Only after Old Yue had forced him to stay in his room and recuperate for three days was Tian Hao finally allowed out.
Although his face was still deathly pale and his eyes sunken, making him look as though excessive indulgence had left his kidneys depleted, he had recovered considerably on the inside. The rest would have to be nursed back to health slowly.
Crack!
Walking into the courtyard, Tian Hao channeled his force according to the method of Embrace Origin Force and threw a punch. The air burst with an explosive report, its power astonishing.
Yet the effect of that punch left Tian Hao looking rather odd.
"Why is this so similar to manifest force in martial arts novels?"
The cultivation system in those martial arts novels revolved around force, a power refined from the muscles and bones. The hallmark of manifest force was making the air explode with a strike.
He did not know what manifest force in real martial arts was like, but his own ability to burst the air relied neither on strength nor speed. It came from a particular application of force.
"A fist like raging thunder, its divine might shaking the heavens! To think this old man would live to witness the power of fully mastered Embrace Origin Force again."
A voice rang out with a sigh of wonder. Tian Hao turned and saw the one-armed man who had given him that reminder the other day.
"Disciple Tian Hao pays his respects to Uncle-Master Li!"
He hurriedly bowed with respect. Tian Hao was deeply grateful to this Uncle-Master Li. Without that little pointer the other day, who knew how much longer he would have remained stuck?
His innate divine attribute had long since been sufficient to bring Embrace Origin Force to full mastery. Unfortunately, all he had was a single training manual, without even any notes on the insights and experiences of his predecessors.
Even Lao Denuo, who had practiced external arts, could only offer a few pointers in the early stages. After that, Tian Hao had to slowly feel his way forward alone. It was hardly surprising that he had taken a wrong turn.
"With a Qilin Child like you in the Mount Hua Sect, we will be able to face our master and the others without shame when we pass on."
Seeing Tian Hao's gratitude, Li Buli grew even more pleased with his martial nephew.
His comprehension was exceptional, and his future achievements knew no bounds. He also respected his teachers and honored their teachings, with no flaws in his character. With such a disciple, the Mount Hua Sect was certain to flourish in the future.
"You flatter me, Uncle-Master!"
Tian Hao smiled modestly. He greatly admired this Uncle-Master Li, whose dominant right hand had been severed during the Sword-Qi Conflict, robbing him of ninety percent of his fighting ability.
Yet this uncle-master had not given up. Through sheer determination, he had adapted Mount Hua Swordsmanship into a left-handed style. Although his cultivation was only at the peak of the inner qi realm, he could still hold his own against an ordinary houtian realm expert.
The Mount Hua Sect had quite a few others like Li Buli, people whose bodies were broken but whose resolve remained firm. They were all Qi Sect members who had been fortunate enough to survive the Sword-Qi Conflict.
Even his own master, Yue Buqun, had had his belly sliced open back then and had nearly failed to pull through.
Those wounded and disabled elders had not remained in the Mount Hua Sect afterward. Instead, they had withdrawn into the Qinling Mountains behind Mount Hua, scattering among its many mountain villages to quietly take in disciples and train them, passing down the Mount Hua Sect's legacy.
In fact, if he had not put together the Dictionary and Pinyin, allowing Yue Buqun to glimpse hope for the Mount Hua Sect's revival, his master would never have contacted these fellow disciples who had lived in seclusion for years.
This was probably also one of the reasons Yue Buqun had dared contend for leadership of the Five Mountains Alliance in the original story.
After all, any authority needed sufficient martial power to support it. With only that paltry handful of members the Mount Hua Sect had in the original story, it could hardly be said to possess any reserves of strength.
"I could hear you punching away from a long way off, brat."
A laugh rang out as Yue Buqun walked slowly into the courtyard. Compared with his bedraggled appearance that day, he looked much better now. At least his arm was no longer wrapped in bloodstained bandages.
"Master, I forgot to ask-how are things going with the Mount Hua Academy?"
Remembering his other teacher, Ru Zhigang, Tian Hao hurriedly asked.
He had been concentrating on martial training and paying no attention to outside affairs, so he did not even know whether the Mount Hua Academy had been established yet.
"The Ming Emperor sent half the Western Depot here to provide Teacher Ru with close protection. Even the Western Depot's Depot Governor, Yu Huatian, brought an imperial sword granting him the right to execute first and report afterward. However unwilling those people may be, they won't dare openly come and make trouble."
Yue Buqun gave a cold chuckle. He knew very well that they had won this time, securing a future for the Mount Hua Sect.
