Longevity Martial Arts: I have a Mysterious Water Snake Avatar

Enhancing his direct combat strength was certainly good, but Hong Yuan's current priority was to strengthen his movement technique. Ideally, it would allow him to easily evade pursuit from the Wind Cyan Roc Beast King.

Therefore, Hong Yuan spent considerable effort fusing the Qinglu Worm into the "Flying Oriole" killer move.

Soon, very soon. As long as I get the 'Thunder Sword Tribulation,' I won't have to suppress myself like this anymore.

Hong Yuan looked at the morning light outside the window, exhaled a breath of stale air, then turned and walked towards his bedroom.

「...」

"Is this the 'Thunder Sword Tribulation' cultivation technique? It seems pretty ordinary."

Zhang Baicun, a True Disciple from Qinglu Taoist Temple, flipped through the original text of the 'Thunder Sword Tribulation' cultivation technique and was very disappointed.

For a moment, he couldn't figure out how to best plant a hidden flaw in the cultivation technique for Hong Yuan.

Zhang Baicun placed the original copy of 'Thunder Sword Tribulation' beside him, lightly picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

He was currently in a small courtyard within the slums outside Pengcheng, which served as a temporary stronghold for Qinglu Taoist Temple in Pengcheng.

Pengcheng's interior was heavily guarded. This was primarily due to established Energy Arrays that could identify Martial Artists of the third order and above. He feared he would be discovered the moment he entered the inner city.

This cultivation technique isn't sophisticated enough; it merely has a novel approach. I'm afraid if I tamper with it, that fellow Hong Yuan will see through it with his understanding of martial arts, Zhang Baicun thought, slightly troubled.

The more exquisite a cultivation technique, the more opportunities there were to meddle with it unnoticed. Changing just one or two key points could reverse the technique's operation or, at the very least, create a fatal flaw.

But if the technique was too crude, meddling became much harder, as the opponent might only draw inspiration from its concepts rather than applying it directly.

For a while, Zhang Baicun didn't know how to set a trap for Hong Yuan.

Thus, the original 'Thunder Sword Tribulation' cultivation technique simply languished in his hands.

「...」

「Just like that, five days passed.」

「Dongyu District Official Hall.」

Hong Yuan had been waiting here for the fated person. But as he waited and waited, surprisingly, no one had yet submitted the 'Thunder Sword Tribulation' cultivation technique, which puzzled him.

This shouldn't be happening. How could these 'fish' escape the tank? They have no use for the 'Thunder Sword Tribulation' anyway...

Greatly perplexed, Hong Yuan summoned Chief Lei once again.

Chief Lei hurried in from outside. As soon as he crossed the threshold, he half-knelt before Hong Yuan, his attitude one of utmost respect.

"Sir, what are your orders?" Chief Lei asked in a deep voice.

"Don't be so tense; I'm not asking you to go behead someone," Hong Yuan said, turning to face Chief Lei directly. "Tell me again about the circumstances of the struggle for the 'Thunder Sword Tribulation'."

"Yes, Sir," Chief Lei replied, his mind racing as he recalled the events of that day.

He had received orders from Hong Yuan to observe from the periphery and vaguely remembered who had participated in the bloody struggle.

Furthermore, he recalled some rumors and interesting tidbits he had heard.

Chief Lei said, "Sir, I remember that 'Giant Whale Gun' Lu Sheng, 'Zhanghu Bear King' Zhang Kaihe, and 'Broadsword Ma' Ma Dong participated in the battle that day. Ultimately, Zhang Kaihe was victorious and obtained the original 'Thunder Sword Tribulation' cultivation technique."

"However, I heard that en route, a mysterious person killed Huang Kou, seized the 'Thunder Sword Tribulation' from Zhang Kaihe, and then swaggered off—"

Seeing Hong Yuan still had no reaction, Chief Lei instantly realized he hadn't gotten to the crucial point and quickly changed his tune.

"We've investigated the mysterious person's identity for a long time but still haven't found out who it is. According to Zhang Kaihe, that mysterious person should be recuperating from injuries right now…"

After Chief Lei finished relaying this information, Hong Yuan waved his hand impassively, and Chief Lei bowed and retreated.

Hong Yuan's gaze returned to the fish tank, watching the Luck Tao Variant Seed, the Red Dragon Carp.

