Off to Jianzhou

The White Lotus Daoist priestess was eager to know which martial arts masters the Golden Lotus Daoist leader had chosen as holders of the Earth Book fragments. She was a lotus flower with a color, and held a very high position.

I know some inside information: the fragment holders chosen by the Golden Lotus Daoist leader are said to be rising stars with great fortune. They will be an important asset for the Golden Lotus Daoist leader in eliminating demonic thoughts in the future.

The problem is, these young people are all rising stars; no matter how strong they are, how strong can they really be?

Unless each of them is a fourth-rank cultivator, Bai Lian doesn't believe these young people can stop the several Lotus Daoists from the Earth Sect who have fallen into demonic possession, stop the Black Lotus Daoist leader, or stop the Martial Alliance's forces.

However, the leader of the Golden Lotus Sect seemed to have great confidence in the "Earth Book Heaven and Earth Society" he had established.

Throughout the Nine Provinces, countless talented young people abound, like carp crossing a river. It's impossible to guess who the Golden Lotus Daoist leader is looking for. Bai Lian felt both apprehensive and expectant.

Quanrong Mountain.

Late at night, Cao Qingyang, dressed in a purple robe embroidered with layers of cloud patterns in gold thread, left the courtyard alone and headed towards the back mountain.

There is a man on the back mountain who is the same age as the nation.

The moonlight was dim, the shadows of the trees swayed, and he walked quietly along the mountain path, the hem of his purple robe brushing against the roadside weeds.

Cao Qingyang, over forty years old, has regular features and sharp eyes; his face perfectly embodies the word "upright".

There's a well-known rumor in the martial arts world of Jianzhou about this leader. It's said that the former leader was obsessed with physiognomy, and he once happened to meet Cao Qingyang, who was then just a lackey in the martial arts alliance.

Overjoyed, he declared that the boy's face was extraordinary, possessing the unique features of Houtu, one in ten thousand. Heaven is round, earth is square, and the earth, with its abundant virtue, sustains all things; a person with the features of Houtu is of impeccable Virtue and capable of leading others.

He then took him as a disciple, imparted his martial arts skills to him, and passed on the position of leader of the Martial Arts Alliance to him.

Regardless of whether physiognomy makes sense or not, the former leader of the alliance certainly had a good eye. In terms of martial arts skills, Cao Qingyang was the number one martial artist in Jianzhou and the top of the martial arts rankings.

In terms of professional ethics, Cao Qingyang has led the Jianzhou Martial Arts Alliance for more than ten years without making any major mistakes. The order of the Jianzhou martial arts world is stable, and he even cooperates with the government to capture some fugitives.

After trekking through the mountains for a quarter of an hour, a huge cliff suddenly appeared before us, with a stone gate at the base of the towering cliff.

The stone gate was tightly shut, covered with rotting leaves and overgrown with weeds, seemingly sealed away for endless years and never opened.

As Cao Qingyang stepped out of the woods and saw the cliff face, he keenly noticed two red lanterns shining on him from the top of the cliff before going out.

Those were Quanrong.

Cao Qingyang arrived at the stone gate, bowed his back, and said in a steady and respectful voice, "Ancestor, I will retrieve the Nine-Colored Lotus Root for you to help you break through the barrier."

There was no response from inside the door.

Cao Qingyang continued, "Since the Battle of Shanhai Pass twenty years ago, the strength of the Great Feng Kingdom has gradually weakened, and the imperial court's control over the various prefectures has declined sharply. Disasters have been occurring in various prefectures, and my disciple has a premonition that great chaos is about to descend."

An aged and ethereal voice finally rang out from inside the gate. "Is the emperor of the Great Feng still practicing Daoism?"

Cao Qingyang nodded. "Yes."

"Snort!"

A cold snort came from under the door.

Cao Qingyang continued, "Recently, news came from the capital that the Prince of Zhenbei, who was guarding the border, slaughtered 380,000 people in Chuzhou City in his attempt to break through to the second-grade Great Perfection realm, and was killed in Chuzhou City by a mysterious powerhouse."

