Make the Immortal Sect Great Again

Su Family Compound.

Inside Chen Haoyan’s study, Wang Ping read by the light of a lamp. Three thick books lay before him, and uncontrollable joy surfaced on his face.

Dragon Chant Iron Cloth Shirt.

Tiger-Roar Golden Bell Shield.

Dragon-Tiger Dan-Embracing Secret Method.

All three manuals showed signs of frequent use and were filled with annotations, but they had been well-maintained overall. It was clear how much their previous owner had cherished them.

‘But they all belong to me now.’

With that thought, Wang Ping picked one up. A manual Chen Haoyan had treasured beyond measure in life was now ruthlessly flipped open.

The contents were exactly as he expected. The three manuals covered skin, flesh, and marrow training, respectively. They perfectly complemented Yama’s Three Demon Sabers for tendon training and the Cloud-Piercing Heaven-Shaking Bow for bone and blood training. As long as he could master them all, he would immediately become a martial artist at External Arts Perfection!

”Makes sense,” he murmured.”After all, my current situation is exactly the same as Chen Haoyan’s back then. The martial arts he collected perfectly fill the gaps in my training.”

Wang Ping quickly flipped through the manuals.

He only put them down with satisfaction after the pages, originally kept neat and smooth by Chen Haoyan, were wrinkled and thoroughly rumpled from his rapid leafing.

”Absolutely perfect!”

None of the three martial arts were anything special on their own. While not ordinary goods, they weren’t rare treasures either. Brought together, however, it was a different story.

”Dragon Chant Iron Cloth Shirt uses dragon tendon principles to train the skin, while Tiger-Roar Golden Bell Shield uses tiger bone principles to train the flesh. Once both reach perfection, skin, flesh, tendons, and bones can be perfectly integrated. Using that foundation to practice the Dragon-Tiger Dan-Embracing Secret Method will drastically boost the effects of marrow training, maximizing my potential.”

It was clear Chen Haoyan had truly poured his heart into this.

‘After all, just like me, he had the True Dragon Tendon and was hailed as having innate divine strength. That’s why he specifically chose this set of martial arts to maximize his advantage.’

Wang Ping lightly ran his fingers over the covers of the manuals, pondering.

‘This works out perfectly. The Su Family should have a stockpile of the weapons required for these martial arts. I don’t need to forge them; I can just take what I need.’

A confident smile appeared on Wang Ping’s face.

‘With my current aptitude, the support of my spiritual sense, and the boost from the pills, one day of my training is worth a hundred days of another’s. Achieving perfection in these martial arts will only take a single night!’

...

The next morning.

Madam Su pushed open the doors to her bedchamber. A cold wind brushed past her exquisite, flawless face. Her red lips parted slightly, and her warm breath plumed into drifting white mist.

Normally, that young bailiff would have already come over by now to teach her martial arts.

At that thought, her liquid eyes looked straight toward the nearby guest room.

The doors were shut tight.

‘...Right. He already has the martial arts. He got what he wanted. He must be rushing to train right now, so why would he be in the mood to accommodate me anymore...’

The light in Madam Su’s eyes rapidly faded. The sliver of joy and anticipation she held settled back into calmness, as if she had returned to her former numbness...

Creak!

A second later, the doors were pushed open.

Immediately after, Wang Ping stepped out, looking incredibly spirited. A stream of boiling white steam swirled within three feet of his body, making him look like a roaring furnace.

Standing before him, Madam Su felt a wave of hot air wash over her face, instantly wiping away all the morning chill. Even though it was steam rising from a man’s sweat after intense physical exertion, it carried no stench at all. Instead, it bore an inexplicable, refreshing fragrance that made her slightly dizzy for a moment.

”I’ve kept you waiting, Madam.”

Wang Ping looked at Madam Su in an excellent mood and offered an easy smile. The results of his training were exactly as he had expected—he had been completely reborn!

He did not even need his spiritual sense anymore.

As long as he concentrated, he could naturally ’hear’ the beating of his heart, the flow of his blood, the functioning of his internal organs, and the exact state of his skin, flesh, tendons, and bones.

External Arts Perfection!

This was absolute control over his physique. From his limbs and skeleton down to his pores and hair, he commanded it all with ease, everything moving at his mere thought.

Kui Ox Hide, Dragon-Elephant Flesh, True Dragon Tendon, Mountain Monarch Bone, Supreme Yang Blood, Snow-Silk Marrow.

Skin, flesh, tendons, bones, blood, and marrow.

The Six Gates of External Arts—he had shockingly broken through all of them. Every broken gate brought a qualitative change, and reaching perfection linked all six together, triggering yet another qualitative transformation.

