Terms

"One person, one sword, dominating an entire world." Yaoguang murmured the words. Supersonic flight, leveling an entire mountain range with a single sword strike... That was a level of might no fighter jet could ever rival. Moreover, that was only the speed and destructive power he had displayed. What about defense? What about other aspects? Divine abilities? Secret techniques? A fifth-rank spirit intent could already manipulate the minds of others; a Foundation Establishment cultivator who stood above the nine realms could not possibly lack such capabilities. For such a powerhouse to suppress a world, an entire planet like the one he lived on... It was by no means empty talk. "The Jishi Society is very brave," Yaoguang said. "We simply have no other choice," Zong Yan replied with a bitter smile. "If we don't fight back ourselves, I'm afraid our nations across the Central and Eastern Continents will never see the light of day. Chixing's bullying goes beyond treating us as sacrificial offerings and beasts of burden—they even want to completely sever our path upward." His voice turned somber. "The royal families capable of founding a nation often hold a certain status within the Artifact Sect. Naturally, they are granted quota recommendations to enter the sect. Lihuo, White Pagoda, Dayu—all of them are like this. This is a rule established by the Artifact Sect, and no faction dares to violate it. But as I said before, when the Artifact Sect's emissary arrives, he will take the most outstanding Martial Saints from each nation back with him. The key lies in those words: 'most outstanding'…" "Chixing's Martial Saints are more outstanding than those of other nations?" Yaoguang asked. "To be precise, they recruit the most outstanding Martial Saints into Chixing. And if someone refuses…" Zong Yan paused. "They die." A chill flickered in his eyes. "Besides the public Martial Arts Association, Chixing has a covert organization called the Star Shrine, dedicated to assassinating any Martial Saint unwilling to pledge allegiance to them. Martial Saints with talent and potential are either drawn over or eliminated by them. As a result, the various nations naturally fail to present exceptional Martial Saints for the Artifact Sect's emissary to take. And for the emissary, all he cares about is taking the best candidates back to the Artifact Sect according to the quota. As for everything else, he doesn't want to interfere, nor can he be bothered to." The Martial Saint looked at Yaoguang. "After forty consecutive years during which practically not a single person from our nations was taken to the Artifact Sect, the various countries realized that only by uniting could they stand against Chixing. Thus, under the call of three society heads, several Martial Saints from nations across the Central and Eastern Continents founded the Jishi Society. Its purpose is to push back against Chixing's bullying and reopen this grand path to the heavens." Yaoguang nodded. Perhaps to the Jishi Society, raising a Ten Thousand Demons Blood Soul Banner wasn't even the biggest issue, but... Achieving immortality. That was their core interest. Whoever interfered with that, they would fight to the death. "Couldn't the Jishi Society hide Martial Saints of great potential and deliver a fatal blow to the Star Shrine at a crucial moment?" Yaoguang asked. "Which true Martial Saint hasn't fought their way up through a hundred battles?" Zong Yan shook his head. Only after a pause did he add somewhat hesitantly, "As I said earlier, the Artifact Sect is renowned throughout the world for artifact refining. We... simply do not have sufficiently good divine weapons or armaments." "Not sufficiently good divine weapons?" "Yes. At most, we can get our hands on 5S-grade combat suits and famed-grade battle weapons. But the Martial Saints of the Chixing Martial Arts Association often wear mid-grade battle armor, and internally, their organization even has high-grade battle armor…" As Zong Yan spoke, he tapped a device that projected a beam of light. "Take a look at this battle armor, and you'll understand just how massive the disparity is." Yaoguang looked at the figure encased from head to toe in steel. In particular… The Gatling cannon mounted on the arm. And two barrels on the shoulders that looked entirely like missile launchers. For a moment… "This is battle armor?" Yaoguang asked. "Yes, this is mid-grade battle armor!" Zong Yan acted as though this were entirely routine. "If it were high-grade battle armor, the shoulders wouldn't mount missiles anymore—they would be replaced with flying swords." He then added, "However, a Martial Saint using high-grade battle armor cannot bring out its true wonder. Only cultivators who transition to Fiendgod Qi Refining and use special methods to convert spirit intent into divine sense can manipulate flying swords with their minds. It's essentially equivalent to having two reusable missiles with their own consciousness that can veer and change direction at will. Unless we hold divine weapons capable of tracking assistance, we have no way to compete at all." "..." "And those are only the elementary forms of flying swords. More powerful flying swords are inscribed with array patterns and magnetically driven by lightning. Not only can they reach speeds over ten or even dozens of times the speed of sound, but upon impact, any unspent energy converts into released plasma, destroying entire cities and wiping out nations." "Destroying cities and wiping out nations?!" "Indeed." "..." Yaoguang recalled the Heavenly Sword Subduing Demons Painting hanging in Tianjian Workshop, as well as the rumors circulating about divine weapons and armaments in this world. All along, he had assumed those were mere rhetorical exaggerations and marketing hype. Yet hearing this now… It was actually true?! "A divine weapon's market value exceeds tens of billions; the most advanced fighter jet isn't worth even a tenth of that. Certain divine weapons are worth more than an aircraft carrier, and not without reason," Zong Yan said. "The Artifact Sect…" Yaoguang gained a renewed understanding of what this power truly was. He lowered his head. "My apologies. It seems I was ill-informed." He had still been measuring the gear of this world through the mindset of his previous world. Although he had encountered combat suits by now, they appeared to be merely more advanced, comprehensive versions of bulletproof armor—essentially laboratory products. Yet the battle armor before his eyes… It genuinely made him realize just how different the two worlds were. Only after a long silence did Yaoguang ask tentatively, "Can't the Jishi Society obtain nuclear weapons? If you developed nuclear weapons, wouldn't that counter Chixing's bullying?" "Nuclear weapons... Those are actually a simplified version derived from a powerful spell known as Great Sun True Fire. While certain refining materials can produce an effect similar to Great Sun True Fire, their structure is extremely unstable. For a practitioner of spirit refining, there are a hundred ways to make the user suffer the consequences of their own weapon." "Spirit refining?" Yaoguang caught the key word. "The Artifact Sect focuses primarily on qi refining, but it still encompasses the paths of body refining and spirit refining. