Chapter 362: The First in History

Under the cover of night, a car drove through the main gate of the Stop-Gong General Institute.

After the car came to a steady stop, Wen Ke and Li Fei stepped out.

This was the night Li Fei emerged from seclusion; Wen Ke had finally persuaded the senior leadership at Martial University to step forward and pull strings for Li Fei, allowing him to come to the Stop-Gong General Institute to see Shangguan Xiao.

The two walked to the building ahead, and Steering Envoy Fu Lang walked out from inside to greet them personally.

In truth, the reason Li Fei was able to meet Shangguan Xiao so quickly and smoothly this time, aside from the efforts of Martial University, was that Fu Lang had played a crucial role.

Shangguan Xiao had entrusted Fu Lang with three tasks, one of which was to find a way for her to see Li Fei.

Now, this matter could be considered accomplished.

Ten-odd minutes later, Li Fei met Shangguan Xiao in a solitary interrogation room.

By now, Shangguan Xiao had been formally detained; it was not merely a matter of losing her freedom and being unable to contact the outside world, but she had also been placed under mandatory measures, with special handcuffs locked onto her wrists.

Of course, for a powerhouse at the Dao Foundation realm, a pair of handcuffs certainly wouldn't be enough to contain her; normally, one would also have to force Shangguan Xiao to take Qi-dispersing elixirs and drive soft nails into several important acupoints on her body.

But because Fu Lang was there, these methods were not used.

He could not help his good friend's daughter escape her charges, but at the very least, within the Stop-Gong General Institute, he could try his best to ensure Shangguan Xiao suffered less.

"You've come."

Upon seeing Li Fei, a smile appeared on Shangguan Xiao's face, and a look of joy emerged within her cold, clear gaze; she asked with concern:

"How was your seclusion?"

"Mm."

Li Fei nodded firmly at Shangguan Xiao.

Shangguan Xiao took a deep breath, a look of shock appearing on her face.

Before his seclusion, Li Fei had confessed to her that this seclusion was for the purpose of breaking through his realm.

Therefore, Li Fei's nod now meant the breakthrough had been successful.

It was only in March of this year that Li Fei had broken through to the late stage of Qi Transformation, even skipping the stage of polishing his strength and starting his breakthrough directly from the peak of Qi Transformation.

From completing the "Return to One" to breaking through to the Dao Foundation realm, Li Fei had only used a little over two months!

This speed was simply shocking!

"Good, very good!"

Shangguan Xiao looked into Li Fei's eyes and said solemnly:

"As long as you live well, with your aptitude, you have the hope of reaching the pinnacle of the martial path within ten years!"

The pinnacle of the martial path in this world was known as the Martial Saint.

Shangguan Xiao believed that Li Fei had the chance to become a Martial Saint within ten years!

"Ten years..."

Li Fei naturally understood what Shangguan Xiao meant.

If he wanted to reach the pinnacle in ten years, he had to live well right now.

"I learned from Martial University that over these past years, many of the resources obtained by the Qingyuan Fist Stronghold were provided by Zhang Shiwei?"

Li Fei asked.

He found this very difficult to understand, because if that were truly the case, it would be impossible to fake, and there was no reason for Shangguan Xiao to have been completely unaware.

Shangguan Xiao sighed:

"At first, I thought it was my father using family resources to help me in secret, so I didn't take precautions, and my father likely had the same misunderstanding. Now that I think about it, when I first took the initiative to contact him after many years, saying I wanted to enter officialdom and serve as the Chief of the Xingcheng Stop-Gong Institute, he didn't find it strange at all and agreed immediately. A part of the reason for that was likely because he thought I had already been proactively making preparations."

Li Fei suddenly understood.

It seemed the person behind the scenes also understood the psychology between the father and daughter, Zhang Zongyang and Shangguan Xiao, which was why they could lay out such a clever trap.

But because of this, many things were truly difficult to explain or clarify, because in reality, Shangguan Xiao had indeed "colluded" with Zhang Shiwei a long time ago.

"Master-Aunt, I fear this trap is aimed at Master."

Li Fei stated his deduction.

