Chapter 361: North River Sword King
Chapter 361: North River Sword King (Requesting Monthly Vote)
Lin Zhen wore a worried expression. As a traditional Xia Kingdom patriot, he remained deeply concerned about the kingdom’s political climate.
His anxiety had intensified since achieving familial bliss. Now, with six Level 9 Disaster Beasts launching simultaneous attacks, the situation had become perilous for everyone. Even Nine Realms Martial Artists faced life-threatening danger when besieged by Level 9 Beasts. As for Eighth Stage Martial Artists, surviving such encounters was nearly impossible—their mortality rate was alarmingly high.
In lower realms, many prodigies could defeat foes beyond their rank, but in middle realms, only awakened top-tier geniuses managed such feats. By the time martial artists reached higher realms, only Sss-Rank Geniuses possessed any chance of victory—and even they couldn’t guarantee survival.
Mu Hong, Lin Qi’s teacher, had only recently achieved a breakthrough to the Eighth Stage. Facing a Level 9 Beast, his survival odds were grim.
...
The next day, everyone remained glued to updates about the North River Province crisis. Meanwhile, Jiang Miaoyin’s college acceptance celebration and Lin Qi’s birthday coincided on the same day.
Jiang Miaoyin had secured the provincial top scorer title, earning substantial rewards—including permanent ownership of the villa she and her brother Jiang Tao had been renting. No more installments; they finally owned their home.
At Star Radiance Restaurant’s second-floor banquet hall, a grand private room buzzed with Second High School faculty and officials. The Martial Arts Education Bureau and Crimson Vault Martial Arts Pavilion representatives had also attended.
“Miaoyin truly lived up to expectations, earning the title of Cang Province’s top scholar,” one teacher remarked.
“Pity she didn’t crack the national top ten,” another sighed.
“Making top thirty is still extraordinary!”
“Of course! Lin Qi’s kind of freak genius doesn’t come around every year,” several teachers chuckled.
“Teacher Zhang, long time no see!” Zhang Cheng, his burly frame unchanged, sat with Principal Jiang Zhiguang and other officials. Lin Qi approached to greet them.
“You’ve become something else, kid!” Zhang Cheng laughed, clapping Lin Qi’s shoulder. He’d heard about Lin Qi’s exploits from Yue Feng and still struggled to believe them.
Back in high school, Lin Qi’s innate talent had been impressive but within reason. Yet after joining Azure Firmament Martial Academy, each semester brought increasingly unbelievable achievements. Now, he could defeat SS-Rank Geniuses and was rumored to soon become the first Unawakened SS-Rank Genius in history.
“Have a drink!”
“Cheers!” Lin Qi agreed.
“Count me in!” Principal Jiang Zhiguang grinned, raising his glass. His attitude toward Lin Qi had shifted entirely from student-teacher dynamics—this was about political capital. After all, Jiang Zhiguang himself was only a Sixth Stage Martial Artist. At the current rate, Lin Qi might surpass him within a year or two. Building rapport with such a prodigy was crucial.
Clink!
After a brief toast, Lin Qi departed, leaving Zhang Cheng and Jiang Zhiguang behind.
“Who’d have thought our school would birth such a supreme genius?” Jiang Zhiguang mused.
“We’ve just got good luck,” Zhang Cheng laughed heartily.
...
That evening at House 66, Yujing Haoting Residential Complex—Lin Qi’s home—the celebration continued. The living room hosted only the Lin family and Jiang Tao’s household, five people total.
While daytime marked Jiang Miaoyin’s academic triumph, tonight belonged to Lin Qi’s birthday. Gathered around a silver dining table stood a towering three-tier cake. Lin Qi had asked for a simple celebration, so only these five attended.
“Brother Qi, happy birthday!”
“Lin Qi-ge, happy birthday!”
“Son, happy birthday!”
Surrounded by parental blessings and the Jiang siblings’ wishes, Lin Qi turned nineteen. No longer an 18-year-old youth, this new year promised even greater martial cultivation breakthroughs.
“Brother Qi, make your wish already!” Jiang Tao urged.
Lin Qi nodded, silently wishing for something simple yet profound—world peace. But peace wouldn’t come through others’ efforts. He vowed to forge it himself, through sheer strength.
...
Martial Dao Calendar, 2047, June 16th:
Xia Kingdom’s North River Province suffered its worst Disaster Beast Tide in a decade. Six Level 9 Disaster Beasts led over a hundred Level 8s in a devastating assault, shocking the nation.
Battlefront’s Black Dragon Base suffered a surprise attack, sustaining catastrophic losses. The Imperial Military and Three Great Martial Arts Pavilions mobilized reinforcements.
Nine Realm Titleholders—“Overking” and “Blade Demon”—confronted the six Beasts outside Black Dragon Base, paying dearly for a partial victory. Overking, Xia Kingdom’s second strongest warrior, personally slew two Level 9s at severe cost. However, the remaining three Level 9s scattered, breaching human defenses to ravage civilian zones.
Overking and allied Eighth Stage Martial Artists launched pursuit operations. Black Dragon Base lay in ruins, its ranks decimated with heavy casualties. Several North River cities faced destruction—over ten thousand dead, hundreds of thousands injured, with numbers rising. Such devastation hadn’t struck Xia Kingdom in years, casting a shadow of dread across the nation.
In the Imperial Capital, Yu Zhuoran watched televised footage of Level 9 Beasts ravaging North River. His fists clenched, electricity crackling across his body as he snarled:
“Damnable! I should be on that battlefield, slaughtering them all!”
“But I’m still too weak… I need more power!”
The moment he reached that thought, Lin Qi turned around and strode into the Martial Arts Training Hall, beginning his cultivation.
