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Next up is the list of the most outstanding figures in the Song Dynasty.
The Ming and Song dynasties were neighbors, and there were frequent exchanges between the martial arts worlds of the two regions.
They were also very interested in the top experts of the Ming Dynasty.
On the white jade platform, Su Chen held a cup of tea. After the discussions in the hall gradually subsided, he slowly and deliberately spoke:
"The list of the most outstanding figures in the Ming Dynasty ends here."
"Next, let's talk about the list of the most outstanding figures in the Song Dynasty."
"Compared to the Ming Dynasty, which had a large number of martial arts masters and talents, the Song Dynasty's martial arts world was somewhat inferior."
"However, one must at least reach the Divine Realm to be on the list."
"Let's start by commenting on the last expert on the list."
"Tenth place, Wang Chongyang."
"This top expert, I'm sure everyone is familiar with him, right?"
"He is none other than the famous leader of the Five Great Masters, the Central Divine Wang Chongyang."
"When the Daoist classic 'Nine Yin Manual' appeared in the world, it caused great chaos in the martial arts world. Countless masters fought over it, resulting in heavy casualties."
"In the end, all the sects reached a consensus and invited the top masters in the martial arts world to Mount Hua for a sword competition."
"After seven days and seven nights of fierce competition, the Five Masters emerged victorious."
"In particular, Wang Chongyang, the leader of the Quanzhen Sect, relied on his profound internal strength to overpower the other four top masters and obtain the Nine Yin Manual."
"But in the martial arts world, people only know that Wang Chongyang was the founder of the Quanzhen Sect, but few know about his past."
"In fact, Wang Chongyang was not a martial arts practitioner. He was born into a scholarly family and wanted to pass the imperial examinations from a young age."
"But he was exceptionally talented and failed the imperial examinations repeatedly. Later, by chance, he obtained a martial arts manual called 'Xiantian Gong' in a mountain cave, and that's how he embarked on the path of martial arts."
"This book, 'Xiantian Gong,' is no ordinary book. It was left behind by the ancient immortal Chisongzi and passed on to those with the right destiny before his ascension."
"However, this skill is not the kind of incredibly powerful martial art that everyone imagines."
"On the contrary, it emphasizes moderation and balance. The deeper one cultivates it, the more solid its foundation becomes, but it is not particularly outstanding in terms of power."
"As the saying goes, a tall building starts from the ground up, and the foundation of martial arts is crucial to a martial artist's achievements."
"From this perspective, the value of the 'Innate Skill' is in no way inferior to that of the 'Nine Yin Manual'."
"But this skill has a special feature: only those with a pure yang body can cultivate it."
Fortunately, Wang Chongyang was single-minded and maintained his pure yang body even in his thirties, so he was able to cultivate smoothly.
"Given Wang Chongyang's age and aptitude, it would have been difficult for him to even begin to learn other top-tier martial arts. However, the 'Innate Skill' emphasizes the fundamentals, which allowed him to progress rapidly."
"Moreover, because of his solid foundation, it became much easier for him to learn other martial arts, which can be said to have turned waste into treasure."
"Later, Wang Chongyang obtained the Nine Yin Manual. Although he did not practice it, he memorized all the wonderful moves in it."
"His cultivation has now reached the Divine Realm, his inner strength is profound, his moves are exquisite, and his strength far surpasses that of his peers."
"Therefore, all things considered, it is currently ranked tenth on the list of the top in the Song Dynasty."
As soon as Su Chen finished speaking, the hall erupted in excitement once again.
Almost everyone's face was filled with disbelief.
Wang Chongyang, the leader of the Quanzhen Sect!
This master was a household name in the martial arts world of the Song Dynasty.
In addition, the battle at Mount Hua made him a household name.
Given his abilities, it's not surprising that he made the list.
The problem is that Wang Chongyang passed away fifteen years ago!
Moreover, this was not just a rumor; it was the Quanzhen Sect's public commemoration and burial of his **.
Is this all fake?
Immediately, murmurs arose in the hall:
"What? Did I hear that right? The tenth place on the Song Dynasty's number one list is actually Wang Chongyang? Wasn't he long gone?"
"I never expected that Wang Chongyang would start practicing martial arts when he was over thirty years old. That book, 'Xiantian Gong,' is really powerful. It made him a martial arts master."
"I remember back when the Mount Hua Sword Tournament was held, I always felt that Wang Chongyang was older than the other four masters and that it was unfair for him to win. But now it seems that he may have spent just as much time practicing martial arts as they did."
"This is terrifying! How many things in this world are still unknown to us? Could it be that even the publicly buried Wang Chongyang was a fake, an act?"
"The list of the most outstanding people only includes living people. The fact that Wang Chongyang is on the list means that he is still alive. I just don't understand why he has been deceiving everyone for so many years."
"Interesting. This trip to the Heavenly Pavilion was worthwhile. Who would have thought that Wang Chongyang, the Central Divine, was still breathing? When this news gets back to the martial arts world of the Song Dynasty, it will definitely cause an uproar."
