Volume 1: Martial World Chapter 91 - Stable Development

  It's also unknown whether Ye Wen has really started to walk on dog shit luck, after putting his own sect at a moral high point and then messing up the Tianle Gang. In the following two months, the days of Shu Shan Sect were quite stable.

  There is a guest house that has been renovated and reopened, and because of the New Year, the landlord who hired the Shushan faction as guards also presented some gold and silk as New Year's gifts. Some other landlords also came to show their respects.

  It wasn't until then that Ye Wen found out that the two small landlords who hadn't lost money had been taken over by this group of people, and their land and property were divided up cleanly among them. In the end, they even gave some of the land from those two families to Ye Wen.

  "One hundred and fifty mu? These landlords are really afraid of offending us now."

  Having obtained the deed to this 150-acre land, Ye Wen understood that these guys were taking advantage of the opportunity to repair their relationship with him. Because at first, they did not directly let Ye Wen take over the protection work, fearing that they would offend the door that even the leader of the Tianle Gang's branch could kill. At the same time as presenting these gifts, the landlords also expressed their willingness to reconsider hiring Shushan disciples as guards.

  Unfortunately, Ye Wen considered that he still had to guard against the Tianle Gang at present, so he politely declined the requests of these landlords. However, he also indicated that since there were not many disciples of Shu Mountain Sect at present, if anyone had young children or nephews who wanted to learn martial arts, they could be sent to Shu Mountain Sect.

  When they heard this proposal, these landlords just smiled and said they would consider it. Unfortunately, Ye Wen saw that this group of old foxes knew that the Shu Mountain Sect was now at odds with the Tianle Gang, and it was uncertain when a big battle would break out. Wouldn't sending their children and nephews be like pushing them into a fire pit?

  So selling well, spending a bit is nothing, but asking for someone is absolutely not okay unless the Shu Shan Sect can thoroughly defeat the Tian Le Gang and stabilize its position in Pingzhou, this group of old foxes will consider sending people to come and worship as a teacher, so as to bind their own industry with the Shu Shan Sect.

  As for these people's thoughts, Ye Wen didn't reveal them, but instead pretended to be weak and sent everyone down the mountain. He himself continued to deal with the sect's affairs.

  As the year-end approached, there were more things to deal with in the sect. Although the income from the guest house had been reinvested in renovations and decorations, the account book still needed to be handed over to Ye Wen for review. Even if Ye Wen didn't examine it closely, just a rough glance at the income and expenses was necessary to go through the motions.

  Specific account details were left to Ning Ruxue, anyway this junior sister was in charge of the Shushan School's financial management, letting her calculate the accounts was also suitable for her.

  At the same time, Xu Ping had formally become a disciple of Ye Wen. On the day he became an apprentice, Yue Ning and Zhou Ziruo, two little guys, had a good time playing the role of seniors. They watched as someone who was more than ten years older than themselves called them "senior brother". Zhou Ziruo was a bit afraid and a bit shy, while Yue Ning simply accepted Xu Ping's courtesy - coming from a noble family, this demeanor had been cultivated since childhood.

  Apart from Xu Ping, Li Sen, who was not skilled in martial arts but had an exceptionally strong memory, also entered the inner circle. During this time, Li Sen ran around and connected the Shu Mountain Sect, Yue Mountain Escort Bureau, Shu Mountain Branch Hall, and Youjian Inn together organically. He handled message transmission and many miscellaneous tasks in an orderly manner. Ye Wen felt that he should be rewarded for his efforts as a disciple of the sect, so he also included him in the inner circle.

  Unlike Xu Ping, Li Senbai went under the tutelage of Xu Xian. This young master of the Xu family, after mastering Ye Wen's swordsmanship, developed an interest in teaching disciples. He often went to teach outer sect disciples martial arts, making things easier for Ye Wen. Adding that day when Xu Xian showed off his skills, the outer sect disciples were also delighted to be guided by him.

  It's worth mentioning that Xue Xian has been studying swordsmanship for over a year and has developed his own insights, which he uses to guide his disciples. At least the few outer door disciples who practice swordplay have benefited greatly from this and their martial arts skills have improved to varying degrees.

  This time Li Sen was able to be under his tutelage, both Xu Xian and Li Sen were very satisfied, the only one who was not happy was Ning Ruxue, who had never accepted an apprentice until now.

