Burial Martial Cavern, Martial Arts Interred, Everlasting Saintly Legacy (Part One)

Inside the labyrinth, each group progressed at their own pace. Some ventured deep and didn’t emerge for ages, while others kept circling back to the entrance. But most of the junior members weren’t too bothered about breaking the formation—they didn’t have much obsession about winning, treating it more like a fun challenge and sharpening exercise. Everyone perked up and explored carefully. If you really don’t care about being first, this maze is basically a big game—lots of fun, actually. Of course, if you get anxious, you’ll just get more anxious, and success will only get further away.

As they grew familiar with the maze, relying on either intuition or knowledge, several groups began to make some progress.

“Little bro, I finally get it—this formation is way more impressive than I thought!” Inside the maze, Guo Xiang walked and observed, chatting with Zhang Junbao: “The first area isn’t just about ‘knowing when to retreat.’ It’s actually fused with the second area, and there’s a real meaning to ‘knowing when to advance’ too.”

“Knowing when to advance?” Zhang Junbao didn’t really get it, zoning out a bit as he scratched his head. He just thought Sister Guo Xiang looked good from every angle. At that age when love starts to bloom, he didn’t understand much, but couldn’t help glancing away, his face quietly turning red.

Guo Xiang, completely focused and oblivious, pointed excitedly around: “Exactly! For this first challenge, you have to know when to advance and when to retreat. You need to move forward when it’s time, back off when it’s time, and know how and how much to do either. It’s not just a formation—it’s life philosophy! Seriously, it’s genius.”

Zhang Junbao scratched his head, summed up all the words, and tried to grasp the main point: “So, you’re saying this formation is awesome?”

“Of course it’s awesome!” Guo Xiang said excitedly. “This formation is bigger and harder than I thought. Just from the first two challenges—‘knowing when to advance and retreat’—I bet the next ones are ‘distinguishing real from fake’ and ‘seeing right from wrong.’ It’s so cleverly designed! The person who set it up clearly isn’t trying to harm anyone, just wants to test us juniors, nothing more. Otherwise, with my measly skills, how would I spot any clues? If my grandpa knew there was such an amazing formation in the world, he’d probably cross a thousand miles without eating or drinking just to see it! If only I could watch him play chess with the formation master—that would be epic!”

Zhang Junbao scratched his head again and summed up another crucial point: “So… can we actually get through?”

“Don’t worry, just follow me. I may not fully understand ‘knowing when to advance and retreat’ or have found the real exit, but if it’s just about walking through, I can manage.” Guo Xiang grabbed Zhang Junbao’s hand. “Stick close to me from now on—don’t mess up a single step. We’re heading to the next challenge!”

Zhang Junbao felt her soft, warm hand grab his, and instantly his face turned bright red. Even the short hair on his head seemed ready to smoke. He stammered, couldn’t say a word, and just kept his head down.

Guo Xiang still didn’t notice, just kept scanning the area. Step by step, she turned a corner and suddenly, the place lit up—natural light scattered all around. With the sound of rushing water, the two found themselves at a place where underground rivers crisscrossed.

“Water?” Guo Xiang stared at the unpredictable flow. There weren’t many artificial walls here, so the view was more open, but her expression grew more serious. She looked all around—at first glance, nothing seemed off, but everything was dreamy and shifting. The sound of wind and water was already hypnotic, and if you looked closer, the light bouncing off the water made the shadows dance and change, mysterious and strange.

“Using nature itself as a formation?! When did the Duan ancestors become masters of such profound arts?” Guo Xiang was marveling when Zhang Junbao, still looking down, suddenly rubbed his eyes. He seemed to spot something in the water and tugged at Guo Xiang’s sleeve, uncertain: “Sis, look at the reflection in the water—is that… a person?”

“A person?!” Guo Xiang jumped in fright and quickly looked. The water’s reflections shifted like puzzle pieces, too many and too fast to catch. But if you stared hard enough, you could sometimes see a face flash by. The face was pretty but pale—not alive, clearly—but those eyes and brows were still staring this way. Martial artists are used to seeing dead people, but this scene still gave her a shock.

