Who Goes There?!

Luofu Grotto-Heaven.

For over a thousand years, forty-nine families have competed for Martial Fortune here, with a cycle every thirty years, allowing the younger generation to fight and grow, and the victor returning with the Martial Fortune.

However, with the departure of Martial Ancestor Lu Daolin, only a portion of the Martial Fortune in the cave heaven dissipated. Therefore, after the generation of Yu Tunzhou ended, each family quickly recruited another batch of disciples. It was a necessary measure to exhaust the resources, since the source was gone.

For some reason, after that generation ended, wave after wave of younger generations came, but none of them were able to absorb the Martial Fortune scattered throughout the world.

Just like now, the few unfamiliar faces squatting by the river are all newly sent juniors from various families. They all harbor the ambition that "we are exceptionally talented, and the Martial Fortune will choose us if not them." However, after two months, they have still not achieved anything and spend their days either spacing out or cursing.

Furthermore, with the abolition of the 30-year fishing ban, the Dragon Fish in the stream have been frequently caught and are now almost extinct, which once drew "strong protests" from Buddhist School.

It is said that the Buddhist disciple on the mountain had not eaten meat for a long time before he disappeared.

Jiang Xu squatted by the riverbank, staring at the water for the entire afternoon. The water was so clear that he could see the bottom, and apart from a few pebbles whose edges had been smoothed by the current, he saw nothing else.

Forget about Dragon Fish, they couldn't even catch a decent fish shadow, let alone the Martial Fortune that hung between heaven and earth, always ignoring them.

He has been here for more than two months, and his initial high aspirations have now been worn down to nothing but frustration.

I thought coming to Luofu Grotto-Heaven was a chance to "ride the wave," but I ended up being sidelined for nothing.

He sighed and walked along the bluestone path toward the old house, seeing several strangers along the way.

He has been here for more than two months, but he has never seen these people.

I wonder which organization's senior he is.

Recently, more and more people are coming to Luofu Grotto-Heaven...

Jiang Xu quickened his pace and returned to the Jiang Household's residence.

Any progress today?

As soon as I stepped into the mansion, a voice gently reached my ears.

"Reporting to the clan elder, there has been no progress today," Jiang Xu replied, bowing his head.

"Let's go back inside."

"Yes."

Inside the main house.

A man withdrew his gaze and shook his head, saying, "I don't know what methods that Martial Ancestor used. He clearly left behind Martial Fortune, but ever since that disciple Yungu left the grotto-heaven, no one has been able to respond to the Martial Fortune of heaven and earth."

Sitting in the room at this moment were two middle-aged men of similar age, both of whom were powerful experts from the Jiang Household at the External Scenery.

The clan elder who originally guarded the cave has returned to the clan. The current guardian, Jiang Chengyan, and Jiang Chengfeng, who came to provide support not long ago, are both from the same faction as the clan head Jiang Wentao.

"Still no clue about the entrance to the Pure Land?"

"The Inner Heaven and Earth left behind by the Buddha's ten great disciples is not so easy to find, otherwise it wouldn't have taken until today. Several groups of people have their eyes on the temple on the mountain, going there every night to search, all thinking that no one can see them. Master Xuanzang is also good-natured."

What about the thatched hut where the Yu Tunzhou?

"We dug three feet into the ground, but still found nothing."

Jiang Chengfeng tapped his fingertips on the table, then suddenly asked, "Where are the Book of Changes and the Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic?"

Jiang Chengyan chuckled, "They're all playing dumb. They all say it's an item jointly sealed by Daoism and Buddhism, but who hasn't tried to find it behind the scenes? Even the one from the True Martial Sect stationed there probably has his own agenda."

Jiang Chengfeng said, "You've been here for two years now, and still haven't found a single clue?"

"The relevant Secret Method have all been lost, and we have absolutely no clue what to do," Jiang Chengyan said, shaking her head. "I even suspect that these two extraordinary books have fallen back into the hands of the Martial Ancestor. Now that he has emerged into the world, why would he leave such divine objects untouched?"

