Brothers in Arms

Although he has stayed at home for the past two years without going out to train or having any extraordinary encounters, he has made up for the weakness of unstable foundation caused by rapid progress by sorting out his past combat experience and martial arts insights. His overall strength has increased at a slow and steady pace.

Furthermore, through research and discussion with the two seniors Xiao Xuan and Xing Daozhuang, and by combining the wisdom of the three, they finally deduced the follow-up content of "Blazing Yang Battle Art", raising the upper limit to level 20, which Void Returning Threshold - theoretically, without advancing to the Void Returning stage, the upper limit of power that a human body can contain is level 20.

The Void Returning Realm is different from the Spirit Transformation Realm. Martial artists can still improve their Internal Cultivation without advancing to the Divine Spirit Transformation, but if they don't advance to the Void Returning Realm, level 20 is the limit, and they cannot advance any further.

"You've caught up with me." Yan Jinghong smiled with relief. He had only recently advanced to level eighteen; two years ago, he would have been at level seventeen. "Still can't sense the opportunity to advance to the Spirit Transformation stage?"

"No."

Speaking of this, Si Ming still felt somewhat helpless. He had already surpassed the fifth level of the Spirit Transformation Threshold at the thirteenth level Void Returning Threshold, yet he still didn't feel any sense of breakthrough. This was even with the power of the Eternal Barrier weakened, making it easier to advance to the Nascent Spirit Transformation than before.

When he was at level fourteen, he thought that perhaps breaking through to level fifteen would trigger an opportunity. When he was at level sixteen, he thought that perhaps breaking through to level seventeen would trigger an opportunity, but nothing happened. Now he has given up hope on this matter and decided to honestly follow the path of body tempering. Anyway, his soul is tough enough, and whether he advances to the Spirit Transformation or not will not have a substantial impact on him. The only thing he lacks is reputation.

Si Ming had pondered that perhaps it was because he always relied on Evil Dao to break through the bottlenecks in his Internal Cultivation that he lacked insight. But since things had come to this, he couldn't just abandon his Internal Cultivation and start all over again, could he?

Yan Jinghong comforted him, saying, "Don't worry about it. For you now, the status of Spirit Transformation is just icing on the cake."

"I've come to terms with this matter, Master, there's no need for you to worry. Heaven-Defying Society finally reveal themselves after all that?"

Over the past two years, Si Ming had prepared for a propaganda war to counter the Heaven-Defying Society's widespread propaganda about the benefits of cutting down the Divine Pillar. However, whether the other side felt they had nowhere to start or had other plans, they did nothing at all and completely disappeared from the Sea Continent. Even with the capabilities of the Mohist Knight Guard, they couldn't find a single piece of information, making people wonder if the Heaven-Defying Society already disbanded.

For Si Ming, Heaven-Defying Society, who keeps his hands and feet tucked away in his shell Heaven-Defying Society, who causes trouble everywhere. He feels helpless and yet wary of him.

The effects of the destruction of the Divine Pillar have already become apparent, the two most obvious being the revival of Technique Method and the advancement of Spirit Transformation. The former is self-evident; some have already begun cultivating Technique Method, but due to concerns that Technique Method might be banned again one day, most only practice it as a sideline, with no one daring to focus on it as a primary path, to avoid investment failure and losing everything. The latter is even more evident; a total of twenty-six people have advanced to Spirit Transformation in two years, far exceeding previous numbers.

According to statistics, in the past, only three people could advance to the Spirit Transformation level each year. The difficulty was equivalent to conducting a global college entrance examination on Earth. Only the top three students could advance. Even the best of the best students were not qualified to compete for this spot. Only the most brilliant students could achieve it.

Now the number of spots has suddenly increased to thirteen. Although the difficulty level is still incredibly high, the best of the best now have a chance to compete.

Of course, according to Si Huaruo, who has already become Spirit Transformation Grandmaster, the difficulty of advancing to the Nascent Spirit Transformation has not become so easy. Based on her personal experience, the difficulty has only decreased by half. In fact, six people per year is the normal number. However, because there are too many people stuck at the Spirit Transformation bottleneck, there will be a short-term surge after the difficulty of breaking through is weakened. After four or five years, this number will inevitably drop back down.

It's like a crowd waiting outside a tightly closed door. When the door opens a crack, everyone rushes in, creating the illusion of a constant flow of people. In reality, many people are still walking along the road and haven't even reached the door yet. Once the crowd thins out, the congestion will stop.

Advancing to the Spirit Transformation is still difficult, but it has become easier than before. For example, Si Shuiyun has raised her Internal Cultivation to level fourteen, but she still hasn't felt the opportunity for a breakthrough. In terms of martial arts talent, she is ultimately no match for her two young ladies.

This is also one of the important reasons why there was not much public reaction after the Divine Pillar was cut down. For most people, whether it is easier to advance to the Nascent Spirit Transformation stage than before has no impact on them. They can't even touch the Spirit Transformation Threshold, so considering this issue is tantamount to worrying about nothing.

"To be honest, Heaven-Defying Society, but the specific extent of the involvement is still undetermined," Yan Jinghong said cautiously. "There was a civil war in Nation of Valor, with the Military God staging a coup and plotting to seize the throne. The King promptly sought help from the War God, who quelled the coup. However, the Military God immediately turned the coup into a military coup, surrounding the capital with a large army. The two sides are currently in a stalemate."

"... Was this internal strife instigated by the Heaven-Defying Society?"

"We suspect that the Military God is a member of the Heaven-Defying Society, but we lack strong evidence and have only collected indirect clues."

Si Ming nodded in understanding. It wasn't like going to court to sue someone; there was no need to prove anything to anyone. The indirect clues were enough. If it were an ordinary person, he could simply capture them and interrogate them using secret techniques. However, the other party's identity was too sensitive, making it difficult to take action.

