"I was still more proficient in ninjutsu... Then what about the path of the martial warrior? I still needed to broadly adopt and absorb the strengths of various cultivation methods. Perhaps that would bring progress unlike anything before..."
"The Blazing Sun Sect no longer had anything to do with me. It was time to leave..."
Uchiha Madara opened the door and tapped the small bronze bell. Before long, Yu Lingxin came hurrying over, her brows drawn together as she looked at him with hesitant unease.
"Having accepted another's request, one must faithfully carry out their task. Since I accepted your treasure and promised you, I will still do what I said. Lead the way!"
Uchiha Madara spoke blandly, and Yu Lingxin's face immediately filled with gratitude.
The Heavenly Martial Continent had countless provinces and commanderies—eighty-eight commanderies in all. After the Martial God Emperor's authority vanished, the various powers and sects had fought one another for nearly five hundred years.
Other than the territories of the seven great sects, which could be considered relatively peaceful, conflict raged endlessly throughout the rest of the land. Bandits ran rampant, and there were vast numbers of people who practiced martial arts. In troubled times, one needed the means to survive.
Though the provinces and commanderies were interconnected, lone travelers were few. Most hired groups of martial warriors and formed caravans before they could travel and trade between regions.
Otherwise, to ordinary folk, even a distance of merely a hundred li or so was as impassable as a vast chasm.
On a broad road, a band of mounted bandits had blocked a small caravan.
Many warriors had already readied their weapons to guard the caravan. The cold wind howled, whipping up their outer robes, while armor and iron mail protected their vital areas.
Even