Chapter 365: Chapter 364: A Strong Sense of Déjà Vu
"What?!"
Seeing Sun Bumie’s strange behavior was greatly beyond Xu Lingjun’s expectations.
Xu Lingjun was momentarily dumbfounded, a bit stunned.
For, although Wu Hongzhou was not killed by Xu Lingjun, it was Zhou Qianmo who died to frame Xu Lingjun, which makes Sun Bumie’s resentment towards Xu Lingjun somewhat understandable.
Otherwise, Xu Lingjun really couldn’t fathom why Zhou Qianmo would want to kill Wu Hongzhou. After all, it wasn’t as though Wu Hongzhou had killed Zhou Qianmo’s son, so would that make him more resented than Xu Lingjun?
Sun Bumie said, "Master Xu, please forgive me for previously being unable to bow to you in public as a Sect Leader, especially since I was unclear of your intentions. I could only pretend ignorance at the time, and now that the events have gradually become clear, I am here to pay my respects to you."
"Sect Leader Sun, is there some sort of misunderstanding?"
If Sun Bumie was indeed here to cause trouble, Xu Lingjun knew how to handle it, but his respectful demeanor left Xu Lingjun bewildered.
Xu Lingjun was a bit puzzled and said, "Sect Leader Sun, I am just an ordinary student from the Martial Mansion, surely unworthy of such courtesy from a Sect Leader."
Sun Bumie stood upright and chuckled, "There is no misunderstanding. I may be unworthy, but I am not blind... Master Xu, may I ask, was the Supreme Level Martial Skill you used in the main hall called ’Reckless and Irresponsible’?"
Xu Lingjun also stood up and seriously said, "Indeed, it was created through painstaking effort by our Pavilion Master..."
"Master Xu, there is no one else here, just the two of us. You can speak plainly with me."
Sun Bumie asked, "Dare you say, the martial skill you exhibited was truly ’Reckless and Irresponsible’? And not our Cuowu Sect’s long-lost ’Reversed Tao Qiankun’?"
Xu Lingjun: "..............."
He figured it out?!
Then why didn’t he say it at the moment?
Xu Lingjun was shocked in his heart, but his expression remained calm. He said speechlessly, "Sect Leader Sun, you are speaking nonsense again. How could I possibly know your sect’s martial skills? Moreover, the name ’Reversed Tao Qiankun’ sounds more advanced than ’Reversing Heaven and Earth’. Are you accusing me of stealing ’Reversing Heaven and Earth’ and trying to elevate my crime to a higher level?"
"In truth, I wasn’t certain before. Only when your power entered my body was I supposed to be injured, yet I found that the True Qi entering my body was of the same origin as mine, directly merging with my own True Qi."
Sun Bumie explained, "The True Qi had been taken over by you, its route changed, how could it still be perfectly absorbed back? There’s only one possibility, the technique you used and the cultivation technique I practice share the same origin, only yours is hundreds of times more advanced, and so, I am certain that the technique you used in the hall was indeed our Cuowu Sect’s ’Reversed Tao Qiankun’."
Xu Lingjun: "This, it probably is just a coincidence, after all, they are both techniques involving reverse True Qi flow, it’s reasonable to have some similarities."
"Hehehe, Master Xu, you don’t need to be alarmed, I’m not here to cause you trouble. In fact, the teaching of martial skills must proceed gradually. This means not only do you comprehend ’Reversed Tao Qiankun’, but you are also probably very familiar with ’Reversing Heaven and Earth’, meaning that this martial skill was not something you obtained by chance, but rather taught to you by someone."
Sun Bumie smiled, "And the only person capable of that would be Grandmaster Uncle Zhou, right?"
"Grandmaster Uncle Zhou?"
Xu Lingjun suddenly felt a strong sense of déjà vu.
"Yes, several decades ago, Grandmaster Uncle Zhou Tong competed with my master for the position of Sect Leader and lost, after which he became carefree, left the sect to travel, and mysteriously disappeared, never to return to the Cuowu Sect."
