One streak of the broadsword light stretching 100 meters parted the field.
At this moment, all the people present felt as if their hearts had been hammered ruthlessly.
That strike was almost like a god’s work.
To say the least, the release of internal power alone already made it clear that this young man in white sportswear was the best among the masters, and even was surely beyond the top level. Although those who could project the internal power to the outside had begun to appear with the increase of Spiritual Qi on Earth, no one could do it like this young man. With a casual pointing, he made the white Broadsword Qi flow and carved a straight line on the bluestone flags. Even Lu Haoran, the number one expert in the Seven Sacred Sects, could hardly achieve that, could he?
Lu Haoran gazed at Li Mu in great shock.
Before that, he had already guessed that Li Mu might be a reclusive master, but he never knew that he was so powerful.
So powerful that it was hard to believe that he was human.
As for Lu Xun, Lu Yan’er, and the other young martial arts cultivators, the shock they felt was even more overwhelming.
Just a moment ago, they had thought that the white-clothed young man was a bit arrogant. But now, it seemed that he had simply treated them with an easygoing attitude. Such a powerful strength could only belong to the legendary figure. It was nearly surreal to see someone so mighty.
Subconsciously, Lu Xun flickered his eyes to Xiao Dong.
There was not much astonishment on the face of the young soldier.
This showed that the soldier had long known his master’s real strength.
Lu Xun suddenly felt that he had no complaints getting beaten up by this soldier at all.
“He has such a powerful master to back him up, so his background is much powerful than mine. Seems that his practicing ‘school gymnastics’ every day on the sports field of the Martial Arts Gym is just for fun. Is this called the damn ‘entrapment’?” Lu Xun had an impulse to bury his face in his hands. If he had known this, he would not have gone up there to “give advice” to Xiao Dong in the daytime. As a result, instead of showing off his power, he felt as if he had been slapped in the face.
By his side, Lu Yan’er’s eyes were gleaming with admiration.
“Eldest Senior Fellow Apprentice, he’s about the same age as us. How could he be so mighty?” She poked Lu Xun with her finger.
Lu Xun said weakly and helplessly, “How would I know?”
“Perhaps he is an old monster who is good at retaining his youthful looks.”
Of course, now he did not have the balls to say that out loud even if someone forced him to do so.
All the people in the Wulin were thrown in a silent state by the shock. After a long time, some people finally came to their senses and whispered something. Then, the dead silence was broken. Numerous eyes were fixed on the young man in white sportswear. Unlike the previous looks of disdain, sneer, ridicule, and anger, at this point, their eyes had been filled with awe, panic, curiosity, and timidness.
The well-maintained face of Ling Hewu, Head of the True Spirit Sect, now screwed up in embarrassment, as though she had accidentally taken a mouthful of shit in front of everyone.
The expression of Dongfang Yun, Head of the Star Observing Sect, was more or less the same.
Tonight, it was these two sects that encouraged the other forces to make a fuss against the military. In the end, not only did it fail to achieve the effect they desired, but they went for wool and came home shorn. The original three places they each held were also lost, and the chances of entering other Heavens were denied. This was a great loss.
“So what if you’re powerful? When you’re strong enough, you can do whatever you want?” Ling Hewu was a woman after all. When she got desperate, she behaved like a shrew.
As a matter of fact, the martial arts society on Earth was not quite well developed. In the days when there was no Spiritual Qi, most of them made a living by swindles. But when there was Spiritual Qi and the ancient martial arts could finally be cultivated, the cultivators’ bearing and mindset were a little out of line with their cultivation.
Masters like Lu Haoran, who knew how to balance the internal and external cultivation, were the minority after all.
As for the heads of most large sects like Ling Hewu, they were narrow-minded people with no noble spirit. They would not accomplish anything great. And when they encountered a little setback, they would show their true colors at once.
“What else can it be?” Taunted the young man in white. “Of course the one with great strength can do whatever he wants.”
“You…” Ling Hewu bellowed furiously, “Are you still a reasonable person?”
The white-clothed young man answered, “Of course I’m not.”
Ling Hewu was speechless.
“He is really fu*king unreasonable.”
“What else can I say?”
So she said indignantly, “I don’t believe you dare to kill me in front of so many people!”
As she spoke, she started walking right toward the line drawn by the broadsword light on the ground.
The young man in white sportswear did not say anything. He turned around and walked toward the military vehicle.
Countless pairs of eyes were riveted on Ling Hewu.
She lifted her foot and stepped over the mark carved by the broadsword light.
Puff!
A ray of white light flashed.
Half of Ling Hewu’s body was shattered by an invisible, terrifying power, and dissolved into a mist of blood.
She did not even have the time to say a single word before she threw herself forward.
Puff!
The other half of her body also melted into blood mist the moment she crossed the mark left by the broadsword light.
In an instant, the crowd nearby burst into a fit of a buzz as if someone had poked a stick into a hornet’s nest. The cultivators blocked by the armed soldiers from the convoy screamed beside themselves. Some stepped back immediately as if for fear that the mark of the broadsword light would move toward them and crumple them as well.
Previously, that white-clothed young man had said that “Those who cross this line will die”. But all the people just assumed that what he meant was if someone crossed this line, he would attack and kill him. But it never occurred to them that the line itself could kill people.
Ling Hewu was the head of the True Spirit Sect, one of the Seven Sacred Sects. Even though her cultivation was not as high as Lu Haoran’s, she was still rather famous in the martial arts world of the country and was fairly powerful. Nevertheless, she was killed in a trice.
