Chapter 76

The old man stared blankly, gazing at the Wang Yin of Tuyuhun, once one of the Four Great Powers of the world; for a moment, he didn't answer Li Guanyi's question, but began doubting his Yin-Yang Wangqi technique—had he truly seen correctly?

He achieved the feat of destroying a nation while still young.

Could it not match the radiant light of the Seven Stars of Bai Hu?

Is it truly stronger, favored by the Seven Stars of Bai Hu?

Or is the true Lord of the Stars the one who, with tyrannical might, seizes the starlight of the Four Symbols and concentrates it within himself?

This thought arose in the old man's heart, then clashed with its opposite; the two lineages of Observing Stars and Gazing at Qi saw the world's feedback—only true sages could glimpse a corner of the future from the myriad changes they observed.

Li Guanyi said: "Is this Wang Yin not enough?"

The old man returned to the present world.

He grinned, clutched his chest, leaned his back against the Xue family's wall, and slowly slid down to sit on the ground; suddenly he gasped for breath, raised his head, and cursed loudly—not at anyone in particular—then calmed down, finally reaching out to grasp the imperial seal, Yin and Yang qi swirling.

That aura of kingship was sealed; the old man exhaled in relief and said:

"Bullshit, of course it can!"

"With this thing's aid, you're more than enough to refine something special."

"The Wang Yin of the Western Regions' overlord— you, you, ah…"

Li Guanyi could tell the old man's description had shifted from "can share a portion" to "can refine something special"—a clear qualitative leap—and asked: "What can it refine?"

The old man lifted the Wang Yin and said: "You know about the Martial Man Enters the Realm's Body Refinement, right?"

"After entering the Realm, one refines the body, condenses Qi, and unblocks the meridians."

"In essence, the Martial Man forges himself—refining the body allows him to carry sufficient power, condensing Qi makes his energy dense, like smelting iron ore into weapons, and unblocking the meridians lets Qi flow more freely, enabling him to unleash killing force in any direction."

The old man cursed:

"Crude Martial Men—those three thresholds after entering the Realm are all for better killing."

Li Guanyi could guess that the other Gejiage Sects certainly didn't follow this path.

The old man said: "Once you've passed all three, you reach the Second Layer Realm."

"After the Second Layer Realm, Martial Men cultivate the transformation of their Qi; through corresponding practice, by the Third Layer Realm they can condense Qi into weapons—but is condensing Qi into weapons necessarily stronger than a Martial Man who has refined his body in the Second Layer Realm?"

Li Guanyi replied: "Not necessarily."

The old man nodded:

"One can only say that condensing Qi into weapons allows Martial Men to increase their lethality faster."

"At this point, refining the body—Body Refinement, Qi Condensation, Meridian Unblocking—yields far less return than cultivating Qi transformation; even ten years of arduous training, making the body tougher and Qi denser several times over, means nothing if your opponent has long since reached the Third Layer Realm."

"Condensing Qi into weapons is more agile than your techniques; condensing Qi into armor is tougher than flesh and blood—you still can't match them."

Li Guanyi nodded, indicating understanding.

The old man stared at the Wang Yin and murmured: "Martial Men think hammering the flesh is inefficient for killing."

"But among the Buddhist and Daoist sects, there are countless cultivators who don't pursue killing—they focus on refining their own bodies, and in this arduous practice, within every punch and kick, find inner peace."

"They refine only the body, and devote their entire lives to it until the end."

"About seventeen hundred years ago, when a Wang Hou shattered the Daoist sect, even Daoist Qi-cultivating Sword Immortals were no match; yet a Daoist who swept the courtyard could withstand physical harm—when arrows fell like rain, he did not die; the world then learned of such a cultivation path."

"Body Refinement became a trend then."

"When this path reached its later stages, the cultivators possessed boundless strength; internal Qi and weapons could not harm them in the slightest. They lacked the high-level Martial Men's ability to gather Qi into oceans or summon dragons—but such techniques crumbled before them like clay sculptures."

"Gradually, geniuses from various sects abandoned the Martial Path."

"In the eyes of Martial Men, the Second Layer Realm, Third Layer Realm, Fourth Layer Heaven—each had practitioners who deliberately stopped, focusing on one direction: either refining the body or strengthening Qi."

"They cultivated only one thought, polishing that realm to its utmost, rejecting all other paths—they chose to widen rather than extend. In this realm, the Buddhists called it Dragon Elephant, the Daoists called it Heavenly Armor, named after the Dragon Elephant's boundless strength and the Six Ding and Six Jia guardians who ward off demons."

"In this realm, the body grows immensely strong; when perfected, fists and feet can split mountains and split seas."

