Da Xuan Martial Saint

The Dual Cultivation Method of the Hehuan Sect...

If there is a chance to get it in the future, it might not be impossible to give it a try.

Chen Mu mused slightly in his heart. Truthfully, he didn't know every single detail about his own Hongyu, but he already thoroughly understood her temperament. It didn't surprise him when she occasionally spoke startling words in a very ordinary manner. If there truly was a cultivation technique that could benefit each other, he wouldn't mind trying it with Xu Hongyu in the future.

After all, given Xu Hongyu's qualifications, advancing in Bone Tempering was certain, but reaching the Five Viscera Realm would be difficult, let alone going beyond that. Since he was destined not to stay here, if there was any mutually beneficial method that could help Xu Hongyu even slightly, well, he wouldn't mind sacrificing a bit of his appearance or such.

"The cultivation techniques of the Hehuan Sect are generally not passed outside. Among the Four Great Sects, in my view, the Heavenly Sword Sect is a suitable place for the young descendants of the Yu Family to try. Forget about Blood Concealment and Hehuan," he said.

Chen Mu shook his head as he spoke.

Now that the Four Great Sects had settled in Yu County, the young talents of Yu County previously had no choice but to claw their way into the Seven Profound Sect's doors, but now they had more options.

Even the Heavenly Sword Sect, which completely disregards wealth and poverty, measures all candidates' qualifications uniformly. If they meet the standards, they are admitted, unlike in the past when the Seven Profound Sect dominated alone, and most poor families in Yu County had no chance to join.

"Actually, the entry requirements of the Seven Profound Sect have also changed," said Xiao He with a gentle smile. "In the past, when the Seven Profound Sect recruited, they would send down only one steward, and all affairs were basically delegated to the City Lord of Xue City, who further delegated them.

By the time it reached the lower levels, anyone wanting to attend the entry examination of the Seven Profound Sect had to pay at least ten Silver, and most families simply couldn't afford that."

Chen Mu cut off a piece of the fruit he had peeled, tried it, and found it quite sour. However, spitting it out would be somewhat unseemly, so he ate the piece in his mouth without changing his expression and casually placed the rest aside, while saying:

"Times have changed. In the past, the Seven Profound Sect stood alone in dominance, but today the four sects compete. It's a mix of advantages and disadvantages. Sometimes competition is not conducive to stability, but at other times, it can benefit development."

This point made by Xiao He was something he deeply understood because, compared to Xiao He, he truly came from a lower background. Like the Seven Profound Sect collecting disciples every two years from various counties, he had also experienced that. But just as Xiao He said, the administration in Yu City was corrupt. From the top down, they exploited layer by layer.

At the grassroots level, just getting your qualifications measured cost ten Silver!

For ordinary families, even though they knew that entering the Seven Profound Sect could drastically change their lives, how many could gather ten Silver? And even if they managed to gather it, they were only vying for an extremely slim chance. If not selected, the ten Silver spent would be as good as thrown away, ending up in someone's pocket.

Years ago, his father had wanted him to give it a try, but ultimately considered that saving ten Silver over many years to buy such a minuscule chance was meaningless. He ended up giving up, and that night, they had an extra serving of meat.

But now...

The Seven Profound Sect had virtually no barriers to entry.

Anyone under the age of sixteen can go to the various branches under the Outer City's Inspectorate to measure their root bones and talents. Once they meet the standards, they can directly join the Seven Profound Sect.

However, unless they have exceptionally high talent and qualifications, which would lead to them being taken to the mountain gate of the Seven Profound Sect, most would still remain in Yu County, serving as minor officials under the Inspectorate while continuing their cultivation.

The Inspectorate established in Yu City today essentially serves as a branch of the Seven Profound Sect.

"Mm-hmm."

Xu Hongyu sat nearby, watching Chen Mu. Her eyes, like dark jade, twinkled with dim light, finding every word that Chen Mu said to be reasonable, directly addressing the essence of the situation. She almost forgot that Chen Mu was actually a bit younger than her.