Shangguan Xiao nodded; she had also thought of this point long ago.

"I want to know what exactly happened between you and Master back then here in Datong Prefecture? What grudges were left behind?"

Li Fei asked.

This was his main purpose for coming this time.

Since the person behind the scenes had started laying the trap over a decade ago, it must be an enemy that Hao Yi and Shangguan Xiao had made in the past.

He had to first clarify the ins and outs of the matter before he would have any hope of finding a way to break the trap.

"Xiao Fei, listen to me."

Shangguan Xiao shook her head, "This matter involves too much; don't get yourself involved any further. You have a much greater future ahead of you and shouldn't be held back by our old grievances."

She had asked Fu Lang to help her see Li Fei not because she wanted to ask Li Fei for help, but to persuade Li Fei to let go, while also communicating many things in advance to avoid the "Green-Faced Ghost" being implicated by her.

"Master-Aunt!"

Li Fei interrupted Shangguan Xiao, "You're persuading me to let go, but do you think Master would let go?"

Shangguan Xiao paused and said, "I have my own arrangements for your Master; you don't need to worry."

The second thing she had entrusted to Fu Lang was to help her pass a message to Hao Yi.

"Master-Aunt, there is still room to salvage this; we shouldn't just give up like this."

Li Fei shook his head.

Shangguan Xiao was certainly not someone who would give up easily; her personality was one that would rather break than bend, otherwise she wouldn't have chosen to break ties with her family back then.

If this matter only involved her alone, she would fight to the very last moment!

But this matter might implicate Hao Yi, and it might even drag Li Fei into it, which was something Shangguan Xiao could not accept no matter what.

"Xiao Fei, I haven't given up, but I want you to let me handle it myself; don't get involved in this matter anymore."

Shangguan Xiao said, "I have already found a way to contact the investigation team, and I will talk to them. What they want is to continue suppressing the Datong Prefecture government; as long as I don't plead guilty, they have a reason to stay, so I can negotiate with them."

The third thing she had entrusted to Fu Lang was to help her contact the investigation team from the provincial capital.

Li Fei nodded: "That is what I thought as well, so I will also be contacting the investigation team next."

"Xiao Fei..."

"Master-Aunt, when you decided to break ties with your family back then, many people must have tried to persuade you, and perhaps Master tried to persuade you too, but did you listen to them?"

Li Fei looked at Shangguan Xiao and asked this.

"..."

Shangguan Xiao fell silent.

That's right, back then she was the same age as Li Fei, and she had also resolutely chosen to move forward when facing a desperate situation, rather than retreating.

If she herself hadn't been able to do it back then, how could she demand that Li Fei do it now?

"I was sent away to study under a master when I was nine, and that was when I met your Master."

Shangguan Xiao spoke slowly, beginning to recount the past:

"Senior Brother's talent far surpassed mine, and he was held in high regard by our Master from a young age. Master always told him, 'You are the entire future of our sect!' Later, Senior Brother also often kept these words on his lips."

"The year I turned sixteen, Master's old injuries recurred and he died. Senior Brother decided to take me back to Datong Prefecture, wanting to make a name for himself in Datong and thoroughly establish the reputation of our sect, fulfilling Master's dying wish."

"At that time, Senior Brother's body had just begun to mature, and he hadn't long since had his implants installed. When he brought me to Datong Prefecture, he was only at the early stage of Body Breaking."

"Later, in just one short year, Senior Brother broke through realm after realm, becoming a strength-training martial artist at the mid-stage of Qi Transformation. He also made quite a name for himself in Datong Prefecture and had never lost a duel."

"My father took a liking to Senior Brother's talent at that time and wanted to recruit him into the Zhang family, but Senior Brother refused. At that time, he was single-mindedly focused on making a name for our sect and didn't want to rely on any external help whatsoever."

"Later, Senior Brother began challenging the geniuses of Datong Prefecture, and he remained undefeated!"

"By the time I was eighteen, Senior Brother had already broken through to the Dao Foundation realm, and he encountered an event that changed the trajectory of his life."