He immediately gave a brief summary of the message.

"Well done!" the voice replied.

"Afterwards, to cover up his crimes, Emperor Yuanjing murdered the Chuzhou Provincial Governor who had come to the capital to appeal his case, and protected one of the main culprits, the Duke of Huguo."

"Don't the officials in the court care? Don't the Censor care?" The voice deepened.

"Yes."

As Cao Qingyang finished speaking, he suddenly felt the ground beneath his feet tremble slightly, and the stone gate also trembled, with dust falling in a flurry.

On the cliff face, the two lanterns lit up again, coldly watching him.

"Grand Ancestor, please calm down. There's more to this story," Cao Qingyang said hastily.

The shaking of the mountain stopped, and the two red lanterns on the cliff face immediately went out.

Cao Qingyang exhaled, his stern and upright face showing obvious signs of relaxation, and then said:

Later, a silver-clad official stormed into the palace, captured the Duke of Protector of the Nation, denounced the crimes of the Emperor and the Prince of Zhenbei, and beheaded the two dukes involved in the case at Caishikou.

Inside the stone gate, silence lingered for a long time. After a quarter of an hour, a faint sigh drifted over, "Since ancient times, the most hateful are the common men, yet the most shameless are also the most virtuous."

Cao Qingyang thought for a moment and explained, "Ancestor, the silver gong is not dead."

"Oh?"

This time, a hint of curiosity lingered in his deep, ethereal voice.

"This man is named Xu Qi'an. He is a Nightwatchers and rose to prominence in last year's Capital Evaluation. If you, Ancestor, would like to hear about him, I can tell you about him. Please don't find me annoying."

The aged voice carried a hint of amusement. "I've been stuck in my ways for hundreds of years, ignorant of the world beyond, unaware of the martial arts world of the Nine Provinces. Aside from listening to your ramblings every now and then, I'm quite boring."

Cao Qingyang sat cross-legged in front of the stone gate and said in a serious tone, "In recent years, the most interesting person in the martial arts world is the Flying Swallow Heroine, and the most amazing person in the imperial court is this Silver Gong named Xu Qi'an."

Now, let's recount the events that led to Xu Qi'an's rise during the year of the Capital Evaluation.

The Martial Alliance's dominance over the Jianghu of Jianzhou, which made the government wary and the imperial court tacitly approve, naturally had its unique strengths. What Cao Qingyang was most proud of was not the masters in the alliance, nor the eight thousand heavy cavalry.

Rather, it was the intelligence system he created single-handedly.

In Cao Qingyang's view, the intelligence system composed of peddlers, laborers, and wandering knights, while not as powerful as Wei Qingyi's night Nightwatchers spies, was far superior in terms of grassroots information.

From cracking the tax silver case while in prison to beheading his superior, from the Sangbo case to the Yunzhou case, and most recently the Chuzhou case, Cao Qingyang could explain everything in detail.

Jianzhou put a lot of effort into dealing with Xu Yinluo.

Of course, it's also because what that person did was so shocking and high-profile that it was hard not to know about it.

The old ancestor inside the stone gate listened patiently, thoroughly enjoying the story of a nobody's path to advancement.

"Interesting, very interesting. If this child doesn't die young, the Great Feng will have another peak martial artist." The aged voice said with a smile.

"Rumor has it that this young man's talent is no less than that of the Prince of Zhenbei." Cao Qingyang nodded, not finding anything wrong with his ancestor's assessment.

"Compared to the Prince of Zhenbei, I would much rather see a martial artist like that young Xu emerge." The aged voice sighed.

"A warrior uses force to break the law. The more lawless he is, the purer his thoughts become, because a warrior cultivates himself. The King of Zhenbei is a pure warrior, which is why he was able to reach that level. But it is precisely because of this that he committed the atrocity of massacring a city. Therefore, since ancient times, commoners have been the most hateful."

