Martial Dao World

Wei Country, capital Daliang.

Royal Martial Repository Pavilion.

The Eunuch of Ceremonies stood before the entrance to the Royal Martial Repository Pavilion, waiting at the side. Upon seeing Zhao Hongming, he bowed and scraped. "This servant greets Fifth Prince. His Majesty has already issued an Imperial Edict, so this old servant shall accompany Your Highness in selecting a cultivation technique."

"Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch Feng."

"I would not dare. Your Highness's resolute heart toward martial pursuits is truly remarkable. His Majesty made a special exception and permitted Your Highness to enter the Martial Repository Pavilion."

Eunuch Feng said with a smiling face, "However, His Majesty also instructed that after Your Highness begins practicing martial arts, you should still read more works by the literary sages of past generations, strive harder at the Imperial Academy, and not neglect your proper studies."

Great Wei's Royal Martial Repository Pavilion contained many high-grade martial arts techniques, even methods for attaining immortality and ascending to become an immortal. It was a place countless Jianghu Martial Warriors longed for.

Yet as a Royal Scion, one bore National Luck Suppression and found it difficult to achieve much.

Princes who were valued would never be permitted to enter the Martial Repository Pavilion.

The Jian'an Emperor had allowed him into the Martial Repository Pavilion this time purely because he was usually quiet and unremarkable, and thus not valued.

Zhao Hongming caught the comforting intent behind Feng Dabao's words and could not help smiling inwardly. "This Prince understands."

Three months had passed since he, once a seasoned office veteran, had awakened from a single night's sleep and unexpectedly arrived in this world.

At first, he had thought he had traveled to an ancient world, but according to his observations, that was not entirely the case.

Although the customs, festivals, astronomy, and even language here were quite similar, this was a world with extraordinary powers.

At the Imperial Academy, he had even heard his brothers mention that Martial Warriors could live for hundreds or thousands of years and possess the power to shatter mountains and overturn seas.

A single Gods and Devils weapon could effortlessly destroy an entire city.

It made one's heart race with longing.

Before such power, ordinary people were as lowly as ants.

For that very reason, Zhao Hongming disregarded everyone's objections and wholeheartedly insisted on cultivating the Martial Dao.

When the reigning Jian'an Emperor—his Father Emperor—learned of his intentions, he had no objection whatsoever and casually agreed.

Zhao Hongming suspected that those so-called instructions had most likely been fabricated by Feng Dabao merely to comfort him.

"Your Highness, this way." Eunuch Feng said no more and respectfully led Zhao Hongming into the Royal Martial Repository Pavilion.

The moment they entered the Martial Repository Pavilion, the scent of ink and paper rushed over them.

Row upon row of wooden shelves were packed with every kind of martial arts manual.

Zhao Hongming made a rough estimate in his heart. This floor alone held nearly ten thousand martial arts techniques.

If he had to choose through them one by one, he would not finish in less than ten days or half a month.

Eunuch Feng explained, "The Martial Repository Pavilion has only three floors in total. The first and second floors contain ordinary Jianghu Martial Arts techniques. If Your Highness finds one to your liking, you may take it directly, so long as you register it with the Steward."

There were more than a dozen Stewards scattered throughout the Martial Repository Pavilion. Most sat cross-legged on the floor, intently reading the martial arts manuals in their hands and occasionally gesturing through a few moves.

These people were Martial Fanatics recruited by the Jian'an Emperor from the Jianghu, tasked specifically with organizing and refining all kinds of martial arts techniques for the royal family.

And the vast sea of martial arts within the Martial Repository Pavilion was enough for these people to study for a lifetime.

It was, in a way, a case of each taking what they needed.

"The third floor houses Immortal Martial Arts Techniques. His Majesty has also permitted Fifth Prince to go up and choose one." Feng Dabao led Zhao Hongming between the bookshelves, then turned leisurely. "Would Your Highness prefer to go directly upstairs and select an Immortal Martial Arts Technique, or look through the Jianghu Martial Arts here first?"

Zhao Hongming answered decisively, "Let us go straight to the third floor."

Born into the royal family, with such excellent conditions and the assistance of the Heaven's Reward Martial Arts Panel—

Zhao Hongming was confident that even National Luck Suppression could not stop him.

In the future, he would prove immortality through martial arts. Reaching the legendary realm of immortals might not be impossible.

The Heaven's Reward Martial Arts Panel was his golden finger.

Its ability was simple: every effort brought its reward.

Hard work in cultivation would inevitably be repaid.

In theory, no matter what cultivation technique he held, there would be no bottleneck for him.

So long as he was willing to cultivate, he could continuously break through the bottleneck limits of martial arts techniques.

Even with an ordinary Draw Saber Technique, if he practiced it a hundred million times, he could break through without encountering a bottleneck.

Of course, if he could obtain higher-level martial arts, his starting point would be higher, saving him a great deal of effort and time.

Understanding Zhao Hongming's thoughts, Feng Dabao said no more and led him directly toward the third floor.

