When the City Defense Camp arrived, the nearly four-meter-tall giant ape mutant had already jumped into the river and disappeared without a trace. Li Weiyi didn’t give chase, worried that Zhao Zhizhuo might run into trouble at this critical moment.
When he caught up with Zhao Zhizhuo, the latter was on his way to seek help from the Cang Li Tribe. Zhao Zhizhuo was furious.
“The one who attacked was Yao Zhengsheng, the Silverback Ape, a top hundred martial artist from the Seven Springs Hall in Li Prefecture. He’s from the same era as me. It must be that Yang Yun and Yang Qingxi promised him a Five Seas Pill, which is why he dared to kill in broad daylight like this. This is utterly lawless! Let’s go find the Clan Leader. They’re insulting the Clan Leader’s dignity. The Clan Leader won’t stand by and do nothing.”
Li Weiyi grabbed him.
“Do you have any evidence? Who can prove that Yao Zhengsheng was hired by Yang Yun? Even if the Clan Leader believes our judgment and agrees that Yang Yun hired him, without evidence, what can he do? An elder attacking a junior?”
Zhao Zhizhuo quickly calmed down.
“Since Yang Yun has gone this far, there must be more to come. How about we go find the Young Clan Leader? He’s the top figure among the younger generation in Nine Li City. If he warns Yang Yun, it won’t invite gossip.”
Li Weiyi, however, had his own pride.
“It’s just Yang Yun, not Yang Qingxi. Besides, even if the Young Clan Leader can suppress Yang Yun openly, how can he stop Yang Yun’s underhanded schemes? We can’t just think of seeking help every time we run into trouble. In the end, we have to rely on ourselves. Old Zhao, where’s the heroic spirit you once had? Has it all been worn away over the years?”
Zhao Zhizhuo smiled bitterly.
“I’m old now. I don’t have the same sharpness I once did. I’ve been beaten down long ago. Talking about heroic spirit now would just be a joke. Tell me, what should we do next?”
“First, let’s go see that senior. Helping you break through and rebuild your spring is the top priority.”
As Li Weiyi walked forward, something occurred to him.
“Yang Yun owes me a carriage, and it’s not cheap. I’ll make sure he pays for it!”
Zhao Zhizhuo followed, looking at Li Weiyi’s back, secretly admiring the young man’s calmness and unyielding spirit. If it were anyone else, they would either have fled to the Cang Li Tribe or left the city in disgrace by now. The two walked along the river.
As they walked, Li Weiyi asked, “Old Zhao, what did you mean earlier about the Seven Springs Hall and the top hundred martial artists?” Zhao Zhizhuo explained, “The Seven Springs Hall is a fighting arena set up by the Prefectural Governor’s office. Martial artists who have opened seven springs can go there to make a name for themselves.”
“You should know that once a martial artist opens the seventh spring and awakens the Hundred Wisdoms, they can choose to attempt breaking through to the Five Seas Realm. Once they enter the Five Seas Realm, they become highly sought after by any major power.”
“But this barrier is one that eight or nine out of ten can’t cross. In Li Prefecture alone, countless martial artists are stuck below the Five Seas Realm, some even reduced to serving as servants for major families.”
Li Weiyi recalled a line from the Nine Springs Outline: “With superior talent, twenty years of hard cultivation can open the seven springs.” In other words, a martial artist with superior talent could hope to open seven springs by their twenties. But in the eyes of those million-strong clans and sects, superior talent was merely the threshold for martial cultivation.
Not to mention the vast number of those with average talent. Many of them, after decades of effort, could still open seven springs. Zhao Zhizhuo continued, “The original purpose of the Seven Springs Hall was to select the strongest among the seven-spring martial artists, who would then be rewarded with Five Seas Pills by the Lingxiao Palace.
Naturally, this drove all seven-spring martial artists to madness, as it offered them a chance to ascend to the Five Seas Realm.”
“At its peak, anyone who made it into the top hundred of a prefecture’s Seven Springs Hall would receive a Five Seas Pill. The term ‘top hundred martial artists’ arose during that time, representing both glory and the chance to ascend to the Five Seas Realm.”
“Ten years ago… or rather, three years earlier, after the Lingxiao Palace issued the Small Field Decree, Five Seas Pills became much harder to obtain.”
“When the war broke out and the world rose against the Lingxiao Palace, the distribution of Five Seas Pills was completely halted.”
“But the Seven Springs Hall still has its purpose. It allows those who can’t break through to the Five Seas Realm to achieve some sense of accomplishment. Additionally, major powers still select from the top hundred martial artists, offering them Five Seas Pills to recruit them.”
“The path to ascension still exists, but it’s become narrower. Five Seas Pills are incredibly precious. Even major powers don’t have enough to spare. To obtain one, you’d have to pay a hefty price.”
Zhao Zhizhuo went on, “These old seven-spring martial artists, though they can’t break through in cultivation, can spend decades honing their techniques to near perfection. Those who make it into the top hundred are no ordinary individuals. Even young Pure Immortal Bodies of the same realm might not be their match.”
“I’ve heard that some of the top-ranked martial artists have even defeated Five Seas Realm experts.”
“Of course, those individuals likely weren’t at the seven-spring level. They were probably at the eight-spring level. After all, there are always a few in each prefecture who have opened eight springs but can’t break through to the Five Seas Realm, even with Five Seas Pills.”
“That Silverback Ape, Yao Zhengsheng, was born with immense strength, his body far larger than other mutants. Ten years ago, he had already mastered the Mountain-Splitting Staff Technique to the Harmony of Heavenly Dao level, but he was still only ranked in the lower half of the top hundred.”
“He’s already in his fifties. If he doesn’t go all out now, he’ll never have another chance.”
Li Weiyi asked, “What is this Harmony of Heavenly Dao level?”
