre-Qin period, the understanding of medicine and alchemy was far less advanced than it is today. Alchemists could only refine elixirs to enhance physical strength based on the physical characteristics of skilled martial artists.

Although they failed to refine the elixir of immortality, they successfully refined various elixirs that enhance physical strength, improve internal power, stimulate bodily potential, and make one stronger in battle.

The most famous of all is the Limitless Immortal Pill.

Heavenly Mang is an even more extreme form of Limitless Immortal Pill.

Consuming the Heavenly Mang completely unleashes the body's potential, transforming the person into a fearless, relentless killing puppet that only advances and never retreats, lasting for approximately three days.

Three days later, the user died from exhaustion, essentially turning the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique into a medicinal pill.

Compared to the Wuji Immortal Pill, which was extremely expensive to produce, highly toxic, and whose solution was not found until the Tang Dynasty, the Tianmang had very obvious advantages, far surpassing the Wuji Immortal Pill.

First of all, the cost of building a Heavenly Manor is very low.

Secondly, Heavenly Mang can be mass-produced.

Third, the Heavenly Mang can be given to soldiers.

Fourth, you should be able to imagine that the Heavenly Mang can create an army of monsters with immense strength, that only advances and never retreats, and that are unstoppable, without turning against itself.

There's no need to choose a well-trained elite army; you can assemble a monster legion simply by selecting ordinary soldiers or even temporarily conscripted laborers.

There is no risk of backfiring.

Three days later, the monster army was exhausted.

If I'm not mistaken, the Heavenly Mang is hidden in Xianyang, inside the Zhongnan Mountains. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, an earthquake occurred in the area, and Zhang Ben found the Heavenly Mang by chance.

Chang'an was the capital of the Tang Dynasty.

What made the Xiling tribe able to stop the Tang Dynasty's iron cavalry?
Of course, it's the Heavenly Light!
Zhang Ben selected elite warriors, had them consume the Heavenly Mantle, and then engaged in a head-on confrontation with the Tang Dynasty's iron cavalry. After three days of fierce fighting, he selected another group of warriors.

The Xiling tribe has too few people, and the number of Tianmang warriors is also limited; it is impossible for them to defeat the Tang cavalry.

Ultimately, the Xiling clan elders decided to surrender.

Zhang Ben was their pledge of allegiance.

Zhang Ben refused to surrender, took the Heavenly Essence, and fought to the death for three days until he was completely exhausted.

This is the truth behind Zhang Ben's death.

The details may differ, but the weapon used by the Xiling tribe to resist the Tang cavalry must have been the Heavenly Light.

It was this battle that sparked Emperor Taizong's interest in pre-Qin elixirs. He collected elixir formulas, invited renowned physicians from across the land to refine the elixir, and ultimately created the Limitless Immortal Elixir.

You all know what happened next.

Huai Xiu, Sheng Nan, what do you think?

Li Zhaoting strung together clues in his mind, connecting the events of the past. There were some issues with the details, but the overall storyline was flawless.

Cheng Huaixiu sighed, "Alchemists and sorcerers are all wicked and harmful to the country and its people. Only now do I understand why my master hates the leader of the Yuxian Gang so much."

In the past, the evil spirits and heretics that Li Zhaoting dealt with either committed crimes in front of him or had countless sins, and he usually killed them cleanly and decisively.

The Yuxian Gang was an exception. The gang leader never intended to offend Li Zhaoting. It was Li Zhaoting who took the initiative to cause trouble and then used the pretext to sever the Yuxian Gang's lineage.

For a gang like the Yuxian Gang, it doesn't matter if the gang leader dies or all the high-ranking members die; what they fear most is the extinction of their lineage and the erasure of their history.

That's exactly what Li Zhaoting did.

This is the most severe punishment for a religious sect.

Cheng Huaixiu initially found it strange that Li Zhaoting's hatred for the Yuxian Gang was somewhat inexplicable, but now that she learned about the Tianmang incident, she realized that Li Zhaoting was farsighted.

Jia Shifang and the leader of the Yuxian Gang need not engage in any communication with these evil Taoists; simply kill them, grind their bones to ashes, and sever their lineage.

Leaving behind a disciple, a secret manual, or a tattered elixir formula could all cause immeasurable harm.

For example: the Black-Clad Society!

In the early Tang Dynasty, during the suppression of the Black-Clad Society, a black-clad holy knight managed to escape, and the Black-Clad Society's technology for cultivating the God of Death was preserved.

During the Wu Zhou period, the Black-Clad Society resurfaced and used the god of death to poison the people. If Di Renjie had not discovered the Black-Clad Society's conspiracy in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

These alchemists and imperial advisors were mostly treacherous and vicious "centipedes," attempting to ride the winds of the dynasty's fortune and transform into dragons, thereby shattering the void.