Unsurprisingly, I've missed my chance with the 'Thunder Sword Tribulation' cultivation technique. Even my prominent status is useless in this matter.

Following the general trend is good, but unexpected incidents can still arise and lead to failure. Riding the momentum is advantageous, but one must also know how to be flexible. It seems I won't be able to obtain the 'Thunder Sword Tribulation' for now.

Hong Yuan had an epiphany, staring blankly at the Red Dragon Carp.

The Red Dragon Carp had now learned that merely going with the flow wouldn't enable it to break free from the tank; it had chosen to swim against the current instead. Through repeated failures, its body had been thoroughly tempered. The force of its leaps grew stronger, producing quite impressive splashes.

Whether going with or against the current, the Red Dragon Carp never gave up on escaping the confines of the tank.

"Interesting, very interesting."

The corners of Hong Yuan's mouth curved upward slightly, a smile appearing on his face.

If even a Variant Seed refuses to give up on freedom, how can I, Hong Yuan, become weary over a few setbacks?

Since the path of killer moves is blocked, I'll dedicate more of my miscellaneous skills training time to Disguise Skills, Bone Shrinking Skill, Voice Changing Skill, and other such unique Jianghu techniques for altering my identity.

I also need to nurture a top-quality Dragon Scale Horse, a Ferocious Beast. No, not just one—at least three.

And I need to prepare many more reconnaissance-type Worms; just having Rapid Bee Worms and Sting Bee Worms isn't enough…

Gradually, several more escape plans formed in Hong Yuan's mind. He wasn't thinking about challenging those beyond his cultivation level.

I am a Martial Artist on the path of Longevity Martial Arts! That being the case, I should leverage this advantage and crush my opponents with my Life Span!

With his strategy set, Hong Yuan began to plan for these escape measures.

「...」

「Half a month later, a tremendous upheaval occurred in Qinglu Taoist Temple.」

The Sword Cultivator Li Family, with their profound heritage of a lineage boasting four Seventh-Level Martial Saints, formed the ancient legendary battle formation, the "Slaying Emperor Sword Array." Its power approached that of an Eighth-Level Martial Saint!

They intended to use this to completely suppress the master-disciple lineage of Qinglu Taoist Temple and several aristocratic families. They aimed to elevate the Li Family Head to the position of hereditary Celestial Master of Qinglu Taoist Temple, all in the name of Sword Cultivators.

In other words, if the Sword Cultivator Li Family succeeded, then henceforth, the Celestial Master of Qinglu Taoist Temple could only be a member of the Li Family!

Although the matter had not yet been settled, many Disciples and Elders within Qinglu Taoist Temple had already leaned towards the Sword Cultivator Li Family.

"How outrageous! Simply outrageous!" Zhang Baicun read the secret letter from his master, learning of the shocking upheaval in the Taoist Temple, and clicked his tongue in silent amazement.

It wasn't that he disbelieved his master; rather, he found it incredible that the Sword Cultivator Li Family could actually overpower the Taoist Temple's master-disciple lineage and numerous cultivation families with the strength of their single family.

Is the Sword Tao really so formidable?! Zhang Baicun glanced at the Beast Control Bag on his waist, and it suddenly seemed less appealing.

He used to find outnumbering his enemies quite satisfying, but the higher he advanced in cultivation, the more he sensed the limitations of the Slave Tao.

Without even looking at distant examples, Mo Jiuyou alone could suppress him in a fight.

Now that the Sword Cultivator Li Family had shown such ferocity, Zhang Baicun began to consider supplementing his cultivation with the Sword Tao.

Soon, the internal strife that has stalemated within the Taoist Temple for years will end. It'll also be time to launch a counteroffensive and recapture Nanyang Government, Mule Mansion, and other territories. I need to start planning for myself soon, or I won't get any share of the credit.

As he thought this, Zhang Baicun's gaze turned towards the 'Thunder Sword Tribulation,' which lay casually on the wooden table.

A plan surfaced in his mind.

I'll send someone to get close to Hong Yuan. Then, during the counteroffensive, I'll capture him and use him as leverage against his Senior Brother Mo Jiuyou to secure some significant merits for myself.

I need to send a sharp, peak Second-Order Martial Artist over there. They can approach Hong Yuan under the pretext of presenting a cultivation technique.