New World

Wang Ming felt there was no need to stay in the Smiling, Proud Wanderer world after dealing with the Songshan Sect.

Everything he wanted was already in hand.

If he were to remain, only Shaolin, Wudang, and Black Wood Cliff offered any potential benefits.

Considering how Shaolin's martial arts in the Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils world had a hidden backdoor, it was likely that Shaolin and Wudang in this world were in a similar situation. The risk of venturing out to steal their techniques far outweighed the potential reward.

As for going to Black Wood Cliff, Wang Ming had no such intention.

He had already learned about Linghu Chong's descent from the mountain and deduced that Dongfang Bubai in this world wasn't the delicate Dongfang Bai, but a ruthless individual who "indulged in excess, leading to disaster, and sought eternal governance through castration."

Going to Black Wood Cliff would be an act of sheer madness.

Wang Ming wasn't like Linghu Chong, who was interested in Miss Ren and willing to risk his life against the world's top expert just to make her smile.

Furthermore, Wang Ming wasn't the type of martial arts fanatic who constantly sought life-or-death duels. He preferred safe sparring sessions and calculated, decisive kills.

The existence of Black Wood Cliff was more beneficial to the Mount Hua Sect.

With Mount Song crippled by Wang Ming this time, the Alliance Leader of the Five Mountains would likely fall into Old Yue's hands. With the Sun Moon Holy Cult as a target, the Mount Hua Sect wouldn't be exclusively targeted by Shaolin and Wudang.

Dongfang Bubai only wished to hide in her chambers and embroider. What influence could the Sun Moon Holy Cult, controlled by the incompetent Yang Lianting, have on Old Yue?

To facilitate a more harmonious development of the martial world, Wang Ming had even gone out of his way to eliminate the ambitious Ren Woxing, preventing him from stirring up trouble.

Since he had decided to leave, he intended to give the other secret manuals he possessed to Yue Buqun as foundational assets for the sect.

However, upon closer consideration, he abandoned this idea.

With the Purple Cloud Manual and the Illusion Sword in hand, Old Yue could potentially contend with Dongfang Bubai if he mastered them. Having one more or one less wouldn't make a significant difference.

Don't think it's impossible!

The world of The First Under Heaven was a high-level martial arts world, while the Smiling, Proud Wanderer had almost devolved into a declining era.

The strength of the Illusion Sword was in no way inferior to the Sunflower Manual.

The remaining martial arts were different from the Illusion Sword!

They required a significant amount of internal energy.

Wang Ming's Indestructible Vajra Body had reached a bottleneck, and the spiritual energy of this world was too thin for him to progress further.

The scarcity of spiritual energy was a very important reason for Wang Ming's decision to leave.

The Scattering Flowers All Over the Sky had been used at Mount Song this time. Its distinctiveness was far greater than the Illusion Sword's, and giving it to Old Yue might inadvertently cause trouble.

The secret manuals obtained from the Songshan Sect were essentially stolen goods.

Giving Old Yue the Hegemon Under Heaven would be utterly ridiculous.

Having reached this point, Wang Ming felt he had settled his karma with Yue Buqun and the Mount Hua Sect, and thus left without any lingering attachments.

Alright, Wang Ming didn't have time to dwell on the matters of that world.

Upon arriving in the new world, his vision was filled with endless yellow sand and a vast desert, with the scorching sun beating down from above.

Apart from the boundless desert, there wasn't a single soul in sight, and he had nothing on him except the clothes he was wearing.

He wandered aimlessly in the desert for three days, nearly dying from lack of water. Fortunately, fate had not abandoned him. Wang Ming had walked in a single direction for those three days and reached a populated area, where he was picked up by passersby. Otherwise, he would have truly perished from thirst and hunger.

He also managed to set a new record for the most bizarre death of a transmigrator.

Upon waking, he found himself living in a yurt and learned his location from Li Ping.

Yes, this Li Ping was the mother of Guo Jing, the great hero who was for the country and the people.

While playing a game, Guo Jing discovered Wang Ming lying on the ground and called for adults to bring Wang Ming back. After recovering, he learned that the system's transmigration location this time was the Mongolian region, near the tribe of the peerless genius Genghis Khan, Temujin, and he had almost been killed.

"Even with internal energy, one can't withstand nature!"

Wang Ming had been severely tricked this time. It was a sandy desert, but what if next time it was in the midst of a million soldiers? A boundless ocean? A scorching volcano?

"Sigh! I hope I'm overthinking this. Please don't be so tricky."

Wang Ming had originally planned to head to the Central Plains. After all, in the Legend of the Condor Heroes World, the main opportunities were in the Central Plains. However, after careful analysis, he felt there were no significant benefits to going to the Central Plains in this world.

The combat power ceiling in the Smiling, Proud Wanderer world, Feng Qingyang and Dongfang Bubai, were only at the Houtian realm, and they were still inferior to Hong Qigong and the others (not counting combat power rankings).

The Five Greats of the Condor Heroes world were likely all in the late Houtian realm, while Wang Chongyang had probably broken through to the Xiantian realm. His own strength was only at the early Houtian stage, making it impossible for him to dominate the Central Plains martial arts world.

