Chapter 23: The Grandfather

Chapter 23: The Grandfather

"Alive..."

Cold Blade muttered to himself.

A Martial Arts Heritage could not possibly be a living being.

Zhang Zhongba was referring to the existence that carried the Martial Arts Heritage.

The Federation had been vigorously promoting the path of divine religion, and this was not without reason; its significance ran deep.

In the past, the Dong He Mu Family had spent a tremendous price, attempting to create a divine body based on the lingering thoughts of their ancestor, to be enshrined as a deity in a temple.

However, that wisp of thought, empowered by the faith and vows of the masses, or what ancient legends called the power of incense, fully materialized in the mortal realm, shocking the upper echelons of the Federation.

After awakening,

The bold ancestor of the Mu Family, who had dared to be the first to venture forth, paid no heed to family matters and only concerned himself with the affairs of the world.

When faced with the temple prepared for him by the Federation, he turned and left without a trace of longing, leaving behind only one sentence—

"Temples are prisons, trapping one within the confines of the four corners of the heavens, and my heart cannot find peace here."

After that, no one knew of his whereabouts.

It was rumored that he had already reached the state of emptiness and eternity in a single thought, and so no one could find his traces. Not long after his manifestation in the mortal realm, he had ventured into the deepest part of the sea of minds.

There were also rumors that he remained silently in some corner of this world, sitting in meditation every day, waiting for someone.

Zhang Zhongba spoke in a low voice, "The information we have received is that this Supreme Heavenly Path was left behind by the Ji Clan's leader from back then.

And he bluntly stated that none of the six families' descendants should dare to have any delusions, as the original owner of this path would not even spare them a glance."

The original owner...

Cold Blade took a deep breath.

He gazed at the city before him with a newfound sense of strangeness, as if seeing it for the first time.

On this planet, which had long been relegated to the fringes, wandered the ghost of a former Supreme Grand Master.

Cold Blade suddenly had a realization, and his expression became sharper than ever before. His eyes were like the blade in his hand, and he spoke in a deep voice, "The Supreme Path of Dong Sanhuang Star was left behind by the Ji Clan's leader? Is this a known path, or...?"

Zhang Zhongba looked at him steadily and said in a low voice, "The Federation has existed for over ten thousand years, and many say that even if the Federation falls one day, the six great families will not. But don't forget, the founding marshal was one of seven, not six!"

Cold Blade felt as if he had suffered a mental shock. His hand gripping the hilt of his blade turned slightly pale, and he clenched his lips, remaining silent. His breathing gradually became rapid.

After a long while, his hoarse voice asked, "How many people know about this?"

"It's still under lockdown. Otherwise, besides the six great families, various families, giant corporations, and academies would be like sharks smelling blood, frantically gathering here."

"Where did you get this information? From the six great families?"

"It was from the Ji Clan's leader," Zhang Zhongba said solemnly. "This is the will the Ji Clan's leader left behind before his death, and the timing is precise to the year. He requested that the Ji Clan announce this matter to the world this year. Due to the magnitude of this issue, the Ji Clan informed us first."

Cold Blade was stunned. "What does the Ji Clan's leader intend to do?"

"That Ji Clan's leader cultivated the 'Chess Sword,' claiming to have the world as his child and wagered against the heavens. Who could guess what he was thinking?" Zhang Zhongba smiled bitterly and said slowly, "Besides the will, the Ji Clan's leader left behind one sentence."

"What did he say?"

Zhang Zhongba emphasized each word, "One ten thousand years later, he will return to this mountain."

Cold Blade's face showed confusion.

Zhang Zhongba spread his hands and said, "Don't look at me; even the Ji Clan doesn't know what this sentence means."

Cold Blade stabilized his mind and suddenly asked, "Why me?"

He had originally thought that this trip was to capture the heretic Li Buyi.

But now, Zhang Zhongba had suddenly revealed everything, and he was well aware of the twists and turns.

Zhang Zhongba spoke earnestly, "Because you are the most talented in this generation within the Religion Administration Bureau, and your passion for the blade is unparalleled.

That leader, who also used a blade, still has a reputation that surpasses that of Yang Shuai, the Sword Hero! If anyone among us has the highest chance of being chosen, it could only be you."

...

Ji Jingqiu followed Agent Yang, who was leading the way, to a large hall.

Inside, many people had gathered.

"Commissioner Ji—that's our title for external combat warriors," Agent Yang explained as they walked, answering some basic and common questions.

For example, the people crowding the hall were all martial artists preparing for the combat power evaluation.

Only by passing the combat power evaluation could one qualify for the next round of selection and eventually be incorporated into the Public Security Bureau's external combat system.

The reason for this situation was not only the strict evaluation but also the unique nature of today's martial arts.

Agent Yang smiled and said, "The recruitment standards for the external combat system differ between the Body Forging Stage and the True Seed Stage.

In the Body Forging Stage, talent is assessed by whether one can open the Heavenly Gates, which directly determines a martial artist's upper limit. Therefore, only young martial artists who have opened the Heavenly Gates can pass the initial evaluation.