As they climbed the stairs, he saw quite a few older Stewards lying or sitting in various places, their postures lazy and relaxed.

But when he drew slightly closer, it was as though he had approached a furnace; even his skin felt scorching hot.

These were all Martial Warriors of profound cultivation guarding the Martial Repository Pavilion.

Thinking about it, that made sense.

The Royal Martial Repository Pavilion contained all manner of profound martial arts.

Who knew how many people outside coveted it?

It would have been strange if no one guarded it.

When Feng Dabao, the chief Eunuch of Ceremonies, passed by them, his expression remained unchanged, showing not the slightest discomfort.

Following behind him, Zhao Hongming suddenly felt waves of coolness, and all the surrounding heat was forced back.

Zhao Hongming's heart tightened.

It seemed this old eunuch was also a martial arts expert.

The man had lost an object and severed the root of his troubles, allowing him to focus even more intently on martial arts. He was no weaker than these people—perhaps even stronger.

Zhao Hongming quickly put away his contempt.

"Fifth Prince, we have arrived."

Compared with the two floors below, the third floor of the Martial Repository Pavilion was several times smaller.

Five rows of bookshelves made from purple sandalwood stood neatly arranged, with a jade box placed individually in every compartment.

The jade boxes stood upright, their lids engraved with corresponding words.

The script resembled Zhongshan Seal Script somewhat, its characters slender and graceful, yet firm and upright.

Zhao Hongming glanced at them from afar and found them pleasing to the eye, carrying an antique air.

Eunuch Feng handed the Imperial Edict of the current Son of Heaven, the Jian'an Emperor, to the guard at the third-floor entrance. "This is His Majesty's Imperial Edict, permitting the Fifth Prince to select one Immortal Martial Arts Technique here."

The guard attendant appeared to be only in his thirties. He accepted the Jian'an Emperor's Imperial Edict and carefully examined and compared it. After confirming there was no mistake, he shifted slightly aside and allowed the two inside.

He did not say a word from beginning to end.

Feng Dabao seemed long accustomed to this and said with a smile, "These Martial Fanatics all have exceedingly strange tempers. I hope Fifth Prince will excuse them."

"No matter. Let us take a look at the Immortal Martial Arts Techniques."

Zhao Hongming swept his gaze over the guard attendant at the entrance. The man's complexion was ruddy, and his aura was condensed without being released, completely different from the Martial Warriors downstairs. He was clearly another Martial Dao expert.

Zhao Hongming did not dwell on it. He drew back his attention and focused on the jade boxes before him.

"Great Wei's Martial Repository Pavilion contains thirty-five Immortal Martial Arts Techniques. Eighteen of them have been reorganized and compiled by Great Wei, while the remaining seventeen Immortal Path martial arts are either exceedingly obscure and unsuitable for cultivation in the present age, or too profound and difficult to understand, making their cultivation efficiency too low."

Eunuch Feng explained, "Therefore, if Your Highness wishes to learn one, it would be more prudent to choose from those eighteen Immortal Martial Arts Techniques."

Zhao Hongming asked curiously, "This Prince can understand what Eunuch Feng means by cultivation efficiency being too low, but what does it mean for a technique to be unsuitable for cultivation in the present age?"

As far as he knew, this world had once possessed immortals.

Later, heaven and earth underwent changes, Spiritual Qi grew sparse, and the Immortal Path evolved into the Martial Dao, shifting its focus toward developing the potential of the human body.

After countless capable people had pressed forward one after another, martial arts became increasingly efficient at developing the human body's potential.

The martial arts of the past were naturally inferior to those of the present age.

But the fact that some could not be cultivated at all surprised him somewhat.

After all, martial arts focused on developing the potential of the physical body and Qi and Blood, aligning with the laws of this world. There should not be a case where they could not be cultivated.

It was merely a matter of how far one could cultivate them.

Eunuch Feng stopped before a jade box and said, "This technique is called the Thunder Annihilation Method. It is a Thunder Control Method. Once mastered, one may use the fleshly body to command heavenly lightning and directly reach the Creation Realm. However, cultivating this technique requires the blood of dragon-kind; otherwise, one can easily be burned to death by thunderfire. In the world today, dragon-kind has nearly gone extinct, so this technique can no longer be cultivated."

"So that is how it is. What a pity." Zhao Hongming understood at once, regret filling his heart.

A technique like this could not be mastered through effort alone. Even his Heaven's Reward Martial Arts Panel could do nothing about it.

He had previously relied on his own uniqueness and set his sights on these techniques. It seemed he had been thinking too much.

"Indeed, it is a pity." Eunuch Feng sighed. "One can only hope that someday a martial arts genius will improve such techniques and grant them new life."

Zhao Hongming was not a stubborn person. Having lived two lives, he had long understood the principle of recognizing those who knew better and learning from those more skilled.

He decisively abandoned those impractical thoughts and resolved to play it safe. "I must trouble Eunuch Feng to introduce those eighteen Immortal Martial Arts Techniques to me."

Eunuch Feng nodded. "Your Highness, follow me."

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