But after mustering up some courage and looking again, Guo Xiang suddenly burst out laughing, patted her chest, and let out a breath: “Don’t scare me, little bro—that’s just a white stone statue! Come on, the statue should be nearby. I bet the ‘fortune’ mentioned at the entrance is right where the statue is. Let’s go check it out.”

Statues—junior members wandering the maze did see statue-like things in different areas. In this maze, seeing isn’t the same as finding. When it comes to confusion, this maze is top-tier. But just like the sign at the entrance to the Burial Martial Cavern said, everything depends on luck. Duan Yu is here to give out fortune, not to torment people. When luck arrives, so does adventure.

In the Darkwind Maze, the trio had already found the statue.

“This…” Under the yellowish light, Yang Qi looked up at the three-meter-tall statue and made a weird face. Her expression was so odd—it was like seeing Saint Seiya fighting, only for the Nohara family from Crayon Shin-chan to suddenly stroll by. Total style clash.

“This…” Yang Qi wracked her brain, finally snapped her fingers and found the right word: “What’s up with this ‘monster girl’?”

Yep, the statue was of a beautiful girl. She looked about sixteen or seventeen, not exactly a kid. But with those bright eyes and laughing face, she was pure youthful energy—like a super-sized loli. Only, this super-sized loli had wings—not angel wings, but her whole arms had turned into wings. The carving was gorgeous, every feather clear, her face almost lifelike. From any angle, ‘monster girl’ was spot on.

"Wait, I get it now!" Yang Qi's eyes sparkled with sudden inspiration. "Since this is a Bagua formation, it must match the Eight Trigrams. The wind just picked up—Xun means wind, so this must be the Xun sector. Plus, the little temple at the cave entrance had statues of the Eight Heavenly Dragons, so maybe each Trigram matches with one of them. Birds go with wind, so if we're talking birds, it’s gotta be Garuda. But..."

Yang Qi's expression got complicated again, but she didn't say the rest out loud: But Garuda's supposed to be a buff dude with a bird's head! Basically, it's like taking a giant fat chicken, shaving it, and then 'sort of,' 'sort of,' 'sort of-sort of' making it look human. Gotta say it three times, because it's barely human—think Sada Haru levels of anthropomorphism.

But looking at this statue—forget human, it's straight-up a cute monster girl! And the craftsmanship? Seriously next-level! Whoever carved this, get out of your grave and join our United Front! With skills like yours, you'll go down in history as a true gentleman-artist!

Wait, I see something familiar. The lines and details—could this be Duan Yu's handiwork? Hmph, Duan Yu, you might get outclassed by Lord Wei in wife count, but you still carry the playboy banner with pride. Didn't let your dad down! Inventing concepts like moe-fication, monster-girl-ification, beast-ification way ahead of your time. Truly the OG winner of Jin Yong’s romance universe. Respect from the new generation~~

Wu Jiaoniang seemed to realize: "This must be a statue Duan Yu carved of his beloved wife. My master said that among Duan Yu's eight wives, Sister Zhong Ling was the most lively, loved raising poisonous birds, and was a poison expert. In mythology, Garuda eats poisonous dragons—so it matches Zhong Ling. This place is called Burial Martial Cavern. 'Burial Martial' means letting go of violence, burying martial obsession, so maybe this statue holds Zhong Ling’s wisdom on poison and antidotes."

"Makes sense—Duan Yu found a secret manual under the goddess statue at Mount Wuliang, fell for her, and later became an expert himself. But I've got a tiny question..." Yang Qi nodded, then slapped Jiaoniang's shoulder, looking deadly serious—as if it were the biggest issue ever: "You just said, Duan Yu—how many wives?"

"Eight."

"Eight?!" Holy moly, does that mean Duan Yu finally patched the last gap in his playboy record? "Besides Wang Yuyan, Mu Wanqing, Zhong Ling, who else? Where'd all those wives come from? Wait, he was an emperor, so a palace full of consorts isn't that wild. Gotta stay chill."

"Who's Wang Yuyan?" Jiaoniang's answer was even more surprising: "My master told me Duan Yu's life story as a legend, and among his eight wives, not one was named Wang Yuyan."

