Chapter 83:

Just now, he made a handsome profit and received an unprecedented A rating, instantly becoming as respected as a sixty-year-old despite being in his forties.

Closing his eyes, Qiao Mu reminisced about the sixteen years of hard training, as if in a dream.

"Martial arts training is truly grueling. There are no shortcuts, only day by day, year by year accumulation of sweat and continuous perseverance, to reach this point."

"With hard work, comes great reward."

"I really am struggling."

As Qiao Mu looked back on the sixteen years of training, he couldn’t help but feel amazed.

Luckily, he didn’t give up and persisted all the way to this point.

Currently, Qiao Mu’s Long Life Fist is at a "basic level" because he was taught by Qiao Canxue, a blind woman. This incomplete Long Life Fist Sutra only includes the training section, with no access to the Spiritual Refining Chapter.

Another incomplete technique, the top martial skill of the ancient martial arts world, the "Pure Yang Wuji Skill", Qiao Mu was able to break through to the third level after this training.

The profound Child Prodigy Skill at the age of sixty still holds great value.

There were breakthroughs in other aspects such as hard skills, light skills, and weapon techniques.

What truly caught Qiao Mu’s attention was the breakthrough in two different techniques.

First, of course, is the well-known Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method that he has already mastered.

"Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method is truly a secret technique that I rely on for survival."

Qiao Mu also felt deeply moved.

This is a famous self-harm technique. Who knew that after using it repeatedly and practicing for years, he had become adept at it.

When Qiao Canxue first taught it to him, she only hoped that he could rely on this technique for a way out of desperate situations.

However, every time Qiao Mu used the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method, he deliberately put himself in a dire situation and came up with cool lines in various poses through deep contemplation, resulting in his own death.

The mastered Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method is quite different.

The original Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method expended the body’s potential by using internal strength as a catalyst to extract greater power from the limbs and bones.

But now, the mastered Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method can also be performed using the Qi and blood as catalysts.

Just like before, when Saintess Wu Qingxin lit him up with unique flames, his whole body turned into a fragrant incense, and his blood and qi can be used as fuel.

Of course, this is the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method, not self-immolation. There is a fundamental difference between the two.

Another cultivation method that Qiao Mu is very interested in is called "Ripple Stacking Wave Strength".

According to what Qiao Canxue said before, back in the Heyang City’s Qiao Family, only the Qiao Family Patriarch, who had profound understanding of martial arts, reached the third level of this renowned and complex martial arts technique, the Triple Wave realm.

And now, Qiao Mu has already cultivated to the second level, the Double Wave.

The higher his Death Assessment, the more efficiently he can utilize his time.

In these sixteen years, what grew the fastest was his attainment in various martial arts techniques, not Qiao Mu’s own martial cultivation.

"I wonder how Cansnow is doing now, if she has already embarked on her immortal path…"

"Time flies and now I’m already sixty. The immortal path is different from the martial path, it progresses rapidly. I guess I won’t have a chance to seek support anymore."

Maybe because he was getting older, Qiao Mu would often think back to the old acquaintances of his youth, like Old Huang and Qiao Canxue.

Qiao Canxue was like a guide for Qiao Mu in his martial arts journey.

And inside Heyang City today, Xuantian Temple, where Qiao Mu encountered practitioners of the immortal path for the first time, happened to be the renovated Qiao Family Courtyard from his past in Heyang.

Qiao Mu closed his eyes and focused on his lower abdomen.

As expected, his lower abdomen’s energy sea expanded rapidly once again.

This time, he directly jumped from the initial 6th rank to the initial 4th rank.

"Ah, a 4th rank martial artist. One more step and it will be spiritual refining."

The martial arts techniques that Qiao Mu practiced now included top ancient methods like Long Life Fist and Pure Yang Wuji Skill, as well as modern methods like Flesh Changing Skill and Martial Saint Spiritual Technique.

In terms of the grades and quantity of his martial arts, and his accomplishments, Qiao Mu, who had experienced multiple high-quality deaths, especially this A-level death, had undergone a tremendous transformation.

The better someone dies, the more progress they can make in a limited time, and the more they can improve their martial arts skills.

Qiao Mu finished his business in the outhouse and walked out, feeling satisfied.

When a person reaches sixty, they become old and tough.

It truly made him happy.

After feeling happy, he still had a second worry in his heart.

"I can’t believe I’m already sixty years old. I’m already at the 4th rank and I still haven’t obtained the second half of the ‘Long Life Fist Sutra’ from the Wuji Association."

The reason why Long Life Fist is considered a superior martial art is because it allows people to maintain their vitality even in old age.

Qiao Mu has already reached the highest level of training and can’t progress any further. Sёarᴄh the ηovёlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Even though he is sixty years old, thanks to the effects of the Long Life Fist, Qiao Mu still feels energetic and doesn’t notice any decline in his strength and vitality.

