Martial Arts Domination: Start with the Dragon Elephant Prajna Technique
Chapter 156 - 153: Below the Martial Saint! Half-Step Martial Saint! (Please Subscribe)

Chapter 156: Chapter 153: Below the Martial Saint! Half-Step Martial Saint! (Please Subscribe)

Yongyuan County, Lin Yuan City.

As the first ray of morning light broke through the darkness,

Qin Zheng’s figure also appeared in the council hall.

Following his arrival, the people who had rested there for the night opened their eyes.

"Junior Brother Qin, are we setting off?"

Su Zimo looked toward Qin Zheng and was the first to inquire.

Xiang Qingyu grasped his halberd and stood up.

With Sun Zhilan’s full effort, their injuries had barely recovered by half over the course of the night.

Qin Zheng looked at them, his eyes faintly flickering, then turned to the three Commanders-in-chief and asked, "Is it alright for the three of you to be away for such a long time?"

As the Commanders-in-chief of Camp Jia, Camp Yi, and Camp Bing, they were stationed in the three most dangerous counties outside of Yongyuan County.

They had come to Lin Yuan City for a few days now, and if they did not return soon, trouble could arise.

Hearing Qin Zheng’s words, the three shook their heads and almost simultaneously replied, "No harm. After the Cangyuan Dragon Lord was eliminated, all the monsters knew Lin Yuan City had freed up its hands."

"Moreover, Junior Brother Qin, your reputation is somewhat established among the Great Demons of various places in Qingzhou, so even if we leave temporarily for a while, there won’t be any problems."

Qin Zheng nodded at their response.

Zhao Li also stood up and came forward at this time.

Su Zimo and Xiang Qingyu followed suit, intending to join.

"Lin Yuan City cannot be left unguarded. You all stay here while I go to bring back the master,"

Looking at the two men, Qin Zheng hesitated for a moment before speaking.

His words caused the two opposite him to be taken aback.

"The monsters around Lin Yuan City have been cleared, and there isn’t much threat anymore. We still..."

Xiang Qingyu wanted to explain further.

But Su Zimo gently patted his shoulder, signaling him to stop talking and turned to Qin Zheng with a light smile, "Alright!"

"Then we will stay in Lin Yuan City and wait for Junior Brother to bring back the master!"

Qin Zheng nodded and then turned to leave.

Zhao Li and the three Commanders-in-chief followed closely, keeping pace with Qin Zheng as they left.

Once everyone’s presence had vanished from the inner courtyard,

the atmosphere in the council hall grew somewhat heavy.

Fuyu and Sun Zhilan were fine; they had originally been assigned to guard Lin Yuan City.

But as the eldest disciple Su Zimo, and the second disciple Xiang Qingyu, who were supposed to go rescue their master, now they could only stay here, unable to do anything.

Indeed, the feeling was very uncomfortable.

"Junior Brother Qin is doing this for our good,"

After a moment, Su Zimo let out a long sigh and slowly spoke.

Then he turned around, his gaze landing on Xiang Qingyu as he continued, "You and I are both severely injured, unable to exert much fighting power. Even if we forced ourselves to go to the Provincial Governor’s Mansion, we wouldn’t be able to do much."

"Now that Gao Wenyu dares to beat and imprison even our master, a Commander-in-chief and an imperial official, if you and I go, we can’t guarantee he won’t take the opportunity to strike at us!"

"Let’s just stay here in Lin Yuan City, focus on healing our wounds, and strive to comprehend Martial Arts to become stronger as quickly as possible!"

Toward the end, seeing the struggle in Xiang Qingyu’s eyes, he stepped forward again and patted his shoulder, saying, "Trust Junior Brother Qin!"

After speaking, he dragged his weary body and walked out of the council hall.

"Sigh!"

Moments later, a deep sigh echoed in the hall.

...

Clip-clop! Clip-clop!

Five Demon Horses with Flood Dragon bloodlines galloped on the official road.

Qin Zheng held the reins in one hand, his gaze fixedly ahead.

Having Su Zimo and Xiang Qingyu stay behind had been Qin Zheng’s plan from the start.

Firstly, as the highest combatants in Lin Yuan City, aside from Wei Wuji, their presence there would better deter monsters from all around.

Secondly, with their severe injuries, even if they accompanied him to the Provincial Governor’s Mansion, they most likely wouldn’t be of much help and might even lose their lives there.

Therefore, after hesitating for a moment, Qin Zheng asked them to stay.

As for the three Commanders-in-chief, they were unhurt, and their combat capabilities were even stronger than the other two.

After the Commander-in-chief was rescued, Qin Zheng intended to have the three guard him back to Lin Yuan City first, with any further complications to be handled by Qin Zheng himself.

These were Qin Zheng’s thoughts.

"Little Brother Qin, have you considered how to proceed once we reach the Provincial Governor’s Mansion?"

Just then, Zhao Li’s voice cut through the whistling wind and reached Qin Zheng’s ears.

This question also brought Qin Zheng’s thoughts back, and after pondering for a moment, he replied, "Do you have any advice, senior?"

According to his plan, they would enter Xuanen Mansion and go straight to the Provincial Governor’s Mansion.

With his current spiritual perception, fully released, it should be enough to cover the Provincial Governor’s Mansion and locate Wei Wuji.

Then, he would use Qinggong to swiftly rescue him and hand him over to the three Commanders-in-chief to escort back to Lin Yuan City, while Qin Zheng would stay to deal with any trouble.

However, now that Zhao Li was asking, it seemed he had some ideas.

This Grandmaster from the Imperial Capital Taiwu Institution, though his strength was only average, had wide-ranging knowledge due to his experience in the Capital City. He should be able to suggest a better method.

