What Kind of Martial Intent Is Stronger Than a Martial Saint? (4k)

"How come they always come up with new ideas?"

The study on the third floor had a window that was wide open.

Xu Yuelong knocked on the bay window, puzzled, wondering why the King of Yue's Steward had brought out a jade pendant.

The bronze, silver, and gold plaques were mentioned by the person who personally spoke when they sent people to dig a pit and knock down the jade pillar yesterday.

A jade pendant suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

If you had the jade pendant, why did you deliberately hide it before? Wouldn't it have been better to just say it openly?

"What does the jade pendant represent?"

The roar of the Martial Arts Field was deafening, drowning out the chirping of insects and birds in the forest.

"A jade pendant! The jade pendant that Master Liang has!"

"The gold medal has a jade plaque on it! The jade plaque is more valuable than the gold medal!"

"Strange, a gold medal weighs several tens of taels, equivalent to several hundred taels of silver, while a piece of white jade can't be worse, can it?"

"It must be worth over a thousand taels of silver! It's a one-of-a-kind item! Nobody has ever taken it before!"

"With Master Liang in charge, no other town's lords count!"

The common people don't understand the intricacies involved; all they need to know is that a jade plaque is more valuable than a gold plaque!

Wow, that's awesome!

The villagers of Yi Xing Town were proud and readily became their own tap water suppliers.

The news that Liang Qu had passed the martial arts test and obtained the jade token spread like wildfire from the Martial Arts Field outwards.

Zhang Xu instructed the soldiers to find the Steward the Celestial Ship Merchant Guild and personally introduce the extraordinary jade plaque to Liang Qu.

"The material of this jade is nothing special; it is top-grade white jade from the Jade River at the foot of Heaven Mountain. On the market, it would probably be worth a thousand taels of silver. The only special thing is that it contains the power of a single strike from the King of King of Yue, and its storage period is five years."

It was personally commissioned by the King of King of Yue when he departed from the Imperial Capital. Less than two months have passed since then, and it has traveled through many prefectures and counties without ever being delivered. Therefore, the Liang Water Envoy can roughly consider it to be exactly five years ago.

The power of King of Yue's Strike? Liang Qu flipped the oily jade tablet.

A faint silver line flickers on the back of the jade plaque, appearing and disappearing intermittently, which is quite mysterious.

The White Marble on the Snake Demon's head all have similar patterns.

I understand.

The Old Monk's short poem!

Liang Qu is clear.

The master's Golden Body body and Divine Ability are praised by everyone who has used them.

"Dry!"

One stone stirs up a thousand waves.

Xiang Fangsu Ke Wenbin stared at the jade pendant, their eyes shining and their mouths tingling.

The Martial Saint's Strike! This alone is worth far more than white jade! It could probably even protect one from a mediocre Grandmaster! Moreover, the jade token's uses go far beyond that. With the Martial Saint's Strike on your person, who wouldn't be afraid? Which Tom, Dick, or Harry below the Grandmaster level would dare to approach?

It has absolutely no need to be cashed in, yet it can still provide immense value.

Ran Zhongshi watched as Liang Qu happily put away the jade pendant, then stepped forward and clasped his hands in a gesture of respect.

"Mr. Zhang, there is something I am very curious about. I wonder if you could enlighten me?"

"I dare not presume to offer my explanation, Ran Zuoling, please ask."

"Since there is a fourth-grade jade token above bronze, silver, and gold, why not tell everyone beforehand, instead of waiting for the jade token holder to appear before we find out?"

Bian Yuanchong and Zhai Yunsu pricked up their ears.

They were just as curious.

Having passed through so many prefectures and seen many gold medal winners along the way, this was truly the first time I had ever heard of the existence of jade medals.

"This..." Zhang Xu hesitated.

Ran Zhongshi comforted him, saying, "It's not harmless to say it."

"It's not that I can't speak, but I'm ashamed. I don't know the reason why the King of Yue gave such an order..." Zhang Xu had never touched a pillar before and didn't know the ins and outs. He did whatever the King of Yue said. "Perhaps some of the gold medal holders have some clues?"

Ran Zhongshi seemed to be deep in thought.

Why are there four grades? They say it's grade three, but they're hiding grade one.

Unless... the King of Yue himself doesn't believe anyone can pass the fourth level! There's no need to treat those who can't pass the test as radishes, displaying them for everyone to see but not eat.

