"Can a single word settle matters in the World?"
Li Fei was taken aback, not expecting Ye Ze'an to say this to him.
He bowed his head and helped the other tidy up the chessboard while saying:
"Actually, I don't care much about controlling others' destinies."
Ye Ze'an looked up at Li Fei and said, "It seems I underestimated the Marquis Jing'an."
Li Fei paused momentarily with his actions, then smiled.
His meaning was clear; he didn't care about controlling others' destinies, because what he cared about was controlling his own destiny.
And Ye Ze'an had underestimated Li Fei because, compared to controlling the fate of thousands, controlling one's own fate is actually more difficult!
The two quickly put all the chess pieces back into the chess box.
Ye Ze'an swapped the chess box by his side with Li Fei's, then picked up a black piece and placed it on the board, indicating for Li Fei to continue with the second game.
Li Fei, as a guest, followed suit and placed a white piece on the board.
"Do you know which of the Martial Saints and True Monarchs in the world are Loose Cultivators?"
Ye Ze'an chatted with Li Fei as he placed a piece on the board.
Li Fei thought for a moment: "Besides those three demons, it seems only the 'Sword Immortal' Ning Qingman is a Loose Cultivator?"
'One Supreme, Three Demons, Five True Monarchs, Seven Martial Saints'—of these sixteen peak experts, after the death of Qing Xu True Monarch, only fifteen remain.
Among them, 'three True Monarchs and one Buddha' belong separately to the Buddhist and Taoist factions, as well as the court.
Among the seven Martial Saints, one is a Prince, the other a Military Affairs Grand Marshal.
The remaining ones, the Daluo Sect has one, Pudu Temple has two, Red Dust Pavilion has one.
These individuals either have a major sect or the court as backing, with ample resources and top-notch teachings.
Only the final Martial Saint, known as the 'Sword Immortal' Ning Qingman, stands without a sect or faction.
Neither a member of the World sects nor of the court.
Ye Ze'an's pace of placing pieces was faster than in the previous game:
"Over a hundred years ago, the top Martial Arts Families in the world weren't just the 'Seven Families,' but 'Eight Families,' including the Ning Family. Ning Qingman is from the Ning Family, but later, the Ning Family crossed the court's line and was almost entirely wiped out. If not for the 'Sword Immortal' Ning Qingman, the Ning Family would have been extinct."
Li Fei was startled, hearing such a secret for the first time!
Over a hundred years ago, there was a Ning Family comparable to the 'Seven Families'?
The 'Sword Immortal' Ning Qingman wasn't actually a Loose Cultivator but a descendant of the Ning Family?
Was the Ning Family exterminated by the court?
Not only had Li Fei never heard of these things, but 99% of people in the world today likely haven't either.
Evidently, the court was deliberately concealing these facts, erasing past traces.
"And Ning Qingman's relationship with the court?"
Li Fei couldn't help but ask in curiosity.
If his family were exterminated by the court, he would definitely cause trouble for the court after mastering Martial Arts!
"A confused account."
Ye Ze'an said lightly, clearly not intending to elaborate further.
Li Fei discreetly rolled his eyes.
Most annoying are those who pique interest but don't continue on.
Ye Ze'an seemed to have guessed Li Fei's discontent, he looked up at him and smiled:
"Ning Qingman comes from the Ning Family, having top-notch Martial Arts teachings since childhood. Even after the Ning Family's demise, there were still people supplying her cultivation resources, so she isn't exactly a Loose Cultivator."
Li Fei roughly understood what Ye Ze'an wanted to convey, so he continued to ask:
"And what about Lin Tianyi?"
The achievements of 'Supreme' Lin Tianyi were known throughout the world.
But details about his growth path, mentorship, were known to only a few.
No one had traversed the path of Dual Cultivation of Magic and Martial Arts before, Lin Tianyi had achieved it.
Later, he established the Heavenly Tower on the peak of Yu Mountain, founding a sect.
On the surface, this 'Supreme' seems to have no background.
Ye Ze'an placed pieces rapidly and said:
"Lin Tianyi was mentored by two people: Pudu Temple's Supreme Elder Jing Hai, and the former master of the Yuhua Sect Yu Xing."
Pudu Temple's Supreme Elder Jing Hai was a Martial Saint, and Yuhua Sect's former master Yu Xing was a True Monarch!
But both were figures from over a hundred years ago, now both have passed, one found nirvana, and the other attained transcendence.
"Both Pudu Temple and Yuhua Sect had high hopes for him, yet he did not join either. The Li Family of Wenchang also heavily invested in him. It is because of him that the Li Family acted increasingly brazenly, ultimately inciting public anger... However, because Lin Tianyi was still around, the Li Family was not destroyed, only gradually declined."
Ye Ze'an recounted Lin Tianyi's past.
"The Li Family of Wenchang?"
Li Fei seemed to vaguely remember the family, once part of the 'Ten Gate Valve,' but later declined and was replaced by new gate valves, dropping from the 'Ten Gate Valve' rankings.
Today, hardly anyone knows of the Li Family of Wenchang, yet unbeknownst to many, behind this fallen family stands the World's Number One!
As long as Lin Tianyi lives, the Li Family of Wenchang will certainly continue to inherit.
"Favored by both Buddhist and Taoist factions, guided by Martial Saints and True Monarchs, with a gate valve investing heavily, Lin Tianyi certainly isn't a Loose Cultivator."
By this reckoning, apart from those three demons, none of the other peak experts reached the summit through single combat alone.
As for the three demons, two are Demonic Martial Artists who stepped into the Martial Saint Realm, and the other is the Nether River Ancestor who stepped into the 'True One' realm.