Chapter 52: The Huayang Mountain Sect

“Leader of the gang?”
“Tu Xiong!?”
The Ning siblings exchanged incredulous glances, clearly not expecting the head of the Canal Gang to be entangled in this matter as well.
“Yes…”
Huayangzi nodded slightly, sighing. “I’ve met Tu Xiong several times. He’s a man of great ambition, and the fortune that surrounds him is truly rare in this world.”
“When he became the leader of the Canal Gang, he was already a warrior of the sixth realm. Later, he unified the gang, challenged renowned figures in the martial world, and never once tasted defeat…”
“After so many years, I suspect his martial prowess has reached the seventh realm, otherwise the Canal Gang wouldn’t command such a presence in the martial world…”
“…”
Ning San-niang frowned and asked, “Master, if Tu Xiong is indeed favored by the fortune of the former dynasty, why would our Great Qian court tolerate him?”
“Why wouldn’t they?”
Huayangzi chuckled, “The fortune of the former dynasty still bears the name ‘former,’ and now the world belongs to Great Qian, not the Liu Han of the past. For people of the present age, that fortune is merely a special path beneficial to cultivation.”
He shifted the tone, teasing, “Unless you plan to wield the imperial sword of the former dynasty to cut down officials of the current reign?”
“…”
Ning San-niang could only laugh awkwardly to ease the embarrassment.
“This matter is already known to those with a keen eye…”
Huayangzi sighed, “Now, the Court’s Department of Auspices, Tu Xiong of your Canal Gang, some prominent sects in the martial world, and notable aristocratic families—all are secretly seeking that fortune of the former dynasty.”
Ning San-niang seemed to recall something and asked, “Master, what about the Sacred Fire Cult?”
“The Sacred Fire Cult?”
Huayangzi pondered for a moment, then warned solemnly, “Girl, you’d best pray you never encounter those people from the Sacred Fire Cult. If you do cross paths with them, avoid them at all costs, understand?”
Seeing Ning San-niang’s confusion, he sighed, “The Sacred Fire Cult’s legacy is far older than you or I can imagine. Even the founding emperor of Qian owed much of his rise to their involvement…”
“Once the founding emperor established his rule, the first thing he did was purge the Sacred Fire Cult. To this day, they’re still labeled as ‘rebels,’ ‘deceivers of the people,’ and ‘heretics.’ The court hunts them yearly, regardless of their fate. Would the Sacred Fire Cult be easy to deal with?”
“After the purge, the cult dwindled and has remained hidden for over a century. If they emerge again, it will surely signal chaos across the realm!”
“…”
Ning Hongwu and Ning San-niang nodded thoughtfully, still digesting the intricate information Huayangzi had revealed…
Huayangzi knew, too, that such matters were far removed from their concerns, and speaking more would only add to their worries without any benefit.