As for why it was set up...

While the King of Yue felt it was unlikely, he still harbored a glimmer of hope.

Ran Zhongshi looked towards Liang Qu.

Liang Qu looked up at the sky.

"You little rascal!" Xu Zishuai leaped up from the earthen slope and straddled Liang Qu's waist. "Tell me quickly! What happened to you afterwards! Give your senior brother a hint about your strategy for passing the level!"

Liang Qu had not yet recovered from his weakness and was so overwhelmed by the weight that he could not straighten up and coughed twice.

"Even if I explained the strategy, you still wouldn't be able to learn it!"

How do you know I can't learn it if you don't tell me?

The message flew into the Flowing Light Boat.

A tremor ran through the area.

"Izuku?"

"A jade tablet? The King of Yue's Strike? Is this true?"

"Absolutely true!" Bronze medalist Lin Yanjiang knelt on one knee. "The official touched it for a quarter of an hour, after which the White Marble lost all its silver luster and became ordinary. Mr. Zhang stepped forward and personally presented it with a piece of mutton fat jade. The jade was of the best quality and very oily. It would sell for several thousand taels of silver!"

Several gold medal holders, who had been chatting and playing cards, put down their cards, stared blankly for a moment, and then frowned deeply.

They certainly don't think anyone got lucky.

The test personally set by the King of Yue— can it be explained by sheer luck? It really is just sheer luck.

What did I amount to just getting through the previous quarter of an hour? "A jade pendant... how could there be a jade pendant on a gold pendant?"

Ma Shaobai crumpled the playing cards, which was quite unbelievable.

Upon hearing that someone possessed a jade token, it was as if, in the imperial palace, the Sacred Emperor, in addition to appointing the top scholar in this year's Imperial Examination examination, had also singled out another person, saying that this person's talent surpassed that of the top scholar.

Subsequently, an imperial edict was issued ordering the Ministry of Revenue to fabricate a new title to represent its superiority over the top scholar!

Is this still the top scorer?

One moment they were overjoyed, the next they were so embarrassed they were picking their toes in the Golden Luan Hall.

"The White Marble vanished into thin air with its silver light? Normally, shouldn't a divine spear appear and strike the person away? The silver light wouldn't disappear either." Jie Yan looked around. "Is this true for all of you?"

Several people nodded.

After a quarter of an hour, the divine spear appeared and struck out the martial arts examinee.

Anyone who touches the White Marble will be gently bounced away.

Thinking of this.

A terrifying thought arose in everyone's mind.

Ma Shaobai raised his eyes slightly and stammered, "Could it be... that this kid broke the silver spear?"

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!" Xie Yan vehemently denied. "I felt it clearly. The Divine Spear is the Yue King's Mysterious Weapon! We saw it with our own eyes when it suppressed the Ghost Mother Sect Master that day. It must have been imbued with a trace of the Martial Saint's will."

Pure artistic conception cannot be broken by mere strength! Unless Profound Light Opening and Melting Hundred Classics, perhaps only Hunting Tiger could overcome this by sheer numbers and force his way through!

Some agreed, "White Jade Pillar becomes stronger when facing stronger opponents. He has different experiences when entering the Wolf Smoke Realm, the Galloping Horse Realm, and the four realms. However, the last move is the only one that is the same. The purpose of setting it up is not to let people pass through!"

"Besides, what martial arts realm... is it higher than the Martial Saint of this era?"

"..."

"Laugh."

Beside the card table, the young man threw down his cards and sneered.

Ma Shaobai said, embarrassed and annoyed, "Pei Yunkun! What are you laughing at?"

Pei Yunkun's expression remained indifferent.

"I have heard of birds overseas that bury their heads in the sand when they are ambushed to avoid danger. How is your behavior any different from theirs?"

silence.

"Brother Kun is right." Another person spoke up, "The world's martial arts are vast and numerous. It is not uncommon for Martial Saint to pass down their skills. It is possible to learn even a fraction of their essence, but that would only be possible at the Hunting Tiger Upper Realm and when one Melting Hundred Classics. Why can someone as simple as Wolf Smoke use it?"

"That's the truth. Can you think of any other excuses for obtaining the jade tablets? Can you think of any reason why the King of Yue concealed the fourth level?"