She picked up the same type of fruit that Chen Mu had just eaten, and with a small knife, she lightly swung to create a flourish. The peel flew off to one corner of the table, and then she took a bite with relish, saying, "Actually, in Yu County, all of us Martial Artists in the Tendon Changing and Bone Tempering Realm can be considered as disciples from the Seven Profound Sect."

"Indeed, that can be considered true."

Chen Mu nodded.

Since currently, all the Tendon Changing Pills and Bone Tempering Pills circulating in Yu City almost originated from the Seven Profound Sect, it meant that without the Seven Profound Sect, Yu City wouldn't have produced so many personalities in the Tendon Changing and Bone Tempering Realm.

And Yu County has always been under the rule of the Seven Profound Sect; thus, essentially, all Tendon Changing and Bone Tempering in Yu County belong to disciples of the Seven Profound Sect 'outside the sect', although they do not enjoy some of the benefits of the sect, they are also free from the various regulations of the sect, belonging to a more liberated type.

"Hongyu, how is your comprehension of the Kan Water Diagram coming along?"

Chen Mu thought for a moment and looked toward Xu Hongyu as he asked.

Xu Hongyu shook her head and said, "It feels infinitely profound, but for nearly the past month, it has always been like looking at flowers through fog, never seeing clearly."

Xiao He softly said from the side, "I've heard that some people, when comprehending an Artistic Conception Map, may sit in contemplation in front of it for years and still find it difficult to comprehend. Miss, perhaps it's better to combine action with stillness, since you've been meditating for a month. Why not go out for a walk today?"

"Hmm..."

Xu Hongyu hesitated slightly and looked over at Chen Mu.

Chen Mu smiled and stood up, saying, "Then let's take a walk while it's still early."

In his view, if one were to comprehend the Kan Water Diagram, perhaps it would be suitable to bring the diagram along, travel, and contemplate while seeing the landscapes, flowing rivers, and small streams of the world; comprehension would naturally deepen step by step, but unfortunately, that wasn't appropriate.

Given Xu Hongyu's strength, walking in some areas of Yu County wasn't an issue, but taking the Kan Water Diagram with her was out of the question. After all, it was the foundation of the Yu Family's stability, and not only she but even Yu Zuyi could only comprehend it within the Yu Family's lands.

The group of three quickly reached the street.

"This Inner City, from what it looks like on the surface, hasn't changed much."

Chen Mu walked ahead, observing his surroundings. Those walking in the Inner City were still in bright clothing, but the streets seemed busier than in the past, with more vendors hawking along the streets.

Xu Hongyu daintily followed next to Chen Mu. She actually had little interest in the bustling nature of the market, but as Xiao He had advised, it was better to move around after nearly a month of rigorous meditation at the Yu Family's home. Having Chen Mu's company made her all the more pleased.

They continued strolling.

There were no bullies blocking the road.

After all, although four Sects were stationed in Yu County and four major families acted low-key, the Yu Family was still a giant to ordinary people. Xu Hongyu was well-recognized in the Inner City, so naturally, nobody dared to offend her, especially here on the main street of the Inner City in broad daylight where chaos was less likely to occur.

"Miss, look over there quickly."

Xiao He was quite active along the way, the little maid running back and forth, pulling Xu Hongyu here and there to look at various sights.

Chen Mu, on the other hand, maintained a calm expression as he followed by the side, more focused on observing the changes and situation of the Inner City and pondering the possible future developments. Suddenly, he saw a group of several people wearing neat gray-white clothes walking towards them, and his gaze briefly paused.

They were a group of young people, only about twenty years old, yet each one of them had a determined and cold gaze, walking straight through the street in their gray-white clothes embroidered with a sword-shaped pattern on the chest.

The crowd along the way parted to make way for them.

"Heavenly Sword Sect..."

Xiao He also pulled Xu Hongyu to the side, carefully observing the people passing by.

