Chapter 230 Part 1

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Chapter 230 Part 1: Bullying the Qiao Family Without Anyone to Protect? (1)

"Listen to your instincts… and run away?"

The instincts of Spirit Refining martial artists are very sharp. While instincts don’t guarantee no mistakes, most of the time, they can save lives.

"But my instinct tells me that you’re about to die soon."

Qiao Mu didn’t pay much attention to the person Luohan in front of him. His gaze scanned around the messy mansion and finally landed on a fat cat sitting on his shoulder.

The fluffy cat sniffed in the direction of Luohan, looking a bit excited – it seemed like it was using its nose to smell, but in reality it was sensing something eerie.

Qiao Mu casually mentioned the spiritual refining of martial artists couldn’t predict the future, but this cat did indeed "smell" the deathly aura around Luohan.

After reaching the 2nd rank of Spiritual Refining Period, Qiao Mu’s memory became excellent, recalling details of past events from long ago.

He also recognized this person.

In the past, at the grand mansion in the Imperial Capital, the 1st ranked martial artist Qin Shiqing was resurrected by Qiao Mu using the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method, only to be ambushed and killed in the end.

This Luohan also left an impression on the Qiao Mu of that time.

He seemed to be Qin Shiqing’s attendant, a servant.

Strangely, his strength appeared to surpass even the initial 1st ranked martial artist Qin Shiqing by a large margin?

Back when he was still known as "Qiao Senlin", Qiao Mu once exchanged blows with Luohan, discovering the opponent’s physical resilience was astonishing.

Under the influence of the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method, the internal strength was comparable to five hundred years of martial arts power, but it still could not defeat this Luohan… It was very unusual.

The lifespan of martial artists is limited, so it’s practically impossible to reach a five hundred years of power through normal training; a hundred years of power is usually the maximum.

Although Qiao Mu’s Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method’s power of four to five hundred years was only a temporary burst, not as strong as true five hundred years of hard-earned power, it still shocked the world of ordinary martial artists.

With this kind of power, just one direct hit could kill the 1st ranked martial artist Qin Shiqing.

However, when Qiao Mu once punched Luohan, who seemed to be under Qin Shiqing’s influence, Luohan directly blocked Qiao Mu’s attack head-on.

Not only that, but the tremendous backlash force at that moment twisted and deformed Qiao Mu’s hand bones.

The present-day Qiao Mu is no longer a youngster who hasn’t seen a hundred years; his knowledge, experience, and insights are quite extensive. Naturally, he noticed something suspicious from his recollection.

"This person is problematic."

This thought flashed through Qiao Mu’s mind.

"I’ve met many stubborn people," Luohan wasn’t surprised.

Since mastering the "Golden Body Technique" and achieving the "copper body," he has defeated many former martial arts experts who used to be unbeatable.

Besides… Luohan has dealt with members of the Qiao family before.

The old man Qiao Senlin from the Qiao family he dealt with before seemed very old and had profound martial arts skills, but so what?

He managed to kill the 1st rank, but still forced him to retreat.

He has experience dealing with Qiao family members.

With this thought in mind, Luohan suddenly looked up.

A loud noise of breaking air pierced his ears, and a fist grew rapidly in his field of vision!

Boom!

Amid a loud bang, Luohan’s eyes widened slightly, and he took a step back.

There was a faint bruise on his face, with the skin slightly sunken and a trickle of blood seeping out.

But that was all.

Instead, Qiao Mu, who remained standing in place, furrowed his brow and looked at his fist.

He held back some of his strength and didn’t punch with full force.

Despite this, the tremendous recoil force caused his fist to burst open, blood flowing heavily, even the bones in his hand throbbing with pain…

His brow furrowed not from the pain.

Having lived for over two hundred years, his tolerance for pain had reached superhuman levels.

He felt strange in his heart.

"Practicing hard skills?" Qiao Mu still felt something was wrong in his heart.

Well, he had practiced hard skills before.

Putting aside Qiao Mu’s best Iron Crotch Skill, he also mastered the Golden Bell Shield Iron Cloth Shirt Skill, and perfected it over the years.

