Martial Path

Just moments ago, an anomaly from the ancient tree in his mental world had caught his attention. With a brief glance inward, he discovered to his astonishment that the nutrients feeding the [Merchant] branch had skyrocketed. The increase was so enormous that not even purging all the demons in Yulong International and Qingyu Industrial Park combined could compare. If he channeled these nutrients into any branch other than [Martial Path], he could immediately advance that profession to at least Tier 3. It was precisely because of this that he had bluntly asked what gift his visitor had brought. The question caught Yue Xingzhou off guard. Even the woman who had accompanied him couldn't help casting Yaoguang a glance. She seemed to find it... Shallow. Yet Yue Xingzhou smiled and said, "I heard the Su family has been purchasing a batch of high-grade medicinal herbs for you. It so happens our Yue family has a stockpile, so I handpicked a batch and brought them over." He signaled to the driver beside him. The driver promptly understood and brought a case over. "Also, when you fought the enemy yesterday, I noticed you didn't seem to be wearing a combat suit... Modern combat suits have negligible impact on agility—unlike early body armor or plate armor, they fully account for a martial artist's range of motion. So, I brought you a combat suit as well." He opened the case directly. Inside, a dark brown combat suit and its associated components were laid out. "This is the most advanced 1S-grade Red Gold combat suit from Chixing. Beyond its formidable materials, it's equipped with Chixing's newly developed 'Shenwu' auxiliary combat system, which effectively helps search for concealed targets, analyze ballistic trajectories, and so on." As Yue Xingzhou spoke, he chuckled. "Of course, this auxiliary combat system isn't of much use when fighting martial artists of the same realm. Only on chaotic battlefields does it truly shine by minimizing damage from stray bullets and accidental hits. In life-or-death clashes between Grandmasters, things mostly come down entirely to instinct. If you wait to read a prompt before countering, the fight is already over." "A 1S-grade combat suit?" Yaoguang was taken aback. Surprise flickered across his face. Just that morning, Pang Long had explained the market ratings for combat suits, noting that S-grade was the highest. And now... The Yue family was handing over an S-grade Red Gold combat suit? "Aside from those, here is a bottle of Snow Ginseng Pills," Yue Xingzhou said. "The prerequisite for advancing from Grandmaster to Martial Saint is making the internal organs strong enough. The other organs must provide sufficient digestive, detoxifying, and metabolic capacity, ultimately converging on the heart to enhance its circulatory power, allowing internal bodily functions to form a closed cycle. To achieve this cycle, energy intake is crucial, and Snow Ginseng Pills are remarkably effective in this regard." "I know." Yaoguang had read about this pill before. However... He hadn't included it in his daily cultivation supplies. For no other reason... than it was too expensive. Its market price was one billion. And even then, having money didn't guarantee you could buy one. If one truly wanted to acquire it quickly, one had to pay a premium. "Furthermore, although your villa isn't small, practicing martial arts is best done in a dedicated facility. It just so happens I have a martial arts hall on hand, less than a kilometer outside Yuyuan. The hall was renovated using the finest materials, and some of the training facilities are calibrated specifically for Grandmasters. Whenever you're free, feel free to stretch your limbs over there." Yue Xingzhou said with a smile, "Here is the transfer agreement for the hall. It is currently open for business. Although it doesn't make much profit, breaking even is no problem. At present, it's managed by my granddaughter Yumo. If you feel she isn't up to the task, you can simply replace her." "Less than a kilometer? Shanshui Martial Arts Hall." Beside them, Lei Yun was startled. That hall was one of the most famous martial arts halls in the provincial capital, covering a vast area. Its heritage might lag behind the ancient martial arts halls, but it was wildly famous. It hired many handsome and beautiful young martial artists as instructors and invested heavily in new-media marketing, making it one of the must-visit hotspots for anyone in martial arts, sports, or fitness visiting the capital. "That's about everything," Yue Xingzhou concluded. A bottle of Snow Ginseng Pills: one billion. An S-grade Red Gold combat suit: 150 million Chixing coins, equivalent to the market price of an ultra-modern fighter jet. Yet purchasing such a suit required connections in addition to money. If brought into Dayu, it would undoubtedly carry a premium; calculated in Dayu coins, the price climbing to 1.6 or even 1.8 billion wouldn't be surprising at all. Because of its vast grounds, Shanshui Martial Arts Hall was exceptionally valuable—worth 800 million to a billion. As for the remaining batch of medicinal herbs... Though the largest in quantity and bulk, they were ironically the least expensive. At most five to six hundred million. Calculated this way, the total value of Yue Xingzhou's gifts was no less than four billion. With four billion credited, no wonder the experience for [Merchant] had surged instantaneously. "This is truly a generous gift," Yaoguang remarked. "I don't believe my life is worth a mere four billion," Yue Xingzhou said with a laugh. "I appreciate the gesture. I accept the gifts." Yaoguang nodded. These things were indeed extremely useful to him. Especially the Snow Ginseng Pills. A single one could probably save him a month of painstaking cultivation. A month of his cultivation. In other words, the two months he originally needed to