Strategy

And so, another month passed.

Inside Bao'an Hall, within the Quiet Room.

"Fu Junzhuo is dead?"

Xu Yang sat cross-legged upon a brand-new thousand-year cold jade bed, looking somewhat surprised at Su Beixuan, who had come to report. "How did she die?"

Su Beixuan said in a deep voice, "After they left Xuzhou, they headed for Yongzhou. Three days ago, they were ambushed by the Yin Kui Sect of the demonic path. The sect master, Yin Queen Zhu Yuyan, personally arrived. Fu Junzhuo was no match for her and gave her life covering Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling's escape. In the end, she was killed by Zhu Yuyan."

"Zhu Yuyan?"

Xu Yang muttered, his mind turning it over.

Because he needed to conduct an experiment on the "Protagonist Halo," Xu Yang had withdrawn all forces monitoring Fu Junzhuo and the Twin Dragons, lest he, this "external force," interfere with the results.

Now, Fu Junzhuo was dead. Though the one who killed her had changed from Yuwen Huaji to Zhu Yuyan, she had still died, just as she originally had—giving her life to protect the Twin Dragons.

Could there really be some "Protagonist Halo" or "power of destiny" ensuring that the original course of events unfolded?

Or was it merely coincidence?

There were too few clues to support either conclusion, so Xu Yang could not reach a verdict for the moment.

But even taking a step back, if there truly was a force like "destiny" correcting the tracks and ensuring the course of events, it would still need to be "rationalized." It could not arise from nowhere.

What did it mean to arise from nowhere?

For instance, a meteorite directly falling from the sky and smashing Fu Junzhuo—who was not supposed to remain alive—to death. That would be arising from nowhere: utterly unreasonable, as if it simply wanted you dead, and death was inevitable.

Such a force was beyond mortal resistance. Like the "will of Heaven," it would make corrections directly and brutally. That would mean this "destiny" stood at an extremely high level and possessed immense power.

Xu Yang did not believe this world contained a power of destiny so lofty.

Therefore, even if "destiny" truly existed in this world, its power should be comparatively weak. It could not actively correct the tracks or alter things; it could only fan the flames from the sidelines and fulfill its mission through "rational" means.

Zhu Yuyan's ambush on Fu Junzhuo was one such rational manifestation.

Fu Junzhuo carried two great treasures that invited covetous eyes. One was the Longevity Art, and the other was the clue to Duke Yang's Treasury.

There was no need to say much about the Longevity Art. It was a wondrous scripture and treasured classic coveted by all in the martial world.

Duke Yang's Treasury, meanwhile, was a treasure hoard left behind by Yang Su, a high minister of the Sui Dynasty. It was said to contain all the gold, silver, treasures, divine weapons and sharp tools Yang Su had accumulated throughout his life.

Thus, a rumor had always circulated through the martial world: obtain either the He Shi Bi or Duke Yang's Treasury, and one could obtain the realm.

With two great treasures on her person, it was only natural for Fu Junzhuo to be coveted, ambushed, and robbed—regardless of whether the attacker was Yuwen Huaji or Zhu Yuyan.

Thus, Xu Yang could more or less set his mind at ease.

Even if he changed the course of this world, or even killed Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling, the two protagonists, that unknown and possibly nonexistent "power of destiny" would find it difficult to harm him. It certainly could not drop a meteorite from the heavens to eliminate him, an "alien variable from beyond the sky."

Of course, that was limited to this world. If he later traversed to a higher world such as Journey to the West or Investiture of the Gods and directly laid hands on a "protagonist," then a meteorite might indeed fall from the sky—or even Immortal Buddhas, Gods and Demons might cross realms to descend.

Special circumstances required special treatment. One could not rigidly apply the same rule across the board.

Xu Yang returned his thoughts to the present and continued asking, "What of Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling?"

Su Beixuan replied, "Fu Junzhuo gave her life to hold the enemy back. The two jumped into the river and escaped, after which their whereabouts became unknown. Shall we send men to look for them?"

"No need."

Xu Yang shook his head and said calmly, "Every man has his own fate. Let them go."

"Yes!"

Su Beixuan did not ask further. He acknowledged the order and withdrew from the Quiet Room.

Xu Yang alone remained seated on the cold jade bed, pondering in solitude.

Fu Junzhuo was dead. Just as in the original work, she had died giving her life to hold the enemy back for Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling.

Would the two protagonists now strive for strength in order to avenge her, embark upon the path that belonged to them, and achieve the legend of the Twin Dragons of the Great Tang?

Xu Yang did not know.

But it did not matter. He was neither kin nor friend to those three. His earlier intervention had only been for the Longevity Art and the Yuwen Clan; he had never intended to cling to the protagonists' thighs. Now, each would settle into their own destiny. Whatever happened had nothing to do with him.

