Martial Ascent to Divinity-Chapter 719 - 698: The Long Road

"Take me to meet your superior," Zhou Leng said, tossing out a gold nugget worth several thousand yuan.

Obtained from killing the Elephant Country bully.

The man bit it with his teeth, his eyes gleaming, and said, "Follow me."

With the guide leading the way, Zhou Leng found a manager in Bodhi City. First showing his strength, he paid a basic cultivation fee of one million, plus a private gift of two million. The small manager happily arranged everything for Zhou Leng.

He even guaranteed that as long as there was money, cultivating here for a hundred years wouldn’t be a problem.

With the help of insiders, Zhou Leng easily settled in the best room, changed his skin color, and held an inner circle cultivation card.

This inner circle cultivation card was originally only available to the most powerful few Brahmins of Elephant Country.

As Zhou Leng approached the Bodhi tree, he immediately sensed a familiar aura.

An aura similar to but different from the Tree of Life and the Mother Tree.

The Bodhi tree swayed automatically without wind, and the leaves rustled.

"The sacred tree has moved!"

Except for those currently cultivating, all the local Elephant Country people were excited, and they all knelt down to worship the Bodhi tree.

The small manager also knelt down respectfully, with great ceremony.

Soon, a verdant branch flew down from the Bodhi tree towards Zhou Leng.

An Elephant Country martial artist’s eyes lit up, and he rushed forward, reaching out to grab it.

Suddenly, a hollow sound echoed from the trunk of the Bodhi tree.

Voiding...

The martial artist attempting to seize it suddenly had his head explode, and he fell to the ground.

The wind blew, sweeping the corpse and blood away into the distance.

Beneath the Bodhi tree, not a trace of stain was left.

The people of Elephant Country froze in place, watching the branch stop in mid-air before Zhou Leng.

The Bodhi tree branch emitted a faint scent, both bitter and fragrant.

Zhou Leng reached out to take it, the branch swayed, then became still.

"Bodhi Saint!"

The nearby people of Elephant Country bowed their heads and saluted Zhou Leng.

The small manager grinned broadly, unexpectedly, the casually treated guest turned out to be a Bodhi Saint.

He hurried over to explain the relevant matters to Zhou Leng.

"From now on, you can come and go freely..."

"Even in the national capital, you’ll be an honored guest..."

"With this identity, you can hold major positions in Elephant Country..."

After speaking for a long while, Zhou Leng said, "I just want to cultivate here for a while; as for other matters, wait until I’ve finished cultivating, you help me arrange them, I won’t forget your kindness."

"Rest assured!" The Elephant Country’s small manager’s face reddened with excitement.

Meeting an illustrious individual, his life’s trajectory was about to change.

Zhou Leng no longer paid any attention to others. In the gaze of everyone, holding the Bodhi tree branch, he walked around the Bodhi tree once, choosing a small room that secluded him from outside prying eyes.

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, he placed the Bodhi tree branch across his knees, positioned finger bone relics, and brought out two demon puppets of Grandmaster level obtained in the Tree-man World, standing guard on either side of the room.

Wearing the ice armor under his clothing, he prepared for protection.

In Elephant Country, anything can happen.

The Bodhi Sacred Tree faced the fate of being stabbed by Elephant Country people.

After everything was set, he closed his eyes tightly and began cultivating.

A faint grassy bitter scent flowed through his breath.

Then, his spirit intensely focused, even his Martial Arts Will was influenced.

An extraordinary aura enveloped his entire body.

Consciousness and Martial Arts Will were divided into two.

The aura of the Bodhi tree acted like a whetstone, gently sharpening Martial Arts Will.

Consciousness ascended to a wondrous realm, observing all changes in the body.

Zhou Leng felt his heart stir and began to operate the Great Sun Divine Skill.

An unprecedented sensation spread through his body.

Previously, cultivating the Great Sun Divine Skill demanded all focus on the technique itself, akin to being in the mountain without seeing the entire landscape.

Now, he could see the whole picture and perceive the subtlest internal changes.

The perception of the Great Sun Divine Skill exceeded by tenfold what it once was.

Zhou Leng realized why it was said that the Bodhi tree could enhance insight.

Improving understanding of a technique tenfold is indeed an enhancement of insight.

Thus, under the assistance of the Bodhi Sacred Tree, he repeatedly operated the Great Sun Divine Skill.

His innate talent was not weak, and over the years, with the aid of Divine Text and help from the Void God teacher, his martial arts ability reached great heights.

This tenfold understanding was almost equivalent to advancing directly to Martial Saint.

Zhou Leng now, using the Martial Saint realm, cultivated everything.

The Star Phoenix version of the Great Sun Divine Skill was half self-created by Zhou Leng and had many flaws.

But usually, they were undetectable.

Now, with perception enhanced tenfold, all flaws became glaringly obvious.

Thus, he began using the Martial Saint realm to modify the Great Sun Divine Skill.

After cultivating to the limit, he switched to the Undying Star Body.

Once cultivated to the limit, he switched to the Star Phoenix Rejuvenation Technique.

A completely different cultivation experience flooded his body.

The understanding and realm of all techniques improved at an unimaginably rapid pace.

The more he cultivated, the more joyous his spirit became.

Only after his body reached its limit did he leave the small room and head towards the hotel.

On the way, he overheard some martial artists quietly discussing the Bodhi tree.

"How many times has your insight increased?"

"Mine is around 2.5 times, how about you?"

"I’m almost the same, anyway, can’t reach three times."