  Watching Xuan, who entered the sect later than herself, already having a successor, while she was the only one in Shu Shan Sect's generation without a disciple, made her extremely displeased. For several days, she had been keeping a straight face, scaring newly-entered Xu Ping and Li Sen, who thought that this Second Master was originally not a good-tempered person.

  So when eating or talking, I always hold my breath and dare not make a sound, for fear of offending this Second Master's wife.

  Having taken on an apprentice, it's only natural to teach him well. Putting Li Sen aside for now, the first thing Xun did after taking this disciple was to thoroughly criticize his learning of the Songfeng Sword Technique, and then re-taught it from start to finish, one move at a time.

  "In a roundabout way, Xu Xian said: 'First master the Songfeng Sword Technique and then I'll teach you other things. Otherwise, if your skills are not refined and you go out and lose face for Mount Shu Sect, it won't be good.'"

  Not to mention Li Sen's painful and joyful re-study of swordsmanship, Xu Ping stood in front of Ye Wen but was completely uncomfortable because Ye Wen had been looking at him for a while without speaking, making Xu Ping very nervous, thinking: "Could it be that I accidentally offended Master?"

  But he didn't know that Ye Wen was worried about how Xu Ping should develop because Xu Ping's one-body skill in practicing knife was all on the knife method, and his fist and footwork were very ordinary. Even though Ye Wen had already passed on the Mian Zhang to this disciple in recent days, there was no significant progress.

  Don't even mention comparing with himself, let alone comparing with Yuen Ning or Ning Ruxue, those two little guys. Xu Ping's progress in fist and palm is far from comparable.

  It was a set of Wuhu Duanmen knives that he wielded with great vigor and momentum, quite impressive. Although not a master of knife techniques, it had its own unique flair. However, Ye Wen placed more emphasis on swordsmanship, and as for the Wuhu Duanmen knives, he only glanced at them briefly to get a general idea and never practiced them seriously. He could teach some basic knife techniques to beginners, but for those who already grasped the essence of the technique, it would be like teaching ABCs to a master.

  The cup of hot tea in his hand had already turned cold, and the tea in the teacup had also been drained. Ye Wen even swallowed a few mouthfuls of tea leaves. However, he didn't spit out the tea leaves, but instead chewed on them for a while, using the refreshing aroma to clear his mind, before speaking up after organizing his thoughts.

  "This generation has always been a single transmission, and the martial arts have mainly focused on swordsmanship. Even when it came to teaching disciples, although there were more students and the skills were varied, swordsmanship was still the main focus. The knife method is just something I occasionally felt inspired to create. In fact, as for me, the knife method is only slightly involved, not proficient."

  Looking at this point and seeing Xu Ping still standing there respectfully, he knew that if he didn't make things clear, this disciple probably wouldn't respond.

  "I see you have a good understanding of the way of the sword, and perhaps you can find your own path in this regard. However, as your teacher, I must admit that I am unable to provide much guidance on this aspect. That's why I called you here today - I want to ask you, how do you plan to proceed?"

  Xu Pingdao said: "Disciples obey the master's arrangement"

  Ye Wen didn't say it directly, but continued: "As a master, I have a unique approach to internal skills, and no matter what kind of martial arts you practice, internal skills are the foundation. So, no matter how you choose to proceed next, you don't need to worry about this aspect of internal skills."

  "Only in the external skills, what I'm good at is swordsmanship, but you've been learning knife techniques before. Now it's up to you to decide whether to follow me and learn swordsmanship or continue studying knife techniques?"

  Yeh Wen did not want to interfere with this, he hoped that Xu Ping could choose a path for himself, and he would only wholeheartedly guide him after Xu Ping made his decision. As for how far he could go in the future, it was not something Yeh Wen could control.

  Xu Ping was stunned, and only then did he understand why his master had always looked at him with a mixture of difficulty and pity. It turned out that the skills he had learned were actually different from those of his school's kung fu style. He couldn't have imagined this, as he had thought that Ye Wending, who created the Five Tigers Broken Door Knife, would be proficient in many types of martial arts. But today, he was told straightforwardly: "I, your master, only know how to use a sword and don't know how to use a knife. The knife technique was accidentally created, so if you want to learn knife techniques from me, it's better for you to just practice blindly."