“These things are just stories for you to listen to; saying more does no good.”
He sighed and changed the subject, “I have another matter I haven’t unraveled yet. If you keep your eyes open, you might be able to help…”
Ning Hongwu snapped to attention, cupping his hands respectfully. “Please speak, senior!”
“This concerns your sister as well…”
Huayangzi stroked his beard and explained, “The lineage of Huayang Mountain cultivates a rather unique method, enabling us to refine four types of internal energy that counter and complement each other: one is the Yin Body Earth Fiend, another the Yang Body Heavenly Gang; one is focused on martial aggression, the other on indestructibility.”
“These four energies, though mutually reinforcing and restraining, each alone cannot prosper. To cultivate, one must master two of them, which is why each generation only accepts two disciples…”
“Ning girl’s internal skill is the Earth Fiend chapter of ‘Primordial Art,’ corresponding to the Yin Body Earth Fiend and Martial Aggression;”
“So my sect still lacks a male disciple who can cultivate the Heavenly Gang chapter, corresponding to the Yang Body Heavenly Gang and Indestructibility…”
“…”
As soon as Huayangzi finished speaking, Ning Hongwu couldn’t help but pat his chest eagerly, “Senior, do you think I’m fit?”
“Shut up…”
Beside him, Ning San-niang’s face twitched, wishing she could drag her brother out by his collar…
She had trained on Huayang Mountain and knew the tradition of accepting only two disciples per generation, as well as the drawbacks of cultivating the Primordial Art.
The Primordial Art was not a conventional internal skill but an adaptation of ancient Qi-eating techniques.
It emphasized the balance of Yin and Yang, internal and external cultivation. At first, its power was not remarkable, but once mastered, it promised longevity and unfathomable abilities.
But times have changed. Nowadays, so few possess the talent to cultivate the Primordial Art that it has lingered in obscurity for years…
Until a brilliant ancestor of Huayang Mountain rediscovered it, painstakingly distilled its essence, and adapted it into the Heavenly Gang and Earth Fiend chapters for martial cultivation…
This preserved some of its powers while greatly reducing the difficulty.
Yet, since these two chapters are adaptations, lowering the entry threshold also reduced their upper limits…
The two chapters can be cultivated only up to the peak of the sixth martial realm.
To go further, one must return to the origin, harmonize Yin and Yang—hence, the tradition of only one male and one female disciple each generation…
“Hehehehe~”
Huayangzi waved his hand, smiling. “Cultivating both chapters of Primordial Art cannot be done by siblings, and it requires exceptional martial talent.”
“…”
Ning Hongwu nodded thoughtfully…

He wasn’t stupid; from Huayangzi’s words, he sensed there must be hidden reasons for his selection of disciples, so he refrained from saying more.
Ning San-niang, however, asked with some concern, “Master, what kind of person is needed to join our Huayang Mountain lineage and cultivate the Heavenly Gang chapter of Primordial Art?”
“Why?”
Huayangzi teased, “Are you so eager to have a junior brother?”
“I…”
Ning San-niang knew her master was joking, and for a moment, she didn’t know how to respond, only pouting, “I’m afraid the junior brother won’t meet my standards.”
“I fear the same…”
Huayangzi laughed. “Years ago, I searched constantly, but never found a suitable candidate. Recently, matters have distracted me, making it even harder.”
“What are the requirements?”
Ning San-niang asked nervously, “Now that my brother has many people under him, if you tell us what you need, we can help search, right…”
“Hahahahaha…”
Huayangzi, seeing his disciple’s eagerness, knew well what she was worried about. He clicked his tongue, “If it were years ago, as long as the candidate had decent martial talent and good character, he could join my sect.”
“But these years have been lost, and you’ve now reached the fifth realm. If I take on a disciple of middling talent, he’ll hardly keep pace with you…”
He paused, then said seriously, “The Heavenly Gang chapter of Primordial Art focuses on Yang Body Heavenly Gang and Indestructibility. If you can find a man with a congenital Pure Yang constitution, his cultivation will be twice as effective, and he’ll be more compatible with you.”
“Congenital Pure Yang constitution?”
Ning San-niang frowned, muttering, “Master, what are the traits of this Pure Yang constitution, and how can I find such a person?”
“The traits…”
Huayangzi stroked his beard and pondered. “A person with the congenital Pure Yang constitution is like a living furnace—not only immune to illness and extremes of temperature, but he cultivates rapidly and his internal energy is fiercely Yang, easily recognizable.”
“Oh…”
Ning San-niang nodded in sudden understanding, then rolled her eyes and sidled up to her master, smiling. “Master, I’ll help you find this junior brother!”
She paused, pouting, “But you’re always coming and going like the wind. Even if I find a suitable candidate, I won’t be able to find you. How about…”
“How about you give me the Heavenly Gang chapter of Primordial Art? Once I find the right junior brother, I’ll accept him as your proxy and let him begin his cultivation immediately, so your affairs won’t be delayed~”
“…”