Sun Bumie sighed, "At that time, I was just a young child, but I remember Grandmaster Uncle Zhou’s strength was indeed surpassing my master’s, and, as time has proven, Grandmaster Uncle Zhou was indeed more suited to be the Cuowu Sect Leader, because after my master’s time, the Cuowu Sect went through several changes, resulting in diminished strength and many lost cultivation techniques... otherwise, how could the Cuowu Sect have been reduced to its current strength?"
Xu Lingjun immediately understood, thinking to himself that Sun Bumie must have mistaken him for a descendant of Grandmaster Uncle Zhou’s lineage?
Sun Bumie could tell Xu Lingjun’s thoughts just by observing his expression.
He laughed and said, "It’s not that I regard you as Grandmaster Uncle Zhou’s successor, but there is no other explanation. Otherwise, Master Xu, where did you acquire techniques that even my sect has lost? Grandmaster Uncle Zhou’s lineage is the only possibility."
Xu Lingjun sighed and said, "Now that it’s come to this, I won’t hide it... indeed, I encountered an old beggar who pestered me, saying I had extraordinary talent and the capability to maintain world peace. He insisted on selling me a martial arts classic for ten dollars a book without bargaining. I had no choice but to buy one, and it was this ’Reversed Tao Qiankun’."
"Ten dollars a book?"
Sun Bumie smiled wryly, "Grandmaster Uncle Zhou truly knew how to have fun. It seems he regarded you as a disciple to continue his legacy, yet didn’t want the teacher-disciple title, so he used this method to pass on his techniques."
"Yes, at first I didn’t take it seriously, but later when I joined the Bei Xuanwu Martial Mansion, the Pavilion Master valued me and taught me the ’Reckless and Irresponsible’ technique. Only then did I realize that the True Qi route in ’Reversed Tao Qiankun’ was not inferior to that of ’Reckless and Irresponsible’, and I realized the martial skill was genuine."
Xu Lingjun said, "So, I fused ’Reckless and Irresponsible’ with ’Reversed Tao Qiankun’, thus creating this so-called Supreme Level Martial Skill."
"I see."
Sun Bumie praised, "Master Xu, your comprehension is indeed outstanding; Grandmaster Uncle Zhou didn’t choose wrong. For someone as young as you to have such cultivation and ability, it is rare even in today’s world. Master Xu, Grandmaster Uncle Zhou has added another strong cultivator to our Cuowu Sect, boosting our strength. Ah, Grandmaster Uncle Zhou truly has a kind heart, always worrying about our Cuowu Sect."
Xu Lingjun curiously asked, "What?"
"What do you mean, ’what’? Master Xu, do you think my purpose for this visit is just that?"
Having confirmed that Xu Lingjun’s learning was indeed of Cuowu Sect’s supreme martial skills, Sun Bumie’s tone became more respectful, and he even started addressing Xu Lingjun as "disciple".
He earnestly said, "Master Xu, since you practice our Cuowu Sect’s martial skills, and are a direct disciple of Grandmaster Uncle Zhou, rank-wise, you are even a generation above disciple... with your status, if not for being too young, even the position of Cuowu Sect Leader, I could give up for you! But my purpose this time is to invite you back to the Cuowu Sect!"
"Wha... what?!"
Xu Lingjun looked at Sun Bumie in shock and exclaimed, "You want me to return to Cuowu Sect? I’m a Martial Mansion student, and you want me to join the sect?"
"Not joining the sect, but recognizing ancestry and returning to the sect!"
Sun Bumie bowed respectfully, "Master Xu, with your unparalleled talents, if you are willing to join Cuowu Sect, I could grant you the position of Sect Leader... if you refuse, I offer you the position of Supreme Elder, whose status exceeds that of the Sect Leader, with real power and privileges, all decided by you alone. Disciples only wish for the Cuowu Sect’s wholeness, only wish for the return of Grandmaster Uncle Zhou’s lineage to Cuowu Sect. The past power struggles have weakened the Cuowu Sect greatly, and this mistake, the disciples do not wish to repeat."
Xu Lingjun: "......................"