46: Chapter 46 An Encounter with Qiu Chuji

The next morning, at the first light of dawn.

After tidying his robes, Zhang Sanfeng strolled unhurriedly toward Jiaxing.

Just as he reached the stone bridge outside the city, he saw a middle-aged Daoist dressed in green robes with a long sword strapped to his back walking toward him.

This man had a face like jade, eyes like bright stars, and between his brows, he carried an air of righteous integrity. However, his eyes seemed a bit impatient. It was none other than the leader of the Seven Masters of Quanzhen—Master Qiu Chuji.

Master Qiu Chuji spotted Zhang Sanfeng at a glance, perceiving him to be nothing more than an ordinary Daoist.

He frowned, stepped forward, and cupped his hands in greeting. "Daoist, please stop. Your cultivation level is not high; you must be careful of meeting evildoers."

He knew that in these few days, Mei Chaofeng and the people from Baituo Mountain would be heading toward Zuixian Restaurant, so he spoke up to warn him.

"Thank you for your concern, Daoist." Zhang Sanfeng nodded slightly, feigning weakness as he coughed twice.

"I simply encountered a minor mishap while trying to Cultivate; it is nothing serious."

Master Qiu Chuji was by nature someone who hated evil with a passion and could not stand to see anyone bullying the weak.

He reached out and said, "I am Master Qiu Chuji. I have some knowledge of medicine; how about I treat your injuries?"

Before Zhang Sanfeng could refuse, he grabbed Zhang Sanfeng's wrist.

As soon as his fingertips touched the pulse, Master Qiu Chuji was stunned.

He had assumed the other party was just an ordinary wandering Daoist, but he had not expected the pulse to be steady and powerful, like a surging river.

What shocked him even more was that an extremely pure Pure Yang Dao Rhyme emanated from within the other party.

It shared the same source as the Quanzhen Sect's Pure Yang Internal Skill, but it was even more consummate and profound, refined through countless trials, and felt even stronger than their Master had been back in the day.

"Who exactly are you?!" Master Qiu Chuji took a sudden step back, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, his eyes filled with vigilance.

He had traveled the Jianghu for many years and had never seen such profound Pure Yang Internal Skill.

This man had deliberately hidden his strength and appeared near a Baituo Mountain stronghold; he was definitely not a good person.

"I am Zhang Sanfeng, merely a wanderer traveling the four corners of the world." Zhang Sanfeng smiled faintly, maintaining his calm and detached demeanor.

"A wandering Daoist?" Master Qiu Chuji sneered.

"What a wandering Daoist! Possessing such profound Pure Yang Internal Skill, yet deliberately pretending to be injured, sneaking around outside Jiaxing—you must be an accomplice of the Black Wind Duo! Take this!"

Before the words had even faded, Master Qiu Chuji drew his long sword.

He unleashed the Quanzhen Sword Technique; the sword Moves were forceful and upright, flowing like clouds and water, executed in one continuous motion.

The tip of the sword carried a fierce wind, thrusting directly at Zhang Sanfeng's chest.

Quanzhen martial arts emphasize "subtle changes and strict discipline," but Master Qiu Chuji's impatient personality had led him to practice the sword technique with excessive force and sharpness. Every Move carried an air of righteous integrity, as if to slay demons and eliminate evil.

Zhang Sanfeng had long been prepared. He did not draw his sword; instead, he stepped with Wudang's Cloud Ladder Step, his figure drifting away like willow catkins.

He used his left hand to execute the Taiji Cloud Hands, gently guiding Master Qiu Chuji's sword momentum to the side.

"Daoist, you have misunderstood; I am not an evildoer."

"Enough talk! Receive three of my sword strikes first!" Master Qiu Chuji changed his sword Moves again, unleashing the ultimate techniques of the Quanzhen Sword Technique one after another.

"White Rainbow Pierces the Sun," "Meteor Chasing the Moon," "Flying Dragon from Beyond the Heavens"—the sword light was like a woven web, surrounding Zhang Sanfeng completely.

He unleashed his full Innate Late Stage cultivation, the sword wind howling and rustling the surrounding leaves.

Zhang Sanfeng chuckled inwardly, taking this opportunity to witness the essence of Quanzhen martial arts.

He deliberately suppressed his cultivation to the Innate Late Stage, matching Master Qiu Chuji.

With his right hand, he used the Wudang Cotton Palm; the palm technique was as soft as water, yet contained infinite variations.

Every time he struck with his palm, he precisely deflected Master Qiu Chuji's sword momentum; every time he moved, he perfectly avoided the sharpness of the sword tip.

Quanzhen martial arts are like a sturdy pine on a high mountain—upright, tall, and with a solid Foundation. Wudang martial arts are like flowing clouds and water—consummate, unhindered, and infinitely changeable.

Master Qiu Chuji's Moves were forceful and powerful, with a majestic Aura, like Mount Tai crushing an egg, giving one the feeling of being invincible.

Zhang Sanfeng's Moves were like floating clouds and flying waterfalls—light, elegant, yet also like thunder and lightning, with peerless might.

The two exchanged blows on the stone bridge, fighting to a standstill.

Sword light and palm shadows intertwined, stirring up ripples, yet not a single bit of residual energy leaked out, clearly showing that both had reached the Peak of controlling their power.

After fighting for over fifty rounds, Master Qiu Chuji became increasingly alarmed.

He exerted his full strength, yet he could not even touch the hem of the other party's robe.

The other party's palm technique seemed soft, yet it could always neutralize his attacks at the most critical moment, and there was an underlying tendency to borrow his own force to strike back.

He felt as if he were fighting a ball of cotton; all his strength landed in empty space, leaving him feeling frustrated and stifled.

