Chapter 406: Winds of Change in the North, Meeting the Martial Saint in Lanling (6000+)

Atop the mountain, Shi Caiming withdrew his palm from Li Fei's dantian.

"The consciousness of the eighth-rank Heaven Water Azure Soul Beast has completely merged into the Heaven Water Soul Bone. If I were to forcibly erase its consciousness, the Heaven Water Soul Bone might erupt in chaos and damage your foundation, so I have only sealed its consciousness and severed the Heaven Water Soul Bone's continuous draining of your 'essence, Qi, and spirit'," Shi Caiming explained to Li Fei.

After an implant reaches the Qi Transformation stage, it still requires a continuous intake of energy, which must be provided by the human body.

This means that even without fighting, a martial artist must consume elixirs or special foods to maintain the implants within them.

This situation persists until the foundation is fully built, the five elements form a cycle, and the body can absorb the Qi of the five elements from the outside world.

In other words, below the Martial Grandmaster stage, a martial artist's supplies are crucial.

A Foundation Establishment martial artist cannot sustain a multi-day battle without sufficient supplies; if their internal energy is exhausted and they cannot consume food or elixirs, they cannot recover in time.

A portion of the Heaven Water Soul Bone had already merged into Li Fei's foundation, so whenever his foundation absorbed energy, that portion of the Heaven Water Soul Bone would absorb it as well.

If the energy supply were cut off, Li Fei's other four implants would perish long before the Heaven Water Soul Bone, as the latter was far more powerful.

Therefore, Shi Caiming had only sealed the part of the Heaven Water Soul Bone that hadn't yet merged into Li Fei's foundation, preventing it from constantly draining his "essence, Qi, and spirit," and sealed the consciousness of the eighth-rank Heaven Water Azure Soul Beast to prevent it from ever waking again.

This way, Li Fei was at least free from immediate worry, allowing him to focus on solving the problem with his own foundation.

"Thank you, Master."

Li Fei bowed in gratitude.

"Go to Lanling City," Shi Caiming said.

"I will write a secret letter to His Majesty, informing him of your situation. Given how highly he regards you, he will do everything in his power to help you solve it. Lanling City has Martial Saints and True Persons. Just because I cannot solve this problem does not mean they cannot."

Li Fei looked at him: "There is no need for a secret letter; I will tell the Emperor myself."

He was not the type to act tough unnecessarily.

Although he didn't want his problems to be known by outsiders, since Shi Caiming couldn't solve it, he had to seek help elsewhere.

Fortunately, he was currently in the Emperor's favor, and he believed the Emperor would be willing to pay the price to help him.

"Hmm, it is better if you tell him yourself."

Shi Caiming nodded, looking at Li Fei with a sense of emotion.

This youth before him had already become a towering tree himself; he no longer needed to be sheltered at every turn.

"I will have Qin Zhen accompany you to Lanling City," Shi Caiming added.

The Wind and Cloud Ranking had listed Li Fei permanently at the top, and the entire martial world acknowledged him as the greatest Foundation Establishment martial artist in history, with combat power comparable to a Martial Grandmaster.

But the current Li Fei did not even possess the combat power of a peak Foundation Establishment martial artist, let alone a Martial Grandmaster.

Under these circumstances, Shi Caiming naturally could not rest easy letting Li Fei go to Lanling City alone.

After all, if the New Heaven Sect could send one Martial Grandmaster to kill him, they could certainly send a second.

Li Fei nodded, accepting the kindness.

Although having Qin Zhen accompany him might expose some issues, it was better than being truly intercepted and killed.

"Set off tomorrow," Shi Caiming instructed.

Li Fei thanked him and took his leave, preparing to depart.

"Xiao Fei!"

Shi Caiming suddenly called out to him.

"Master?"

Li Fei turned around.

"Have you thought about what you will do if you go to Lanling City and they still cannot solve your problem?" Shi Caiming asked solemnly.

He had said that just because he couldn't solve it didn't mean the Martial Saints and True Persons couldn't.

But he also knew very well that some problems could not be solved by strength alone.

Martial Saints and True Persons could easily kill ten thousand people, but sometimes they couldn't even save the life of a dying man.