Meanwhile, countless awakened prodigies across the Xia Kingdom, sharing his resolve, were equally driven to train.
Tianhai City, Villa 66 – Martial Arts Training Hall
Lin Qi sat cross-legged, enduring the dizziness pounding his skull as he refined his cranium.
He had seen the news too, and an indomitable fire burned within him.
If only he were a Nine Realm Titleholder Martial Artist…
No—he corrected himself. Even reaching the 8th Stage would suffice. That alone would allow him to join the battlefront and slay all six Level-9 Disaster Beasts.
He needed greater strength.
He needed to awaken.
It was close now—he could feel it. The breakthrough was imminent, within days at most.
Forcing his mind to calm, he immersed himself entirely in cultivation.
…
The Level-9 Disaster Beasts continued their rampage, though most were now contained.
Only one remained unchecked—the black-and-gold Stormclaw Hawk ravaging the city.
As the crisis peaked, an unfamiliar figure emerged from the shadows.
A Nine Realms Martial Artist, whose astonishing strength felled the Stormclaw Hawk in a single clash!
This warrior was no one recognized by Xia Kingdom’s public records—
A new Nine Realms Martial Artist.
A newly crowned Nine Realm Titleholder—Bei Jiang Sword King.
With this newcomer joining the fray and reinforcements arriving from other provinces, the Disaster Beasts began to falter. Countless Level-8 monstrosities fell slain.
Of the six that had launched the assault, four were killed—the remaining two fled back to the Otherworld, including the Mountain-Mover Ape!
…
“This is the Central Broadcast Network—News Live!”
“According to our latest report, four of the six Level-9 Disaster Beasts attacking Bei Jiang Province have been eliminated: two Howling Moon Sky Wolves and the black-and-gold Stormclaw Hawk…”
“Two have escaped back to the Otherworld!”
“The remaining Disaster Beasts are being purged as we speak…”
“During this unprecedented Disaster Beast Tide, the Xia Kingdom has welcomed a new Nine Realms Martial Artist—Yu Zhenhai, age 35, from Bei Jiang Province…”
“Now hailed by Bei Jiang’s citizens as the Bei Jiang Sword King!”
Lin Qi’s Household – Living Room
Lin Qi’s father sprang up from the sofa, eyes ablaze with excitement as the broadcast concluded.
“A new Nine Realms Martial Artist has indeed emerged! This is our nation’s Pillar of Heaven!”
“The strategic value of each is immeasurable!”
“Only Nine Realm warriors can withstand Level-9 Disaster Beasts!”
“Our Xia Kingdom spans vast territories—each province has a war base requiring vigilant protection!”
“With this new addition, our nation’s security is assured.”
“And as more Nine Realms Martial Artists arise in the future, we shall cleanse this world of Disaster Beasts entirely!”
He turned to Lin Qi.
“Xiao Qi, the future of our Xia Kingdom rests on your shoulders!”
Lin Qi nodded. “I understand.”
He unlocked his phone, entering the Crimson Heaven Residence forum. The entire platform was erupting in celebration over the Bei Jiang Sword King’s rise—chaotic, vibrant, alive.
“Bei Jiang Sword King is unstoppable!”
“He just broke through—yet he slew a Level-9 Disaster Beast! What raw talent!”
“Of course! The Bei Jiang Sword King is an Sss-ranked genius—already a top-tier prodigy at the Eighth Stage, capable of escaping Level-9 beasts unscathed.”
“Does that mean he was destined to break into the Nine Realms?”
“Our Xia Kingdom has birthed another Nine Realms Martial Artist!”
“Our nation now has over twenty Nine Realms warriors in total, seventeen still living.”
“With the Bei Jiang Sword King, that’s eighteen! Though there may be hidden Titleholders lurking in the shadows.”
“We still have far too few Nine Realms warriors!”
“Our territory is vast—too many places to defend.”
“The Otherworld’s Disaster Beast numbers dwarf our expectations, especially Level-9s. We often face multiple foes at once.”
“This time, even the Blade Demon Elder was gravely wounded fending off the swarm. Hope he survives!”
“Dude above—our Blue Planet lacks not just Nine Realms warriors, but high-stage Martial Artists overall.”
…
After reading the threads, Lin Qi’s suspicions were confirmed. Despite the Xia Kingdom boasting Red Emperor, a clear tier above all Nine Realms warriors, their numbers remained critically low.
The Level-9 Disaster Beasts alone outnumbered them several times over.
Once numbers tipped, war bases would inevitably collapse into chaos.
He turned to the small group chat with Li Qing and Wang Zhi Xuan.
Their instructor, Mu Hong, had posted a message:
[Mu Hong: I’m safe. No need for concern.]
[Li Qing: Knew it! Teacher Mu Hong’s luck is unbreakable. If the world ends, he’d still stand.]
[Wang Zhi Xuan: Glad you’re okay, Teacher!]
[Lin Qi: Thank heavens!]
…
Lin Qi set his phone down, exhaling in relief.
Returning to his Martial Arts Training Hall, the events of the past two days replayed in his mind—his emotions surged, his body trembling as though something stirred within.
A premonition struck him: he was on the verge of awakening.
Acting swiftly, he prepared himself.
He informed his parents he’d skip lunch, then arranged nutrient-rich meals within the Training Hall.
Half an hour later, back inside the Martial Arts Training Hall, Lin Qi retrieved a Spiritual Power Elixir from a black obsidian steel case.
He downed the elixir, sat cross-legged, and unfurled a yellow scroll before him—the Spiritual Martial Art: Atlas of Calamities.
His cultivation began.
…
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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