  It seems that in the Jianghu, there isn't a case where the apprentice is in charge. It's always the master teaching and the apprentice learning. Just like how I learned knife skills back then because the person teaching me only taught knife techniques. Just like the other day, Ye Wen taught him palm techniques, didn't he learn quietly? He just doesn't know that with Yue Ning and Zhou Ziruo around, his progress in palm techniques made Ye Wen very frustrated, thinking that this disciple is only good at knife skills and not as skilled in other martial arts.

  At this point, he immediately replied: "The master teaches what the disciple learns"

  "How can a disciple of the Shu Shan Sect be so wishy-washy? Don't you even know what you want to learn or achieve?" Ye Wen didn't like this yes-man, and Xu Ping wasn't even a half-grown child; in terms of age, he was basically the same as himself. At this moment, if it weren't for his own superior martial arts skills, he would probably think that taking on an apprentice who was roughly the same age as him was extremely awkward.

  Hearing Ye Wen's rebuke, Xu Ping knew that if he couldn't satisfy his master today, even if he were to be accepted as an inner disciple, his achievements would be limited to this. But if he really had to express his own thoughts, he was afraid of angering his master.

  After some deliberation, he gritted his teeth and said directly: "I want to learn the master's swordsmanship, but I don't want to give up this knife technique either."

  Ye Wen waited for a while, and unexpectedly got such a sentence. He was slightly stunned and asked: "What do you want?"

  Xu Ping thought for a moment and finally nodded firmly.

  This was beyond Ye Wen's expectations, but thinking about it, it didn't matter. Having aspirations would give him motivation; if he had no desires or pursuits, he might as well go home and farm. Xi Da said with a smile: "You have great ambition! Since you want to learn, I won't stop you. Starting tomorrow, I'll teach you swordsmanship. As for knife techniques, you'll have to figure them out yourself." He added: "This path isn't easy to walk. If you've decided on it, you must put in more effort than others."

  Xu Ping nodded: "Disciple understands"

  "Go back first, remember not to forget to practice the inner skill and mental method I taught you every day. After all, with strong internal strength, whether it's a knife or a sword, you can do whatever you want, and the power will be overwhelming. If your internal strength is insufficient, no matter how exquisite your moves are, you won't be able to hurt anyone, and it's useless."

  Yes

  As they spoke, Xu Ping had already retreated, and looking at this disciple, Ye Wen suddenly felt that perhaps this disciple would become an unexpected surprise.

  "Are the sword and saber really unmatched? This road is not easy to walk." However, if Xu Ping really succeeds, it would be greatly beneficial to the Shu Shan Sect, which is what Ye Wen would like to see.

  After resolving Xuping's problem, Yewen was still busy day and night dealing with the affairs of the sect, while paying attention to the changes in Pingzhou Wulin every day and night. The Yue Shan Escort Bureau became the main source of intelligence, and the disciples of Shu Shan Sect shuttled back and forth between Yue Shan Escort Bureau and Shu Shan day and night. If they encountered some important information, Yue Hang would even let Gong Sunmu go up the mountain to report it.

  Apart from this, there are also some old customers who come to visit occasionally and sometimes get some news. Ye Wen has to sort out these news every day, calculate the day of the decisive battle with Tian Le Gang, and develop his own sect at the same time.

  In his own cultivation, he didn't dare to slack off. Apart from going to the cold pool every day to practice, he would also go to the entrance of the cold cave and stand there for a while. Firstly, it was to observe that giant snake, and secondly, it was to test how much progress his own strength had made. After all, the cold air emitted by the cave was far stronger than the cold pool outside.

  Based on this judgment, Ye Wen began to try to change the location of Bo Han Chi, little by little approaching the entrance. At first, he could only practice his skills in the water at the farthest end of Han Chi, but now he has already covered one-third of the distance and is closer to the entrance.

  The chill in the pool water grew stronger, and Ye Wen's Purple Mist Skill accelerated its operation speed by almost twice as much to counteract this cold air. If not for the calmness of the Purple Mist True Qi, Ye Wen's meridians would have been destroyed by this wildly surging true qi. However, practicing like this couldn't last long, basically after an hour Ye Wen had to come out, any longer and it wouldn't be practice but suicide.

  It was precisely by relying on this cold pool and somewhat desperate practice method that he could improve his skills in the shortest time. Ye Wen's Purple Mist Skill has made further progress, and now Ye Wen can be sure that his own Purple Mist Skill cultivation is absolutely superior to that of Yue Buqun. Not to mention others, just thinking about Yue Buqun's Purple Mist Skill cultivation in the original work, it was only a purple gas all over his face, and when he wielded his sword, there was also a purple gas wrapped around the tip of the sword.

