Chapter 433: Body of the Great Dao

48th year of Hongguang, March 17th.

The first exchange tournament between Tianqu University and Hongyi University concluded successfully.

Since the first Martial Dao Exchange Tournament was held, one has been held every year thereafter.

It's just that while it initially involved only the three Daoist sects and twelve universities, it has now evolved to include Pudu Temple, thirteen universities, and the two Daoist sects.

In the few months before the National Martial Dao Exchange Tournament begins, some universities hold exchange matches among themselves to hone their students and serve as internal selection rounds.

This year is the first time Hongyi University has held an exchange match with Tianqu University. As a "newly promoted university," Hongyi University took the initiative to send students to Tianqu University to compete.

Hongyi University sent a total of 15 students, including 5 commoner students and 10 students from noble families.

This ratio was not intentionally skewed by the school to favor noble children; it was based on the students' comprehensive performance.

Although Hongyi University claims to treat all students equally, when it comes to acquiring resources, noble children find it easier to earn credits and exchange them for resources, thanks to the support and connections of their families.

If commoner students want to catch up in resource acquisition, they have no choice but to risk their lives!

Under these circumstances, commoner students occupied only one-third of the 15 spots.

Yet, during the exchange match between the two universities, the five commoner students from Hongyi University performed exceptionally well.

Whether in their on-the-spot adaptability or their sheer drive and ruthlessness, they were clearly stronger than the other students!

Students cultivated using the most brutal "Jianghu Sect-style" educational method are indeed stronger in character than those cultivated in "greenhouse education."

The five commoner students from Hongyi University were led by Zhang Yan, a junior. (See Chapter 110 of Volume 3, "Hongyi")

Zhang Yan had just broken through to the mid-stage of Qi Transformation; he was the highest in cultivation and the strongest in combat power among all commoner students at Hongyi University, and was called "Senior Brother" by the commoner students.

In this exchange tournament, he fought his way to the finals, ultimately losing to a fifth-year student from Tianqu University who was at the peak of the Qi Transformation stage.

After the match, the participating students from the two universities arranged to have a meal together.

Of course, because the commoner students and noble children of Hongyi University were almost at daggers drawn, the meal was held separately.

Everyone invited different people.

In the end, Zhang Yan and the others only managed to invite three students from Tianqu University.

After the meal, Zhang Yan pulled one of the Tianqu University students aside:

"Brother Zhuo, you've been considering it for half a year—have you not made up your mind yet?"

This Tianqu University student was named Zhuo Buping, and he was the champion of this two-school exchange tournament.

In the National Martial Dao Exchange Tournament two years ago, he fought his way to the second round of the main tournament, only to encounter Li Fei and be eliminated. (See Chapter 14 of Volume 3, "The River Flows Forever")

Zhuo Buping's family background could also be classified as commoner. He was born with a perpetually bitter expression, and upon hearing Zhang Yan's question, his expression looked even more bitter.

Half a year ago, he and Zhang Yan met at the previous National Martial Dao Exchange Tournament.

After the tournament ended, Zhang Yan took the initiative to find him and invite him to join the New Heaven Society!

At the time, Zhuo Buping did not agree immediately, saying he needed to think about it.

"If Brother Zhuo has any difficulties, feel free to speak plainly."

Zhang Yan looked open and honest.

Zhuo Buping shook his head and switched to transmitting his voice with force:

"On the 1st of this month, anomalies occurred simultaneously in over two hundred villages and towns across five northern provinces. Tens of thousands of people fell into a sudden coma, ultimately resulting in nearly a thousand casualties, with many others left with lifelong illnesses. A week ago, the imperial court announced the cause: all of this was the work of the New Heaven Society, which has just been defined as a cult organization. Does Brother Zhang have anything to say about that?"

Zhang Yan was not surprised to hear this; he still looked at Zhuo Buping calmly and transmitted his voice with force:

"These were indeed the work of the New Heaven Society."

Zhuo Buping was instantly enraged: "And you still dare to invite me to join you?!"

Zhang Yan remained calm and shook his head:

"Brother Zhuo, have you ever thought that during the snow disaster at the beginning of the year, these five provinces were the hardest hit, and the local government was corrupt and incompetent, leading to many people in remote villages freezing to death?

If the New Heaven Society hadn't spent a large amount of spell-casting materials to set up arrays nearby and provide them with incantations to ward off the cold, many of them would not have survived the snow disaster, and the final death toll would have been several times higher than it is now!"

Zhuo Buping was stunned and mocked: "So, the New Heaven Society didn't harm them, but saved them instead?"

Zhang Yan retorted: "Isn't that the case?"

Zhuo Buping: "."

He couldn't find a reason to refute the other party for a moment, but subconsciously felt that this was wrong.

"Brother Zhuo, have you ever thought about how many spell-casting materials the New Heaven Society would need to pull this off across five provinces and over two hundred villages? With so many materials, could there be no one behind the scenes helping us? Why would those people help us?"