This realm classification was Wang Ming's own. After all, this wasn't a game with a power ranking chart to tell him who was stronger or weaker.

He could only classify them himself to have a rough idea of who he could provoke and who he couldn't.

Wang Ming's classification was:

Most people in the martial world relied on their courage and ferocity to navigate the jianghu. These were the lower-tier individuals.

Third-rate: Possessed some martial arts techniques, at the lower-middle level of their sects. For example: the Four Ghosts of the Yellow River, Yang Tiexin, Guo Xiaotian, Mu Nianci.

Second-rate: Had complete martial arts legacies but hadn't mastered them to the extreme. For example: the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan, Sha Tongtian, Peng Lianhu, Wu Xiuwen, Wu Dunru.

First-rate: Martial artists who had cultivated internal energy. For example: the Seven Masters of Quanzhen, the Four Disciples of Peach Blossom Island, the Fisherman, Woodcutter, Farmer, and Scholar.

Houtian Realm: Had achieved mastery in internal energy cultivation, capable of projecting internal energy externally. For example: Ren Woxing, Yue Buqun.

These first, second, and third-rate levels can all be considered post-natal realms.

This is because all these cultivation methods refine true qi through the method of transforming essence into qi, hence the general term "post-natal realm."

However, the gap between first, second, and third-rate practitioners and masters who can project their internal energy outside their bodies is enormous; they are practically not of the same species.

For example, the seven masters of the Quanzhen Sect, all first-rate, could only contend with Huang Yaoshi when combined and with the added bonus of the "Heavenly Dipper North Star Formation."

Therefore, they were simply categorized separately.

If each realm is divided into early, middle, and late stages, Wang Ming himself is currently only in the early post-natal stage.

The ability to absorb a bit of spiritual energy from heaven and earth is the basis for stepping into the innate realm.

However, at this stage, one still needs to eat; the primary source of internal energy is still food and medicinal materials.

Wang Ming hasn't set any specific goals for the later stages yet, as he hasn't even witnessed them himself.

During a conversation with Li Ping, she learned that Wang Ming had been educated and asked him to tutor Guo Jing in his early studies. She immediately had Guo Jing kneel and acknowledge Wang Ming as his teacher.

This is Mongolia, and finding someone capable of teaching Guo Jing to read and write is incredibly difficult.

Initially, Wang Ming was unwilling, wanting to seek opportunities in the Central Plains.

But Guo Jing had saved his life, making it difficult to refuse.

After careful consideration, going to the Central Plains at this time was not opportune. It could allow him to blend in with the chaos.

During this period:

Eastern Heretic Huang Yaoshi was on Peach Blossom Island, lamenting the spring before his wife's coffin, with the island heavily fortified with traps;

Western Venom was at White Camel Mountain Villa, eating dumplings with his sister-in-law, with the White Camel Mountain covered in snakes, insects, and various potent poisons;

Southern Emperor Duan Zhengxing was likely in the Dali imperial palace, feeling the weight of the hat on his head, with the army maintaining strict guard;

Northern Beggar Hong Qigong was wandering somewhere, and the Beggar's Sect disciples were spread throughout the land, not to be trifled with.

Wang Chongyang was considered the pinnacle; whether he was dead or not was unknown, but it was best not to provoke him.

Cultivating internal energy in the desert at this time while waiting for an opportunity was also a good option, and he could teach Guo Jing to read concurrently.

Although Wang Ming was a martial artist, he had also read extensively. Gentleman Sword Yue Buqun had put effort into the cultural education of his disciples, and since Guo Jing wasn't taking imperial examinations, teaching him was not an issue.

A few years later, the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan also arrived in the great desert, found Guo Jing, and began teaching him martial arts.

Among the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan, only the eldest, Ke Zhen'e, and the second eldest, Zhu Cong, had martial arts that barely touched the threshold of first-rate masters; the others were merely second-rate masters.

Wang Ming had originally wanted to teach Guo Jing martial arts himself, genuinely looking down on their skills. However, considering Guo Jing and Yang Kang, Wang Ming felt it was fine for the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan to teach him.

The moral character they instilled was not an issue. As for martial arts, how important were the protagonist's martial arts?

The protagonist was responsible for living day by day; everything else was up to fate. With opportunities and cheats along the way, houses, cars, and women would naturally come.

Wang Ming did not inject any personal biases into his teaching. He taught Guo Jing the same way his own teacher had taught him. Wang Ming did not want to change Guo Jing's personality.

Wang Ming remembered a famous saying: "Behavior forms habits, habits shape character, and character determines destiny."

Setting aside his protagonist status, Guo Jing's personality might seem foolish, but it was precisely through his sincerity that he touched the noble people in his life.

Without this sincerity, Guo Jing would be nothing. He was merely the son of Li Ping, a widowed mother with no power or money, and not particularly sharp-witted. Without sincerity, he would be just another ordinary person in the vast crowd.

Guo Jing's sincerity touched Jebe and Temujin, allowing his mother to live comfortably in Mongolia.