reach Martial Saint was immediately cut in half. After that, the conversation between the two sides became noticeably warmer. An hour later, Yue Xingzhou stood up to take his leave. "Since you don't plan on replacing her, you can coordinate directly with Yumo regarding the martial arts hall." Yue Xingzhou said, looking at the young woman beside him with a smile. "Yaoguang is far stronger than I am. If he points out even a move or two, it will serve you for a lifetime—reforging your sinews and bones to become a Martial Master will be effortless. You must put your best foot forward." "Yes, Grandfather," the young woman, Yue Yumo, replied before bowing slightly to Yaoguang. "President Su, please feel free to instruct me on anything in the future." Yaoguang nodded. Just as the group walked out the door, the Martial Master responsible for driving and carrying the luggage whispered something into Yue Xingzhou's ear. Hearing this, Yue Xingzhou turned back to Yaoguang. "I heard that Zhang Mingde has been failing to see the big picture lately. As it happens, I have evidence of his bribery and corruption. Although some of his actions might be understandable, to preserve the integrity of local authorities, ordinary citizens like us still have a duty to keep an eye on unlawful violations... What do you think, Brother Yaoguang?" "Zhang Mingde?" Yaoguang was momentarily puzzled. Who was that? A member of the Zhang family? He glanced at Lei Yun beside him. Lei Yun felt a jolt of shock, but catching Yaoguang's questioning look, she immediately whispered, "The director of the Tiannan Development Bureau is named Zhang Mingde." Not from the Zhang family? Whatever. Whether he was part of the Zhang family or not, if there was evidence of corruption, locking him up was the right move. "As it should be," Yaoguang nodded. "Just as expected of someone Procurator Xia holds in high regard—your moral compass is truly upright." Yue Xingzhou chuckled. "All right, then that's settled." Beside them, Lei Yun took a sharp breath. The director of the Tiannan Development Bureau... Not just in the provincial capital, but across the entire Tiannan Province, he was an absolute titan. He was only a single step away from entering the true upper echelons of Dayu. Yet the fate of such a figure had just been sealed in a brief conversation between Yaoguang and Yue Xingzhou. She didn't doubt the Yue family's capability in the slightest. A starved camel was still bigger than a horse. Never mind that the Yue family was heavily suppressed by the joint efforts of Wei Kongming and Lu Zhenhai—what caliber of figures were those two? High territorial officials. Rulers of an entire province. Armed directly with royal authorization. Yet even figures of that level had to join forces to keep the Yue family in check. That alone showed the immense strength of the Yue family. Zhang Mingde was nowhere near comparable to the Yue family. Yue Xingzhou soon departed. Yaoguang returned to his residence as well, taking out the Snow Ginseng Pills immediately. "I'm going to test whether this pill, worth a hundred million apiece, lives up to its reputation. See to it that no one disturbs me," Yaoguang said. "Yes," Lei Yun complied, then hurriedly asked, "Should I inform the family head about this?" "Use your discretion, but bear in mind where loyalties truly lie," Yaoguang instructed. "Understood," Lei Yun replied at once. Yaoguang then proceeded to his private cultivation chamber. After taking half an hour to adjust his physical state, he took out a Snow Ginseng Pill and swallowed it. As the pill dissolved in his body, he clearly felt a surge of scalding, potent energy circulating through him, permeating every corner of his internal organs. His cultivation realm, already at Tier 5 Divine Realm, allowed him to precisely control his stomach and intestines to absorb the medicinal potency and maximize its utilization. At the same time, he squeezed his own potential, forcefully driving up the tolerance threshold of his internal organs, circulating his vital qi and blood to accelerate the medicine's flow. Three hours later. He had refined the majority of the Snow Ginseng Pill's medicinal power. The growth effect was immediate and pronounced. "It seems my estimate was spot on. One month," Yaoguang mused inwardly. Still, his comprehension of the Grandmaster method of refining internal organs was already at the pinnacle; it was hardly surprising he could project his breakthrough to Martial Saint with day-level accuracy. "Now that cultivation is well in hand, next is allocating the experience." Yaoguang focused his mind onto his mental world. [Martial Path], [Demon Hunting], [Merchant], [Artifact Refining]. Four branches sprouting from the main trunk shone in mutual radiance. Well... Yaoguang took a closer look at the [Martial Path] branch—which was thick enough to rival the main trunk—and then glanced at the other three branches, which looked thoroughly stunted no matter how one looked at them... Calling it "mutual radiance" seemed rather inaccurate. 'These nutrients probably aren't enough to raise [Martial Path] to the mysterious, unknown Tier 6, but if invested in the other three professions, they could advance them to at least Tier 3...' His gaze lingered on the other three branches for a moment. Personally, he favored the [Artifact Refining] branch. A martial artist's strength depended not only on oneself, but also on equipment. The Artifact Refining profession could clearly compensate for that deficiency. Therefore... "Then, it's decided." The next instant... The progress of the [Martial Path] branch surged rapidly, charging straight toward the 80% mark. Raw power was all that mattered. Jack of all trades, master of none. As long as he was strong enough, why worry about not being able to "trade" for suitable equipment?! Continuing to stack [Martial Path] was the only true way.