With that, the disparity in strength between them was clearly displayed.
What kind of method was that?
That kind of martial art was so powerful that it was beyond their imagination.
The martial arts cultivators who had been noisy earlier now looked horror-struck. Like ducks with their necks gripped, they did not dare to make a sound. Dongfang Yun, Head of the Star Observing Sect, felt his heart beat wildly and his face turn pale. He backed away at once, afraid that the white-clad young man would notice him and since hold a grudge. Even the other experts of the True Spirit Sect were getting daunted and did not even dare to utter a single word.
Those who were quick-witted had already associated this with something else.
“Turns out that this is the source of the military’s confidence in dealing with we martial arts cultivators.”
It took only two hours from Jiuquan Station, which was the nearest railway station, to Baoji by the high-speed rail. The journey took much less time than usual because the train they rode was specially arranged and the Railway Department gave it the privilege to speed up and not stop at any station on the way.
At three o’clock in the morning, the martial arts masters arrived in Baoji.
When they got out of the station, some military vehicles were waiting for them, which then led them straight to the 301st national highway heading for the source of the Jialing River.
The northern section of the 301st national highway in Qinling had been temporarily under military control. There was no private vehicle on the road. But the speed of the military cars was not fast, for there was a strange fog about in the mountains. Although the drivers were all specially-trained military men, they dared not to be careless.
About two hours later, the convoy went off the national highway and rode on a narrow road winding in the mountains. The primitive forests were luxuriantly green. The mountain streams and waterfalls were roaring. The air was very humid, and the scenery was very beautiful. However, no one was in the mood to enjoy the beautiful view as they could not wait to reach their destination and go straight into the Heaven.
Another hour later, in the early hours of the morning, they finally came to the military camp located at the source of Jialing River.
After a simple introduction, they all learned about the current situation in the Qinling Heaven.
An earthquake happened at 10 o’clock last night, which resulted in the early opening of the Qinling Heaven.
At the time, the mountain area was suffused with fog. Even though the military camp was already on the periphery of the fog, the visibility was already quite low. Also, the fog was filled with abundant Spiritual Qi. A breath of the air would make people feel refreshed and elated as if being cleansed by the mountain spring. They all felt extremely at ease.
For people in the martial arts circle, such an environment was enough to make them go wild with joy.
The various martial arts they practiced, in essence, were just ways to absorb the Spiritual Qi, transform their physique, and enhance vitality.
However, the Cultivation Methods on Earth was much shallower than those on the Divine Land. Only a few of the Sages’ Cultivation Methods in ancient times had been passed down, and many of the other cultivation methods had been lost or mastered only by a few people. This directly resulted in the low overall level of the people in today’s domestic martial arts society.
The military had already put detectors into the fog, but it was no use. All the scientific devices malfunctioned once they entered the depths of the fog.
“It’s all up to you.”
The gray-haired chief of the garrison looked at the members of martial arts and said earnestly.
The army had sent a special technical troop into the depths of the fog before, but they had not returned or contacted the military yet. The situation did not look good. Therefore, the leaders of the army were quite downcast.
For some reason, when such an old man asked them for help in such a tone, all the people in the martial arts world felt a heavy responsibility suddenly fall on their shoulders.
After some arrangements, the procedure to enter the Heaven was about to begin.
Li Mu stood outside the heavy fog and watched for a while. Then, out of the blue, he remarked, “Hold on. You’d better wait another two hours before you go in.”
The instant he spoke, all eyes were focused on him.
Having seen the scene in the Martial Arts Gym in Jiuquan, Li Mu was now regarded as the unquestionable “boss” by the martial arts masters.
“In the fog there are some space barriers, which are not completely stable yet. It’s dangerous to rush in.” Li Mu wheeled around and began, “If the real opportunity is meant for you, no one else can take it away. If it’s not yours, it will do you no good to go in before all the others. So, there is no need to hurry. What’s more, I have several Cultivation Methods on qi refining, which can help you refine qi into your body, and cultivate your genuine power. That is much more effective than cultivating internal power. Now, I’ll teach the method to all of you in advance. When you go into the Heaven and practice, the effect will be better.”
“What?”
“Teaching us Cultivation Methods?”
The crowd was stunned when they heard this. A short while later, they immediately burst into an uproar.
If it were someone else who made such a proposal, even in the case of Lu Haoran, the number one expert in the Seven Sacred Sects, a few people might feel tempted but their reaction would never be so heated. However, the person who offered to teach was Li Mu. The crowd had all witnessed Li Mu’s means. Moreover, as all kinds of rumors already banded about on their way to the Heaven by the high-speed train, everyone surmised that this young man in white sportswear who appeared to be a college student was actually that fierce man who had killed 1,000 people in Mount Qilian.
Who wouldn’t be excited to learn the Cultivation Methods taught by such an immortal-like man?
“Thank you, Sage Li!”
“Thank you so much, Immortal Li!”
All sorts of recurrent expressions of gratitude rang.
Li Mu smiled and said, “Each one of you able to stand here is the loyal, upright person carefully selected by me and the chief of the army. For this matter, I am going to publicize a Cultivation Method to reward your patriotism. The name of the Cultivation Method is very simple, which is called the Training of Qi Formula. It is divided into 12 stages. And when you complete the 12th stage, you will be able to fly without external help and travel beyond the Milky Way… I hope that all of you can remain loyal and chivalrous, put the interests of the people and the country as your priority. If anyone learns this Cultivation Method but picks the wrong way, I will certainly obliterate him even if he escapes to the other end of the universe.”
