Martial Saint!
Chapter 731 - 0455 Immortal Martial Soul (Request for double monthly tickets)

Chapter 731: 0455 Immortal Martial Soul (Request for double monthly tickets)

"Me?"

Lu Chenzhou was somewhat surprised.

Although he was the number one genius of Da Xia, his cultivation was only that of a Great Grandmaster. There were countless powerful beings in the All Nations Martial Arts Tournament, it shouldn’t be his turn.

The Northern Guardian King said:

"Not everyone can control the Heavenly Person List; it requires the comprehension of a top-class Dao. You possess the World Dao, in theory, no one is more suitable than you.

You must know, what we refer to as the world can actually be divided into two kinds. One is the material world, like the Three Thousand Worlds and the Great Wilderness, all of which are such... But apart from that, there is another kind, which is the spiritual world. The cornerstone of the spiritual world is the spiritual power of the multitude, it can be the worship of ancestors, or the faith in gods, or even the fear of the unknown.

The research on the theory of the spiritual world is something we derived from studying the Evil God of Stars. We speculate that the Evil God of Stars is fundamentally different from the Great Wilderness Gods; they are spiritual entities that we find difficult to understand. The so-called ’Divine Kingdom’ is also a world constructed of spiritual forces like faith and fear. But regardless of whether it’s the material world or the spiritual world, it is still a world.

The Martial World is also a spiritual world!

Since it is a world, your World Dao presumably benefits from its nurturing growth. Conversely, the growth of the Martial World can also feed back to your World Dao. Through this, it could potentially allow your path after reaching the Heavenly Realm to progress further, even to become the legendary Great Power!"

The Northern Guardian King looked vibrant.

"I see."

Lu Chenzhou felt waves of emotion.

The Northern Guardian King said, "Of course, refining this Supreme Treasure requires some trials. We will take advantage of the All Nations Martial Arts Competition a year from now to initiate the Heavenly Person Martial Arts Competition plan, where all cultivators above the Great Grandmaster but below the Absolute Peak can participate. I wish to entrust you with a task, and if you succeed, you will rightfully become the master of the Xia Realm Heavenly Person List."

"Please, go ahead, senior."

The Northern Guardian King solemnly said:

"Test your fist throughout the world, ascend the Heavenly Person List as number one! The rankings on the Heavenly Person List are in constant flux, and any listed can challenge the stronger ones in front or be challenged by those behind. The further you climb on the list, the more benefits you receive.

Those in the top five hundred of the Heavenly Person List can leave their unique Heavenly Heart Mark in the Martial World, nurturing a ’Heavenly Person Martial Soul’. The higher the cultivation, the greater the prestige in the human world, the more merit in the Xia Realm, the stronger the Martial Soul.

With the blessing of the Heavenly Person Martial Soul, lifespan is extended, progression in cultivation, and the power of fist techniques can increase as well. If a strong person were to fall unfortunately in battle, the Heavenly Person Martial Soul can retain their memories and martial arts Daoist techniques, becoming a ’Heavenly Spirit’ like Lv Ancestor, Zhang Ancestor, and other sages. As long as the Daoist tradition of the Xia Realm remains, and the legends are preserved, they will share the same lifespan as the world and the radiance of the sun and moon, becoming immortal within the Martial World!

In times of crisis for the younger generations of the Xia Realm, bridging with martial arts, the Heavenly Spirit can also descend power projections, like the Heavenly Spirits of Lv Ancestor and Zhang Ancestor. Passed down and commemorated by younger generations, their power has become unfathomable."

"To be number one on the Heavenly Person List, wouldn’t it require near Absolute Peak cultivation? I am merely a Great Grandmaster of the Middle Realm."

"The Heavenly Person List remains open for an extended period; you only need to keep climbing. One day, if you can defeat me upon reaching the peak, you will become the master of the Heavenly Person List. My Dao is also top-class but unsuitable for controlling this treasure."

The Northern Guardian King lifted his hand, and a golden scroll gradually unfolded, revealing portraits of cultivators in various attires from different dynasties vividly portrayed inside:

Heavenly Master Zhang, Spear Immortal, Qinglian Sword Immortal... Lv Ancestor, Zhang Ancestor, Lingkong Supreme... The painting ended with a middle-aged man with an elegant appearance and carefree demeanor.

He was the Old Mountain Lord.

The one who achieved Great Success in the Tiger Form School.

