Aftermath

In fact, just like how a ninth-rank martial artist is called a "Xiantian martial artist", various Cultivation Method, Dao Lineage actually Great One internal names for cultivation realms.

For example, Li Qi knew about this traditional Shintoism, and their classification of cultivation levels was as follows:

During the period before entering the ranks, it is divided into the initial Heart Seed Realm, which is the condensation of a seed of the heart, and one can sense believers.

Then comes the Incense Fire Realm, where one can officially receive worship and incense offerings.

Afterwards, they gradually accumulate incense offerings and create a golden body. Once the golden body is completed, they officially step into the ninth rank, which they call the 'Golden Body Realm'.

Next are the Body Immersion Realm, the Mountain Water Realm, the As One Realm, and the Spirit Soul Realm.

Reaching the Spirit Soul Realm is considered an advancement to the eighth rank.

Li Qi's Dao Path Li Qi is similar. Each time he condenses a type of Inner Gods, his cultivation advances to a new realm. The book briefly describes it as the Five Peaks Period, the Four Rivers Period, the Sun Moon Period, and the Primordial Spirit Period. The order of these four realms is not fixed; you can advance to whichever one you choose first, but you must complete all of them.

Martial arts also have five realms: training the skin, training the bones, training the tendons, training the flesh, and training the internal organs. Only after completing all of them can one be considered a "Xiantian martial artist," which is the ninth rank. After that, there are three realms: training the will, training the mind, and refining the spirit. Then, one must further refine the Martial Way Divine Intent to advance to the eighth rank, which is called "Divine Intent Both Present, and Heart Body Unity."

There are countless Dao Path to enlightenment, countless methods, and countless distinctions in realms. To try to unify and convert them one by one would be incredibly difficult.

Therefore, a powerful being would unify all Dao Path to enlightenment, dividing them into nine ranks, an act known as 'standardizing the world'.

You can imagine how difficult this is.

To establish convincing standards, the first step is to understand the division of almost all Dao Path and realms, to know why they are divided in this way, and then to find the commonalities among all Dao Path in different realms.

Only with commonalities can there be a premise for unified classification. It is unknown how much time the great beings who did this back then spent to complete the statistical analysis of all the Dao Path in the world and find the commonalities between different realms and Dao Path.

However, from then on, the Ninth Rank Classification Method came into being.

Within your own Dao Lineage, you can use whatever you want to address someone, but when you go out into the world and encounter people whose level of understanding is different from yours, you need a unified international standard to communicate effectively.

However, it is clear that for some lower-level cultivators, the Ninth Rank Classification Method alone is already a secret.

What is common sense to Li Qi is an inaccessible secret to these people.

The diversity of the world is truly immense.

After communicating with the water god, the other party cautiously memorized Shen Shuibi's aura, then bowed to Li Qi, accepted the reward, and dived into the water to send a message using the natural landscape.

Li Qi carefully put away the severed finger and stored it away.

This thing is arguably the most valuable thing Li Qi owns. It's the body of a fifth-rank being, something no one would believe if you told them. It also holds great significance for Li Qi.

Every time he saw that finger, he was reminded of that day, of the despair and helplessness he felt when facing the Curse Demon King and the Bear Kill King.

After finishing this task, Li Qi mounted his horse again and said to the Old Ma, "Let's go, let's continue our journey."

Old Ma let out a sigh of relief, accelerated again, and headed towards the Prefectural Governor's Mansion of Guangyang City.

Several Chen later.

Daylight broke.

Li Qi squatted on the edge of a field on the outskirts of the city, watching the sunrise, his brows furrowed and his expression solemn.

Old Ma nibbled on tender leaves, occasionally glancing at Li Qi. Finding him still squatting there like a wooden stake, he continued to nibble on the newly grown leaves.

As for why Li Qi turned out this way...

It all started with what happened last night.

Last night, Li Qi visited the Prefect of Guangyang.

It was learned that the Prefect of Guangyang had returned to the capital to report on his duties.

Then he went to find Guangyang Situ, who was in charge of taxation and production organization.

Guangyang Situ was present, but he didn't even speak to Li Qi, and directly kicked Li Qi out.

Then, he had the gatekeeper relay a message to Li Qi, telling him that the White Rhinoceros Army Commander had disobeyed orders on the battlefield and had been dismissed from his post. He was now in prison awaiting trial. Li Qi was to go back and relay the message that the troops should immediately withdraw and return to Guangyang to garrison, Guangyang City would have its own military provisions to support them.

