"Rumble!"
In the very center of the county yamen drill ground in Longxing County, accompanied by a continuous roll of thunderous booms, a roiling shroud of mist five meters across surged and churned.
Within the mist, Wang Ping stood tall and straight.
His chest rose and fell gently. With every breath he took, a visible shock wave erupted around him, stirring billowing air currents that churned through the vapor.
Clouds follow dragons, and winds follow tigers.
At this moment, it was as if Wang Ping were endowed with both dragon and tiger, trailed by wind and cloud; simply standing there, the surrounding air currents made it impossible for an ordinary martial artist to approach him.
This was because the swirling mist and surging gusts were nothing less than the phenomena sparked when his physical body broke the sound barrier. Every breath was a movement performed at supersonic speed. If an ordinary martial artist drew close to the explosive sonic booms and shock waves generated as a result, at best their eardrums would rupture, and at worst their internal organs would shatter.
Even for Wang Ping, this was no easy feat.
First was his physical body. Having lost his form as the artifact spirit of the Six Desires Heavenly Demon King upon his rebirth, he had returned to a mortal body of flesh and blood, far from his former prowess.
Second was dharmic power.
Without the blessing of Daoist Nun You's dharmic power from within the Six Desires Heavenly Demon Flag, the maximum speed Wang Ping's body could endure had dropped drastically.
Compared to his previous peak state, the only things that had not vanished were the Thirteen Taipo Horizontal Training Hard Qi Art and his qualitatively transformed martial divine intent.
'What a pity that relying on these two alone, there's no way I can unleash the sub-lightspeed slash. Barely breaking the sound barrier is already a testament to how tough my body is.' Thinking of this, Wang Ping felt deeply regretful; after all, that nuclear-strike blade—transcending limits and touching the light—was by far his strongest move.
Halting his practice, Wang Ping gently stretched his limbs and joints.
'Still, it's not entirely hopeless.'
'If I can get my hands on a full-body divine armor and master it completely, while reaching the first layer of Tribulation Crossing and successfully refining dharmic power...'
'Oh right, and with the boost from Courage of the Noble Gentleman.'
'Stacking those three conditions together, I should be able to reproduce the sub-lightspeed slash. In fact, my stamina would surpass what it was before—maybe I could even slash several more times!'
Wang Ping pondered:
'Refining dharmic power isn't too bad; for the first layer of Tribulation Crossing, I only need the final step of manifesting dharmas by borrowing qi. The real difficulty lies in finding a divine armor.'
At this thought, Wang Ping looked down at his palms again.
'Besides that, there is actually another clever workaround.'
Opening and closing his fingers, his knuckles cracked sharply. Sinews like pythons and dragons coiled over his thick, muscular arms—ferocious, yet possessing a distinct aesthetic beauty.
Wang Ping could sense that as his martial divine intent underwent a qualitative leap, that intent—which originally existed only in the realm of illusion, could hardly affect reality, and was subordinate to spiritual sense—had undergone a startling transformation. Although it still could not interfere with external objects, it could now influence his own body.
Skin and flesh, sinew and bone.
Blood, lungs, and viscera.
Anything that existed within him, every part of his body, could be manipulated without restraint through his transformed divine intent!
Stopping his heart, accelerating his blood, shifting his internal organs... as long as he willed it, he could achieve it!
He could even sense that as long as he harbored the thought, he could prompt his physical form to evolve toward greater strength, breaking free of mortal biological limits!
'Perhaps this is the next step of the martial path.'
Wang Ping realized in his heart: 'Human beings have limits. The only way to surpass those limits is to make humans—to make this useless mortal shell—evolve.'
And the method was divine intent after its qualitative transformation.
'Using transformed divine intent to drive the body to undergo a qualitative leap as well, thereby raising one's own limits... this must be the path of Dashun's martial arts grandmasters!'
Of course, doing so carried immense risks.
After all, evolution was not necessarily benign; blind evolution could lead to self-destruction instead. Thus, Wang Ping reined in the urge to experiment immediately.
'No rush. It's best to communicate with the Royal Enshrinement Hall first.'