Therefore, he had to prepare Li Fei mentally so his state of mind wouldn't collapse when the time came.

A foundation could be rebuilt if destroyed, but if the state of mind was ruined, the person was truly finished!

Li Fei understood what Shi Caiming meant, and a confident smile appeared on his face:

"Master, rest assured. Even if Lanling City cannot solve my problem, I will simply destroy my foundation and rebuild it!"

He had gone from an ordinary person to the greatest Foundation Establishment martial artist in history in less than two years.

As long as the Ten Thousand Blood Pearl remained within him, he was full of confidence even if he had to start from scratch!

Shi Caiming smiled as well:

"Good. As long as you have such spirit, no matter the outcome, the Profound Heaven Sect will always have its doors open for you!"

Li Fei bowed deeply to Shi Caiming and turned to leave.

Under the night sky, Li Fei and Li Sister Tianyu were eating hotpot in the dormitory.

Since they were leaving tomorrow, Li Fei had invited Li Sister Tianyu to eat at his dormitory that evening.

"The Chen-style delivery has been renamed Feixin Delivery, and the delivery company has been officially incorporated into the Feixin Trading House."

"Feixin Delivery has now opened in Datong Prefecture City. You specifically instructed not to use your name, and Chen Gou didn't promote it under your name, but besides cooperating with the government, he also partnered with the university. Now, many students at the university have started ordering delivery. Chen Gou is truly worthy of being Chen Gou."

"The Qingyuan Property Management Company has also opened in Datong Prefecture City. With the help of the Green Face Villa, many districts have already been brought under management."

"Your Marquis Mansion hasn't been built yet, but they've already recruited dozens of people. Some are retired inspectors from the Supervision Court, and my father is overseeing their daily training, so you don't need to worry."

"..."

While eating hotpot, Li Sister Tianyu told Li Fei about everything that had happened during this time.

After catching up, Li Fei discussed some of her cultivation problems.

Currently, Li Sister Tianyu was at the late stage of Qi Transformation, still some distance from the peak, and needed to accumulate internal energy slowly.

Once her energy was sufficiently strong and dense, she could begin "unification" and prepare to break through to the next realm.

Li Fei's self-created "Hundred-Day Breakthrough Method" could also be given to her to try, to see if her talent met the requirements.

"I plan to go to the Northern Frontier," Li Sister Tianyu suddenly said.

"Huh?" Li Fei paused. "Why go to the Northern Frontier?"

"The barbarians there have been restless lately and have started raiding the borders again, so there is conflict in the Northern Frontier. Vice Principal Qin wants me to gain experience on a real battlefield," Li Sister Tianyu said calmly.

Li Fei frowned instinctively, not wanting Li Sister Tianyu to take risks:

"Is it absolutely necessary to gain experience on the battlefield?"

"Yes!" Li Sister Tianyu nodded firmly. "I told you before, Vice Principal Qin said my talent is different from others; it's hard to stimulate my potential through daily cultivation. Only in life-and-death combat can my talent be truly revealed. There is no place more suitable for honing martial arts than the battlefield."

"..." Li Fei asked, "Are you going alone?"

"No, some seniors are going together, and the university will send a Foundation Establishment professor to lead the team."

"How will you gain experience? What positions will you hold in the army?"

"..."

Li Fei asked detailed questions, and Li Sister Tianyu answered them patiently.

Seeing Li Fei fall silent, Li Sister Tianyu smiled and said earnestly:

"Xiao Fei, you forgot that my dream has always been to become a female general. So, I would have to go to the battlefield sooner or later. Besides, I don't want to be a burden to you forever; I want to become someone who can stand on her own and be a help to you!"

Li Fei looked into her eyes and nodded after a moment:

"Alright, but you must be careful. Don't get carried away in the heat of battle. Remember that Uncle Li, Aunt Zhang, and I are all waiting for you to come back."

He realized that if she wanted to become a true powerhouse, she would have to go through tempering sooner or later.

She clearly didn't want to live under his protection forever.

"Don't worry, I will definitely come back safely," Li Sister Tianyu smiled.

