Gu Han Yuan had heard that the Eastern and Western Branches of the Wuliang Sword Sect were going to hold their quinquennial swordsmanship competition at the Jianhu Palace.
He encountered quite a few martial arts practitioners on the way, all heading to the ceremony.
It seemed Gu Han Yuan had arrived just in time.
The Wuliang Sword Sect had a pompous name, but in reality, it wasn't even close to being a second-rate sect.
Gu Han Yuan stealthily made his way, effortlessly bypassing everyone, and arrived at the Wuliang Sword Sect's forbidden area - the Wuliang Jade Wall.
There were often rumors of "Immortal Dancing with Swords" at the Wuliang Jade Wall.
In reality, it was merely the reflection of Wuyazi and Li Qiushui from the Xiaoyao Sect practicing their swordsmanship in the Langhuan Blessed Land.
Upon arriving at the location of the Wuliang Jade Wall, Gu Han Yuan saw a massive waterfall cascading down from a cliff dozens of meters high. It was truly a magnificent sight.
For the Wuliang Sword Sect, the dozens of meters high cliff was an insurmountable chasm.
But for Gu Han Yuan, it was just a slight inconvenience.
The Wudang "Cloud-Ladder Leap" wasn't particularly fast, and its evasive maneuvers were just average. However, it was unrivaled in the martial arts world when it came to vertical climbing.
As long as the surface wasn't mirror-smooth and there was something to leverage, with sufficient internal energy, almost no cliff or precipice was insurmountable.
Gu Han Yuan's "Cloud-Ladder Leap" had reached a proficient level. Climbing down a cliff dozens of meters high was no challenge for him.
He used his "Cloud-Ladder Leap" to leap down, gently tapping a protruding rock to reduce his descent speed.
After doing this several times, he landed smoothly.
Gu Han Yuan went straight through the waterfall curtain and entered the cave.
The most eye-catching thing was a jade statue in the cave.
The statue was lifelike, not only were its clothes meticulously carved, but its face was indistinguishable from a real person. No matter which angle you stood at, it seemed like the statue was watching you.
Gu Han Yuan felt somewhat dazed looking at the statue.
He suddenly jolted, a cold sweat breaking out on his back.
Gu Han Yuan wasn't Duan Yu, he knew the origin of the statue. Logically, he shouldn't be drawn to it. But unexpectedly, he had become lost in thought.
This statue actually had a hypnotic effect.
No wonder Duan Yu was forever affected by the statue.
Upon meeting Wang Yuyan, who bore an eight or nine point resemblance to the statue, he had acted like a lovesick fool.
Even modern-day love-sick fools would cry at the sight of it.
So, the statue actually had hypnotic abilities.
I wonder to what extent Duan Yu would lose his mind if he saw Li Qiushui, who only differed from the statue's original, Li Canghai, in minor details.
Would he hug the ninety-year-old woman's legs and shout "Immortal Sister"?
Gu Han Yuan couldn't help but find the image amusing.
But even so, he couldn't help but admire Wuyazi's vast knowledge, especially in the field of miscellaneous studies. Perhaps only Huang Yaoshi could compare.
Gu Han Yuan picked up the cushion at the foot of the statue. It read, "Bow a thousand times, serve me as I command, obey my orders, die a hundred times without complaint."
He certainly wasn't going to prostrate himself a thousand times to a dead object like Duan Yu.
He simply ripped open the back of the cushion and took out the scroll inside.
It was the "Northern Ming Divine Skill" and the "Lingbo Microsteps."
Gu Han Yuan quickly memorized both skills. The "Northern Ming Divine Skill" required dispersing one's internal energy, so he decided to save it for later.
The "Northern Ming Divine Skill" actually had the functions of "absorbing," "storing," and "fusing" besides its "sucking" ability.
It was the perfect adhesive for fusing martial arts techniques.
However, after reading the manual for the "Northern Ming Divine Skill," Gu Han Yuan's expression became subtle.
The diagram of the internal energy circulation route was a naked Li Qiushui.
