Chapter 86:

Qiao Mu felt a little flutter in his heart when he heard it. The martial arts techniques he currently possessed only cover the first half of the top-notch martial arts like the "Long Life Fist Sutra" and the "Pure Yang Wuji Skill" in the Spiritual Refining Method. The "Martial Saint Spiritual Technique" is a spiritual refining secret technique that allows low-level martial artists to cultivate, but it is still different from true spiritual refining martial arts. If Qiao Mu wants to advance further in the martial arts, he will eventually have to get involved with the Wuji Association. "Where can I find the Star Xuan Envoy of the Wuji Association?" Qiao Mu asked directly, no longer hiding his intentions. "Didn’t you already practice the "Martial Saint Spiritual Technique"? Those who have mastered it can naturally have a vague connection with each other. So why come and ask me?" The fake bounty hunter chuckled lightly, displayed his light footwork, and quickly disappeared into the dark alley. Qiao Mu didn’t chase after him because from their brief conversation, he obtained some important information about Saintess Wu Qingxin. Qiao Mu was more worried about Saintess Wu Qingxin’s safety than chasing after the mysterious Tide Listening Building storyteller. "I have to be the one to defeat Wu Qingxin, I can’t let anyone from the Wuji Association take it away." He stepped out of the deep alley, closed his eyes lightly, and silently operated the Martial Saint Spiritual Technique. The sometimes vague intuition became slightly clearer at this moment, guiding Qiao Mu towards a certain location in the west. What surprised Qiao Mu was that there were multiple figures that he could vaguely sense at that location. "In the west, that should be the whereabouts of the Wuji Association’s Star Xuan Envoy and others." Qiao Mu opened his eyes. "The Wuji Association’s Star Xuan Envoy has gathered experts to hunt down Saintess Wu Qingxin?" With this thought in his mind, Qiao Mu cast another glance towards the direction of Xuantian Temple in the north. Surprisingly, there was no intuitive sense towards Xuantian Temple’s direction? This represents the present Saintess Wu Qingxin, maybe she is no longer at Xuantian Temple. "Listen to a storytelling, and the Holy Maiden just suddenly ran away? It’s my fault for being cautious about the ‘Martial Saint Spiritual Technique’, always afraid of being sensed by Saintess Wu Qingxin’s intuition. Otherwise, if she left Xuantian Temple, I should have felt something." Qiao Mu walked out of the deep alley and followed his vague intuition, heading west. While walking on the road, he heard the nervous expressions of passersby, constantly discussing something. "I heard that the Saintess of Immortal Gate has been stripped of her position as a Saintess?" "Did the fairy make a mistake? Was she punished by a higher fairy?" "I told you, that Qiao Pifu from a couple of days ago didn’t seem like a bad person, but astonishingly he was burned alive by the Saintess of Xuantian Sect right at the entrance of the Taoist temple…" "So you’re saying that Qiao Pifu is a true hero? I just saw someone telling his story, but he was chased away by the government’s catchers." "I knew it, someone who can speak those words must be a heroic character!" "Justice is in the hearts of the people…" The crowd was discussing, and Qiao Mu, who was originally in a hurry, couldn’t help but stop and listen to their praises. Qiao Mu didn’t expect that he would suddenly be vindicated and public opinion would turn around. He felt a little relieved after hearing it. After all, he died for the people, even though his life was not valuable and his tolerance for pain was far beyond ordinary people… but being burned alive was definitely not a pleasant experience. However, the reason for the change in public opinion made him slightly uneasy. Qiao Pifu was burned alive, and a portion of the people still stood on the side of Immortal Gate, and there were clearly more people speaking favorably about Immortal Gate. And now, the public opinion has unexpectedly shifted due to a change in Immortal Gate’s attitude. Immortal Gate has actually revoked Wu Qingxin’s title as a Saintess? His heart sank slightly, and he prepared to take a step and leave. As they walked a few steps further away, the people continued to talk: "Fairness lies in the hearts of people, and it seems that all the Immortal Gate members are indeed wise and sharp immortals. Even if the Saintess of Immortal Gate made a mistake by burning Qiao Pifu, who had pleaded for the people’s lives, right on the street, Xuantian Sect would decisively expel the Saintess from Immortal Gate." "The wise and sharp immortals can handle situations fairly. They are truly not ordinary people…" Qiao Mu listened, feeling confused. He opened his mouth to refute, but couldn’t come up with any words. In the end, he could only walk away silently. ………………. Following his instinctive feeling, Qiao Mu arrived at the west side of the city. Before leaving, he secretly went back to the leased residence and took all the silver coins given to him by Wang Songhe. Guided by his intuition, he arrived at an inn. Sёarᴄh the NôᴠelFirё.