In the True Seed Stage, combat power is assessed, and even within the same stage, the strength varies greatly depending on whether one has cultivated a Body Art."

In the world of martial arts, even the most affordable body technique arts, when combined with the necessary resources, could cost upwards of a million federal credits!

With such a substantial investment, the resulting martial artists would naturally vary greatly in skill.

The Public Security Bureau wouldn't support a martial artist who has just opened their meridians and directly break through to the True Seed Realm. These are all subpar practitioners, not worth cultivating.

However, if a True Seed Realm practitioner spends their own money to build their body art, they become a decent combat force. The Bureau will provide corresponding policy support based on their performance, such as granting them citizen status."

As he said this, he glanced at the surrounding martial artists and smiled without hesitation, saying, "Most of these guys are here to try their luck."

Before he could finish his words, Ji Jingqiu was stunned.

Even the most affordable body technique arts could cost over a million federal credits to reach the True Seed Realm? That's just too outrageous...

But when he thought about the incense sticks that cost 300,000 federal credits each, Ji Jingqiu sighed in relief.

The real money sink is in mental cultivation!

He was quite frugal, as he could enter a meditative state without the guidance of the incense sticks.

Agent Yang clacked his tongue, suppressing the urge to complain.

A million federal credits to build a body art is just the beginning.

For genius-level martial artists, spending several million federal credits to lay the foundation in the Forging Body Stage is not uncommon.

Ji Jingqiu had also tried martial arts in the past, but he realized that this path was a trap, not meant for ordinary people.

He decisively stopped reading and turned his attention to studying for the civil service exam, and with the help of his family, he entered the Public Security Bureau system, the wisest decision he had made up to that point.

After joining the Bureau, he often saw these subpar True Seed Realm practitioners in the hall, making him even more grateful for his choice back then.

Studying martial arts is a trap, the civil service exam is the way out.

Ordinary people without money or talent are better off just exercising their bodies.

Spending a few hundred thousand federal credits to exercise is like giving money to their superiors directly.

Agent Yang subconsciously glanced at Ji Jingqiu beside him, feeling a sense of admiration in his heart.

His theory was sound, but it was only applicable to ordinary people like himself.

Ji Jingqiu, who hadn't even completed opening his meridians, was already receiving preferential treatment and investment from the Bureau. This indicated that he possessed talent.

Agent Yang helped Ji Jingqiu with his identity registration, while Ji Jingqiu sat beside him.

Suddenly, he received a message from Dao Ye.

Dao Ye asked about his recent progress in martial arts and invited him for a meal the day after tomorrow, saying he would find the location.

After confirming the time with Dao Ye, Ji Jingqiu put down his terminal communicator.

He looked at the many martial artists waiting in the hall and suddenly remembered the red, bolded sentence at the end of the document Dao Ye had sent him.

【In today's martial arts world, it's not about who progresses faster, but who can progress slower.】

He hadn't understood it before, but now he had a glimmer of insight.

After opening the meridians, one could attempt to break through to the True Seed Realm at any time. But rushing to break through like that was meaningless.

The 'slower' that Dao Ye mentioned probably referred to reaching a higher level within the same realm, which would naturally take more time.

For example, breaking through the Five Heavenly-Human Limits.

Taking advantage of Agent Yang's identity registration process, Ji Jingqiu pulled Zhang Xingshan, who was standing beside him, into a conversation.

Zhang Xingshan had been in contact with federal martial arts world since childhood and was very knowledgeable about it.

"I definitely want to try breaking the limits. If I don't break them, I'll break through, which would be ruining my future!"

"A true disciple of a Dao Field? That requires breaking all five Heavenly-Human Limits!"

"Unfortunately, our Dong Sanhuang Star doesn't have a Dao Field, but we can pay online first, and then we can do it together in the future..."

As Ji Jingqiu chatted with Zhang Xingshan, his heart was filled with excitement.

For him, breaking through the five Heavenly-Human Limits was a must-have, and with the help of the Bodhi Sapling, he was confident.

Perhaps in the future, he could even become a true disciple of a Dao Field, a status that was considered extremely high in the federal world, not inferior to some aristocratic families or corporate heirs!

If he succeeded, wouldn't he take off directly? Even for interstellar tourism, he would get a VIP seat!

After Agent Zhang finished registering Ji Jingqiu's information, he informed him that some procedures still needed to be followed.

However, Ji Jingqiu's citizen status had already been raised to level three, and he could upgrade his terminal himself when he returned home.

After finishing the procedures, Ji Jingqiu, accompanied by Zhang Xingshan, took a special vehicle back to his residential area.

As soon as he entered the door, Ji Jingqiu was surprised to find his grandfather's shoes by the door.

He looked up at the clock; it was only eight o'clock.

It was rare for his grandfather to return at this time.

"No mahjong tonight?"

He tentatively called out to the house.

Footsteps could be heard coming from the kitchen.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end