Xiao Wuchen had only just returned to the Rootless Sect when he received a message from someone claiming to be 'Bai Xiaosheng', requesting an audience.
In a private room in a teahouse in the capital, he met this legendary figure, who supposedly controlled the intelligence network of the martial arts world. Bai Xiaosheng was a man of refined appearance, always carrying a folding fan and exuding an air of scholarly elegance — he was completely unlike a person from the martial arts world.
'Lord Xiao, congratulations on successfully establishing your meridians! You've made a name for yourself in one battle,' said Bai Xiaosheng, cupping his fists in a salute and smiling. His tone carried an air of all-knowing confidence.
'Master Bai Xiaosheng's information network is always excellent,' Xiao Wuchen returned the greeting, getting straight to the point. 'What brings you here, sir?'
Bai Xiaosheng waved his fan lightly, his tone playful. "I've simply come to 'hear your voice' for Lord Xiao. You see, the martial world's opinion of you has long surpassed that of eunuchs and palace attendants, and rivals even those on the Heavenly Rankings. Some say you're the greatest martial arts prodigy of the last twenty years, while others call you a demonic star of the new generation, poised to wreak havoc on the martial world.'
His tone shifted, with a hint of seduction: 'Those prestigious sects, like the Haoran Sword Sect, are spreading rumours that the Rootless Sect is demonic. They want fame, but what you need is orthodox status and the inheritance of martial arts.'
Bai Xiaosheng took a gold-embossed invitation out of his sleeve and pushed it towards Xiao Wuchen.
'This is an invitation from the Martial Saint Hall for a "Martial Arts Exchange". The Martial Saint Hall gathers martial arts classics and contemporary grandmasters from across the land; it represents the highest hall of martial arts.'
'An invitation from the Martial Saint Hall is far more important than the power of the inner palace,' said Bai Xiaosheng, lowering his voice. 'If you can enter the Martial Saint Hall, you will acquire top-tier martial arts knowledge and prove the legitimacy of your practice. This will render the slander of the Haoran Sword Sect utterly ineffective. It's a crucial step in elevating your status, clearing your name and uncovering the secrets of the Martial Arts Heavenly Ranking.'
Xiao Wuchen picked up the invitation. It was warm to the touch and heavy. He realised the importance of the Martial Saint Hall. Not only was it a treasure trove of martial arts knowledge, it was also a ticket to the core of martial arts power.
'I accept the invitation,' said Xiao Wuchen without hesitation.
Bai Xiaosheng smiled with satisfaction. 'A wise move. Before you leave, there is one more person who wishes to see you.'
No sooner had he finished speaking than there was a knock on the door of the private room and a stern-faced captain of the Black-Clad Guard entered.
'Lord Xiao,' he said, 'the Left Commander requests your presence.'
After seeing Bai Xiaosheng off at the teahouse, Xiao Wuchen was immediately taken by the captain of the Black-Clad Guards to a secluded villa outside the capital.
The Left Commander was seated in the main room of the villa. He was a burly man with eyes that exuded a sinister coldness, completely different from the Chief Evil-Repelling Steward's.
'Congratulations, Lord Xiao, on successfully establishing your meridians.' The Left Commander's voice was deep and resonant, exuding undeniable authority. He cut to the chase without any preamble. 'Although we belong to different factions, we currently share a common enemy and target.'
The Left Commander abruptly stood up, walked over to Xiao Wuchen and lowered his voice.
'Bixie's power is too great. He has already shaken the court. I must bring him down, or at least restrain him.'
He pointed a finger towards the outskirts of the capital. 'Another target is the Xuan Yin Sect. This evil cult is operating rampantly around the capital and threatening its security..." 'This has further disrupted my intelligence network.'
The Left Commander smirked coldly. 'Since you sent the Evil-Slaying Sect to investigate the Xuan Yin Sect, I can lend you a hand. After all, the Xuan Yi Guard's intelligence network is far more comprehensive than the Inner Guard's, and has been deeply entrenched in the martial world for many years.'
'But you must bear the main risk.' The Left Commander looked at Xiao Wuchen. 'The core intelligence you gather about the Xuan Yin Sect must be shared with me immediately. You will act as the vanguard while I oversee central command. This is called cooperation.'
Xiao Wuchen sneered inwardly. The Left Commander's intentions were clear: to use him as a sacrificial pawn to weaken the capable lieutenant of the Evil-Slaying Sect while simultaneously obtaining crucial intelligence about the Xuan Yin Sect — a twofold benefit.
Xiao Wuchen didn't refuse. Instead, he revealed some of the information he had gathered at the Jade Buddha Temple and the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion about the Xuan Yin Sect's collection of spiritual energy from earth veins and the Seven Emotions Poison Pill.
Upon hearing this, the Left Commander's eyes flashed with shock. He had initially thought that the Xuan Yin Sect was merely involved in ordinary robbery or sacrifice, but he hadn't expected their methods to be so ingenious.
'Very good, Lord Xiao is indeed exceptionally capable.' The Left Commander immediately returned the favour, taking out a scroll from his robes. 'This contains all the Xuan Yin Sect's hideouts and activity patterns gathered by the Xuan Yi Guard around the capital.'
Xiao Wuchen took the scroll and simultaneously activated the system in his mind.
[System prompt:
Analysing the hideout map provided by the Xuan Yi Guard…
Analysis results: More than ten Xuan Yin Sect strongholds are marked on the hideout map. Two of these locations show unusually weak activity patterns, suggesting that they may have been deliberately overlooked by the Left Commander, or that they are traps.
Risk warning: When carrying out this mission, the host must avoid the two strongholds marked 'High Risk' unless they are fully prepared.
