Murong Chun waved his hand. “I’m tired, you should rest too.”

　　“Father, you…” Murong Liang was lost for words.

　　Murong Chun waved his hand again before walking into the house.

　　Murong Liang clenched his teeth with a malevolent look. He furiously glared at the shadow in the corner of the wall where Chu Li had disappeared into. He wanted to kill him where he stood.

　　Unfortunately, he did not possess the martial arts skills to do so. Murong Liang could only fantasize about killing Chu Li whilst focusing on his own cultivation.

　　Father had retreated. He was full of schemes but had no guts to go through with them. He was too timid, shrinking at the first sign of trouble. It was no surprise that he would remain an Elder for his entire life, unable to rise to be the head of sects.

　　However, Murong Liang was not ready to lose. If he did not give it his all, how would he know if he could defeat this man?

　　If he did not give it a fair shot, he would certainly regret it for the rest of his life!

　　Meanwhile, Murong Chun sat on his bed, his expression calm.

　　His son was unwilling to reconcile with Chu Li, so he needed to hatch a plan to keep his antics down to a minimum, or else Murong Liang would eventually get himself into so much trouble that even he as the father would not be able to save him. Power and influence were important, but to throw your life away for it was foolish!

　　Murong Chun relived the scene from earlier once again. For Murong Liang to already be so shrewd at such a young age as to prevent the danger before it even had a chance to manifest…

　　With his skill in martial arts and the intelligence he possessed, there was no doubt that he would be the future Hill Master!

　　——

　　Chu Li returned to his own courtyard and let out a small smile. Murong Chun was a tactful individual, people like him would go on to live a long life. As for Murong Liang, he was young and vigorous. Chu Li was afraid that he would not behave himself. But with Murong Chun personally keeping an eye on him, Murong Liang should not be able to cause any trouble.

　　Chu Li let out a sigh of relief as well. He had finally rid himself of this trouble.

　　“Pak! Pak!” The sound of someone knocking on the door interrupted his train of thought.

　　Chu Li called out, “Elder Xia, please come in.”

　　Xia Liyan slowly entered the courtyard before sizing Chu Li up.

　　Xia Liyan was a man of large stature. He gave off the impression that most people were in awe of him when in his presence, even if he did not say anything. His bright gaze made it seem as though he was aware of what Chu Li was thinking.

　　“Elder Xia, do take a seat before we begin. What business do you have to discuss that you have come so late in the night?” Chu Li gestured with his hand.

　　“There’s something I’ve been thinking about, and I won’t be able to sleep if I don’t figure it out.” Xia Liyan sat across the stone table, his gaze remained sharp and intimidating.

　　Chu Li let out a smile.

　　Xia Liyan scanned the courtyard, he furrowed his brows before continuing, “Is Qiao San not here?”

　　“He has returned to rest. Elder Xia is curious about the martial arts that I’m cultivating, right?” Chu Li replied.

　　“Yes. From what I know, our Crouching Bull Mountain’s swordsmanship isn’t that quick.” Xia Liyan nodded.

　　Chu Li’s swordsmanship far surpassed what was normal; a sword technique this swift could not be nameless. Besides, the swordsmanship of the Crouching Bull Mountain should not have been this fast, no matter how well it was cultivated.

　　Chu Li smiled. “Elder Xia did not guess incorrectly. What I’m cultivating is not the Crouching Bull Mountain’s swordsmanship.”

　　“Has your Young Lord found another Master?” Xia Liyan’s eyes lit up. His gaze grew even more intense and intimidating.

　　Chu Li broke into a laugh. “Is that what Elder Xia is worried about?”

　　“Your Young Lord is still young, you just don’t understand how great it is. May I know who is the expert who taught the Young Lord this martial art technique?” Xia Liyan asked in a deep voice.

　　Chu Li remained silent.

　　Xia Liyan continued, “Can you not tell me? Or does the expert not allow you to?”

　　He was growing more doubtful of this ‘master’s’ intentions.

　　Even though the Crouching Bull Mountain was a huge faction, they were not without their enemies. Xia Liyan could not possibly live a carefree life; There were many who were constantly eying the Crouching Bull Mountain, with the intention to either divide or conquer it.

　　Chu Li finally replied, “Since Elder Xia is so curious, I’ll spill the beans. I have actually acquired a secret manual.”

　　“What secret manual?” Xia Liyan frowned before asking hastily.

　　Chu Li lips curled into a smirk.

　　Xia Liyan suddenly understood what Chu Li meant and smiled as well. “If that’s the case, then is nobody passing down the martial art technique to the Young Lord?”

　　Chu Li shook his head. “I understand Elder Xia’s worries but do not fret. However, is there a reason behind your stress, perhaps somebody who is a danger to the sect?”

　　Xia Liyan sighed. “In the past, I would not have discussed this with you, my lord.”