Guo Jing's sincerity touched Huang Rong, who could be considered Guo Jing's human cheat.

If Wang Ming had taught Guo Jing to be as cunning as Yang Kang, would Huang Rong still have liked Guo Jing?

Would Guo Jing have been willing to spend lavishly on a beggar he had just met?

Although Hong Qigong appeared to teach Guo Jing martial arts for the sake of food, he was actually teaching him because Guo Jing was honest and wouldn't engage in evil. Otherwise, would Hong Qigong have taught him?

Over the years, Wang Ming had been an observer, watching Guo Jing being taught martial arts by the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan. They didn't know Wang Ming knew martial arts, and Wang Ming had no intention of revealing it. He usually wore scholar's robes, and they genuinely believed he was an educated person.

Wang Ming often felt contempt seeing the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan get so angry that they beat their chests and stamped their feet at Guo Jing's slow progress in learning martial arts, calling him a hopeless case.

Wang Ming had assessed Guo Jing's aptitude and found him to be a peerless genius, but the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan didn't know how to teach.

The martial arts of the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan were simple and not profound, so why was Guo Jing learning so slowly?

It was because Guo Jing's talent was physical; his meridians were exceptionally tough and thick, making internal energy cultivation twice as effective. Guo Jing's aptitude was even higher than Linghu Chong's.

However, Guo Jing's comprehension was truly poor; he couldn't adapt at all, just a stubborn mule. This poor comprehension didn't mean he had a bad memory; Guo Jing could still recite the books Wang Ming taught him. It was like being able to recite a mathematical formula but not being able to apply it flexibly.

But how did these peculiar Seven Freaks of Jiangnan teach Guo Jing martial arts?

In the morning, it was Ke Zhen'e's Demon Subduing Staff; in the morning, it was the Bone-Splitting Hand of the Skilled Scholar; in the afternoon, it was Han Baoju's Coiling Dragon Soft Whip...

Let alone Guo Jing, even Wang Ming couldn't learn under such methods.

Martial arts techniques require muscle memory to form, gradually making the body's muscles more accustomed to the force generation of that particular martial art, forming an instinct.

With this approach, the necessary transformation of the body could not be achieved.

Furthermore, the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan practiced external martial arts, following the path of cultivating from the outside in and generating internal energy naturally. Practicing in such a scattered manner made it impossible to master a single martial art and generate internal energy.

Guo Jing's personality was also not suited for martial arts with too many variations; he simply couldn't handle them.

However, the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan's straightforward martial arts were completely unprofessional; practicing them wouldn't allow one to conquer the world with a single move.

During this time, Wang Ming followed behind the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan from a distance when the Black Wind Twin Fiends appeared. The scene fully demonstrated the importance of having a good master and a good lineage. Seven against two, and they almost got wiped out and had to flee.

Although the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan had terrible personalities and were bad at teaching disciples, they were genuinely good people. Wang Ming secretly assisted them with his hidden weapon techniques, preventing any casualties.

Chen Xuanfeng deserved to die. It was one thing to elope with Mei Chaofeng, but stealing their master's Nine Yin Manual when they left was a complete act of betrayal. Masters in this era truly provided food, lodging, and even assignments, and to stab a master in the back was truly ungrateful.

As Mei Chaofeng fled, Wang Ming quietly followed. Taking advantage of a moment when Mei Chaofeng wasn't paying attention, he remotely sealed her sleeping acupoint. Then, he stepped forward, found the Nine Yin Manual tattooed on Chen Xuanfeng's body, memorized it, and left. He didn't bother with Mei Chaofeng on the ground; she hadn't provoked him, and attacking a blind widow was beneath him.

After returning, Wang Ming acted as if nothing had happened. He taught Guo Jing the basics, cultivated his internal energy at night, and studied the Nine Yin Manual.

This was the lower volume, essentially containing martial arts with extremely high lethality. These were actually the techniques of the Ming Cult's experts, not created by Huang Shang. Therefore, they were quite unorthodox and not righteous martial arts.

The upper volume contained the martial arts insights Huang Shang had gleaned from countless Taoist scriptures. Unfortunately, he couldn't obtain it now, so he would study the lower volume for the time being.

Heart-Shattering Palm, White Python Whip Technique, Bone-Shattering Divine Claw, and Five-Force Hand Wave were all superior to the Purple Haze Divine Skill. Wang Ming wanted to learn them, but he didn't dare!

Practicing them without the foundational principles was already high-risk, and there was no complementary internal energy from the upper volume, only the stances and power-exertion techniques of the lower volume, which were of little use.

Wang Ming didn't lack martial arts and had no need to take such risks.

To be frank, the Jin Yong and Gu Long worlds have been overused, but readers are unfamiliar with the worlds written by various authors, and most will skip them.

There have been very few popular films and TV shows in recent years, so one can only make do with the classics.

Furthermore, in my opinion, those who enjoy fanfiction about various worlds don't want the hassle of guessing the worldviews and settings. They are interested in the different choices and developments within a relatively fixed framework.

It's like playing chess: the rules and pieces are fixed, but the outcomes differ based on the players' different strategies.