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It was unusual because the inn’s door was tightly closed, and there were a few big men with swords guarding outside. Qiao Mu’s intuition guided him, right inside this inn. After thinking for a moment, he walked straight towards it and was immediately stopped by the big man at the door. "The inn is closed today, can’t you see the door is closed? Go somewhere else." "I am a guest of your master," said Qiao Mu directly. The two big men glanced at each other but remained cautious. "If you know our master, do you know his name?" "Is it safe to talk about this here?" Qiao Mu deliberately looked around, saw no one around, and then slowly said: "Your master is Wuji Association’s Star Xuan…" As soon as they were halfway through their conversation, the two big men’s faces changed dramatically and their eyes frenziedly signaled for Qiao Mu to be quiet. Oh no, even in this Heyang City, there are still Xuantian Sect cultivators. How can this person dare to say such things directly? Aren’t they afraid of getting into trouble? At this moment, a voice came from inside. "Let him come in." Upon hearing this, the two big men opened the door and Qiao Mu stepped into the inn. He noticed that there were already seven or eight customers sitting at tables in the lobby. One of them was a middle-aged strong man, and the other was a swordsman in white. They had clearly also practiced the "Martial Saint Spiritual Technique." When Qiao Mu had just entered, they made eye contact with him for a brief moment before quickly looking away. "The eighth person has arrived, and it seems to be… a 4th rank?" the swordsman in white smiled and said. "Although I haven’t seen him before, he has also practiced the ‘Martial Saint Spiritual Technique.’ It seems he is not an ordinary person," he added. As soon as these words were spoken, the gazes of the others towards Qiao Mu subtly changed. Those who can practice the "Martial Saint Spiritual Technique" are extraordinary martial artists, with the potential to reach the 3rd rank by embarking on the "Spiritual Refining Method." Sitting at the same table as Qiao Mu was a swordsman who appeared to be around fifty years old. He nodded to Qiao Mu as a sign of acknowledgement. "Brother, you don’t seem to be a member of the Wuji Association. Like me, are you also here for the Spiritual Refining Technique?" The middle-aged swordsman took the initiative to start a conversation. He was a 4th rank martial artist, and could tell that Qiao Mu was also at the same level. Impressed by Qiao Mu’s strength, he took the initiative to strike up a conversation. "Yes, indeed." Qiao Mu nodded in a pretentious manner. "Brother, you must be around sixty years old. Despite your age, you appear to be full of vitality and energy. You must have practiced a superior internal martial art." The lifespan of a martial artist is not much longer than that of an ordinary person. Qiao Mu, who is sixty years old and still full of vitality, is not relying on ordinary internal martial arts, but rather on his accomplished "Long Life Fist" technique. In the eyes of the swordsman, this is considered a sign of superior internal power. "The martial arts I practice, I learned from the Wuji Association… but unfortunately, I only have half of it." The swordsman lowered his voice and said, "To obtain the second half of the spiritual refining technique, I have to deal with the Wuji Association." Qiao Mu suddenly realized upon hearing this, that this swordsman was in a similar situation, both lacking further advanced techniques. "Could it be that the Wuji Association did this on purpose?" he asked quietly. "They give out the first half of the advanced technique for a relatively low cost, but they hold onto the second half. If we want to progress further, we have to work for them?" The swordsman hesitated for a moment and then answered, "Isn’t it normal for the Wuji Association to not easily share the techniques they’ve obtained by force?" "Moreover, since the arrival of the Wuji Association, the martial arts world has undergone significant changes compared to the past." "Martial artists like us can now obtain advanced techniques from the Wuji Association through various means, which would have been impossible in the past." Qiao Mu also thought it made sense. "Perhaps this is why Guo Yan, a Wuji Association sixth ranked martial artist, was able to obtain half of the ‘Pure Yang Wuji Skill’," guessed Qiao Mu. In the past, the Pure Yang Wuji Skill was known as the exclusive skill of the Wudang sect, and only a few disciples of the sect could practice it. The Martial Saint broke through the barriers of the past martial arts world and seized the secret manuals of the prestigious sects. Since then, members of the Wuji Association could obtain these top-level skills at a low cost. The swordsman sighed and said: "In the past, the high-level skills were held tightly by the major martial arts sects. Even disciples with slightly lower talent were not taught the core techniques." "Having half of a high-level martial arts skill is already sufficient." "Even if the best martial arts skills were given to martial artists from all over the world, most people wouldn’t be able to reach a very advanced level." "There