　　Chu Li nodded. In the days gone by, Xia Liyan would not even have looked at him. It was obvious that he had little respect for him.

　　“It isn’t our old enemy, Yun Haifeng. I’ve detected a new force that is eying us,” Xia Liyan said.

　　Chu Li grinned. “Then let’s just destroy them.”

　　Xia Liyan shook his head. “We are unable to conduct a proper and thorough investigation. They hide stealthily in the dark, occasionally launching ambushes. It’s very annoying, but for now, we can’t do anything about it.”

　　“Have the disciples of the sect descended from the mountain?” asked Chu Li.

　　“Not yet,” replied Xia Liyan.

　　The disciples lived on the peak of the mountain and were not allowed to descend before completing their cultivation. The Hill Master passed the order before going into Isolated Cultivation that the Crouching Bull Mountain was under quarantine and that everything would have to wait until the Hill Master was finished with his isolated cultivation.

　　These thoughts flashed across Xia Liyan’s mind for a brief moment, but Chu Li had already caught it.

　　Chu Li seemed to be lost in his own thoughts as he nodded.

　　Xia Liyan added, “However, we can’t possibly stop all our disciples from leaving. Daily necessities must be bought and connections must be made with the outside world.”

　　Chu Li frowned. “Is Elder Xia worried that they have already infiltrated the mountain tops?”

　　“Yes. These people won’t give up. I’m afraid that they assume that we’re easy prey and intend to cause a scene. This was why I was worried about where your martial arts had come from, in case you were being used by someone to spy on us,” Xia Liyan replied.

　　Chu Li furrowed his brows for a moment and remained silent. Then he suddenly piped up and demanded, “I want to see the Crouching Bull Mountain’s heart technique.”

　　“The heart technique of the Crouching Bull Mountain is only passed down by word of mouth. The secret manual is kept by the Hill Master, and only he knows where it’s hidden. Could it be that you’ve never learned the heart technique of the Crouching Bull Mountain?”

　　Chu Li sighed. “Who’d teach me?”

　　“Did Qiao San not pass it down to you?”

　　“No.”

　　“Hmm, that means the Hill Master did not give the order. Like father, like son… Fine, I shall pass it down to you.” Xia Liyan shook his head and broke into a smile.

　　“Thank you very much, Elder Xia.” Chu Li bowed.

　　Xia Liyan continued, “As for swordsmanship, knife techniques, palm techniques, and the like, you can check the Tower of Martial Arts on top of the mountain. With the exception of the Crouching Bull Mountain’s heart technique, there are various secret manuals in the first few stories. The upper floors are where objects owned by the Hill Master are stored.”

　　Chu Li asked, “Do the other sects do the same thing?”

　　“The heart technique of a sect is the root of a sect and is, therefore, top secret. If it were to be leaked, it would be paramount to uprooting the faction, and the destruction of the sect would soon follow,” Xia Liyan said in a low voice.

　　Chu Li smiled. “Just like how the Tempest Temple’s martial arts were leaked, right?”

　　“The techniques that were leaked from the Tempest Temple were merely the basic ones, the advanced techniques remain hidden. Furthermore, the Tempest Temple has its roots in the dharmic base, which are harder to cultivate than regular martial art techniques. You can forget about comprehending it, without the guidance of a senior monk, let alone the martial art skills of the Tempest Temple. We do not possess the strong foundations of the Tempest Temple, so we need to be more careful!” said Xia Liyan.

　　Chu Li slowly nodded.

　　“And about Murong Chun… Don’t be too worried, he has wild ambitions, but he will not harm a member of the Crouching Bull Mountain,” Xia Liyan remarked.

　　Chu Li said, “I’m not worried about Elder Murong.”

　　“That’s good. I shall not disturb your rest any longer, Young Lord. I bid you farewell.” Xia Liyan let out a hint of a smile and made a closed fist salute.

　　Chu Li saw him off at the entrance of the courtyard.

　　Chu Li furrowed his brows. He had initially wanted to take a peek at the secret transmission of the Crouching Bull Mountain’s heart technique, but it was hard to do that now. It would not be easy to deal with Zhuge Feng.

　　As for the Surpassing State, he had not mentioned it at all. The existence of the Surpassing State was too sensitive. It could only be seen and comprehended straight from the mind itself, not from word of mouth.

　　As Chu Li crawled up to his bed, he kept an eye on Murong Liang.

　　He was putting all his efforts into his cultivation. At this pace, Murong Liang’s self-cultivation would not go very far. His heart was consumed by fury that had nowhere to go – it was by no means a suitable state in which to cultivate martial arts.

　　Chu Li shook his head. It seemed that he would have to check on Murong Liang every once in a while, in case he was to do anything foolish, like expose his history in a fit of rage.