"That kid surnamed Xu is just as lawless, someone who only cares about having a clear conscience. Therefore, he would kill his superior for a complete stranger, and he would stand alone against countless rebels for a moment of hot-bloodedness."

"We killed more than two hundred rebel soldiers," Cao Qingyang replied after a moment's recollection.

"You just said he could hold off ten thousand rebels single-handedly," the aged voice said.

Cao Qingyang's face twitched slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "Some say eight thousand, some say five thousand, and some say ten thousand or twenty thousand. There are just too many rumors, and I got them mixed up."

The aged voice hummed in agreement and continued, "Including the recent massacre in Chuzhou, everyone feared imperial power and dared not speak out, but he alone dared to stand up and rage. Therefore, since ancient times, the common man has been the most worthy of shame."

Cao Qingyang bowed his head. "I will remember the teachings of our ancestor."

After a pause, he brought up the main purpose of his visit again. "The Nine-Colored Lotus of the Earth Sect is in Jianzhou, and it will be ripe in a few days. I want to obtain the lotus root to help our ancestor break through his cultivation barrier."

"However, the Earth Sect's leader has fallen into demonic ways and cannot be trusted. My disciple has one foot in the third rank, but the other is still stuck. I fear I am powerless to confront the Earth Sect's leader. I beg the Ancestor for help."

"The Daoist School, Earth, and Humanity. Throughout history, all its leaders have held the second rank. How can I assist you?"

"Ancestor, what came was only an avatar, at most a third-rank cultivator," Cao Qingyang added.

A drop of clear blood squeezed out from the crack in the stone door and landed between Cao Qingyang's eyebrows.

In the early morning, the sun shines brightly on the earth, bringing powerful warmth.

Xu Qi'an woke up at just the right time, his head throbbing and feeling quite unwell. He yawned and muttered to himself, "It's been so long since I visited Fuxiang; I miss her terribly."

Dressed properly, I woke up Zhong Li, who was lying on the soft couch not far away, and invited her to wash her face and brush her teeth together.

The two squatted under the eaves, holding boar bristle toothbrushes, brushing their mouths until they were full of foam.

"The truly top-tier Law Artifact are not those imprinted with formations, but those that possess a spirit."

At this moment, Zhong Li suddenly said something out of the blue, then tilted her head and looked at him silently.

Xu Qi'an frowned and snapped, "Just say what you have to say. You think I'll understand just by giving you a look?"

"Oh oh."

She mumbled two "ohs," took a sip of water, spat out the foam, and said softly, "The knife the teacher gave you has the appearance of a peerless weapon, but it lacks a corresponding spirit."

Xu Qi'an's heart skipped a beat. "And then?"

Zhong Li earnestly advised, her voice as clear and soft as a wind chime under the eaves. "You must get the lotus seed. It can imbue weapons with spirit, allowing your sword to be born with a weapon spirit."

"A weapon possessing a spirit will become a true weapon of mass destruction. The most powerful Law Treasure in the Nine Provinces, such as the National Guardian Sword and the Earth Book, all possess spirits."

"In other words, the birth of a weapon spirit is the foundation for entering the ranks of the most powerful Law Treasure in the Nine Provinces. If the sword given to you by Master Jianzheng could possess a weapon spirit, the physical body of a high-level martial artist would no longer be so invincible."

Yes, how come I didn't think of that before? Lotus seeds can enlighten all things, so naturally they could also enlighten my sword, Xu Qi'an, making him fall in love.

He mentally estimated that if the black gold longsword were to develop a weapon spirit, and combined with his "Heaven and Earth One Blade Slash," it would be more than just invincible among its peers.

It is highly likely, extremely likely, that he could defeat the enemy even if he were to transcend a higher realm.

Once he truly advances to the fifth rank, he might be able to fight against a fourth-rank martial artist. Well, even if he can't defeat a peak fourth-rank martial artist, defeating an ordinary fourth-rank martial artist shouldn't be too difficult.

