Narration System for the Journey of Martial Arts

Liu Ye nodded and said:

"The combined volumes of 'The Undying Body' and 'The Hegemon' actually cover the later volume of 'The Kingly Way,' so you can continue practicing them indefinitely."

"Moreover, this process of cultivation will also constantly temper one's will and character, though it is much less intense than the tribulation of life and death."

"However, this way, the true energy can become more and more abundant, but the chance of breaking through to the Grandmaster level is much smaller. But it's not like there's no way out."

Liu Ye thought of the cliff outside Qingtian County.

[If one could merge one's domineering true energy with one's physical body, seal the true energy, leap off a cliff, comprehend the tribulation of life and death, and use this life-and-death situation to break through the gate to become a Grandmaster.]

"It's good that you have your own ideas, but you still have to walk your own path," Su Yuchen nodded.

Looking at the somewhat disappointed Li Ying'er, Su Yuchen thought for a moment and said, "I will refine a pill for Liu Ye in a few days. It will be very beneficial to your lung disease. Consider it my gift to you."

After calming everyone down, Su Yuchen had no intention of chatting anymore. Sensing the emptiness, Liu Ye and the others inexplicably felt that they should leave.

"His Majesty is preparing to go hunting in the Western Hills. I will go and make the preparations first," Liu Ye said.

Under the guise of hunting in the Western Mountains, Emperor Ming observed the changing situation in the capital from afar, thus avoiding the danger posed by a potential Grandmaster-level battle.

[Jia Zhen wanted to take this opportunity to test whether Emperor Ming was indeed the Grandmaster in the palace, using the guise of an 'assassin'.]

[Liu Ye, unaware of the situation, used his ninth-rank cultivation to repel the 'assassin,' which made Emperor Ming even more suspicious of Jia Zhen.]

You changed the course of the world; fate awaits your choice.

………………

Once the courtyard had returned to tranquility, Su Yuchen asked, "I hope you brought good news."

From the corner, the robot figure of the Prophet emerged and said, "The people of the Divine Court have arrived and have entered the capital."

Upon receiving news from Emperor Ming, the Divine Court dispatched its last intelligent robot to the Qing Kingdom to search for the Prophet and Liu Ye.

[Emperor Ming guided envoys from the Divine Court to the capital.]

Ye Liu has returned to the capital at the invitation of Emperor Qingming. A classic case of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

Emperor Ming intended to act as the eagle behind the oriole, cleaning up the mess.

"Do you need me to take action?" the prophet asked coldly.

Su Yuchen smiled and said, "Xia Zhu has no experience fighting against a Grandmaster yet, so this is a good opportunity for her to practice. Moreover, the world needs to know that the Earl's Mansion has a Grandmaster."

The prophet shook his head and said, "You should know that he is different from the great masters of the mortal world, and he may not be able to learn anything."

"If she can't handle it, I will step in. I can't bring her into danger," the prophet concluded.

After saying this, he left the courtyard.

"Get ready, it's time for your Grandmaster battle," Su Yuchen said.

Xia Zhu nodded, got up and left the courtyard. She needed to adjust her inner energy, physical strength and condition to their peak in the coming days.

………………

Night falls in Kyoto.

Night had fallen, and apart from the bustling main street, the poor families in the secluded alleys had already gone to bed early, waiting for the day-to-day labor to begin.

There is a small alley behind the Earl's mansion, and at the entrance of the alley is a wonton shop.

Under the dim light, the shop's signboard swayed in the night breeze. On the only two tables, a burly man in plain clothes sat upright, with a long knife placed perfectly on the table. With just a slight lift of his hand, he could draw the knife and slash horizontally.

A night breeze swept by, and the tiny lamp on the table dimmed slightly.

In that instant, a burst of sword light, brimming with murderous intent, flashed from the darkness. The sword light multiplied and poured down like a waterfall, illuminating the eyes of the burly man in plain clothes.

The next second, the burly man in plain clothes, who had been sitting still, had already gripped the hilt of his sword. Without a sound, a blade of light appeared on the long sword, and he slashed horizontally towards the rain of swords. The domineering and unparalleled force directly shattered a portion of the rain of swords.

The burly man took a step back, creating distance. His right hand wielded the sword like a raging storm, or a giant axe splitting the heavens, slashing down one after another. Amidst a series of clanging sounds, the rain of swords and the forest of blade energy shattered each other.

After the sword light flashed, Xia Zhu snorted coldly, and the domineering sword light split into two, bypassing the long knife in the big man's hand on the left and right, and attacking the big man's temples on both sides.

The originally bursting rain of swords instantly transformed into a gentle, flowing force, the sword energy as smooth and tender as water, penetrating every crevice.

The burly man with the sword took another step back, his long sword like a pillar supporting the sky, blocking the intersection of the two sword energies. Then, with a sudden pull and release of the long sword, the fierce energy emitted a 'whooshing' sound, striking the strongest and weakest point of the sword.

With a "whoosh," the tip of the long sword in the big man's hand shattered. He did not retreat. Instead, he strode forward, swinging his long sword, which slashed down from the sky like a dragon's roar. The whistling wind blew dust up from the ground, forming strange circles.