Xiao Wuchen, aware of the risks, calmly put away the scroll and bowed to the Left Governor. 'Pleasant cooperation.'
Based on the lair map provided by the Left Governor and his previous assessment, Xiao Wuchen decided to first eliminate two Xuan Yin Sect outer strongholds that he believed could be safely captured in order to accumulate strength further before heading to the Martial Saint Hall.
He chose a small stronghold located in the mountains outside the capital. The marker indicated that this was the Xuan Yin Sect's "training room".
Only five outer disciples of the Xuan Yin Sect were practising a chilling fist technique there. Their goal was to collect Yin energy for the sect's higher-ups to refine pills.)
Xiao Wuchen's second chosen stronghold was a long-abandoned City God Temple in the capital. According to the system notification, a low-level "Bewitching Array" had recently been set up there to lure homeless people and those who had gone astray.
The Xuan Yin Sect had set up this array to lure civilians and collect their blood and spiritual energy as secondary materials for refining evil pills.
[System Notification: Side Quest Triggered]
Quest Name: Break the Bewitching Array at the City God Temple.
Quest description: Locate and destroy the array's core within the City God Temple. Rescue the trapped civilians and eliminate the Xuan Yin Sect disciples guarding the stronghold.
Quest objectives: Break the Bewitching Array (1/1) and eliminate the Xuan Yin Sect disciples (4/4).
Quest rewards: Merit Points +450, Special Reward: 'Introduction to Array Formations (Fragment)'.
Current status:
Received an invitation from the Martial Saint Hall.
An agreement for the sharing of intelligence has been reached with the Left Governor. The system has indicated the location of the Left Commander's trap.
Two new side quests have been triggered.Xiao Wuchen did not rush into the high-profile Martial Saint Hall. He knew that each mission built on the previous one, and that after cooperating with the Left Governor, he needed to make better use of the system's intelligence advantage to pre-emptively eliminate those 'high-value, low-risk' strongholds.
Xiao Wuchen snuck into the mountains outside the capital in the middle of the night. The Xuan Yin Sect's training room was just a simple wooden hut, from which came muffled sounds of internal energy cultivation.
The five outer disciples were practising the Yin Sha Fist, their punches carrying a chilling aura and exuding a corrosive power with each strike.
Xiao Wuchen took a deep breath, revealing his presence, and burst through the door.
'Thief!' the five disciples exclaimed in shock, immediately launching a combined attack.
'The power of the Foundation Establishment Realm is beyond your comprehension.'
Xiao Wuchen's mind stirred and he activated the Flower Blooms to Reveal the Buddha technique, condensing his true energy. His fists and palms now carried an incomparably fierce and masculine energy. He didn't need to use advanced martial arts techniques; the immense true energy of the Foundation Establishment Realm and the formidable Indestructible Vajra Body physique were enough to easily overwhelm these outer disciples, who were merely at the Qi Refining Realm.
He unleashed a series of palm strikes, each one hitting its target's vital point with pinpoint accuracy. The scorching true energy of the Burning Heaven Palm instantly dissipated the chilling internal energy within their bodies. In less time than it takes to brew a cup of tea, all five disciples were crippled.
Xiao Wuchen found a crudely written boxing manual within the stronghold.
[System Notification:]
Mission "Clearing the Outer Strongholds of the Xuan Yin Sect" completed!
Merit Points +350
Special reward obtained: Yin Sha Fist (Beginner)
Analysis: A low-level heretical boxing technique. Further analysis of the Xuan Yin Sect's martial arts system is possible.
On the second night, Xiao Wuchen arrived at the long-abandoned City God Temple. The temple was desolate and filled with a chilling aura; the air reeked of sweet, cloying blood.
The moment he stepped through the gate, his surroundings changed. The statues became grotesque, bloodstains flowed down the walls and the low wails of countless people attempted to disturb his mind.
This was the "Bewitching Array" laid down by the Xuan Yin Sect.
Xiao Wuchen once again used the "Flowers Bloom to Reveal the Buddha" mental technique to suppress the disturbance to his mind. Simultaneously, he analysed the surrounding array fluctuations using the system and quickly grasped the principle of the Bewitching Array — it utilised the temple's terrain and the evil true energy of four Xuan Yin Sect disciples as its foundation.
He struck first, bypassing the array's core and killing the four Xuan Yin Sect disciples responsible for maintaining it. With the energy providers eliminated, the Bewitching Array collapsed instantly and the illusion vanished.
The temple returned to its desolate state. Several civilians, their spirits drained, lay in a corner. Xiao Wuchen intervened promptly, using his meagre true energy to stabilise their hearts while they awaited rescue.
He found a tattered piece of leather at the centre of the formation.
[System Notification:]
Mission "Breaking the City God Temple Bewitching Formation" completed!
Merit Points +450.
Special reward: Introduction to Formations (Fragment).
Analysis: This contains the basic theories and principles of low-level formations and helps the host to identify traps in complex battlefield environments.After successfully clearing four Xuan Yin Sect outposts, Xiao Wuchen's merit points increased by 1,700. This gave him a more comprehensive understanding of the sect's heretical system. Rewards included: Water Charm True Qi (a heretical water-attribute true qi application method), Yin Sha Fist (a heretical yin-attribute basic fist technique), Introduction to Formations (basic theory of the heretical bewitching formation) and Marrow Cleansing Pill Formula (a rare recipe for refining basic pills). These gains enhanced his combat abilities and, more importantly, significantly improved his understanding of heretical doctrines, giving him a broader perspective for his 'martial arts exchange' at the Martial Saint Hall. Xiao Wuchen was fully prepared and held the invitation to the Martial Saint Hall. He knew that the hall gathered countless martial arts masters and that it was a crucial step for him to truly make a name for himself and acquire top-tier martial arts resources.