A body that had undergone seven qualitative changes could hardly be called the same species as a normal human, let alone the fact that his skin, flesh, tendons, bones, blood, and marrow were all of the absolute highest quality. At this moment, feeling the torrential power surging within him, Wang Ping subconsciously recalled the scene when he had first crossed over to this world.

He had just arrived back then.

So when that old bastard Shouchong used a single flying knife to blast apart an artificial rockery right in front of him, Wang Ping had been utterly astounded, deeply feeling the old man’s terrifying strength.

But now—

‘I should be able to do that too.’

Wang Ping quietly experienced his own power and came to a conclusion: ‘Although I can’t do it as casually as that old bastard did back then, I can definitely pull it off.’

If he had possessed his current strength during that rainy night, he figured he wouldn’t even have needed Perish Together with the Sun. He could have slaughtered Chen Haoyan in a straight fight!

A wave of satisfaction washed over Wang Ping.

This sense of security brought by his increased power intoxicated him more than anything else. He only snapped back to reality when Madam Su’s voice called out.

”Madam?”

Wang Ping blinked, realizing he had just zoned out. He had been staring at Madam Su for quite a while, watching her until her beautiful face blushed a deep red.

”Wh-what are you looking at?”

”Insolent rogue!”

Yesterday’s panic welled up in her heart once more, but it also hid a bit of inexplicable joy. Her chaotic emotions made Madam Su almost subconsciously change the subject.

”I-I gave you the martial arts manuals yesterday. According to our agreement, you should continue teaching me today...”

As she spoke, Madam Su’s voice gradually quieted down, simply because Wang Ping revealed an incredibly strange expression after hearing her words.

”...Wh-what is it?”

Madam Su looked a little lost.

”Did you forget, Madam?” Wang Ping kindly reminded her. ”Today is Lord Chen’s seventh day since passing. He has to be buried tonight, so it’s really not very convenient to practice martial arts.”

That’s it?

At that moment, Madam Su’s first reaction was, ‘There’s no need.’ It wouldn’t matter if that bastard surnamed Chen was buried a few days late. We might as well get down to business first...

...But very quickly, she realized exactly what she was thinking.

In an instant, all her indescribable, unclear emotions morphed into intense shame, turning into a visible fiery red that rushed up her cheeks.

Never had there been a moment where she realized so clearly that she had changed.

But who could she blame?

Blame the young bailiff in front of her? Yet ever since he moved into the house, he had treated her with courtesy, never overstepping his bounds, and had even helped her resolve numerous troubles.

How could she blame him?

Thinking it over, she could only blame herself for being a fickle, shameless woman. To think her heart, dead and withered for years, was swayed so easily by another man.

At that thought, Madam Su almost sank into an abyss of self-loathing. Like an ostrich, she buried her head deeply into her chest, looking entirely afraid to show her face. Yet a second later, a tyrannical force propped up her chin, forcefully dragging her out of her negative emotions.

Wang Ping pinched her chin.

Madam Su wanted to look away but was held firmly in place, unable to move. Her beautiful eyes immediately welled with tears, and her body twisted restlessly.

”Don’t...”

Her voice was as soft as a mosquito’s buzz.

Faced with Wang Ping’s relentless advance, she tried to pull away until she had nowhere left to retreat. When she caught a glimpse of Chen Haoyan’s coffin from the corner of her eye, she jolted awake.

For some reason, she actually felt a thrilling, almost vindictive excitement at this moment.

”Madam...”

Wang Ping lowered his eyelids, looking at the woman before him. She was like a frightened little rabbit, yet inexplicably docile. From beginning to end, she had done nothing but step back.

‘With things having reached this point... I can’t exactly ask where Chen Haoyan’s Internal Force physique diagram is hidden anymore.’

Wang Ping sighed inwardly.

The atmosphere had built up perfectly to this moment. If he asked that question now, they would definitely turn hostile, and getting the physique diagram after that would be a lost cause.

He had no choice but to go with the flow.

Thinking of this, Wang Ping couldn’t help but lament: ‘Although I’m not a lustful man, nor do I want to sell my body for profit, unfortunately, the heavens simply won’t grant a man’s wishes.’

He would just have to suffer a little injustice.

In the next second, Wang Ping stretched out a large hand and pulled Madam Su directly by the waist. At the same time, he let go of her chin and took her hand instead.

”Do not worry, Madam. I will protect you for the rest of my life,” he said with utter seriousness.

As his words fell, he instantly felt the tense, delicate body in his arms soften completely. Her rigid defenses melted away, and her eyes seemed to ripple with spring water.

At this moment, Madam Su had no idea what she was even thinking anymore.

