“No, teacher,” Li Hao smiled. “The martial world lies within the heart and can be found anywhere beneath the heavens. I told you once that so long as you look around, everywhere is the martial world! What we see and do, we do as part of the martial world!
“Everyone, this age is too foolish, ignorant, and lags behind. Let’s turn it into the martial world, how about it?”
“May martial dao thrive and prosper!” roared the group after a stunned pause. “The martial world will ever exist and the age will be filled with light!”
They were creating a brand new era!
We will accept this responsibility together!
The group seemed to change in this moment. Those of the martial world found the martial world everywhere. They would employ themselves where they could to advocate for education, martial dao, technology, and an improvement in their level of life.
Indeed, martial dao was more than just martial dao. Unimaginable changes would take place in the world when everyone was superhuman. Power would no longer be monopolized in the hands of a select few. Everyone would be superhuman and the divisions of social classes would be completely shattered!
The plant spirits, Panther, Director General Wang, and Black Armor standing off to the side were a bit lost in the words they heard. The new age would be filled with light! Perhaps now was when this new era blossomed with light. The ones who led the vanguard and shone radiance where they tread were these people in front of him.
Demon Sword Li Hao, Five Styles King Yuan Shuo, Earthturner Sword Hong Yitang, Sky Sword, Tyrant Blade, Northern Fist, Light Sword, Sickly, Cannibal...
Zhang An watched them quietly, his still heart and cold blood beginning to heat up. I would’ve never dared say that I wish to imitate my grandfather. Today, in this place and time, a group of ignorant weaklings somehow say that while they don’t measure up to my grandfather, they would carry out their plans regardless. They will disseminate dao throughout the world and spur on the martial world.
Grandfather... is this the heart of a heavyweight that you often spoke of? Strength doesn’t necessarily come from muscle or abilities. If one’s heart is strong, that makes one strong!
A million thoughts ran through the Black Armor’s mind as he suddenly said, “I once oversaw a martial university, so you can come to me with any questions about your courses of action! My students know some too. New Martial may not exist anymore, but its dao and heart are still here!”
Li Hao blinked and tilted his head at the Black Armor. Zhang An smiled back at him and vanished on the spot. “I’m going off to cultivate!”
Meanwhile, Director General Wang said after a visible struggle with himself, “I wasn’t around to participate in battles of New Martial and also missed the rise of the Human King. Li Hao, I’d like to change to a new physical body and participate in this era!”
Li Hao stared at him.
“I am of New Martial, that will not change,” the man explained earnestly. “But New Martial citizens are not wrongdoers. I’d like to participate in this age as those of New Martial vie for opportunity no matter the age!”
We fight for martial dao! The opportunity is right in front of me, so I’d like to fight for it.
Li Hao smiled and nodded after a long moment. “You can do that! But let me think about how to do this... A new body might entail that you need to be resurrected again. It will greatly weaken your strength...”
“That’s fine!” Director General Wang grinned from ear to ear. I am of New Martial, but I’m going to embrace this age now!
Having clarified the cultivation system for the time being and determined the basic cultivation method of the Breakthrough Incantation, the group was able to set a course for their path to come.
Li Hao and his people now had their guiding principle and faith, as well as goals to work toward. Silver Moon was their martial world. They would make this martial world more vibrant and bright. Martial dao would prosper and the martial world would be found everywhere.
Completing the other systems wouldn’t be the work of one night. It was only now that the group collected their senses and realized that a lot of time had passed.
“Is it the year 1713?” Hong Yitang suddenly asked. “Has the school year already started at the Skystar Martial Academy?”
The premises suddenly quieted down; hot-blooded fervor was abruptly replaced by awkwardness. That... seemed to be the case. Not only that, but all of them had important missions at hand. They’d forgotten about their duties outside!
“Has City Lord Lin arrived?”
“......” Sheepish glances were exchanged in the crowd. They’d completely forgotten about this!
“Then let us head outside,” laughed Li Hao. “We’re not in a hurry to finish everything right this second. Perfecting a cultivation system takes time. We simply have the first draft at the moment. We’ll study it in more detail once everyone’s strength grows.
“All of us, me included, will utilize this new cultivation system!” Li Hao’s tone grew solemn. “Everything is just theory at the moment and works in abstract. It can even be simulated through the model, but perhaps there really are some errors and adjustments that need to be made. As the vanguard, we need to fully perfect our creation. The other minor circulatory loops that my teacher mentioned also need to be built! It is a beautiful sight when a myriad of flowers bloom in unison!
“I’m of the opinion that all secret arts can have their own circulatory system. They don’t have to follow the preset approach and every cultivator’s situation is different. I hope that, in the future, Silver Moon will teem with martial academies and that each of you present will become the founder of a cultivation style...”
