Chapter 232: Chapter 208: Flawless
The two Neon masters forfeited the match, bringing the World Martial Arts Tournament to a close. A Martial Artist from the Divine Land was the ultimate champion!
This news instantly swept across the Divine Land. Zhao Xuanqi’s name became known to all, its reach extending far beyond the Martial Arts Realm. Despite the major Warlords’ best efforts to suppress its spread, merchants and travelers crisscrossing the country quickly carried the news to every corner of the nation, making it known to people from all walks of life.
Although it was merely a contest within the civilian Martial Arts Realm with no official forces involved, the opponent was the Neon Nation—one of the Great Powers. For the last hundred years, they have had a long and bitter history of conflict with the Divine Land, their aggressions relentless and unceasing.
This single victory was a massive morale boost for the people of the Divine Land, who erupted in thunderous applause and celebration. The key figures of this World Martial Arts Tournament, such as Zhao Yuan and the Seven General Stars, also saw their reputations soar, but Zhao Xuanqi’s fame eclipsed them all.
Titles like "First in the Tournament," "First in Jinmen," and even "National Hero" were all bestowed upon Zhao Xuanqi. Riding the wave of the World Martial Arts Tournament, his influence was now on the verge of surpassing even the Three Elders, positioning him to become the foremost figure in the Divine Land’s civilian Martial Arts Realm.
In truth, the Three Elders were also working behind the scenes to fuel this rise.
The three of them were advanced in years and, due to the unique limitations of their abilities, could only unleash their full power while defending Jinmen. Furthermore, they could not step onto the tournament stage themselves. Thus, they could only remain in the background, serving as the pillars of the Martial Arts Association.
However, with the Jinmen Martial Arts Association’s expanding influence, they needed a key figure to carry their banner in the outside world. Zhao Xuanqi was undoubtedly the best choice.
Beyond Zhao Xuanqi’s personal prestige, the tournament victory caused the Jinmen Martial Arts Association’s fame to skyrocket. Its reputation within the civilian Martial Arts Realm climbed to an unprecedented level. This was because the various factions knew full well that the Association’s victory was no fluke. It had been earned through genuine power, forcefully seized despite being targeted by multiple Warlords and the Neon Influence.
In the wake of the tournament, factions from across the civilian Martial Arts Realm began reaching out to the Jinmen Martial Arts Association. The situation in the Divine Land was growing increasingly tense, and the various Warlords were tightening their grip on civilian martial arts powers. The most critical of these new restrictions involved cracking down on the factions’ commercial channels and imposing strict controls over Rare Beast Materials.
As a result, the resources available to these factions were drastically reduced.
The growth of the Jinmen Martial Arts Association, however, presented the possibility that it could provide them with these necessary resources.
Due to this combination of factors, forces from the civilian Martial Arts Realm began to flock to Jinmen. Since the tournament’s conclusion, the Martial Arts Association Headquarters had seen an endless stream of visitors, its gates as crowded as a marketplace. This prompted the Association to recently establish the World Hall. Ostensibly, its purpose was to receive guests from all over under the pretext of "making friends through martial arts," but in reality, it was a covert channel for uniting the civilian martial artists of the realm.
And nearly every martial arts faction that came calling hoped to meet Zhao Xuanqi, the tournament’s champion.
Martial Artists, always a passionate and obsessive lot, all wanted to see the man behind the legendary name of Zhao Xuanqi for themselves.
The Martial Arts Association also intended to hold a grand banquet in Jinmen. Its purpose was twofold: first, to celebrate the successful conclusion of the World Martial Arts Tournament and the victory of the Divine Land’s Martial Dao over a powerful foe; and second, to use the banquet as an opportunity to feast prominent figures from the civilian Martial Arts Realm across the country and unite their forces.
An event of this nature would be incomplete without the participation of Zhao Xuanqi, the tournament’s champion. However, he had gone into seclusion immediately after the final match and had not been seen for nearly a week. The Martial Arts Association had no choice but to postpone the plan. This delay, however, gave the Association ample time to notify the various factions and, simultaneously, to organize its forces to drive out the encroaching Neon Influence and reclaim their commercial interests.
「Martial Arts Association Headquarters. Sanlao Residence. A secret chamber.」
The secret chamber was constructed entirely from some kind of jet-black stone. Grooves ran between the stones, and long golden needles were fixed within them. Silver threads were wound around these needles, forming a dense web that covered the entire room. The Power of Feng Shui from the Grand Array circulated and converged here. Conducted by the silver threads, it altered the room’s Feng Shui and magnetic field, greatly enhancing bodily activity, invigorating the internal organs, and stimulating a person’s Spirit.
Even someone on the brink of death from grievous injuries could have their life prolonged by at least half a day upon entering this chamber, all while maintaining perfect clarity of thought. It was a place that truly defied the natural order.
At this moment, Zhao Xuanqi was seated cross-legged on a meditation cushion in the center of the chamber. For a full week, he had remained almost perfectly still, consuming nothing but the occasional Secret Medicine and clear water to sustain himself. The Secret Medicine was so pure that it produced almost no solid waste, and what little liquid waste his body generated was slowly expelled through his pores and whisked away by the chamber’s ventilation system.
’After the tournament, amidst the cheers of the crowd, that sense of bodily resonance had returned. This time, however, my control over my body hadn’t improved. It seemed that this kind of enhancement had reached some sort of limit. Or perhaps forcefully using Zhang Hongyun’s ability to assist me last time had caused some lingering side effects.’
’But none of that mattered.’
’My consciousness now had the absolute upper hand in controlling this body. If the last vestige of the original will hadn’t been hidden so deep that I couldn’t find it, I likely wouldn’t have had to wait until now.’
’And now, that hidden vestige had surfaced again. This was my chance.’
He calmly sensed for the presence of that lingering will, chasing the feeling of resonance as he meticulously searched every corner of his body. It was an incredibly time-consuming process. Perhaps out of fear for its own annihilation, the vestige seemed to intentionally evade his search, playing a constant game of hide-and-seek with him within his own body.
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