Immediately, he appointed Li Qi as the messenger of the White Rhinoceros Army and issued a new military order to the White Rhinoceros Army, instructing them to abandon the civilians and immediately return to Guangyang City.

If the White Rhinoceros Army's rations were only for their own consumption, they would definitely be enough to get them back to Guangyang City.

Li Qi, having failed to gain an audience with the emperor again, had no choice but to leave. He went outside the city and squatted there from evening until sunrise, without changing his posture.

It wasn't until a farmer came out to weed and loosen the soil that he saw Old Ma gnawing on the tender leaves of his jujube tree.

"Hey you over there! What are you doing?!" The old farmer rushed up and shooed away the Old Ma.

The Old Ma crowed twice, and Li Qi quickly stood up. "I'm sorry, uncle, I didn't watch the horse properly. This is compensation!"

As he spoke, Li Qi quickly handed over a few copper coins, taking the initiative and suppressing the other party's momentum.

After offering a lengthy apology, he finally led the Old Ma away.

Old Ma, however, looked Qi Ingestion.

He only ate the tender leaves and didn't eat the flower buds, which was already quite considerate!

Li Qi could only smile wryly, then let out a long sigh.

After thinking about it all night, I finally figured out the situation in Guangyang City.

Guangyang City, no... or even Guangyang Prefecture of the Hundred Forests Kingdom, ordered the abandonment of all the people near the town.

Therefore, when I first encountered that army with a commander, they did not bring any civilians with them, because they had abandoned them all!

The White Rhinoceros Army did manage to protect some of the civilians, but it was clear that the commander of the White Rhinoceros Army had personally gone to Guangyang City to seek permission from his superiors to bring the civilians with him.

However, this move was not approved; instead, he was immediately dismissed from his post and imprisoned.

After that, it was my turn to encounter my own problems.

The general events have been deduced, but Li Qi doesn't understand the purpose of doing so.

Is it really impossible for Guangyang City to support those hundreds of thousands of people? Impossible. Guangyang City definitely has enough food. As for land, let them cultivate it.

There may not be many cultivated fields, but there are plenty of wastelands.

If you can afford to support them, why not accept them?

Moreover, judging from the military preparedness of Guangyang City, they are not lacking in strength. The town is a place they can easily defend, so why give it up? On what grounds?

Ultimately, what was Guangyang Prefecture's purpose in abandoning the townspeople outside the pass? And why were generals who tried to rescue the people even dismissed and imprisoned?

This shows that they have zero tolerance for the act of helping the people.

Li Qi couldn't understand why Guangyang Prefecture would do such a thing.

There's no reason for it.

This was the point that Li Qi couldn't understand the most, but none of that mattered anymore. Since there was no way to get through to the official level, Li Qi had to find a way to solve the temporary food problem first, and then solve the long-term survival problem.

Alternatively, one could simply leave it unresolved, adopting the same stance as the Guangyang City government, and abandon those 100,000 or so people.

However, it is clear that Li Qi cannot do it.

He doesn't necessarily have to go to great lengths to do this, but he should at least try. What's wrong with giving it a shot?

So, Li Qi led the Old Ma back into Guangyang City. This time, instead of going to any government offices, he went to a large restaurant.

He didn't eat there; he just went outside the restaurant and watched the delivery people.

It was early morning. He had spent the night outside the city, and the sun had just risen. There was still a thin mist on the horizon. It was the time for roosters to crow, and the city was not yet bustling with activity, but some people had already begun to work.

The first group to start working were the ones who came to deliver goods.

Every day, fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats are delivered to various restaurants, pleasure boats, and mansions to supply the day's business.

Li Qi planned to find out where these delivery people came from and locate the grain and vegetable distribution center in Guangyang City.

This is not difficult to do. Grain distribution centers are open to the public, and nearby residents may even go in to buy vegetables.

Li Qi quickly located the place through these grain merchants who delivered the goods.

The grain distribution center of Guangyang City.

More than 100,000 shi of grain are gathered here, and the daily throughput here alone is enough for all the grain that Li Qi needs.

Of course, that's based on the premise that the entire Guangyang City goes hungry for a whole day.

However, if regulations are properly implemented, the demand can be met without affecting anyone.