"I heard that the strongest Martial Saint who came here can push their enlightenment limit to five times."

"So powerful..."

After resting at the hotel, back to the small house under the tree, this time without cultivating any cultivation techniques, but slowly practicing the East Wind Fist.

Each punch, every detail of the body, perceived tenfold.

Endless insights surged in one after another, like continuous waves crashing against the mind.

The joy of cultivation attacked once again.

And so, Zhou Leng began his long-term cultivation under the Bodhi Tree.

Occasionally, people from Bodhi City came to inquire about the identity of the Bodhi Saint, all were politely refused, and those who tested were casually subdued and left obediently.

Apart from cultivation, sometimes he would sit under the Bodhi Tree contemplating the heart of Martial Arts, the path to sainthood.

Time flew by.

Unknowingly, Zhou Leng felt that his Martial Arts Realm finally reached a bottleneck.

Body, realm, and cultivation technique all reached their limits.

If he wanted to become a saint, he could do so now.

But to achieve perfection like Zhao Dongjun, something was still missing.

Inside, it was as if a voice was saying there was something he hadn’t accomplished.

It seemed like an obsession, a regret, more like a yearning.

But what exactly it was remained elusive.

Zhou Leng looked up at the Bodhi Tree, having reached the current maximum limit, the Bodhi Tree had lost its effect.

After sitting in front of the Bodhi Tree for another whole day, Zhou Leng departed gracefully.

Leaving Celestial River Demon City, leaving Elephant Country, heading north alone, crossing mountains, and reaching Xiangjin.

In Xiangjin City, he bought several sets of clothing from a century ago, including many straw sandals, and wore them.

Embarked on a complex navigation spanning 12,500 kilometers and began the journey forward.

During the journey, Zhou Leng listened to the audiobook version of the "East Monarch’s Collection".

Along the way, he constantly encountered martial artists dressed similarly, traveling alone or in groups.

No distinction between male or female, young or old.

They were unfamiliar yet very familiar with each other.

This road of over ten thousand kilometers is called the Enlightenment Long Road.

The first reason is that this road gathers the spiritual strength of the newly established Dragon Country.

This road may not be the greatest, may not have the most glorious results, or the most brutal battles.

But, it’s definitely the longest road.

The second reason is that almost ninety percent of the Grandmasters and all the Martial Saints of Dragon Country have traveled this road again.

This road not only imprints the blood and sweat of predecessors but also imprints the spirit and power of strong martial artists.

Many have walked the Enlightenment Long Road and gained unimaginable insights, breaking through bottlenecks and advancing to a new realm.

Even some Grandmasters and Martial Saints admit that they gained unprecedented strength after walking this road.

Therefore, many Dragon Country martial artists facing bottlenecks, even foreign martial artists, including Steel Dwarves, Demon Spirit Masters, or Giants, participate in this road.

Even some Demon Worship Sect members secretly walk this road for the sake of martial advancement.

After completing it, they betray the Demon Worship Sect.

Many people online say that this road is the closest to a Martial Saint for ordinary martial artists.

Zhou Leng never connected to the internet, isolating all distracting information from the outside world, apart from listening to the "East Monarch’s Collection", there was nothing else.

Neither communicating with others, only walking with large strides, then starting to jog.

This navigation would pass through a large number of historical sites, occasionally stopping to read before setting off again.

Unlike the cultivation in Elephant Country, this time Zhou Leng neither ate nor drank, did not sleep or rest.

Running day and night without stopping.

Not running at full capacity, maintaining a speed of about 30 kilometers per hour.

Normal walking would take at least three to four months.

Going too fast would lose the sense of insight.

A speed of thirty kilometers per hour is the optimal speed summarized by many martial arts masters.

Even for a Grandmaster, not eating or drinking and maintaining this speed is a great test.

To achieve the level of training, Zhou Leng even deliberately stopped all divine techniques, such as preventing the Tree-man divine technique from absorbing external power.

One day, two days, three days...

Three days of not eating, drinking, sleeping, or resting was an easy feat for Zhou Leng.

On the fourth day, slight changes began to surface.

His body could still endure, but the hunger began to spread.

But he insisted on not absorbing external power, maintaining the highest degree of tempering, continued to run.

Passing by the Xiangjiang Battlefield, the brutal past still struck after a century.

Here, many lives rested eternally to cover the retreat of their comrades.

Traversing the Xiangjiang Battlefield, reaching Bozhou, stepping into that famous meeting place.

Here became one of the most critical turning points for the new Dragon Country, establishing the most correct leadership.

It is also here that Zhao Dongjun comprehended the tenth move of the East Wind Fist "I Declare My Mandate", greatly expanding the power of the East Wind Fist.

Zhou Leng did not rush on but relearned the entire process of the Bozhou Meeting. Once achieving success in learning, continued his journey.

Soon, he arrived at the famous Hongshui River.

Zhou Leng fully recreated the process back then, cross the river four times, feeling the unimaginable tactics.

Then, crossed Jinshi River, forced across the Great River, seized the treacherous bridge, climbed snowy mountains, crossed grasslands...

Zhou Leng’s body has starry sky attributes, if not deliberately suppressed, could continuously absorb power from the outside, this level of progress wouldn’t feel hungry or tired.

But, Zhou Leng prevented this process.

From start to finish, refused to absorb any external power, isolated the true star power, not eating, not drinking, not sleeping, not resting.

Just to get closer to the feelings of the predecessors of that year, just to resonate with them.