Zhang Yan continued, "How could we have made moves in over two hundred villages simultaneously without a single bit of news leaking out? Yet why did none of this news reach the central government?"

Zhuo Buping looked at him: "Are you trying to say that you have your people inside the imperial court?"

Zhang Yan shook his head: "It's not just that; it's also because many people, in order to keep their official positions, took the initiative to help us hide the news."

Zhuo Buping frowned.

Zhang Yan sneered: "We were able to succeed not just because of our ability, but because of the corruption and incompetence of our opponents!

You only hear the imperial court say that the New Heaven Society caused thousands of casualties, but the imperial court will never tell you how many commoners, who could have survived through imperial relief, died in the snow disaster because of the corruption and inaction of local officials!"

Zhuo Buping: "."

He pondered for a moment and finally cleared his thoughts:

"But if you also use the method of randomly sacrificing others to get things done, how are you any different from the imperial court you despise?"

A trace of anger appeared in Zhang Yan's eyes: "I already said it—if the New Heaven Society hadn't acted, those people would have died in the snow disaster long ago! The New Heaven Society saved more people! And what regime change doesn't involve blood and sacrifice? Only by experiencing the pain can we change to a new heaven!"

Zhuo Buping was silent for a few seconds, then finally shook his head:

"Sorry, Brother Zhang, I don't think I can accept your style of doing things."

A look of disappointment appeared on Zhang Yan's face:

"Brother Zhuo, with your talent, if you had enough resources, you would definitely be able to become a Dao Foundation stage powerhouse, and perhaps even have the opportunity to go further in the future. Are you really willing to be forever stepped on by those noble children who are inferior to you in every way?"

In Zhuo Buping's mind, the face of the noble child who was in the same match as him when he participated in the National Martial Dao Exchange Tournament, taking it for granted that he should intentionally lose the match, appeared.

He subconsciously clenched his fists, wanting to speak but stopping.

In the end, he said to Zhang Yan: "Sorry."

Zhang Yan sighed, didn't try to persuade him further, and turned to leave.

Directly across from the restaurant where the two were eating, there was a residence.

Inside the main hall, two middle-aged men sat opposite each other, drinking tea.

One of them wore a pale white long gown, a jade hairpin in his hair, and jade hanging from his waist, possessing quite a scholarly air.

If Zhuo Buping from the restaurant across the street were here, he would recognize at a glance that this scholarly-looking man was the president of his own university—Qi Zhou!

"Zhuo Buping? That's a good name, and his character is not bad either. What does Brother Qi think?"

The man sitting opposite Qi Zhou said while drinking tea.

Both Zhuo Buping and Zhang Yan used force to transmit their voices, but the conversation between them seemed not to have escaped these two, as it was all overheard!

Qi Zhou smiled slightly, picked up his teacup, and took a sip:

"To be praised by you, he is indeed not bad."

The man sitting opposite him wore a gray coat, and his face looked very ordinary. If one looked closely, one would find that his face seemed to be hidden in a mist, making it unclear.

This person put down the teacup in his hand: "With such talent, is Brother Qi not considering cultivating him well?"

Qi Zhou said indifferently: "I can only guarantee him a fair competitive environment; how much he can fight for in the end is up to him."

"Fair?"

The man with the blurred face sneered, "In the current environment of Tianqu University, where is there any fairness to speak of? Why does Brother Qi need to deceive yourself?"

Qi Zhou shook his head, not wanting to argue with the other party on this topic.

Inside the restaurant, Zhang Yan and Zhuo Buping were no longer talking, so the two in the room shifted their attention elsewhere.

Just then, a storyteller in the main hall of the restaurant was telling a story:

". I saw the Marquis of Jing'an erupting with golden light, transforming into a ten-thousand-foot giant sword, piercing straight into the clouds, as if he wanted to poke a hole in the sky!"

"Above the nine heavens, there were colorful auspicious clouds, and celestial maidens scattering flowers. Golden springs gushed from the ground, and the entire Lanling City was filled with golden lotus flowers."

This storyteller was talking about the national live broadcast from half a month ago, where the Marquis of Jing'an, Li Fei, broke through his realm on the spot.

He talked about the various visions during this breakthrough for a full three minutes, speaking so extravagantly that it was as if Li Fei wasn't breaking through, but ascending to heaven in broad daylight!

Yet the listeners in the restaurant listened with great interest, and even many Jianghu people who understood martial arts didn't think the storyteller was bragging.

It seemed that the Marquis of Jing'an, Li Fei, breaking through his realm should indeed have such a spectacle!

"After breaking through, the Marquis of Jing'an flew into the sky in one step and shouted at that great demon of the New Heaven Society: 'You dog thief, do you dare to fight me for another three hundred rounds?!'"

"The leader of the New Heaven Society didn't dare to answer and could only retreat."