  But looking at Ye Wen again, the Purple Mist Skill was activated, and not only was his face filled with purple energy, but also his hands and arms were no exception. If he took off his clothes, his body would be the same. At the same time, a faint white aura floated out from all over his body, which surprised Ye Wen greatly.

  "This is a rare occurrence, and in the original work, there are few martial arts that have such an effect. If there were any, they would be some strong and abnormal techniques. My current cultivation with Purple Mist Skill is absolutely not at that level."

  After all sorts of guesses, Ye Wen could only think of a reasonable explanation that the heaven and earth yuanqi in this world were more abundant than those in martial arts novels. As long as one's internal strength reached a certain level, it would cause changes in the surrounding heaven and earth yuanqi. Therefore, once someone on the Jianghu had cultivated their martial skills to a certain level, they would always be accompanied by all sorts of strange phenomena - like himself, Wei Peng, and Liu Qingfeng. This also explained why his own cultivation was so rapid (even with many strange encounters, it was still a bit faster).

  "This conclusion is not very wonderful"

  Ye Wen felt very depressed after making this guess, because the abundance of heaven and earth's original energy also means that the level of martial arts in this world is higher than he expected. Those who are truly at the top don't know what kind of level they need to reach, and when they make a move, it's unknown what kind of scene will unfold.

  "Under his own eyes, there would only be some strange phenomena, but if those super masters could stir up the heaven and earth's primordial energy to kill enemies, wouldn't that make them an enemy of tens of thousands?"

  Fortunately, Ye Wen did not hear any similar rumors, so the terrifying scene of provoking heavenly enemies as soon as he made a move only remained in the stage of speculation.

  Liu Qingfeng, who also had a wealth of experience, didn't think that the masters of this world were as terrifyingly powerful as he had said. It seemed that even if someone could stir up the heaven and earth's primordial energy, it was only a small part of it, at most adding some light and shadow effects to their techniques and divine abilities, but in reality, the actual destructive power should be very limited.

  Slightly comforting himself, Ye Wen became curious about his own Purple Mist Divine Art. If he were to cultivate it to the point of great completion, what kind of strange phenomenon would occur? He recalled the day he fought against Wei Peng, when he used all his strength in his left palm, and the swirling white energy seemed to have turned purple.

  "Could it be that after Zi Xia's great achievement, I am surrounded by purple aura all over my body?"

  Looking around at the faint white mist surrounding himself, this speculation seemed quite likely to become a reality.

  "It's also good this way, at least the appearance is not bad. When traveling the world, especially as a leader of a sect, one must consider their appearance after all, almost everyone likes to show off. Otherwise, why would moves like 'donkey rolls' be looked down upon? Isn't it because they really affect one's image?"

  Dispersing the purple misty aura, Ye Wen looked at Ning Ruxue standing not far away. She was waiting for him to leave before practicing her Cold Pool skills. Their senior and junior siblings had staggered their practice times, usually when one person's time was almost up, they would wait on the platform outside the small path, and only after one person came out would another go in.

  Today I probably wasted some time, Ning Ruxue was worried that something had happened to him and came in to check.

  "My junior sister (in martial arts) has arrived"

  "Uh-huh"

  "How's your kung fu training going?"

  These two months, Ye Wen also completed two summonings again. Fortunately, he was lucky enough to summon two internal skills, just in time for the two of them to choose or practice one together. As a result, Ning Ruxue practiced one set and Xu Xian practiced another set, with each of the siblings practicing a different internal skill. During this period, not only did Ye Wen diligently cultivate his internal skills, but also Ning Ruxue and Xu Xian were equally diligent.

  "Now, when asked by Shixiong, Ning Ruxue slightly revealed a hint of a smile: "The internal skill that Shixiong taught me is indeed extraordinary, but it's also extremely difficult to practice. At present, I haven't even entered the door yet."

  Ye Wen nodded: "This is not strange, the method that Shifu wants is different from Xu Shidi's emphasis on foundation stability. Your method is extremely special and powerful, and when practiced to a deep level, it can drive all kinds of methods with just one inner power. It's naturally difficult to practice, but with the help of Snake Gallbladder Pool, I think you'll be able to glimpse the entrance within a year."

  *Sigh* I wanted to say something, but forget it.