We absolutely cannot allow this kind of person to gain influence.

For example: Jia Shifang!

Despite suffering numerous blows and countless attempts to kill, imprison, and torture, Jia Shifang lived to be over a hundred years old before being killed by the Supreme Heavenly Sword.

Regardless of their past personality, such a person will inevitably go astray and become obsessed with becoming an immortal once they encounter a bottleneck, especially one related to their lifespan.

Li Shengnan sneered: "Cheng Huaixiu... are you really Cheng Huaixiu? You and your husband are so in sync, even my elder sister envies this kind of understanding."

How could you possibly question your husband?

How is this going?

My husband needs to investigate you!
My husband should investigate you thoroughly!

Ever since the two joined forces to fight Pang Ban, they have developed a tacit understanding, which is the envy of all the sisters in the family. Li Shengnan often feels jealous.

Whenever he had the chance, he would make a few sarcastic remarks about Cheng Huaixiu.

To prevent Cheng Huaixiu from becoming arrogant due to favor.

Cheng Huaixiu said smugly, "It's good to be in sync with someone, but if you share your emotions every moment, there's no privacy at all."

Can you endure this kind of life? How can you maintain a clear and focused mind when influenced by external emotions?

My master, out of compassion and pity for me, created a method to isolate my emotions. Unless we are in the midst of a fierce battle, our mental connection will be severed to prevent me from being affected.

This is my special favor.

Even the eldest sister didn't get any!

Li Shengnan: "I will tell my older sister!"

Cheng Huaixiu: "Do as you please! Even if my eldest sister disciplines me, I'll do it willingly!"

Li Shengnan: "I'm so angry!"

Li Shengnan first erupted in a fit of impotent rage, then grabbed Li Zhaoting's arm, bit it hard, leaving a row of clear teeth marks, and continued her impotent rage.

Li Zhaoting shrugged. As everyone knows, there are two weaklings in the world, one of whom is Gong Baiwan.

The other one is Li Shengnan.

Cheng Huaixiu smoothed things over: "Honey, does mind reading really exist? How did Master Feng determine if the tea contained salt? Does he have clairvoyance?"
And what about Miss Tianwen? How could she cheat in front of Gongsun Ce? Gongsun Ce clearly wanted to expose Miss Tianwen's tricks and would never cooperate with her!

You must know, right, husband?

I beg you!

"Don't keep us in suspense any longer!"

Li Zhaoting held up two fingers: "The tip of Master Feng's whisk is open, and salt is hidden inside. When he picks up the teapot, the whisk tilts slightly."

In fact, all tea is salty.

Once Feng Laodao drinks a cup first, no matter how many ingenious schemes Gongsun Ce has, he can only follow Feng Laodao's wishes and drink a cup of salty tea.

As for Tianwen's mind-reading ability, the first half involved observing people's expressions and moods, while the second half was even simpler: Gongsun Ce was actively cooperating with her; Gongsun Ce was a plant.

Li Shengnan retorted angrily, "Husband, you're talking nonsense! You might as well say that Bao Zheng is a shill, or Li Xunhuan is a shill!"

Li Zhaoting laughed and said, "It is precisely because Gongsun Ce wanted to expose Miss Tianwen that he fell into the trap. This is called a rebellious mentality, or it is called—making trouble out of nothing!"
When Gongsun Ce entered the room, Tianwen asked him to appreciate the calligraphy and paintings. Each piece of calligraphy and painting had a number on it, which Gongsun Ce remembered very clearly.

He appreciates calligraphy, not skims through it.

With Gongsun Ce's intelligence, he would surely be able to memorize all the verses and make a deep impression on them.

Next, Tianwen asked Gongsun Ce to write down two numbers. Gongsun Ce had come to find fault and had a strong rebellious mentality, so he subconsciously avoided these numbers.

Those verses contain exactly 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10, with only 4 and 7 left blank.

Gongsun Ce subconsciously wrote down four and seven.

Shengnan, let me show you!

Li Zhaoting took out several small slips of paper.

"Shengnan, think of any color."

"Think about it!"

"This piece of paper has colors written on it. I'll put the paper next to you and tell you what color it is."

Li Zhaoting drew a couple of lines on the paper, slipped the note into Li Shengnan's palm, and asked the next question. Li Shengnan smiled and said, "I was thinking of blackish-purple."

Li Zhaoting took out the next piece of paper, verbally asking Li Shengnan to think of a fruit, but actually wrote the answer "blackish-purple" on the paper and repeated the above process.

The last question was about direction.

After finishing, Li Shengnan opened the note.

The answer, of course, is what Li Shengnan was thinking.

The principle is simple.

The first thing I wrote was the answer to the third question.

The second one I wrote was the answer to the first question.

The third one I wrote was the answer to the second question.

