Huang Rong from The Return of the Condor Heroes: Brother Jing, let's get a divorce.

The sound echoed in the wooden building and traveled far.

After waiting for what felt like half a cup of tea, no one responded.

Yang Guo sighed, knowing that such a master was elusive and could not be forced.

He walked to a row of bookshelves, randomly picked up a yellowed Taoist classic, and began to read. The pages were covered with annotations.

Yang Guo patiently read on, hoping to find some inspiration about yin and yang and their balance in these Taoist scriptures.

"The Taiji gives rise to the Yin and Yang, and the Yin and Yang give rise to the Four Symbols," Yang Guo recited the sentence from the book.

Taoism emphasizes following the natural order and letting things unfold naturally. Practicing martial arts against the natural order is inherently contrary to the laws of nature. How can something that goes against the natural order be brought back into the Taoist system?

Yang Guo simply sat cross-legged on the ground and moved all the ancient books from the surrounding bookshelves down, piling them around him.

He flipped through one book after another.

From the Tao Te Ching to Zhuangzi, and then to the cultivation experiences of successive leaders of the Quanzhen School.

Yang Guo felt dizzy and his eyes were sore from reading. These books were all about self-cultivation and character building, offering little help in actual combat or the circulation of internal energy.

Yang Guo watched until the sun set and the light in the attic completely dimmed, but he still hadn't figured out a clue.

He tossed the book back into the pile, stood up, and stretched. His bones cracked and popped.

This kind of closed-door approach simply won't work. Martial arts skills are learned through fighting, not by reading books.

Yang Guo brushed the dust off his Taoist robe and turned to walk downstairs.

Yang Guo stopped in his tracks just as he reached the top of the stairs.

He turned his head and looked at a small wooden door at the far end of the third floor. The door was usually locked, and inside were some tattered bamboo slips.

At that moment, the lock on the wooden door was opened, and the door was ajar, letting in a faint light.

Yang Guo tiptoed and slowly approached.

He pressed himself against the door and peered through the crack.

In the cramped little house, a tiny oil lamp was lit.

The old Taoist priest, with white hair and beard and leaning on a cane, was sitting on a tattered futon, holding a carving knife in his hand, carving something on a tortoise shell.

The old Taoist priest was very focused on carving; with each stroke, fine powder fell off.

Yang Guo was overjoyed, reached out and pushed open the wooden door, and strode inside.

"Senior, I've finally found you!" Yang Guo walked up to the old Taoist priest and bowed respectfully.

The old Taoist priest didn't even look up, his carving knife never stopping.

"You little brat, why aren't you in the front, being your majestic leader? What are you doing here in this dusty place?" The old Taoist priest's voice was hoarse and his tone was indifferent.

Yang Guo didn't stand on ceremony and sat down cross-legged on the floor opposite the old Taoist priest.

"This junior has encountered a hurdle that I cannot overcome. I have come to seek your guidance, senior." Yang Guo got straight to the point, without any preamble.

The old Taoist priest stopped carving with his knife, raised his eyelids, and glanced at Yang Guo.

"Your inner energy is profound and abundant, and you have already opened up the eight extraordinary meridians. To have innate cultivation at such a young age is rare indeed. What obstacles could you possibly encounter?" the old Taoist priest countered.

Yang Guo briefly recounted the three-day agreement set by Hong Qigong.

"The Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms is the most powerful and fierce in the world. My cultivation is still shallow, and I would surely die if I were to take it head-on."

Yang Guo looked into the old Taoist's eyes. "This junior possesses a method for cultivating internal energy in reverse, which is extremely powerful. However, I fear that practicing it will cause me to lose my mind. Therefore, I have a sudden inspiration to combine the orthodox and reverse cultivation methods. I wonder if the senior could offer any guidance?"

Upon hearing this, the old Taoist priest's cloudy eyes lit up.

He put down the tortoise shell and carving knife in his hand, picked up the cane next to him, and banged it heavily on the ground twice.

"The unity of right and wrong? You little brat, you have quite the nerve." The old Taoist sneered. "Wang Chongyang secluded himself for three years and didn't even dare to attempt to reverse the eight extraordinary meridians. You haven't even laid a solid foundation in martial arts, yet you dare to dream of creating such an unparalleled skill?"

Yang Guo, thick-skinned, didn't care at all about the old Taoist's mockery.

"Where there's a will, there's a way. Since I dare to dream, I certainly have a chance to make it happen." Yang Guo straightened his back. "Taoism emphasizes the balance of Yin and Yang. If water and fire can complement each other, why can't opposites be reconciled?"

The old Taoist priest stared at Yang Guo for a long time, then burst into laughter.