"The only problem is it requires slow, patient effort—ten years, perhaps twenty, just to enter and transform, achieving a massive leap in power; before that, progress is negligible, so now it has gradually faded."

"After all, with that time, one could refine Qi, question the heart, manifest a Dharma Form—and still not be weaker; thus, these are two distinct paths. But now it's different—you hold this thing, and have the chance to cultivate both body and Qi equally."

The old man's expression turned solemn; he caressed the imperial seal and sighed:

"The meaning of a nation's destruction for a Military Family general differs utterly from that for other sects."

"For the Military Family, the cultivation significance of destroying a nation equals a Buddhist's sixty-year Silent Meditation or a Daoist's sixty-year pilgrimage through the mortal world—and most importantly, boy, how old are you? Huh?"

"When I was your age, I was stealing sweet potatoes from someone's yard, then running for my life with that little A Chai, and finally I had to go work for others to earn money to redeem that brat A Chai!"

"This thing will let you take a huge step forward in Body Refinement, helping you cultivate methods akin to the Buddhist Dragon Elephant or Daoist Heavenly Armor—within the same realm, your body will be invincible."

"Then, Wearing Heavy Armor, riding a strange beast, wielding a divine weapon, charging back and forth."

"With boundless strength, even arrows and crossbow bolts piercing your armor, even piercing-Qi arrows, cannot seriously wound you; you pull out the arrow, and before the bleeding stops, your wound begins healing—this is the physique of a mighty general."

"Can you imagine a nine-foot-tall giant, clad in black full-body heavy armor, riding a beast with a head and hooves a zhang tall, fully armored man and beast, weighing ten thousand jin, charging toward you at a speed faster than a river bursting its banks, raising a spear as thick as a wrist?"

Li Guanyi imagined it, his breath growing heavy.

The old man said: "Ordinary soldiers seeing this would immediately lose morale, flee; once ten percent of the troops break psychologically, panic spreads rapidly, turning them into a routed army."

"Thus, such a being alone can shatter an entire army's morale."

Li Guanyi said: "So this is what a mighty general with such a physique is like?"

The old man shook his head: "No—this is Tie Futu."

"A thousand Tie Futu can scatter thirty thousand soldiers; if their losses exceed one hundred, their commander is a fool; but a true mighty general can ride a strange beast and charge straight through the Tie Futu, breaking their spearhead."

Li Guanyi fell into a brief daze, then sat upright, spine straight, and asked:

"Can it be achieved directly?"

The old man snapped back:

"Is your Qi strong enough to refine your body to the supreme level?"

Master Siming said: "This thing only frees you from having to focus on body refinement—but it's enough to let you preliminarily achieve this physique; after that, you must, with every step into a new realm, refine your body with the aura of battle and bloodshed—this is a path only a hero who brings peace to a chaotic world can walk."

"All these years, even this Wang Yin has lost its former edge, its power slowly leaking away; the successor of that overlord ultimately lacked his ancestor's might—but even the residual aura of the former overlord is enough for you to forge this physique, like finding a raw jade—after that, it's up to your own refinement."

"This is golden skin and jade bones, dragon sinews and tiger marrow."

"Boy, do you wish to cultivate?"

Li Guanyi recalled Yuwen Lie's majesty, recalled the true Bai Hu Da Zong, and said:

"Please, Mr., teach me."

Master Siming's expression turned solemn, yet his words lacked conviction:

"Then wait."

"I'll go find someone."

Li Guanyi froze.

The earlier solemnity and the old man's words created too great a contrast.

The old man squatted before him, his voice booming despite his lack of justification: "You said 'a little'—but who knows what you meant by 'a little'? Ordinary luck, this old man can dispel for you. But such a great opportunity—enough to transform your physique—cannot be achieved by me alone!"

"Wait until I find reliable enough people to complete this forging for you."

"Don't worry—I still have a few trustworthy fellows."

Li Guanyi asked: "Can it be done before Chen's Great Sacrifice?"

The old man looked at him.

Chen's Great Sacrifice would inevitably become the first vortex of the coming world. Li Guanyi could no longer avoid it. The old man knew this—and yet, even now, he wondered: in this gathering of heroes, how far could this boy go?

He nodded, calculated the time, then nodded again:

"No problem at all!"

Li Guanyi exhaled in relief and said: "Then I ought to write a letter to this friend."

He looked at the letter, which had ended by saying that the second Young Master of the Ying State's Duke's mansion would also come to Jiangzhou in Chen to attend the Great Sacrifice—perhaps they might meet by chance. Li Guanyi thought for a moment, picked up his brush, and replied.

