The Current State of the Heavenly Martial Alliance

If such a person truly exists, there's no reason why he wouldn't personally take the field and allow himself to retreat three steps. Si Ming clarified the logic while simultaneously circulating his divine soul, employing a two-pronged approach. He combined his yin and yang energies with Yu Shuying, using the power of the Divine Firmament Thunder to dissolve the Nether Blood Sha Qi.

Not to mention, in this state his thoughts were exceptionally clear and quick, and with the special properties of his Glazed Pure Body, he could see through all doubts. Details that he usually hadn't noticed were now vivid in his mind, and he felt that his IQ had increased considerably.

"With your intelligence, it's impossible that you haven't suspected the mastermind behind this. During the day, you arranged to meet with the Evil-Slaying Sword Sect at the Glazed Temple tomorrow to discuss matters. Could it be that they are connected to the Glazed Temple?"

Si Ming's body and mind moved in sync, and he began to accelerate. However, because his Primordial Spirit had left his body, there was no desire on his face. He remained calm and undisturbed, giving him a Buddhist School -like quality of emptiness and formlessness.

"Is it the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda of Glazed Temple? I remember that Glazed Temple once discovered a spatial teleportation array. After using it, one would be teleported to the northern part of the Barbarian Continent. There is a Demon-Suppressing Pagoda there, whose function is to resist the Black Tide and protect the martial arts world of the Barbarian Continent from invasion. According to the information I gathered from the wasteland of the Barbarian Continent, the reason why the other side of the Barbarian Continent became like that was because it was eroded by the Black Tide. Could it be that the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda has failed?"

"Wait, wait a minute!"

Yu Shuying suddenly clung to Si Ming like an octopus, her body convulsing, her ten fair, crystal-like toes curling inwards. After a while, she finally let out a long breath and her body relaxed.

She breathed slowly and said, "This guess is the most likely. The martial arts world of the Barbarian Continent has been very peaceful these past few years, with no signs of any trouble whatsoever. The three King of Monsters seem to have appeared out of nowhere overnight. If there were a problem within the martial arts world, it would be impossible for it to happen without any warning. Therefore, the problem must lie outside."

Si Ming rallied his spirits and said, "Tell me about the changes in the martial arts world over the past few years."

Yu Shuying adapted to the new rhythm and, while organizing her thoughts, said, "After a series of great battles, the Barbarian Continent is eager for stability. Everyone is busy recuperating, and even the power struggles between martial arts sects have decreased significantly. Most of the grudges in the martial arts world have ended peacefully. After all, many people died in the two wars, and if you want to seek revenge, the other party may not even be alive."

Furthermore, ever since those Evil Dao Grandmaster joined forces to ambush you but were taught a lesson, these Daoist Gate have all disappeared, keeping a low profile and no longer daring to act recklessly as before. Ghost Fort Fortress Master Ximen Chou even bound his most wicked disciples and took the initiative to lead them to join the Heavenly Martial Alliance. With him as an example, those small Evil Dao sects followed suit.

Ultimately, those born evil are a tiny minority. Most people join the Evil Dao because they lack the opportunity to join the righteous path. How many people in the world would willingly become neither human nor ghost? Who wouldn't want to cultivate the orthodox martial arts of the Xuanmen? It's just that they lack the opportunity due to limited fortuitous opportunity or talent. The Heavenly Martial Alliance has given them such an opportunity, filling the gap. From now on, only those major Evil Dao sects will be able to survive in the cracks, while the minor Evil Dao sects are destined to wither and perish.

Given the right path, most people will choose the right path and no one will choose the unorthodox path. The martial arts of those Evil Dao sects are not powerful and have hidden dangers. They are not as good as the open martial arts of the Heavenly Martial Alliance, both in terms of substance and appearance. It is one thing for the old Evil Dao who have accumulated too many problems to change, but newcomers will definitely not want to take this path that is destined to have no future. Being eliminated is a normal historical law.

The same history happened in the Sea Continent, and the Mohist School did it even more thoroughly than the Heavenly Martial Alliance. The Heavenly Martial Alliance only made the most basic introductory martial arts public for free. Advanced martial arts could only be obtained by completing tasks and earning contribution points. The Mohist School, on the other hand, made all the Higher Vehicle Internal Cultivation methods public. At most, they hid the higher-level content to prevent enemies from studying the flaws in the Cultivation Method —anyway, most people couldn't reach that level anyway.

This is equivalent to someone revealing the first two levels of the Nine Yang Manual in Jin Yong's martial arts world. With such Internal Cultivation, who would bother practicing the Celestial Sect's Internal Cultivation or the Snow Mountain Sect's mental techniques? The divine skills that one's own sect leader is only allowed to cultivate are not as powerful as the Internal Cultivation that someone else has made public for free. Who would be willing to join? It's only a matter of time before the sect's lineage dies out.

The Mohist School's actions not only swept unorthodox doctrines into the dustbin of history, but also impacted minor sects of the orthodox school. The backlash they suffered was predictable. If the Grandmaster of the Mohists had not been so confident of his invincibility and if the Mohist had not been a group of idealists who dared to be pioneers, the Mohist School would not have dared to do such a "rebellious" thing.

When Si Ming founded the Heavenly Martial Alliance, he had neither the confidence to be invincible nor a group of reliable subordinates, so he dared not take too big a step, lest he make a mess of things. Even so, he still encroached on the interests of the Aristocratic Clan, and the two sides had no choice but to fight to decide who should bow down.

The two talked and worked at the same time, managing both public and private matters. They discussed current affairs and made strategic Pointing Out Rivers and Mountains, but Yu Shuying was too weak and had now embarked on the path of Technique Method, so she had to stop and rest from time to time to catch her breath.