But as time goes on and one gets older, it becomes uncertain.

"Where did the people from Wuji Association hide? Hurry up and let me kill them to obtain the second half of the ‘Long Life Fist Sutra’."

Perhaps because of his old age, Qiao Mu started to miss his good friend with the surname Guo, who used to be very generous and helped him a lot.

In the darkness of the night.

Qiao Mu stopped by the side of the street, raising his eyes to look towards the distant Xuantian Temple.

The turmoil during the day had already ended, yet the temple still stood there, bright with lights and bustling with worshippers who came and went.

Qiao Mu slightly raised his head, his gaze shifting towards the mountains behind Xuantian Temple, a deep intuition growing in his heart.

"Saintess Wu Qingxin from Xuantian Sect, she is the person my intuition is pointing to…"

Just as this thought arose in his mind, Qiao Mu suddenly froze, his eyes staring in the direction outside the city.

In that brief moment just now, he felt a presence outside the city, similar to Saintess Wu Qingxin from Xuantian Sect, that he could sense with his instincts.

"Could it be someone from Wuji Association?"

Qiao Mu glanced at Xuantian Temple and looked away.

Facing death during the day made him realize the gap between himself and a cultivator.

Among the menial disciples he killed during the day, there was even a martial artist in the late stages of the 6th rank, yet such people are still guarding the entrance for Xuantian Sect.

It’s easy to imagine the vast difference between Immortal Gate Xuantian Sect and ordinary martial artists.

Although Qiao Mu is not afraid of death.

He doesn’t want to die without any purpose.

A regular martial artist, even if burned like incense, can only have a small impact on this dark world.

"Let’s first take a look and see if the person my intuition is pointing to is someone from the Wuji Association."

At this point, Qiao Mu also vaguely perceived the strangeness of the "Martial Saint Spiritual Technique."

………………

The next day.

Inside a secretive mansion in the western part of the city.



Emperor Yonghe was sitting on a reclining chair, closing his eyes to rest, feeling a bit tired.

After realizing that he might have offended the Immortal Gate Xuantian Sect, he no longer had the interest or energy to play the disguised visit and observe the people’s sentiments.

Since that day, he had been contemplating strategies and resting in the mansion.

"Your Majesty, we have found some information about Qiao Pifu and the Qiao family he mentioned."

Guard Chu appeared behind him and reported.

The Flying Fish Guard is both the emperor’s personal guard and his spy.

The Flying Fish Guard has been investigating Qiao Pifu’s identity for a while.

Initially, Emperor Yonghe’s interest in Qiao Mu started because of "Wang Shanhe." Emperor Yonghe wanted to find the Wang Shanhe who had protested while carrying a coffin through the newly appointed Captain Qiao.

After Qiao Pifu openly discussed political matters in the teahouse, Emperor Yonghe became somewhat interested in Qiao Pifu himself.

After searching all the way until now, some things have finally been discovered.

"Is this Qiao Pifu related to the Qiao Family of Heyang City that was exterminated by the Martial Saint?" Emperor Yonghe asked.

The Qiao surname is not unique; there are many people with that name in the world.

If you talk about a famous Qiao family, it would be the Heyang City’s Qiao Family that was destroyed.

"Your Majesty, when the Qiao Family of Heyang City was completely destroyed, the Martial Saint was not a merciful person, so these two Qiao family members should not be related."

"Qiao Pifu is like a character that jumped out of a stone, seemingly ordinary but actually very mysterious."

"We have investigated the lead on Shen Qinghe and it can be confirmed that Shen Qinghe’s knowledge of Qiao Pifu is quite limited, even less than me, a member of the Flying Fish Guard."

At this point, Chu Xing’s expression also became slightly solemn.

The more they investigated, the more they felt fearful.

Setting aside the Immortal Gate above all else, even though the strength of Great Yan has declined over the years, it is still Great Yan.

As a member of the Flying Fish Guard by the Emperor’s side, naturally they are not to be taken lightly.

After such diligent investigation, they didn’t find any decent clues, which is truly unimaginable.

Qiao Pifu is not ordinary.

According to the Flying Fish Guard’s guess, he is a highly skilled martial artist who has lost his spiritual soul. It seems that he was injured by a cultivator in his early years, and the spirit he showed before his death truly lives up to his past as a successful spiritual refining martial artist.

Therefore, the Qiao family behind Qiao Pifu is obviously unusual.

So, the following guesses are obvious: The Qiao family is a mysterious hidden family that even the Flying Fish Guard cannot trace much information about.

