novelraw Chapter 691 304: A Meeting of Minds
Chapter 691 304: A Meeting of Minds
The sword is the king of all weapons and holds a special historical status in the Dongji Kingdom.
As such, in the Martial Arts World, those who choose the path of swordsmanship are as numerous as the hairs on an ox. With such a large base, it is natural that a great number of brilliant individuals emerge in the Sword Realm.
Nowadays, the small Xiangjiang, a mere speck of land with a population of 7.53 million, has gathered as many as two thousand Martial Arts Masters, 'crowded' in the Kowloon City District.
Here, if you throw a brick, it might just hit two or three Martial Arts Masters.
At the top floor of Qitian Mansion, looking out through the glass window, Nine Dragons Boxing Saint Qi Shengtian couldn't help but sigh, "This year's Celestial Sword Cup is indeed unprecedented in its grand scale."
"Indeed, the official free Martial Meal plan has shown initial success. As the number of Professional Martial Artists increases, the efficiency of acquiring Exotic Treasures from within the Grotto Heaven has also improved, forming a positive cycle."
Sikong Jingming stood next to Qi Shengtian, overlooking the bustling streets below with a particularly complex mood: "Though reluctant to admit it, it seems our Martial Arts Families really can't keep up with the times anymore."
At the onset of the martial revival, the Martial Arts Families were among the first to grow strong. Back then, even the officials had to rely on their influence to obtain enough Exotic Treasures from within the Grotto Heaven.
But as time went on, this "monopolistic trade" was quickly broken by the rise of Civilian Martial Artists.
Especially as the officials absorbed some of the Artifact Refining Technology from the Grotto Heaven, and obtained some Star God Armor shards from Europe, they were able to create the powerful Elemental Spirit Armor weaponry.
In the Martial Arts World, under normal circumstances, let alone Martial Saint Strong Persons, even Martial Arts Grandmasters or Martial Arts Masters cannot be made simply by pouring in resources.
Without talent, it's useless even if you eat yourself to death with Rare Treasures.
However, the emergence and application of the Power of Thought Ability have completely changed this point.
Whether it's the road to Divine Investiture through selection battles in the Western Pole Kingdom, the Star God Armor as an Alchemy Creation in Europe, or the Elemental Spirit Armor crafted by the Dongji Kingdom combining these elements, all have successfully broken the talent qualification limitations on Martial Artists.
Through external means, as long as you are willing to accumulate resources, you can also obtain a formidable combat power comparable to a Martial Saint!
This is the fundamental reason for the decline of the Martial Arts Families. Although Martial Saints are powerful, they are no longer invincible and are even starting to fall behind in contests with great nations.
Even today, the upper echelons of the Martial Arts Families have deeply felt the melancholy of being abandoned by the times.
Although many among them are still immersed in the glorious past, the most elite Martial Saint Strong Persons have already seen the direction of the future clearly.
"Old friend, which side do you think we should choose?"
Qi Shengtian clasped his hands behind his back, his eyes as calm as water, but standing beside him, only Sikong Jingming could feel the stormy Qi brewing in his Dantian Qi Sea.
"The Martial Arts Faction in the Dongji Kingdom has completely taken control. After the incident with Zhang Xinwu causing havoc in the capital, the Coexistence Faction has been confirmed to have lost power."
Sikong Jingming didn't give a direct answer, but his response was already quite telling.
"Alas, internally, there are still many who don't see the situation clearly and harbor illusions about the Coexistence Faction, even to the extent of colluding with external enemies..."
Qi Shengtian sighed softly.
Once, he swept the world with his Dragon Fist, unmatched in his time, with words of tremendous weight.
But now, he can't even suppress the opposing voices within the Martial Arts Families.
In the current world, the era of bipolar confrontation has begun. The Martial Arts Faction within the Dongji Kingdom holds power, and in facing the invasion of the Void Divine Dynasty, has already decided to resist to the end.
Meanwhile, both the Western Pole Kingdom and Europe have chosen the coexisting route, believing it's better to surrender now, exchanging for a slim chance of survival, rather than fighting to extinction.
"In recent days, the Zhuang Family has been making frequent moves, a storm is approaching."
Qi Shengtian looked upward, as if he could already see the dark clouds of war gathering and hear the jarring roar of battle.
In the torrent of this era, no one is destined to remain unaffected, even if he has ascended to the Martial Saint Realm, elevated above the masses, he is no exception.
Sikong Jingming immediately understood Qi Shengtian's meaning: "Three months ago, I met Zhuang Ban City once. His vitality is about to end; is he going to gamble everything?"
Among the high ranks, no one is a fool, especially within the Dongji Kingdom, everyone knows each other's true color crystal clear.
The reason for not dealing with the Zhuang Family now is primarily because it's not worthwhile; everything is focused on the larger picture, at least needing a justifiable reason to act.
"Just a cornered dog jumping the wall. The Zhuang Family is already a post-autumn grasshopper, not much jumping time left."
Qi Shengtian did not regard the well-known Zhuang Family of Xiangjiang as anything.
What "Ban City"? When it comes down to it, it's nothing more than a pig that the Dian Country raised in Xiangjiang back then. Before they could slaughter it for the New Year, they were driven back to their island.
Now that the pig is even fatter and remains unwise, it's courting its own destruction.
Neither Qi Shengtian nor Sikong Jingming considered the Zhuang Family worth bothering about, and soon they returned to discussing the Celestial Sword Cup.
Qi Shengtian looked curiously at Sikong Jingming: "Who do you fancy for this year's champion? Li Yunsheng from the Great River Sword Sect, Ann Daoyuan from Three Pure Ones Mountain, or Huo Qingyun from the Bashu Sword Sect?"
"None of them."
"None of them?"
This made Qi Shengtian even more curious, and he smiled as he asked, "In today's Dongji Kingdom, these three up-and-comers should be the most hopeful to inherit your Celestial Sword legacy, right? Could it be that aside from them, you have another candidate in your heart?"