Faced with this domineering sword momentum, Xia Zhu moved with the sword, the sword like a swimming dragon, the body like floating light, instantly spinning around the big man. Only the sword light could be seen, not the sword shadow, and it was unknown how many swords were thrust out in an instant.

The burly man remained expressionless. Facing the sword strike, he changed his longsword from a downward slash to a horizontal slash, instantly creating circles of sword light around his body. The sword light, like a curtain, enveloped his entire body, forcing Xia Zhu back.

Chapter 509 Night Battle 2

The burly man in plain clothes managed to escape, but before he could react, Xia Zhu followed the sword, the sword light like a swimming dragon, and once again approached him, the sword energy sharp and fierce, enveloping the burly man once more.

The burly man's expression changed for the first time. His long iron saber moved with lightning speed, and the clash of the blades left no echo, only the dangerous momentum and sword intent overflowing. Both sides fought with lightning speed, waiting for the other to reveal a weakness.

The more they fought, the more wary the burly man became. Finally, upon seeing the blindfolded figure in black beside the wonton shop owner, a strange expression appeared on the burly man's face for the first time.

The burly man finally abandoned defense and chose to attack. He swept his long iron saber horizontally, and the enormous wind pressure was like a cannonball, rushing out in all directions. Amidst a series of buzzing sounds, Xia Zhu's figure appeared not far from the burly man, looking slightly disheveled. The long sword in her hand rose and fell like waves, emitting a soft sword hum.

Before Xia Zhu could attack, the burly man stomped his foot on the ground, creating a crater the size of a foot with a 'bang'. He left a trail of afterimages as he arrived in front of Xia Zhu, his long sword slashing down like Thor's hammer.

Xia Zhu swung her longsword, unleashing a river of sword energy. Hundreds of sword energies crisscrossed and attacked a single point on the longsword. The river of sword energy, like a storm, clattered and struck the same spot on the longsword.

With two soft 'crack' sounds, the long knife in the big man's hand and the long sword in Xia Zhu's hand broke in two.

Fragments rained down, scattering across both sides of the alleyway. With a clattering sound, pieces of debris stuck into the courtyard walls on either side.

Without hesitation, the burly man in plain clothes threw down the hilt of his knife, his right hand like a knife, aiming straight for Xia Zhu's heart. The hand strike was swift, precise, ruthless, and merciless, determined to kill him with a single blow.

Xia Zhu leaned back instantly, using her toes as the center of a circle, and instantly circled around the big man. She waved her hands, and a continuous series of palm shadows struck the big man, producing a sound like metal clashing.

The burly man in plain clothes remained expressionless as he kicked backward, his toe aimed directly at Xia Zhu's heart. At the same time, his figure tilted like a roly-poly toy, and the two landed on the ground in a swift exchange of blows.

Xia Zhu's palms danced and flew, her two fleshy palms slapping, pressing, hooking, intercepting, using force against force, and breaking force with force—a variety of complex techniques.

The burly man in plain clothes used every technique imaginable—fist, palm, claw, finger, elbow—moving straight ahead and attacking quickly. His moves were somewhat similar to Liu Ye's, but he was more seasoned and domineering.

The two fought like the wind, skimming the ground for dozens of rounds without a clear victor. The burly man's moves became more cunning. Suddenly, his right hand slashed at Xia Zhu's neck like a knife, while his left hand, like a poisonous dragon emerging from its cave, wrapped around Xia Zhu's wrist. His right leg kicked towards Xia Zhu's abdomen like a storm.

Xia Zhu twisted her left hand, locking the left hands of both of them together, and then suddenly met the big man head-on with her right hand, kicking out with both legs in a series of kicks.

With a dull thud, Xia Zhu let out a groan and was sent flying backward at an even faster speed.

The next second, behind Xia Zhu, Su Yuchen's right hand held a golden net of true essence that blocked Xia Zhu's retreating figure and dissipated the force on her body.

………………

"Master..."

"How does it feel?"

Xia Zhu hesitated for a moment, then said, "I have never heard of anyone who can cultivate a body as hard as metal through external martial arts, and whose defenses I cannot break through."

Su Yuchen didn't take it to heart and said:

"You have only just entered the Grandmaster realm, and your swordsmanship is mainly light and graceful, focusing more on speed and change. Moreover, you do not yet understand many technical aspects."

"After today, I'll teach you some more lethal and destructive moves."

As he spoke, Su Yuchen looked at the burly man in plain clothes and the prophet who were ready to fight at any moment, and said, "Both of you use fast-paced and head-on tactics, but I can't let you hurt him."

Ignoring the gazes of both the burly man and the prophet, Su Yuchen flashed to the burly man's side and, before he could react, placed his right hand on the man's shoulder.

"you……"

The burly man uttered only one word, then his body emitted a slight "crackling" sound as he struggled to turn his neck, but found he couldn't move at all.

