Bai Di City, the Marshal's Mansion in the southern part of the city.
In the training ground, fist intent flowed. Wen Hao, the Grand Marshal of the Yue, was not in armor, but in a simple, close-fitting outfit. He performed a set of "Farmer's Three Fists" in the training ground. The fist intent was dense and powerful, with a strong momentum. Especially when the "Formation Horse and Wind Mast" fist intent surged through his body, his speed reached its peak. Every punch landed with muffled thunderous explosions. A group of accompanying generals stopped their training and formed a circle to watch the Grand Marshal's boxing.
At the peak of the Tian Yuan realm, Wen Hao had been stuck for decades. The bottleneck of the Tian Yuan realm showed no signs of loosening, which had made him increasingly anxious in recent years. Had he gone wrong somewhere, or had his understanding of fist principles not been straightened out? Yet, he could not figure it out. With his innate talent and comprehension, would he be destined to never reach the Rebirth realm in this life?
Impossible. If Chen Wanli could do it, then he, Wen Hao, could do it too. Even the old Marshal Lu Fengxian, who was nearing his end and about to enter the grave, had already reached the Rebirth realm. He, Wen Hao, was in his prime. What reason was there for him not to reach the Rebirth realm?
"Grand Marshal."
An old general entered the field and respectfully said, "There is a secret letter from a scout in Yunzhou."
"Oh?"
Wen Hao immediately stopped his fists and waved his hand, signaling the generals to disperse. He then took the secret letter from the First Rank General Li Yu. After scanning it, he frowned and said, "What is Li Chunyang trying to do again? Is he going to insist on deploying the elite forces of the Six Town Palace Marshals to the north, despite the opposition of Bai Di City?"
"Most likely."
Li Yu said in a deep voice, "It is said that the northern strategy originates from the Confucian scholars, the ancestral halls of the military strategists, and the ancestral halls of the Mohists. Even the thirteen-realm military strategist Saint Huo has personally stationed himself at Snow Ridge. It seems the legendary events are true, and the ultimate battle between the demon and human races may be imminent. Therefore, Li Chunyang, relying on the support of the Confucian, Military, and Mohist saints, can act unilaterally in the north. He has directly deployed troops after submitting a letter to His Majesty. It is said that Lin Ruo of the Pan Shi Army has already led fifty thousand armored soldiers north and stationed them at the Snow Territory Heavenly Pool."
"Lin Ruo..."
Wen Hao frowned, his eyes filled with coldness. He had met Lin Ruo before, and even almost sparred with him at the Bai Di City gathering. As the Grand Marshal, Wen Hao held a higher position in the court than Lin Ruo. However, Bai Di City had always spoken of the "Twin Pillars of Tian Yuan," referring to the two strongest individuals in the Tian Yuan realm of the Great Shang Dynasty: Chen Xi, Chen Wanli's granddaughter, and Lin Ruo. This saying of the Twin Pillars directly excluded him, Wen Hao. Firstly, the martial spirit Wen Hao had forged was relatively ordinary. Secondly, Wen Hao was already over a hundred years old and still in the Tian Yuan realm, thus he could not be compared with Chen Xi and Lin Ruo.
But Wen Hao was unconvinced. In his heart, he did not believe he was truly inferior to Chen Xi and Lin Ruo.
"Going to the Snow Territory Heavenly Pool so urgently..."
Wen Hao smiled faintly, "Aren't you afraid of being beheaded by a great demon? Or is Lin Ruo in such a hurry to achieve merit and fame that he is no longer satisfied with the title of Six Town Palace Marshal?"
Li Yu clasped his hands and smiled, "That is unknown. According to our intelligence, Chen Xi has also begun to pack her bags in Yunzhou. It is said that she sent a flying fish message to Yumenguan, ordering the hundred thousand Cangnan Iron Cavalry to march north. Now, these hundred thousand Cangnan Iron Cavalry should be passing through Jizhou."
"One hundred thousand Cangnan Iron Cavalry?"
Wen Hao's brows furrowed. "Chen Xi has gone mad. Since ancient times, there has never been a precedent for one hundred thousand Cangnan Iron Cavalry marching north. Does she not want Yumenguan anymore, or does she not want her head? If the barbaric tribes take the opportunity to gather their forces and march north, does Chen Xi want her entire clan to be executed?"
Li Yu said in a deep voice, "It is said that Chen Xi has issued an order to the governors of Huangzhou and Furongzhou, commanding them to lead two hundred thousand armored soldiers south to assist in the defense of Yumenguan, ensuring that Yumenguan remains impregnable even with the Cangnan Iron Cavalry's absence."
"Understood."
Wen Hao sighed, his expression becoming even more solemn. He, the Southern Marshal, had always held fewer troops than the Northern Marshal. Li Chunyang held the late emperor's imperial decree and had the authority to deploy the Six Town Palace Marshals, while Wen Hao did not.
...
Yunzhou, outside a misty and rainy city.
A young scholar led a thin donkey. The donkey was not carrying the scholar but had heavy book boxes strapped to its sides. Wherever the scholar went, books followed, as traveling the world was impossible without books. As his Martial Uncle, the Confucian Saint, once said: "The moonlight before the window, the book in hand, the person in the heart. What is more elegant for a scholar than this."
This saying was passed down by his uncles to their disciples and was widely circulated in the academy for a time.
Gu Lingyu looked up at the fine drizzle in the sky and casually took off his cloak, covering the book boxes on the donkey's back. He himself could get wet, but those sage books absolutely could not.
"Sir..."
