"The news leaked? Who leaked it to the Demon Cult? Lin Yuantu or Putian Shaolin Temple?
And I heard that Putian Shaolin Temple was hardly weaker than Northern Shaolin. How could our patriarchs have obtained the Sunflower Manual right under their noses?
Was the Sunflower Manual they obtained even genuine? Did it contain any hidden dangers?"
After hearing Yue Buqun's brief account, Tian Hao pondered for a while, then asked a string of questions.
"Our predecessors considered these questions too. The leak certainly didn't come from our Mount Hua Sect, so it could only have been Lin Yuantu or Putian Shaolin Temple.
However, I heard that the Fuwei Armed Escort Agency's relationship with Putian Shaolin Temple has always been lukewarm. There may well have been some bad blood between Putian Shaolin Temple and Lin Yuantu back then."
Yue Buqun's expression darkened. He had considered these questions before, and every spearhead pointed straight at Shaolin Temple.
Back then, the Mount Hua Sect had been at the height of its power. Allied with the other Four Mountains Sword Sects, its influence had nearly rivaled Shaolin Temple's, and it had even planned to expand into the heart of the Central Plains.
That region had always been Shaolin Temple's backyard. They had expected a battle with Shaolin Temple, but instead, a single Sunflower Manual had drawn the Sun-Moon Demon Cult from a thousand miles away. The Mount Hua Sect had suffered a devastating blow and been forced to abandon its eastward expansion.
After that battle, the Mount Hua Sect had never regained its former glory. Then the Sword-Qi Conflict had erupted, plunging it into prolonged internal strife and leaving it with even less capacity to expand eastward.
A moment's thought made it clear that Shaolin Temple had benefited from every event in that chain. They could hardly avoid suspecting it.
But Shaolin Temple was too powerful. Never mind that they had no evidence-even if they did, they would not have dared produce it.
The Mount Hua Sect's foundations fell far, far short of theirs.
"Truly worthy of a great sect that has held the martial world by the horns for a thousand years. With just one Sunflower Manual of uncertain safety, they brought our Mount Hua Sect down."
Tian Hao voiced his admiration. He was now almost certain that Shaolin Temple had deliberately engineered what happened back then.
Sometimes, action did not require evidence. Suspicion was enough.
"Master, if all my martial uncles could quickly bring Embrace Origin Force to greater mastery, cultivating both internally and externally, and each had a Black Iron longsword, could we take down Putian Shaolin Temple?"
Thinking of Putian Shaolin Temple in Fuzhou, Tian Hao felt tempted-tempted by its martial arts heritage.
The Mount Hua Sect had lost far too much of its accumulated heritage during the Sword-Qi Conflict. In particular, after its defeat, the Sword Sect had burned every one of its inherited manuals to ashes.
That had left him without any predecessors' insights to guide his cultivation of Embrace Origin Force, and he had nearly gone down the wrong path.
To travel farther along the martial path, he needed sufficiently deep foundations. Most crucial of all were martial arts manuals.
Slowly building up the Mount Hua Sect's own resources would take too long, and far too many people did not want to see it rise. They needed to let their sword take an unconventional edge and seize someone else's ready-made heritage.
Putian Shaolin Temple had plotted against the Mount Hua Sect, so with that karmic debt between them, it would have only itself to blame even if they went over and wiped it out.
After all, Buddhists preached karma. Yesterday's cause bore today's fruit; they could blame no one else.
"You can help people master Embrace Origin Force quickly?"
After a moment of stunned silence, Yue Buqun came to his senses, his aged face flushing with excitement. Even Li Buli's eyes flashed brilliantly beside him.
Naturally, he knew that martial artists who cultivated both internally and externally were stronger, but that demanded considerable talent. Embrace Origin Force itself also required exceptional comprehension. For them, reaching greater mastery would be harder than ascending to heaven.
But if there were a fast-track method, things would be different.
Had anyone else said this, they would have ignored it. But the young man before them was a peerless genius who could enter a state of sudden enlightenment, and who had achieved greater mastery of Embrace Origin Force in just three and a half years with nothing but a manual.
Perhaps he really could devise a way for others to master Embrace Origin Force quickly.
As for forging Black Iron, Yue Buqun was not particularly surprised. He had already anticipated that Tian Hao, having achieved greater mastery of Embrace Origin Force, would certainly be capable of working Black Iron.
"After my last sudden enlightenment, I gained a deeper understanding of Embrace Origin Force. Combined with the Self-Hypnosis Method, the mental cultivation my martial uncles have accumulated through years of practicing the Mount Hua Heart Method should allow them to enter the state of Embrace Origin Guarding the One quickly.