Xia Zhu stared at the burly man in astonishment, feeling as if he were not human, his entire body emitting metallic clangs; the Prophet tilted his head, looking at his companion who seemed frozen in place…

From the perspective of the burly man in plain clothes, Su Yuchen was already in front of him in a flash. He quickly raised his right hand, only to find that the other man's palm was already on his shoulder. Immediately afterwards, the true energy that only humans can cultivate surged into his limbs like threads, as if it were omnipresent, inserting itself between all his parts and cutting off the operation of all his components.

The golden liquid flowing through the artificial blood vessels burst forth with powerful energy, attempting to accelerate the operation of the components. Instead of breaking the true energy threads, it nearly burned out the 'host' that served as the brain.

Su Yuchen clapped his hands and then withdrew them. He turned his head to look at the other side of the alley and said inexplicably, "Since you're here, aren't you going to show yourself?"

Xia Zhu narrowed her eyes and turned her head at the same time as the prophet. The empty alley was deserted, with only the night wind blowing.

………………

"Ye Liu?"

The prophet listened with his head bowed for a moment, then suddenly spoke.

The next second, a figure flashed at the alley entrance, and a slender figure appeared at the alley entrance, thirty paces away from the four people...

"Unexpectedly..."

"I never imagined there were so many Grandmasters in Kyoto. I never imagined the Marquis of Chengyi's family had three Grandmasters. Your Majesty has miscalculated."

The thin old man looked at Xia Zhu and said, "Where did this young lady come from? Didn't that fellow Si Gu Jian teach you your swordsmanship?"

He looked at the prophet again and said, "It's been a long time, Prophet."

He then looked at Su Yuchen and sighed, "Everyone in the capital says that the Earl's child is a cripple. I think His Majesty probably didn't expect that the cripple is not a cripple at all, but a Grandmaster."

"She was a servant of the Liu family." (This was known beforehand.)

"Oh?" Ye Liu's eyes narrowed as he looked at Xia Zhu, who had not refuted him. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly: Your Majesty, Your Majesty, right here in the capital, you have really... left yourself with a huge surprise.

At this moment, Ye Liu began to doubt Emperor Ming's powerful control.

………………

"Make your move," Su Yuchen suddenly said.

"Oh?" Ye Liu showed a hint of surprise.

Su Yuchen said calmly, "If you don't make a move, you'll die."

Ye Liu gave Su Yuchen a deep look and said, "Okay."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Liu was already in front of Su Yuchen. His eyes, as clear as autumn water, suddenly flashed with a sharp light. With a flick of his sleeves, his ten withered fingers spread out, and streams of true energy dispersed and then combined, sweeping towards Su Yuchen's chest like waves.

A hint of disappointment appeared in Su Yuchen's eyes. He waved his right hand, as if shooing away birds. His five fingers moved slightly, and to Ye Liu's astonishment, he parted his true energy waves and reached out to his arm.

Feeling Su Yuchen's effortless ease, as if it were just a casual wave of his hand, Ye Liu crossed his hands, and with their overlapping, countless true energies were arranged like soldiers in formation, forming a network that blocked the attack layer by layer.

"Is that all?"

Su Yuchen's tone betrayed his disappointment. The next second, he waved his right hand, which had been used to scare away birds, and raised it up like the wings of a roc spreading across the sky, obscuring the heavens and earth.

With a loud "boom," Su Yuchen slapped Ye Liu in the chest, sending him streaking across the night sky like a meteor before crashing heavily into the ground at the alley entrance.

"You've disappointed me greatly. You lack the carefree spirit of the time; instead, you've acquired a lot of the cunning and scheming of a military strategist," Su Yuchen said calmly.

The departing figure paused slightly before disappearing into the distance in an instant.

Chapter 510 Night Battle 3

Only after Ye Liu had gone far away did Su Yuchen suddenly smile, look up at the sky, his gaze deep and unfathomable, as if looking into some unknown void.

"Don't worry, now that I've made my choice, I won't break the deal."

Behind the undetectable clouds of the heavens, a vortex of primordial energy paused with the sound, then dissipated, and the terrifying aura brewing in the heavens dissipated as well.

Heaven and Earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs; Heaven and Earth are perfectly impartial, without distinction between good and evil; all things are children of Heaven and Earth.

[You have gained insight into the Way of Heaven, and your path of selflessness has progressed.]

As he sensed the retreat of the primordial will of Heaven above, Su Yuchen became increasingly aware of his true nature. He realized that he could only be himself, not the selfless and impartial Heavenly Way.

………………

As Ye Liu left, the alley returned to tranquility, with only the howling night wind remaining.

The wonton stall owner, an old man, had already fallen into a coma. He was curled up under the warm stove and wouldn't wake up until tomorrow.

“It seems he won’t be coming,” Su Yuchen said.

The prophet said coldly, "He has never been one to take risks easily. He was before, and he is now."

"That's true." Su Yuchen nodded...

"It's not surprising that Ye Liu came, but his artistic conception disappointed me greatly."

"I originally thought he was the kind of person who could achieve enlightenment, and I was willing to give him a chance. What a pity! It seems that the beating you gave him back then made him feel humiliated."

The prophet shook his head and said, "I don't understand human cultivation techniques, so I don't understand how he broke through to the Grandmaster level."