After finishing the hotpot and seeing Li Sister Tianyu off, Li Fei made a few phone calls.

The next morning, Li Fei brought a large pile of items to Li Sister Tianyu:

"Inside is a fifth-rank protective suit made from the scales of a Demon Scale Tiger Beast. If the one you're wearing gets damaged, you can switch to this one."

"This spear is a fifth-rank exotic weapon; it can enhance metal-attribute internal energy and has armor-piercing properties."

"The bag contains various healing elixirs, energy-replenishing elixirs, anti-toxin and anti-miasma elixirs, and elixirs for your cultivation."

"There is a small booklet inside with insights written by martial artists who have been to the Northern Frontier. Read it carefully on the way and remember the key points; they will definitely be useful."

"..."

Li Fei introduced everything in detail.

He had made those calls last night specifically to prepare these things for her.

As the Marquis of Jing'an, he could purchase top-tier resources from the imperial court every year.

The fifth-rank exotic weapon he gave her was one of those; such resources were limited to one per Marquis every three years!

The university would provide basic resources, but if she wanted better ones, she would have to spend credits.

Li Sister Tianyu had started to make a name for herself, but her credits were limited, and she couldn't compare to the resources Li Fei provided.

"Alright, then I'll accept them," Li Sister Tianyu said, not being coy.

"Be careful, don't be reckless on the battlefield."

Li Fei urged her again.

Li Sister Tianyu, who usually found his nagging annoying, nodded obediently for once.

"Don't worry, I'll look after her," a voice suddenly came from the side.

Li Sister Tianyu turned around, surprised: "Professor Xiang? Why are you here?"

It was Xiang Xiang Dongliang, who had returned from Gansu Province with Li Fei.

Originally, the university had arranged for one professor with fourth-tier Foundation Establishment combat power to lead Li Sister Tianyu and six other students.

Now, Xiang Xiang Dongliang, with fifth-tier combat power, was joining them.

Two Foundation Establishment powerhouses leading seven students was an incredibly luxurious lineup!

Moreover, while Xiang Xiang Dongliang's fifth-tier combat power might not have been much in the Heaven Water Tomb, in the Northern Frontier, he was a top-tier expert to those barbarians.

Li Fei's influence was clearly behind this arrangement.

"Xiao Fei..." Li Sister Tianyu looked at Li Fei, biting her lip.

Li Fei smiled: "Professor Xiang happens to want to travel in the Northern Frontier, so he will be traveling with you."

No one believed that, of course.

In truth, he had used three fourth-rank protective suits and precious elixirs that helped Foundation Establishment martial artists accelerate "unification" to convince Xiang Xiang Dongliang to accompany them and take extra care of Li Sister Tianyu.

As for the university, Li Fei had donated one million in cash in the name of the Marquis of Jing'an!

Shi Caiming took care of him, but he wouldn't abuse that favor to use the university's human resources.

Xiang Xiang Dongliang had not hesitated to enter the Heaven Water Tomb to save him, and Li Fei had learned of this later.

His payment for Xiang Xiang Dongliang's help was generous, enough to hire two experts of the same level, reflecting his gratitude.

As for the donation, it far exceeded the cost of borrowing a professor, serving as a gesture of gratitude to Shi Caiming and Qin Zhen.

His past life had taught him that relationships required reciprocity; one-sided taking or giving was not sustainable.

Recent events had made him feel as if the university was his second home, and he wanted it to thrive.

"Take care of yourself," Li Fei said to Li Sister Tianyu one last time.

"You too," Li Sister Tianyu waved at him.

They parted ways; Li Sister Tianyu went to the train station with the others, while Li Fei went to find Qin Zhen to prepare for Lanling City.

Half an hour later, a black boat rose from the university and vanished into the horizon.

April 12th.

Li Fei and Qin Zhen arrived in Lanling City by black boat.

They landed outside the city and walked in.

They didn't fly directly in because Lanling City had regulations.

Over a decade ago, the Seven-Nation Alliance of the West had invaded, bombing the capital from the air.

It was the National Master, Yun Shu, who had joined forces with other flying experts to shatter their aircraft.

