Urban Martial Saint

Bei Shisan showed discontent on his face, whispering, "So what about Helian Tiehua and Prince Nalan? Father, why do you have to undermine yourself and boost others? This marriage selection by the Shen Family is a matter for the younger generation, not the older ones. Although Helian Tiehua and Prince Nalan are strong, their descendants are useless and not worth mentioning. In this marriage selection, if I compete head-to-head with their descendants, I definitely won't be much worse than them. As for that Wan Yan Ming, he does have some skills, but with my strength, I absolutely won't lose to him. No one can be my opponent in this marriage selection."

Northern Martial Zen glared at him and said, "You're really capable, aren't you? Not even putting Helian Tiehua and Prince Nalan in your eyes?"

Bei Shisan mumbled under his breath, "I'm just stating the facts. This is inherently a matter for the young people. Could it be that those two old guys are going to join the marriage selection themselves?"

"So what if they don't participate in the marriage selection?" Northern Martial Zen said in a deep voice, "Even if they can't participate in this marriage selection, it doesn't mean they can't kill you. Helian Tiehua and Prince Nalan have come with a purpose this time. If you stand out too much, I'm afraid you won't even survive the process of this marriage selection. Who knows when you could die by someone's hand. By then, I'd like to see what's more important: your life or a woman."

"It can't be that bad, right?" Bei Shisan widened his eyes in astonishment and said, "This is Shen Family Manor, after all. Would they dare to be so bold? Besides, if I succeed in the marriage selection, I'd be the grandson-in-law of Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun. Would they still dare to make a move against me?"

"And so what if it's Shen Family Manor? Even Bloody Monk and the One-Eyed Ding Lianshun have caused chaos here. The world is on the brink of great chaos. Even the Five Uniques can hardly protect themselves and need marriage alliances to enhance their strength, let alone you. In such a chaotic situation, even if Helian Tiehua or Prince Nalan were to kill you, Shen Tianjun absolutely would not come out to protect you. Otherwise, he'd be making more enemies." Northern Martial Zen paused and continued in a deep voice, "With great chaos approaching, enhancing one's own strength is crucial. Don't let a single woman captivate your heart. What does it matter even if Shen Qingyi is beautiful? The Heaven Earth Man Three Gates are opening, chaos is imminent. Only those who survive this great chaos will ultimately reign over the world. If you can survive this great battle, you'll have everything you want. Why sacrifice your life for one woman?"

Northern Martial Zen's words struck a chord with Bei Shisan, and he nodded, saying, "Father, you have a broader perspective. In that case, should we withdraw from this marriage selection?"

"We cannot withdraw," Northern Martial Zen shook his head and said, "Since we've come, we should try. However, don't take the marriage selection too seriously; let others compete for it. The key we should focus on is that Ye Qing, for he harbors many secrets."

"Secrets?" Bei Shisan asked curiously, "What secrets could he possibly have?"

Northern Martial Zen didn't immediately explain to his son but first had his confidants leave the room, leaving only him and Bei Shisan inside.

"Why is it that Prince Wan Yan, who had never even seen Ye Qing before and had no past conflicts with him, is very intent on pursuing Ye Qing this time?" Northern Martial Zen said in a deep voice, "I heard that Ye Qing seemed to have taken something from the Wanyan Family, something that appears to be an antique."

"Well, there you have it. Ye Qing took something from the Wanyan Family, so Prince Wan Yan is certainly going to take it back," Bei Shisan said.

"If only it were that simple," Northern Martial Zen said, "The Wanyan Family, as a remnant of the former Great Jin Kingdom's royal family, has countless invaluable antiques left behind. With Prince Wan Yan's financial resources, why would he besiege Ye Qing outside Shen Family Manor just for an antique? This is something that would offend Shen Tianjun!"

"Could it be that this antique is too valuable?" Bei Shisan wondered aloud.

"What do you think?" Northern Martial Zen looked at him and said, "Although the Bei Family isn't descended from a royal lineage, the wealth we hold now is unmatched in the Northeast Provinces. Is there anything valuable enough to catch your eye? Even if there were indeed an antique worth billions sitting in front of you, would you be interested?"

Bei Shisan shook his head. The wealth of the Bei Family had made him indifferent to valuables. At their level, money was merely a number and had little meaning.

"Exactly!" Northern Martial Zen said, "The Wanyan Family's wealth is at least ten times ours. What could possibly interest them?"

Bei Shisan suddenly understood and whispered, "Then... what exactly is the reason?"

