Chapter 25: Martial Arts Direction

Tang Buyi's poisoning was similar to Gu Chudong's, and Gu Mo quickly cleared it with ease. The only difficult case was Tang Tianhao. Tang Tianhao's cultivation was profound, so the poison was deeply ingrained. He had also fought with Feilong and others for a long time, causing the toxin to spread almost throughout his entire body.

Although Gu Mo's Nine Yang Divine Skill allowed for continuous regeneration, it wasn't limitless; it merely facilitated quicker recovery. He didn't dare to fully expend his energy to completely detoxify Tang Tianhao, only managing to temporarily stabilize his heart meridian.

"Patriarch Tang, your poisoning is too severe. I'm afraid it won't be possible to fully detoxify you in a short time," Gu Mo said.

With Gu Mo's help in stabilizing his heart meridian, Tang Tianhao was barely able to move. He cupped his hands towards Gu Mo and said, "Thank you, Young Hero Gu. You saved my son's life before, and now you've saved my entire family. This kindness, I will never forget!"

"You're too kind."

Gu Mo waved his hand. Just then, Gu Chudong, who was examining the bodies and decapitating them, suddenly called out, "Brother, come quickly! These guys also have those Moon Worship Tokens, right? Hmm, Feilong's is a bit different!"

At this moment, Gu Chudong held three tokens in his hand. All were ghost-mask shaped and engraved with the characters "Moon Worship," similar to the token they had obtained after killing Abbess Kuhxin. Knowing Gu Mo couldn't see, Gu Chudong explained, "Feilong's token is different. The shape is the same, but the characters on it are different. The other two say 'Moon Worship,' while Feilong's says 'Dark Moon.'"

Shen Bai walked over and said, "The Moon Worship Cult has two types of members. One consists of ordinary disciples, who are easy to join but find it difficult to rise through the ranks or gain significant responsibilities. Therefore, most rogue experts who join the Moon Worship Cult choose the second path: becoming Moon Worship Envoys.

Moon Worship Envoys are a unique group within the Moon Worship Cult, similar to special consultants. They enjoy many resources and benefits from the cult but are not bound by its internal rules or required to stay within the sect. They only need to complete assigned tasks, hold a high position within the cult, and have the authority to act freely and mobilize disciples from various branch altars.

However, the entrance assessment for Moon Worship Envoys is extremely difficult. Typically, a rogue expert holding a Moon Worship Token means they have the opportunity to be assessed and become an Envoy. Once one becomes a Moon Worship Envoy, there are several ranks: White Moon Envoy, Dark Moon Envoy, Red Moon Envoy, and the highest rank, Saint Envoy. Since Feilong possesses a Dark Moon Token, it indicates he is already a Dark Moon Envoy of the Moon Worship Cult."

Gu Chudong asked, "So, now that we've killed Feilong, will there be trouble?"

Shen Bai nodded and said, "Yes, but it's not a big problem. As long as you don't deliberately venture into the Moon Worship Cult's territory, they won't dare to openly confront you. Hmm, tell you what, Brother Gu is also my savior, and Shen Bai should repay this kindness."

With that, Shen Bai took a golden token from his bosom. One side was engraved with the characters "Canglan," and the other with the character "Ye." Shen Bai said, "This token is my master's Grandmaster Token. If the Moon Worship Cult truly comes looking for trouble and Brother Gu cannot handle it, you can take this token to any branch of the Canglan Sword Sect for help. If the problem is severe, you can also come directly to Mount Canglan; even the Moon Worship Cult Master himself wouldn't be able to ascend Mount Canglan."

Gu Mo didn't stand on ceremony. He naturally knew that a Grandmaster Token, to some extent, represented a grandmaster's promise and reputation. In the martial arts world, it was more precious than most rare treasures or legendary divine weapons.

"May I ask, Brother Gu, which sect or school do you belong to?" Shen Bai asked.

"I'm a rogue martial artist, currently a 'Blade Catcher' affiliated with the Chasing Wind Pavilion of Buer Manor in Linjiang City," Gu Mo replied.

Shen Bai clearly didn't believe him but didn't press for details about Gu Mo's lineage. He merely sighed, "Meeting Brother Gu today has truly shown me that there are always those more skilled than oneself. I've trained with my master, always believing myself to be among the foremost of the younger generation in the martial arts world. Only today do I realize I've been seeing the world from the bottom of a well. Brother Gu, your cultivation in both internal and external arts has reached such a profound level. It's a shame that I, who only cultivate the sword path, have only managed to develop half a step of sword intent, yet was so arrogant. Fortunately, seeing Brother Gu, this 'tall mountain,' today has given me a much-needed jolt. Upon my return to the mountain, I will certainly dedicate myself to cultivation. When my sword intent is complete and I have cultivated the true essence of martial arts, I will surely come to seek Brother Gu's guidance."