If they practice Embrace Origin Force in that state, they'll surely get twice the result for half the effort, increasing their cultivation efficiency more than tenfold.
However, I haven't fully perfected this part of the Self-Hypnosis Method yet. I hope you can grant me the Primal Chaos Skill and the Violet Mist Divine Skill, Master, so I can study their mental methods."
Stripped to its essence, Embrace Origin Guarding the One was simply concentration. But it was an extreme form of concentration, requiring the practitioner to cast aside every stray thought and retain only a single focus on controlling the embracing the origin inner force.
Achieving that was difficult, but self-hypnosis could do it. At least, it was theoretically possible.
Now he needed more internal cultivation methods as references to deepen his own foundations and perfect the Self-Hypnosis Method.
Last month, he had obtained a copy of the Mount Hua Heart Method from his master's wife, Ning Zhongze. Using its mental training section, he had already refined the Self-Hypnosis Method once.
"Junior Brother Li, sorry for the trouble, but please send word to our fellow disciples and ask them to finish their missions as quickly as possible and return to Mount Hua.
Make copies of the Embrace Origin Force manual and send those along too, so they can study and practice it on the way."
Yue Buqun had great confidence in Tian Hao and immediately gave Li Buli his instructions.
Tian Hao had achieved greater mastery of Embrace Origin Force through sudden enlightenment, without guidance from any predecessor. He had practically taught himself, which made the significance entirely different.
Perhaps he really could produce a fast-track method. Even if its results fell short of orthodox cultivation, they should not fall too far behind.
If Yue Buqun's fellow disciples could cultivate both internally and externally, then with the added advantage of Black Iron longswords, even cultivation at the peak of the inner qi realm would be enough to contend with Houtian realm martial artists.
Thirty-six fighters with Houtian realm strength would then be enough to sweep through the entire martial world of the Southern Ming Kingdom. Destroying Putian Shaolin Temple might not be effortless, but they would have at least a seventy-percent chance.
"Yes, Sect Leader!"
Li Buli was a man of swift, decisive action. He immediately used his lightness skill to head down the mountain and make the arrangements.
"Hao, come with me!"
Motioning for Tian Hao to follow, Yue Buqun headed toward his cultivation chamber, where all the Mount Hua Sect's remaining supreme arts were kept, including the Violet Mist Divine Skill and the Primal Chaos Skill.
They soon reached the chamber. Yue Buqun activated the mechanism to lower the stone door, then used a special technique to retrieve two manuals from hidden compartments: the Primal Chaos Skill and the Violet Mist Manual.
Although only the sect leader was allowed to study the Violet Mist Manual within the Qi Sect, Yue Buqun was no rigid pedant. Faced with a peerless genius capable of entering sudden enlightenment, he would not foolishly cling to the rules laid down by their predecessors.
Besides, rules were only meant to bind ordinary people, and this disciple was clearly anything but ordinary.
Tian Hao accepted the two manuals but did not immediately open them. Instead, he made an inexplicable request.
"Master, could you spare Second Senior Brother?"
As early as when he had proposed the Dictionary and Mount Hua Academy plans, Tian Hao had guessed that Yue Buqun would not let Lao Denuo live much longer.
But Lao Denuo had done him a kindness, offering considerable help during his early cultivation. Although the man had his own motives, that kindness was real.
Tian Hao repaid every grudge, but he also repaid every kindness.
"You noticed too?"
After a moment of surprise, Yue Buqun's expression grew grave.
He did not doubt that Tian Hao had seen through Lao Denuo's true identity. After all, this was a disciple acknowledged even by Imperial Tutor Ru Zhigang, possessing the wisdom to create the Dictionary and Pinyin. How could he fail to see through an undercover agent?
"He was probably sent by Zuo Lengchan, but Second Senior Brother has shown me kindness. Please consider that he hasn't yet committed any grave wrongdoing and spare his life, Master."
Tian Hao made his plea earnestly. He did not want Lao Denuo to end up dead.
Perhaps Lao Denuo had not amounted to much in the original story, but as an adult, Tian Hao would naturally not judge everything solely by that story.
This was a real world, and human nature was exceedingly complex. Humans were self-serving creatures; those who treated him well were his friends.
Lao Denuo had shown him kindness, so he was Tian Hao's friend.
Of course, that was because Lao Denuo had not yet done anything to harm the Mount Hua Sect. Otherwise, Tian Hao could only give him a swift death.
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