Standardization would strengthen people, but in a formulaic way. That would take away from the beauty that was a martial world of a myriad wonders. The thirty-six dao meridians might not have to be the same set of thirty-six that they’d deduced upon. Substitutions could be made, which might result in different functionality.
“In addition, we can experiment how unattributed and attributed dao meridians might be compatible with each other in various ways,” Li Hao commented. “Perhaps one attribute dao meridian can be paired with thirty-five unattributed ones. Everything can be tested. There are a myriad paths of dao—we are advocating the easiest and most direct, the one most conducive to cultivation. However, we are all rogues of this era, so we can explore as our heart wishes.
“So long as we don’t experiment ourselves to death, we can dance with death in our experiments!”
“......” The group burst out laughing at the young man’s audacious words.
“Humans have human meridians, monster spirits will have monster spirit meridians.” Li Hao then looked at Panther with a sudden grin. “The great dao does not differentiate between humans and monster spirits. The world’s consciousness has just been born. I’m thinking that... since the heavenly dao isn’t human, it will not show favor only to humans! You’re a martial master dog. Unfortunately, it’s tough to communicate with you. You can search for your own path, however, because the theory is the same. Do you understand me?”
The black dog nodded with great urgency. It might be the first monster spirit in this world that could learn from boundless human knowledge and was skilled in the martial aura. It was a martial master dog!
“Seniors, there is no need for you to imitate us.” Li Hao then turned to the plant spirits around them. “You are heavyweights of New Martial and I do not think that age will topple so effortlessly. It might be difficult for the seniors to sense the existence of core origin dao while you are limited to this world, but a dao universe is not so easily destroyed.
“The newly born Hao Cosmos might have squeezed the core origin universe out of its place. Or they might be coexisting side by side, but isolated from each other.
“Seniors can continue down the New Martial path to strengthen your bodies and mind. Although core origin has been extinguished, that does not mean there is no future ahead of you. If you keep at it and wait for the Star Gate to open, the seniors might spontaneously break through the moment you encounter core origin again! It is hard for plant spirits to improve, so it might be more of a loss than a gain for you to switch to a new body.”
His words caused the previously tempted plant spirits to sway uncertainly.
“Does Commander Li mean that... plant spirits cannot cultivate our dao meridians like the commander?” came the imperial guard’s mental ripples.
“Perhaps you can, but... it won’t be a worthwhile endeavor!” Li Hao shook his head. “It’s only a matter of time before the Star Gate opens. Of course, I can’t guarantee opening the Star Gate since I might die ahead of schedule... I can only say that it will be open as long as I am alive! Whether it is sending the seniors back home or wherever you prefer to go, I will open that door.
“So perhaps, it might not take that many years. If you return to New Martial, then there might not be that much of a difference between the dao of the Hao Cosmos and core origin dao. It’s just a tiny amount of time to wait, whereas the seniors would be sacrificing thousands of years of cultivation... It would be a very unprofitable decision!”
Upon further consideration, the plant spirits found that the young man made sense. If the Star Gate was opened again and core origin dao reintroduced to this world, or if they left to return home, they might be leaving with less than their current strength if they followed Director General Wang’s footsteps.
Li Hao’s words were entirely true. All the same, the plant spirits were also thinking that the young man was more worried about his supply of Water of Life. He’s probably concerned that no one will be able to supply Water of Life to them if we get weaker! These guys have been drinking it like regular water lately!
Although the Hao Cosmos existed and Water of Life would no longer be a limiting factor in the new cultivation system, the resource still expedited training. It wasn’t necessary for powerhouses anymore, but that didn’t mean it was completely useless.
The plant spirits didn’t speak of this, however. The young man made some sense. If they continued to cultivate and strengthen their primary bodies and minds, they might be able to erupt with accumulated effort the next time they encountered core origin. That would result in a large step forward on their cultivation!
“Even I cannot be certain that New Martial still exists, and I am a citizen!” Director General Wang couldn’t help but say. “How are you so certain?”
Li Hao seemed to be more confident than the denizens of that time! He said that New Martial was probably still there, why was that?
“Because... I feel that those who have walked through valleys of death will not be so easily defeated!” Li Hao smiled. “No matter what age it is, so long as the people do not forget their original intentions after they have weathered many storms and attained success, then they will not collapse. Their minds will remain even if their physical bodies are no longer! New Martial will still be there so long as humanity exists.”
Director General Wang blinked. Deep within the mines, Zhang An also paused. Those who have walked through valleys of death...
Indeed. Which of the Human King and his companions hadn’t stared death in the face over and over again throughout their struggles?