Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
“Miss Ye, please wait!”
Mu Suifeng suddenly called Ye Wanwan to a stop at the main entrance.
Ye Wanwan paused. “Mr. Mu?”
Mu Suifeng hesitated briefly before asking, “Miss Ye, if I might be so blunt to ask, do you know… the Martial Arts Union?”
Ye Wanwan expressed her suspicion. “Martial Arts Union? I don’t think so…”
Mu Suifeng couldn’t sense any hint of lying from her expression, so he said, “I saw Miss Ye was quite talented and had a unique understanding of martial arts, so I thought you were a member of the Martial Arts Union…”
“Is the Martial Arts Union… an organization like a martial arts association?” Ye Wanwan asked curiously.
When Mu Suifeng heard that, he revealed a reminiscent expression. “The Martial Arts Union is on a completely different level from ordinary martial arts associations. Have you heard of the Independent State, Miss Ye?”
“Independent State…” Ye Wanwan shook her head. “I haven’t.”
She had never heard of anything mentioned by Mu Suifeng. However, a strange feeling inexplicably arose when she heard the words “Martial Arts Union” and “Independent State.”
“What kind of place is the Independent State?” Ye Wanwan curiously asked.
As Mu Suifeng looked into the distant sky, he had a yearnful expression on his face. He replied, “Several hundred years ago, at the peak of China’s martial arts culture, there was a saying: ‘The poor become scholars, and the rich become martial artists’.”
“At that time, nearly all the affluent families and patrician clans revered military skills and were passionate about gaining military merit. Hence, many great patrician clans amassed a profuse amount of killing and martial arts techniques. However, as time passed, the great patrician clans slowly distanced themselves from military affairs. Genuine Chinese killing and martial arts techniques also slowly disappeared.”
“The remnants of the martial art techniques studied by martial arts patrician families like Sun Lizhong are merely simplified versions of what survived from hundreds of years ago…” Mu Suifeng paused briefly before continuing, “However, there’s still a place in the present that contains a lot of genuine hidden clans and martial arts experts.”
Ye Wanwan hurried asked, “Is it the Independent State that you mentioned, Mr. Mu?”
Mu Suifeng nodded and said, “That’s right.”
“In which city is the Independent State located? How come I’ve never heard of it?” Ye Wanwan asked, not understanding.
Mu Suifeng answered, “The Independent State was originally named Tefra State and is located in Northern Europe. It isn’t a city and is actually a state formed by many cities. It doesn’t belong to any of the five countries in Northern Europe nor does it belong to any country or organization in the world. It’s an independent administrative region, so it’s also called the Independent State.”
“Before the Middle Ages, the Independent State was merely a desolate region until a Chinese martial arts expert spread his top-rate killing and martial art techniques there and brought it to new heights. The Independent State’s power also grew stronger as a result. Although the Independent State has declined quite a bit, several important hidden clans still hold an immense amount of power.”
Mu Suifeng continued: “The Independent State reveres martial arts. Although it’s located in Northern Europe, it’s the most prosperous place for China’s martial arts culture. Experts from all over the world assemble there. People in the outside world like Wolf King Senny and Sun Lizhong overrun the streets of the Independent State.”
Astonishment filled Ye Wanwan as she listened. She eagerly asked, “Is there really a place like that?”
Seeing Ye Wanwan’s great interest, Mu Suifeng chuckled and said, “It does exist, but an extremely small number of people know about it. The headquarters of the Martial Arts Union is located in the Independent State.”
