Farewell

With a scoff, the wild and unrestrained Mo Xuanwu's eyes dimmed. "Even though my legs are broken, this little Mad Saber Sect can't hold me. It's not that I couldn't leave, it's that I didn't want to."

As if recalling past events, Mo Xuanwu's expression turned somber, his eyes becoming distant and hazy.

Jiang Shuo watched him quietly. Since Mo Xuanwu didn't wish to explain his reasons, he didn't press further. "Senior Mo, then how do I get out?"

After falling into the water dungeon, he had searched for a way out more than once. There were only two exits: the stone door he fell through, and the window above. The window was too far to reach with a jump, and the ceiling of the water dungeon was a hemisphere with no handholds or footholds, making it impossible to climb out. The only hope was the stone door, inlaid into one wall but seamlessly integrated with the stone, making its surface extremely smooth. Even if he climbed up the iron chain to the iron ring directly above and jumped down, there would be nowhere to land, resulting in him falling straight into the water.

"Every day at Mao Shi, Wu Shi, and You Shi, disciples from the Mad Saber Sect will bring me food. When that time comes, I will naturally be able to help you get out," Mo Xuanwu said.

The water dungeon was perpetually dark, and Jiang Shuo had no sense of time. Seeing the pile of leftover food and scraps around Mo Xuanwu, which hadn't been there before, he figured the Mad Saber Sect disciples must have brought food while he was unconscious. "Senior Mo, how many days have I been here?"

"Seven days," Mo Xuanwu replied.

"What?" Jiang Shuo was startled. He only had memories of about a day. Although he had passed out twice, he hadn't expected to be unconscious for so long.

Thinking that he had been missing for seven days, Jiang Shuo couldn't help but worry about how the situation outside might have developed.

"Remember, after you leave, you absolutely must not mention my name to anyone, nor any information about your father, Chiyun Village, Nine Tripod Mountain, etc. And don't easily reveal this Hundred Life Bone to others," Mo Xuanwu instructed as they prepared to part.

After personally experiencing the Spiritual Power of the Meridian Swallowing Divine Skill, Jiang Shuo could only imagine the dangers Mo Xuanwu must have faced wandering the martial world in his prime. Mo Xuanwu had many enemies, and he was likely worried about implicating Jiang Shuo.

Jiang Shuo looked down at the still faintly glowing Hundred Life Bone and asked curiously, "When I was in Chiyun Village, I never saw this Hundred Life Bone glow, but it's lit up three times since I came out. What exactly is going on?"

A casual question, however, caused Mo Xuanwu to frown. He quickly asked, "Three times? How could it be three times?"

Jiang Shuo recounted everything. Regarding Zhu Ming, whom he encountered in Yulin City, Jiang Shuo could only vaguely guess that he was a powerful figure in the imperial court, but he couldn't be sure of his identity.

Mo Xuanwu's expression remained normal when hearing about the guardian beast of Chiyun Village and Jiang Shuo himself. Only when he heard about the encounter with Zhu Ming did he show a slight surprise.

Mo Xuanwu then inquired about the details with a slight smile. "What a coincidence. I didn't expect you to run into him so soon after coming out."

Hearing Mo Xuanwu's tone, as if he knew who Zhu Ming was, Jiang Shuo quickly asked, "Senior Mo, why did the Hundred Life Bone glow when I met him?"

"That..." Mo Xuanwu's expression turned serious again, but he avoided the question. "You just need to remember, from now on, if the Hundred Life Bone glows, your best bet is to run."

"Huh?" Jiang Shuo was even more confused. If the person who made the Hundred Life Bone glow was supposed to harm him, then why didn't Zhu Ming and Mo Xuanwu do anything of the sort?

He wanted to ask more, but Mo Xuanwu waved his hand, interrupting him. "After you leave, you're bound to face a fierce battle. You should take this time to familiarize yourself with the Meridian Swallowing Divine Skill as much as possible. Also, a reminder: it's not just other people's internal energy; even your own internal energy can conflict with the Meridian Swallowing Divine Skill. You must be extremely cautious when learning cultivation techniques in the future. However, there is good news: your Bone Sealing Technique is not affected."

"..." Jiang Shuo was stunned, utterly speechless.

After Mo Xuanwu had so confidently declared that the Meridian Swallowing Divine Skill was all benefits and no harm, it turned out to have such significant limitations.

Martial artists could generally learn many internal energy cultivation methods. While conflicts between them might occur, at most, they would affect the power, not backfire on the user like the Meridian Swallowing Divine Skill.

Mo Xuanwu's words essentially meant that Jiang Shuo could only learn one internal energy cultivation method from now on to be safe. And he would have to rely on luck to avoid conflicts with the Meridian Swallowing Divine Skill.

If he hadn't been worried about his successor ending up learning a bunch of internal energy cultivation methods haphazardly and dying prematurely after leaving, Mo Xuanwu probably wouldn't have told him at all.

"So... Senior Mo, back then, were you also tricked by someone into learning this Meridian Swallowing Divine Skill?" Jiang Shuo asked resentfully.

"No, I learned it willingly. In fact, to learn the Meridian Swallowing Divine Skill, I even abandoned my previous internal energy cultivation." Completely ignoring the resentment in Jiang Shuo's tone, as if admiring his own courage in severing ties with the past, Mo Xuanwu continued, "This is all thanks to your father; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to cultivate the Meridian Swallowing Divine Skill."