First Martial Arts Tournament

Lin Huang squatted at the entrance of the small shop, washing bowls.

It was hard to imagine that the three proprietresses inside the shop were the renowned Three Holy Mothers of the Human Realm, while Lin Huang, who was squatting outside washing bowls, was the newly risen Great Saint of the Human Realm—the Desolate Saint Lin Huang, who had seized the Zhongnan Dojo and faced gods without perishing.

But the Three Holy Mothers did not care, and neither did Lin Huang.

The Three Holy Mothers taught him for three days, neither preaching the path nor explaining the law, simply treating him like a common laborer.

Yet Lin Huang gained much insight, occasionally mimicking the Three Holy Mothers by pulling up a small stool, sitting at the entrance, and watching the flow of people for the entire day.

He was not watching the people, but the Red Dust, the stories hidden behind them, and he felt he had gained something.

When the three days were up, Lin Huang felt a bit anxious. The Three Holy Mothers had made it clear to him that there were three paths to becoming a god, and no one in the Human Realm had yet achieved godhood through the Human Path. But as for walking the Heaven or Earth paths, Lin Huang had long been unable to find his opportunity.

"Three days are up."

"You should go."

"Do not forget your promise."

"Understand the path through the Red Dust."

"It requires opportunity."

"You are lacking too much."

"Seclusion is useless."

"You had best immerse yourself in the Red Dust."

"The First Martial Arts Tournament."

"It is quite suitable for you."

"Because you are a young man."

"So do not make yourself look so old-fashioned."

"Seeing through the ways of the world."

"You are still far from it."

"Since you are far from it."

"Then go and roll in this Red Dust."

"Alright."

"You may leave now."

The Three Holy Mothers spoke one after another, giving Lin Huang no chance to interject. With a slam of the shop door, they chased him out.

Lin Huang did not linger; he chose a place to stay in town and pondered his next step.

He kept the Three Holy Mothers' suggestion in mind and opened the Celestial Pivot, which was filled with news about the First Martial Arts Tournament.

"The First Martial Arts Tournament begins tomorrow. Who is the number one genius of the Human Realm? Let us wait and see."

"...As of now, the number of registrants for the First Martial Arts Tournament has exceeded three billion. Officials have revealed that the preliminary rounds for this edition of the First Martial Arts Tournament will still be held in the Dream God Realm..."

News about the First Martial Arts Tournament was everywhere. Held once every decade, it was a grand event in the Human Realm. It had been held over nine hundred times, and only young people under the age of thirty could participate.

Lin Huang would only turn twenty-six at the end of the year, so he was naturally eligible. Moreover, with his cultivation at the Saint level, snatching the championship from a group of juniors whose highest strength was merely the upper stage of the Marquis realm would be effortless.

"The Three Holy Mothers would naturally not have me go just to win the championship, so there must be a deeper meaning here."

Lin Huang suddenly recalled a line from the Asking Self chapter of the Literary Saint: "At fifteen, I set my heart on learning; at thirty, I stood firm; at forty, I had no doubts; at fifty, I knew the mandate of heaven; at sixty, my ears were attuned; at seventy, I could follow my heart's desires without overstepping the line."

Lost in thought, Lin Huang muttered to himself: "I currently have the power to follow my heart's desires, but I lack my own rules, my own path. What I seek now is the path. I seek to establish my path. 'At thirty, I stood firm.' The participants of this First Martial Arts Tournament are all under thirty; they are at the age of establishing their paths, yet they have not fully formed them. It is perfect for my enlightenment."

He had helped the Three Holy Mothers sell jelly noodles for three days, and though he had asked them to demonstrate their paths, Lin Huang could not learn them. In the words of the Three Holy Mothers, Lin Huang currently possessed the state of mind of a General, but the cultivation of a Saint. He should not be thinking about becoming a god first, but rather about improving his state of mind and cultivation.

"Is this the true meaning behind the Three Holy Mothers' words?" Lin Huang did not know if that was what they meant, but the more he pondered it, the more he felt it was the truth.

"I must understand the path within the Red Dust. If I am to understand my own path, then the path I walk must naturally be my own Red Dust. If I had not become a Saint, would I have participated in the First Martial Arts Tournament?"

"Yes. I certainly would have."

"Even if not to win the championship, being able to fight against numerous geniuses to verify my learning—only then would life be complete."

