Chapter 733: Hardships of the Journey (6000)

Baisha Province is a famous province for martial arts; at the Foundation Establishment realm, there are three martial artists on the candidate list, and two are ranked in the top ten of the overall list!

Besides this, Baisha Province also has a university named after the province, called Baisha University.

Among the "Three Mountains, Four Sects, and Seven Great Families," the Baituo Mountain (one of the "Three Mountains"), the Hook-Deep Sword Sect (one of the "Four Sects"), and the Divine Fist Yu Family (one of the "Seven Great Families") are all within the borders of Baisha Province!

In terms of martial arts atmosphere, Baisha Province can definitely rank in the top three among the twenty-three provinces of the Great Lan Dynasty.

In addition to one university, two top-tier martial arts sects, and one top-tier martial arts family, Baisha Province also has another famous martial arts family—the Zhang family.

The Zhang family ancestor, Zhang Weifeng, had already become a Martial Arts Master a hundred years ago.

Over the course of a hundred years, this Martial Arts Master built the Zhang family into a locally famous martial arts family. Although it cannot compare to the "Seven Great Families," it is far superior to many martial arts sects.

In fact, many martial arts families start with a single Martial Arts Master, because even a martial artist at the peak of the Foundation Establishment realm can live to be at most 120 years old, and as they age, their physical functions decline and their combat power weakens, making it insufficient to support a family's long-term legacy.

Only by becoming a Martial Arts Master can one's physical functions remain locked at their peak, with combat power never declining, and one can extend their lifespan by sixty years, living to be at least 160 and at most 180 years old.

A family that can obtain the protection of a Martial Arts Master for a hundred years has a chance to make a comeback even if one or two generations fail to produce talent.

Under the protection of Zhang Weifeng, the Zhang family gradually grew strong; now, this ancestor is already 172 years old, and everyone knows his time is running out.

Under these circumstances, whether the Zhang family can produce a second Martial Arts Master will directly determine the fate of the entire family!

Over these years, the Zhang family has been striving for this, but among the dozen or so Foundation Establishment martial artists in the family, not one has yet touched that bottleneck.

Just as the entire Zhang family was going crazy trying to produce another Martial Arts Master, they were suddenly told one piece of good news and one piece of bad news.

Good news: The Zhang family has a new Martial Arts Master.

Bad news: This Martial Arts Master is a rebel and has just been beaten to death by the Marquis of Jing'an.

March 27th, the fifth day of the Tianshui Tomb incident, and also the deadline set by the Emperor for Lou Hongtao, the head of the Supervisory Pavilion, to uncover the true identity of You Ming.

Baisha Province, Chenguang Prefecture.

Two hundred Imperial Guard soldiers surrounded the Zhang residence!

March 30th.

A motorcade drove into Tianshui City, with the Tianshui City Chief's vehicle leading the way at the front.

This motorcade drove directly to the Chief's residence.

Outside the perimeter of the residence, hundreds of Imperial Guard soldiers were stationed!

Even with the Tianshui City Chief leading the way personally to bring people into his own residence, they had to go through layers of inspection before the group was allowed to pass.

"Vice Pavilion Head Bai, please, this way."

The Tianshui City Chief led the way for the person behind him very humbly.

He is a 12th-rank imperial official, while the visitor is a 17th-rank pavilion official—the Vice Pavilion Head of the Stop-Conflict Pavilion!

Therefore, this Tianshui City Chief had no choice but to be humble.

"Have those Imperial Guard soldiers outside been guarding your residence all these days?"

Bai Yan asked.

"Yes, because of the fear that the New Heaven Society would kill to silence witnesses, the Marquis of Jing'an ordered heavy guards."

The Tianshui City Chief replied.

He certainly couldn't have mobilized these Imperial Guard soldiers; everything was at the request of that Marquis of Jing'an.

"Have there been any abnormal situations these past few days?"

Bai Yan continued to ask.

"There have been no abnormalities."

"What about the situation at the Tianshui Tomb?"

"It has completely collapsed and even triggered an earthquake; fortunately, there were few casualties in the city. Because it is underground, we are currently unable to excavate it, so we are unclear about the specific situation inside."