Several tens of minutes later, the Blood Sha Qi accumulated in Yu Shuying's body was nearly cleared up. Si Ming noticed this, so he beat the war drums, waved the banners, and commanded the army to launch an attack.

In the end, one side rode swiftly on Dilu, while the other drew their bow with lightning speed, and in the blink of an eye, they settled the affairs of the martial world.

Yu Shuying hugged Si Ming tightly again, a strand of blue hair between her lips, her chest heaving. After her breathing calmed down, she murmured, "You were so unwilling before, but now you've obediently complied. Do you have anything else to say?"

Si Ming thought for a moment, then said seriously, "It hurts a little to feel constricted in my chest."

Yu Shuying immediately opened her mouth and bit Si Ming's ear, grinding her teeth hard. The latter quickly pretended to scream and beg for mercy.

"Hmph, that kind of thing is just a burden. Only when nothing is in the way can our hearts be in harmony. The distance between you and Hongdou is definitely not as close as the distance between us."

"I remember you used to be indifferent to these kinds of things, didn't you?"

"What I care about isn't my own body, but your opinion." Yu Shuying released her lips, meeting Si Ming's gaze. "Although I'm reluctant to admit it, this is what they call growing feelings over time. I can't help but care about the other person's opinion, and I can't help but want to change myself for them... I've finally become the foolish woman I despise."

"... I'm sorry, I was just teasing you. I thought you didn't care, so I made that joke. It wasn't from the bottom of my heart. Actually, I'm not picky about food or drink, so you just need to be yourself. You don't need to change yourself for me. If you blend into the crowd, you'll lose your charm. Sharp-tongued, decisive, and unpretentious, that's the Yu Shuying I remember."

At this moment, Si Ming stopped his joking and looked the other person in the eye, revealing his true thoughts.

Yu Shuying smiled and said, "I already knew about these things."

Si Ming was taken aback. "You knew, yet you said it on purpose?"

"Knowing is one thing, but it's not as good as you saying it yourself. I prefer 'speaking frankly and honestly' to 'everything is understood without words'... Hmm, I just noticed your ears are quite bouncy; they'd taste good if you bit into them."

After saying Yu Shuying turned her head and bit Si Ming's other ear, while secretly brushing her hair aside to block Si Ming's view and prevent him from seeing her burning red face.

After a moment, feeling that she had calmed down, Yu Shuying released her grip on Si Ming, got off him, straightened her clothes, and said, "I'll go back to my room now."

"It's so late anyway, why don't we just stay?"

"Forget it, I need to rest, but you probably can't rest yet."

After saying that, Yu Shuying released her True Qi and opened the door. A person staggered in—it was Hongdou.

She chuckled sheepishly, then feigned anger, saying, "Xiao Ming, you guys are so mean! You were being affectionate without even inviting me, so I had to come by myself."

Si Ming looked up at the sky. "Is this going to keep me from getting out of bed?"

Chapter 841 The Current Situation of the Heavenly Martial Alliance

All those years of martial arts training weren't for nothing. When Si Ming woke up the next day, he didn't feel drained; he was still full of Primal Qi. Although he was still a little tired, this was a side effect of fighting two King of Monsters in a row, and had nothing to do with the continuous battle the night before.

Whether others believe it or not, Si Ming believed it.

After a quick wash and a meal, Si Ming arrived at the main hall of the Heavenly Martial Alliance, where everyone was already waiting. Just as he was about to sit on the throne representing the alliance leader, he noticed that everyone was still standing and said with a smile, "Please sit down, everyone. What are you standing for?"

"If the leader doesn't sit, how dare we sit first?"

The speaker was a burly man with an honest-looking face and a height of seven feet, but unfortunately, he was hardly noticeable. Si Ming had to search his memory to recall who he was.

His name is Qiu Dahu. He was originally an ordinary disciple of the Dragon and Tiger School, but because he had clung to a powerful figure early on, he managed to get close to Si Ming when the Heavenly Martial Alliance was first established by searching for the Monster Race. Later, he used this relationship to become the leader of a branch of the Heavenly Martial Alliance. He would tell everyone that he was a meritorious official who had helped the alliance leader conquer the world, and his status rose accordingly. Now, he has not only become the head of the Dragon and Tiger School, but has also climbed into the decision-making level of the Heavenly Martial Alliance.

Although Si Ming disapproved of people trying to curry favor with him, he didn't bother to say anything. Fame brings trouble, and Qiu Dahu wasn't the only one doing this. Roughly speaking, there were probably tens of thousands, if not tens of thousands. Besides, Qiu Dahu had real talent, but he used exaggerated rhetoric, while the others were simply making things up.

In addition, Qiu Dahu himself was also very capable. With so many people trying to curry favor, he was able to stand out from the crowd, which was definitely not because of his skill in flattery. In just a few years, his strength went from a third-rate martial arts school disciple to a renowned Quasi-Grandmaster in the martial arts world. Such an amazing speed of progress was inseparable from talent, diligence, and good fortune.

In the martial arts world, Qiu Dahu has become a role model for young people. After all, he went from being an ordinary person to one of the leaders of the Heavenly Martial Alliance. His experience is truly inspiring. From being unknown to being known throughout the world, he has achieved both fame and martial prowess, making him a typical example of the martial arts dream that young heroes yearn for.

Si Ming spoke up, "The core principle of the Heavenly Martial Alliance is that everyone in the world should practice martial arts, which is all about equality. We're not a government or a court; why would we bother with that hierarchy of ruler and subject? Isn't that ridiculous?"

Moreover, even regarding the hierarchy between ruler and subject, it depends on the dynasty. During the Han Dynasty, the emperor treated the prime minister with courtesy. When the prime minister met with the emperor, the emperor would stand up first, offer the prime minister a seat, and then sit down himself after the prime minister had sat down.