"So that is it. To attain enlightenment in the Red Dust, one must first walk this path of the Red Dust?"

Lin Huang understood in an instant.

Enlightenment in the Red Dust, enlightenment in the Red Dust.

If one does not walk the path of the Red Dust, how can one understand the path of the Red Dust?

A twenty-year-old has a twenty-year-old's way of living, and a thirty-year-old has a thirty-year-old's way of living. The path of the Red Dust is the same, but there will be differences, simply because the paths taken are different.

Realizing this, Lin Huang did not hesitate and immediately registered himself on the Celestial Pivot. Seeing that the number of registrants had already exceeded three billion, Lin Huang did a quick calculation; it could be said that almost every young person under thirty in the entire Human Realm was participating.

With this, Lin Huang became even more determined in his decision to participate in the First Martial Arts Tournament.

"But can these people really help me attain enlightenment?" Lin Huang still had doubts in his heart. He moved his hand and began searching for famous contestants on the Celestial Pivot.

"The First Martial Arts Tournament: Data on the top two hundred seeded players exposed."

Sure enough, there was such a report, and Lin Huang clicked on it immediately.

Seed contestant number one, Xu Qingcheng, a fourth-year student at Celestial Academy, Saintess of the Taiyi Sect, cultivation at the upper stage of the Marquis Realm.

Commentary: A proud daughter of heaven, a goddess to the masses, she combines the strengths of two holy lands: Celestial Academy and the Taiyi Sect. Born with the Taiyin Divine Body, she ranks ninth on the all-time Genius Ranking of the Human Realm in the Dream God Realm. Being listed as the number one seed is well-deserved.

Seed contestant number two, Heavenly Sword Marquis, chief disciple of the Sword Pavilion, cultivation at the upper stage of the Marquis Realm.

Commentary: A true favored son of heaven, it is said he is the reincarnation of the Heavenly Sword from the Seven Swords Great World. He was born with Marquis Realm cultivation and has further refined the Innate Divine Body and the Indestructible Sword Body. His potential to win the championship cannot be underestimated.

Seed contestant number three, Feng Dao, successor to the Blade Saint, cultivation at the upper stage of the Marquis Realm.

Commentary: Taken to the Blade World by the Blade Saint at a young age, he boasts the impressive record of defeating a powerhouse in the King Realm. It is said that he even faced an Asura Saint head-on in the Blade World and retreated unscathed. He has mastered the Nine Methods of Heavenly Blade passed down by the Blade Saint, and rumors suggest he has even obtained the inheritance of the Blade God. He is ranked third only because he resides far away in the Blade World and lacks fame in the Human Realm.

Seed contestant number four, Shi Hao, the sole successor of the Supreme Dojo, cultivation at the upper stage of the Marquis Realm.

Commentary: It is said that this man was born with blood-red characters, "Supreme" on his left hand and "Invincible" on his right. Whether it is true or not does not matter; knowing he is the sole successor of the Supreme Dojo, one of the ten holy lands, is enough. He is ranked fourth only because he has few recorded battles.

Seed contestant number five, Hong Renyi, the number one genius of the current generation of the Hong Clan, cultivation at the upper stage of the Marquis Realm.

Commentary: Fifty years ago, the Hong Clan produced a peerless genius who reached the Marquis Realm at twenty, the King Realm at thirty, and the Saint Realm at forty. He is the Shadow Saint. The reason he is mentioned is that even someone as peerless as him was not granted the character "Yi." Hong Renyi is the first person in the Hong Clan since Yi Zi to be granted the character "Yi." His talent can be imagined.

There were many more behind this, but Lin Huang frowned as he read. He was not interested in the strength of these people; what he cared about was whether any of them had already grasped the rudiments of the Dao.

From the Three Holy Mothers, Lin Huang already knew that according to normal cultivation, even a peerless genius would only grasp the Dao in the late stage of the King Realm. However, if one had peerless talent before that, they could also comprehend the rudiments of the Dao.

So-called sword intent, fist intent, and blade intent were these very rudiments of the Dao.

"Although it isn't written, they are all peerless geniuses from major sects, capable of winning against the strong while being weak and killing enemies above their rank. They should have already comprehended these rudiments of the Dao."

Lin Huang muttered to himself, completely forgetting that he himself had not yet comprehended the rudiments of the Dao.

"Forget it, it doesn't matter. I'll know after tomorrow's battle. If it's too boring, I'll just withdraw."