Chapter 100: Forbidden Martial Arts

Dark night. The heart-wrenching screams echoed endlessly within the Mountain God Temple. Guo Hu had passed out from the pain several times, only to be revived by Qin Yi splashing water on his face. His two feet were reduced to mere skeletal frames with the major blood vessels exposed. Seeing the gleaming dagger pointed at his third leg, Guo Hu panicked! A true man can be killed but not humiliated! "I said, I said, I'll tell you everything!" Guo Hu's heart shattered as he spoke. He simply wanted a quick death! "Back then, when you hunted Zhang Dao Xuan, was it because of the incomplete Dao map on his body?" Qin Yi inquired. "Yes, yes, yes!" Guo Hu nodded like a chick pecking at rice. "What exactly was the use of this Dao map, and what secrets did it hold?" "I truly don't know its purpose or any secrets. It was merely what our superiors at the Imperial Martial Hall instructed: major sect relics cannot fall into anyone else's hands. The Imperial Martial Hall must reclaim them. That's why we pursued and killed him!" Guo Hu explained hastily. "Are you certain you were not lying?" Qin Yi narrowed his eyes. "No, no, no, I really wasn't lying!" Guo Hu's eyes filled with terror, fearing another round of slashing. "Then how did you know that Zhang Dao Xuan had this Dao map on him?" Qin Yi asked again. "When our Imperial Martial Hall members passed by Tai Xuan Dao Palace, we detected major sect relics within the palace, so we dispatched men to encircle it. Zhang Dao Xuan relied on his speed to escape the encirclement, so we pursued him relentlessly..." Guo Hu stated truthfully. "Detected?" Qin Yi frowned. How could one detect something on a person's body? Hmm? Suddenly, he recalled what Zhang Dao Xuan had said earlier: this map needed to be opened in a place free of people within ten miles. Could it be... "Yes, our Imperial Martial Hall has a specialized compass for searching major sect relics. It can detect these relics within a certain range." "So that's how it is!" Qin Yi finally understood why Zhang Dao Xuan had instructed him. If he had dared to open that box inside the city, the local Imperial Martial Hall would surely come knocking. "Do you have this compass on you?" "Yes, yes, yes, it's on me." Guo Hu did not dare to lie. Qin Yi quickly saw the compass the size of a palm, over two hundred taels of silver notes, and various bottles and jars that appeared to be hemostatic and detoxifying medicines. "So, do you know where Zhang Dao Xuan obtained this Dao map from?" Qin Yi asked. The missing part, he truly wanted to find it! "I don't know, I really don't know!" "How does it work?" Qin Yi asked, gazing at the exquisite yet rustic compass. "It has a compass on it. If there are major sect relics within the certain range, the compass will guide the direction. The range is about five miles." "I've told you everything I know. Can you give me a quick death?" Guo Hu begged. "Why has the imperial court always prohibited these major sect relics from entering others' hands?" Qin Yi asked with a grave expression. Although Guo Hu might not know the map's exact purpose, he could probably guess some direction. This map was absolutely some important item from those major sects of the past! "I really don't know either. I only followed orders. Reclaiming these major sect relics has been our Imperial Martial Hall's duty for hundreds of years." "Always?" "Yes, since the founding of the Imperial Martial Hall over five hundred years ago, we've been engaged in this task. Even if nine-segment martial arts stray into the jianghu, we must reclaim them. Additionally, we encircle and suppress the remnants of major sects." "But there are also first-rate martial arts in the jianghu?" Qin Yi was puzzled. "Those are only first-rate martial arts from the seven and eight segments. No nine-segment! Except for those hidden major sects and the remnants who hide their heads and tails!" Guo Hu explained. "So that's it!" Qin Yi stroked his chin. No wonder there were so few first-rate martial arts in Dayong, and only the imperial court and Liuli Sect possessed nine-segment martial arts. The Imperial Martial Hall was essentially the imperial court's restraint on the jianghu! From the perspective of martial arts, it was a complete cutoff! There was another question: whether the overnight disappearance of the supreme Dao Palace, Tai Qing Dao Palace, from back then was related to Dayong. But the missing part of the Dao map on his body still left him without a clue! "Has the Imperial Martial Hall ever reclaimed any incomplete Dao maps?" Qin Yi pressed. "This... I haven't encountered any. If there were, they would probably be in the headquarters of the Imperial Martial Hall in the imperial capital." Guo Hu stated honestly. "Imperial capital..." Qin Yi frowned slightly. Going there with his current strength would be courting death. "Just now, I saw the people from Azure Lotus Sect obtain a wooden box from that bearded man. What was inside?" Something that required Li Yanyuan to put in so much effort to encircle and kill this team of Imperial Martial Hall members must be extraordinary. "It was a night-luminescent pearl." "A night-luminescent pearl?" Qin Yi touched his chin. "What makes this night-luminescent pearl special?" "This... seems like nothing." Then Qin Yi asked some more questions and finally resolved Guo Hu. Looking at the sky, it was already the latter half of the night. Qin Yi flew towards Xiangzhou City. Tomorrow morning, he planned to leave Xiangzhou City. Before departing, there were some matters he still wanted to consult Li Yanyuan with! ... Within the city. Qin Yi gracefully landed on the pavilion. Inside the pavilion, Li Yanyuan, who was about to sleep, suddenly opened her beautiful eyes. "Miss Li, it's me." "Qin Feng?" Li Yanyuan frowned slightly. "It's me. I have something to ask Miss Li." Qin Yi landed in front of Li Yanyuan's room door. "Come in, the door isn't locked." "Thank you." Qin Yi gently pushed the door open and was met with a fragrant breeze. The room was exquisitely decorated. Li Yanyuan sat at the tea table. "Qin Feng, please sit." "Mm." Qin Yi nodded and sat down. "Why are you here so late? Couldn't you come tomorrow?" Li Yanyuan asked in puzzlement. "Cough... I didn't get to ask you about these two things last time, so I can't sleep until I understand." Qin Yi said half-truthfully. "Ask." Looking at the veiled Li Yanyuan before him, Qin Yi smiled and said, "I want to ask, how strong is the innate?" "Are you worried about encountering that master of Wu Yu Long?" Li Yanyuan smiled. "About that." Qin Yi did not deny it. "How strong is the innate..." Li Yanyuan paused, took a deep breath, and said, "The weakest innate, the moves in their every gesture possess the power of secret techniques! Because they have broken part of the body's limits!"