“The Harmony of Heavenly Dao!”
Zhao Zhizhuo explained.
“It’s when a martial artist refines a technique to the point where it resonates with some of the profound laws of heaven and earth. Of course, this resonance is only a slight touch. But even that is incredibly impressive. It requires years of relentless practice, refining a single technique over decades. Very few can achieve it. Many Five Seas Realm martial artists never reach this level.”
“Thankfully, you have a magic weapon. You can use its power to counter his Mountain-Splitting Staff Technique. Otherwise, today would have been dangerous!”
Every time Li Weiyi recalled Yao Zhengsheng’s unavoidable staff strike, he felt a sense of awe. It seemed he needed to learn more about the Harmony of Heavenly Dao and strive to develop such a technique himself. Earlier, when he used the “Taiyi Sea-Opening” technique in a moment of crisis, he had felt something.
Unfortunately, that feeling didn’t last. … Li Weiyi led Zhao Zhizhuo on a long detour, even changing their clothes to ensure they weren’t being followed, before finally choosing a random inn. A senior expert might not necessarily live in a luxurious place.
A more ordinary inn might be more suitable.
Most importantly…
It was cheaper. When they were still a hundred paces from the inn, Li Weiyi stopped and said, “Old Zhao, you should be able to tell that although we’re outsiders, our identities aren’t simple.” Zhao Zhizhuo had already suspected as much.
After all, ordinary people wouldn’t possess magic weapons or have companions who had transformed into Pure Immortal Bodies. He even speculated that Li Weiyi and his group weren’t from the Lingxiao Living Realm, but perhaps from some mysterious secret realm or a rare tribe.
Li Weiyi began to tell the story he had prepared: “That senior is also from our place, but he’s had some health issues and is currently recuperating in Nine Li City. I only recently got in touch with him. Normally, I shouldn’t bring you here, in case word gets out…”
Zhao Zhizhuo quickly said, “I understand the rules! I swear by the Nine Li Gods that if I reveal even half a word of this, may I lose everything I hold dear in this life, including my life.”
“Then I’ll go inform him first. Wait here.”
For safety’s sake, Li Weiyi gritted his teeth and spent two hundred silver coins to rent a room for a month. He took the stone coffin out of the Evil Camel Bell, arranged the room, and then went to fetch Zhao Zhizhuo.
“Knock, knock!”
Li Weiyi knocked on the door and asked, “Senior, my friend is here. May we come in?” The voice of the Coffin Senior came from inside.
“Enter!”
The two pushed the door open and stepped inside. The room was filled with thick nether fog, so dark that nothing could be seen. The Coffin Senior had activated the Ghost Flag, clearly not wanting Zhao Zhizhuo to know that he was a corpse.
Zhao Zhizhuo was so nervous he didn’t know what to do with his hands and feet. The moment had finally come, but he still felt uncertain. After all, breaking through and rebuilding a spring was as difficult as reaching the heavens.
What if the senior’s magic weapon wasn’t high-grade enough? What if his spring had been damaged for too long?
What if…
There were too many what-ifs.
“Young Zhao, come here,” the Coffin Senior said.
Li Weiyi’s senses were sharp. Though he couldn’t see, he immediately realized that the Coffin Senior was sitting on the bed. The thought of a corpse sitting there sent a chill down his spine.
The Coffin Senior helped Zhao Zhizhuo refine the spring liquid and rebuild his spring, not using the Evil Camel Bell but his own Nine Emperor Banner. This further confirmed Li Weiyi’s suspicions. … The news of the assassination attempt on Divine Dragon Street reached the Cang Li Tribe’s school in Nine Li City within half an hour.
The school’s headmaster had already returned to the ancestral mountain due to the incident involving the Snow Wolf King’s tooth. Now, the school was under the command of Li Songlin. When Li Songlin, the Cang Li Clan Leader, heard the news, his usual laziness vanished, replaced by a sharp, sword-like intensity.
“How audacious! How are they?”
The messenger recounted the details of the assassination attempt.
“That Silverback Ape Yao Zhengsheng is quite something. To withstand his attack, even with the help of a magic weapon, is quite impressive,” Li Songlin said.
The messenger added, “Some witnesses said that his broken staff strike already had the shadow of the Harmony of Heavenly Dao.”
“That’s unexpected. How old is he?”
Li Songlin became interested, an idea forming in his mind. Since he also practiced sword techniques, he asked, “Did they go to the Cang Li Clan’s residence?” The messenger shook his head.
“They didn’t go to the Young Clan Leader or to the Nine Li Academy to seek the Fourth Lady. It seems they want to handle it themselves.”
“Quite courageous.”
Li Songlin smiled, but his expression quickly turned cold again.
“I can’t interfere in the affairs of the younger generation. Go tell Cang Li that he’s responsible for this matter. If he can’t even suppress a Yang Qingxi, his reputation as the top inheritor of the Nine Li Tribe won’t hold, and no one will take him seriously.”
“Also, go to the Yang Clan and deliver a message. If anything happens to the people in that residence within a month, I’ll sweep through all of the Yang Clan’s factions in Nine Li City. Don’t blame me for not showing any face.”
The messenger asked, “What about after a month?” Li Songlin smiled.
“I’ll have that kid enter the Nine Li Academy. Once he’s in the academy, he’ll be much safer. But he’s been hesitant, afraid of this and that, indecisive… Let’s force his hand. A month is enough time for him to make up his mind.” …
During a previous livestream, I promised a certain alliance leader that I’d send a signed Yellow Dragon Sword as a gift. But recently, the pressure of writing has been too much, and I simply haven’t had the time. My wife just gave birth, and things have been hectic.
I’m really sorry. I’ll make it up to everyone with some extra goodies next time.
(End of Chapter)