Cultivating for Immorality: I Evolved Martial Arts into the Immortal Path – Chapter 87

Chapter 87: Treasure of the Martial Arts Hall, Legacy of the Grandmaster

The fallen leaves withered, splitting in two.

The two halves of the leaf swirled and danced in the wind, slowly descending, finally landing at the feet of the two men.

Chu Liang’s saber strike was truly astonishing.

“Good!”

Even Hall Master Li Ren couldn’t help but praise him sincerely.

This saber strike completely exceeded his expectations.

He had originally worried that Chu Liang might take the wrong path, but this strike shattered all his concerns.

“No wonder you don’t attend Saber Master’s lectures. Unbelievable, in just one month, your saber technique has reached such a level.”

Li Ren praised again, then sighed with emotion.

He said to Chu Liang, “I originally wanted to take you as a direct disciple, but now I think I’m not qualified.”

“Hall Master, you flatter me.”

“I’m not flattering you. You are the most talented person I’ve ever seen.”

“Talent…”

Chu Liang was noncommittal.

He knew in his heart that his so-called talent was all thanks to the Evolutionary Appraisal Mirror.

Without the Evolutionary Appraisal Mirror, he would probably still be struggling to survive in the mountain village, living as an ordinary hunter, and it would be questionable whether he would even be alive today.

“Cherish your talent, don’t waste it. Breaking through the Skin Tempering Realm will definitely not be a problem for you in the future, but don’t make the Skin Tempering Realm your ultimate goal,” Li Ren said solemnly.

“I understand,” Chu Liang nodded.

“Good that you understand. If you need anything in the future, you can come to me directly, no need to report. I’m in the courtyard at the very back of the martial arts hall.”

Li Ren granted Chu Liang a special privilege.

With this statement, he directly elevated Chu Liang to a level equal to that of Manager Wang.

This meant that from now on, his authority within the martial arts hall was second only to the Hall Master.

The two walked and talked, unknowingly arriving at the entrance of Chu Liang’s courtyard.

“Your courtyard is a bit small. If you need to, go directly to Manager Wang and ask him to change it to a bigger one,” Li Ren said.

“Alright.”

“As for that Qi Xiuliang…”

Li Ren glanced at Qi Xiuliang in the courtyard, his tone pausing for a moment.

“Do you really have a superior sword technique to teach him?”

“I do.”

“Good, three months from now, I will be there to watch!” Li Ren smiled. He was also very interested in this matter.

Recently, due to the unusual movements of the demon beasts in the deep mountains, the entire county town’s Martial Alliance was very tense, with a feeling of an impending storm.

However, the conflict between Chu Liang and Wu Neng, as well as the rumors caused by the conflict, unknowingly dispersed that sense of tension a lot.

Today’s incident between Qi Xiuliang and Qi Hai further diverted many people’s attention.

Many people became interested in the fight that would take place three months later.

“Qi Xiuliang, cultivate well, don’t disappoint me. I also want to see that Qi Hai kneel!”

Li Ren laughed and turned to leave.

In the courtyard, Qi Xiuliang was stunned.

He hurriedly got up and rushed out of the courtyard to greet him, but Hall Master Li Ren had already walked far away.

“Hall Master, he is…”

“Just bored, Brother Qi, don’t take it to heart,” Chu Liang said with a smile.

“How did this matter spread so quickly?” Qi Xiuliang was a little puzzled.

“Probably Hall Master Ye spread it.”

“This is troublesome,” Qi Xiuliang suddenly felt a sense of urgency. “There are only three months. I don’t know if I can comprehend the 《Pine and Bamboo Sword Technique》. If I can’t, I’m afraid I’ll make a fool of myself. I don’t know how many people will be watching.”

“Don’t worry, Brother Qi. Worrying hurts the liver.”

“Brother Chu, why are you always so concerned about your liver?”

“…”

Chu Liang didn’t know how to answer. He couldn’t say that he died from liver problems in his previous life, could he?