Jiang Chengfeng was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "It might not be him. According to the records, that person succeeded in obtaining them back then, but eventually discarded them like worn-out shoes. Therefore, the clan suspects that if these two extraordinary books disappear, the most likely culprits are Yu Tunzhou, Li Jingxuan of Shangqing Mountain, and that Buddhist disciple of Vajra Chan Temple."

Jiang Chengyan frowned and said, "The latter two are reasonable, but how did Yu Tunzhou come to be suspected? He is neither Daoist School nor Buddhist School disciple, and he follows pure Martial Dao. How could he gain the approval of two extraordinary books?"

"It's very simple," Jiang Chengfeng said in a deep voice, "Because this boy's rise is completely illogical! Even Lu Huaiqing back then couldn't match his speed of advancement and breakthrough!"

Jiang Chengyan had no answer to this.

"Before I arrived, the clan received news that Yu Tunzhou had stirred up quite a storm in the Eastern Wilderness, killing a powerful expert at the External Scenery Third Layer from the Jade Lion Yao Household, which attracted a joint attack from the Nan and Yao families. Originally, the Lineage thought that this boy had courted his death and that there was no need for us to continue targeting him. However, not long ago we received news that... the Nan and Yao families have been wiped out!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chengyan's expression changed drastically. "Annihilated?! Those two families are both aristocratic clans with a history of thousands of years. How could they be wiped out so easily!"

"The specifics are still under investigation, and we don't believe Yu Tunzhou could have done this alone," Jiang Chengfeng said with a deep gaze. "Many powerful figures from various factions have come this time. Once they find the entrance to the Pure Land, conflict will ensue. I've received word that this kid will most likely get involved. Someone will take the lead and find an opportunity to bury him in Luofu Grotto-Heaven."

Jiang Chengyan's expression was uncertain as she was still processing the news of the annihilation of two powerful clans in the Eastern Wilderness.

"No need to worry," Jiang Chengfeng reassured. "This matter Non-Self Jiang Household. The clan's intention is to prioritize finding the Book of Changes and the Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic. As for Yu Tunzhou, others are eager to make their move."

The Chen Household Mansion.

"Granduncle."

A man in white robes and a jade belt entered the mansion, glanced at the empty rooms, and frowned slightly.

"There's been no one to take care of you all these years, Uncle, have you adapted well? After this is over, Uncle, please come back to Northern Chen with me."

The man's name was Chen Dingxin, and the one he called his uncle was none other than Chen Changbai, the old man who had been guarding the cave for the Northern Chen dynasty for many years.

Chen Changbai raised his eyes and gave him a nonchalant glance. "After Xuan Ye ascended the throne, your status also rose accordingly. Not only did you appoint yourself as regent, but your cultivation level also increased by a level?"

Chen Dingxin and said, "This all depends on my great-uncle's arrangements."

Chen Changbai shook his head and sighed, "I hope you can stabilize the situation in the country. My Northern Chen cannot withstand a second period of turmoil."

Since the Martial Ancestor left the cave heaven, the situation in Northern Chen has plummeted.

The root cause lies in the fact that the person who, upon being born, casually made a trip to the Northern Chen royal palace and personally killed Chen Beihan, the strongest person in Northern Chen and the eighteenth-ranked Grandmaster on the Earth Ranking, causing the previous ruler to also die in the court.

The throne remained unstable for several years afterward, until last year when the former "deposed crown prince" Chen Xuanye finally secured his position.

"Uncle, rest assured, Dingxin understands." After a slight hesitation, Chen Dingxin still asked, "Before Xuanye entered the cave heaven, I gave him that jade pendant engraved with the Spark Instruction. Could this jade pendant truly contain the Human Emperor's inheritance?"

During this period, as that person's reputation grew more and more renowned in the martial arts world, many sects had to seriously examine his past, personality, and style of doing things.

This is a sign of respect for a strong person, and also a way for each group to survive.

