Translator: AnubisTL
"Do you all believe that the Grandmaster Realm is the pinnacle of the Martial Dao?"
In a secluded, dilapidated courtyard in Sunward City's north district, Li Qing stood with his hands clasped behind his back, surveying the several Martial Artists before him who were nearing the Grandmaster Realm.
These individuals were the most exceptional orphans from the black market, possessing extraordinary talent in martial arts.
Despite receiving substantial resources for cultivation, they had distinguished themselves from dozens of other orphans, achieving remarkably rapid progress in their martial arts.
Upon hearing Li Qing's question, they instinctively nodded in agreement.
"No, you're wrong—utterly wrong!" Li Qing declared.
"Paths are forged by those who walk them. Do you truly believe the Martial Dao existed from the dawn of time?"
"Just as later generations benefit from the shade of trees planted by their predecessors, the Martial Dao you follow today was established by others!"
"Yet, due to the existence of the immortal dao, despite the Martial Dao's enduring legacy, no one has dared to explore further paths."
As he spoke, Li Qing slowly assumed a horse stance, then began circulating his vital energy.
Boom!
A torrent of vital energy erupted from his body, violent and intense, surging like a raging tide!
The Martial Artists listening to Li Qing's teachings felt an overwhelming pressure, as if a primal force were bearing down on them from a higher plane of existence.
This pressure far surpassed that exerted by foundation establishment cultivators in the black market. They were like mice before a cat, paralyzed and trembling.
Rumble!
Li Qing's hair whipped wildly, as if a torrent of energy were erupting from within him.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
A deep, drum-like heartbeat reverberated through the dilapidated courtyard, shaking the earthen walls and causing dust to shower down.
Li Qing's fleshly body had not only cultivated the Brahma King True Body but had also reached the pinnacle of the qi blood nine revolutions.
His late second-tier body arts realm far surpassed that of other body cultivators at the same level.
With his vital energy unleashed and no longer deliberately suppressed, Li Qing had become a true ferocious beast.
Huff! Huff!
Sensing he had made his point, Li Qing gradually withdrew his surging vital energy, ceasing to exert pressure on the Martial Artists who had barely touched the threshold of the Grandmaster Realm.
"How did that feel?" Li Qing asked with a smile. "This is the vital energy martial dao I will be teaching you."
Upon hearing these words, the group slowly came to their senses.
They realized that they had unknowingly broken into a cold sweat, their backs soaked through their clothing.
"Immortal Master, please teach us the vital energy martial dao!"
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The three knelt without hesitation, their voices filled with fervent longing for the vital energy martial dao.
"Hmm, rise. There's no need to kneel. I came here precisely to impart the vital energy martial dao to you all."
Li Qing channeled his true essence, employing the Floating Technique to gently lift the group to their feet.
"The vital energy martial dao centers around the qi blood nine revolutions, a profound process with many intricacies. I will now teach you these key principles one by one."
"However, the most crucial point is this: each qi blood nine revolutions requires a crimson crystal as a catalyst!"
The mention of crimson crystals caused the group to freeze.
Having spent so much time in the black market, they naturally knew what crimson crystals were.
These were precious items capable of accelerating the metamorphosis of Demon beasts, each crystal fetching exorbitant prices and sparking fierce competition among buyers.
"Immortal Master... we haven't saved enough spirit stones yet. I'm afraid we can't afford crimson crystals," a young man said awkwardly, scratching his head with a simple and honest air.
Li Qing smiled faintly. "You need not worry about that. As long as you dedicate yourselves to the black market's growth, I will provide you with crimson crystals free of charge in the future!"
Though he currently had no crimson crystals on hand, Li Qing casually dangled this grand promise before the youths, knowing full well he could easily fulfill it.
After all, hunting a few strange beasts in the World of Eternal Night posed no challenge to his current strength.
The young men exchanged excited glances and exclaimed in unison, "Thank you, Immortal Master!"
They prepared to kneel deeply before Li Qing, but he waved his hand to stop them.
"Enough. As Martial Artists, you kneel neither to heaven nor earth, and I am not worthy of your kneeling either."
"Listen carefully. I will now impart to you the complete path of the Qi Blood Nine Revolutions."
For the next several hours, Li Qing meticulously explained the vital energy martial dao and the key principles of the Qi Blood Nine Revolutions in the courtyard.
The young men listened with rapt attention, hanging on every word that fell from his lips.
For these orphans, receiving instruction from a renowned master was an invaluable opportunity.
As the sun gradually shifted westward, time slipped away until dusk. By then, Li Qing had nearly finished his explanation.
"I stumbled upon the path of vital energy martial dao by chance. I've recorded this inheritance in this manual. If you have any further questions, feel free to consult it."
With these words, Li Qing handed over the vital energy martial dao manual to them.