Since it had nothing to do with him, there was no need to dwell on it. Xu Yang refocused his mind and continued reading the Longevity Art in his hands.

Over this past month, Xu Yang had chiefly done only two things. First, he had consolidated his cultivation, stabilized his realm, and completely mastered the power of Spirit Condensation Dao Integration. Second, he had studied the Longevity Art, deciphering the Oracle Bone Script within it and its diagrams of human meridians.

He had gained from both.

There was little need to speak of Spirit Condensation Dao Integration. Relying on the accumulation of one lifetime and the profound mystery of the Martial Scripture, Xu Yang had, in merely a month, consolidated his newly attained realm and become proficient in wielding the formidable power of Spirit Condensation Dao Integration.

Spirit Condensation Dao Integration transformed Gang into Origin. A Martial Artist in this realm no longer possessed merely Gang Qi as Inner Force, but tangible, liquid Gang Origin. Whether in quality and might or in quantity and storage, it was enhanced severalfold, even more than tenfold.

After all, entering this realm required condensing the spirit and integrating with the Dao, drawing the power of heaven and earth into one's body. It was a great Rebirth and Transformation that transcended the mortal realm, so its gains were naturally astonishing.

Besides the increase in strength, the growth in lifespan could not be overlooked.

As stated before, the upper limit of a mortal's lifespan was roughly one hundred and twenty years.

Under the premise of cultivating the Martial Scripture, a third-realm Martial Artist who had cultivated True Gang could live at most beyond one hundred and eighty years.

That was the limit.

Although the Martial Scripture had not spread through this world, after Spirit Condensation Dao Integration, fourth-realm Martial Artists generally possessed lifespans of one hundred and fifty years. If they avoided conflict and combat and had no hidden injuries, they could even live to two hundred.

And if they cultivated a wondrous scripture and treasured classic like the Longevity Art, which focused on Health Preservation and extending life...

There was no data for that at present, but Xu Yang estimated that reaching three hundred years should be possible. Even in the worst case, two hundred and fifty was achievable.

In other words, beyond the openly known Three Grandmasters, Four Great Holy Monks, the Heavenly Saber, Evil King, and other illustrious figures, there might well be quite a few undying hermits and Grandmasters of old hidden Behind the Scenes.

This was a force that could not be ignored. The three teachings of Daoist, Buddhist, and Confucian in particular had been passed down for ages and possessed deep foundations. They surely had extraordinary arts and secret methods for prolonging life and eternal youth, nourishing the primordial essence, and preserving health. It was entirely reasonable for them to have several undying Grandmasters hidden within their sects.

But it did not matter. They lived long, yet Xu Yang would live longer. With the Martial Scripture and the aid of various skill traits, after breaking through the Martial Path Fourth Realm, his lifespan had directly increased to five hundred years.

This body of his was only twenty-six years old. With a five-hundred-year lifespan, let alone those undying old monsters, even Song Que, the youngest among the current Grandmasters, would not live half as long as he would. If he wished, he could simply outlast every one of them.

Though there was not much meaning in doing so. After all, each generation produced its own talents. Once this lot died, newly advanced Grandmasters would emerge from nowhere.

That was what he had gained from Spirit Condensation Dao Integration.

On the other hand, the deciphering of the Longevity Art was also nearing its end.

The Longevity Art was a Daoist treasure scripture and one of the four great wondrous books of the martial world. It was said to have been written by Guangchengzi, master of the ancient Yellow Emperor Xuan Yuan.

Its outward appearance was plain and unremarkable, but it was actually woven from threads of mystic gold. It did not become wet in water, could not be burned by fire, and was difficult even for swords and blades to damage.

The text within was entirely in Oracle Bone Script, with more than seven thousand four hundred character forms in total. It was obscure and difficult to understand, and it also contained seven diagrams of human meridians, each profoundly abstruse.

Throughout the ages, many who had acquired this book possessed towering intelligence and learning that spanned ancient and modern times. Yet no one had ever fully deciphered it. They only left their own insights in the blank spaces of the book, densely packed as each aired their own views, making it even more bewildering.

Even to this day, no one had been heard of mastering this extraordinary art. It was not a matter of talent or comprehension; they simply could not understand it and had no idea how to cultivate it.

But this was not much of a problem for Xu Yang.

Back in the Great Zhou World, when he had been a slave of the Lu Family, Xu Yang had repeatedly snuck into the Lu Family Study and stolen books, thereby developing the "Reading" skill.

At that time, he did not recognize ancient writing. He could only read by guessing his way through, and over time, this had produced the "Decipher" trait.

Later, as his strength grew and his reading accumulation steadily increased, the Decipher trait was gradually upgraded. From "Draw inferences by analogy" to Infer other things from one instance, both contained the effect of "Decipher."