Laughter echoed in the cramped little house.

"What an arrogant brat!" The old Taoist priest stopped laughing, pointing his cane at Yang Guo. "Do you even know what is right and what is wrong?"

Yang Guo pondered for a moment before answering.

"Following the flow of qi in the meridians is the correct approach; forcibly reversing the flow of qi in the meridians is the reverse approach."

The old Taoist priest shook his head, his face full of disappointment.

"Foolish. Meridians are inanimate objects, while true qi is living water. Water flowing downhill is going with the flow, while water flowing uphill is going against the flow. But if there is a waterwheel to lift water, the flow can be reversed. Whether it is going with the flow or against the flow does not depend on the direction of the meridians, but on the control of your mind." The old Taoist priest spoke very quickly, and every word struck Yang Guo's heart.

Yang Guo felt a buzzing in his head as he grasped something, but it was blurry and indistinct.

"Please enlighten me, senior." Yang Guo leaned forward, his attitude extremely sincere.

The old Taoist priest picked up the tortoise shell from the ground and handed it to Yang Guo.

Yang Guo accepted it with both hands. An extremely complex meridian diagram was engraved on the tortoise shell, with the flow of true energy marked by red and black lines.

"The diagram on this tortoise shell is the Yin-Yang Circulation Diagram that I, the old Taoist, have deduced after sitting in this scripture pavilion for thirty years." The old Taoist's voice became deep. "You should treat the true qi you are practicing orthodox as Yang and the true qi you are practicing in reverse as Yin. Don't let them collide in the same meridian, but let them each follow their own path in the eight extraordinary meridians, and finally converge and swirl in the dantian."

Yang Guo stared intently at the lines on the tortoise shell, frantically deducing the possibilities in his mind.

If you follow this route, the true qi flows orally along the Ren meridian and counter-currently along the Du meridian. The two meet at the dantian, forming a vortex resembling a Tai Chi symbol. Not only will this prevent qi deviation, but it will also allow your internal energy to be continuously generated, and your explosive power to increase exponentially.

"Thank you for your guidance, senior!" Yang Guo was so excited that his hands trembled, and he was about to kowtow with the tortoise shell in his hand.

The old Taoist priest used his cane to block Yang Guo.

"Don't be too happy yet," the old Taoist priest poured cold water on your hopes. "This method is theoretically feasible. However, the clash of true qi at the moment of convergence in the dantian is extremely intense. If you can't suppress it, your dantian will explode, and you'll become a cripple. Do you dare to try?"

Yang Guo gripped the tortoise shell tightly and stood up.

"In this life, the thing I fear least is risking my life." Yang Guo grinned, tucking the tortoise shell into his robes. "If you go to the cliff behind the mountain to watch the show three days from now, you will know whether my dantian is strong enough."

After saying that, Yang Guo turned around and strode out of the small house.

The old Taoist priest watched Yang Guo's retreating figure and picked up his carving knife again.

"Wang Chongyang, oh Wang Chongyang, the successor you chose is a complete madman. Who knows what the future of the Quanzhen Sect will become?" The old Taoist muttered to himself, his voice fading into the darkness of the attic.

Yang Guo walked out of the Sutra Pavilion, and the night sky outside was dotted with stars.

He stroked the tortoise shell in his arms, his steps light and quick. With this theoretical support, and the harmonization of the Kan-Li Technique, these three days were enough for him to develop a rudimentary form of the method of combining positive and negative forces.

He was determined to take all three blows from Hong Qigong.

Yang Guo returned to the sect leader's courtyard and pushed open the gate.

Lu Wushuang was still sitting on the stone bench, practicing her swordsmanship by the moonlight. When she saw Yang Guo return, she quickly sheathed her sword and went to greet him.

"Have you figured it out?" Seeing Yang Guo's relaxed expression, Lu Wushuang felt relieved.

"I've figured it out. Who am I, your master? There's nothing in this world that can stump me." Yang Guo boasted shamelessly, reaching out to pinch Lu Wushuang's cheek.

Lu Wushuang slapped his hand away, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"I left some food for you in the pot, I'll go heat it up." Lu Wushuang turned and walked towards the small kitchen.

Yang Guo watched Lu Wushuang's retreating figure, feeling quite pleased. He went into the main house and closed the doors and windows tightly.

For the next three days, he would go into seclusion. He would not leave the house until he had mastered the unity of righteousness and reversal.

Yang Guo took off his Taoist robe and sat cross-legged on the bed. He took out a tortoise shell from his pocket and placed it between his knees.

With eyes closed, the innate true energy within the body began to slowly flow along the routes on the tortoise shell.