Chen Changbai sneered, "How can we verify this now? I suspect that Yu Tunzhou will arrive at the cave soon. You can ask him then."

Chen Dingxin a helpless, bitter smile.

The Northern Chen dynasty found almost nothing at that site of the Human Emperor.

The thought that Yu Tunzhou might have obtained the greatest fortuitous opportunity within the ruins, which led him to climb step by step to the top, reaching the coveted position of Earth Ranking Grandmaster in just a few years...

How could he, as the "culprit," not feel remorse, and how could he be at peace with himself?

Chen Dingxin suddenly said, "Grand Uncle, if we gather the strength of Northern Chen and kill a Grandmaster..."

"Are you so certain you can snatch the inheritance from this brat?" Chen Changbai interrupted directly, scoffing, "This boy is now involved in many things. If you want to touch him, have you considered the Supreme Purity Lineage?"

Chen Dingxin remained silent for a moment, then sighed.

really.

This young man has already gained momentum; he is no longer an insignificant nobody who can be easily manipulated.

"If we really want to touch him, we'll have to wait for someone else to make the first move," Chen Changbai said, his tone softening. "As for the Human Emperor's inheritance—let's keep it to ourselves for now; we'll find a way to deal with it later."

He walked to the window with his hands behind his back, his gaze passing over the courtyard wall and landing in the distance. "Back then, the Beichen faction secretly sent me orders to monitor Martial Ancestor Lu Daolin, but I never expected that this grotto-heaven would be the manifestation site of a Future Buddha."

"You should focus your attention on the grotto-heaven during this time. Once you find the entrance to the Pure Land, you will receive the legacy of Buddhist School. Buddhist treasures, relics, and the Dharma left by the Buddha —any one of these is a treasure our clan needs most. Even if we can't use them ourselves, we can still trade with the ancestral Buddhist School temple to secure the foundation for the future survival of Northern Chen."

"Given the current situation, a great upheaval is imminent, yet that Northern Chen Divine Lord seems to have completely forgotten about our Northern Chen lineage. Compared to the Xiao Household, we are utterly disregarded and must seek alternative paths, such as Buddhist School."

"Relics..." Chen Dingxin murmured, recalling the Buddhist School Master Xuanku who had once guarded the grotto.

This person possesses an Arhat Sarira, a Buddhist School treasure. Thanks to this relic, he was able to escape safely from the grasp of the Dharma Aspect when he was only at the External Scenery Fourth Layer.

Lu Huaiqing went to great lengths to invite Xuanku to the Northern Dark Sea, also in order to use his Arhat Sarira to suppress the Cosmic Heaven Grand Array.

If a relic of a venerable one could be obtained from this pure land, the situation of the Northern Chen could be immediately changed!

The residence of the Nanhua Sect.

Daoist Qingzhi stood in the courtyard, gazing blankly at the long-neglected and overgrown vegetable garden.

She used to find that guy surnamed Mo noisy and annoying, but after he left, the grotto became strangely quiet.

There have been quite a few people coming lately, but it's actually become more boring.

Let's get something interesting coming up.

The mountain path is rugged, with stone steps winding upwards.

Representatives from several aristocratic families and sects climbed the mountain together, reaching the highest peak in Luofu Grotto-Heaven.

As the group reached the summit, a somewhat dilapidated stone pavilion came into view. Its pillars were weathered and covered with knife marks and inscriptions of varying depths, bearing the bold words and aspirations left by countless disciples of Daoist sects over the past thousand years.

The wind swept through the pavilion, as if carrying the spirit and bold words of the past thousand years, crashing down on people.

Some people stroked the old inscriptions on the pillars, lamenting that while countless heroes have emerged over the years, only a handful have truly made their mark on history.

One of them turned to Yue Hongyi with a smile and asked, "Hongyi, you once fought with Yu Tunzhou in the grotto, have you ever heard that he left a mark on this pavilion?"

The woman in front of him was slender, and her Hongyi stood out in the mountain wind. The young disciples from the other families looked at her with a hint of admiration.