The history of the Xia Realm spans thousands of years, ever since the breaking of the fourth shackle, till today... All the powerful beings capable of imprinting their Martial Arts Will into the Heavenly Heart, leaving behind the Dao Yun, are present.

They have passed away.

Their Three Souls and Seven Spirits have already dispersed.

But they sensed the existence of the Will of Xia Realm, leaving an indelible mark in the annals of history over the years.

If the Xia Realm had gods, it would be them!

The Northern Guardian King said:

"On the Heavenly Person List, Da Xia has a total of 108 Heavenly Spirits. Their names are remembered by future generations; all are Path-breaking Ancestors. The oldest, the first-generation Heavenly Master Zhang, has existed in the Martial World for six thousand years. During the early stages of the mountain and sea cataclysm, in an era of chaos wrought by the Demon Emperor, the Heavenly Kings of the Dragon and Tiger Academy once invoked the spirit of Heavenly Master Zhang, descending to manifest divine skills and to decisively slay the Eight Pattern Demon Emperor."

Lu Chenzhou was deeply shocked in his heart.

"The longer a Heavenly Spirit exists, the stronger it becomes?"

The Northern Guardian King said, "That’s just one aspect. Their strength in life, Martial Arts Will, merit, reputation... all have an impact. By imprinting a thread of spiritual power on the Heavenly Person List, you can enter it to take a look."

"Alright, I shall give it a try, senior."

Lu Chenzhou imprinted a thread of his spiritual power onto the scroll, and in the blank space on the right side of the scroll, an image that belonged to him appeared, identical to his likeness.

He carefully observed for a moment; the portraits of the deceased sages were all in black and white, while his, along with the current master of the Heavenly Person List, the Northern Guardian King, were in color.

In a trance, he heard the sound of scriptures being chanted in his ear.

"The Dao is born from nothingness; it dives into all spirits subtly without measure; the spirit solidifies from the void, wondrously transforming in myriad ways without form..."

When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a different world.

It exuded an aura of time, dotted among towering mountains and ridges with academies, Daoist temples, and temples here and there.

"Roar!"

In the distance, atop a mountain peak, a giant black tiger roared and stepped over the clouds, arriving before Lu Chenzhou.

"This is indeed the place of the Heavenly Heart Mark."

Lu Chenzhou’s eyes were filled with awe.

This giant tiger was all too familiar to him.

He practiced the Tiger Form Fist, seeing it every day.

Beside him, the figure of the Northern Guardian King appeared.

"With your current Tiger Form accomplishment, under the sky, except for your master, there are less than a handful stronger than you, hence this Black Tiger is very fond of you. You can call it ’Xuan Jun’; that is the name Lv Ancestor gave."

Lu Chenzhou petted the Black Tiger’s head.

"Junior Lu Chenzhou, pleased to meet you, Black Tiger!"

The Black Tiger didn’t respond, just rubbed against him.

The Northern Guardian King said:

"This giant tiger is indeed the place of the Heavenly Heart Imprint."

He continued, "This giant tiger is very familiar to you.

You practice the Tiger Form Fist and encounter it every day.

The reason this Black Tiger is so affectionate with you is because of your profound Tiger Form accomplishment. You may call it ’Xuan Jun,’ which is what Lv Ancestor named it."

The Black Tiger did not respond, just nudged against him.

"It truly has no consciousness or memory, cannot communicate. It is more like a rule, something beyond any individual’s control."

Lu Chenzhou was deeply moved.

As the Northern Guardian King explained, there could come a day when the Da Xia Martial Arts advances continuously and the Martial World evolves alongside, through the collective will, the unreal may become real, and Xuan Jun might one day become a true entity of rules, like a mythical creature."

"""

"Understood."

Lu Chenzhou continued his journey.

"Roar!"

Above the heavens, a cyan Divine Dragon concealed itself within the clouds, its eyes proud and overlooking the world. Its demeanor was almost identical to the Cangtian Dragon King’s, with no difference whatsoever.

"Although the Dragon Form Sect is strong, eight parts of the power were monopolized by the Dragon King, while other Heavenly Kings, Great Grandmasters, and Dragon Form experts of the world only share two parts. Therefore, this [Grey Dragon] can be seen as a manifestation of the Dragon King’s will. In the past decade, the Grey Dragon has been growing stronger every day, and we suspect that the Cangtian Dragon King is also not far from Breakthrough Eight."

