Chapter 706: The Sect
Chapter 706: The Sect
"Where... where am I?"
In the True Martial Space, Li Wei gazed at the vast expanse around him, the steps, and the throne... His face showed a hint of surprise: "I remember... I should be sleeping at home... Is this a dream of mine?"
"Yes... and no."
A deep voice echoed.
Li Wei looked up and saw an indescribable presence on the throne.
Just the gaze of this being made him involuntarily kneel on the ground.
"Lucky one... or perhaps, the chosen one."
Fang Xing spoke: "You are in the True Martial Space... The stone token you obtained while fishing today is the True Martial Token!"
"True Martial Token?"
Li Wei's eyes widened: "Those treasures that only the True Martial Ancestor has in those novels and stories? Are they not just fiction?"
Unlike in the time of the Great Xia, where the True Martial Token was kept secret, by the later stages of the True Martial Mountain, its existence was no longer a secret. Naturally, many legends emerged, and more people wrote stories about it. For many martial artists, the existence of the True Martial Token added a sacred aura to the True Martial Ancestor, much like the Imperial Seal.
"No! It's real... Don't you feel honored? You have obtained this divine artifact, and perhaps in the future, your achievements could rival those of the True Martial Ancestor and the Grand Martial Ancestor..."
Fang Xing's lips curved into a teasing smile as he raised his hand. A stone tablet, which had accompanied countless people, appeared, detailing the functions and effects of the True Martial Space...
Li Wei glanced at it and immediately stared in disbelief: "Assistance in breakthrough... Is that real?"
He looked at Fang Xing and swallowed hard: "What do I need to pay to obtain the True Martial Token?"
As someone who had grown up in the lower ranks, Li Wei knew that every gift came with a price!
"Payment? Do what you want, as it's not yet the true golden age..."
Fang Xing thought for a moment: "However, the previous host of the True Martial Token was the head of the Turtle-Snake Sect, Gui Yanian. Therefore, if you use the True Martial Token, you must join the Turtle-Snake Sect and inherit its lineage. Are you willing?"
Gui Yanian had risked his life to protect the True Martial Token, and after that burst of power, his death was almost certain. Since Fang Xing had promised to honor his request, he would see it through.
"Of course I am willing..."
Li Wei immediately knelt and bowed: "I couldn't find a martial arts master willing to teach me... Joining the Turtle-Snake Sect means I can inherit its lineage, and I won't be bound by the sect's rules. That's great..."
"Haha..."
Fang Xing laughed heartily. If he were the founder of the Turtle-Snake Sect, he would be fuming, but he wasn't...
"Hmm, you're quite clever."
With a casual gesture, a stream of light entered Li Wei's forehead: "Here are the Black Tortoise True Art, the True Martial Meditation, and the Seven Secrets of Turtle and Snake!"
Li Wei immediately felt a flood of techniques and skills... He was so overwhelmed with happiness that he almost fainted.
He had always struggled to join a martial arts school due to his lack of money, and it was only through Kyle that he could learn some knightly skills. But Kyle's strength was nothing to speak of.
Now, he had finally obtained the top-tier lineage of the True Martial Path.
"These techniques, the True Martial Meditation and the Black Tortoise True Art, form the foundation. The Seven Secrets of Turtle and Snake are the secret techniques of the Turtle-Snake Sect, encompassing the Turtle Form Qi Art and the Snake Hand techniques. They are the practical side..."
Fang Xing explained casually, helping Li Wei grasp the essentials and understand how to train in the future.
"However... does the True Martial Space truly have the power to break through bottlenecks?"
Li Wei thought for a moment and assumed the stance for the Cross Breathing Technique.
Inhale... exhale...
As he entered the state, he didn't need Kyle's guidance to capture the flowing qi within his body and the opening and closing of his meridians... He then locked onto his life force and condensed a 'Life Seed' in his lower abdomen!
Once the seed was formed, his path as a knight was set. Now, he could be considered a 'Formal Knight.'
In the White Eagle Continent, if in ancient times, he would have been ennobled and granted a manor as a fief. If he donned a specially made steam steel armor, he could charge through the ranks of common soldiers without any trouble!
"I'm so strong!"
Li Wei looked at his bulging muscles, feeling the immense strength in his limbs, and couldn't help but smile: "I've broken through! I'm a Formal Knight!"
"Hmm... The knightly path of White Eagle is quite substantial... Once you break through, you can match the hard qi skills of lower-third-rank martial artists."
Fang Xing nodded.
...
The next day.
Li Wei got up and stretched: "It wasn't a dream... It's real!"
He looked at the True Martial Token in his hand, carefully threading it with a rope and wearing it around his neck.
"Now... with the strength of a martial artist, I can at least work as a bodyguard or a guard... At least I can earn a living and a few silver taels each month... Enough to bring my family to New Wind City and live comfortably."
"Bro, breakfast is ready."