"No Wang Yuyan? Where'd she go—back to Murong Fu? Speaking of that crazy Murong, does he even know how married life works? Actually, that's the wrong question—as long as he's got his lower half, he'll manage. The real question is: does he know not to do it in front of an audience? Poor Ah Bi..." Yang Qi speculated wickedly, then asked, "So who are all the wives?"

"Mu Wanqing and Zhong Ling, those two I know."

"I know those."

"There’s also the Four Sword Attendants of Lingjiu Palace, originally from my Xiaoyao Sect—Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum."

"Wait, I always thought Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum followed Xu Zhu! When did Duan Yu snatch them away?"

"Master is a true hermit, only loves Mistress—don’t talk nonsense." Jiaoniang shot her a look, then continued: "Besides those six, there’s also Ah Bi, who used to serve the Murong family in Suzhou."

"Oh?!" Just thinking about her, and bam—plot twist! "Nice! Duan Yu’s got fast hands. That makes seven. Who’s the last one?"

"There’s also a girl named Xiao Lei."

"Who the heck is Xiao Lei?!" Hey, Old Jin, we’ve got a problem—some rando just crashed the harem and rewrote fate! Get over here and fix this! The old record-holder, Little Treasure, already fainted in the bathroom! (Turns out Jin changed it himself, and I only found out recently... Sigh, thirty years a champ, thirty years a runner-up—my condolences to Lord Wei~~)

While they chatted, Jiaoniang finished examining the statue. Sure enough, there was a hidden compartment in the pedestal with a book inside. A quick glance revealed it was Zhong Ling’s poison techniques, inherited from her mother, the "Pretty Yaksha." Nothing earth-shattering—just a supplement for the tech reserves, a not-so-black black technology. But flipping further, there was an unexpected find: the second half detailed poison and insect techniques, plus a totally surprising martial art.

"Ten Thousand Poisons Hand?" Yang Qi skimmed through it and found that, despite the sinister name, it was actually a super creative martial art.

In 'Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber,' there’s this evil martial art called Thousand Spider Ten Thousand Poison Hand—let thousands of poisonous spiders bite your hands, and your hands are always toxic. But this manual’s Ten Thousand Poisons Hand is next-level—not just spiders, but any poison can be used. If you think about it, this could be the original form of Thousand Spider Ten Thousand Poison Hand.

But the real purpose of Ten Thousand Poisons Hand isn’t attack—it’s more like a support skill, even a scientific safety measure.

Doctors and poisoners have always been close, especially here in the south where healers deal with toxins all the time. Super-strong poisons can damage your skin—even if you don’t drop dead instantly, you might survive with medicine, but long-term exposure shortens your life. Poison masters wear deer-skin gloves, but even that’s not foolproof—sometimes you forget or can’t put them on in time.

Heck, even with modern equipment, chemical plant workers still face health risks.

That’s where Ten Thousand Poisons Hand comes in—a lifesaver for poison-users. Same principle as Thousand Spider Ten Thousand Poison Hand, but the goal is to make your hands immune to all poisons. Once mastered, whether you’re mixing medicines, breeding toxins, or showing off poison skills, it’s way safer and easier.

"This is definitely a unique and innovative technique." Wu Jiaoniang couldn’t help but praise: "If Zhong Ling invented it, she was truly ahead of her time. Plus, Ten Thousand Poisons Hand has room to grow—if it works for the whole body, you’d be invulnerable to poison! Turning poison into Dao, that’s some next-level stuff. No wonder she’s called Zhong Ling, the epitome of talent."

Duan Yu ate a Mang Gu Zhu Ha and became immune to all poisons—maybe Zhong Ling learned from him and developed this technique. It’s not super versatile, but it’s definitely valuable.

"But if you really could make your whole body immune, that’d be risky." Yang Qi laughed: "If you activate it and your whole body becomes poisonous, you’d turn into a walking biohazard. Go for a swim in the moat, and the whole city might drop dead—ultimate pollution source, who’d dare come near?"

"True, it’s extreme. In the wrong hands, it could spell disaster for everyone."

To bury a lifetime’s work in this labyrinth, who knows when it’ll see daylight again? Maybe that’s why they did it. Swordsmen bury their swords after hurting a comrade. Sabermen abandon their blades after regret. But there’s always hope for future generations, for fate to decide. The Burial Martial Cavern holds martial arts too precious to destroy, yet too dangerous to spread. The name fits.