The Northern Guardian King looked expectant.

No one would doubt whether the Dragon King could achieve Breakthrough Eight.

Even though Lu Chenzhou reached Breakthrough Seven earlier, in most people’s eyes, it was not as impressive as the Dragon King’s century-long Breakthrough Seven.

That was a Breakthrough Seven of the End of Dharma era.

Then, Lu Chenzhou saw a [Phoenix] with an aura even stronger than [Xuan Jun], soaring through the heavens.

Dragon Flying and Phoenix Dancing, as if mythology had descended.

Bai Feng achieved Breakthrough Seven, and the Phoenix soared to the heavens.

Around the Phoenix were symbols of top-class Sects from the Wanxiang Dao, such as the [Golden Peng] and [Immortal Crane], equally powerful.

However, the most striking was the black and white Great Sun, like a Great Sun, filling the eastern half of the sky, alongside the sacred and solemn Mist Cloud Mountain in the west.

The Northern Guardian King said: "The black and white Great Sun is [Taiji Palace]. My master, Xuanwu Taoist, Eastern Yue Daoist, Dragon and Tiger Heavenly Master, Hong Daoist... more than half of Da Xia’s cultivators, including the Dragon King, belong to the Daoist Sect in varying degrees, gathering in this Mark. This is also the strongest Heavenly Heart Mark in the Martial World. One day, it might become the supreme treasure to suppress the fate of Da Xia.

As for the west, it is [Spirit Mountain], second only to Taiji Palace, a sacred site of Buddhist sages."

The Northern Guardian King continued, "What I showed you is just the tip of the iceberg. The Martial World not only contains sages from Da Xia, but also heroes from the epic mythology of Western fighters, and predecessors of Po Suo Heart Cultivation. They all reside respectively in the [Central Court Country] and the [River of Po Suo], where they refer to the sages as [Heroic Spirits]..."

The Northern Guardian King patted Lu Chenzhou on the shoulder.

"Come on, let me take you to walk around the Taiji Palace."

...

Pavilions and tall buildings, incense burners and tripods.

Inside the Taiji Palace, it was cold and desolate.

The sound of sutra chanting Lu Chenzhou heard was emanating from here. An old Daoist was waving a fan in front of a pill furnace.

"The junior greets Ge Xianweng."

Lu Chenzhou saluted.

The old Daoist did not respond.

"Ge Xianweng spends his days here researching the Alchemy Dao. Since I have mastered the Heavenly Person List, I have never seen him speak."

The Northern Guardian King took Lu Chenzhou further forward.

Eventually, they saw a disheveled Daoist. It was Zhang Ancestor, who sat with his chin in his hand, gazing up in thought.

The Northern Guardian King stood silently.

Lu Chenzhou also waited quietly.

After who knows how long, Zhang Ancestor finally spoke.

"Young friend is here."

"The junior greets Zhang Ancestor."

"Hmm, indeed we have met. You are the first descendant I have encountered after a thousand years."

Listening to the conversation between the old and young, the Northern Guardian King was dumbfounded. The Heavenly Person List emerged only after the implementation of the New Heaven Reconstruction Plan. Before that, although Martial Artists could see the sages through the Dao Yun illusion, they could not communicate.

From Zhang Ancestor’s words,

had they communicated earlier?

Only by engraving the Heavenly Person List and absorbing the will into the Martial World could one communicate with the sages. How did Lu Chenzhou achieve this?

Inside the Taiji Palace,

the old and the young conversed across time, envisioning the future.

...

One year later.

Primordial Mountain Cave Heaven.

"Roar!"

Dragon roars echoed through the heavens and earth, and a shadow of a Golden Dragon flashed momentarily. A figure emerged from the cave, his muscles well-proportioned and long, with veins like coiling dragons, exuding a sense of power. Over forty thousand grandiose Qi-Blood surged, causing the grass, wood, bamboo, and stone to tremble with his breaths, as if he were a god.

"Hiss..."

The Black Water Profound Snake submitted before this figure, instinctively feeling the suppression of a superior bloodline.

Like a snake meeting a dragon!

Brother Hu stood atop a stone; though he was not suppressed by bloodline, the invisible Dragon Power was truly terrifying.

"A year passed so quickly."

Finishing seclusion, Lu Chenzhou felt his renewed body, with scales faintly appearing on the surface of his muscles.

"True Dragon Treasure Body!"