His little sister called Li Wei to come eat. In a poor family, breakfast wasn’t much to speak of—just a pot of almost clear broth, barely enough to quench one’s thirst.
"Father, Mother... do you know about the Kyle who’s been teaching me martial arts?"
"I practiced last night and broke through. I’m now a true martial artist."
Li Wei said, "Once I find a good job, we’ll move to New Wind City... We won’t have to stay in this slum anymore."
He was truly fed up with the environment here, not just because of the severe pollution and cramped living conditions, but also because the gangsters frequently extorted protection money!
"Martial artist?!"
Li Wei’s parents exchanged glances, both surprised and delighted. "Really? That’s wonderful..."
But after her initial excitement, Li Wei’s mother sighed, "But renting a place in New Wind City isn’t cheap... We shouldn’t waste money on that. You work hard for your earnings; we’ll save them for your wedding dowry..."
She clasped her hands together. "It must be the protection of the Lotus Shadow Bodhisattva... We should go thank Aunt Sang some day and repay our vows for you."
"What Lotus Shadow Bodhisattva? Repay vows?" Li Wei felt a sudden sense of unease.
This slum was a melting pot of all sorts, not just gangsters, but also various cults and sects. After the connection with the White Eagle Continent, many strange and exotic preachers had traveled great distances to spread their beliefs.
Of course, they couldn’t be officially recognized by the Dalu Dynasty, and without official permission, it was difficult for them to preach in New Wind City. However, in this slum, where law enforcement rarely ventured, these preachers found a fertile ground.
Actually, Li Wei had once attended a few of their sermons, eating a few bowls of slightly sour rice porridge in exchange for listening to the preachers’ rambling. He didn’t understand much, but they talked about sins and such...
Li Wei took it all as a joke. What sins did he have? Even if he did, it wasn’t for outsiders to decide.
"Aunt Sang... she’s Sang Sang. Her talisman water is very effective. Our neighbor’s son, Little Tiger, had a persistent fever, and one of her talismans cured him..."
Li Wei’s mother continued, "I’ve heard her preach and prayed for you. After that, you broke through to become a martial artist. Clearly, you have good fortune, and you should repay your vows."
"Uh-huh."
Li Wei finished his broth in a few gulps. "I’m going out..."
...
Half an hour later.
At Aunt Sang’s place.
Bang!
The shack’s door was kicked open, revealing a black altar with a strange, pitch-black statue of a bodhisattva. A broken ear incense burner sat in front, filled with incense sticks.
"Who’s there?"
A middle-aged woman with a head wrapped in a cloth and a large black mole on her left cheek screamed when she saw a masked figure burst in. Two muscular men, either her lovers or bodyguards, lunged forward.
Whoosh!
The wind whistled as Li Wei swung a thick wooden club, smashing it into one of the men’s heads.
With his new status as a formal knight and the advantage of a weapon, the effect was astonishing. The man’s eyes rolled back, and he passed out.
Li Wei spun the club and thrust it into the other man’s chest, using his strength to throw him to the ground, where he lay, unable to get up.
"Murder!"
Aunt Sang shouted, but upon seeing Li Wei’s eyes, she quickly swallowed her words. "Hero, spare my life. The money is in the box under the statue..."
'So, she’s a fraud!'
Li Wei was certain.
He couldn’t bear to see his mother being deceived, so he waited for the right moment and came here masked to confront her.
He hadn’t expected to expose Aunt Sang’s true colors so quickly.
"Ha!"
At that moment, a voice only he could hear whispered, "Kid... you’re in for it now."
"What do you mean by ‘in for it’?"
Li Wei was startled.
"Knock out the old woman and search her. You’ll find out."
Fang Xing said no more.
Li Wei’s eyes narrowed, and he delivered a powerful blow to Aunt Sang’s neck, knocking her unconscious.
In this slum, even if someone were killed in broad daylight, it was unlikely that any law enforcement would investigate.
But Li Wei didn’t waste time. He quickly searched Aunt Sang’s body and found a sachet containing a few silver coins and a piece of paper.
The paper was neatly folded, and on it, written in elegant small script, was a single line: "Ninth Rank, Shadow Seer, capable of seeing in the dark, glimpsing the truth beneath the surface of the world... What is this?"
"It’s a special profession."
Fang Xing sighed, "Have you heard of the Demon Sect before?"
"The greatest rebel of the Dalu Dynasty?" Li Wei’s first thought was this.
"Right. The Ninth Rank Shadow Seer is part of the Demon Sect’s hierarchy", Fang Xing explained with a smile. "It seems this Lotus Shadow Bodhisattva is just a front for the Demon Sect, and Aunt Sang is a small pawn under this front. However, she’s recently been promoted to a formal member, though she hasn’t advanced yet... Congratulations, after becoming a martial artist, the first person you offended is the Demon Sect. Surprised? Shocked?"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