Although she had long prepared herself to sacrifice her body in order to protect her family’s estate, she had never expected it would end with her completely losing her armor and abandoning all resistance.

What made her feel even more ashamed was that beneath the panic, the daze, and the fluttering of her heart, there was another emotion she could not deny but refused to face—

Secret joy.

So he really did have feelings for me. That upright gentleman act from before was definitely just a pretense. Now he’s finally showing his true colors.

I knew it. He must have been scheming for the past few days, just waiting for this moment. So it’s not that I’m shameless; it’s that his calculations run too deep. I’m just a powerless woman with no strength at all; what can I do against him? I can only compromise for the sake of the greater good. Whatever he wants to do, I can’t stop him...

In her daze, she thought of Chen Haoyan again.

She remembered her life over the past few years. She had mistakenly trusted a scoundrel and become like a canary locked in a cage, forever unable to soar into the azure sky.

How would it be this time?

Her choice was far too hasty. In just a few short days, it was as if she had been bewitched. How could she know if she wasn’t simply moving from one cage into another...

She didn’t dare to look at the young bailiff before her, nor did she dare to respond to his words. She could only tense her body while forcing herself to keep thinking about canaries and cages, using this method to escape reality. Yet the harder she tried to think, the more blurred and chaotic her thoughts became.

Unknowingly, her thoughts completely shifted.

The canary that was originally trapped in a cage had somehow broken free and soared into the sky, diving and swooping, flying freely and without restraint...

She gave up thinking entirely.

At this moment, no matter what Wang Ping asked, she would probably confess everything.

Her beautiful eyes stared blankly at the ceiling until she realized Wang Ping had picked her up to carry her back to her room. That was when she suddenly reacted.

”W-Wait a minute!”

The canary flying in the sky hastily landed back on the ground, anxiously pecking at Wang Ping’s ear. ”N-No, don’t go back to the room. I want it right here!”

For a time, the only sound left in the surroundings was the furious fluttering of the canary desperately beating its wings.

...

The next day, at noon.

Wang Ping’s Iron Ox Art was by no means an unearned reputation, and Madam Su, having practiced martial arts before, possessed a physique far surpassing that of an ordinary person. The two were evenly matched, truly a clash of equals.

And so, before they knew it, they had been flying from early morning all the way to high noon.

The canary had flown until it had no strength left in its entire body. Greedy for the young bailiff’s embrace, it honestly curled up, nestling tightly in his arms.

”D-Don’t move,” she whispered.

Perhaps because they had fought too fiercely last night, Madam Su’s voice was slightly hoarse, but that only made it sound all the more magnetic and enticing.

”It’s all your fault...”

Madam Su rubbed her belly, feeling an inexplicable sense of satisfaction. The tragic sorrow that normally lingered between her brows had been wiped away entirely. Like spring arriving after winter, she actually looked even more radiant and delicate.

”Madam...” Wang Ping began in a low voice.

”You’re still calling me that?”

Hearing this, Madam Su shot him a glare. She first shifted into a more comfortable position, then used a slender finger to gently trace circles on the man’s palm.

”My name is Su Ya,” she said, her voice soft as a mosquito’s hum.

Wang Ping knew this meant the woman in his arms had completely surrendered her body and mind to him, so he asked nothing. He only hugged her tighter.

Another moment passed before the two finally recovered their strength and stood up.

Only then did Madam Su seem to remember something. She tied her messy long hair back up, glanced around, and finally looked toward a corner of the room.

Lying in the corner was a hairpin carved entirely out of fine jade. It was the very same one Chen Haoyan had given her. She had taken it out just as the canary took to the sky, tossing it aside simply because it was in the way. Now, an obvious crack had appeared on it.

”Hmm?”

Wang Ping followed her gaze and suddenly let out a soft sound of surprise. Beneath the shattered hairpin, he clearly saw a small piece of hemp paper that seemed to have words written on it.

It looked like... a drawing?

In an instant, the previously lethargic Wang Ping jolted upright. Reaching out a hand, he grabbed the fallen hairpin off the floor.

”What is this?”

Madam Su immediately pursed her red lips, seemingly too embarrassed to speak. Seeing her reaction, Wang Ping knew exactly what it was, and a surge of joy bloomed in his heart.

‘I actually completely missed this before!’

‘What material was this hairpin made of? It’s so fragile, yet it could block my spiritual sense’s probing. If it hadn’t been accidentally broken this time, I would have missed it entirely!’

Following the crack in the hairpin, Wang Ping’s spiritual sense flooded inside.

Immediately after, a diagram resembling an ink-splash landscape painting leaped out before his eyes. Directly above the diagram were seven large characters written in bold, sweeping strokes:

Heavenly Roc Dragon Capture Physique Diagram!