"..."

The two walked into a courtyard while conversing along the way.

Li Fei, wearing a white robe, stood in the courtyard.

The Golden-Thread Jade Qilin Armor was severely damaged during the battle with You Ming and must be repaired before it can be worn, so Li Fei is currently wearing ordinary clothes.

"Marquis, this is Vice Pavilion Head Bai Yan of the Stop-Conflict Pavilion."

The Tianshui City Chief introduced him to Li Fei.

Bai Yan looked to be in his thirties, sporting a goatee, wearing the dark-colored martial arts uniform specially made for the Stop-Conflict Pavilion embroidered with gold thread, with a saber at his waist, and possessed an extraordinary bearing.

Li Fei took the initiative to cup his hands in a salute: "Greetings, Vice Pavilion Head Bai, thank you for the hard work on your journey."

The Stop-Conflict Pavilion has a total of three Grandmasters, and Bai Yan is one of them!

After bringing Ye Zhao safely out of the Tianshui Tomb, Li Fei immediately requested the two hundred Imperial Guard soldiers guarding the Tianshui Tomb and the one hundred Imperial Guard soldiers who rushed over from Yanbo Prefecture to enter the city to assist him in guarding the prisoner.

Not only that, he also directly submitted a report to the Emperor, requesting the Stop-Conflict Pavilion to send experts to Tianshui City to escort the prisoner back to Lanling City for trial.

Regarding his request, the Emperor not only agreed but even sent a Grandmaster directly!

A Grandmaster is already a figure above the clouds; they either hold important positions and cannot easily move about, or they are in seclusion, pursuing the ultimate of martial arts.

The time and energy of these people are extremely precious; let alone ordinary people, many Foundation Establishment martial artists might never see a Grandmaster in their entire lives.

Under these circumstances, sending a Grandmaster thousands of miles from Lanling City to Gan Province just to escort a prisoner is truly an unimaginable thing!

Li Fei sometimes makes some interesting comparisons in his heart, such as drawing analogies between the armed forces of his past life and the powerhouses of this world:

A Martial Arts Master is roughly equivalent to a heavy combined-arms battalion of his past life.

Nine heavy combined-arms battalions form a heavy combined-arms brigade; this is a Grandmaster. (Note 1)

As for the Martial Saints and True Monarchs at the very peak, they can be viewed as the nuclear weapons of this world.

Therefore, Bai Yan coming personally to escort Ye Zhao, in the world before Li Fei transmigrated, would be as inconceivable as specifically dispatching a heavy combined-arms brigade to escort a single prisoner!

From this, one can see the importance the Emperor places on this matter, or rather, the importance he places on Li Fei.

"Greetings, Marquis of Jing'an."

Bai Yan returned the salute; he, who had been stern and unsmiling along the way, had a few smiles on his face after seeing Li Fei.

After the two exchanged a few pleasantries, Bai Yan said:

"His Majesty has ordered me to escort the prisoner back to the capital as soon as possible; I wonder where the prisoner is?"

Li Fei was startled: "Vice Pavilion Head Bai intends to take the prisoner back today?"

Bai Yan nodded: "I wish to fulfill His Majesty's order as soon as possible."

Li Fei could understand that a Grandmaster like him had precious time, so he led the other party directly to the place where Ye Zhao was being held.

The two walked into a building in the courtyard, and Bai Yan was slightly startled.

Because he sensed two Martial Arts Masters in this courtyard!

Having two Martial Arts Masters guarding a prisoner, with over three hundred Imperial Guard soldiers guarding the outside—this lineup was truly too luxurious.

"Who are these two in the courtyard?"

Bai Yan turned to ask Li Fei.

Li Fei: "One is a Master from the Red Dust Pavilion, and the other is Zhu Fenghua."

"Oh?"

Hearing the name Zhu Fenghua, Bai Yan's gaze flickered slightly.

"People from the New Heaven Society previously attacked him and almost killed two disciples of the Heaven One Tower, so the Heaven One Tower is willing to cooperate with the imperial court to investigate the New Heaven Society."