'After all, Dashun's martial arts have developed for so many years. There must be complete, established lineages on what evolutionary path is safest and how to evolve to boost combat power.'
Just as this thought crossed his mind, Wang Ping suddenly turned his head.
In a corner of the drill ground, Xu Dog was squatting there, staring at him in a daze. Only when their eyes met did Xu Dog snap out of it, an awkward look spreading across his face.
"Uh... Brother Wang?"
Xu Dog fidgeted for a moment, but ultimately walked forward, cupped his hands to Wang Ping, and said, "There is something I don't understand, and I must ask Brother Wang to enlighten me."
Wang Ping understood immediately. "The method to qualitatively transform divine intent?"
Xu Dog nodded sheepishly and lowered his voice. "I have been stuck at this bottleneck for years, never grasping the key. Might Brother Wang have any insights to share?"
"Hmm..." Wang Ping felt rather helpless at the question.
Insights? What insights could there be? I borrowed it directly with A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold! You don't have cheats, so how can I possibly explain this to you?
Thus, after a brief silence, Wang Ping could only spread his hands. "Forgive me, Senior Xu Dog, but I cannot explain the details clearly either. Perhaps it's just that I'm rather gifted. At the time, I felt I was only a hair's breadth away, so I simply took the opportunity to break through. I believe that as long as Senior Xu Dog continues to work hard..."
Hearing this, Xu Dog seemed to have an epiphany.
"I understand! You mean I haven't reached the limit like you have yet, and if I keep striving, the water will naturally overflow when the cup is full?"
Wang Ping shook his head.
"I mean that even if you fail, Senior, you can comfort yourself knowing that at least you tried—and that failing simply means you didn't have enough talent."
Xu Dog: "..."
Could it be that I really am not a one-in-a-million martial arts genius?
At that thought, Xu Dog's expression froze, the corner of his eye twitching. He instantly lost all desire to speak with Wang Ping, wanting nothing more than to be left alone in silence.
Right at that moment, however—
"Idiot!"
A voice suddenly called out from the entrance of the drill ground. "Can't even take a setback like this, yet you dream of transforming your divine intent? Can't you hear little brother Wang's well-meaning intentions?"
Xu Dog froze in surprise at the sound, then turned toward the middle-aged man walking into the drill ground and gasped, "Big Brother Chen Dragon, you actually came in person?"
Chen Dragon?
Hearing the name, Wang Ping's mind stirred. Judging by a title similar to Xu Dog's and Xu Dog's deferential demeanor, was this a senior figure from the Royal Enshrinement Hall?
With that thought, a smile instantly appeared on Wang Ping's face.
"Senior..."
Before he could finish, a clear, ringing chime of a blade interrupted Wang Ping. The Dragon Head Guillotine hanging at his waist had actually unsheathed itself.
"Long time no see."
Stepping into the drill ground, Chen Dragon sighed with feeling at the sight, then looked at Wang Ping with a smile. "The Dragon Head Guillotine used to be my blade. Seems it still recognizes me."
Immediately after, he turned toward Xu Dog, looking exasperated at his failure to live up to expectations. "What is divine intent? It is maintaining an unshakeable self even in the face of the world's renown—that is the very essence of divine intent! A few sarcastic words from someone else, and your resolve wavers? You start doubting yourself? With that mindset, you expect to break through to transformed divine intent?"
"Do you truly think young friend Wang was merely mocking you?"
"He was giving you guidance, pushing you to forge an unshakeable state of mind! If you can't even grasp that, no wonder your martial arts haven't improved all these years."
Xu Dog was stunned and turned toward Wang Ping.
"I-Is that so?"
Wang Ping: "..."
What was he supposed to say? The truth—that he was just being petty and deliberately mocked Xu Dog because of the man's earlier poor attitude—seemed impossible to admit now.
Turning it over in his mind, Wang Ping could only nod vaguely. Before Xu Dog could respond, he hastily changed the subject: "I had no idea the Dragon Head Guillotine was Senior's weapon. The situation was dire earlier, so Junior had no choice but to borrow it. Now that Senior has arrived in person, it is only right to return it to its proper owner."
With that, Wang Ping offered the Dragon Head Guillotine forward.