Since the latter two answers were spoken by Li Shengnan herself, they are definitely correct, while the question of "direction" is too general, so we only need to draw an arrow.

Draw an arrow on the paper, and make sure it points to all directions, unless Li Shengnan pulls a surprise move, like pointing to the northwest or shooting it into the paper.

What direction is the paper strip shot from?
—High school physics, electromagnetic induction!

The "dot" is the point that shoots outward from the strip of paper.

The "cross" is a shot from the outside towards the paper strip.

After hearing Li Zhaoting's explanation, Li Shengnan roared like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey again. She had thought it was some profound mind-reading ability, but it turned out to be just a joke.

wrong!

To be precise, this is called making fools of themselves!
"Roar~~"

Li Shengnan let out a roar like Gong Baiwan. Cheng Huaixiu quietly watched the show while munching on sunflower seeds.

……

In the evening, the spirit communication ceremony officially began.

Tianwen Girl is skilled in "spirit writing".

They would use a long, T-shaped wooden frame to scribble on a sand table in order to divine good or bad fortune.

Li Zhaoting had no interest in spirit writing, but he was quite interested in plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums, and watched the show from the shadows.

Cheng Huaixiu went to Cihang Jingzhai to search for information on four things: the Xiling tribe, earthquake information, wars during the Sui and Tang dynasties, and alchemy in the early Tang dynasty.

Li Shengnan was tricked by Li Zhaoting and angrily went to cause trouble for the Qinglong Society. Since the Qinglong Society didn't have anything good, she smashed and looted the place, which made her feel much better.

Pang Tong wanted to watch the spirit communication ceremony, but with Li Zhaoting by his side, there was nothing to see in the spirit writing.

Pang Tong and Li Zhaoting discussed philosophy in the pavilion.

"Here, have a drink!"

Li Zhaoting poured Pang Tong a cup of wine.

Pang Tong laughed and said, "Li Zhaoting, some people say you are the most transcendent person in the world. My father values ​​you highly, but I don't think you are transcendent at all. On the contrary, you are very tired."

The six realms bind the mortal world, and life and death are but a fleeting journey.

Fate is like a woven net, and no one can escape the cycle of cause and effect.

Even the supreme celestial sword cannot escape the turmoil of the mortal world. I use heaven and earth as my furnace; do you dare to enter my game?

Li Zhaoting curled his lips: "You are Pang Tong, the son of Grand Tutor Pang and the Flying Star General, not the Phoenix Chick Pang Tong from the Later Han and Three Kingdoms period. Can you speak a few words like a human being?"

When you give orders to your soldiers, is it always in such a cryptic and nonsensical way? Can the soldiers even understand those orders?
If you have something to say, say it plainly.

In this way we can continue our discussion.

Otherwise, just tell me any place, and we'll go fight. Let me test your martial arts skills.

Your face is so distinctive.

He's clearly a top-tier swordsman.

What swordsmanship are you using?

Pang Tong laughed and said, "The Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Sword is adapted from the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Spear Technique. Three months ago, I fought Li Ruohai for three hundred moves and was defeated by the Wildfire Spear Technique."

Li Zhaoting poured Pang Tong another cup of wine: "To be able to last three hundred moves against Li Ruohai, it seems I underestimated you before. Were you seriously injured?"

"Why do you ask?"

"You are more powerful than I imagined! When Li Ruohai fights you, he cannot hold back at all. He must launch a full-scale attack in order to seize the initiative."

You were injured by the Wildfire Spear Technique, and the Wildfire True Qi invaded your eight extraordinary meridians, making your whole body feel as if it were being burned by raging fire. In order to heal your internal injuries, you need to obtain the Vast Ocean Jade Buddha.

You're the one who hired Baili Changqing to escort the goods.

You were the one who caused the chaos in Chang'an.

After you obtain the Jade Buddha of the Vast Ocean, absorb all the energy within it. This will not only heal your internal injuries but also allow you to break through your limitations and achieve a state of greater strength than before.

wrong!

Still not right!

You deliberately took a shot from Li Ruohai.

You need to use Li Ruohai's Wildfire True Qi to comprehend a higher level of the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Sword Technique.

Unfortunately, you didn't expect Li Ruohai's martial arts skills to be even more powerful than rumored, far beyond your imagination.

All your plans have fallen through.

No matter how ingenious your strategies, you can only barely save your life in the face of the invincible Wildfire Spear Technique.

The Hanhai Jade Buddha is your backup plan.

The preparations were incomplete and the process seemed rushed.

To make matters worse, I happened to be in Chang'an.

To prevent me from disturbing your good time, you devised a series of plans to divert my attention.

Tang Shiwu is your man.

Or rather, Tang Shiwu obeys your orders.

Which month's leader are you in the Green Dragon Society?
Given your status, you should be the leader of the first month of the lunar calendar!
"This time I'm not wrong, am I?"

