Da Xuan Martial Saint

Among the mountains and forests.

As a ray of dawn rose from the east and illuminated the quiet mountain forest once more, Chen Mu and Xu Hongyu, with three others, had arrived at the edge of the Autumn Forest Mountain Range. Stepping out of the last patch of dense woods, they could see a range of hills in the distance.

Between the hills, some farmlands were faintly visible, and distant villages could be seen.

"So, it turns out that the Thunderclap Diagram ended up in your hands after all."

Xu Hongyu turned to look at Chen Mu, somewhat dazedly saying, "Could this perhaps be fate?"

Having come all the way from the Autumn Forest Mountain Range, she harbored many questions in her heart, the greatest puzzle being how exactly Chen Mu had comprehended the Thunderclap Artistic Conception. Chen Mu had not hidden it from her and had directly informed her of the origin of the Thunderclap Diagram.

With his current strength and realm, a copied version of the Thunderclap Diagram was something he could certainly hold in his hands, and even revealing it openly wouldn't matter much. Compared to comprehending the Thunderclap Artistic Conception out of nowhere, having a diagram to study was far more plausible.

"What do you mean by that?"

Chen Mu looked towards Xu Hongyu.

At this moment, the dawn at the horizon shone on her cheek, dyeing half of her profile a golden-red hue. Her willow-shaped eyes sparkled with a touch of bemusement, shedding some of her usual aloofness and adding a bit of charm.

"Originally, Tang Quan had disguised himself as a servant and infiltrated the Yu Family, hiding for several years. Later on, he seized an opportunity to steal the Thunderclap Diagram from the Yu Family and escaped to the Outer City. After I received the news, I went after him... Later, he died by your hand, but the diagram wasn't on his person, and my men didn't find it in his hideout either."

"Moreover, Tang Quan was once from the West City, vaguely seeming to have connections with the Evil Men Gang. However, I had no evidence and had no jurisdiction over West City. Eventually, the diagram ended up in the hands of Zhang Lang of the Evil Men Gang, and after several turns, it came into your possession."

Xu Hongyu shook her head.

If Tang Quan had possessed the diagram then, Chen Mu, with his capabilities at the time, wouldn't have been able to obtain it. Even if she had seen it, she would have taken it back and not entrusted it to Chen Mu, who was then just a lower-level servant.

But years passed, and after Chen Mu infiltrated West City and killed Zhang Lang, he obtained the Thunderclap Diagram from Zhang Lang. By then, Chen Mu had the capability to possess the diagram. What stupefied her the most was that within less than a year after obtaining the Thunderclap Diagram from Zhang Lang, Chen Mu had managed to comprehend the Thunderclap Artistic Conception.

She would often study the Kan Water Diagram while at the Yu Family and had only managed to develop two types of Sword Momentum. She was still somewhat short of the third type.

Even though Chen Mu already had a foundation in the Xun Wind Artistic Conception, comprehending the Thunderclap Artistic Conception within a mere year, a fundamentally different Artistic Conception, still shocked her with the height of his perceptiveness.

If it weren't for Chen Mu's impoverished background, had he had any opportunity to test his comprehension talents, he might have long been admitted into the Seven Profound Sect, passed through the Inner Sect, and become a True Disciple. He wouldn't be growing step by step in Yu City as he is now.

Xu Hongyu couldn't help but speculate.

If that were the case, perhaps when Chen Mu returned to Yu City one day, he would appear as a True Disciple of the Seven Profound Sect. Back then, all four major families in the Inner City would have had to welcome him formally; she might have only been able to watch him from a distance, instead of being involved in his journey as she was now.

After all, the status of a True Disciple of the Seven Profound Sect was equivalent to that of a Sect Executive, a figure like City Lord Xue Huaikong.

Of course.

Now, because Chen Mu came from a humble background and only began to learn the Blade Technique in his twenties, he had delayed too much time. Even though the talent he was now displaying was phenomenal, catching up to the likes of a True Disciple of the Seven Profound Sect was still very challenging.

After all, those true disciples of the Seven Profound that she had only heard about were the cream of the crop among numerous heroes in the state of Yu, either possessing monstrous talents or having forcefully fought their way out from the Inner Sect.

Upon such reflection.

Xu Hongyu couldn't help but look at Chen Mu with a touch of regret.

Yet even so, with Chen Mu's peerless talent, although he might not be able to reach the top tiers of the wider world above this state, he was bound to roam freely and dominate the local region eventually.

"So it is."

Chen Mu showed a sudden realization.

Back then, Xu Hongyu hadn't elaborated much about Tang Quan's incident, and indeed, the Artistic Conception Map wasn't something suitable for him to touch at that time. However, after several changes of hands, the diagram had ended up in his possession, aiding him in mastering the Thunderclap Artistic Conception.

If he hadn't acquired this diagram, he most likely would have mastered only the Xun Wind Artistic Conception and wouldn't act as freely as he does now.

Laughing softly, Xiao He said, "So you see, your current realm is deeply connected with Miss Xu."

However, Xu Hongyu who was deep in thought, heads down, shook her head upon hearing Xiao He's words and said, "With such talent, once he embarked on the path of Martial Arts, reaching this stage was just a matter of time. Whether or not I was involved wouldn't make much of a difference.

The insights into the Xun Wind Artistic Conception and the breakthroughs in the Tendon Changing Realm were all due to his own abilities."