Compared to hard skills, compared to physical body, even when Qiao Mu was less than a hundred years old, he was already stronger than the 1st ranked martial artist Qin Shiqing.

The broader version of martial artist is the Spiritual Refining Method, spiritual refining excels in intuition, able to instinctively dodge attacks. So, before Qiao Mu unleashed the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method, dealing with Qin Shiqing was like a tiger staring at the skies, unable to start.

So, here comes the question.

The muscle butler Luohan in front of him, why was Qiao Mu, who had perfected the Golden Bell Shield Iron Cloth Shirt Skill, a little puzzled about his proficiency in hard skills.

"Something’s not right…"

Instead of clenching his fists, he formed his hands into palms and alternated strikes at Luohan.

A cold silver light shone out, as Qiao Mu’s hands kept striking Luohan like waves crashing down.

Qiao Mu moved like a light smoke, continuously hitting Luohan with his palms.

This time, he didn’t use his fists, but relied on strong internal strength to strike from a close distance.

Even without using the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method, Qiao Mu had nearly two centuries of deep internal strength, a level of power that ordinary martial artists couldn’t achieve even after a lifetime of practice.

Despite the powerful force of his strikes, Luohan only heard dull thuds as they hit him.

Luohan didn’t fall down or get knocked back by the strong strikes, just forced to step back a few paces.

He had dozens of palm prints all over his body, looking a bit disheveled, but they seemed to be only minor injuries.

He didn’t even bend his waist, standing straight as ever.

"Had enough yet?" Luohan felt frustrated and let out a roar.

At that moment, he lifted his right foot and stamped heavily on the ground, causing a loud bang.

The blue bricks under his feet shattered into pieces, causing the ground of the entire courtyard to tremble. A circle of dust swept up, and the courtyard behind Qiao Mu made a creaking sound, making the whole house shake with that one step.

"What are you, some kind of monster?" Qiao Mu swiftly jumped back ten meters, frowning as he looked at the Luohan in front of him.

"This kick, without any special power, relying solely on physical strength?"

This was very unusual.

You see, the human body has its limits. Otherwise, training would not be stuck at the 4th rank, with only the 3rd rank achievable through the Spiritual Refining Method.

The upper limit for the human body is the 4th rank, no matter if you train in Qi energy or special abilities; to go further, one can only rely on accumulating strength slowly over long periods of time.

Qiao Mu’s "Xumi Mountain King Sutra" follows the path of Qi energy and blood circulation.

He has practiced the Xumi Mountain King Sutra for over a hundred years, with a vast amount of Qi energy mostly used to combat the natural aging process of the human body. So, although Qiao Mu’s physical strength is stronger than that of ordinary Spiritual Refining martial artists, it’s not extraordinarily strong.

Luohan heard those words, his face changed slightly at first, then a smile slowly appeared on his lips.

"It seems that you still have some sharp eyes."

When Spirit Refining martial artists sparred, it was not only a physical exchange but also a clash of the mind.

After being seen through by Qiao Mu, Luohan’s face changed briefly, then returned to his proud demeanor.

"This is the way of martial arts, this is the Martial Arts Golden Body!"

"Once achieving the Martial Arts Golden Body, physical strength and internal power merge into one, there is no longer a distinction between inside and outside. Each punch or kick is as heavy as a mountain, able to withstand the magic of immortal cultivators."

Luohan laughed three times, swiftly stepped towards Qiao Mu.

His movements were forceful, each step seemed to make the ground beneath him tremble slightly, each punch carried a mighty power.

When hitting the trees in the courtyard, the trees snapped in half, hitting the rockery caused it to collapse and shatter.

"How many years have you been practicing martial arts, eighty years? Ninety years? One hundred years?" asked the old master from the Qiao family.

"Even if you have been training for a hundred years, it doesn’t matter. Being a martial artist is not about how long you have been training," he continued.

"If you are on the wrong path, no matter how hard you practice, it will be inefficient. You old-timers from the past have already reached a dead end, it’s time to make way for us," he added.

