Chapter 2807: The Plan to Close the World’s Loop

“We’re merely following fate. It’s foolish to stand against the tides of change.” The pursuing Quanzhen disciples had no plans on continuing the debate and soon continued their assault.

Zhang Baojun had yet to master his martial arts and struggled to simultaneously deal with multiple opponents. Just as they were about to be captured, several rocks suddenly flew out and struck the Quanzhen disciples’ weapons.

𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

The Quanzhen disciples were stunned.

Who is capable of using such small pebbles to knock away all our weapons from a far distance? Is it East Heretic Huang Yaoshi?

Two figures stepped out. The man wore a withered mask, whereas the woman looked pure and ravishing.

“Yang Guo, Xiaolongnu...” Some Quanzhen disciples had met Xiaolongnu back then and recognized her at a glance. They were perplexed how she hadn’t aged despite years passing, but it was normal for fairies to remain perpetually youthful.

Zhang Baojun exclaimed, “Big brother Yang!”

He'd received pointers from Yang Guo back then and benefited greatly from it.

Zu An nodded.

It’s a good thing I have the mask with me. As long as I hide an arm, it shouldn’t be too difficult for me to impersonate Yang Guo

[1]

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“Quanzhen’s values have regressed so much that its disciples are ganging up on others now. Scram now before I change my mind!” Zu An growled with an intentionally deeper voice. His imitation of Yang Guo wasn't necessarily accurate, but most people wouldn’t know better, except for a small handful of people who knew him well.

Relieved, the Quanzhen disciples immediately turned tail and fled. The Condor Hero’s reputation had grown resounding over the years, not to mention that the Quanzhen disciples had witnessed his prowess in person during the battle at Chongyang Palace then.

Zhang Baojun and his friends from the Quanzhen Sect stepped forward and thanked Zu An for saving their lives. Zu An traded some pleasantries with them while asking about the situation.

It turned out that the Quanzhen Sect’s defection to the Mongols had been extremely controversial within the sect. Most disciples were averse to siding with the Mongols, though they were also worried that rejecting the Mongols would bring a crisis upon them.

This move had prompted the remaining Quanzhen Seven Masters to leave and establish their own sects. For instance, Hao Datong’s line founded the Huashan Sect, while Sun Bu’er founded the Tranquil Sect.

The current Quanzhen Sect was run by the third-generation disciples. There were many hot-blooded ones among the young disciples who didn’t want to serve the Mongols and wanted to break free of the Quanzhen Sect as well.

Naturally, the Quanzhen Sect’s leadership wouldn’t permit such movements. They didn't have the influence and the power to stop the Quanzhen Seven Masters, but they could definitely curb the younger disciples.

As a result, an internal conflict had broken out in the Quanzhen Sect.

It was also then that Zhang Baojun had received a request from his friends to help them leave the Quanzhen Sect. Unfortunately, the Quanzhen Sect’s leadership caught wind of their plans and sent people after them.

No wonder they say the Wudang Sect was an offshoot of the Quanzhen Sect.

Zu An uttered some words of motivation before asking, “What are your plans?”

Zhang Baojun looked confused. “I don’t know, but surely there must be a place for us in this huge world.”

Zu An smiled. “Why don’t you go to Mount Wudang?”

Zhang Baojun blinked before replying heartily, “All right.”

Zu An imparted the Quanzhen Sect’s swordsmanship and inner energy methods to them, so they could preserve their roots. That would serve as the Wudang Sect’s foundation for their rise in prominence in the future.

The young disciples were extremely grateful to Zu An. Most of the Quanzhen Sect’s martial arts had become incomplete by their generation, and it didn’t help that their leadership were hoarding the key martial arts. As a result, they had hardly learned any of the Quanzhen Sect’s martial arts.

Zu An pulled Zhang Baojun aside for a private conversation. “I have a portion of Wang Chongyang’s Innate Energy Art, which is highly compatible with you. Do you want to learn it?”

Wang Chongyang had inscribed not just the Nine Yin Manual, but also a portion of his Innate Energy Art in the ancient tomb.

Zhang Baojun was more than happy to learn the martial art of someone who had been the world’s strongest martial artist, but he was also concerned that it was unethical to secretly learn another sect’s martial art.