I wonder if this was drawn by Wuyazi during a moment of inspiration, or if Li Qiushui was simply entertaining herself.
No wonder Duan Yu had kept the manual close to him after obtaining it.
I wonder if he had done some craft work with the portrait late at night.
He learned the "Lingbo Microsteps" right away. While it was difficult to master without studying the Yi Jing, it still compensated for his shortcomings in light skills.
There were hardly any techniques that were better than "Lingbo Microsteps" in terms of agility and evasive maneuvers.
At the same level, it was almost impossible for anyone to hit Gu Han Yuan while he was dodging with the "Lingbo Microsteps."
If he solely focused on evasion, even those at a higher level would find it difficult to strike him.
Gu Han Yuan wanted to put the statue in his storage space.
After all, such a large piece of jade was quite valuable.
But after a moment of contemplation, he placed the cushion back where it was.
He decided to play a prank on Duan Yu.
It would be funny if Duan Yu prostrated himself a thousand times here and nothing happened.
Anyway, Duan Yu wouldn't take the statue with him. After he finished prostrating himself, Gu Han Yuan would come back and retrieve it.
Sure enough, the system gave him an S-level villain evaluation and 3000 villain points.
Gu Han Yuan immediately spent 2800 villain points to raise his realm to the early stage of Grandmaster.
Since he was going to face Duan Yanqing, a peak Innate realm expert, the peak Innate realm was a bit risky.
Unlike a temporary Grandmaster realm.
After becoming a Grandmaster, all eight extraordinary meridians in his body were opened, and his meridians transitioned from the Lesser Heavenly Circulation to the Greater Heavenly Circulation.
His speed of absorbing Heaven and Earth's spiritual energy was much faster.
The quality of his internal energy improved dramatically, becoming more condensed, and even capable of leaving his body.
Even during battles, he could restore his internal energy, with an amount roughly equal to the peak Innate realm's output.
Therefore, Grandmaster realm experts were no longer afraid of being besieged by peak Innate realm experts.
Gu Han Yuan was curious to see how the plot would develop if Duan Yu didn't have the "Northern Ming Divine Skill" and the "Lingbo Microsteps."
Duan Yu was a classic example of a protagonist with incredible fortune, and there were many opportunities to steal his luck.
After stealing his fortune, Gu Han Yuan, in a good mood, decided to watch the show at the Jianhu Palace.
He used his "Cloud-Ladder Leap" to climb up the cliff from the bottom.
Gu Han Yuan could clearly feel that his use of the "Cloud-Ladder Leap" seemed easier.
It was not only because his realm had reached the early stage of Grandmaster, but also because learning the "Lingbo Microsteps" had given him a broader understanding of light skills.
Climbing up was more tiring than climbing down, after all, he couldn't escape the influence of gravity.
If he were still at the peak Innate realm, he would probably be exhausted by the time he reached the top of the cliff.
Fortunately, Gu Han Yuan was already a Grandmaster. Although slightly tired, he managed to climb up without incident.
When he reached the top of the cliff, he could hear the Jianhu Palace already bustling with noise.
Looking into the distance, he saw countless figures.
Apart from the royal Tianlong Temple, Dali didn't have any powerful sects.
Although the Wuliang Sword Sect's strength was mediocre, it was still the dominant force in the surrounding area.
Therefore, there were quite a few people who came to observe the ceremony.
Gu Han Yuan put on his Wu Tian attire and donned the Asura mask.
However, he replaced the wide black robe with a dark blue martial arts outfit.
At this time, two young men and women were engaged in swordplay on the field.
But for Gu Han Yuan, two Innate mid-stage cultivators with crude swordsmanship skills were simply not worth watching.
Every move and gesture was accompanied by mutual flattery, it was simply unbearable.
Compared to these two who were both weak and loved to show off, the girl who was swinging her legs and enjoying snacks while perched on the ceiling rafters was much more appealing.
PS: Should I directly use the name Wu Tian when writing about him? I'm worried it might confuse the readers. It would be quite troublesome later on.