"Hah!" Master Qiu Chuji roared, pouring all his Internal Energy into his long sword. The sword hummed, turning into a beam of green light, thrusting directly at Zhang Sanfeng's brow.

This strike condensed his lifelong cultivation—forceful, peerless, and unstoppable.

Zhang Sanfeng's eyes narrowed; he knew it was time to end this.

Instead of retreating, he advanced. His left hand, using Taiji Cloud Hands, gently rested on the spine of the sword and followed its momentum with a light twist.

Master Qiu Chuji felt an irresistible force, and his long sword involuntarily veered to the side.

At that moment, Zhang Sanfeng brought his right index and middle fingers together and lightly tapped toward his Tanzhong acupoint.

His fingertip stopped one inch from Master Qiu Chuji's chest and did not advance further.

Master Qiu Chuji froze in place, his long sword falling from his hand to the ground, his face full of disbelief. He had lost, and he was convinced of his defeat.

"I concede," Zhang Sanfeng said, withdrawing his hand and cupping his hands slightly.

Master Qiu Chuji came to his senses, his face flushing red and then turning pale.

He bowed deeply to Zhang Sanfeng. "Daoist, your martial arts are peerless; I, Qiu Chuji, am impressed."

"It is nothing," Zhang Sanfeng smiled slightly.

"I truly admire your hatred of evil and your straightforward nature. However, your Pure Yang Internal Skill is too forceful, and combined with your impatient personality, it causes your internal force to be easily broken, making it difficult to achieve a Breakthrough to the Grandmaster realm."

"If you can Cultivate your nature, balance hardness and softness, and incorporate the Daoist spirit of tranquility and non-action, you will surely be able to reach a higher level."

These words were like a sudden enlightenment, instantly waking Master Qiu Chuji up.

He had struggled to Cultivate for many years, never able to overcome the Bottleneck of the Innate Late Stage; so this was where the problem lay!

He bowed to Zhang Sanfeng again, his tone incredibly sincere. "Thank you for your guidance, Daoist! Such great kindness cannot be expressed in words; I, Qiu Chuji, will keep it in my heart!"

"It was merely a small effort," Zhang Sanfeng said. "Quanzhen martial arts are profound and extensive; it is just that you are constrained by your personality."

"If there is an opportunity in the future, you may come to Wudang Mountain, and we can discuss the true essence of Daoist martial arts together."

"Certainly! Certainly!" Master Qiu Chuji nodded repeatedly, his eyes filled with gratitude and admiration.

"If you do not mind, Daoist, why not accompany me to Zuixian Restaurant? At noon today, I have an appointment with the Jiangnan Seven Freaks."

As he spoke, he recounted the whole story.

It turned out that years ago, while investigating the cause of death of the two righteous men, Guo Xiaotian and Yang Tiexin, he had a misunderstanding with the Jiangnan Seven Freaks, leading to a fight between the two sides, after which they made a wager.

They would each find the descendants of the Guo and Yang families, teach them martial arts, and eighteen years later, they would have a contest at Zuixian Restaurant. Whoever's Disciple won would be in the right.

He had come to Jiaxing this time to meet with the Seven Freaks and travel together to Mongolia to find Guo Jing.

"By the way, there are also the Black Wind Duo, Chen Xuanfeng and Mei Chaofeng," Master Qiu Chuji said, gnashing his teeth.

"These two traitors stole the second volume of my Master's Nine Yin Manual, slaughtered the innocent, and even killed several Disciples of my Quanzhen Sect."

"Previously, Chen Xuanfeng was injured by my Senior Brother, and they hold a deep grudge against the Quanzhen Sect."

"I came to Jiaxing this time because I heard they were lurking here, and I wanted to eliminate them for the sake of the people. I didn't expect them to have colluded with the people from Baituo Mountain."

Zhang Sanfeng understood; it all added up now.

Just then, the two Origins within his body suddenly fluctuated violently.

[Detected deep resonance between the Origins of the Yitian World and the Legend of the Condor Heroes World. Initial world Fusion increased to 8%.]

[Tip: Subsequently, every time a tragic plot is successfully rewritten, the world Fusion will increase significantly. When the Fusion reaches 100%, the two worlds will completely merge into one.]

Immediately after, the System issued a shrill red alert:

[Detected high-risk targets approaching! The Black Wind Duo, Mei Chaofeng, and her accomplice Chen Shuanglei have arrived near Zuixian Restaurant!]

[Target strength: Chen Shuanglei is a Half-step Grandmaster; Mei Chaofeng is at the Innate Peak, with Nine Yin Skeleton Claw at Major Achievement.]

[Target intent: Seize Li Ping from the Jiangnan Seven Freaks and steal the first volume of the Nine Yin Manual.]

[New hidden task: [Protect Guo Jing].]

[Protect Li Ping and the unborn Guo Jing from being abducted by the Black Wind Duo. Task reward: World Fusion +5%, unlock Taiji Daoist Legacy permission.]

Zhang Sanfeng looked up toward the direction of Jiaxing. The eaves of Zuixian Restaurant were visible in the morning light.

He could clearly perceive two dense Auras of Evil Qi circling around Zuixian Restaurant, along with the familiar Aura of the Jiangnan Seven Freaks.

Master Qiu Chuji followed his gaze and said in a deep voice, "It is about time; we should go. Today, no matter what, we cannot let the Black Wind Duo's scheme succeed."

Zhang Sanfeng nodded slightly, a calm smile curling at the corner of his lips.

The poison of Baituo Mountain had been removed, the Black Wind Duo had arrived, the Quanzhen Sect's sword had been drawn, and the righteousness of the Jiangnan Seven Freaks had been made clear.