are no shortcuts in martial arts. Martial artists like you and me, who have achieved the 4th rank in training, have all gone through years of daily practice. Ordinary martial artists don’t have this perseverance." "Indeed, it took me many years of daily practice to reach where I am today," nodded Qiao Mu. After chatting with the swordsman for a while, he became slightly impatient and asked when they would depart to hunt down Saintess Wu Qingxin. The swordsman in the white robe seemed to be the leader among the group and responded at this moment: "Once the Star Xuan Envoy appears, and once the two of them are ready, especially the famous 4th rank expert, Xu Cheng with his Soul Hook technique, we can set off." "With ten experts ranging from 4th rank to 5th rank, there should be no suspense in dealing with Saintess Wu Qingxin." We have to wait longer? Qiao Mu glanced at the surrounding customers and furrowed his brow: "With a lineup like ours, not to mention hunting down a single Saintess Wu Qingxin, we would have a good chance of safely breaking into Governor Lou’s mansion in this city. Why do we still have to wait?" "Another stubborn martial artist," the middle-aged man who also practiced the Martial Saint Spiritual Technique said with impatience on his face: "Wu Qingxin is not only the Immortal Gate Saintess, but also a disciple of the Martial Saint in the past. How could she be weak?" "She is now practicing both immortal cultivation and martial arts. Even if she is no longer a Saintess, she is still extraordinary. For example, the Etching Bone Li Fire Talisman that Wu Qingxin is good at is completely unstoppable for us martial artists. We can only dodge using light skills." "Is she really that powerful?" Qiao Mu was skeptical. Before he was burned to death, he was only at the 6th rank. Now, after sixteen years of hard training, he has reached the 4th rank and feels a great improvement in his strength. "Ignorant," the middle-aged man shook his head. "A few days ago, that Saintess Wu Qingxin burned a martial artist to death with the Etching Bone Li Fire Talisman at the entrance of the Taoist temple." "That martial artist Qiao Pifu who was burned to death was no ordinary person. It is said that he used to be a highly skilled martial artist in spiritual refining. But in front of that fire talisman, he still had to die." "Is that so?" Qiao Mu was visibly surprised. "Have you been living under a rock?" the strong man scoffed. "It is said that Qiao Pifu had a mysterious hidden family behind him. He is not an ordinary martial artist. He even insulted the emperor and was able to be released from prison unscathed. His background is tougher than iron… But even such a character can be completely destroyed by a single fire." Seeing Qiao Mu’s shocked expression, the strong man also felt greatly pleased. Just as he was about to continue speaking, a blurry figure flashed by. It was a mysterious person wearing a black robe and a black star mask on their face. "Star Xuan Envoy." "Respected envoy." The people immediately bowed their heads in respect. "No need to wait, let’s depart immediately. Saintess Wu Qingxin is no longer in this city." Star Xuan Envoy said directly. "The other three, including the famous soul-snatcher Xu Cheng, are ambushing Wu Qingxin outside the city." "And… there are three more?" The swordsman in white clothing was taken aback, realizing that the numbers didn’t add up. There are a total of ten people. Three are blocking outside the city, so why are there eight people in this inn? The Star Xuan Envoy quickly felt something strange and looked around, finally fixing their gaze on Qiao Mu’s face. "Who are you?" their voice turning cold. The others immediately caught on, and the atmosphere became tense. ………… Inside a small Taoist temple at the foot of Qingming Mountain. The plump Taoist nun Lingling Taoist Priest called Qiao Canxue over, her face serious. "Cansnow, I recently heard some important news." "In your hometown, Heyang City, a martial artist with the last name Qiao has recently died…" Lingling Taoist Priest had visited Heyang City’s Qiao Family when Qiao Canxue was a child, and she was one of the few people in the world who knew that Qiao Canxue was the last orphan of the Heyang City’s Qiao Family. "That person’s name is Qiao Pifu, do you know him?" After speaking, Lingling Taoist Priest looked at Qiao Canxue’s face with a little anticipation, hoping to see if she would get excited and have a sudden breakthrough. "I don’t know." Qiao Canxue slightly opened her left eye, revealing a white expanse, and reached out to touch the stone wall in front of her. Whether she used her hand to feel, gently tapped with her fingers to listen to the sound, or got closer to sniff… it all indicated that this was just an ordinary stone wall. But in her eyes, this wall simply didn’t exist at all. She turned her head and looked at Lingling Taoist Priest, but instead of seeing a plump nun, she saw a young girl in a dress with braided pigtails. Lingling Taoist Priest noticed Qiao Canxue’s actions and felt a strange envy in her heart: "Her eyes are even more extraordinary than her exceptional spiritual aptitude. They don’t seem like something an ordinary person can possess.."