Starting with Naruto, I'll become stronger through my own efforts.

Chapter 81 Nothing Gained on Zhongnan Mountain

After Yue Buqun left, Xia Zuo opened the booklet.

After flipping through just a few pages, he understood why his master had left and why he had emphasized secrecy.

This booklet isn't just a collection of江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) experiences; it's also a compilation of Lao Yue's embarrassing moments.

Although Yue Buqun was over thirty years old at the time, he was an honest man with little experience in the martial arts world. When he encountered the great calamity of the Huashan internal strife, his fear and caution reached an extreme.

Thus, this booklet came into being, containing incredibly detailed information.

There is the panic when Yue Buqun is ambushed, surrounded, or comes to seek revenge, as well as the embarrassment when he encounters unexpected events such as sudden rain or flash floods on his way out due to his lack of experience.

But the most dangerous people are those you encounter while traveling the martial arts world, especially those who are not from the martial arts world, such as drivers, boatmen, innkeepers, and spies. They may use poisons, insects, sleeping pills, or other tricks to set traps, stage accidents, or frame you.

The middle-aged Yue Buqun almost died at the hands of these insignificant people several times, so he left behind written records of his lingering fear in the booklet.

Even many embarrassing things, things that would make others feel ashamed if they knew about them, Yue Buqun recorded in the book.

This section of text contains many ink marks of varying shades, which must have been added by Yue Buqun after he figured out the details.

In the latter half of the booklet, in addition to Yue Buqun's handwriting, there is also the handwriting of his master's wife, Ning Zezhong.

The master's wife's perspective was much more nuanced than the master's, and she provided very accurate details about many things, allowing Xia Zuo to more clearly understand the situation at the time.

At the same time, he also realized that his master's wife, Ning Zezhong, was still quite naive and lacked understanding of the darkness in people's hearts.

No wonder this only female warrior who once reigned supreme in the world ultimately fell into the hands of a demonic sect elder.

Of course, with Xia Zuo, this would never happen.

After reading the booklet, Xia Zuo was absolutely certain that Old Yue had decided to make him his successor.

To avoid any potential danger to Xia Zuo, Yue Buqun preferred to let him know about his shameful past and share secrets that only his closest relatives could know.

Xia Zuo was somewhat moved by Lao Yue.

He decided to change his plans for this trip down the mountain and prioritize restoring the reputation of the Huashan Sect to its former glory.

According to Xia Zuo's plan, after leaving Mount Hua, he would first go to Mount Zhongnan.

He wanted to find the ancient tomb to see if the immortal Chongyang had left behind any inscriptions of the ultimate martial art, the Innate Skill.

Then go to Tianshan to find the Spirit Palace and see if you can find the Xiaoyao Sect's kung fu on Misty Peak.

Xia Zuo's third goal was Wudang Mountain, in search of Zhang Sanfeng's whereabouts.

These are the three most likely clues in The Smiling, Proud Wanderer that involve cultivation.

Xia Zuo's goal is to advance further from the Celestial Realm, open the bridge between heaven and earth, break down the barriers of the world, and embark on the path of cultivation.

The Heavenly Demon Xia Zuo possessed a vast amount of cultivation knowledge through the Five Spirit Fairies, including as many as a hundred different Qi-inducing techniques.

Xia Zuo had tried them all, but in the world of Swordsman, only the Purple Qi from the East Absorption Method could purify true qi; the others were all meaningless.

Not only Xiao Ao Xia Zuo tried it, but Xia Zuo from other worlds also tried it, and no one succeeded.

Xia Zuo and the others guessed that they did not yet have spiritual roots. Cultivation is a matter of 0 or 1 depending on whether one has spiritual roots or not; those without spiritual roots should not even think about it.

Xia Zuo certainly had absolute confidence in himself, but since there was no ready-made cultivation method at hand, he should seek out the experiences of his predecessors in exploring the laws of this world as a reference for his own progress.