Li Zhaoting reasoned while simultaneously refuting his own reasoning.

Pang Tong remained calm, neither admitting nor denying anything. Only after Li Zhaoting finished speaking did Pang Tong say indifferently, "You've omitted some people!"

Li Zhaoting held up a finger: "Hmph! The leader of the Azure Dragon Society in February is Shan Yuru, the leader of the Heavenly Mandate Sect."

The mission of the February branch is infiltration.

Under heaven, no force is more adept at infiltrating its targets than the Heavenly Mandate Sect. They can infiltrate the inner quarters of princes and nobles, and even the emperor's harem.

Now I've basically figured things out.

The eldest son of the family is a descendant of the Chai family, right?

No, it could also be a descendant of the Guo family.

After all this talk, is it possible...?

never mind!

Please, please, don't let them be descendants of the Li family!

I feel ashamed!
Really!

That's so damn embarrassing!
Pang Tong, don't you feel frustrated working with a bunch of idiots? What kind of garbage is this?!

When gathered, it's a cesspool; when scattered, it's excrement everywhere!
Aside from causing trouble everywhere, he's never done anything serious.

Can we make a deal?
Go and arrange a meeting with the big boss!
I'll hack the Great Dragon Head to death with a flurry of swords, and you'll become the new Great Dragon Head as the leader of the first month. I can sleep soundly then, and you'll have complete control of the Azure Dragon Society.

how about it?
In short, to do it or not?

Pang Tong took out a handkerchief and wiped his hands: "Although there are many idiots in the Azure Dragon Society, you can't treat me as an idiot. Please treat me as a human being."

I joined the Green Dragon Society only to reap enough benefits and to get rid of the old man completely. I need a platform, not to control it.

Besides, given your personality, once I've lured the big boss out, you'll definitely bring a bunch of relatives and friends to ambush us. How could you possibly let me go?
The big players only have value if they survive.

I hope he lives.

He can draw all the fire for me.

You may not know this, but some of the help you've received over the years, whether overt or covert, in dealing with the Azure Dragon Society came from my father. The old man hates the Azure Dragon Society to death.

How did Wu Tieyi die?

Every time Lu Xiaofeng goes out for a stroll, he encounters a branch of the Green Dragon Society. Do you think this is just a coincidence?

It was all that old geezer's doing!

Finally, there's one thing you miscalculated!
The signboard of the "Commoner's Divine Physician" has a black lacquer mark.

Three years ago, you told Feng Yihan's fortune and predicted that he would be killed by my father after the fact and wouldn't live more than half a year.

Three years have passed, and Feng Yihan is still alive. He is my father's confidant and wields immense power.

Next time, don't call yourself a commoner fortune teller.

At least, don't say it in front of me.

Pang Tong picked up the wine jug and slowly left.

Li Zhaoting stretched, his bones and joints cracking all over his body. He opened his palm, and a ball of fire ignited in his palm, transforming him into a flame swordsman.

The swordsman danced with his sword in the firelight, a technique called swordsmanship, but in reality it was spearmanship, namely: the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Spear Technique.

Pang Tong truly lived up to his name, being born with a connection to the phoenix. Through battlefield experience, he comprehended swordsmanship from the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix spear technique. After encountering a bottleneck, Pang Tong took a desperate gamble and challenged Li Ruohai, actively drawing the Wildfire True Qi into his body and using the Vast Ocean Jade Buddha to heal his injuries.

With Pang Tong's talent, he would surely be able to comprehend the sword intent of the phoenix's rebirth in the midst of life and death. In other words, when fighting Pang Tong, his final strike is both a real move and a feint; he can unleash two powerful moves in succession.

It's possible that it will be opened three or four times!
Those who ride the phoenix cannot bear the heat of the fire, let alone endure the distance.
Great!

Hmm... why does this feel a little familiar?
Injured by the scorching internal energy, he must rely on the jade Buddha to heal his wounds and comprehend the principle of destruction before creation...

"Sigh~~"

Li Zhaoting gasped.

Pang Tong probably doesn't know the "Demon-Slaying Sword Technique," right?

……

Inside the mourning hall.

The spirit writing ceremony has ended.

As Tianwen wrote the two characters "Zhang Ben" on the sand table, a servant ran in, tripped over the threshold, and threw something out.

"Snapped!"

The objects were placed on the sand table.

It was none other than the mask of the King of Xiling.

The night before last, Liu Yi put on a mask, went crazy and ran to the edge of a cliff, set himself on fire, and was later found only his body, not the Xiling King mask.

To my surprise, the mask has returned.

A cold wind blew through the mourning hall.

Everyone felt a chill.

The mask lay quietly on the sand table.

The snarling, menacing mask exudes endless ferocity, sending chills down one's spine.

Zhang Ben is really back! (End of Chapter)