"Could it be that he's plotting to seize the throne in order to sever the Divine Pillar?"

"Not necessarily. The Shadow Hero Guard concluded long ago that the members of the Heaven-Defying Society don't live solely for the organization; they have their own businesses outside of it. It's just that severing the Divine Pillar benefits them, so they're united by self-interest. Their identity Remote Heaven Society is merely a side job. Their disappearance over the past two years also indirectly proves this point. Perhaps some of their members are content with the current situation of the two Divine Pillar being severed and therefore don't want to take any more risks."

Si Ming suddenly realized that the reason why the Remote Heaven Society was full of experts was probably because of this. Perhaps among the twenty-six people who had advanced to the Nascent Spirit Transformation stage in the past two years, there were members of the Remote Heaven Society. From this person's perspective, since the goal had been achieved, it was time to discard them. There was no point in staying any longer. The Remote Heaven Society now ruined. Once their identities were exposed, it would be more harmful than beneficial. Why should they continue to serve the organization?

As for the issue of advancing to the next Void Returning, I'll wait until I reach my own bottleneck. If I'm still worried about how to break through to the Void Returning by then, I can always rejoin the organization.

"However, if the Military God ascends the Nation of Valor throne, even if his original target wasn't the Divine Pillar, he certainly wouldn't mind destroying it along the way. After all, the Divine Pillar of the Northern Continent is located within Nation of Valor territory, and whether to keep it or destroy it is entirely up to him. We can't gamble on that," Si Ming said worriedly.

Yan Jinghong nodded and continued, "From our perspective, we naturally don't want the Military God to succeed in usurping the throne. However, this is, after all, an internal conflict within another country, and it doesn't fall under the principle of 'the weak defending the weak'. The Mohist School has no reason to intervene. Moreover, given the relationship between our country and Nation of Valor, getting involved could easily worsen the situation. If the Nation of Valor people perceive this as an invasion, or think that the Nation of Valor royal family is colluding with us and inviting trouble, then we'll be in trouble. The Military God already has popular support; we can't push the people to his side again."

"So, why did my master ask me to step in?"

"We can't intervene in this in an official capacity, but we can do so in a private capacity. For example, back then Ba Shenhuang helped you Divine Pillar. You can use repaying a favor as a reason to help him. Even if word gets out, people won't say you did anything wrong. Instead, they'll praise you for being grateful and a righteous person." Yan Jinghong revealed the purpose of his trip.

"I understand. Leave this to me. We'll set off immediately once we've gathered our companions."

Si Ming himself was also feeling restless and restless. In addition, this trip could serve both public and private purposes. He could repay favors and suppress the Remote Heaven Society. He really had no reason to refuse.

Moreover, the Sea Continent has been calm for the past two years, and nothing major has happened. This makes Si Ming wonder if he is truly a human-shaped disaster, bringing calamity wherever he goes, rather than simply going wherever there is calamity?

He stayed at home and didn't go anywhere, and as a result, all was well. If word of this got out, he would never be able to set foot in Germany again.

Now that Nation of Valor has gone through this ordeal, it can finally clear his name and restore his innocence—look, I didn't go anywhere, yet war still broke out, so it has nothing to do with me. Your refusal to let me in is just baseless superstition.

"With your current abilities that surpass even your master's, I am very confident in entrusting this matter to you. Especially after these two years of growth and maturity, your temperament has become much more composed. It seems that in the past, the lack of women to share your excess energy caused you to be so restless and impulsive."

Si Ming was surprised that his usually serious master would tease him about his lifestyle, and he blushed instantly, hurriedly explaining, "Master, I was just..."

"It's a matter of mutual consent, and outsiders have no right to criticize it. It's really just a matter between men and women. As long as you don't start something and then abandon it, it's not a stain. Many great figures in history had many Beauty, and those who were faithful were actually in the minority. Don't worry, I'm not a pedantic moralist."

Although Yan Jinghong herself is still single, she is very open-minded in this regard. Or rather, that's just how society is; even morally upright people wouldn't criticize someone for this, but would instead call it a "romantic affair."

"It's so good that you think that way, Master." Si Ming breathed a sigh of relief.

"What else can I think? I can't just force you two apart, can I? Just remember to treat them all equally," Yan Jinghong thought for a moment, then reminded her, "One is Fourth Sister's apprentice, one is the High Priest's apprentice, and one is Senior Wu's apprentice. People say a rabbit doesn't eat the grass near its burrow, but you've eaten all the grass around you. I'm embarrassed to attend the Heaven's Will Palace meetings now."

What else could Si Ming say? He could only grin foolishly and try to get away with it. Anyway, he had already taken over the latrine. It was one thing for others to just curse him, but if they dared to physically pull someone away, he would make sure to smear them in the face.

"Master, if there's nothing else, I'll go prepare for departure."

"Wait a minute, I almost forgot to mention, congratulations on your three-peat! I also dreamed of winning the league title when I was younger."

"... Um!"

Chapter 800 Fighting Brothers

A hero needs three helpers; a lone wolf is something only a down-on-his-luck wanderer does. Si Ming considers himself a regular soldier, so of course he needs to bring along friends and family. "Let's all go together; there's no need to talk about chivalry when dealing with Outer Dao" is the right way of the world. After all, connections are a form of strength, so why can't they be used?

As for the others who fight alongside their brothers, while Si Ming's side is mostly made up of Beauty, it's clearly a matter of personal charm. Besides, a bunch of smelly men crammed together can't compare to the soft fragrance of a beautiful woman.

"Speaking of which, I've been staying home cultivating for the past two years and haven't invited them on their honeymoon. This is a good opportunity to make up for it; it's like a trip abroad."