Strangely, this wave of overflowing Spiritual Qi didn’t occur at the Northwest border.

It seemed to only happen in the treasured mountains and lands in the heart of the Central Plains, home to sects that were centuries or millennia old.

Fortunately, while there was no Spiritual Qi overflow there, the disturbance—for some unknown reason—reduced the enemy’s activity in the Foggy Area.

Their offensive slackened as a result.

The entire border entered a rare period of calm.

The Court also seized the opportunity to train and deploy personnel.

A large number of Martial Artists were dispatched to the border defense lines.

As the Spiritual Qi overflow incident was sensationalized online, the Court began releasing information about the border situation through certain channels.

The entire internet was instantly in an uproar.

It turned out there were enemies on the outside, a war was being fought on the border, and the world wasn’t peaceful at all.

As more information was gradually leaked, people began to voice their doubts.

Why not use weapons of mass destruction? Where is the army’s steel tide?!

A torrent of questions and distrust toward the Court surged forth like a tidal wave.

In response, many bloggers began posting explainers online, detailing the situation in the Northwest.

For example, the enemy’s fog could disrupt electromagnetic signals, and their Divine Weapons possessed numerous bizarre abilities.

The enemies were elusive, capable of blocking infrared signals, and so on.

The ultimate conclusion was that if the enemy attacked our territory, we could naturally defend with scorched-earth tactics like carpet-bombing. However, that area would also be completely destroyed.

But what would be the point of such a Pyrrhic victory?

For now, the only solution was to send Martial Artists to the battlefield to act as soldiers, resisting the enemy through individual combat.

As soon as this view was put forward, it resonated across the internet and gave rise to a strange new line of thought.

The idea was that since Martial Artists enjoyed generous treatment from the Court, priority access to all sorts of resources, and high social standing...

...shouldn’t they step up to serve and defend the country?

This line of thinking twisted the Martial Artists’ voluntary defense of the country into a mandatory duty and mission.

"You *have* to do it. If you don’t, you’re failing the Court and society."

This bizarre tide of opinion turned Martial Artists into the target of public condemnation.

After all, ordinary people still made up the majority of society. To varying degrees, they had all been jealous of the excellent benefits Martial Artists received or had been bullied by some of them.

With public sentiment now inflamed, more and more people naturally joined the chorus.

"Defending the country is one thing, but what is all this talk? Don’t they benefit from the Court’s protection too? It’s like they think we owe them something!"

Reading these comments online, Qin Rui’s face flushed with anger.

"Exactly, it’s despicable. We’re all Huaxia people, so why are they creating a divide between Martial Artists and non-Martial Artists? We should all be united against the external threat."

Li Xinran added, also annoyed.

"You two have clearly never... uh, been bullied before."

"This world is full of people who are jealous of the talented and who bully the weak while fearing the strong. We shouldn’t pay them any mind. Right, Bro?"

Zhao Xin said with a smile.

The group was currently in a mountain pavilion at the Qingcheng Sword Sect. Even though the Spiritual Qi overflow had ended, their Cultivation hadn’t stopped.

Since they were already here, Zhao Rui wouldn’t let them leave, insisting that they stay and diligently practice their Martial Arts.

"The times have changed. The age of Martial Artists has truly begun!"

Zhao Rui said calmly.

’In the end, this world still respects strength above all else.’

’They think this will turn Martial Artists into public enemies, that they’ll no longer be a hot commodity.’

’But what they don’t realize is...!’

’This will only cement the Martial Artists’ position truly above ordinary people.’

’It’s a sign that a new social order is about to emerge, and new conflicts are on the verge of erupting.’

"Don’t worry about the outside world. Focus on your Cultivation. We’re going back next week."

Zhao Rui said calmly.

"Oh, understood!"

Everyone replied in unison.

The turbulent public opinion online didn’t lead to any actual conflict or changes in the real world.

It was as if the Martial Artists didn’t care at all; they were never seen debating these issues.

... 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Three days later, Daoist Yu took Yun Hao and Zhao Rui to the government seat of Sichuan Province.

The day before, they had received a notice from the Court about a meeting to be held in the provincial capital.

Daoist Yu had originally thought he would be the only one to go, but the summons specified that Daoist Yun Hao and Zhao Rui were to accompany him.

Clearly, the other party was well aware of the situation at Qingcheng and knew who was in its current decision-making circle.

As for the meeting’s agenda, the other party hadn’t revealed anything.

Standing before the Sichuan Government Office, Zhao Rui looked up at the massive, square building, a wave of emotion washing over him.

’So this is the center of power for an entire province!’

’A place that governs the lives of tens, even hundreds of millions of people.’

"Let’s go in. We’ll face whatever comes."

Daoist Yu smiled and led the way up the steps.

Zhao Rui smiled and followed him up, along with Yun Hao.

Just as the three of them reached the top of the steps and headed for the main entrance, several staff members came out to greet them warmly.

Zhao Rui was quite surprised by their status. By the standards of his past life, they would be considered high-ranking provincial officials at the very least.

’Looks like this meeting is a big deal.’

Warmly received by their hosts, the three of them were led into a meeting room that, while not overly large, was lavishly decorated.

As soon as he entered, Zhao Rui saw several men with shaved heads and a few others he didn’t recognize sitting solemnly in their seats.