"He accidentally stumbled upon a noble family secretly trafficking people, so he took action to save those who were being trafficked and blew the matter wide open."

"Originally, given the talent Senior Brother displayed at the time and his Dao Foundation realm, this matter wouldn't have been much; that noble family would have just silently swallowed the loss. But after this incident, Senior Brother discovered the ugly faces of those noble families, and he decided to continue investigating to see if there were more similar occurrences."

"This investigation uncovered too much filth..."

"But Senior Brother's methods were different from... from the Green-Faced Ghost's; he didn't secretly kill the evildoers he uncovered, but chose to make the evidence of their crimes public and then hand them over to the government to handle."

Li Fei: "..."

Shangguan Xiao continued her narrative:

"This world is just like this; every household, including the Zhang family, as long as they are in the upper echelons of society, who can truly be as pure as jade? So Senior Brother's actions offended many people, yet he didn't know when to stop, and the evil deeds he exposed became more and more numerous..."

"During this process, Senior Brother encountered many dangers, both in the open and in the dark, and his personal strength also grew rapidly during this time, quickly reaching the peak of the Dao Foundation realm, and he was even listed as a candidate for the Wind and Cloud General Ranking."

"But the stronger his strength became, the bigger the trouble he caused, and the more people he offended. Later, he discovered that the government was actually shielding those criminals, and even many officials within the government were colluding with them, doing things even more disgusting, so Senior Brother began to expose the evil deeds of the government as well."

Li Fei: "..."

He felt that his Master was simply like a protagonist in a novel, going against the heavens, the earth, and the air, yet growing stronger the more he fought.

He could imagine just how high-spirited and dazzling his Master must have been back then!

But from the fact that Hao Yi's Dao Foundation was damaged and he had been trapped in a small place like Xingcheng for all these years, one could see that the final outcome for this "novel protagonist" was likely not good.

Shangguan Xiao must have also chosen to support Hao Yi, which was why she completely broke ties with her family.

After all, the class that Hao Yi wanted to oppose and change included noble families like the Zhang family.

Shangguan Xiao sighed: "Actually, there were quite a few people who admired Senior Brother back then, and he found some like-minded friends who wanted to work with him to change the status quo of this society, or at least try to change the status quo of Datong Prefecture. But what they wanted to achieve was too difficult, almost impossible to realize."

Li Fei thought of the former Chief Inspector of the Xingcheng Inspection Institute—Huang Weiguang.

Hao Yi and Huang Weiguang were old friends who had known each other for many years; looking at it this way, this former Chief Inspector might have been one of the like-minded people who worked with Hao Yi back then.

It was just that later, Hao Yi failed, and Huang Weiguang was "demoted" to Xingcheng, eventually retiring in gloom.

"So, in the end, how did Master and the others fail?"

Li Fei asked.

Shangguan Xiao's gaze was deep: "Senior Brother and the others went head-to-head with the previous Garrison Commander of Datong Prefecture, or rather, they went head-to-head with an entire class represented by that Garrison Commander. You have actually already seen the result of opposing such power: a great martial arts sect like the Iron Peak Sect was wiped out just like that! A martial arts master like Gu Vanguard Commander died just like that!"

"Senior Brother was only one step away from becoming a martial arts master back then. He had intended to wait until he broke through his realm before completely tearing off the mask and turning everything upside down! But he was interfered with at the critical moment of his breakthrough, and in the end, not only did he fail to break through, but his own Dao foundation was damaged, leaving him almost hopeless of ever forging a martial arts foundation for the rest of his life."

"If Master Shi Caiming hadn't stepped forward to protect Senior Brother at the end, Senior Brother would have died directly in Datong Prefecture just like many others."

Li Fei was startled: "Master Shi Caiming? Is that the current President of the Martial Arts University, Shi Caiming?"

Shangguan Xiao nodded: "Yes, that is him."

"At that time, there was no Martial Arts University yet. Master Shi Caiming was the number one expert in Datong Prefecture and even the entire Feng Province. Moreover, he was highly respected, had taught many students, and had also guided many experts; his status and reputation in Feng Province were extremely high. Back then, it was Shi Caiming who cherished talent, which is why he chose to protect Senior Brother. But even for Master Shi Caiming, the limit of what he could do was merely to save Senior Brother's life."

