A Fit of Rage

When the foreigners were temporarily unable to deal with the newly risen martial artist group.

No matter how much they denounced them as rebellious or cursed them as unforgivable, the Qing Imperial Court was powerless against the emerging force formed by the alliance of southern factions and martial artists.

They had even beaten the foreigners until they were thoroughly defeated. Why would they fear a bunch of backward and corrupt Manchus?

This era was one of national awakening and the pursuit of dignity.

When the martial artists could allow the people under their rule to stand tall in the face of foreigners, regaining the noble and magnificent national dignity of the Celestial Dynasty, the seemingly ignorant and humble spiritual outlook of the entire Puhai seemed to undergo a sea change overnight!

Foreigners can do it.

We can do it too!

And we can do it better. The belief that there is nothing our great China cannot accomplish arose spontaneously!

This was not the desperate madness and ignorance displayed by the Fist Cult's manipulation of the masses.

All kinds of knowledge were freely opened, Jixia Academy was rapidly established, and the factions that insisted on being benevolent officials tirelessly, even personally, took to the streets and the countryside to explain the current world situation, the wolfish ambitions of the imperialist powers, the peril of national subjugation and extinction, and the great upheaval of a millennium, where a sage descended from heaven, bestowing martial arts and soldiers!

No one would believe empty talk.

Rubbing one's lips raw was not as effective as throwing a punch.

Therefore, the martial artists, with their extraordinary physical fitness, directly cooperated with the factions' propaganda speeches by bringing guns and cannons to show off their strength. Things like taking bullets, carrying cannons alone, shattering rocks with fists, and moving like the wind were all child's play.

Showing off strength meant killing.

Don't admit you're a Star Han person? Kill. Still licking foreigners, suffering from xenophobia? Kill. Continue to be loyal to the Manchus? Kill. Secretly communicating with the north? Kill. Unwilling to contribute people or effort to the great rise of Star Han? Kill, kill! Disrespect the Immortal Master?! Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill!

Driven by their positions and interests, the martial artist group began a brutal integration in the fastest way possible, directly establishing the legitimacy and might of their powerful rule.

The grassroots gentry and officials, who nominally still pledged allegiance to the Imperial Court, began to choose sides amidst the brutal purges.

Even the Governor-General of Liangjiang, Zhang Ji, had surrendered.

Why should these small fry hold out any longer?

Moreover, a martial artist's sarcastic remark to the gentry after suppressing a riot resonated with them.

"Foreigners come to our land to burn, kill, and plunder. After doing risk-free business, they then engage in lucrative monopoly businesses. With the current bestowal of martial arts by the Immortal Master, why can't we do what foreigners can do?"

"If you want to get promoted and rich, if you want your descendants to prosper, if you want fame and fortune."

"Those with aptitude, become martial artists!"

"Martial artists are tougher and more resilient than foreigners! They aren't afraid of guns and cannons! What are you afraid of!?"

This martial artist was named Cheng Zong, a Qi Cultivation Practitioner and one of the capable subordinates of the Fierce Heavenly General Zhao Jian. After completing this round of clearing his jurisdiction, he would return to Puhai's Department of Natural Sciences to receive enlightenment from the sacred land of Martial Arts, striving to enter the Spirit Cultivation realm as soon as possible and dedicate himself to the great cause of Immortal Master Lan Yi.

Beneath the Thunder Pool Immortal Lotus in the sacred land of Martial Arts (power plant) were twelve golden figures forged by Immortal Master Lan Yi using immortal techniques. They not only could awaken the spiritual potential of martial artists but also aided in the cultivation of Innate Qi.

Currently, newly joined martial artists could generally receive a free cleansing from a golden figure once. Martial artists who completed missions could receive another cleansing. The speed at which Qi Cultivation Practitioners were being produced was comparable to the level of inviting 50 yuan buddies!

In addition to this, the golden figure system also had the ability to detect Destiny Clusters.

Of course, it could only detect the presence or absence of Destiny Clusters. The specific type of Destiny Cluster still required Lan Yi's personal review.

There were many, many martial artists like Cheng Zong.

They were as numerous as carp crossing a river!

They were the common portrayal of the martial artist group's Qi Cultivation Practitioners.

Cut off your queues, change into sturdy attire, cultivate martial arts, learn knowledge, and take up guns and cannons. No matter who you were in the past, no matter what your identity was, as long as you had aptitude and were willing to risk your life for the future of Star Han, you could contribute to it. It was very fair here; whoever was stronger got more.

But one must not prevent others from taking, nor must one deplete the resources for future use.

Puhai alone had over a million people, and the surrounding areas combined had a population exceeding five million.

A continuous stream of psionic energy was being showered upon these five million people every day.

Lan Yi was not afraid of a shortage of martial arts talents.

He was not even afraid of martial artists degenerating.

The reason was simple: martial artists who began Spirit Cultivation could adjust their minds and some hormone secretions. The pleasure derived from external things was not as satisfying as self-generated pleasure. This genuine, tangible power was hundreds of times more addictive than working out!

One could imagine the drastic changes occurring in Puhai within a few days.

Talents were discovered almost every day, people chose to become martial artists every day, and every day, the corrupt and obstructive pests that hindered governance and damaged the martial artist base were being pulverized into dust by the martial artists' fiery fists!

Reward what is right, punish what is wrong!

Punish to achieve uprightness! Punish to achieve clarity of thought! Punish to achieve a bright and clear world!

These drastic changes were also being partially revealed to the outside world through newspapers.

"Magical Orient! Great Sorcerer! Incredible Transformation!" This was a Western newspaper, written by several enthusiastic yet abstinent noble ladies and aristocratic young ladies after interviewing Immortal Master Lan Yi.

This newspaper was accompanied by a series of gossip columns.

"Immortal? Charlatan? The Resurgence of the Chinese Empire." This was a Dongyang newspaper, written by several gentle, considerate Yamato Nadeshiko, Zaibatsu Miss, and their maids after interviewing Immortal Master Lan Yi.

This newspaper was accompanied by a series of gossip columns.

"Foreign Officers Pledge Loyalty to Immortal Master, Demonstrating Divine Soldier Execution of Criminals On-Site." This was written by a local newspaper reporter, who was gentle, serene, and a classical beauty, still recovering from xenophobia, after interviewing Immortal Master Lan Yi.

This newspaper comes with a series of sensational tabloids.

"Everyone is a dragon, China prospers, and returning to its peak is just around the corner." This was written by a reporter, who is also a university student, from a newspaper that has rapidly recovered from its xenophobia, is enthusiastic and progressive, and has an open mind. She interviewed Immortal Master Lan Yi.

This newspaper comes with a series of sensational tabloids.

The content of the tabloids is purely fictional.

However, if you were to take the newspaper and ask the female protagonist of the main article for confirmation, you should be able to see the shy and somewhat temperamental expressions of the women before being beaten out with sticks.

After confirming that Lan Yi didn't care about this at all.

There were plenty of people who hoped to establish some connection with Immortal Master Lan Yi through this method.

As for whether the content of the tabloid was true or false, or what exactly happened, no one truly cared. Anyway, they did interview Immortal Master Lan Yi. Faced with an existence as handsome and powerful as a god, they were all captivated. You can fill in the rest yourselves.

Many foreigners were angered.

This is normal. Anyone would be angry if their head was green, especially if their daughter might have helped put the hat on. The key is that they couldn't determine the truth or falsehood, and they were also looked down upon by their wives and daughters for being incompetent.

The foreigners, in their rage, also became enraged.

Every day they had to face numerous strange looks and mockery, yet they could do nothing. They could only stay indoors and plot in secret.