The brush descended, writing eight characters.

The Emperor of Chen also picked up his brush.

He was viewing with his ministers the newly completed Thousand Li River and Mountain painting.

All ministers praised the artistry, except Chancellor Dan Tai Xianming, who smiled and said:

"Your Majesty's painting is poor."

"You've made a mistake."

The smiles of the hundred officials vanished as if slapped across the face.

Dan Tai Xianming stared at that chancellor.

How could he?!

Drunk?

The Emperor raised his gaze and smiled: "What's wrong with it?"

The hundred officials dared not speak.

The refined old man bowed slightly, then spoke calmly amid the ministers' shock: "Our Chen has gained three hundred li of territory. This painting is too small. The Great Sacrifice in a month will draw heroes from all under heaven—we cannot afford to appear unseemly."

"Your Majesty likely must repaint it."

The Emperor of Chen froze, then burst into loud laughter—utterly delighted—and pointed at the refined chancellor: "Good! Good, Dan Tai Xianming! Hahaha! Then tell me—how should this Thousand Li River and Mountain painting be?" Dan Tai Xianming smiled: "Then, Your Majesty, grant it to me."

"When I die, I'll look upon the former territory of our Chen."

"So I won't forget from what land the Sage began, and built his achievements."

The Emperor of Chen laughed harder, raised his hand—and the scroll fell into the chancellor's arms. The chancellor bowed with a smile. Beside him, the general who had been promoted by him, who had subdued the Tuyuhun and expanded territory by three hundred li, also bowed. His name was Liu Man'nu; the Emperor had granted him the name: Zhong.

Known as Liu Zhong, Third Rank General.

New Divine General Rankings, 67th!

Achievement—First Battle: Crushed the Tuyuhun, expanded borders by three hundred li.

The Emperor's laughter merged into the music of praise.

On the northern grasslands, the Seven Kings prepared their envoys for departure. Po Jun sprinkled the poison he had prepared into the river, gazing eastward—the river shimmered like gold under the sun, surging toward distant horizons.

Hooves struck, shattering the river!

Yuwen Lie held his long spear, expression solemn and icy.

Under the sunlight.

The Tangut had established their own state; the Iron Tribes of the Western Regions saw the young master of the Xue family and iron weapons. The last remnants of the Tuyuhun retreated to their ancestral lands. Yuwen Lie pressed his spear to the ground and drew a line, proclaiming that five hundred years hence, the Central Plains would reclaim rights over this land.

This land would become the Ying State's Protectorate, governing the northwest.

Before him lay the severed heads of the Tuyuhun nobles.

The fierce wind blew; the Fifth Divine General's warhorse galloped across Jianghe.

Dan Tai Xianming held Chen's grand momentum.

Po Jun lifted the coarse felt cloth—revealing a solemn armor etched with star patterns, reeking of blood; the Seven Kings responded to the Turkic Khan's orders and envoys; the Ying State's Phoenix wiped its wounds.

Waiting for the distant letter.

The Tangut king revelled, arm around the waist of Chen's Princess, sending his son to Chen—yet his eyes were cold.

They raced across the world, holding their great vows, crossing rivers.

The world was blank paper; heroes came and went, rivers and mountains crisscrossed, turning into inked characters. Li Guanyi picked up his brush and wrote his reply, then remembered something—he took the seal from the old man, breathed on it, and pressed it onto the letter.

The seal of the overlord from three hundred years ago landed—bright red as the day it was cast—upon those eight great characters:

【Beneath Jiangzhou City】

【Awaiting Your Arrival】.

………………

The old man departed with the seal, and Li Guanyi heard the clanging, clanging, clanging sounds.

It was the sound of an iron wok striking the wall.

He turned around and saw his aunt beckoning to him. The boy flinched for a moment, but still went over. Murong Qiushui looked at the boy before her, raised an eyebrow, and said: "Little Cat, planning to go to Jiangzhou?"

Li Guanyi said: "... Yes."

He told his aunt everything. Murong Qiushui rested her chin on one hand and said:

"But don't you already know that if the Emperor learns of your background, there'll be some trouble?"

Li Guanyi thought for a moment, then said: "If Auntie won't let me go, then I won't go."

Murong Qiushui sighed, stretched out a finger to press against the boy's brow, and said in mock annoyance: "Little Cat's learned bad tricks, now using words to corner your auntie—when have I ever said you couldn't go?"

"It's just that your appearance and fortune need a little adjusting."

"As well as your fate and bearing."

Li Guanyi was stunned: "Ah?"

Murong Qiushui smiled faintly and said leisurely:

"Although your auntie doesn't know martial arts,"

"there is something I can teach you."