Luohan laughed heartily. Although he was lacking in speed, his continuous attacks almost demolished half of Qiao Mu’s recently bought mansion without actually hitting him.

The ground cracked like a spider web, the mansion teetered on the edge of collapse, looking crooked and ready to crumble, creating a mess.

Qiao Mu watched the chaos and sighed slightly.

He remained somewhat indifferent emotionally, his main concern being the damage to his wallet.

Money was just material and could be sorted out. If needed, he could ask Emperor Yonghe for some compensation or borrow from the generous Wan family.

Money issues could be resolved, but one’s life was a different matter.

The Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method is a self-harming technique that either leaves you dead or severely injured once used.

Especially when Qiao Mu mastered the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method, he was very effective at self-harm, often succumbing to internal injuries in battles.

After the second chain of the Ouroboros Long Life Lock breaks, the time for resurrection in dreams becomes 5 times longer.

This means that from now on, every time Qiao Mu dies, it will likely be at least five or ten years before he can come back to life.

Under the influence of the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method, killing the Luohan in front of him was no problem for Qiao Mu.

However, he didn’t see the point in getting trapped in a dream prison for five or ten years for this arrogant fool.

"You have a point, martial arts isn’t about time but about who wins with their fists," Qiao Mu said with a pained expression.

Pretending to be shaken, he was actually preparing to trick his opponent.

"The new waves surpass the old, in this world, there’s never been anyone older or more skilled in martial arts than me. I’ve trained longer, so I’m stronger, which means you deserve to be defeated."

"Learn by day, die by night… What does it mean to use martial arts to understand the Dao? Why are you so strong?"

Under Luohan’s fierce attacks, Qiao Mu was struggling and had to rely on his instincts to barely dodge Luohan’s punches.

Despite his efforts, his robe was torn by Luohan’s punches, leaving him disheveled.

Anyone watching would think that this old man was clearly losing and was close to death.

"By using martial arts to achieve enlightenment… this is the proud path of us martial artists!" Luohan said cheerfully as he attacked fiercely.

Since achieving a "copper body," he has defeated countless past strong enemies, and his favorite moments are these.

Before joining the Martial Arts League, Luohan was a 3rd rank Spirit Refining martial artist.

Upon entering spiritual refining, he had already become one of the best martial artists.

But compared to other 3rd rank martial artists, Luohan’s strength seemed insufficient.

He was not a genius, and it took him decades of hard training to finally reach the 3rd rank of Spiritual Refining Period, but by then, he was already middle-aged.

It is common for one’s vitality to decline in middle age… not to mention, in the martial world of Great Yan, there is also a Martial Saint.

An ordinary 3rd rank of Spiritual Refining Period like Luohan, seeing no hope of advancement, having no possibility of progressing further, can only become food for the Martial Saint.

About five or six years ago, he almost died at the hands of a martial artist from the Wuji Association.

After narrowly escaping, as a third-ranked Spiritual Refining Period practitioner, he could only act discreetly, hiding his identity like a mouse in a gutter, living worse than when he was practicing at the fourth rank…

It wasn’t until the Martial Saint died and the Wuji Association went into hiding that he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Upon arriving at the Imperial Capital and joining the Martial Arts League, mastering the copper body technique, he felt like he was reborn and his life took a turn for the better.

Now, he no longer needs to hide. The martial arts enemies who once drove him to a dead end have all been taken care of by him.

Watching old school martial artists helplessly succumb to his iron fist brings him great excitement.

"Choosing wisely is more important than working hard."

"Once I achieve the Martial Arts Golden Body, I will be the new martial arts genius of our generation, defeating all of you old-timers who just won’t die!"

Luohan roared loudly and hurled his fists like powerful gusts.

He lacked internal strength and relied solely on his brute force.

However, his iron fists seemed to carry the weight of mountains.

With a loud bang.

The huge stone pillar in the front yard, as wide as three people hugging together, shattered with a single strike from him, causing the entire front yard to collapse in an instant, making the ground tremble incessantly.