Suddenly, the leader among them, as if sensing something, suddenly turned his head, looked towards Chen Mu's direction, and locked eyes with Chen Mu. A faint sword light seemed to flash in his pupils.

Chen Mu slightly closed his eyes.

Seeing this, the disciple from the Heavenly Sword Sect did not speak nor did he make any other significant movements but quickly averted his gaze and continued forward with his fellow sect brothers.

After walking a distance, the person closest to him whispered, "Elder Brother Gu, just now that was..."

"Heart Sword suddenly sensed something, but it must have been an illusion."

Gu Hong slightly shook his head, his tone somewhat strange.

He cultivated the "Heart Sword" lineage of the Heavenly Sword Sect, his Artistic Conception clear and sensitive to the natural world. Sometimes he didn't even need to use his sight or hearing to sense hidden threats or unusual changes around him.

Although Chen Mu's gaze that had measured him had harbored no threat or killing intent, it felt different from everyone else on that street. Therefore, he returned the gaze, subconsciously scanning with the Heart Sword Artistic Conception.

Indeed, the other party was a bit unusual, having some Artistic Conception within him, but it hadn't reached the level of alerting the Heart Sword, which was somewhat odd.

He was a True Disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect. Although he ranked last among them, in today's world, very few among the younger generation could catch his eye. In all of Yu State, only a few True Disciples from the Seven Profound Sect could meet his standards, and regarding this small Yu County, even someone considered the leader of the younger generation like 'Xue Lin' was merely a joke to him.

Perhaps it was an illusion sensed by the Heart Sword just now, such occurrences occasionally happen and are not worth delving into deeply.

...

Behind him.

Chen Mu slightly closed his eyes.

In the pitch darkness, a beam of sword light shone toward him but was immediately countered by a bright bolt of thunder, throwing it off course, followed by a chaotic whirlwind that tore it apart bit by bit.

When he opened his eyes again, that group of disciples from the Heavenly Sword Sect had already moved far away.

"So this is the Artistic Conception of the Sword Dao."

Chen Mu murmured to himself.

Compared to the Qian Heaven Kun Earth Eight Phases, that encounter seemed like an Artistic Conception capable of attacking the spirit. Although it was very subtlety conveyed through a glance, here it was countered with the Phases of Wind and Thunder.

He could distinctly sense that although the other party's Artistic Conception was deeply cultivated, it hadn't reached the second step yet.

"That person just now, seems to be one of the True Disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect, do you know him, son-in-law?"

Suddenly, Xiao He came over and asked quietly. She had spent her days learning about various situations outside while Chen Mu and Xu Hongyu were cultivating and had gathered quite a bit of information about the Heavenly Sword Sect.

For example, the Heavenly Sword Sect only had four True Disciples, with Zuo Qianqiu at the head and Gu Hong at the end.

"I don't know him."

Chen Mu shook his head.

A True Disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect... That explained it. Such an Artistic Conception wasn't something everyone could cultivate like common cabbage.

As far as he knew, among the great Sects, only those True Disciples qualified to move outside were ranked in the Five Viscera Realm. No matter who that person was just now, since he could move outside, there was no doubt he was a figure in the Five Viscera Realm.

Furthermore, with such a level of Artistic Conception, likely even the City Lord Xue Huaikong could not gain much advantage in front of him. In today's Yu County, probably only the Inspector from the State Government Office could hold him down.

While he was pondering.

As that group of disciples from the Heavenly Sword Sect disappeared, the pedestrians on the street began to flow again.

Suddenly, a voice came from the side.

"Mastering the Mysterious Court, divining the secrets of heaven… you all look fated, how about letting this old Dao read your fortune?"

Chen Mu turned his head to look.

Unnoticed when, behind him and the others, there appeared a spread-out street stall. An old man missing two front teeth, wearing a tattered Taoist robe, and with a slightly sleazy physique, was holding a stack of turtle shells, grinning at him.