Zu An reassured him with a smile, “Rest assured. Given its current state, Wang Chongyang wouldn’t want his martial art to be passed down within the Quanzhen Sect. He would be happier if you could bring glory to his martial art. However, there’s a flaw in the technique. You’ll have to remain chaste for your life. You won’t be able to have a wife or children.”

Wang Chongyang hadn't gotten together with Lin Chaoying[2] not just because of their pride, but also because of his Innate Energy Art.

South Emperor Duan Zhixing of the Five Greats had once had many concubines in his imperial harem, but it was because he'd begun practicing this skill that he began to distance himself from women. That led to Ying Gu cheating on him and him becoming a monk.

Zhang Baojun was stunned to hear those words. A beautiful woman flashed across his mind.

But Heroine Guo only fancies big brother Yang. She wouldn’t care about someone like me.

So, he replied, “My heart is fully committed to the dao. I don’t plan to marry or have children.”

Whether in real history or Jin Yong’s wuxiaverse, Zhang Sanfeng had remained chaste his entire life. So, Zu An imparted the Innate Energy Art’s sutra to him.

Zu An didn’t complete the Innate Energy Art for Zhang Baojun, knowing that the latter could comprehend something deeper from it. The inspiration from that would spur him to create even more martial arts.

Zhang Baojun quickly memorized the sutra. While feeling thankful to Zu An, he couldn’t help but ask, “Big brother Yang, second miss Guo has been looking for you all these years.”

He'd met Guo Xiang more than a decade ago in the Shaolin Temple, when she was still traveling around in search of Yang Guo. It was then that she'd given him an arhat doll. While he had learned some Shaolin martial arts from the arhat doll, it was her radiant smile that was imprinted in his mind.

“I know.” Zu An looked at Zhang Baojun and sighed.

In the original story, Guo Xiang had conceded defeat to Xiaolongnu. She'd lamented not having met Yang Guo earlier, or else she could have protected him as a sugar mommy[3], and that could have led to them getting together instead.

But in truth, Guo Xiang had met another ‘Yang Guo’, but failed to realize it and lost her opportunity to be a sugar mommy.

Zhang Baojun glanced at the gorgeous Tingxue and thought Yang Guo’s decision was understandable. Once again, he thanked Zu An before setting off to Mount Wudang with his Quanzhen friends.

The current him probably couldn’t have imagined that he would build on the Innate Energy Art and Nine Yin Manual to create the Pure Yang Infinite Art and become a true grandmaster.

“Why do you treat him so well?” Tingxue asked after Zhang Baojun and the others left.

Zu An replied, “There’s an eighty-year gap between the end of ‘Return of the Condor Heroes’ and ‘Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Saber’. In this period, the old Five Greats passed away one after another, and the Mongols took over the world. The martial world inevitably descended into chaos.

“There’s a famous saying in the future that Zhang Sanfeng devoted sixty years of his life to quelling demons. Naturally, we can’t let him remain weak.”

He had already deciphered the crux of this trial. The world was incomplete, and his job was to pick up the missing pieces, stitch them together, and ensure this world’s trajectory proceeded in the direction that was intended.

No matter how intelligent or powerful the previous challengers were, there was no way they could have accomplished this feat without knowing about the trial world’s background.

—

Brief History of Wang Chongyang and Lin Chaoying

Both are characters who died before Return of the Condor Heroes.

The two of them were martial arts prodigies who were in love with each other, but they were rivals as well, and refused to get together because of their immense pride.

Lin Chaoying thought Wang Chongyang scorned her, so she created the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra to counter the Quanzhen Sect’s moves.

When Lin Chaoying died, Wang Chongyang paid her a visit in the ancient tomb and was shocked to see the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra inscribed on the wall. He tried to devise a counter against the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra but was unable to do so, forcing him to acknowledge Lin Chaoying’s talents.

Later, Wang Chongyang came into possession of the Nine Yin Manual and realized it was highly compatible with the Quanzhen Sect’s skills. He finally came up with a counter against the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, so he returned to the ancient tomb and inscribed his solution against it (which contains bits of the Nine Yin Manual and the Innate Energy Art).

1. Yang Guo only has one arm. His other arm was chopped off by Guo Fu. ☜

2. She’s the founder of the Ancient Tomb Sect. ☜

3. Xiaolongnu was responsible for training Yang Guo when he was weak, and could be considered responsible for his success, hence ‘sugar mommy’. ☜