After all, happiness is always relative.
But the end result was surprising...
In a neglected corner, this originally weak civilization, fit only for slavery, took merely a few decades to not only find the path to the sublime life but also touched the [Divine Barrier] which other civilizations took at least hundreds of thousands of years to reach!
Those seven beings, later called the Seven Marshals by the Yanhuang Federation, blazed a new trail on the old path of Martial Arts, unimpededly reaching the limits this universe could accommodate.
They were what the Federation referred to as the Supreme Grandmasters!
The surrounding civilizations, upon realizing this, were shocked beyond belief and started to send investigators to probe the current Federation, wanting to know what fortune they had stumbled upon!
At that time, the Federation was still fragmented but swiftly unified upon noticing the snooping of neighboring civilizations, forming the rudiment of today's Yanhuang Federation.
Afterwards, Marshal Ji, even renowned in the history of the Holy Hall Civilization as a Military God, led another notable individual by the surname He, and visited the neighboring civilizations one by one.
What happened during those visits has long been unknown.
The final outcome was that the Yanhuang Federation officially stabilized its footing in the surrounding star systems and together with many universes, signed the Silence Treaty to prepare for possible disasters after the return of the [Nether Sea].
And to support the rise of new civilizations, several neighboring civilizations even generously ceded a few star domains around the Yanhuang Federation.
Following that, junctions like the Heavenly Road appeared, leaving each civilization too preoccupied to consider internal strife.
"The martial arts system of the Federation is quite ordinary. If it weren't for their ancestors enslaving an Ancient God, their system wouldn't stand a chance against our Holy Hall Duchy's cultivation system."
Twilight revealed this recent discovery, paused, then continued,
"Of course, it's also possible that I haven't yet encountered the most core part, such as... the superior cultivation body."
"Sadly, I'm very interested in [Heavenly Will Taoist Body], but my current status is far from qualifying me for access."
"I hope next month's exchange match will bring me some surprises."
"Let's go, this game should end now."
Regret flashed in Twilight's eyes, wishing he could stay a bit longer, if possible.
"Has the Federation announced the list of participants for the exchange match?"
The middle-aged man replied, "Not yet, but representatives of the Heavenly Realm civilization have asked if Ji Jingqiu, the current popular martial arts rising star of the Federation, will participate. The Federation hasn't responded directly but hinted that Ji Jingqiu will most likely participate in the exchange."
"Oh?" Twilight's face broke into an intrigued smile, "Then I start looking forward to the exchange battle next month."
He looked back and seemed to glimpse the figure of his roommate Ruan Qingshan.
"Hopefully, when my roommate sees me defeat his idol live next month, he won't be too astonished."
"After all... seeing me is like seeing a Mountain."
The middle-aged man couldn't help but smile wryly.
His Highness the Saint Heir was still as unpredictably whimsical as ever.
Ji Jingqiu had just finished his call with Yue Yourong and was about to put down the terminal, when suddenly, he received a message from Ruan Qingshan.
He opened it to find a meme.
A cartoon character standing in the howling cold wind, accompanied by the text—
[It seems there is a sad, thick barrier between us]
He couldn't help but chuckle.
Facing him, Shi Xuanzhen smiled and said, "It looks like you've been meeting a lot of people lately."
Reflecting on it, Ji Jingqiu agreed, indeed, since practicing martial arts, he had considerably expanded his circle.
Like after arriving at the Four Guardian Stars, he made numerous friends through casual martial arts gatherings; many of whom were core disciples of various factions, future movers and shakers.
Their relationships weren't necessarily deep, but this youthful camaraderie, forged through skirmishes, would grow stronger as Ji Jingqiu became more powerful.
Ji Jingqiu sincerely said, "I'm thankful for martial arts."
Shi Xuanzhen was initially puzzled by his junior brother's comment, but quickly grasped the true sentiment.
He saw earnest sincerity in Ji Jingqiu's expression, not merely jest but genuine conviction.
Shi Xuanzhen smiled and responded, "You're absolutely right; martial arts has changed the fate of the Federation, and brought us together here."
Just then, Shi Xuanzhen had relayed news that the Federation's upper echelons had issued a summon for him to attend an exchange battle, against a Great Universe civilization Ji Jingqiu had never heard about before.
Frankly speaking, from his upbringing to date, there had never been mention of extraterrestrial civilizations in any books he'd studied.
The first time he ever heard of other Great Universe civilizations was through an accidental comment from Yue Yourong.
But when he thought about it, it made sense; the universe was vast, and if only the Federation existed, then they should seriously consider whether their world was even real.
There's a theory called "Fish in a Pond," referring to a fish that swims but never encounters its kind, likely living in a fishpond.
"A month from now?" Ji Jingqiu nodded, "I have no issues; I am very willing to participate in this exchange battle."
Shi Xuanzhen nodded, "This time, a total of five martial artists will participate; the other four stepped into the Bright Moon level in the past two years. With them anchoring the team, you can confidently learn the tactics of other civilizations."
Ji Jingqiu smiled brightly, "Then I hope the dojo will help negotiate with the upper levels; I want to be the first one up."