"Let’s go check out the next spot."

The trio kept moving, with magic stones lighting the way and Yang Qi in the lead. For some reason, things seemed to go smoothly. Yang Qi felt something stirring inside her, but couldn’t quite break through the haze. The more she walked, the more familiar the maze felt, even though it was her first time in a Bagua formation.

She just followed her instincts—straight, turn, forward, back—and soon entered a new area. This place was full of ghostly phosphorescence, like a haunted realm. The little sisters would probably lose their souls here. But Yang Qi seemed to enter a strange state, ignoring the spookiness and focusing on the path. Step by step, before long, she found another statue.

No surprise, it was another Eight Heavenly Dragons statue, also transformed into a cute, moe-fied girl. The fierce expression and aura, plus some other features, made Jiaoniang guess this was the Asura statue among the Eight Tribes. But after the moe-fication, its model was probably based on Mu Wanqing.

"Looks like Mu Wanqing kept Duan Yu on a tight leash after marriage—he even sculpted her as an Asura! Wonder if she ever chopped him in half for that!" Except for certain white-haired witches, no woman likes being called a shrew or a tigress. Even if she is one—or maybe especially if she is—she’ll hate the label. Mu Wanqing as Asura? That’s hilarious.

The Asura statue had a manual too—Mu Wanqing’s mother’s Asura Blade technique. Even her mom’s nickname had "Asura" in it, so you know they’re connected.

The Asura Blade technique itself wasn’t anything special—just second-rate martial arts. But at the end of the manual, there was a unique move called Self-Sacrifice Blade. Not a big deal, just a one-off trick. The principle’s simple: attack with a ‘both perish’ mindset, ruthless and relentless, a strike with no return.

But here’s what’s cool: the more intense your emotions and the spicier your personality, the deadlier the move. After the blade technique, there were tips on how to hype yourself up, get angrier, meaner, and more ruthless. Nail the mood, and the power doubles.

But it’s got major flaws. First, the technique itself lacks momentum and variety—it’s just a street-fighting move, easy for experts to counter. Second, practicing it can twist your personality, so burying it here makes sense.

Still, it’s got a hint of emotional martial arts. The idea of channeling feelings into combat is novel—different from the usual ‘mind over sword’ or ‘state over blade’ stuff. It’s nowhere near the Celestial King Ghost-Slaying Blade, but the philosophy is fresh. With some tweaks, this half-baked move could become something special, or at least worth borrowing.

"It could be improved using the Supreme Spirit Emotion Dao as a foundation." Yang Qi mused. Compared to Teacher Yang, she was a natural for this Dao—a true genius. Teacher Yang was more restrained, but Yang Qi was the opposite. Every wild experience was a lesson, a boost for her martial arts.

Supreme Spirit Emotion Dao isn’t as strong as Prajna Skill for boosting mental power, but it’s great for inspiration and comprehension. Like the saying goes, ‘writing is born of nature, genius strikes by chance’—training in this Dao fills your mind with ideas and lets you capture all sorts of inspiration. Not much help for brute-force martial arts, but it’s awesome for techniques that need high insight.

Like, for example, the Marrow Cleansing Sutra.

Since Shaolin’s destruction, Yang Qi had started to grasp the twelfth diagram of the Marrow Cleansing Sutra. Even a genius needs the right timing, place, people, and mood to get it, but she was slowly, leisurely cracking it. This constant inspiration wasn’t just her nature—the Supreme Spirit Emotion Dao was a huge help.

Yang Qi and Wu Jiaoniang used magic stones for light, discussing Self-Sacrifice Blade, when Sanmiao suddenly stopped playing her zither, smiled, and said excitedly, "Masters, I haven’t cracked the whole maze yet, but I’ve made progress!"

"Not bad!" Yang Qi put down the manual. "What’s the breakthrough?"

"I found a direct route to the heart of the formation," Sanmiao said confidently. "The greatest secret of the Burial Martial Cavern is probably right there."

"Let’s go!"

I really want to see who’s using the Northern Darkness Divine Skill.

I have to see for myself—who is using the Northern Darkness Divine Skill?