Chapter 245: Martial Arts Master, Cloud-Stepping Divine Ability

"Student Li Fei."

Che Haochuan, who had been watching the battle from the sidelines, walked out of the venue.

His height truly exceeded three meters, and his burly frame was startling!

"The Great Earth Martial Arts Hall had absolutely no knowledge of today's events. This rebellious disciple has already been captured by me, and I am willing to hand him over to the Martial Arts University for investigation!"

Che Haochuan said in a deep voice, while simultaneously lifting the captured Teng Zhe with one hand to signal to Li Fei.

Li Fei glanced at the flying sword hovering in the sky above and said to Che Haochuan:

"Hall Master Che, someone will talk to you about today's matter."

No sooner had he finished speaking than movement came from the front courtyard of the martial arts hall:

"The Inspection Academy is conducting an investigation! Nobody move!"

"Stand there and don't move!"

"."

Subsequently, a team of people rushed into the courtyard where Li Fei was, and the leader was none other than Xia Huan.

Upon seeing the people from the Inspection Academy, Che Haochuan's expression changed completely.

He realized that today's incident was even more serious than he had imagined!

"Good work, well done."

After Xia Huan walked into the courtyard, he didn't even glance at Che Haochuan, but walked straight to Li Fei and said with a smile:

"How is it? You aren't hurt, are you?"

Li Fei shook his head: "Nothing serious."

"That's good."

Xia Huan nodded, then turned to look at Che Haochuan. The smile on his face faded, and he said in an icy tone:

"The Great Earth Martial Arts Hall is suspected of colluding with Western spies. From this moment on, the hall is sealed! Everyone is to remain here and await investigation!"

Che Haochuan's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly explained:

"My lord, this is a misunderstanding! We have never colluded with any spies!"

Xia Huan ignored him entirely. With a wave of his hand, the inspectors behind him immediately stepped forward to take the captured Teng Zhe from Che Haochuan's hands, while simultaneously lifting the unconscious Chen Xiang out of the pit and beginning to apply specialized iron chains.

"My lord..."

Che Haochuan took a step forward, wanting to say something.

But the moment he took a step, a sharp sword intent descended upon him.

Che Haochuan looked up; the flying sword was suspended in the air, its tip pointed directly at him.

He dared not move again.

The Dao of the flying sword was a top-tier killing art in this world; it was naturally formidable for killing, but not necessarily for saving. With Che Haochuan's strength, he was confident he could kill all these inspectors—who weren't even martial artists—before the flying sword above his head could kill him!

Yet, in the end, he dared not make any move.

"Seal!"

Xia Huan left behind this single word, then turned and departed.

Li Fei followed by his side as they walked out of the Great Earth Martial Arts Hall.

"We also caught three spies from the Meijia Kingdom nearby this time; they were likely here to rendezvous with Chen Xiang."

After walking out of the martial arts hall's gate, Xia Huan said to Li Fei, "You deserve the primary credit for catching these people this time, Xiao Fei. After the investigation concludes, I will personally request a commendation for you!"

"Many thanks, Lord Xia."

Li Fei expressed his gratitude to Xia Huan.

Just then, an elderly man dressed in opulent clothing walked toward them, followed by an attendant.

"Dean Jiang, thank you for your hard work."

Upon seeing the old man, Xia Huan took the initiative to bow, his attitude very respectful.

The old man smiled and nodded at Xia Huan.

"Xiao Fei, let me introduce you."

Xia Huan pointed at the old man and said to Li Fei, "This is the Vice Dean of the Datong Prefecture's General Academy of Orthodox Law, Dean Jiang Jin. That flying sword just now was Dean Jiang's magic treasure."

Only then did Li Fei realize that the Inspection Academy had collaborated with the Academy of Orthodox Law for this operation, and had even invited a Vice Dean.

"Thank you, Dean Jiang, for your intervention and rescue just now."

Li Fei bowed to Jiang Jin.

"Haha, no need for such formalities. To be able to trade blows with a grappling expert like Chen Xiang at such a young age, the younger generation is truly formidable."