"Besides, on the side of Yan City, there are also stories circulating about Qiao Family’s father and son, which has led me to discover some connections between Qiao Family’s father and son and this Qiao Pifu."

"People in Yan City call Qiao Family’s father and son righteous men, carrying on the tradition of ancient chivalry, with ‘dying for what is right’ as their family motto."

"And the family motto mentioned by Qiao Pifu is another phrase: ‘It is the duty of every commoner to take responsibility for the rise and fall of the nation.’"

Emperor Yonghe listened with a sense of longing.

"If these two Qiao families are the same Qiao family, I truly wonder what kind of extraordinary individuals their ancestor, who spoke these two family mottoes, must have been." He sighed.

"Is there any further connection between these two?" Emperor Yonghe asked again.

"Yes," Guard Chu replied.

"Whether it’s Qiao Mu and Qiao Lin, the father and son from the Qiao Family in Yan City, or Qiao Pifu from Heyang City…"

"They all know the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method!"

Emperor Yonghe：？

He was a bit confused, thinking, "Does this count as something they have in common?"

"If it’s only the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method, it wouldn’t be enough. But considering the previous clues, I boldly hypothesize and carefully infer, which leads to a guess," Chu Xing said.

"The mysterious and hidden martial arts family, Qiao family, with their motto of ‘dying in the right way’ and ‘the responsibility of every man in the rise and fall of the world,’ have the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method passed down in their family’s martial arts."

Emperor Yonghe was starting to think he was going crazy.

The ancestral martial art technique of Heyang City’s Qiao Family is the Long Life Fist.

Is the martial art passed down in the Qiao family where Qiao Pifu is from called the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method?

What kind of family is this? Aren’t they afraid of the family line dying out and their bloodline being cut off?

If Emperor Yonghe hadn’t witnessed Qiao Pifu’s resolute posture before his death, he would never believe that such a family could exist in this world.

All prestigious families aim to expand and thrive by having many descendants.

By producing a strong-willed and highly skilled martial artist like Qiao Pifu, the Qiao family is clearly not a small family.

"Then continue the investigation," Emperor Yonghe ordered.

"Qiao Pifu is already dead."

"If there are other heroic figures like Qiao Pifu from the Qiao family, and if they are willing to serve the Great Yan, perhaps in a thousand years we can explore a martial path that is not inferior to the immortal path."

Hearing this, Chu Xing, who is also a 3rd rank Spirit Refining martial artist, looked slightly saddened.

Is martial arts as powerful as immortality?

This grand goal is like a mirage, only visible from a distance, but unattainable.

Before cultivators intervened in Great Yan, martial artists were actually the main body of the Great Yan Imperial Court. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Great Yan Imperial Court stands on martial arts.

However, the human body has its limits.

The training of martial artists is a process of continuously pushing the limits of the human body, but breaking limits is also relative.

The limit of the 4th rank is the limit of internal strength in a martial artist’s dantian.

Martial artists before the 4th rank, with each advancement from 1st rank, the amount of internal strength will increase by double or even multiple times.

But as a 3rd rank Spirit Refining martial artist, Chu Xing, when facing 4th rank martial artists like Wu Qingxin and Lord Lou, if we compare solely based on the richness of internal strength, he is not much stronger.

The amount of internal strength is just one aspect, as a martial artist who has achieved spiritual refining, he is naturally more powerful.

After reaching the 4th level of their inner power, the martial artist’s strength had already reached the highest limit of the human body.

It’s not that it can’t grow, but the limit of the inner strength can only be gradually increased through long years of accumulation and slow breakthroughs. It’s no longer like the previous levels where the inner strength can skyrocket after a breakthrough.

It is because of this… that previous martial artists gradually discovered the Spiritual Refining Method after reaching the limit of cultivating inner power, instead of foolishly continuing to stack inner strength.

The Spiritual Refining Method is naturally stronger than just stacking inner strength.

But in front of a cultivator…

Just as he thought about this, Chu Xing suddenly felt a strong and powerful threat, surpassing his own abilities, thanks to his instincts as a Spirit Refining martial artist.

"An assassin? No, it’s a cultivator," Chu Xing blurted out.

Emperor Yonghe, who had been resting with his eyes closed on the reclining chair, suddenly opened his eyes.

Has the time finally come?



Has it only been a day since the cultivator from Xuantian Sect came to visit?

That flying knife that tried to save Qiao Pifu before, it seems like it caused trouble…. Is this why someone is coming to ask for an explanation?

Emperor Yonghe sighed quietly in his heart, stood up straight, and straightened his back.

No matter how powerful Immortal Gate is, as the Emperor of Great Yan, he cannot lose his dignity in front of cultivators.

Even if it’s half a month later, according to the plan, he will have to go to Qingming Mountain to pay respects to the immortals of Xuantian Sect.