"Mm, very well."
Chen Dragon reached out his hand to take back the blade. After all, this was a half-divine weapon, highly precious even to a martial arts grandmaster.
Yet in the very next second, he regretted it.
The moment his fingers touched the Dragon Head Guillotine, the weight transmitted to Chen Dragon's hand felt less like a blade and more like a mountain!
The sensation left Chen Dragon in disbelief.
The Dragon Head Guillotine had been as agile as an extension of Wang Ping's arm, light as a feather in his grip, yet when Chen Dragon tried to lift it, it did not budge in the slightest.
'The Dragon Head Guillotine no longer recognizes me?'
'This damned blade—I was the one who dug it out of the ruins back then, and it used to be inseparable from me! Now it won't even let me hold it!'
Meanwhile, Wang Ping wore a puzzled expression.
I'm returning the blade to you, why aren't you taking it? Do you just not want it?
"..."
After a moment of silence, Chen Dragon let go and said nonchalantly, "Never mind. I have another divine weapon. Since the Dragon Head Guillotine shares an affinity with you, consider it a gift."
"Besides, I didn't come here for it anyway."
"A mere half-divine weapon is nothing I covet."
With that, Chen Dragon quietly circulated his qi and blood to keep his expression looking as normal as possible. Only then did he look back at Wang Ping and continue, "I came primarily for you."
Having said his piece, Chen Dragon wasted no more words. Reaching out, he smoothly slipped the black cloak off Xu Dog beside him and draped it warmly over Wang Ping's shoulders.
"Young friend, would you be willing to join the Enshrinement Hall?"
It was a direct, straightforward invitation.
Wang Ping was naturally ten thousand times willing. But before speaking, he thought of another, more crucial matter, and spoke in a deep voice:
"Senior, I am a rebel king now."
"Doesn't matter. Forget about it," Chen Dragon replied casually. "It's just an empty title. Don't tell me you covet the fame of being a rebel king?"
Wang Ping shook his head. "I do not crave fame, but under my lead, the common folk of Longxing County breached the official granaries and ate the imperial court's tax grain."
"If I am a rebel king, then they are the righteous army that followed me."
"I cannot abandon them."
"If I enter the Enshrinement Hall, relinquishing the title of rebel king is secondary, but what about these common folk? Given the imperial court's ways, would they be allowed to live?"
Wang Ping had never been one to seek fleeting gratification.
That day, he was the one who urged the common folk to enter the city; since that was so, he had to see things through to the very end and properly settle everyone who had trusted and followed him.
"...I see."
Having listened patiently to Wang Ping's explanation, Chen Dragon smiled. "How about this: you can secretly join the Enshrinement Hall while maintaining your guise as the Rebel King of the Shu Region on the surface."
"I can register your name with the imperial court so they won't send troops to suppress you. As for the reason, we'll say that rebel kings have sprung up everywhere under heaven, and the court needs someone to infiltrate the rebel factions as an undercover agent to provide intelligence on the rebel kings. In my eyes, you are exceptionally suited for the task, young friend."
"What do you say?"
Good grief, rebelling by imperial decree?
With things laid out so clearly, what else was there to say? Wang Ping was certainly not one to turn down a generous offer. He immediately bowed and said, "Wang Ping pays his respects to Lord Chen Dragon."
"Good, good, good!"
Pleased, Chen Dragon patted Wang Ping on the shoulder and was about to say more, but right then, he froze where he stood.
Almost at the same moment, Wang Ping sensed it as well.
At this very instant, a vast expanse of spiritual sense came sweeping in from outside the drill ground, locking onto him with brazen, domineering precision.
'Spiritual sense... an immortal sect cultivator?!'
Wang Ping's defenses spiked instantly.
Oh no! Could that venomous woman, Daoist Nun You, have come back for revenge?
In the next second, a voice echoed from outside the drill ground:
"Found him... Cousin, don't be afraid. He's the one in the wrong here; justice is on your side! Today, I'm definitely going to get you the justice you deserve!"
Immediately after, Wang Ping saw a blushing Madam Su being dragged inside by a tall, valiant-looking woman with her hair tied in a high ponytail.
Chapter 85