This woman was none other than Yue Hongyi, who had teamed up with Zhang Buyu in an attempt to get a share of the Dragon Fish from Yu Tunzhou and the others.

Looking at the various characters written throughout the pavilion, a complex emotion flickered in Yue Hongyi's eyes, and her expression became much more composed than it had been a few years ago.

She glanced at the writing all over the pavilion and shook her head slightly:

"Never heard of it."

A middle-aged Daoist priest in a green robe stopped in front of him. His gaze fell on a line of carvings on the pillar, and he said with a smile:

"Judging from the age of these marks, this inscription is at most ten years old. If this child truly left a message, it must be this one."

The crowd gathered at the sound and saw that the two lines of characters carved on the pillar were not ostentatious, but the strokes were deep and powerful, each stroke seemingly imbued with an unyielding spirit:

I have a bright pearl, long locked away by worldly cares.

A moment of silence fell over the pavilion. Then someone spoke in a low voice:

"It seems the rumors are not entirely untrue. Everyone said that this young man was taciturn and resigned to his fate, and that his destiny was only changed by Lu Huaiqing's intervention. But today it seems that this young man clearly had great ambitions hidden in his heart, but he was simply unable to use them due to his circumstances."

The crowd nodded slightly, recalling certain rumors circulating in the streets. Looking at these two lines of text again, they sensed a hint of hidden talent hidden in the cold dust.

In less than three years, he rose to the ranks of Grandmaster on the Earth Ranking...

It's not a case of turning things around out of thin air; it's just that a pearl has been covered in dust.

Just as everyone was pondering, a soft laugh suddenly drifted from the side, carrying a hint of mockery amidst its lightness.

Everyone frowned and looked over, only to see that the person who spoke was Xie Heyu from the Xie Household, which made sense to them.

Xie Heyu glanced at the two lines of inscription, snapped his folding fan shut, tapped his palm, and said casually, "It's just a few complaints from someone at their wit's end. Is it really worth all of you pondering over it like this?"

He took two steps forward, his gaze sweeping over the inscription on the pillar, a faint sneer playing at the corner of his lips:

"A mere commoner, without any inherited Root Bone or family background, how could he possibly have any profound insights? In the end, he only managed to escape the mire because he stumbled upon Lu Huaiqing and had some fools from the Northern Chen lineage rushing to offer him their inheritance."

"A moment of fleeting glory cannot change the underlying stinginess. The road ahead is long; let's wait and see how long this so-called 'pearl' can shine."

After hearing this, everyone had different expressions.

Some people frowned slightly, some seemed lost in thought, and some even twitched their lips as if they wanted to say something but then swallowed their words.

This attitude towards Yu Tunzhou was somewhat expected.

Although it was said that Xie Linchuan of the Xie Household and Yu Tunzhou had a good relationship, Xie Linxue of the Xie Household had her Martial Dao heart shattered by Yu Tunzhou in the Dragon Gate.

At this moment, everyone was having their own thoughts— the Xie Household originally had no quota for Luofu Grotto-Heaven, yet Xie Heyu went to great lengths to get in through connections with other Aristocratic Clan, and repeatedly promised beforehand to only observe and not interfere. Could it really be just to climb the mountain and vent his anger by saying a few sarcastic remarks?

If they are merely observing, are they observing the various factions vying for fortuitous opportunity within the Buddhist School Pure Land, or is it something else entirely...?

Good show?

This speculation immediately sparked a lot of thought among the representatives present.

Xie Heyu didn't care that no one responded; he simply looked up at the carvings on the pavilion pillar and sneered inwardly.

To ease the tension, the representative of the Hanyang Wang Clan smiled and changed the subject, "As you all know, although the Buddhist School did not intervene this time, the Bao Household sent out a whole host of powerful figures, led Ruyin Senior Ruyin, who is currently ranked thirty-third on the Earth Ranking."