Yang Guo sat cross-legged on the bed. The room was dimly lit by an oil lamp. The tortoise shell rested between his knees. The red and black lines on the tortoise shell were intricate and interwoven. Yang Guo stared at these lines for a long time. Every path of his inner energy was memorized.

Yang Guo closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing. His innate internal energy began to circulate. The originally unified Nine Yin Manual was forcibly split in two.

The left path follows the Ren meridian downwards. This is the correct method of practice. The true qi is balanced and harmonious, nourishing the internal organs along the way.

A stream of energy surges upwards along the Du meridian on the right. This is the method of reverse cultivation. This true energy is restless and agitated, causing unbearable swelling and pain in the meridians wherever it passes.

Two streams of true energy flowed independently through the eight extraordinary meridians. Wisps of white steam rose from Yang Guo's head. His left cheek was rosy, while his right cheek was ashen.

Yang Guo silently recited the method of the Kanli Technique in his heart. He attempted to use the Kanli Technique to suppress the frenzy of his reversed internal energy.

For the first half hour, everything went smoothly. The two streams of true energy, one positive and one negative, each completed half a cycle, following the routes on the tortoise shell.

The next step is the most dangerous. The old Taoist priest said that these two streams of true energy must eventually converge in the dantian (lower abdomen) to form a vortex.

A cool night breeze blew outside. Lu Wushuang sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, tightly gripping the willow-leaf scimitar in her hand.

It was late at night. The courtyard was quiet. Lu Wushuang was wide awake.

Reflecting on her experiences at Chongyang Palace these past few days, she had initially thought she had fallen into a den of demons and would be killed by the old Taoist priests of the Quanzhen Sect. Who knew that Yang Guo not only didn't kill anyone, but also took her in as his personal maid.

Yang Guo is domineering, unreasonable, and spouts nonsense. But he is generous with money, buys nice clothes, and even teaches light-body techniques.

After Steward Sun's downfall, the entire Quanzhen Sect listened to Yang Guo. Lu Wushuang followed Yang Guo, and no one dared to give her a disdainful look. Even those usually aloof old Taoist priests had to address her politely as "Miss Lu."

This feeling of being revered was something Lu Wushuang had never experienced before. He touched his crippled left leg. In the past, when he traveled the martial world, people mostly looked at disabled people with pity or ridicule. But with Yang Guo, no one dared to give that lame leg a second glance.

Yang Guo always liked to take advantage verbally, but he would always stand in front of danger.

During the day, Yang Guo was beaten so badly that he vomited blood, which made Lu Wushuang genuinely worried.

She looked at the tightly closed door. Yang Guo said he was going into seclusion, not even letting Huang Rong in. This martial art must be extremely dangerous.

Lu Wushuang drew his willow-leaf scimitar from its sheath. The blade gleamed coldly in the moonlight.

"No matter who it is, don't even think about going in and disturbing us," Lu Wushuang muttered to herself.

Inside the room, Yang Guo's cultivation had reached a crucial juncture.

The true qi cultivated through proper means and the true qi cultivated through reverse means simultaneously reach the edge of the dantian and the sea of ​​qi.

Yang Guo gritted his teeth and slowly drew closer with the two streams of true energy.

The moment the two streams of true energy came into contact, a muffled thud resounded from within the dantian.

The sound was extremely faint, yet it made my ears ring.

The practitioner who was practicing true qi wanted to assimilate the practitioner who was practicing it against the grain. However, the practitioner who was practicing it against the grain fought back fiercely.

Two completely opposite forces were locked in a fierce struggle within the Qi Sea.

Yang Guo's body swayed violently. A piercing pain, like flesh being torn from his veins, surged through his meridians.

The old Taoist priest said he needed to create a vortex. Yang Guo desperately activated the Kanli Technique, trying to guide the two streams of true energy to rotate.

A shallow foundation in martial arts is a major problem. Yang Guo didn't understand the profound Taoist principles of Yin and Yang's interdependence and mutual generation. He simply mechanically followed the route on the tortoise shell, forcibly attempting to integrate the techniques.

The internal energy was completely unresponsive.

The dantian was stretched wider and wider. The intense swelling and pain made his facial features contort in pain.

The reversed internal energy was too domineering, subtly gaining the upper hand. This frenzied power began to flow back into the brain along the meridians.

Yang Guo's mind went blank for a moment. Countless illusions flashed through the darkness before his eyes.

Ouyang Feng walking upside down. Hong Qigong unleashing the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms. Xiaolongnu's icy face. Huang Rong's concerned gaze.

These images kept flashing through my mind.

Yang Guo was breathing rapidly, his throat emitting heavy, labored breaths.

The signs of going astray have already appeared.