The streets and alleys fell into silence, as the locals nearby knew that a skilled showdown was taking place and dared not approach, fleeing long ago.

Luohan stomped through the roof tiles and frowned at Qiao Mu, who was a dozen steps away.

Under the sunlight, his bare skin had a faint golden hue, resembling a golden Luohan statue, exuding a majestic presence.

"Slippery but not bad in agility," Luohan muttered.

Qiao Mu stood on the half-collapsed courtyard wall, frowning as he locked eyes with him.

After fighting for so long until his own house collapsed, he finally understood Luohan’s skill level to some extent.

In reality, this person is only at the 3rd rank of Spiritual Refining Period with no internal strength, but his exceptional physical body sets him apart from ordinary people.

Initially, Qiao Mu suspected him to be a monstrous being with formidable physical strength. After their exchange, he began to find answers in his heart.

Before entering the solitary city in the desert, Qiao Mu was puzzled about Luohan, but now he had a better idea.

"What martial arts do you practice? What kind of martial artist are you?"

Qiao Mu shouted:

"Has practicing martial arts made you silly? You are clearly a Taoist soldier of a cultivator in the immortal path!"

"Taoist soldier? What are you talking about? Are you trying to confuse my martial arts mind? I am who I am!" Luohan remained calm and cold, raising his iron fist to continue attacking Qiao Mu.

"I am a pioneer of using martial arts to enlighten the path, a trailblazer in martial arts!"

"Is this what using martial arts to enlighten the path looks like?" Qiao Mu dodged like lightning, finding it amusing.

After understanding Luohan’s background, he lost interest in him.

No wonder they say using martial arts to enlighten the path is known for its strong physical body, stepping on the former 1st rank Spirit Refining martial artist to rise to fame.

It seems like the Immortal Gate’s Etching Bone Li Fire Talisman, specially tailored to deal with martial artists, can easily handle 1st ranked martial artists.

What? Use the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method to defeat him?

Qiao Mu is no longer a young man of over a hundred years old. Now, he is calm and gentle, not fond of fighting and killing.

Moreover, what’s the point of comparing with a Taoist soldier?

Qiao Mu had fought bravely in the Hundred-mile Desert, but killing paper man and bean soldiers only used up some of the hidden practitioner’s power and materials.

The Taoist soldier in front of him was obviously special, different from the one Qiao Mu had met in the abandoned city, but they were both Taoist soldiers in the end.

Qiao Mu fought initially because there was a deserted city behind him, guarded by three hundred white-headed soldiers.

If he didn’t step forward, it would be others who died.

Even though Qiao Mu was over a hundred years old, he wouldn’t have died in the hands of the bean soldiers. He could have run away, hidden, and fought back slowly.

If he had a bit of a cunning plan, he could have taken advantage of the bean soldiers attacking the city and ambush them. Why rush in and die recklessly?

Now, with no worries or ties, what’s the point of competing with a Taoist soldier?

"Let’s go."

Qiao Mu leaped into the distance with graceful movements.

The Impermanent Demon Cat had disappeared into the shadows without a trace.

Even though a newly bought mansion was damaged, it was not a big issue for Qiao Mu, who had been through many life and death situations and remained calm.

"Where do you think you’re going! Don’t you have any dignity as a warrior?" Luohan growled lowly, chasing after them with determined strides.

He emitted a faint golden glow all over his body, as if he was made of steel and iron, exuding a daunting aura.

Qiao Mu, on the other hand, looked like a disheveled old man with dirt smeared on his face and clothes, clearly in a sorry state as he was relentlessly pursued by Luohan.

The two figures swiftly passed by the collapsed mansion, causing pedestrians in the distance to fearfully retreat, afraid of being caught up in their battle.

"Who dares to commit violence in the Imperial Capital in broad daylight—"

Speaking was a spirited young woman with a sword at her waist. She had a brief encounter with Qiao Mu earlier that morning and was Hu Wan, the daughter of the renowned hero Dragon Claw, Hu Han.