Martial King's Retired Life

“Wait.” Hua Qing bound forward and extended a hand toward Er Laizi. To his puzzlement, he zoomed straight past Er Laizi.

Shocked and mistaking Hua Qing for another adept there to rescue Wugou, Er Laizi froze up, affording Wugou an opportunity to knock him out cold.

“That was close. If he escaped, our plans would be dashed,” commented Wugou.

Hua Qing was still in his own world, marvelling at how heightened his senses were and how much more power he possessed. “The entire world feels different. I feel like I have infinite strength, too.”

Upon mastering Vajra Realm, Wugou’s internal strength didn’t pale in comparison to adepts in the Central Plain, so 30% of his total was still plenty for Hua Qing.

“At the end of the day, there’s a limit to how much energy you have, more so in your current state. Right now, you wouldn’t be able to use a fraction of the energy.”

“If it is not too much trouble, please guide me, Venerable Wugou.”

“The discipline I’m teaching you is Wugou Style – Vajra Realm. It’s impossible to determine which is better between it and Miguo Branch’s ‘Karma’. You can absorb my internal energy from me using the relic, but how much you can utilise depends on your development in Vajra Realm.

“Thanks to my style and guidance, you went through three layers overnight; it’s a miracle unheard of in all the land. Kongcang beseeched Miguo for years, yet he only learnt the first three layer’s body-strengthening parts.

“It’s a good thing you’ve never learnt any internal disciplines because our disciplines and the Central Plain’s disciplines don’t share commonalities. If you tried to learn one after the other, the theory alone would be enough for your brain to be fried.”

Hua Qing excitedly kowtowed. “Thank you for your sharing your wisdom, Shifu.”

“Wait, wait. I must stress that this discipline is never imparted to outsiders. Moreover, I can’t teach you any more.”

Hua Qing raised his head. “Huh? Why?”

“Firstly, a cult rule stipulates we mustn’t teach secret skills to outsiders. Having said that, there have been cases where the physical training has been taught to outsiders. As a branch leader, I do have some authority, so it doesn’t count as breaking a rule. I, however, can’t teach you the mental cultivation.

“Second, this discipline is a secret skill of Buddhism; it’s hard to learn if you don’t know much about Buddhism. You can rely on external sources to teach internal energy and true qi manipulation, but you can’t learn Buddhism at the snap of a finger. Am I supposed to run you through the ceremony and read you scriptures for a decade first? Even if you are willing to become a monk, I don’t have ten years of free time to teach you.”

At first, Hua Qing didn’t know how to respond. In the end, he decided to finish his ten kowtows.

Wugou bitterly smiled. “You seem to have practiced it a lot.”

“Even though you are not willing to teach, I know you have gifted me something invaluable. Kowtowing is nothing compared to your gift. I have only one shifu whom I have treated as my father. Henceforward, I shall consider you my shifu, as well. If my service is ever needed, you need only say the word. I swear to never use your skills to avoid implicating you.”

“You’ve misunderstood a certain point. Although you’ve learnt the physical training, you haven’t learnt any of the mental cultivation side, so you can’t say you’ve learnt our cultt’s discipline. Kongcang is incredibly proficient at the physical side, yet he still has to count on his Shaolin training in fights. Has he ever defeated anyone?”

In Hua Qing’s database, Kongcang’s Vajra Realm only ever functioned as a shield against Ming Feizhen and Zhuo Fengru, which led him to a suspicion. “Does that mean Lord Miguo’s Vajra Realm has a weakness?”

“Yes, but it’s tiny. While he has fallen to the dark side, he is firm in his stance. Therefore, he won’t feel any empathy or guilt for all the deaths he has caused. Needless to say, no ordinary man could have a conviction as strong as his. Nonetheless, it’s only a matter of time before something goes wrong if your path is not right. He, too, is cognisant of the fact that his Vajra Realm can’t be sustained forever. That’s why he’s racing against time. That’s where your relic comes in.”

Hua Qing instinctively gripped the brocade pouch at his chest.