Since then, Lanling City had enforced a "No-Fly Zone" order.

Li Fei suspected the imperial court had prepared anti-aircraft measures since then.

He didn't intend to challenge this order, so he landed early.

Soon, news of the Marquis of Jing'an returning to Lanling City spread.

When Li Fei reached the Imperial City gate, the Chief Eunuch, Feng Cheng, was already waiting.

"Greetings, Marquis of Jing'an."

Feng Cheng bowed to Li Fei first.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting, Eunuch Feng," Li Fei replied politely.

He knew this Chief Eunuch was a hidden Martial Grandmaster and dared not underestimate him.

Feng Cheng smiled: "His Majesty has decreed that the Marquis of Jing'an is to enter the palace for an audience."

"Li Fei accepts the decree."

"Marquis, please."

Li Fei followed Feng Cheng into a special vehicle toward the Imperial City.

The spies outside the city quickly reported this to their masters.

Thus, the power brokers of Lanling City learned that Li Fei had been summoned by the Emperor immediately upon his return, and was even greeted by Feng Cheng himself!

Such favor was truly enviable.

"His Majesty is waiting for you in the Imperial Study," Feng Cheng said, leading Li Fei to a corridor.

The Imperial Study was a relatively private space for the Emperor.

Being summoned there meant Li Fei was considered a trusted confidant.

Li Fei arrived at the door and saw the bright yellow figure inside.

The Emperor was standing with his back to him, writing calligraphy.

This was Li Fei's first private audience, but he remained calm and walked in, bowing:

"Your subject, Li Fei, greets Your Majesty."

"Hmm, wait until I finish this piece," the Emperor said casually without turning around.

"Yes."

Li Fei waited in place.

A moment later, the Emperor stopped writing but still didn't turn around:

"Li Fei, come, take a look at this."

Li Fei walked to the Emperor's side.

On the massive desk lay a five-foot-long scroll with eight characters written in ink:

"Peerless Hero, First in History!"

It was a piece written specifically for Li Fei by the Emperor!

"This is for you. What do you think?"

The Emperor turned to look at Li Fei with a smile.

Li Fei bowed: "Thank you for your favor, Your Majesty. Your subject is overwhelmed."

The Emperor patted his arm: "Overwhelmed? This is what you deserve."

He walked to a chair and sat down: "Don't just stand there, sit and talk."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Li Fei sat on a round stool opposite the Emperor, sitting straight.

"Tell me, how did you kill that Martial Grandmaster in the Heaven Water Tomb?" the Emperor asked with a smile. "Even Wenrenzheng, who never cares about martial world affairs, is curious."

Li Fei recounted his experience, attributing his victory to his unique physique, powerful vitality, special defensive techniques, and his dual cultivation of law and martial arts.

The Emperor didn't ask about the techniques, but focused on the Heaven Water Soul Bone.

"You said the consciousness of the eighth-rank Heaven Water Azure Soul Beast merged into the Heaven Water Soul Bone and then into your body? Are you alright?"

Li Fei stood up and bowed again:

"That is why I returned to Lanling City early. Your subject has a request."

The Emperor's expression turned serious:

"Speak."

Li Fei recounted everything Shi Caiming had told him.

The Emperor didn't hesitate:

"Come here."

"Your Majesty."

Feng Cheng appeared at the door.

"Go ask the Grand Marshal what he is doing. If he has nothing urgent, have him come to the Imperial Study."

The Emperor was summoning Wenrenzheng, the "God of War," to help Li Fei!

Li Fei bowed: "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!"

The Emperor looked at him: "You are my peerless hero; how could I not care? Rest assured, as long as there is a glimmer of hope, I will do everything to help you solve this!"

Li Fei thanked him again.

Honestly, if he didn't have a soul from another world, he would have been willing to die for such an Emperor.

It was just that some things ingrained in his bones prevented him from being a "loyal subject" in the traditional sense.

He could only repay him in his own way.

Twenty minutes later, footsteps approached.

A tall figure walked into the Imperial Study.

One of the Seven Martial Saints, the "God of War," Wenrenzheng, had arrived!

"Yes."