Jiang Jin said to Li Fei with a kind attitude.

"I must trouble Dean Jiang to escort Xiao Fei back to the Martial Arts University."

Xia Huan said to Jiang Jin with a bow.

Although the target individuals had all been captured, no one knew if there were any omissions. To be safe, it was still necessary for a powerhouse to escort Li Fei back to school.

"Small matter, let's go."

Jiang Jin beckoned.

A dark gold 'Qilin' car drove over from the distance and slowly stopped in front of Jiang Jin.

This was the third 'Qilin' Li Fei had ever seen.

"Let's go, get in."

Jiang Jin invited.

Thus, Li Fei followed him into the expensive bulletproof car, while the attendant sat in the front passenger seat.

Inside the car, Jiang Jin asked Li Fei some relatively casual questions, his attitude very amiable.

"Dean Jiang, I would like to ask a question."

Li Fei suddenly spoke up.

"Go ahead."

Jiang Jin looked at him.

"How does one come to possess a magic treasure like a flying sword?"

Li Fei asked the question he was most interested in.

He had once asked Hao Yi if anyone in this world used flying swords. At the time, Hao Yi told him that magic treasures like flying swords were extremely rare and not every Great Mage in the Possession Realm could use one.

He hadn't expected to encounter a spell-cultivator who used a flying sword today, and Li Fei couldn't help but ask.

Now that he had also embarked on the path of spell cultivation, if he could forge magic treasures in the future, he would very much like to prioritize a flying sword.

Not to mention its great power, the key was that it was cool!

Jiang Jin chuckled: "That is a good question."

Li Fei turned and bowed to Jiang Jin: "I hope for your guidance, Dean Jiang."

"Eh, no need to be so formal."

Jiang Jin patted Li Fei's hand and said slowly:

"There are two difficulties in forging a flying sword. The first difficulty lies in the forging of the flying sword itself; it must be sufficiently light, yet simultaneously hard, and also sharp enough. Finally, and most importantly, it must be able to accommodate an implant.

There is no material in this world that can satisfy all four points at once, so forging a flying sword requires the use of composite materials, which necessitates very rare materials and highly advanced craftsmanship. Looking across the entire Great Lan Dynasty, only a few places like the Pavilion of Orthodox Law in the capital, the three Daoist sects, and the Buddhist Pudu Temple have the capability to forge flying swords.

The second difficulty lies in the implant. The most critical point of a flying sword is its remote control, which requires an implant with spatial attributes. Spatial attribute implants have very high requirements for compatibility; not everyone can match with them and then control such implants. Among one hundred Great Mages in the Possession Realm, perhaps only one has such talent."

After listening, Li Fei bowed to Jiang Jin once more:

"Many thanks to Dean Jiang for enlightening this junior."

"You child, I already said there is no need for so many formalities."

Jiang Jin smiled and waved his hand.

Li Fei looked out the car window, lost in thought.

Seen this way, apart from Daoist and Buddhist spell-cultivators, only those affiliated with the imperial court had the possibility of using flying swords.

The Myriad Blood Bead could only solve the problem of load-bearing capacity; it could not improve compatibility, so Li Fei did not know if he had the aptitude to use a flying sword.

He would just have to wait and see.

More than twenty minutes later, the 'Qilin' drove to the gate of the Martial Arts University. Li Fei politely thanked Jiang Jin, said his goodbyes, and returned to the school.

And just after he returned, a storm began to brew in Datong Prefecture!

The General Inspectorate, the General Academy of Cease-Conflict, and the General Inspection Academy launched a joint operation, beginning to make arrests everywhere.

In the Wuyi District, vans sped through the streets, eventually stopping outside a martial arts hall.

This martial arts hall was named 'Xuanhong Martial Arts Hall' and was quite famous in the Wuyi District; in last year's martial arts hall ranking tournament, Xuanhong Martial Arts Hall took sixth place.

