“Sigh.”
A man's sigh drifted from within the room.
“You little girl, you snuck out to play again. If your mother catches you, you're in for another scolding.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the door opened on its own.
“Come in.”
Mo Zihan curled her lip and walked inside. ‘Chen Xu’ took out the invitation letter beforehand and followed her in.
The man wore a plain black robe. He had fair skin and delicate features, and his physique wasn't nearly as robust as Xiang Longwu’s; instead, he looked a bit like Ye Bufan.
He raised his hand in a beckoning motion, and a gust of wind blew past, attempting to pull the invitation letter from ‘Chen Xu’s’ hand.
To his surprise, ‘Chen Xu’s’ two fingers were like two massive mountains, firmly pinning the invitation letter in place without letting it budge an inch.
The man was stunned. His raised hand froze in mid-air, and his eyes filled with disbelief.
He then flipped his right hand, changing his palm into a claw. He made a grasping motion toward the invitation letter, and another wave of suction surged forth.
Yet the invitation letter remained absolutely still. The scene instantly fell into a heavy silence.
‘Chen Xu’ stared blankly at the man, while the man remained frozen in place, his hand still held up.
Meanwhile, Mo Zihan stood with her arms crossed, her gaze darting between the two of them with a look of curiosity and excitement.
The man continued to exert his claw technique, increasing the suction even further, but he still couldn't move ‘Chen Xu’ at all.
After several failed attempts, the man finally lowered his arm. With a look of confusion, he looked at ‘Chen Xu’ and began to study him closely.
“How strange, how very strange. You have no true qi and no intent, yet you can take my Control Dragon Claw head-on without being affected.
Could it be that you are a legendary Natural Supreme, with Supreme Bones throughout your entire body and strength comparable to a Godly Intent martial artist?
No, that’s not right. You and Longwu come from the same world. That world has never produced a martial arts Dao Lord. Without a Dao Lord to reshape heaven and earth, Supreme Bones cannot be born.”
The man sat in his chair and pondered deeply, unable to find an explanation.
However, ‘Chen Xu’ had caught a key piece of information from his words.
A Dao Lord. This Taikun world actually had a Dao Lord. Furthermore, the Supreme Bones of this Taikun Martial World were the work of a Dao Lord.
That shouldn't be right. Given the timid and cautious nature of Blue Star's Heavenly Dao, why would it connect to a world that possessed a Dao Lord?
‘Chen Xu’ couldn't understand Blue Star's Heavenly Dao, and the man couldn't understand ‘Chen Xu’.
The situation fell into an awkward silence until Mo Zihan lost interest and spoke up to break it.
“Father, why don't you just let him give you the invitation letter? Why think so much?
It’s getting late. Just register him in the ledger quickly. I need to take him to get familiar with the martial arts hall so we can head to the dining hall for the meal.”
“You, always you.”
The man shook his head with a helpless expression.
‘Chen Xu’ also stepped forward proactively and handed over the invitation letter.
“My name is Mo Qingfeng, the head of this Dragon-Tiger Martial Arts Hall in Xiqiu City.”
Mo Qingfeng took the invitation letter and, without even looking at it, placed it directly on the side table.
The Dragon Punch intent on the invitation letter was so familiar to him that it couldn't possibly be faked.
“I am Chen Xu. Xiang Longwu is my big brother.”
‘Chen Xu’s’ answer was very concise: state the name, show the background.
“Oh, so you’re the genius Longwu always talks about.”
Mo Qingfeng had heard Chen Xu’s name before; Xiang Longwu often mentioned him while they were drinking.
He had said that his brother Chen Xu possessed thousands of fine wines, far superior to the common trash Mo Qingfeng had.
He also frequently bragged about Chen Xu’s strength, saying it was already above the Godly Intent stage.
Wait... Mo Qingfeng suddenly reacted.
“Wait, didn't Longwu often brag that you were already above the Godly Intent stage, at that profound and mysterious Venerable stage? Why do you seem to have no cultivation realm at all today?”
So the realm above Godly Intent was the Venerable stage? ‘Chen Xu’ secretly learned a new piece of knowledge.
Just as ‘Chen Xu’ was about to answer, Mo Qingfeng slapped his own forehead and correctly guessed ‘Chen Xu’s’ situation.
“This... this couldn't be an external incarnation, could it?”
‘Chen Xu’ smiled and nodded. “Indeed it is.”
As expected of a world with a Dao Lord; their knowledge was vast enough to guess so quickly that this was merely a clone.
After receiving ‘Chen Xu’s’ confirmation, Mo Qingfeng stood up and began feeling ‘Chen Xu’s’ body with both hands, occasionally striking his apertures with internal force to probe his condition.