Li Fei explained.

"So that's how it is."

Bai Yan nodded, and together with Li Fei, he came to a room and pushed the door open to enter.

Ye Zhao was sitting inside in a daze; upon seeing the two, he slowly stood up, his expression somewhat apprehensive.

With two Martial Arts Masters guarding the rooms on the left and right, there was no need to place any restraints on Ye Zhao at all.

"Is this him?"

Bai Yan glanced at Ye Zhao.

"Yes, he has a vow-type technique on him; it needs to be undone before he can provide useful information."

Li Fei said.

This is the reason why Ye Zhao must be sent to Lanling City.

There, there are a group of True Persons from the Righteous Law Pavilion, as well as the True Monarch Yun Shu, who surely have a way to undo the vow technique on Ye Zhao.

Bai Yan: "Good, then hand him over to me to take away."

"Ye Zhao, you will follow this Master Bai to Lanling City."

Li Fei said to Ye Zhao.

Ye Zhao opened his mouth and looked at Li Fei with a nervous expression.

His pride had already been completely shattered, and now he only wanted to survive.

Li Fei looked into his eyes and said in a deep voice: "Rest assured, as long as you cooperate fully and confess everything you should, I guarantee you will live."

Bai Yan, who was to the side, heard this and glanced at Li Fei without speaking.

With Li Fei's current status, reputation, and imperial favor, he is indeed qualified to make such a promise.

Hearing this, Ye Zhao finally breathed a sigh of relief and walked to Bai Yan's side.

"Vice Pavilion Head Bai, this person is someone I brought out of the Tianshui Tomb after a narrow escape from death; I hope he can fulfill his due value."

Li Fei looked at Bai Yan and said earnestly.

Bai Yan's expression also became serious: "Marquis, rest assured; I cannot guarantee anything else, but I will certainly bring the person back to Lanling City in one piece."

"Good, I leave it to you, Vice Pavilion Head Bai."

"You are too polite, Marquis."

Afterward, Bai Yan took Ye Zhao and left this place.

If possible, Li Fei actually wanted to follow along and return to Lanling City, and participate in the interrogation of Ye Zhao from start to finish.

But now he had more pressing matters to attend to, so he could only let Bai Yan take Ye Zhao back to Lanling City first.

After Bai Yan left with the others, the door to a room on the left was pushed open, and Zhu Fenghua, dressed in a long black robe, walked out.

He said to Li Fei, "Since the person has already been taken away, I must also return to the Tianyi Pavilion."

Li Fei cupped his hands toward this newly promoted Martial Dao Master who had rescued him from the Tomb of Heavenly Water:

"Many thanks to Brother Zhu for guarding this place over the past few days."

"No need for formalities. If there are any developments regarding the New Heaven Society, please send word to the Tianyi Pavilion."

Zhu Fenghua said.

When he was not sparring with others, he appeared very dull, and his speech was also rigid and formal.

"Certainly."

Li Fei nodded in agreement.

Then Zhu Fenghua stepped toward the courtyard gate. Just as he was about to walk out of the compound, he suddenly turned to look at Li Fei, his calm eyes gaining a bit more spirit:

"Li Fei, after you break through your realm, I would like to have a match with you."

Upon hearing this, Li Fei smiled and nodded: "Good!"

A hint of a smile also appeared on Zhu Fenghua's face, and then he turned and left.

Watching the back of the person as he departed, the smile on Li Fei's face gradually faded.

He returned to his room and then probed his consciousness into his dantian.

The four types of implants were still in a state of intertwining with each other; a portion of the cold current transformed from the Heavenly Water Soul Bone had merged into the four implants, while the vast majority of the remainder formed a "vortex."

Over the past few days, Li Fei had been thinking almost every moment about how to solve the problem with his Dao foundation.

He and True Person Qingding had discussed it together and redesigned over a dozen types of illusions, but the effects were not significant. At most, they could only prevent the remaining cold current from continuing to merge into the Dao foundation, but they had no way to completely eradicate the portion that had already merged into it.