Teams of fully armed inspectors descended from the vans and then aggressively rushed into the Xuanhong Martial Arts Hall, accompanied by several official martial masters from the General Academy of Cease-Conflict.

A moment later, these people dragged seven or eight individuals out of the martial arts hall, including both students and teachers.

A similar scene played out in several other martial arts halls.

Over the next few days, people were arrested every day, and those taken away were all people from major martial arts halls.

For a time, all of the hundreds of martial arts halls in Datong Prefecture were in a state of panic, and these halls could all be considered forces of the Iron Blade Sect.

Some felt this was a conspiracy targeting the Iron Blade Sect, while others felt it was simply the Iron Blade Sect colluding with Western spies.

For a time, rumors were rampant.

On February 26th, a total of fifteen martial arts halls publicly announced their withdrawal from the Martial Arts Hall Association.

One stone stirred up a thousand waves!

For a long time, the Martial Arts Hall Association had managed all the martial arts halls in Datong Prefecture, and the cake of the martial arts industry had been firmly held by the Iron Blade Sect.

Martial arts schools are closely related to boxing matches; a single Qingyuan Boxing Match in Xingcheng can earn a net profit of over one hundred thousand yuan every month, let alone in the larger market of Datong Prefecture City?

Therefore, the piece of the cake controlled by the Iron Blade Sect is very profitable and very tempting!

Now that over a dozen martial arts schools have suddenly announced their withdrawal from the Martial Arts School Association, and all these schools are involved in the boxing match industry, this forces one to associate it with one thing:

Someone is going to move the cake on the "Blade King's" plate!

Outside Datong Prefecture City, more than forty miles to the northwest, lies Mount Tiansha, where the great martial arts sect, the Iron Blade Sect, is stationed.

On the mountaintop is a large complex of buildings: the main hall, training grounds, and dormitories.

Over two hundred disciples are practicing blade techniques on the training ground; the lowest cultivation base among these disciples is the Body Breaking Realm, and everyone has vigorous blood and Qi, filling the entire training ground with a smoke of essence and energy.

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

On the training ground, every time these Iron Blade Sect disciples swing their blades, they shout "Kill" at the top of their lungs.

For a time, the sound of killing shook the heavens, rattling the clouds!

"Withdraw—"

A moment later, a man leading the disciples in blade practice on the platform at the front slowly withdrew his blade and shouted loudly.

This man is a deacon of the Iron Blade Sect and a Force-Refining Martial Artist.

"Invite the Sect Master!"

The deacon suddenly shouted loudly.

As the words fell, the disciples on the training ground all became excited, looking at the platform in front with faces full of anticipation.

The Iron Blade Sect has a tradition: at the end of every month, the disciple who performs best in that month's assessment will receive personal commendation from the Sect Master in front of everyone.

This tradition has been maintained for decades and has never changed.

The disciples of the Iron Blade Sect all consider this a great honor, and everyone strives to be the best in the monthly assessments.

Today is once again the time for the Sect Master to commend the disciples.

A middle-aged man wearing a black robe walked onto the platform.

He has a crew cut, eyes like blades, and a powerful aura; his formidable essence and energy are like substance, radiating from his body, and his individual aura alone suppresses the more than two hundred disciples present!

This person is the Sect Master of the Iron Blade Sect, the "Blade King"—one of the "Seven Kings"—Gu Vanguard Commander.

Whether in personal strength or influence, "Blade King" Gu Vanguard Commander is the strongest among the "Seven Kings"!

The nicknames of the "Seven Kings" actually represent the number one in a certain industry; for example, the "Gambling King" is the number one in the gambling trade, the "Queen" is the number one in the brothel trade, and the "Beast King" is the number one in the exotic beast breeding trade.

Gu Vanguard Commander is called the "Blade King," which means that at least within the territory of Datong Prefecture, his blade technique is the undisputed number one!

If it were in another prefecture, it might be one thing, but one must know that Datong Prefecture has a Martial Peace University, where the professors are at least at the Dao Foundation Realm, and there is no shortage of experts who use blades.

Against this background, for Gu Vanguard Commander to still be called the "Blade King," his strength is evident!

