The Path of the Martial Arts BOSS

Following Wu Yi, the little Taoist, a few steps further, Qing Yu arrived in front of a courtyard that was elegant yet not solemn.

"It's no wonder I encountered Xuan Chen and the others, as the places we reside are not far from each other."

Qing Yu slightly turned his head to the right, where he could see another group from the Zhenwu Sect entering a small courtyard as well.

Not only them, but Qing Yu could also see disciples from Dragon Tiger Mountain lurking nearby.

If he was not mistaken, members from the Four Great Taoist Sects all resided nearby.

If residences were classed into tiers, those from the Four Great Taoist Sects would undoubtedly be in the presidential suites. Such high-class compounds were obviously not scattered about haphazardly.

"Daoist, please, this way."

Wu Yi opened the courtyard gate, "This secluded courtyard has always been maintained by our sect, awaiting the Daoist's arrival."

The young Taoist was quite eloquent for his age. He always displayed etiquette appropriately.

It was no wonder that Taizhen Palace had sent him to receive the Supreme Daoist.

Wu Yi led Qing Yu into a room, and after Qing Yu looked around, he asked, "Daoist, do you have any other instructions?"

"Instructions, yes."

The unexpected answer visibly startled the little Taoist. In his view, this always aloof and reticent Daoist shouldn't have had much to instruct.

Then, Wu Yi met a pair of indescribable eyes.

"Secretly observe the other sects, especially the Zhenwu Sect and Mingxuan Temple," Qing Yu said.

"Yes… Daoist." Wu Yi's expression went from animated to dull, then quietly shifted back.

In this brief change, Wu Yi's mind had fallen under Qing Yu's control.

"You won't remember any of this—observe them simply out of a bit of curiosity."

After planting the command in Wu Yi's mind, Qing Yu gestured, "Alright, you may leave now."

Wu Yi's expression returned to normal, and as he bowed, he said, "Since the Daoist has no further instructions, I shall take my leave."

Just as Qing Yu had commanded, he would have no memory of being controlled. Wu Yi was still Wu Yi but would simply report his little discoveries to Qing Yu.

After Wu Yi left, Qing Yu sat cross-legged on his bed; the sound of grinding swords resonated, and streaks of Thunder Light, particularly around his legs, flickered.

He multitasked, practicing both the Golden Bell Shield and the Xuanyin Su Sword, engaging in both righteous and nefarious exchanges, along with cultivating the Thunder God Illness.

Limited by conditions, Qing Yu could not invoke real natural thunder and lightning to cultivate the Thunder God Illness and had to use his own True Qi to simulate the thunder and lightning for cultivation.

Though Thunder True Qi did not match real lightning in effectiveness, it was convenient as it could be practiced at any time without much environmental constraints.

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Not far directly ahead of Qing Yu's courtyard, a similarly arranged courtyard.

"Yuanchu, your actions today were somewhat impulsive," said Zhang Jinggen—Heavenly Master Zhang's younger brother and Zhang Yuanchu's uncle.

"Your nephew was indeed a bit hasty," Zhang Yuanchu also expressed regret.

This sudden aggression, however, had actually come at a rather good time. The Shenxiao Dao had not expected that Zhang Yuanchu would choose the moment their Dao Master appeared to accuse them of colluding with the Shadow King, catching them off guard.

Though the Shenxiao Daoist reacted promptly by defaming Dragon Tiger Mountain, they would effectively be out of the competition if the other two Taoist sects agreed.

Still, Zhang Yuanchu was arguably too hurried in showing his intentions too clearly. Xuan Chen from Dragon Tiger Mountain subtly opposed, not wanting Dragon Tiger Mountain to succeed. The sudden appearance of the Supreme Daoist then delivered a hard blow to Zhang Yuanchu.

"Let it be. With the nature of the Supreme Taoist Sect, they likely won't take your ambitions to heart because…"

Zhang Jinggen's eyes flashed with a hint of bitterness, "Supreme Forgetfulness, nothing clings to the heart."

In fact, the Supreme Taoist Sect had never competed with Dragon Tiger Mountain; they had always focused on their own cultivation and disregarded others. However, it was exactly this mindset that made the people of Dragon Tiger Mountain feel discontent.

Because the position they coveted at the head of the Taoist sects was seen by the others as unworthy and insignificant.

Yet, paradoxically, generation after generation of the Supreme Daoist has been the strongest among the Taoist sects, and despite their genuine disinterest in vain titles, their strength still made people regard the Supreme Daoist Sect as the leader among the Taoist sects.

Publicly, it had always been Dragon Tiger Mountain representing the Taoist sects, but in reality, people placed the Supreme Taoist Sect above Dragon Tiger Mountain.

This sense of defeat was something people outside of Dragon Tiger Mountain could neither think of nor feel.

"Uncle, rest assured, your nephew will certainly make Dragon Tiger Mountain the true leader of the Taoist sects," Zhang Yuanchu, understanding Zhang Jinggen's thoughts, vowed boldly.

But it was unknown how much of his guarantee could ultimately be realized.

"Tomorrow, Tianyang and Hua Yufei will have their decisive battle. Whom do you intend to support?" asked Zhang Jinggen.

Supporting Tianyang meant that, even if Hua Yufei could defeat Tianyang, he would sustain some injuries, possibly affecting the fight. And even if Tianyang defeated Hua Yufei, he would still face Shenxiao Dao afterward.

Supporting Hua Yufei was actually a good choice. Tianyang had a history with Dragon Tiger Mountain, and this assembly for a true discourse during the Dao was even convened to facilitate Chunyang Palace's ascension. Zhang Yuanchu was somewhat confident that he could persuade Tianyang to step down, allowing Hua Yufei to maintain his full strength to fight the Shenxiao Daoist.

"Speaking from my heart, maintaining the current situation among the Taoist sects isn't bad either. But the sword technique that Hua Yufei is practicing does make me uneasy," Zhang Yuanchu hesitantly said.

"The Yuchen Tribulation Opening Sword Scripture. The origins of this sword technique are unclear. Although it has always been circulated in Luo Fu Palace, my elder brother once mentioned that this sword technique is suspected to have been created by someone outside the Taoist sects, even the name 'Yuchen Tribulation Opening Sword Scripture' was later given by the people of Luo Fu Palace themselves.

There had been ancestors in Luo Fu Palace who mastered this sword technique, and they were almost invincible in the world. However, because the killing intent was too intense, even their own vitality was eroded, and that Luo Fu Palace ancestor only became a meteor that briefly shone.

After that, it wasn't that no one in Luo Fu Palace wanted to chase this transient brilliance, but all died from the erosion of the killing intent, not even mastering the sword technique," Zhang Jinggen slowly said.

"But now, it's obvious Luo Fu Palace has found a way to replenish vitality or to offset the erosion of the killing intent…" A hint of wariness flickered in Zhang Yuanchu's eyes.

If this method could be popularized, the immensely powerful sword technique might become the foundation for Luo Fu Palace's rise. Even if it couldn't be popularized, allowing Hua Yufei to continue practicing while preserving his vitality might turn that fleeting meteor into a perpetual star.

In that case, Luo Fu Palace would indeed become a threat to Dragon Tiger Mountain.

"Uncle, perhaps we could do this..." Zhang Yuanchu suddenly transmitted a secret message.