Harvesting Destiny Clusters

"Master Huo!"

"Master Huo, we've all cut our queues!"

"That's right, we've all cut them! The Immortal Master is bestowing martial arts, please let us in."

"We also want to beat up the foreign devils like you, Master Huo! You were amazing just now! You took on so many armed foreigners by yourself and sent them running!"

Huo Yuanjia was almost overwhelmed by the enthusiastic martial artists.

Just now, Huo Yuanjia had charged out of the International Journalists' Club alone, like Xiang Yu reborn, possessed by a divine spirit. He punched through a brick wall, blasted through barricades, and when bullets hit him, he merely twitched his muscles, squeezing out the deformed slugs without shedding a drop of blood! He moved like the wind, bullets couldn't touch him, and in the blink of an eye, he'd covered over twenty meters! He had the foreigners in disarray!

We martial artists have been bullied enough by foreign guns and cannons! Who wouldn't want to vent their anger?

Cutting queues?

What was that? As long as the Immortal Master bestowed martial arts, let alone cutting queues, they'd even storm Tianjing and seize the emperor's throne for the Immortal Master to sit on if that's what it took!

Besides, the Immortal Master wasn't afraid of foreigners. He summoned the Dragon King to capsize ironclad warships, sinking them in the Yangtze River. He even called upon the Thunder God and his consort to slaughter the foreigners, leaving none alive! Such divine power, such legitimacy! Who in China could resist? Who could possibly resist? Seeing the Immortal Master's divine might on the battlefield in the Central Plains, they would surely surrender without a fight.

Bestowing martial arts was secondary.

With the Immortal Master here, would health and longevity be far behind?

One could imagine how eager the martial artists who were chosen were, and at the same time, how disgusted they were by the foreigners trying to sneak in.

If it weren't for the lingering prestige of the foreigners.

Those few foreigners who tried to push their way through wouldn't just get a few well-placed punches and elbows. Even without openly beating them or resorting to poison, the martial artists couldn't hide their intense hostility. Their eagerness to enter and receive the bestowed martial arts quickly turned into a desire for Huo Yuanjia to deal with all these foreign reporters.

"Master Huo, quickly throw these foreigners out! Don't let them steal our techniques."

"Exactly! How can barbarians covet the martial arts bestowed by the Immortal Master?"

"They might be plotting against the Immortal Master!"

These were the more moderate voices; less moderate ones could be heard everywhere.

"Opportunities for immortality are hard to come by, and there might not be enough spots. What right do foreigners have to share? It's better to kill them and be done with it!"

"Master Huo, the Manchus and the foreigners are in cahoots. We've all cut our queues; there's no turning back now. If we let them live, they'll surely leak secrets!"

"Sacrifice them! Let their blood be the banner!"

These people, with their newly cut queues and disheveled hair, had red eyes. Their words were more terrifying than the last, like mournful ghosts, truly scaring the foreign reporters. At this point, even if they wanted to leave, they couldn't.

"We're just reporters, you barbarians!"

"We protest!"

"That's right, why are you discriminating against us?"

A few rather naive foreign female reporters couldn't help but protest.

All they could do now was protest.

If it were just a few hours ago, they would have arrogantly rebuked, requested their minister to send troops to suppress them, and demanded apologies and compensation from these barbaric and backward yellow-skinned monkeys.

"Alright, take them all down first. We'll let the Immortal Master decide their fate later."

Nong Jinsun spoke.

He was Huo Yuanjia's childhood friend, and now that he spoke, and as a member of the party, his words carried weight second only to Huo Yuanjia's.

A group of martial artists had already surrounded the foreign reporters. With someone taking the lead, over a dozen foreigners were swiftly apprehended, each trying to outdo the others.

"Jinsun, this..." Huo Yuanjia frowned.

"Yuanjia, you've received a great opportunity from the Immortal Master and owe him a great debt. You must prioritize the Immortal Master in all matters," Nong Jinsun interrupted Huo Yuanjia. Everyone could see that he was favored by the Immortal Master Lan Yi. Regardless of the reason, this favor must not be diminished by something that might displease the Immortal Master.

Whether they were party members or martial artists.

Despite their fanaticism and impulsiveness, they were all shrewd individuals. They knew very well that Lan Yi was an Immortal Master who bestowed martial arts, but he could also become a vicious demon at any moment. The most terrifying thing was that this demon was beyond anyone's control; he had even flipped over foreign ironclad warships.

In the humanistic wisdom of river civilizations, in a world where rites and music have collapsed, rather than trusting in others' integrity, it is better to lock down a person, fix them in a saintly position, and make their words and actions conform to those of sages.

Unfortunately, Lan Yi did not fall for this.

Ever since Lan Yi barged into the International Journalists' Club, although he hadn't killed indiscriminately, his inherent coldness and dominance were palpable. Apart from Huo Yuanjia, with whom he could converse, no one else had the right to say more than a few words in his presence.

Of course, except for Huo Yuanjia.

Party members like Nong Jinsun and Chen Qimei had also made backup plans.

That was to prepare women.

This foreign female reporter had been apprehended and was awaiting the Immortal Master's judgment. If the Immortal Master was interested, wouldn't it be a simple matter?

Huo Yuanjia couldn't be bothered with these intricacies. He simply walked out, preparing to await the next wave of foreigners and officials.

"Yuanjia, don't forget to cut your queue!" Nong Jinsun reminded him loudly.

"Immortal Master! Please bestow martial arts upon me!"

Zhao Jian excitedly cupped his hands in a salute towards Lan Yi, who was floating in mid-air.

Lan Yi glanced at him, his Colorless Eyes flickering twice.

"Your aptitude is acceptable."

Zhao Jian's aptitude was indeed acceptable; he could hold his own against Huo Yuanjia at his most ferocious, and his travels had earned him the title of invincible across three provinces.

To a certain extent.

Zhao Jian was even more suited for martial arts than Huo Yuanjia after his spiritual transformation, potentially reaching Spirit Cultivation faster. More importantly, Zhao Jian possessed a Destiny Cluster that Lan Yi's Destiny Diagram, the Nine Heavens Responding Primordial Treasury, required.

"You possess something I desire. If you are willing to give it to me, I promise to help you reach the Great Accomplishment of Qi Cultivation in one step and bestow upon you a true martial art manual."

Zhao Jian paused upon hearing this, then nodded heavily.

"As the Immortal Master arranges."

"You will not regret this."

As soon as Lan Yi finished speaking, Cang Hua instantly lashed out. Zhao Jian stood firm, suppressing his apprehension and fear. The next second, he was pierced by myriad strands of Cang Hua, a tingling sensation spreading through him as his consciousness grew hazy while he maintained his stance.

Sharper than a scalpel, Cang Hua weaved through Zhao Jian's body.

Before long, it detected a region in his nape that was particularly receptive to psionic energy. It had lain dormant there, never having absorbed a psionic energy Destiny Cluster.

The Destiny Cluster: Prison Suppression.

Location: Nape. Ability: Subdue the restless mind, harmonize with the divine.

In simpler terms, it was a combination of an iron will and natural coordination. Its effect was not significant when used alone, and in the Artificial Divine Realm's 1909 world, without psionic energy nourishment, it would be even more unremarkable.

However, when placed within the Nine Heavens Responding Primordial Treasury Destiny Diagram, Prison Suppression, combined with other Destiny Clusters, could activate the world-shattering Heaven Burning Thunder Soldier Prison.

The Heaven Burning Thunder Soldier Prison: Across the three realms and six paths, martial arts not of Void Cultivation cannot contend! The Dao not of the Star River cannot be fathomed!