With the Ming Emperor's imperial sword here, they could shut down every overt move against them. And with Yu Huatian stationed here alongside half the Western Depot's experts, they had nothing to fear from covert methods either.
They had already secured an unassailable position from the outset.
"Yu Huatian!"
Murmuring that familiar name, Tian Hao could not help recalling the most effeminate true man from his previous life.
That beauty of the Western Depot had won over countless fans, and he had been one of them.
He just did not know whether this world's Yu Huatian had the same bearing as his movie counterpart.
Or whether he also moonlighted as a quality inspector for blades and swords.
"According to Teacher Ru, Yu Huatian is a trusted confidant of our Southern Ming Kingdom's Ming Emperor. The fact that he was sent here to protect Teacher Ru speaks for itself.
"But from what I have observed, Yu Huatian does not seem to enjoy meddling, and he is not difficult to get along with. For the time being, his presence benefits our Mount Hua Sect without doing us any harm."
Stroking his long beard, Yue Buqun showed little concern about Yu Huatian.
After all, by the Ming Emperor's decree, Ru Zhigang was Yu Huatian's immediate superior here. With Teacher Ru overseeing matters, Yu Huatian would not interfere with the Mount Hua Sect's development.
"Half a month ago, while escorting a shipment, Lin Zhennan of the Fuwei Armed Escort Agency had his cargo seized by the chief of the White Tiger Stronghold and was severely wounded. Do you have any thoughts on that, Sect Leader?"
Li Buli suddenly offered this seemingly inexplicable remark. The moment Tian Hao heard the Fuwei Armed Escort Agency's name, he could not help thinking of that most famous supreme martial art in Jin System martial arts fiction.
"Naturally, I have a few thoughts!
"The Evil-Warding Swordsmanship Lin Yuantu used back then closely matched the few scattered remarks left by my ancestor Yue Su. His Bixie Sword Manual must be connected to our Mount Hua Sect's Sunflower Manual.
"The Sunflower Manual is now in the hands of the Sun-Moon Divine Cult. We lack the strength to reclaim it, but obtaining the Bixie Sword Manual would not be nearly so difficult."
Yue Buqun did not conceal anything from Tian Hao. After Tian Hao had demonstrated his capacity for sudden enlightenment, he had already come to regard him as the true heir to his legacy.
In fact, if Tian Hao were interested in becoming the Mount Hua Sect's leader, he would not mind passing the position on to him.
Since Tian Hao was part of the inner circle, there was naturally no need to hide certain secrets from him.
"Plenty of people must have their eyes on the Lin family's Bixie Sword Manual. Now that Lin Zhennan has been gravely wounded, we'll see whether anyone in the Lin family has been secretly practicing it. If there is, that's one thing. If there isn't, heh..."
Yue Buqun chuckled coldly. He had long had his eye on the Lin family of the Fuwei Armed Escort Agency, but had held back out of wariness of Lin Yuantu's lingering prestige and the power of the Bixie Sword Manual.
If someone in the Lin family had inherited Lin Yuantu's Bixie Sword Manual and was secretly practicing it, such an expert would have few rivals in the entire martial world of the Southern Ming Kingdom.
The Sunflower Manual was, after all, a genuine innate realm supreme art. Even if Lin Yuantu's Bixie Sword Manual fell short of it, it was certainly a half-step innate supreme art, with a considerable chance of bringing its practitioner into the innate realm.
Such a figure was not someone they could afford to provoke.
Turning to Tian Hao, Yue Buqun explained, "Hao, there is something you do not know. Several decades ago, my ancestor Yue Su unexpectedly obtained a supreme martial art, the Sunflower Manual, from the Putian Shaolin Temple.
"Unfortunately, word leaked out before he could fully comprehend it. First, Southern Shaolin sent Lin Yuantu to confront him. Then the Demon Cult launched a surprise attack. My ancestor tragically died in that assault, the Demon Cult seized the Sunflower Manual, and the Mount Hua Sect suffered grievous casualties.
"Back then, my ancestor absorbed the mysteries and essence of the Sunflower Manual, further refining the Violet Mist Skill, one of the Mount Hua Nine Arts, into today's Violet Mist Divine Skill.
"To advance the Violet Mist Divine Skill further and make it an innate realm supreme art, we must obtain the Sunflower Manual.
"The Sunflower Manual is currently in the Sun-Moon Demon Cult's hands. The Demon Cult is powerful, and we are no match for it. But the Bixie Sword Manual Lin Yuantu created after returning to secular life must be connected to the Sunflower Manual. It may very well be the Sunflower Manual itself, or at least part of it."
Before you continue