The two chatted for a while longer, and Qi Xiuliang took his leave, hurrying back to his own residence.

He only had three months, and he had to make every second count.

◈◈◈

In the following ten days or so, Chu Liang didn’t see Qi Xiuliang. He figured that this guy was diligently studying swordsmanship.

He himself was tempering his Qi and blood and his saber technique.

“I’m not far from condensing the fourth strand of Qi and blood, probably just a few days away.”

Chu Liang’s strength was growing rapidly, his Qi and blood and saber technique advancing together, step by step towards a higher realm.

He rarely left his courtyard.

Occasionally, he would go out, but only to buy necessities or to eat noodles at Tie Niu’s newly repaired noodle shop.

His status in the martial arts hall was now different.

Although Hall Master Li Ren didn’t say it explicitly, both the previous punishment incident and the fact that he later confronted the Green Robe Gang for Chu Liang’s sake were enough to show how much he valued Chu Liang.

During this time, many martial arts hall disciples came to visit Chu Liang, wanting to befriend him.

But Chu Liang refused them all, citing poor health.

During this period, he went to Saber Master’s courtyard once to listen to his lecture.

But the other disciples were too enthusiastic towards him, making it impossible for him to concentrate on the lecture.

Especially Qi Bai, Liu Qing, and Huang He, who were more enthusiastic than ever, treating Chu Liang like their own brother.

“Brother Chu, I was wrong before. I considered myself superior, believed the rumors, and distanced myself from you. Please don’t hold it against me!” Qi Bai said with a fawning smile.

“Brother Chu, me too…”

These people surrounded Chu Liang, addressing him as Brother Chu.

Chu Liang couldn’t stand it anymore and had to find an excuse to leave in a hurry.

As for that Liu Qiao, he didn’t dare to appear before Chu Liang at all, living like a rat, hiding all day, quite pathetic.

The other disciples also distanced themselves from him, no longer associating with him.

Many disciples felt that with Chu Liang’s talent, he would soon be accepted by Hall Master Li Ren as a direct disciple.

Early this morning, a shocking piece of news suddenly spread, indirectly confirming their thoughts.

“What? Hall Master lent the treasure of the hall to Chu Liang?”

Hearing this news, the disciples were dumbfounded.

“The treasure of the hall?”

Chu Liang was also a little surprised.

He had heard of this thing before, but today was the first time he had seen it.

It was a dilapidated stone tablet.

The tablet was grayish-white, mottled, and dilapidated, full of the traces of time.

On its surface, there was a very shallow saber mark.

It was this saber mark that made its value soar, turning it from an ordinary stone tablet into the treasure of the martial arts hall.

“Hall Master, what is the origin of this stone tablet?” Chu Liang asked.

“A hundred years ago, the Blood Demon was born, causing widespread devastation… Later, nine Grandmasters joined forces and intercepted the Blood Demon at the summit of Heavenly Mountain…”

Hall Master Li Ren slowly narrated.

This stone tablet was a trace left by one of the nine Grandmasters.

Of course, it was not a relic from Heavenly Mountain, but a saber mark left by the Grandmaster when he was young and traveling through a certain place, when he was inspired.

“That Grandmaster was a supreme genius of our saber path, respected by the people of that time as the ‘Saber Sovereign’.”

“Saber Sovereign?”

Chu Liang savored the name.

There must be more than one saber-wielding Grandmaster in the world, but that one was called the Saber Sovereign.

Just from this title, one could glimpse the power of his saber technique.

Chu Liang remembered the description in the book 《Martial World’s Past Hundred Years》. In the battle on Heavenly Mountain, six Grandmasters sacrificed their lives. Of the remaining three, one disappeared from the martial world and was never seen again.

That person was the Saber Sovereign.

No one knew where he went, and no one knew whether he was alive or dead.

Over the years, his life and death had become a mystery.