In the third private room on the east side of the fifteenth floor.
Huang Yaoshi's heart skipped a beat, and he rarely showed such a loss of composure.
Wang Chongyang is still alive?
This was a big deal for him.
Back then, he lost to Wang Chongyang in the battle at Mount Hua, and his reputation was suppressed for twenty years. He always wanted to find an opportunity to regain his face.
But none of these are the most important.
The key is that he imprisoned the Old Urchin on Peach Blossom Island for fifteen years in order to obtain the "Nine Yin Manual," and he's still imprisoned there.
Chapter 135 Not Forgiving
If Wang Chongyang found out about this, what would happen?
Thinking of this, Huang Yaoshi dared not delay any longer, quickly left the private room, and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Huang Yaoshi, the master of Peach Blossom Island of the Great Song Dynasty, pays respects to the Celestial Mystery Immortal!"
"I am willing to offer ten bottles of Peach Blossom Island's secret Nine-Flower Jade Dew Pills as payment for a divination, in order to inquire about something from you."
"Is Wang Chongyang really still alive? If he is, why would he pretend to be dead and not show his face for fifteen years?"
The once noisy hall immediately fell silent upon hearing Huang Yaoshi's words.
Because this is what everyone most wants to know.
When Wang Chongyang passed away, he was at the height of his prestige, and the Quanzhen School was also at its peak.
They couldn't fathom what reason Wang Chongyang would have to fake his death and hide.
Thinking of this, everyone looked towards Bai Yutai, waiting for Su Chen to give his answer.
Without hesitation, Su Chen brought up the system and looked at Huang Yaoshi.
The system quickly responded:
"Successfully told Huang Yaoshi's fortune."
"Congratulations, host, on obtaining the supernatural secret technique 'One Thought Blossoms, Reigns Supreme'."
Su Chen was stunned when he heard the system notification.
A single thought can blossom into a flower, and one can rule the world?
This is a legendary gold-level reward, it's amazing!
However, now was not the time to examine it closely, so Su Chen suppressed his curiosity and said loudly:
"Since Wang Chongyang is on the list of the most outstanding people, he must still be alive."
"As for why he went into seclusion, it was actually because of two love affairs."
"When Wang Chongyang first started practicing martial arts, it happened to be the time when the Jin army attacked the Song Dynasty, the border was lost, and many people in the Central Plains died tragically."
"Wang Chongyang, with lofty aspirations to serve his country, raised the banner and rallied many patriots to resist the Jin army, thus becoming famous throughout the world."
"During that time, he met a woman named Lin Chaoying."
"Later, due to the incompetence of the imperial court, the government troops kept losing battles, and Wang Chongyang could only lead the remaining brothers to retreat to Zhongnan Mountain."
"In order to accumulate strength and make a comeback, Wang Chongyang spent a lot of money to build an ancient tomb full of traps and mechanisms, which contained a lot of grain and supplies for future use."
"But the Song Dynasty court was too incompetent and chose to cede territory and pay reparations directly, and the war ended just like that."
"Wang Chongyang was disheartened, so he locked himself in the ancient tomb and renamed it the 'Tomb of the Living Dead'."
He called himself a "living dead," focused on spiritual cultivation, no longer concerned with worldly affairs, and planned to live his life like that.
"After the news spread, his former comrades all came to persuade him to come out of retirement, but he refused to speak to any of them."
"Until Lin Chaoying found out about this, she personally went to the entrance of the Tomb of the Living Dead and cursed for seven days and seven nights, saying all sorts of nasty things."
Wang Chongyang couldn't hold back any longer and decided to go out and teach her a lesson.
"But when Lin Chaoying saw him, she smiled and said: Your vow has been broken, you can't go back."
"Only then did Wang Chongyang understand Lin Chaoying's intentions, and he finally resolved his inner conflict, embarking on adventures in the martial world with her."
"Actually, Lin Chaoying had already fallen in love with Wang Chongyang at that time, but she was too embarrassed to say it directly, and only hinted at it in every way."
"Wang Chongyang was also a strong-willed person. Although he knew what she meant, he was unwilling to back down."
"The two remained at an impasse, and eventually parted on bad terms."
"After a few years, Lin Chaoying finally put aside her pride and went to find Wang Chongyang again, directly expressing her feelings."
"But at this time, Wang Chongyang already had the idea of establishing a sect, and he didn't know whether he should accept her."
Lin Chaoying thought Wang Chongyang looked down on her, and feeling resentful, she turned and left on the spot.
"A few years later, Lin Chaoying learned of Wang Chongyang's ambition to establish a sect. In order to persuade him to stay, she went up Zhongnan Mountain again and proposed a martial arts contest."
"If she wins, the tomb will belong to her alone."
"If she loses, she will support Wang Chongyang in founding his school and will never bother him again."
Wang Chongyang was confident that he could win, so he agreed to the duel.
"The contest involved writing characters on a bluestone using finger strength; whoever carved the deepest characters won."