Thus, Li Fei stands in place and waits.

A moment later, the Emperor stops writing, still not turning around, just saying:

"Li Fei, come, look at this calligraphy."

Li Fei hears this and walks forward curiously, coming to the Emperor's side.

At this time, a five-foot-long piece of rice paper is placed on the huge desk in the center of the Imperial Study, and eight large characters are written on it with ink brush:

Unrivaled Talent, Number One in History!

This is a piece of calligraphy specially written by the Emperor for Li Fei!

If this matter were known by the crowd of ministers in the court, I don't know how many people would be envious until their eyes turned red.

"This is what I wrote for you, how is it?"

The Emperor puts down the brush, turns to look at Li Fei, with a smile on his face.

Li Fei turns and bows: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great favor; your subject is terrified."

The Emperor pats his arm, signaling that he doesn't need to bow:

"Terrified of what? This is what you deserve."

After speaking, he walks toward a chair on the side and sits down: "Don't stand, sit down and chat."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Li Fei finds a round stool and sits down opposite the Emperor, sitting straight.

"Tell me, how did you kill that Martial Arts Master in the Tomb of Tianshui?"

The Emperor asks with a smile, "Even Wen Ren Zheng, who has always been unconcerned with Jianghu matters, is a bit curious about this."

Thus, Li Fei roughly tells his experience in the Tomb of Tianshui; regarding how he won against You Ming, he explains it as his physique being special, his life force being powerful, and having practiced special defensive martial arts, plus dual cultivation of spells and martial arts, having practiced a unique skill, so he defeated the opponent.

After the Emperor finishes listening, he does not ask what defensive martial arts Li Fei practiced, nor what unique skill he practiced.

He cares more about the matter Li Fei mentioned last:

"You said that the consciousness of that Level 8 Tianshui Azure Soul Beast merged into the Tianshui soul bone, and then merged into your body? Then do you have any serious problems?"

Li Fei stands up and bows to the Emperor again:

"This is the reason why your subject rushed back to Lanling City in advance this time; your subject has a request."

The Emperor's expression becomes serious:

"Speak."

Thus, Li Fei informs the Emperor of all the words Shi Caiming said to him.

After the Emperor finishes listening, he does not hesitate in the slightest, directly turning and calling out:

"Someone."

"Your Majesty."

Feng Cheng appears at the door of the Imperial Study.

"Go ask what the Grand Marshal is doing right now? If there is nothing urgent, have him come to the Imperial Study."

The Emperor says.

In the Great Lan Dynasty, there is only one person called Grand Marshal—Wen Ren Zheng.

The Emperor directly wants to have the "Military God" Wen Ren Zheng come to help Li Fei solve the problem!

Li Fei bows again: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great grace!"

The Emperor looks at him: "You are my unrivaled talent, how could I not care? Don't worry, as long as there is a glimmer of hope, I will do my best to help you solve this problem!"

Li Fei thanks him again.

Honestly speaking, if he didn't have a soul from another world, facing such a Son of Heaven, he would definitely be loyal and willing to die for the other party.

It's just that some things carved into his bones make it impossible for him to become a qualified loyal minister like the people of this world.

He can only repay in his own way.

In the Imperial Study, Li Fei sits down again and chats with the Emperor.

More than twenty minutes later, footsteps come from outside the door.

Soon, a tall figure walks into the Imperial Study.

One of the Seven Martial Saints, the "Military God" Wen Ren Zheng, has come!

PS: I won't deliberately suppress the realm; this book has been written until now, the protagonist went from an ordinary person to reverse-slaying a Martial Arts Master in less than two years; when have I ever suppressed combat power and realm? Is this speed not fast enough?

Originally, the protagonist hasn't incorporated the fifth implant yet, and there is still a distance to go before breaking through to the realm. Even if the Dao Foundation didn't have a problem, wouldn't it take a few chapters to write from incorporating the fifth implant to breaking through to the realm?

It wouldn't be so fast that he triggered the fourth core-level extraordinary ability in the previous chapter and broke through to the realm in the next chapter, right?

So don't be impatient; all good climaxes need sufficient foreplay~

(End of chapter)