Now, this cold current was simultaneously absorbing Li Fei's internal force, blood energy, and mental power, while causing damage to Li Fei's Dao foundation.

Fortunately, this portion of damage was less than the blood souls recovered by 【Blood Breath】, allowing the blood soul quantity in the Ten Thousand Blood Bead to consistently remain at around 50%.

But if this problem was not solved, the Ten Thousand Blood Bead inside Li Fei's body would forever only be able to maintain around 50% of its blood soul quantity.

Moreover, he was unable to use his internal force and extraordinary abilities, causing his combat power to drop significantly.

Most seriously, if this problem was not solved, Li Fei would be unable to break through his realm!

Because 【Green Bone】 was affected, Li Fei was currently unable to perform "Unification" on the implant branches of 【Green Bone】.

The only benefit was that this cold current was providing energy values to the Ten Thousand Blood Bead every second, and the quality of the energy was not low.

At the current speed, Li Fei only needed to wait another dozen days or so to upgrade the Ten Thousand Blood Bead to level 30.

Probing his consciousness into his dantian to sense the condition of his Dao foundation in detail, Li Fei then injected his virtual thoughts into the Dream-Like Order to simulate the corresponding illusion.

Next, he began to discuss with True Person Qingding within the illusion, attempting one method after another.

This was what he had been doing every day for the past few days.

"I am not a martial artist after all, and I do not have enough understanding of the Martial Dao foundation. You still need to find a powerful martial artist to help you consult."

After today's discussion ended, True Person Qingding said to Li Fei.

"I understand. Next, I will go to consult a Grandmaster."

Li Fei said to True Person Qingding.

The reason he did not follow Bai Yan back to Lanling City was that he had to return to the Martial University first to find Shi Caiming.

His own Dao foundation had developed a problem; such a secret could only be told to the most trustworthy person, otherwise, it would very likely lead to serious consequences!

There were not many people Li Fei could fully trust, and among these people, the only one with the ability to help him solve his current problem was Shi Caiming.

He could not speak of this matter with great fanfare; he could not let outsiders know that his Dao foundation had developed a problem, so he had to have a reason for returning to the Martial University—to break through his realm!

The external explanation was that after the battle with the Martial Dao Master in the Tomb of Heavenly Water, Li Fei had gained some insights and found the opportunity to break through his realm, so he needed to return to the Martial University to consult Principal Shi Caiming.

Although Li Fei had not yet incorporated a fifth implant, it was a bit too early to talk about breaking through his realm.

But who told him to be the first Dao Foundation Realm cultivator in history?

Since he said he had found the opportunity to break through his realm, even if he hadn't even finished incorporating his implants, others would not dare to disbelieve him!

While Bai Yan was taking the train to leave Tianshui City with Ye Zhao, a long-distance bus drove into Tianshui City.

More than half an hour later, a middle-aged man with a straight posture, whose every step seemed to have been measured with a ruler, walked into the mansion of the Tianshui City Chief.

Upon receiving the news, Li Fei came personally to welcome him:

"Senior Qin, thank you for your hard work."

The person who arrived was none other than Qin Zhen.

Li Fei had not explained his situation directly over the phone; he only said that his current physical condition was not very good and he needed to make a trip back to the Martial University.

Upon learning this, Shi Caiming had sent Qin Zhen over immediately!

Although Li Fei was now the honorable Marquis of Jing'an and a Special Envoy of the Blue Patrol, the Martial Dao Masters of the imperial court all held the rank of Cabinet Official at the lowest, which was a higher rank than his and a status equivalent to his.

Unless there was official business, Li Fei had no way to command any Martial Dao Master to act as his bodyguard.

Only the Martial University could directly send a Martial Dao Master to escort him when he needed it!

Qin Zhen looked Li Fei over carefully: "Are you alright?"

A smile appeared on Li Fei's face: "Nothing serious, just some problems that I need to consult the Principal about."

"Good, when are we departing?"

"Taking tonight's train, first to the provincial capital of Gan Province, and then back to Datong Prefecture."

"Good."

Qin Zhen was exceptionally straightforward and did not ask anything more.