Upon seeing Gu Vanguard Commander walk onto the platform, the Iron Blade Sect disciples below all revealed burning gazes.

To many of those present, the "position" where Gu Vanguard Commander stands is already the highest peak they seek in their entire lives.

Gu Vanguard Commander is not at the Dao Foundation Realm, but is a Martial Arts Master!

The Dao Foundation Realm is the foundation of cultivating the martial path; only after all five implants are fully integrated into the body, cultivated to maturity, and fused together to completely form the corresponding martial path foundation, can one be called a Martial Arts Master.

Once the Dao Foundation is formed, one can be considered a master of a generation in the martial arts.

"Invite the top three disciples of this month's assessment to the stage!"

The deacon standing behind Gu Vanguard Commander shouted loudly.

Subsequently, three disciples walked onto the stage; Gu Vanguard Commander commended the three with a few words and then personally handed them several bottles of elixirs.

The three disciples received the elixirs from Gu Vanguard Commander's hands with faces full of excitement.

After the ceremony was completed, Gu Vanguard Commander looked at the disciples below, his hands behind his back, and said loudly:

"Climbing the peak of the martial path is infinitely joyful; I am waiting for you at the heights!"

As the words fell, a large amount of cyan mist suddenly appeared around him, and these cyan mists quickly condensed into a cloud under his feet.

Seeing this scene, the Iron Blade Sect disciples on the training ground immediately boiled over!

"The Sect Master is going to display a divine ability!"

"It's the Cloud-Riding divine ability!"

"The Sect Master is going to fly into the sky again!"

"."

Amidst the worshipful gazes of the crowd, Gu Vanguard Commander stepped on the cyan clouds, rose from the platform, and flew into the sky!

After the martial path foundation is formed, different Dao Foundations will cultivate different divine abilities; this is a power that transcends any martial technique and is the root of why the martial path has the word "Dao."

Gu Vanguard Commander's Dao Foundation is 【Cyan Cloud Roaming】, and the martial path divine ability cultivated after it is the Cloud-Riding divine ability, which allows one to ride the clouds and mist and roam the heavens and earth!

Gu Vanguard Commander does not display his divine ability at every end-of-month ceremony; for decades, the number of times he has displayed it in public does not exceed the count of one hand, which is why the Iron Blade Sect disciples are so excited at this moment.

Under the gaze of hundreds of people, Gu Vanguard Commander flew higher and higher, straight into the blue void, and finally disappeared completely from the sight of the crowd.

Riding the clouds and mist, entering and exiting the blue void—in the hearts of many Iron Blade Sect disciples, their own Sect Master is no longer a human, but a deity, a faith!

Originally, the events that had occurred in Datong Prefecture City in recent days had made some in the Iron Blade Sect anxious, but today, Gu Vanguard Commander's appearance to display the Cloud-Riding divine ability immediately boosted the morale of the entire Iron Blade Sect and united the hearts of the people.

A moment later, Gu Vanguard Commander, stepping on the cyan clouds, flew back from the sky and landed on a cliff terrace behind Mount Tiansha.

"Master."

A young man respectfully saluted Gu Vanguard Commander.

"Has it been investigated clearly?"

Gu Vanguard Commander asked.

"It has been investigated clearly; the withdrawal of those fifteen martial arts schools from the association is the Poison King and the Cannon King causing trouble behind the scenes, and the rumors in the city recently are also being spread by these two."

The young man said with his head lowered.

The "Poison King" controls the opium business, and he provides almost all the supply within the entire Datong Prefecture.

The "Cannon King" controls the arms smuggling business; because he even has connections to obtain cannons, he is called the "Cannon King" by people in the underworld.

These two both engage in illegal businesses that cannot see the light of day, so they have always been the most low-key existences among the "Seven Kings." No one expected that this time, these two would take the initiative to jump out and move against the strongest "Blade King."

"Since it has been found out, then take action."

Gu Vanguard Commander turned to look at the distant mountains and said coldly.

(End of chapter)