If none of these three clues work, Xia Zuo will have to climb Blackwood Cliff and experience firsthand the so-called "divine transformation" of Dongfang Bubai.

I don't know if Dongfang Bubai is from the novel version or the TVB drama version.

According to Xia Zuo's idea, the best scenario would be the movie version of Dongfang Bubai, in which she truly mastered the magic of the "Sunflower Manual," elevated her life level, and transcended the realm of the celestial being.

Moreover, the spirited and vigorous Sister Lin possesses a beauty that transcends gender, making it entirely possible to disregard her gender.

He knew, in fact, that it was almost impossible.

After all, Linghu Chong, the senior disciple of the Huashan Sect, didn't have the face of a kung fu emperor.

His only wish was that the man not have a full beard, and not be a cross-dressing master like Dongfang Bubai with arms thicker than his thighs and wearing heavy makeup.

If it really is a version of Dongfang Bubai with a full beard—

Xia Zuo swore that he would definitely kill that kind of Dongfang Bubai!

The next day, Xia Zuo, carrying a small bundle and a long sword, bid farewell to his master and mistress and quietly went down the mountain.

His first stop was still Zhongnan Mountain.

In the ruins of Chongyang Palace in Zhongnan Mountain, which had been completely destroyed, Xia Zuo, with his extraordinary ability to sense the divine, found an abandoned ancient tomb in the heart of the deserted mountain.

Following the path leading outward from the ancient tomb, he found the pool in the back of Zhongnan Mountain.

But as time went by, the once beautiful pool has completely dried up, and the channels at the bottom of the pool have long since collapsed and become blocked.

In the end, Xia Zuo relied on his brute strength from One Piece and Naruto to lift the heavy Dragon-Slaying Stone and enter the ancient tomb through the main gate.

When he found the inscriptions left by Master Chongyang, he regretfully discovered that the stone carvings had been deliberately damaged and the contents of the Nine Yin Manual could not be restored at all.

The only stone carving that has been preserved intact is the "Song of the Great Way" carved in the corner of the stone chamber.

This is the most basic Taoist mantra, the decoder for understanding all Taoist secrets, but without advanced techniques, the decoder itself is meaningless.

With no hope of mastering the "Innate Skill," Xia Zuo could only leave Zhongnan Mountain in disappointment and head towards his new goal, Shaolin Temple.

Shaolin Temple flourished during the Tang Dynasty and has been a giant in the martial arts world for thousands of years without decline, but the greatest feature of its martial arts is that it is easy to learn.

Anyone who isn't an idiot can get the hang of it in a month.

Once you've entered the martial arts world, as long as your body isn't damaged, you can eat meat every day, and you're willing to put in the hard work to hone your skills, you have a chance to become a top-tier martial arts master in 30 years.

The strength of Shaolin Temple is built on the economic foundation provided by countless lay disciples, and the tens of thousands of monks are bound to be able to select enough masters.

In short, the power of Shaolin Temple is undeniable, but the sophistication of Shaolin martial arts is highly questionable.

With Xia Zuo's Celestial Realm strength, he can disregard the numerical advantage of top-tier masters and make Shaolin Temple the most suitable target for the Huashan Sect to regroup.

Just two days after leaving Zhongnan Mountain, Xia Zuo climbed Mount Song.

As an unknown figure in the martial arts world, he was not qualified to be known by the guest monk.

As Xia Zuo passed through the Thousand Buddha Hall and headed towards the inner courtyard, two young monks tried to stop him, but were stopped by the middle-aged monk in a yellow robe.

The young monk asked curiously, "Uncle-Master, why didn't you let us stop this young man?"

The middle-aged monk shook his head and said, "What? Just because his clothes are a little frayed and he looks very young, you think he's of low social standing?"

"You are still too young."

He pointed to Xia Zuo's back and reminded him, "Look closely at the way this young man walks. His demeanor and pace are steady and composed. This is the aura of a celestial being."