Gu Mo was somewhat puzzled and asked, "May I ask, what is the true essence of martial arts?"

Shen Bai looked completely perplexed and said, "Brother Gu's martial arts are extraordinary; you must come from a family with profound martial arts knowledge. How could you not understand sword intent?"

Gu Mo chuckled softly, "To be frank, Brother Shen, I stumbled upon a master's transmission of skill and have been fumbling my way through self-study ever since. I was stumped for many years until a series of recent events led to a profound enlightenment and significant progress in my martial arts. As for what you call the true essence of martial arts, I have indeed never heard of it."

Shen Bai exclaimed, "Brother Gu, you are truly a heaven-sent genius to have reached such a level without any guidance! The so-called 'true essence of martial arts' is a direction of martial arts cultivation that focuses on cultivating the will.

Martial arts across the world are myriad and diverse, with countless schools. However, they essentially boil down to three main paths. The first, and most common, focuses on internal energy and combat forms as its cultivation direction. This is like your own cultivation, Brother Gu, where you practice both internal and external arts; you fall into this first category, cultivating internal energy and techniques.

The second type is what I just spoke of: the true essence of martial arts, which cultivates the will. My own sword path primarily cultivates the will. Although I also practice internal energy and techniques, my focus is more on comprehending the will of the sword. Techniques and internal energy are secondary; the state of mind is paramount.

The third type cultivates the interaction between heaven and man. These martial artists are the rarest in the world. Their cultivation path is already focused on cultivating destiny itself, profound and elusive, truly enigmatic. They seek transcendence; you could also understand them as qi practitioners."

Shen Bai was not a very clear teacher, and his explanation of the true essence of martial arts wasn't particularly lucid. An ordinary person might have been utterly confused, but Gu Mo, being a martial arts master himself, could understand.

The true essence of martial arts was a direction. However, even though Shen Bai claimed that all cultivation paths converged into just three directions, it also implied that there were countless ways to cultivate, much like the principle of "one begetting two, two begetting three, and three begetting all things." Even the same martial art would be practiced differently by different people. For instance, with the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, Gu Mo's core understanding was of courageous forward momentum, which is why his "Six Dragons at Dawn" and "Hundred Miles of Shock" techniques were immensely powerful and felt more natural for him to use. In the *Legend of the Condor Heroes* world, Guo Jing's core understanding was different from Gu Mo's; he comprehended the true essence of martial arts as combining hardness and softness, which made his "Repentant Dragon" technique more adept.

Perhaps it was a matter of personality. Gu Mo knew that his initial reaction and perception when he mastered the Nine Yang Divine Skill was one of ultimate rigidity and masculinity. He had previously thought the Nine Yang Divine Skill was inherently like that, but now, thinking back, it didn't seem to be the case. This included Zhang Wuji from the *Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Sabre* world, whose understanding of the Nine Yang Divine Skill's true essence seemed to be one of inclusivity and broad-mindedness.

Different martial arts, different people, and different understandings of everything. Therefore, the so-called three directions were just three concepts. The true essence of martial arts was one such concept.

"Thank you for your guidance, Brother Shen," Gu Mo said, bowing respectfully.

Shen Bai quickly cupped his hands in return, saying, "I dare not accept such a gesture from Brother Gu."

As the two exchanged courtesies, Tang Tianhao walked over, cupped his hands, and said, "Young Hero Gu, Great Hero Shen, I have a bold request. Regarding my second brother's matter, could I ask the two of you to help keep it a secret? His reputation was good his entire life, and now that he's dead, I don't want him to bear a notorious name!"

"Of course, that's fine. We'll simply say Tang Tianqi was killed by rogue cultivators," Shen Bai said.

Gu Mo also nodded, agreeing. He didn't sympathize with Tang Tianqi. After all, while Tang Tianqi might have had a bitter fate, the hundreds of innocent lives lost at his hands also suffered greatly. However, now that Tang Tianqi was dead, Gu Mo had no interest in further tarnishing his reputation. Moreover, letting the truth out would have a significant impact on the Tang family.

The group did not linger there for long before returning to the Tang family residence.