"That's the key point I've been pondering," Northern Martial Zen said in a deep voice. "If I'm not mistaken, this item must relate to something very important. The Wanyan Family, having developed to this stage, finds treasures unimportant. Enhancing their family's strength is crucial. So, I suspect that the item Ye Qing took is either some significant famed instrument or an extremely powerful secret manual; only such things would truly concern the Wanyan Family."

Undoubtedly, Northern Martial Zen is an astute character, figuring out that the item Ye Qing took is indeed critical through the Wanyan Family's actions. However, he could never guess that the item Ye Qing took is so significant, involving a major secret left by Guiguzi.

Bei Shisan whispered, "I heard that the Acupoint Seeking Technique, which the Northern and Southern Fist Kings once fought over, seems to be in Ye Qing's possession. Could it be because of this item?"

"Impossible," Northern Martial Zen shook his head decisively, saying, "Going back ten or twenty years, the Acupoint Seeking Technique was indeed considered a rare treasure. But now it's different. The Heaven Earth Man Three Gates are about to open, and a new Supreme is about to be born. Everyone's focus is on the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates. The Acupoint Seeking Technique is just a book left by An Shiping. Even if one learns what's in this book, it at most allows you to diagnose some chronic illnesses, far inferior to Ning Qianshu and Bai Li Xi. Unless someone in the family is gravely ill and needs the Acupoint Seeking Technique to cure them, who would fight over this item?"

"Then what could be the key item?" Bei Shisan scratched his head, genuinely unable to think of anything.

"No matter what it is, since Prince Wan Yan wants to snatch it, it's definitely not a bad thing for us to snatch it too," Northern Martial Zen paused, continuing in a deep voice, "Besides, this Ye Qing's martial arts are also very strange."

"Right, right, I wanted to mention this too," Bei Shisan quickly said, "In terms of true skills, he's definitely no match for me. But this guy's movement is too strange; clearly, he's about to be hit by me, but suddenly avoids it. It clearly seems like a miss on my part, yet with a casual step, he manages to hit me unavoidably. What kind of stepping technique is that?"

Northern Martial Zen remained silent for a while, saying, "The positioning he uses feels a bit like the Tiangang Beidou Formation."

"Tiangang Beidou Formation?" Bei Shisan exclaimed, "What's that?"

Northern Martial Zen said seriously, "It's a rare formation, embodying all Taoist scriptures and known as the greatest formation under the heavens. Many other formations have been derived from it. For example, the Stone Formation outside the Shen Family Manor is an Eight Trigrams Array derived from the Tiangang Beidou. It seems simple, but for those who don't understand this formation, once trapped inside, it's nearly impossible to escape. And this is just a corner of the Great Tiangang Beidou Formation!"

"What?" Bei Shisan widened his eyes in shock, saying, "This is only a corner? Then... could Ye Qing's... also be derived from the Tiangang Beidou Formation?"

Northern Martial Zen sighed, saying, "The problem lies here. I suspect the position he moves to is the legitimate Tiangang Beidou Formation!"

"No way?" Bei Shisan's eyes nearly bulged out, and he asked anxiously, "He... he's actually mastered the legitimate one? How is this possible? Who taught him?"

"That's not the point. The point is that he can't yet perform the complete stepping technique," Northern Martial Zen said seriously. "The Tiangang Beidou Formation is immensely powerful, but to master this formation, one must fully understand Tai Chi Bagua Qimen Dunjia. Apart from the Great Sage Guiguzi of the Taoist Sect, no one else could do it. Ye Qing doesn't even understand these things; otherwise, if he could complete this stepping technique, not only would you and I be no match for him, but probably not even the Five Uniques."

"Really?" Bei Shisan was utterly stunned, murmuring, "Just a stepping technique, it has... has such power?"

Northern Martial Zen said, "Taoist formations inherently include the philosophy of heaven and earth. Fully mastering them means understanding the rules of heaven and earth, which is no small matter. Otherwise, why have the secrets of the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates left by Guiguzi never been uncovered by anyone?"

"Then... who taught him this stepping technique?" Bei Shisan gulped and said, "If so, the person who taught him must be invincible under the heavens?"

"I estimate no one could have taught him this stepping technique because there's probably no one left in the world who knows it," Northern Martial Zen said in a deep voice.

"Then how did he acquire it?" Bei Shisan was even more astonished, asking, "Could he have mastered it by himself?"

"That's even less likely," Northern Martial Zen shook his head, saying, "It's said that the Taoist Great Sage Guiguzi once crafted a set of swordsmanship and a set of boxing techniques from the Tiangang Beidou Formation, encompassing the entire formation. Anyone who masters this sword or boxing technique can deploy the entire Tiangang Beidou Formation and unleash its full power. Ye Qing might have acquired this sword or boxing technique, and thus developed such a stepping technique!"