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. Body refining provides stable performance; while its explosive power is modest, its margin for error is high. Qi refining offers a vast area of effect and immense destructive bursts; wherever spells and sword edges sweep, everything turns to powder. Spirit refining focuses on information gathering, reconnaissance, jamming, and overall battlefield situational awareness; it is not suited for frontal combat, yet it is indispensable." "Can't one practice all three together?" Yaoguang asked. "A person's energy is limited. A jack of all trades is master of none," Zong Yan said, pausing before continuing. "Of course, some peerless geniuses choose to cultivate all three branches at once, integrating enduring sustain, destructive strikes, and situational awareness into a single body. But for us, dedicating oneself to a single path is the orthodox way." Yaoguang nodded. After offering a brief introduction to the relationship between the Jishi Society and Chixing's martial arts circles, Zong Yan spoke candidly. "I know that with your talent, Yaoguang, joining the Chixing Martial Arts Association wouldn't be an issue either. However, as an ancient empire with a heritage spanning hundreds of... an empire whose history traces back to the Cataclysmic Era, Chixing's internal corruption is far worse than you imagine." His tone grew solemn. "If you go to Chixing, you will never be treated as part of their core. At best, you'll be regarded as an enforcer…" "Cut straight to the benefits you can offer and the obligations I would need to fulfill," Yaoguang said. "Good. Straightforward, just as I like it," Zong Yan smiled, then composed his expression. "Whenever the Artifact Sect emissary is about to arrive, Chixing's Martial Saints use the All-Under-Heaven Martial Meet as an excuse to visit every martial artist in the Central and Eastern Continents, defeating them all to pressure the royal families into surrendering their recommendation quotas. If a royal family refuses, they threaten to report these battle records to the emissary." He took a deep breath. "Think about it. If the person recommended by a royal family is inferior to Chixing's martial artists, wouldn't that make the Artifact Sect emissary feel as though he's being played for a fool?" Yaoguang nodded. "And our goal is identical! Defeat them! Seize that quota! Head to the Artifact Sect! And then, make a name for ourselves there!" Zong Yan made a forceful sweeping motion with his hand. "Only by attaining a certain status and achievement within the Artifact Sect will Chixing or Xuelong refrain from trampling over our factions at will. Only then will they think twice before doing whatever they please." Yaoguang remained noncommittal toward their notion of earning status in the Artifact Sect just to make the people of Chixing go easier on them. "What do I get?" he asked plainly. "We will spare no effort to assist you. All manner of pills and natural treasures will be provided at the standard of a Martial Saint seed, ensuring you achieve the rank of Martial Saint before the age of thirty." Zong Yan pulled a document from his coat. "Once you become a Martial Saint and participate in the All-Under-Heaven Martial Meet, the Jishi Society will provide you with at least one divine sword and a 4S-grade or higher combat suit. In addition, you may freely select one martial skill, cultivation method, or secret technique from the Jishi Society to learn…" He paused. "Finally, if you encounter any difficulties in your cultivation, you may consult the Martial Saint elders within the society at any time. When necessary, you can even request the three society heads to personally resolve your cultivation doubts." "The three society heads... are above Martial Saint, aren't they?" "Yes." Zong Yan nodded. "Spirit Intent Martial Saints, also known as the Divine Realm." He sighed softly. "That is also the highest realm attainable in the martial arts circles of the Central and Eastern Continents." "Do Chixing and Xuelong have anyone above the Divine Realm?" Yaoguang asked. "They do." Zong Yan hesitated for a moment before answering truthfully. "Lei Ting, the Hall Master of the Star Shrine, is a Hunyuan Martial Saint." Fearing Yaoguang might be intimidated, he hurriedly added, "Don't worry. When competing for the recommendation quota, Lei Ting won't dare make a move. After all, the Artifact Sect emissary comes here to select promising seeds to take back to the Artifact Sect. And Lei Ting... he is well past sixty, relying entirely on special methods to maintain his condition. For someone whose potential is already exhausted, the Artifact Sect emissary would never take him away." Yaoguang waved a hand. "Much of what the Jishi Society can offer, I have no use for. However... seeing as the Jishi Society also stands on the side of eliminating demons... demon soldiers, I can lay out my two conditions." "Go ahead," Zong Yan said with understanding. A youthful Grandmaster of only nineteen, like Yaoguang, naturally had the right to demand special treatment. Two conditions were hardly excessive. "First, I need the Jishi Society's intelligence channels to locate demon soldiers for me," Yaoguang said. "You want to use demon soldiers for combat practice?" Recalling Yaoguang's profile and his apparent abhorrence of demonic actions, Zong Yan agreed without much hesitation. "That can be arranged." "Second." Yaoguang paused and looked at Zong Yan. "Treat it as a transaction. I'll help you counter Chixing's Martial Saints in the All-Under-Heaven Martial Meet, and you pay me an ample sum of money. If you don't trust me, we can do it in installments. For example, give me a sum first, a second sum after I become a Martial Saint, and a third sum after the meet is over…" "Money?" Zong Yan was taken aback. He had expected Yaoguang's second condition to be something extraordinarily difficult. And instead… That was it?! For a moment, he asked again in disbelief, "Money?" "Yes." Yaoguang nodded and raised a single finger. "One hundred…" "How about we start with a hundred billion? Would that be enough?"