“30% of my energy and your training isn’t enough to stop him. You only have one option: you must absorb the remaining 60% of the energy within the relic for yourself. Since you’ve never practiced an internal system, absorbing 30% is probably all you can handle. Thanks to your physical changes, though, you should be able to store the rest in your body now. I don’t know why nobody has come to check on this forest in so long. Nevertheless, it has afforded us some more time.”

“Even with your internal energy, I do not know any decent martial arts skills. Plus, does Lord Miguo not also know Vajra Realm?”

“You don’t need to worry about that.” Wugou peered in the direction of the legendary rock. “Your companions will probably do something. As you said, if your two companions can fight Miguo and the swordsman on even footing, they can’t win if the enemy has superior numbers. What if a Hua Qing with 90% of Miguo’s power was added to the equation? You still have seven days. In these seven days, this one will do his best to take you from zero to hero.”

***

A while ago – when Ming Feizhen was conversing with Yungu – Lord Miguo suddenly returned to the formation. “… You asked me to heavily guard this place so that you could get ahead?” he questioned in a monotone voice.

“That is correct. Without your protection, it would be difficult to have a conversation with Young Master Ming. This one apologises for not thank you earlier, Your Excellency,” Yungu responded.

If Sky Palace and Miguo Branch’s alliance was predicated on making use of each other, then Yungu should’ve had the means to and been prepared to disband the alliance at the drop of a hat. That explained her relaxed attitude.

“He is my prisoner. Please leave.”

“As that is your wish, this one sh-”

“Hey, wait,” Ming Feizhen voiced.

Miguo frowned. “What do you want, kid?”

While Miguo wanted to smash Ming Feizhen, the latter looked straight past him to Yungu.

“I don’t understand what this team-up of yours means, not that I need to. League of Assassins and Divine Moon Cult paid me a visit during the day already to also seek my cooperation, and their deal was a lot more attractive compared to yours. They told me that they’d come visit again tonight, but I guess they’ve been stopped,” Ming Feizhen said.

Yungu’s face stiffened subtly.

“League of Assassins offered money. Divine Moon Cult promised a Guardian post. They’re significantly more sincere than you are.”

It took Yungu a moment to overcome the vexation and humiliation of being slower than the other groups. “I understand you are not satisfied with the conditions. Feel free to state yours. Whatever they can offer, Sky Palace can offer.”

“Stop treating me like an idiot.” Ming Feizhen didn’t raise his voice, but the birds in the surroundings took off from the branches, making haste for the dark overhead canvas.

Yungu and Miguo felt a heavy weight crash down on them all of a sudden, making it tough to even lift a finger. As someone familiar with this phenomenon known as power, she calmly moulded energy to shout, “Ruisi, what are you doing?!”

Ruisi answered, “The formation is working as usual, but he never used any qi! There’s no true qi reaction!”

The formation isn’t down? Does that mean… sun rock?!

The legendary rock that could banish evil let the malice in the formation imposed its will without even putting in any effort to stop it.

“A damn rock, a few girls and you think you run the show?” Although Ming Feizhen’s eyes had turned red, he maintained his lazy posture. “You’re right. I’m not interested in those things. You want bloodline… right? Do you know what that thing you don’t care about really is?”

Accompanying each word Ming Feizhen spoke, the weight on them would increase. As the branches flexed side to side, League of Assassins, Divine Moon Cult and disciples of Miguo Branch could be seen running towards the source of the pressure.

“My enemy has always been by my side, perpetually competing against me. You have no clue what it is. Mount Daluo has spent a millennium, countless lives and still dwells up in the mountains for it. Don’t you dare make light of us!”

Unable to process the mental stress, only a few people didn’t blank out. Yungu nearly gasped blood and lost self-awareness had Ming Feizhen not gradually eased off.

Ming Feizhen’s eyes gradually returned to their usual colour; however, his forehead was as wet as if he splashed water on his face.

Yungu: He didn’t use any qi… He suppressed that sinister power with his willpower alone?

Ming Feizhen, sitting on the ground and grinning at Lord Miguo, asked, “What do you want, kid?”