Following behind Gu Lingyu were more than a dozen young scholars, all his students. Their situation was similar. Five of them led donkeys carrying bamboo slips of the sages, while the rest carried their own book boxes, accompanying their teacher on his travels. Wherever they went, they were content as long as they could study with their teacher. One of the young scholars looked at Gu Lingyu and said, "Sir, you took your clothes to cover the bamboo slips. What if you catch a cold yourself?"
Gu Lingyu could not help but laugh, "Have you ever seen a cultivator of the twelfth realm catch a cold?"
A group of disciples chuckled.
Gu Lingyu then looked ahead and said, "At the end of this road is an ancient temple. It doesn't have much incense, but the county records state that this temple is very old. Almost every spring, when the flowers bloom, scholars come to visit and pay homage to the sages. Why don't we stay overnight in the ancient temple tonight and see the historical sites?"
"Yes, sir!"
A group of disciples followed the incredibly young junior master into the ancient temple. The temple had only one abbot, who did not greet them warmly. Seeing that they were just a group of scholars, he paid them no mind. Instead, Gu Lingyu led the donkey forward, respectfully offered incense money, and after receiving the abbot's permission, led his disciples to find accommodation in the temple, tethered the donkey, and then explored the ancient sites in the rain, looking at the poems left on the courtyard walls and reading the inscriptions on the scattered stone tablets.
The disciples watched attentively, but Gu Lingyu turned his gaze northward.
This Yunzhou was the largest province for humans in the north. Since ancient times, there was a saying: "The iron cavalry of the human race emerges from Yunzhou." In a battle a hundred years ago, Yunzhou made an extraordinary contribution to the entire human world. Therefore, Gu Lingyu's travel route had long been planned: to leave Yunzhou, pass through Shanhai Pass and Fusu Great Wall, and finally head to the Snow Territory Heavenly Pool.
He wanted to see the former residence of his Martial Uncle, the Confucian Saint Qin Suihan, and see what the place where that scholar who resisted heavenly will had lived looked like.
...
Early morning.
The Snow Territory Heavenly Pool was shrouded in a thick mist. The spiritual energy between heaven and earth was like sediment settling into a funnel, with the outlet of the funnel being the Snow Territory Heavenly Pool. Thus, although the northern region was vast and boundless, the Snow Territory Heavenly Pool had the densest spiritual energy in the world. Undoubtedly, this was the masterpiece of the eleventh-realm Cloud Master Han Buyu, and it was also a gesture of goodwill from Han Buyu.
Lin Zhao walked out of the Natural Dwelling and took a deep breath of fresh air. "Elder Swordsman Han is still reliable!"
He then rose into the sky, preparing to practice his sword riding early in the morning. In fact, although players had mastered a technique, was that all there was to it? Especially when it came to sword cultivators riding their swords, being adept at riding swords and being able to ride swords were two entirely different things. Sword riding proficiency was directly linked to actual combat power.
Lin Zhao firmly believed this. This game was by no means a game of "combat power alone." As long as players had better control over the game's details and became more proficient, it would be entirely possible to kill opponents with higher combat power even with lower combat power.
After he had been soaring and tumbling in the sea of clouds for a long time, a beam of sword light came from the east. Standing on the sword light was a great swordsman with an ethereal demeanor, none other than Mozi Xu Zhan.
"Hmm?"
Xu Zhan noticed a ray of light in the sea of clouds and couldn't help but stroke his beard and laugh, "Lin Zhao, practicing sword riding?"
"Ah ha..."
Lin Zhao slowly flew out of the clouds on his flying sword, Hong Ye, scratching his head and saying awkwardly, "Senior Xu Zhan, please forgive me. Do you have something to do here at the Snow Territory Heavenly Pool this time?"
"Yes."
Xu Zhan smiled faintly, "I will be staying at the Mountain Peak Villa for a while to meet with some people. Do you still have guest rooms at your Mountain Peak Villa?"
"Yes!"
Lin Zhao nodded, "There are still many guest rooms. Please come this way, Senior. I will lead you."
"En."
The two of them descended gracefully and landed on the mountainside. They then walked side by side up the bluestone steps towards the guest rooms.
"Lin Zhao ah..."
Xu Zhan frowned, looking at the dew dripping down from the trees, and hesitated to speak.
Lin Zhao respectfully said, "Senior Xu Zhan, please speak your mind."
"En."
Xu Zhan said, "You met my girl when you were in Tianji City, didn't you?"
"Ah?"
Lin Zhao looked bewildered, "Who is Senior's daughter?"
"Xu Qingyi."
"Ah?"
Lin Zhao couldn't help but chuckle and said, "So Miss Xu is Senior's daughter... Lin Zhao is slow-witted and only just found out. Please forgive me, Senior, and do not be angry!"
"Why would I be angry?"
Xu Zhan smiled, "Do you know, actually Qingyi she..."
"Yes, Senior, please tell me."
"Forget it."
Xu Zhan suddenly seemed to have thought it through and laughed, "Perhaps in the future, the Mo Family's ancestral hall will send Qingyi to the Snow Territory Heavenly Pool to oversee the opening of a northern branch of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. If she comes, please take good care of her. You, the master of the Snow Territory Heavenly Pool, cannot neglect my daughter."
"Please rest assured, Senior!"
Lin Zhao cupped his fist lightly, his eyes clear as he looked at the other person and said in a deep voice, "Senior helped us repair a Flood Dragon Boat for the Snow Territory Heavenly Pool, and Miss Xu also took good care of Lin Zhao in Tianji City. If Miss Xu truly comes to open a shop in the Snow Territory Heavenly Pool, Lin Zhao will never let her suffer any losses."
Xu Zhan couldn't help but smile and shake his head.
Silly daughter, it seems you have a crush on a silly boy too.