That night, Li Fei, Qin Zhen, Xiang Dongliang, Wang Fengqing, and Shentu Yue, among others, took the train together to the provincial capital of Gan Province.

Five days later, the train arrived at the provincial capital of Gan Province.

After getting off the train, Li Fei went directly to see He Jian.

After he emerged from the Tomb of Heavenly Water, he had immediately arranged for the provincial capital of Gan Province to send people to hand over the corpses of Zhu San and You Ming to He Jian.

Now that He Jian had obtained the corpses of the two for some time, Li Fei felt that this master detective must have gained some results.

"You Ming's identity has been confirmed. His real name is Zhang Xiujie, a collateral descendant of the Zhang family in Chenguang Prefecture, White Sand Province. His talent was very high, and fifteen years ago, he was already at the peak of the Dao Foundation Realm, then he was murdered by someone due to an accident. Of course, this was only the situation on the surface; in reality, it was the New Heaven Society that secretly saved him."

He Jian got straight to the point and stated the most important intelligence first.

"How was it verified?"

Li Fei asked curiously.

"Although the martial arts You Ming—that is, Zhang Xiujie—displayed during his two public appearances had nothing to do with the Zhang family's ancestral martial arts, his Dao foundation could not be changed, and neither could some of his subtle habits when attacking. These are things that are set when a martial artist first lays their foundation.

Based on the process of your battle with him that you described, as well as the divine abilities he displayed, we reverse-engineered what martial arts he might have practiced and what his Dao foundation was. Finally, based on this information, we investigated bit by bit, and ultimately confirmed You Ming's identity."

He Jian spoke lightly, but Li Fei could imagine the massive workload and meticulous analysis behind this.

"Zhang Xiujie probably didn't care about being discovered as a member of the Zhang family, because it was the Zhang family who harmed him back then. He might even have been waiting for us to find out his true identity so he could drag the Zhang family down with him."

He Jian said to Li Fei.

Li Fei: "Then why did he still deliberately conceal it? He could have directly exposed himself the first time he attacked."

He Jian: "Because the New Heaven Society did not want him to be exposed, or rather, did not want him to be exposed so quickly."

Li Fei: "So, finding out about the Zhang family is useless?"

He Jian looked at him, the old man's expression serious:

"As long as it is a clue, it is definitely useful. Through the line of the Zhang family, I can find more of the New Heaven Society's past actions and the traces they left behind."

Li Fei nodded: "Good, then what about Zhu San?"

"Zhu San is somewhat special. This person's appearance has been completely altered, including his skeletal structure. We cannot restore his original appearance, nor can we determine his specific age. The spell-type implant he used is very common, has a wide range of sources, and is also very difficult to trace. I heard he had a flight-type magic treasure; this kind of magic treasure is very rare, and I need to use this magic treasure to conduct an investigation."

After He Jian finished speaking, he stared straight at Li Fei.

Li Fei smiled.

The flight-type magic treasure left behind by Zhu San could actually be considered important evidence and could be confiscated.

Whether it was the Stop-Conflict Pavilion or the Inspection Pavilion, they often used such reasons to embezzle some good things when investigating cases in the past.

But the flying boat was Li Fei's spoils of war, and no one dared to embezzle the Marquis of Jing'an's things, so now the item was in Li Fei's hands, and no one had come to ask for it.

Only He Jian would dare to directly ask Li Fei to hand over the magic treasure.

In this old man's eyes, investigating cases always came first.

"Apologies, I still have use for this magic treasure at the moment and cannot hand it over to you for the investigation for the time being. Later, when I am finished with my business, I can lend the magic treasure to you for the investigation."

Li Fei said to He Jian.

His combat power was greatly reduced now, and having a flight-type magic treasure on him would be much safer.

He Jian frowned: "What else are you going to be busy with? Hasn't the Tomb of Heavenly Water already been destroyed?"

"I have to deal with some matters regarding cultivation; it is very important."

Li Fei did not explain too much, "Ye Zhao has already been sent to Lanling City. As long as he talks on that end, I believe the assassination case at the Temple of Heaven can be closed."