Following this logic, if one advances to the fourth rank, wouldn't their offensive and defensive techniques be among the best of their rank?

Xu Qi'an lacks most right now is real combat power, and weapons are also a form of combat power.

Zhong Li rinsed her mouth and said in a soft voice, "Once the weapon spirit is born, the knife is no longer an inanimate object. If you nurture it every day, it will recognize its master, and no one else can use it. You have the fragment of the Book of Earth; you should understand that."

Zhong Li is amazing! Xu Qi'an couldn't wait to go to Jianzhou. He deliberately put on a stern face and said in a deep voice, "How did you know I have a fragment of the Earth Book? How did you know I was going to protect the Lotus Seed? Were you spying on my message?"

"?" Zhong Li stared at him blankly.

Xu Qi'an wiped his mouth, applied the foam from his palm to her head, and then turned the already messy thing into a bird's nest.

He looked at his masterpiece with a smug grin.

"I... I want to wash my hair."

Zhong Li glanced at him innocently, wondering why she was being treated this way, and walked away feeling wronged.

Haha, if it were a princess, she'd be pounced on me right now and scratch my face. Xu Qi'an let out a smug "hmph."

A familiar feeling of palpitation struck at this critical juncture.

Xu Qi'an frowned, put down the boar bristle toothbrush, returned to his room, grabbed the fragment of the Earth Book from under his pillow, and checked its information.

[Nine: Gentlemen, depart for Jianzhou immediately; the situation is not good.]

Chu Yuanzhen immediately replied: [Four: What do you mean by "the situation is not good," Daoist Master? What happened in Jianzhou?]

[Nine: It's hard to explain in a short time. There are quite a few enemies this time, and the situation is very bad. You'd better come over immediately for a face-to-face meeting.]

"Is the enemy a bit...?" Xu Qi'an's eyebrows immediately rose.

After Zhong Li's words, he was determined to get the lotus seed, because it would allow him to possess a peerless divine weapon, instead of just gaining a concubine to have sex with.

"I have to leave immediately. Hmm, I'll take you back to the Bureau of Astronomy first." Xu Qi'an grabbed Zhong Li's arm and rushed out of the room.

Just then, they saw Li Miaozhen carrying a flying sword, coming out of the room. Su Su wasn't with her; she was probably taken into the underworld.

"I'll escort her back to the Bureau of Astronomy," Xu Qi'an said.

"Hmm." Li Miaozhen nodded.

Zhong Li, plagued by misfortune, must be extremely careful even in ordinary times; if she were on the battlefield...

Riding a mare and taking Zhong Li back to the Bureau of Astronomy, Xu Qi'an was about to meet up with Li Miaozhen when a bold idea suddenly came to mind.

Yang Qianhuan is a fourth-rank Warlock. His offensive skills are inferior to those of a martial artist, but he is very skilled in array formations and also possesses Law Artifact.

Seeing Zhong Li descending the stone steps and about to disappear from sight, Xu Qi'an quickly called out, "Senior Sister Zhong, Senior Brother Yang is down there, right?"

Zhong Li turned around: "Hmm"

"Senior Brother Yang? Senior Brother Yang?" he shouted into the ground, his voice booming and echoing.

"Shut up, what do you want?" Yang Qianhuan's annoyed voice came from behind.

I'd like to ask my senior for a favor.

Xu Qi'an had barely opened his mouth when Yang Qianhuan interrupted and refused, "If you're not going to help, get lost!"

Xu Qi'an looked helplessly at Zhong Li, who shook her head, indicating that she was powerless to help.

He thought for a moment, sighed, and said loudly:

"I am going there to be a one-man army, an impregnable fortress. I am going there to slaughter all the villains and shake the martial world to its core. I am going to Jianzhou, the holy land of Martial Dao, just to tell the martial world of Jianzhou one thing: You are all trash."

As soon as he finished speaking, a white shadow flashed before Xu Qi'an's eyes. Yang Qianhuan stood with his hands behind his back and said in a deep voice, "Go!"