"When the Marquis of Jing'an landed again, the Lanxun Pavilion referendum continued, and the councilors of Feng Province took the stage one after another to vote. Everyone was conquered by the Marquis of Jing'an's bravery. In the end, the Marquis of Jing'an received 74 votes and was successfully elected as a member of the Feng Province Lanxun Pavilion!"

"."

In the room, Qi Zhou looked at the man opposite him with a smile that wasn't quite a smile.

"If you want to laugh, just laugh."

The man with the blurred face said unhappily.

"Hahaha."

Qi Zhou laughed out loud, "I never thought that a dignified True Person would be slapped in the face by a junior like this."

The person opposite him was none other than the leader of the New Heaven Society, the newly promoted True Person, Qiming!

It's just that "True Person" is an honorific for the highest achievers among Daoist sorcerers. As the leader of the New Heaven Society, and with the New Heaven Society just defined as a cult, he, this cult leader, naturally couldn't receive the honorific of "True Person."

This great demon, who had just been defined as the "Fourth Evil," was actually sitting opposite the president of Tianqu University, and the two seemed to have a deep relationship.

After Qi Zhou laughed for a while, he asked curiously:

"I wanted to ask from the beginning: how did Li Fei do it that day?"

Blocking a full-strength blow from a True Person with the cultivation of the Dao Foundation stage—this kind of thing was truly too incredible!

"His constitution is very special; perhaps it is some kind of Body of the Great Dao."

Qiming said.

"Body of the Great Dao?"

"Born with Dao principles."

"How could there be such a constitution?!"

Qi Zhou's expression changed.

He was a Grandmaster in cultivation, had practiced the Martial Dao Domain, and had condensed the prototype of Dao principles.

And this was the result of his lifelong practice, yet he still hadn't touched the edge of Dao principles.

And now Qiming was telling him that someone was born with Dao principles?

This was as unacceptable as someone being born a Martial Saint!

"Other than that, I can't think of any other possibility."

Qiming said with a complex tone.

He recalled the scene that day: Li Fei's vitality plummeted, then surged, then plummeted again, then surged.

Not only that, Li Fei himself wasn't affected by the curse power, and his body was almost intact.

For this strange phenomenon, Qiming couldn't think of any other possibility besides explaining it with Dao principles.

"If he possesses Dao principles, why is he not yet a Martial Saint? Not a True Person?"

Qi Zhou asked.

Possessing complete Dao principles means stepping into the peak realm; this is common knowledge in the cultivation world.

"One, it's possible that the Dao principles in him haven't been fully activated. Two, he can't fully control the Dao principles in him."

Qiming gave his own explanation.

Qi Zhou frowned and pondered.

After a long time, he laughed at himself: "Doesn't that mean that the thing I've sought all my life but couldn't get, he was born with, and is destined to step to the peak in the future?"

Qiming looked at him: "Isn't life just like that?"

"How many things that commoner children seek all their lives are things that those noble children are born with."

"."

Qi Zhou was silent for a moment and asked: "How do you plan to deal with it?"

Qiming had meticulously designed and used Huang Jin's "Star Destiny Technique" to tamper with Li Fei's destiny, thereby bypassing others' protection and directly casting a curse on Li Fei.

But after failing and retreating on the 1st, he took the initiative to eliminate all the traces he had left on Li Fei as soon as possible.

Not only did he not dare to repeat the same trick and start from destiny, he didn't even dare to cast a curse on Li Fei remotely at will.

Because the imperial court must have been on guard, and it was possible to follow the clue of Li Fei and find him!

Qiming's plan that day fell short of success, missing not only an excellent opportunity but also putting himself in a relatively dangerous situation.

This was the price he had to pay after his plan failed!

Li Fei had faced his curse but didn't die, so certain connections between him and Li Fei would persist.

If it were another True Person, it might be difficult to grasp this connection.

But the Dao principle of the Imperial Preceptor, Xiang Yunshu, is "Analysis."

As long as Xiang Yunshu is given enough time, the other party might be able to lock onto Qiming through Li Fei!

This is also the reason why Qiming had to rack his brains to target Xiang Yunshu.

It's a pity that the great situation was ruined by Li Fei.

Now Li Fei has truly become a "ticking time bomb" for Qiming!

Yet this Cursed Dao True Person didn't dare to easily kill Li Fei with a curse, because he was worried that there were traps set by the imperial court on Li Fei.

Once he stepped on them, it would be difficult to get out.

For Qiming, Li Fei must be killed, but it cannot be done by his own hands.

Yet Li Fei has now broken through his realm, and it's a double breakthrough, and he possesses such a difficult-to-kill "Body of the Great Dao."

If a Martial Dao Grandmaster were to take action, it would be difficult to have the certainty of a sure kill.

So Qiming came to find Qi Zhou.

PS: The new volume has started; I might update less in the next two days while I organize my thoughts.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 434 =====