He could basically confirm now that the New Heaven Society was the mastermind behind the assassination at the Temple of Heaven, but he still lacked effective evidence.

As long as Ye Zhao talked, the Temple of Heaven assassination case would be considered closed.

Hearing the name "Ye Zhao," He Jian's expression softened slightly.

After all, Ye Zhao had been captured alive by Li Fei.

If the case was finally closed based on Ye Zhao's confession, then Li Fei would be the number one contributor!

"Lord He, I hope you can return to Lanling City a step ahead to make preparations. Once Ye Zhao arrives in Lanling City, I hope his interrogation can be completed by you."

Li Fei stated his purpose.

He did not feel at ease handing Ye Zhao over to others for interrogation.

"Very well."

He Jian also understood the importance of Ye Zhao, "But I cannot guarantee that I will be able to interrogate this person."

Li Fei smiled and said, "Rest assured, I will submit a memorial to His Majesty and request that you be given full authority over the interrogation."

He Jian originally wanted to ask if His Majesty would necessarily listen to him.

But he immediately recalled the "Greatest Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator of All Time" that his group of disciples had been constantly talking about lately, and suddenly felt that Li Fei probably wasn't bragging.

His Majesty would likely give this Marquis of Jing'an some face, right?

"Very well."

"Then I will leave it to you, Lord He."

"."

After seeing He Jian, Li Fei met with Lu Wenxing to give him some instructions, and only then did he find Qin Zhen:

"Senior Qin, we can set off now."

"Very well."

Qin Zhen's replies were always simple.

Li Fei then took a basin-sized black boat from the wooden box on his back, formed seals with both hands, and poured his spiritual intent into it continuously.

He had not yet been able to fully refine this flight artifact.

So-called refinement meant that one's own spiritual intent could resonate with the artifact; this was the greatest characteristic of the Possession Realm, which could greatly enhance the power of an artifact.

Currently, Li Fei had only removed all the "tricks" left inside the black boat under the guidance of True Person Qingding, and could initially control this artifact.

However, this was enough.

Soon, the basin-sized black boat turned into a boat that could accommodate at least five people.

Then Li Fei, Qin Zhen, Xiang Dongliang, and Wang Fengqing all stepped onto the black boat.

Just as Li Fei intended to cast a spell to control the black boat to ascend, a voice suddenly came:

"Marquis of Jing'an!"

Li Fei turned his head to look, and a figure in red entered his sight.

Shentu Yue had arrived.

"Does Miss Shentu have something to say?"

Li Fei asked.

Shentu Yue looked at Li Fei, a smile appearing on her face:

"Within the Foundation Establishment Realm, I dare not compete with you, but I have already found the opportunity to break through the realm. I hope that the next time we meet, I can compete with you!"

Li Fei was startled, and a smile also appeared on his face:

"Congratulations, Miss Shentu."

Peak Foundation Establishment Realm martial artists all had the opportunity to break through and become Martial Arts Masters, but it was only an opportunity.

No one dared to guarantee that they could break through with one hundred percent certainty.

Shentu Yue being able to find the opportunity to break through meant she had already stepped half a foot into the realm of a Martial Arts Master!

Whether it was Zhu Fenghua or Shentu Yue, both felt that it was a matter of course for Li Fei to break through and become a Martial Arts Master.

Perhaps everyone in the world thought so now as well.

But only Li Fei himself knew that the road ahead would likely be very difficult to walk.

"Very well, I hope that next time we meet, you and I will have the chance to have a match."

Li Fei cupped his hands at Shentu Yue, performing the etiquette of a person of the pugilistic world.

Shentu Yue returned the salute.

Afterwards, under her gaze, the black boat before her glowed and rapidly ascended, flying higher and higher.

Finally, it disappeared into the horizon.

Requesting monthly votes.

Note 1: The 9: ratio is just an analogy; it does not mean that 9 Martial Arts Masters joining forces will definitely be able to defeat a Grandmaster, or that they definitely won't.

Additionally, interested friends can go and learn about our country's heavy combined arms brigades; just pulling one out and placing it in many places would be enough to directly destroy a country~

(End of chapter)