Chen Mu listened to the dialogue between the maid and the young lady, finding it amusing for a moment. Xiao He was already beginning to devise ways to earn merits for Hongyu in his presence. Hongyu, on the other hand, remained her usual aloof self, although when she occasionally looked at him, her gaze was no longer as clear as before, but carried something else.

Chen Mu did not pick up on this thread of conversation but glanced into the distance and said, "We have already left the Autumn Forest Range. What do you think we should do next, Hongyu?"

Xiao He heard Chen Mu addressing Hongyu without her surname and couldn't help sticking out her tongue from the side. However, Hongyu found nothing strange about it. In her view, Chen Mu's abilities had far surpassed hers. Although he was still just a Green-Clothed Guard, in the current world, power reigned supreme. Chen Mu walking ahead of her meant that he was no longer her subordinate.

After briefly pondering, Hongyu said, "Actually, I don't think we should make a big fuss. We can go directly to the Yu Family's nearest stronghold and send back the news about the Heavenly Corpse Sect. As for your matter... it's probably best not to let more people know just yet, including the Yu side. What do you think?"

She looked at Chen Mu, a slight peculiarity surfacing in her cold, willow-leaf-shaped eyes. If her father had also kept a low profile like Chen Mu, without revealing any clues in those days, perhaps the later troubles might never have occurred.

Currently, Chen Mu, relying on two types of Artistic Conceptions and a Horizontally Trained Body with Tendon Changing Perfection, ranked among the top in strength within the region. Yet, he was still quite a distance away from the Five Viscera Realm.

The gap between the Bone Tempering Realm and the Viscera Realm was vast.

Just like the gap between Tendon Changing and Body Refinement.

Skin Toughening and Body Refinement are one level, Tendon Changing and Bone Tempering another, while the Five Viscera and Six Viscera represent a different elevation altogether.

There are many in the Bone Tempering Realm who haven't grasped Artistic Conceptions, and there are even a few with poor comprehension who haven't grasped any even at the peak of Bone Tempering... but to step into the Five Viscera Realm, Artistic Conception is fundamental.

Thus, even ten who have perfected Bone Tempering and cultivated Artistic Conception stand no chance against someone who has crossed into the Five Viscera Realm and solidified their Inner Breath Yuan Gang.

The only possibility for someone in the Bone Tempering Realm to compete with someone in the Five Viscera Realm is to move to the second step of Artistic Conception. But that is also extremely difficult, not lesser than Viscera Refining and returning to the origin. Often, only those who have stepped into the Five Viscera Realm have the opportunity to touch the second step of Artistic Conception.

Although Chen Mu was extremely gifted and cultivated two types of Artistic Conception, achieving the second step of Artistic Conception was still a heavenly barrier not easily crossed in a short time. So, prior to that, it was best to continue as before, keeping a low profile and not drawing attention.

"..."

Xiao He blinked from the side, her gaze towards Hongyu curious for a moment.

The words from Hongyu earlier seemed to completely side with Chen Mu, even setting aside the Yu Family for the time being—a thought process she had not seen in Hongyu over the years.

Could it be that the young lady is using this approach to show goodwill towards Chen Mu? But it looked too flawless, too natural, without any cracks. Her young lady's interpersonal skills should not have reached such a high level yet.

"Hmm, that sounds good."

Chen Mu nodded slightly at Hongyu.

After revealing his strength, he had a complete plan in mind: first, the residual members of the Heavenly Corpse Sect had to die, for he couldn't afford to come into the sect's radar too soon.

Next was Hongyu and Xiao He's side. Whether or not to inform the Yu Family about him did not really make a difference for him. From the Yu Family's perspective, if they knew about his circumstances, they would only pull him in with greater effort.

The only issue was that there were many eyes within the Yu Family. If he chose to reveal some information, it should be conveyed directly to the Yu Family's head by Hongyu, keeping the matter among a small number of people, which would likely allow him to obtain more resources for cultivation from the Yu family.

As for the worse scenarios, he hadn't thought about them, nor did he care.

With his current strength, he already had the capability to travel far to another county or find a remote valley to stay for a year and a half, elevating his Thunderclap Artistic Conception to the second step before re-emerging. However, this would mean pausing his Body Refining for a while.

"What you need most now is probably the Bone Tempering Pill, right?"

Hongyu looked at Chen Mu and said softly, "The control over Bone Tempering Pills is very strict. Besides the annual allotment, only those above the White-Clothed Guards in the Demon-Slaying Office can exchange for them, and each person has a limited quota. I just stepped into Tendon Changing Perfection this year and need to accumulate one more year of Qi-Blood before attempting Bone Tempering.

The quota can all be used by you first."

Chen Mu indeed needed Bone Tempering Pills, but using up Hongyu's quota... upon consideration, there was really nothing wrong with that. Hongyu, just entering Tendon Changing Perfection, indeed needed some time to consolidate, while he was already at the limit of Tendon Changing, having cultivated to the peak without the need for consolidation.

Moreover, once he stepped into Bone Tempering, how could he not obtain something like the Bone Tempering Pills?

Especially since Hongyu had already put it so clearly.

Chen Mu looked at Hongyu and suddenly chuckled, "I remember before, you said you would secure a marriage for me within the Yu family. Now, who do you think is suitable?"

Hongyu was momentarily stunned, slow to react to the abrupt change of topic. When she looked at Chen Mu again, she saw that he had already turned and was walking away.

Suddenly feeling an itch at her waist.

She saw Xiao He standing beside her, gently poking her with a finger, her eyes seemingly sparkling, whispering, "The day has brightened. Hurry up and follow, miss. Don't be dazed." Stay connected with mvl