He wasn't worried about the inheritance being leaked, as it wouldn't harm him. In fact, he hoped more Martial Artists would choose this path.
This path required the Red Moon Secret Power.
But this world lacked the Red Moon Secret Power, so each breakthrough could only be achieved using crimson crystals!
And only Li Qing could produce crimson crystals, effectively monopolizing them.
In the future, anyone seeking advancement in this martial dao would have to rely on his favor.
This was the advantage of a monopoly. The more people who practiced vital energy martial dao, the tighter his control over these Martial Artists would become.
After all, this world had no antitrust laws!
Moreover, with the growing number of practitioners of the vital energy martial dao, someone might eventually discover a new path within it.
For once, Li Qing, who had previously been a dao guardian in name only, was now fulfilling his duties with rare diligence.
"Once you embark on this path, there's no turning back. Continue to advance bravely and diligently. Who knows, you might be the ones to forge a new path in the Martial Dao!"
Leaving these final words, Li Qing floated into the night sky, vanishing without a trace under the cover of darkness.
Days passed. Li Qing remained in Sunward City, making no trips elsewhere.
During this time, he instructed the black market's intelligence network to prioritize gathering information on the Heavenly Fire Treasure Nectar and Azure Jade Spirit Water, hoping to quickly establish channels for acquiring these core formation spiritual materials.
It was also during these days that more details about the fall of the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty began to surface.
One revelation, in particular, captured the attention of the entire immortal cultivation world:
In the final moments of the Great War, as Wang Chengdao fell in battle, he had sacrificed everything to send the ancestral imperial sword away!
This nearly sentient and immensely powerful magical artifact had fallen into neither the hands of the righteous nor the demonic paths.
"This... this is the ancestral imperial sword! It's been lost!"
"The sword symbolizing the supreme authority of the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty has vanished into the void, its whereabouts unknown!"
"Hiss! Such a supreme treasure flew away at the last moment! Does that mean whoever finds it gets to keep it?!"
The news sent a wave of excitement through the rogue cultivator community.
Treasures, especially supreme treasures like the ancestral imperial sword, stirred the hearts of all. Even the nascent soul realm old monsters of the major immortal dao sects coveted it.
Thus, the cultivation world was once again thrown into turmoil. Countless rogue cultivators began scouring the desolate, rarely visited regions of the great wilderness, hoping to find traces of the ancestral imperial sword.
Li Qing, of course, learned of these events as well.
"Tsk tsk tsk, the ancestral imperial sword... After being forged, this magical artifact was nourished day and night by the imperial dragon qi within the underground dragon veins. It's no wonder they say it's nearly sentient."
Li Qing clicked his tongue repeatedly, musing that the sword's power must be truly astonishing.
Of course, his most pressing concern remained core formation. Securing more core formation spiritual materials was paramount.
While the ancestral imperial sword was undoubtedly powerful, even if he obtained it, he wouldn't be able to wield it. A mere foundation establishment cultivator had no right to command such a divine blade.
Finally, another half-month passed.
The righteous and demonic paths jointly announced two new decrees:
First, a full-scale manhunt was declared for the last person the final emperor of the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty had sent away!
Anyone who provided verifiable information would not only receive a generous reward of spirit stones but also gain the privilege of joining any major sect within the righteous or demonic paths!
Becoming a registered disciple of a nascent soul realm ancestor was even a possibility.
If the righteous and demonic paths successfully apprehended the target based on this information, they would also provide the informant with sufficient foundation establishment pills and two sets of core formation spiritual materials, greatly increasing their chances of breaking through to the core formation realm!
Upon hearing this news, many were once again deeply shocked.
Though the Immortal Dynasty had fallen, Wang Chengdao's ability to smuggle a group of people away right under the noses of six nascent soul realm old monsters was truly astonishing.
"Who exactly did they send away? Could it have been the fire seed?"
"I don't know. Weren't the Immortal Dynasty Princes of this generation rumored to be useless? Could there really be a promising successor worth preserving?"
"It's hard to say. But if Wang Chengdao was so concerned about protecting this person even on his deathbed, they must be someone of great importance."
"To go to such lengths just for peace of mind... It seems the righteous and demonic paths are truly determined to eradicate every last trace of their enemies."
If the first piece of news had merely shocked the rogue cultivators, the second piece sent them into a frenzy of excitement.
Second, due to disagreements over dividing the spoils of war, the righteous and demonic paths had decided to auction off a portion of the spiritual objects!
This grand auction would be personally overseen by the Taiyi Sect, with other major powers serving as witnesses.
Whether you were a member of a sect or a rootless rogue cultivator, all practitioners from across the Great Wilderness Domain were welcome to participate!
With such a top-tier coalition hosting the event, the scale of this auction was bound to be staggering.
Calling it the most significant event in the entire Great Wilderness Domain wouldn't be an exaggeration!
(End of the Chapter)
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