"Oh?" someone exclaimed in surprise, "That Bodhisattva Bao has come too?"

"My ancestor once said that this person is among the top five most likely to become Grandmaster in this generation!"

"It seems the Bao Household came prepared this time, determined to win."

With everyone intentionally avoiding them, the group gradually moved to the side and soon began their descent down the mountain.

Yue Hongyi took one last, deep look at the line of carvings.

I heard that this guy recently went to the Eastern Wilderness where Zhang Buyu is, making enemies everywhere, and was besieged by two ancient Aristocratic Clan. I wonder how he is now...

Regardless, the young men who once competed with him in the grotto-heaven are now famous throughout the world, and even those who talk about him and are hostile towards him are now powerful elders.

She followed the elders down the mountain, when she suddenly stopped and turned around.

In that instant, a familiar figure in a green robe seemed to brush past her and ascend the steps.

But when she stopped and looked back, there was nothing behind her, as if it were an illusion.

"Hongyi, what's wrong?"

The gentle voice of my senior brother came through.

Yue Hongyi couldn't help but laugh at herself. Had she actually started thinking about that guy and was hallucinating?

Among the elders present, there were at least four or five at the External Scenery. For example, her senior uncle was a powerful expert at the External Scenery First Layer. If Yu Tunzhou had really walked past them just now, how could no one have sensed it?

But she couldn't help asking, "Uncle-Master, did anyone walk past us just now?"

The man looked surprised, then shook his head with a smile and said, "You little rascal, have you been under too much pressure from your cultivation lately?"

Ahead, a powerful External Scenery from the Hanyang Wang Clan chuckled and teased, "To pass by us without us even noticing, you either need to have cultivated your Nature Cultivation to the third level [Nature-Seeing Heaven], or you need to be a top-tier expert who has touched the threshold of Grandmaster."

"Moon Girl, you might have encountered a ghost."

The senior master in Yue Hongyi laughed and said, "It could also be one of the two guardians of this place. Their presence here is like having a home turf."

Amidst the laughter of the crowd, Yue Hongyi looked back somewhat dazedly, only to see a figure in a green robe gradually ascending the road at the end.

Traveling alone.

Inside the Daoist temple.

The Daoist Daoist Xuanyin of the True Martial Sect suddenly opened his eyes, his expression solemn. He got up, walked out of the Daoist temple, and looked up.

In a temple not far away, a monk with the Dharma name Xuanzang slowly stepped out, his gaze fixed on the sky.

This world...

It's as if there's been an additional "landlord" besides the two of them!

This moment.

After being bored for a long time, Daoist Qingzhi suddenly looked up.

Luo Shiwu, who had once openly demanded Dragon Fish from Yu Tunzhou, stood frozen in place.

Zhang Qingtong, who once pointed out the Yu Tunzhou at Evergreen Mountain, sighed deeply.

Zhou Tianchen of Heavenly Peng Daoist Temple laughed heartily.

Both members of the Jiang Household on External Scenery had solemn expressions in their eyes.

Chen Dingxin of the Northern Chen Dynasty looked horrified.

Xie Heyu, who had already reached the foot of the mountain, suddenly looked up and his gaze unconsciously swept over the girl named Yue Hongyi.

When exactly...?!

At the summit of the mountain.

Someone quietly reached the summit, their blue robe fluttering in the wind, their figure as immovable as Ten-Thousand-Ren High Mountain, stretching across the heavens and earth.

The mere leakage of a wisp of Fist Intent caused the Martial Fortune fortunes, which had been dormant for several years, to gather together, surge wildly, and Earth Surge the mountaintop in search of the one who had opened the path with his fist, as if something had been returned to its rightful owner.

But in the next instant, a Fist Intent that was both familiar and unfamiliar to many people shone brightly like the sun and moon in the sky, once again shattering the gathered Martial Fortune of heaven and earth!

Then it pressed down on the entire cavern.

There are no exceptions; everyone is treated equally.

The person simply stood quietly atop the mountain.

Arrogant and domineering.