"There's no point in saying more. Why don't we go and see him?" Pei Yunkun said, rising to his feet with his hands on his knees.

Lin Yanjiang, who brought the news, suddenly spoke up, "After the auction, there will be a competition among the jade pendant owners! It was Mr. Zhang who stirred things up."

"A duel?"

The wheels rolled over the Yellow Earth, raising a little dust.

Zhu Bingcan, the Steward of the Celestial Ship Merchant Guild, lifted the curtain, stepped out of the car, and came to Liang Qu and Zhang Xu, bowing respectfully.

"Since Lord Liang possesses a unique jade plaque, in this auction, any three items held by Lord Liang will be exempt from commission. In addition, ten items will be discounted by 10%, and items exceeding these thirteen will be discounted by 5%, the same as the gold plaque."

Liang Qu looked delighted.

Quite a few!

Most of the items auctioned by the Celestial Ship Merchant Guild are not owned by the Chamber itself; it merely acts as a platform to sell them on behalf of others, and then takes a cut from the sales.

Discounts are essentially a way to indirectly reduce one's own profit margin.

For example, the Mermaid Tear from Liang Qu are considered precious jewelry, and the commission rate is an astonishing 25%.

Eliminating commission is equivalent to a 25% discount on jewelry.

Other heavenly materials and earthly treasures and Spirit Artifact artifacts have a lower commission rate than valuable jewelry, but it is mostly around 15%, or at least 85%.

"That's a good way to make money!"

Xu Zishuai's eyes lit up.

There are thirteen discount slots available, and Liang Qu definitely won't be able to use them all himself; they can be used internally! "Let's go!" Liang Qu hung up his Waist Token. "Let's go tell Master the good news."

"Let's go, let's go!"

"That's what a real man should do."

The young man looked on with envy as he lay on the recliner.

He finished the mung bean soup, used the handrail to stand up, clutched the hard-earned bronze medal, and staggered home.

Zhang Xu did not stop him. He watched Liang Qu leave, then ordered his men to carry away the White Marble that had lost its luster, and boarded the Flowing Light Boat to search for the King of Yue.

Top deck cabin.

"Master..."

What is his character like?

"I came in a hurry and didn't get to know much about it."

"Go check."

"Yes!"

The White Marble, bathed in sunlight, appears entirely white.

Guan Congjian saw that the villagers were blocking the way so tightly that there was no way to pass. He jumped up a tree trunk and leaped around, but after looking around, he couldn't find Liang Qu and was greatly disappointed.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly saw a woman behaving frivolously, sitting on a bench, half-off her white socks, her toes lightly hooking her embroidered shoes, revealing her thighs. He immediately jumped down from the tree.

"Slut!"

After cursing.

Guan Congjian left.

"?"

Weng Shaoping laughed heartily.

Aside from Guan Congjian, very few people would dare to openly scold or berate their cousin.

To be honest...

He'd wanted to do this for a long time.

One of the three White Jade Pillar on the field was removed, forcing the three teams to merge into two.

The procession, which stretched for half a mile, meandered for almost a mile amidst the increasingly lively atmosphere.

Some people fainted from heatstroke while waiting in line and were dragged to the shade of a tree to be fed mung bean soup.

By noon, the third pillar had returned to the center, easing the congestion.

Shang Rao Wharf.

Ta Ta Kai, with copper coins tucked into his pocket, swaggered into the Small Restaurant. Looking around, he was surprised to find that there were hardly any customers today.

"Lord Otter!"

When the waiter saw that it Ta Ta Kai, he immediately invited him to Elder Monk, tossed him a towel, and went to arrange four dishes and a soup as usual.

The dishes are served.

The Ta Ta Kai its paws and hooked onto Xiao Er, making a circle around him.

The waiter thought for a moment, then suddenly realized. "You're asking why there's no one here?"

The Ta Ta Kai.

"From yesterday afternoon to today, everyone went to the River Conservancy Office Government Office to touch some jade pillars. Whoever touches it the longest gets it!" The waiter gave a thumbs up. "By the way, Master Otter, your master, Master Liang, he's the one, the biggest one! He touched a jade pendant this morning! They say it's worth tens of thousands of taels!"

Touching it for a long time.

The strongest? Ta Ta Kai's eyes lit up, ignoring the second half of the sentence. He finished his food, slapped down the copper coin, and headed to the River Conservancy Office Government Office.