Li Qi squatted by the roadside, watching as the distribution center continuously brought grain in and out.

Finally, he found a grain convoy that was large enough.

It's big enough; that's important.

Then he began to follow the grain convoy, wanting to see where the grain came from.

According to Li Qi's familiarity with the customs and traditions of the Baiyue people, these grain transport teams were all backed by gangs or interest groups that did this business.

These groups, centered around their Cultivation Method, unite as one and then submit to groups of a higher level. They rise layer by layer until they reach the level of true practitioners, at which point they finally disperse and form another social structure.

Therefore, as long as we can trace back layer by layer, we should be able to find the final place of origin of the grain in Guangyang City.

Once we find that, we can then try to negotiate with the other party to resolve the food issue.

This was Li Qi's idea, so he is now following the grain convoy.

However, as they walked, they left the city, crossed several rivers, and went around several mountains. Suddenly, the grain convoy stopped.

A burly man stepped out from inside, walked to the back of the caravan, cupped his hands, and said, "May I ask who you are, sir? Why are you always following us? Have you run out of money, or have you harbored ill intentions?"

"If we lose our livelihood, it's not easy for anyone in the martial world. Here's ten gold coins for the journey. Keep it for the brothers to buy wine and drink. Let's all stay in peace and go our separate ways."

"If you harbor ill intentions, the Golden Wave Sect is not to be trifled with! You are welcome to try!"

As he spoke, he took out a bag of gold with one hand and suddenly drew a curved knife from his waist with the other, slashing it with such force that it split a large rock by the roadside in two.

Li Qi was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected to be discovered.

Although he was casually following behind, in reality, his inner world was in harmony with the outside world, giving him a sense of being one with all things in nature. His own aura was greatly weakened. Although he was not invisible, as long as he concealed his figure, it would be difficult to detect him by sensing his aura.

At least Li Qi thought these people were no good.

However, it was discovered.

Li Qi frowned and stepped forward. "Gentlemen, I mean no harm."

The middle-aged man was visibly relieved to see Li Qi come out alone. He cupped his hands and said, "Hero, you've been following us for at least a quarter of an hour. I'm afraid this explanation won't convince anyone."

"My Golden Wave Sect does legitimate business. Although we don't have much connection with people in the underworld, we have had a few drinks with Black Mountain Bees. We know the rules. There's no need for a hero to hide anything."

Li Qi looked embarrassed and coughed lightly. "Ahem, I really am not a bandit. If you don't believe me, I will prove it to you."

After saying that, Li Qi stretched out his hand and pointed forward gently.

In the blink of an eye, two golden lines circled the entire convoy several times.

In the blink of an eye, the golden thread had traveled a full five miles, flying around the woods and rocks near the convoy two or three times.

The golden threads condensed in the air without dispersing, shimmering and dazzling.

Then, the source of the golden thread flew back into Li Qi's body.

Before the others could react, another moment passed, and the golden thread slowly faded away, disappearing without a trace.

A loud crash and cracking sound rang out, and all around, swathes of trees fell down, rocks crumbled all over the mountains, and even a knife mark was left on the cliff.

It's as if someone drew a ring nearby, and then that ring spread outwards.

Everything on this ring was cut in half, the cuts as smooth as a mirror.

Trees fell, boulders split, chickens and dogs scattered, a bunch of small animals fled in all directions, running away to the far reaches of the forest, startled birds flew out of the woods, snakes, insects, rats and ants were terrified, and all kinds of small beasts were terrified.

Of course, it's not just small animals.

The same applies to people.

The man who had been speaking "street jargon" so confidently suddenly knelt on the ground.

But his expression remained unchanged, and he immediately shouted in a loud and vigorous voice, "Senior is benevolent! I admire you, and I would never dare to disobey your orders! It is an honor for us to serve you!"

Li Qi clenched his toes in embarrassment.

He wasn't used to using his power to boss people around.

So he went out and said, "There's no need for that. I was just following you because I didn't want to show my face. I wonder how you all discovered me? I should have already concealed my presence."

The burly man said respectfully, "Senior, you may not know this, but our Golden Wave Sect's Cultivation Method can detect a person's vitality. Although you did not reveal your aura, your vitality is so strong, like the blazing sun, it is hard to look directly at you, like the bright moon in the dark night sky, it is impossible to hide!"

Li Qi felt his heart skip a beat.