Duan Yu: What!?
Duan Yu yells at Shang in the face.
Shang: Don’t throw your saliva on my face.
Shang says while moving away from Duan Yu and rubbing his face with his sleeve.
Duan Yu: Ah! I am sorry.
Yuyan: Teacher, what do you mean by Duan is going to die?
Yuyan moves down the stairs and asks Shang.
Shang: Practicing a sect's martial arts without joining the sect is a taboo in the martial world. If I don’t say he’s looking for a death wish, what else is he looking for?
Yuyan & Duan Yu: What!?
Duan Yu: Err... This mister, how did you know that I learn martial arts from someone else?
Shang: Every martial art has his or her martial intent. There are such intents like Murderous, Foist, Daoist, Sword and Sabre intent.
Shang: Your body gives off Daoist intent but it seems to have included other various intents, so I concluded that only one martial technique could do that and that would be one of Carefree Sect’s martial arts, Northern Sea Divine Skill (Bei-ming Shen-gong).
Northern Sea Divine Skill is based on one of the stories by Zhuangzi and a Chinese myth. The Chinese myth of the Northern Sea says that it is a borderless and boundless sea. Its water is so deep and dark that not even the sun can shine through it, thus the name, Bei-ming.
But that’s not only martial art that Duan Yu has learned. He’s also learned Graceful Wave-steps (Ling-bo Wei-bu). A martial skill that is based on the Eight Trigrams. Its name is taken from a poem for Lady Zhen by Cao Zhi who was the son of the Three Kingdoms’ Cao Cao. Duan Yu himself has mistaken that this martial art can be used for running where it actually helps in evading. Shang could see the Daoist intent from his legs.
Duan Yu also gain poison immunity from swallowing the Vermilion Bullfrog which is also known as the King of Million Poisons and the mount of Plague Bodhisattva. Bullfrogs are known to have medical properties if they are utilized properly but swallowing a poisonous amphibian should have caused instant death but Duan Yu still survives.
Shang’s thoughts: Is this the power of a protagonist (MC)?
The poison odor, Sorrow Breeze that could affect people with martial resistance to poison shows how high Duan Yu’s poison immunity is.
Sorrow Breeze (Bei-Su-Qing-Feng) is a poison created by Pleasure Valley (Huanxi Gu) which is located in the snowy mountains of Western Xia. It is always sealed in a bottle. Once unsealed, it releases an unseen odor that is neither pleasant nor unpleasant.
Anyone who caught the odor will immediately lose control of their body. It also affects the energy flow in the body as martial arts who also caught it, find themselves unable to use their inner energy. The antidote of Sorrow Breeze is an unpleasant odor that stinks.
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Shang’s thoughts: Weird. I already collect that bullfrog but it is not showing up in my system store.
Yu: Then... I will not use this martial art anymore.
Shang: Do you think it’s possible?
Shang’s thoughts: Duan Yu himself is a weirdo, he doesn’t like martial arts, but he only learns martial arts to survive.
Shang: A lot of people tried to escape marital life, but they do not have a happy ending.
Yu: Then what should I do?
Shang: You have two choices. Either join the Carefree Sect or a sect that is stronger than the Carefree Sect.
Yu: I still have to join a martial sect!? This….
Shang: you have a death wish, then it’s none of my business. Disciple, let’s go.
Yuyan: Teacher, please help Duan.
Shang: Help him? I have already helped him by giving him a choice. The rest is up to him.
Yuyan: Does he really need to join a sect?
Shang: Yuyan, Yuyan. Did I not warn you of the dangers in the martial world? Why are you so naive?
Yuyan: I...
Shang: And I know you have the strength to defeat that Western Xia soldier, why didn’t you do so?
Yuyan: Didn’t you forbid me from showing my martial arts in front of others?
Shang: Did I say that?
Yuyan: You did.
Shang: Why I don’t remember?
Yuyan:...
Yuyan gives Shang the blank look.
Shang: Anyway, my cute disciple asked me to help, so I have no choice but to help.
Yuyan’s thoughts: This is my teacher? Can someone bring back the teacher I know?
Shang: Since you don’t want to join a sect, then why not look for a teacher that can protect you?
Yu: But where do I find this kind of teacher?
Shang: There is one in front of you.
Shang points at himself.
Yu: You?
Shang: Yes, me.
Yu: But don’t you have a sect?
Shang: Sect? Why not you ask Yuyan whether I have a sect?
Yuyan: My teacher never created a sect, and he allows disciples to join any sects they like as long they don’t hurt fellow disciples.
Yu: A martial art teacher that does not have a sect? This...
Shang: So what is your decision?
Yu: I….
Yu goes down on his knee.
Yu: Teacher, please accept my kowtow.
Shang: …
Shang did not answer and Duan Yu takes his silence as acceptance.
Shang: There are some rules under my teachings.
Shang starts to speak after Duan Yu has raised up from his knees.
Yu: Yes?
Shang: Firstly, you only kneel to the world and your parents. If kneeling is a necessity to survive, I allow it.
Secondly, don’t harm or betray fellow disciples.
Thirdly, don’t bully the weak and rob the poor.
Fourthly, there is nothing wrong in joining other sects and learning other martial arts as long as you don’t break the second rule.
Lastly, if you break any rules that I have just said, I will personally handle you.
Yu: That simple?
Shang: It’s that simple. How simple you want it to be?
Shang then touches his chin before speaking up.
Shang: Oh, that’s right. I finally thought up a good name for our sect.
Yuyan & Yu:...
Shang: Our sect will be called Mystery Item Sect (Xuan Wu Sect).