Suddenly, they heard Zhao Li say, "That Gao Wenyu is extremely secretive. Initially, I thought he was just another Grandmaster, but the fact that he defeated Brother Wei suggests that he must have reached an even higher realm."

Upon hearing this, Qin Zheng’s mind became focused as he quickly said, "Martial Saint?"

If Gao Wenyu had truly ascended to the level of Martial Saint, Qin Zheng wouldn’t think twice; he would turn around and go back!

The realm of Martial Saint is synonymous with the title Defender of the Nation!

In the vast Great Jin, with countless martial artists, there were only eighteen Martial Saints.

Given such beings, Qin Zheng, although his combat power presently dominated the realm of Grandmaster, wouldn’t believe that he could confront one.

At worst, once his strength increased later on, he would come back to avenge Wei Wuji. There was no need to rush forward and seek death.

"Not at all, not at all!"

Zhao Li hastily denied it.

If Gao Wenyu had truly ascended to Martial Saint, he wouldn’t have needed to send someone to Lin Yuan City to show off his power. In fact, it’s uncertain whether Qingzhou would even exist at this moment.

Zhao Li then quickly continued, "Little Brother Qin, since you’ve already become a Grandmaster, you must know that this realm is divided into three stages: Qi Drawing, Formation of the Elixir, and Spirit Condensation!"

"And these three stages are each related to the Essence, Qi, and Spirit of the human body!"

"When all three stages are perfected, it signifies that one’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit have all achieved Perfection!"

"After this, the body turns into a furnace, fusing and gathering the Essence, Qi, and Spirit. Upon another breakthrough, one can ascend to Martial Saint!"

"But this process is exceedingly difficult. Not to mention turning into a furnace and merging the Essence, Qi, and Spirit, if they are already perfected, how can one break through again?"

"It’s like a bucket filled with water. How can it hold any more water?"

"Moreover, Essence, Qi, and Spirit are like three buckets that need to simultaneously break through their limits to induce change and ascend to Martial Saint!"

"To take this step is extremely difficult! It requires great perseverance, understanding, and opportunity to have even a slight chance!"

"But!"

Qin Zheng’s eyes brightened, sensing that the key point was coming!

Zhao Li’s voice continued, "In the Great Jin, countless martial artists have explored before us, finding a transitional path."

"That is to separately cultivate Essence, Qi, and Spirit. After completing Spirit Condensation, one picks one of the three to focus on for cultivation!"

"Although this path is challenging, it has the advantage that one can choose based on their own innate talent."

"Those with a strong physique, understanding, or soul, can each choose one of the three to cultivate for a breakthrough."

"And on this path, anyone who achieves a breakthrough will experience a massive increase in strength, becoming different from a Grandmaster."

"This realm is the strongest beneath a Martial Saint, known as a Half-Step Martial Saint!"

After Zhao Li finished speaking, Qin Zheng immediately understood his meaning, and then said, "Senior, are you worried that Gao Wenyu has broken through some limit and become a Half-Step Martial Saint?"

"Not at all, not at all."

Zhao Li shook his head again.

He continued, "Although this step is a shortcut, it is no less difficult."

"While Gao Wenyu’s talent is not lacking, he has not yet reached such a level. In my opinion, he must have made some progress, which improved his strength."

If Gao Wenyu had broken through to Half-Step Martial Saint, he too would not have sent someone to Lin Yuan City.

Qin Zheng nodded, mulling over what Zhao Li had just mentioned.

Breaking through a certain limit, becoming a Half-Step Martial Saint...

Although he was still at the Qi Drawing stage and had not experienced the Formation of the Elixir or Spirit Condensation stages,

his spiritual power, enhanced by the Secret Spiritual Mind Book, had undergone a transformation, turning from transparent to a pale gold and even manifested the Heavenly Eye.

His physical body, strengthened by the Nine Revolutions Golden Body Technique and tempered by the True Dragon Divine Refinement Scripture, was also far superior to an ordinary Grandmaster.

What, then, was his own situation?

Not yet perfected, not yet broken through, but constantly improving and transforming.

This situation... could it be that he was expanding the bucket meant to hold water?

Thinking this, Qin Zheng pondered for a moment before asking, "Senior, if one breaks through a certain limit and becomes a Half-Step Martial Saint, what changes will occur?"

Zhao Li quickly responded, "Among the three aspects of Essence, Qi, and Spirit, a breakthrough in ’Essence’ leads to a transformation of the physical body, with strength reaching five hundred thousand pounds!"

"A breakthrough in ’Qi’ transforms Gang Qi. One can control Qi to travel, traversing the air with ease!"

"A breakthrough in ’Spirit’ transforms the soul, and spiritual power also changes, allowing one to lock onto a soul from a thousand miles away and kill!"

Qin Zheng gently nodded, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

Then, returning to the main topic, he asked, "That being the case, what advice do you have regarding entering the Provincial Governor’s Mansion, Senior?"

Upon hearing this, a fierce look appeared on Zhao Li’s face as he said, "After entering the Xuanen Mansion, I will use my spiritual power to locate Brother Wei. You will escort him back to Lin Yuan City, and I will stay to deal with Gao Wenyu."

"I am a person from Taiwu Academy. Gao Wenyu dared to harm Brother Wei, but he may not dare to do the same to me!"

Upon hearing this, a wry smile flickered in Qin Zheng’s eyes.

Fine then, I had thought there would be some strategy, but it turns out to be the same as my own.

Another rash individual...

Qin Zheng thought for a moment and then said, "Let’s wait and see after we enter Xuanen Mansion."

I’ve disrupted Gao Wenyu’s plans in the Moxu Demon Lair.

Perhaps this Provincial Governor is already on his way to kill me. He might not wait for me to enter the Xuanen Mansion and would intercept me instead.

"Alright!"

Zhao Li heard this and nodded emphatically.