We've arrived at our destination.

A sea of people, with the deafening sound of gongs and drums.

The Ta Ta Kai straightened its body, peering curiously at the crowd, ignoring the surprised and frightened looks from others, and voluntarily joined the back of the line to wait to touch the pillar.

The outsiders had never seen such a large River Otter before, so they retreated into a circle, hoping the soldiers would help drive it away.

Those Water Person know how ruthless the river wolf is.

To everyone's surprise, none of the soldiers reacted; they simply ignored them.

Are court officials now so incompetent and lazy that they hold their positions without doing any work?

The Spirit Monster is practically right in my face!

An out-of-town Martial Master, unable to tolerate the situation, was about to make a move when someone quickly pulled him back from behind.

"The otter from Master Liang's house! It can sail a boat, goes to the market to buy things, and never gives change—it's incredibly generous! Everyone calls it Otter Lord. If you don't mess with it, it won't hurt you!"

"Master Liang?" The Martial Master hesitated. "Master Liang took out the jade token?"

"That's the gentleman!"

"Strange, this man is extraordinary, River Otter he raises are quite impressive too!"

"A seventh-rank official stands before the Prime Minister's gate."

The strangers, unfamiliar with such things, were terrified upon hearing this and moved forward little by little.

I waited in line for half a day.

Ta Ta Kai to the White Marble, looked around, and imitated others by rubbing its fur and placing its paw on it. Instantly, its fur stood on end, and it bared its teeth, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth. However, it did not fall asleep like a normal person.

"Hey! It's A Shui's otter!"

Ke Wenbin, standing under the eaves, raised an eyebrow.

Martial Artist can usually hold out for several breaths, while ordinary people will collapse at the slightest touch and fall asleep peacefully.

Can this Little River Otter hold on? Ke Wenbin called for people to come and see what was going on.

Beneath the White Jade Pillar, Ta Ta Kai's face twisted and changed, sometimes filled with bitterness and hatred, sometimes with gritted teeth, sometimes with fear and trepidation, stubbornly refusing to remove its claws from the jade pillar.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths...

As the long shadow of the sundial slowly moved, the villagers' hearts pounded with fear.

this...

"I hope a River Otter doesn't actually get the badge. I might as well buy a block of tofu and smash my head against it!"

It seems that his words have come true.

With only a quarter of an hour remaining, just a breath or two away, the soldier next to him almost reached out to grab the bronze medal.

Just then, Ta Ta Kai and collapsed to the ground, feeling dizzy and disoriented.

A low exhale echoed through the room.

fortunately.

The bronze medalist patted his waist; it still felt heavy and substantial.

Instead of letting a foolish beast compete, it's better to turn around and jump into the river.

Junhan grabbed Ta Ta Kai of his neck and dragged him into the shade of a tree.

The Record Keeper was drawing the blue blood mark, held the inkstone in his hand and the brush in his hand. He was at a loss when faced with the River Otter covered in black fur. After pondering for a moment, he gently touched the otter's nose.

A second test is not allowed.

"They actually lasted that long, that's impressive. Could our River Conservancy Office train a unit of River Otter?" Ke Wenbin tilted his head.

Once the River Dolphin finless porpoise reaches a certain size, it becomes an expert in cross-border warfare and underwater patrols.

But that's underwater; people still have to live on land, which makes many things inconvenient.

Fortunately, River Otter have claws, which allows them to Shang An and do many technical tasks that finless River Dolphin cannot.

"Not very effective. The imperial court has already tried, but the River Otter is too fierce. It can be tamed, but only the smarter ones among the Spirit Monster can be managed. Only one or a family like A Shui can barely be managed to get things done."

Ran Zhongshi pointed to the Ta Ta Kai, "The next generation they breed will escape whenever they get the chance. If two litters get together, Die One the next day. They simply cannot grow into a large-scale family."

Furthermore, training ordinary Spirit Monster is extremely difficult; they simply cannot achieve the level of effortlessly commanding River Otter to sail a boat like A Shui did.

"How exactly did you raise A Shui...?"

June 18th.

Chen Shi (7-9 AM).

The area in front of the Celestial Ship Merchant Guild was bustling with carriages and horses.

Liang Qu handed over the invitation and led Long Binglin and Long E Ying into Sky Vessel Tower.