So long as the writing did not contain high-level power or transcendent might, he could decipher it. The Longevity Art, written in Oracle Bone Script, was naturally no exception.

Now, the deciphering was essentially complete. Next came actual cultivation.

But here, Xu Yang encountered a problem.

That was how to integrate the Longevity Art into the Martial Scripture.

The Martial Scripture was the foundation of his Martial Dao. Its might was extraordinary and its potential immense; there was no chance he would abandon it. Even if he cultivated the Longevity Art, he would incorporate it into the Martial Scripture system and merge the two into one.

But the prerequisite for incorporating it into the Martial Scripture system was that he first had to learn and master the Longevity Art. If he could not even cultivate it, how could he achieve Mastery Through Comprehension?

Yet cultivating the Longevity Art had two requirements. First, one could not possess Inner Force Cultivation, or it would create a conflict between cultivation methods and prevent success. Second, the cultivator needed to cultivate with "intent within non-intent"—they needed to study Daoist classics and comprehend the intent within non-intent of heaven, earth, and nature.

He could meet the latter requirement. After all, he had the accumulation of a lifetime in Great Zhou, had long cultivated all three teachings together, and was a Grandmaster who had grasped their essential truths.

But the former... was he supposed to cripple his own martial arts?

Xu Yang clearly could not do that.

Thus, there was only one method.

He would learn without cultivating. He would only study the principles and structural system of its cultivation method, without actually circulating its power or practicing it. Once he had learned it, he could integrate it into the Martial Scripture.

Having only theory and no practice, the difficulty was self-evident. It would likely be ten or even a hundred times harder than directly cultivating the Longevity Art.

But that did not matter. The Longevity Art was not some martial art Xu Yang absolutely needed. His foundation remained the Martial Scripture. So long as it benefited the Martial Scripture, spending more effort was no issue. He had all the time in the world.

Not to mention, he had a cheat!

The Ancestor of Martial Scriptures could greatly enhance the cultivation effects of the Martial Scripture. It also contained the "Mastery Through Comprehension" trait, allowing him to absorb all kinds of martial arts, Remove the Trivial, Keep the Essential, integrate them into the Martial Scripture system, and continuously enhance the Martial Scripture's might and foundation.

That was the first. There was also the second, the third, the fourth, and the fifth...

Teacher (Earnest teachings, Teaching and learning promote each other, Lead by example, Spread martial arts throughout the world, Everyone is like a dragon)

Teacher Skill, five great traits.

Earnest teachings could greatly enhance the effects of "teaching."

Teaching and learning promote each other was mutually beneficial. While teaching disciples, he himself could also improve and gain insights.

Lead by example needed even less explanation. One's own self served as a great model, capable of inspiring disciples and enhancing their cultivation results.

Spread martial arts throughout the world was Earnest teachings + Teaching and learning promote each other on an enormous scale. It could improve the effects of spreading martial arts throughout the world, while also carrying the mutual benefit and insight feedback of Teaching and learning promote each other. It was equivalent to all Martial Artists under heaven becoming Xu Yang's disciples, receiving his instruction and returning a portion of their insight gains to him.

Lastly, Everyone is like a dragon could enhance disciples' aptitude, comprehension, and cultivation results, making every one of Xu Yang's followers like a dragon, all peerless talents.

With these five great traits combined, along with the inherited foundation of the Great Zhou Martial Scripture, there was no need to mention the efficiency of developing a force. That Xu Yang had managed Bao'an Hall to this extent in merely sixteen years was inseparable from the help of these skill traits.

They were not only of help in developing his forces; they were also immensely useful for martial cultivation. Every disciple or follower was equivalent to a cultivation accessory. The more disciples he had, the faster he cultivated. With such snowballing growth, it was no wonder Xu Yang needed only sixteen years in this world to equal a hundred years of arduous cultivation in Great Zhou.

Therefore, Xu Yang had no need to worry about integrating the Longevity Art. So long as he spread the Longevity Art outward, the speed at which he comprehended its principles would greatly increase. Before long, he would be able to integrate it into the Martial Scripture.

Not only the Longevity Art, but also the Ice Profound Force contributed by Yuwen Huaji, as well as all the top martial arts of this world, could be integrated into the Martial Scripture system through the method of Universal Martial Arts Deployment.

Although Universal Martial Arts Deployment would touch upon the interests of all sides, meet resistance from all sides, and make many enemies, Xu Yang did not care. No matter how many there were, he would simply kill them.

Moreover, he had no intention of accomplishing it in a single stroke and allowing everyone in the world to cultivate directly. That was unrealistic. The proper approach was to first harvest a crop of leeks, then ignite competition in martial arts. Like an Arms Race, they would be forced to cultivate—or die if they did not...