“This physical body... incredible, simply incredible.”
After finishing his inspection, Mo Qingfeng clicked his tongue in wonder.
It was the first time he had seen such a perfect physical body.
The apertures were all open, the meridians were tough, the bones were sturdy, the flesh was strong, and each of the four limbs possessed its own unique wonder.
“Hall Master Mo, what do you think? Is this body suitable for practicing martial arts?”
“Suitable? If this body isn't suitable, then no one in this world can practice martial arts. However...”
Mo Qingfeng paused to organize his thoughts.
“However, your main body is already a powerhouse of the Venerable stage. You should know that all cultivation in this world, regardless of the path, is ultimately for the sake of the Dao in the later stages.
You already have your own Great Dao that allows you to be a Venerable. If you try to switch to or even minor in martial arts, you might find yourself stretched too thin, and the losses might outweigh the gains.”
Mo Qingfeng was offering a kind warning, fearing that ‘Chen Xu’ might go astray and hinder his own path.
“Hahaha, thank you for your concern, Hall Master Mo. However, I have a little bit of talent, so minoring in a martial path shouldn't be an issue.
Besides, with such a perfect body, it would be a pity not to practice martial arts.”
“True. Such a perfect body would indeed be envied by the heavens.”
Mo Qingfeng agreed wholeheartedly.
He then raised his right hand, intending to take the ledger from beside the ancestral statue. But just as he took it down and before he could open it, he froze again.
Then, he turned to look at ‘Chen Xu’.
“Fellow Daoist Chen Xu, this Dragon-Tiger Martial Arts Hall... might not be able to take you in.”
Hearing this, ‘Chen Xu’ frowned.
“Why?”
“Your physical body is a rarity in this world. The martial arts of the Dragon-Tiger Martial Arts Hall only go up to the Godly Intent stage at most. Furthermore, they specialize in single parts like the fists or feet; we have very few high-grade treasure arts that train the entire body as one.
Therefore, I suggest you directly join the Universe Daoist Academy and enter the tutelage of the Yin-Yang Dao Lord. With this perfect body, you will surely be admitted by exception.”
“Universe Daoist Academy? Why have I never heard Brother Xiang mention it?”
Mo Qingfeng gestured for ‘Chen Xu’ to sit and began telling him about the Taikun Martial World and the Universe Martial Lineage.
“This place is called the Taikun Martial World, but above Taikun, there is also a Universe Realm.
The Universe Realm is the domain of the Yin-Yang Dao Lord. It connects to over a hundred worlds below it. Those worlds, like the Taikun Martial World, are all governed by the Universe Realm, and the spirit of martial arts flourishes within them.”
Seeing that Mo Qingfeng was about to start storytelling, Mo Zihan pouted. She walked to the side, brought over a kettle to pour two cups of water for them, and then left on her own.
“Among the hundreds of martial worlds under the Universe Realm, there are over ten thousand martial arts halls, and my Dragon-Tiger Martial Arts Hall is just one of them.
The mission of our martial arts halls is to spread the martial path and filter talents for the Universe Daoist Academy. Whenever we discover a talented martial arts seed, we must report it to the Universe Daoist Academy and send them there to cultivate.
For example, my daughter Zihan was noticed by the Universe Daoist Academy even before she was born because of her unique qualities. Her spot was secured long ago; she’s just waiting until she’s old enough to go to the academy for further study.
Fellow Daoist Chen Xu, your aptitude is outstanding and your body is perfect. Practicing at the Dragon-Tiger Martial Arts Hall would be a waste of your potential, and it would also go against the academy's regulations.”
After listening to Mo Qingfeng’s introduction, ‘Chen Xu’ gained a preliminary understanding of the Taikun Martial World and the Universe Daoist Academy.
“Then why didn't Brother Xiang enter the Universe Daoist Academy?”
“Heh, although Longwu is diligent and has decent talent in martial arts, he hasn't reached the threshold of the Universe Daoist Academy.
Those are the disciples of a Dao Lord; one needs both aptitude and comprehension.”
Mo Qingfeng took a sip of water and continued.
“Of course, that is just the standard selection process. After all, the Dao Lord is busy and cannot attend to everything personally.
But there are exceptions. The Yin-Yang Dao Lord enjoys traveling through the mortal world and occasionally brings back a few disciples who catch his eye from various martial worlds.”
Having said that, Mo Qingfeng put down his teacup and looked at ‘Chen Xu’.
“Fellow Daoist Chen Xu, what do you think?”
Rate on N.U.