Li Fei was silent.

This was likely because Hao Yi's Dao foundation was damaged and he had no hope of breaking through his realm ever again, which was why the powerful figures of Datong Prefecture were willing to let him off.

But since they had let him go, why did they lay out a plot to harm Hao Yi again after so many years?

"Junior Martial Aunt, which big figures did Teacher specifically offend back then? Who do you think is most likely to have chosen to take revenge after so many years?"

Li Fei asked.

Shangguan Xiao looked at him with some helplessness: "If you want to talk about offending people, Senior Brother offended almost all the big figures in Datong Prefecture back then."

Li Fei: "."

Shangguan Xiao: "The previous Garrison Commander retired early precisely because of the many things Senior Brother stirred up back then. If you want to talk about hatred, this Garrison Commander and his family must hate Senior Brother to the bone."

"Besides that, there were many big figures who were forced out of office by Senior Brother back then. Not all of these people were sentenced to death; many are still alive, and they all have the possibility of seeking revenge."

"Then there are those geniuses whose state of mind was shattered by Senior Brother, such as Xu Jing, who caused you trouble earlier. This person was also a heaven-gifted talent famous throughout Feng Province, and was also considered a Dao Foundation realm powerhouse with the hope of representing Feng Province on the Wind and Cloud General Ranking. But he was defeated by Senior Brother many times, and he still holds a grudge to this day..."

Li Fei now understood why Hao Yi could not come to Datong Prefecture.

This was purely because he had too many enemies; coming here was equivalent to poking a hornet's nest.

Next, Li Fei asked Shangguan Xiao in detail about many things from back then, until the time was up and he left the interrogation room, parting ways with Shangguan Xiao.

He got back into the car and left the Zhige General Academy with Wen Ke, returning to the Martial Arts University.

"Professor Wen, I want to see President Shi Caiming."

In the car, after a moment of silence, Li Fei suddenly spoke.

Wen Ke was not surprised by this, only shaking her head: "President Shi is in poor health and has been in seclusion for years. Unless there is a major event, he does not see guests."

"Then there is a major event now."

Li Fei said with a sincere expression.

Wen Ke smiled, her tone remaining gentle:

"President Shi will not concern himself with these matters anymore."

"That is not the matter I am talking about."

Li Fei shook his head.

"Hmm?"

Wen Ke turned her head to look at him.

Li Fei also turned his head to meet her gaze, saying word by word:

"I have already broken through to the Dao Foundation realm."

Screech—

The driver responsible for driving suddenly slammed on the brakes, and the tires rubbed a long mark on the ground.

Wen Ke glanced at the driver in front, and the other party apologized hurriedly:

"Sorry, sorry."

Then he continued driving.

Wen Ke looked at Li Fei again, her expression solemn: "What did you say?"

"I said, I have already broken through to the Dao Foundation realm."

Li Fei said calmly.

Of course, he would not directly say that he had only used ten days to complete the breakthrough; that was too shocking and would only lead to him being treated as a monster or an anomaly.

In reality, the time he broke through to the late stage of Qi Transformation was in March of this year. Because of the unique nature of his force and the fact that his intent was powerful enough, he could skip the stage of polishing his force, and once he broke through, he was at the peak of the Qi Transformation realm.

Calculating it this way, it took him a total of more than two months to break through from the peak of Qi Transformation to the Dao Foundation realm.

But even such a speed had broken the history of cultivation in the Great Lan Dynasty!

No, not just the cultivation history of the Great Lan Dynasty.

For a thousand years, in the history of human martial arts cultivation, the fastest record for completing the "Return to One" from the peak of Qi Transformation and breaking through to the Dao Foundation realm was 92 days.

Now, Li Fei had broken this record!

That is to say, his speed of breaking through at this stage was the best in history!

The Martial Arts University had produced a student with the fastest breakthrough speed in history; such a thing was naturally a major event.

Seeking monthly tickets.

(End of chapter)