Seeking Martial Dao in All Reborn Lives
Chapter 170 - 168: A Martial Discourse for All Under Heaven
The three elders wore white, black, and purple robes, respectively. Their hair was graying, but their skin was firm, like that of young men.
What was most astonishing was that the three men’s appearances, dispositions, and even their expressions were practically identical, as if they were all cast from the same mold. If not for the different colors of their robes, those present would have likely been unable to tell them apart.
The Three Elders of Jinmen.
They were the pillars of the Jinmen Martial Arts Association. It was because of their existence that the Martial Arts Association could establish itself in Jinmen—the most prosperous city in the entire Divine Land—and command such high prestige that even the various Warlords found it difficult to interfere.
The reason the three looked so alike was that they were triplet brothers who had cultivated a special Secret Transmission.
The Three Elders had no given names, but were known as Heavenly, Earth, and Human.
"We have recently received confirmed intelligence. The group leading this initiative is the Profound Ocean Society from the Neon Nation—the largest Ranger organization in Neon. It encompasses over seventy percent of the nation’s civilian martial arts practitioners, whose strongest are known as the Ten Schools and Nine Paths. This time, their experts have mobilized in full force. Their top masters are called the ’Ten Sha,’ the weakest of whom are at the Five Qi Tongxuan level. The strongest three among them, known as the ’Three Celestial Assassins,’ have reached the pinnacle of Inner Cultivation—the realm of Five Qi Chaoyuan. Aided by a special Secret Medicine, they might even be able to contend with a master at the level of Harmony."
The Human Elder, clad in a purple robe, spoke.
Hearing this, the expressions of everyone present turned grave.
Unity of Understanding. That was the strongest realm achievable in the Martial Dao of the Divine Land. Even the leaders of the various Warlord schools were only at the peak of this realm.
In ancient times, reaching such a state was enough to be hailed by the world as a Martial Arts Grandmaster. Even in the modern era, those who could reach this realm were figures who could dominate a region of the Divine Land. In fact, most leaders of the top schools had not yet reached this level.
Across the vast Divine Land, existences who could reach this realm were exceedingly rare, and most of them had gathered under the banners of the major Warlords.
And now, a single Profound Ocean Society from the Neon Nation had produced three individuals who could supposedly contend with masters of this very realm?
A suffocating feeling couldn’t help but descend upon the directors present.
Currently, within the Jinmen Martial Arts Realm, the Three Elders were the strongest. However, due to the special nature of their Secret Transmission, it was not convenient for them to enter the ring. At their age and position, if they were to personally compete, it would be a loss of face, making it seem as if the Divine Land’s Martial Arts Realm had no worthy successors.
The next strongest were the Seven General Stars. But among them, aside from the successors of the Primordial Dragon Secret Technique and the Celestial Dragon Extreme Breakthrough, who would dare claim they could reach such a level?
What’s more, the Jinmen Martial Arts Association was itself a coalition of countless factions. The Seven General Stars were not completely under the Association’s control. If the Profound Ocean Society’s true strength became widely known, how many would be willing to fight?
No wonder the Three Elders hadn’t responded directly to the Neon Influence’s provocations all this time.
"However, since things have come to this, avoiding the fight is impossible. We have already communicated with the Seven General Stars, some of the top-tier tournament fighters, and their backing factions. They have expressed their willingness to support our actions."
The Earth Elder, robed in black, spoke next, causing another shift in the crowd’s expression.
"Our Jinmen Martial Arts Association has endured for a hundred years. Today, it is the face of the Divine Land’s civilian Martial Dao. The eight great Warlords are incompetent, concerned only with their own backstabbing schemes and colluding with foreign enemies in their attempts to unify the Divine Land. They may not care about the reputation of our Divine Land’s Martial Arts Realm, but we must."
"A hundred years ago, when the Jinmen Martial Arts Association was first established, the Daqian Empire was collapsing. The political situation was precarious, with the Six Nations entrenched in Jinmen. How chaotic was the situation then? Our predecessors endured it all and defended this gateway to the Divine Land. What reason do we have to retreat?"
"This time, not only must we accept the challenge, but we must do so with great fanfare, in a grand and spectacular fashion! As for the Neon Martial Dao, it is nothing more than a pale imitation that picked up the scraps of our Divine Land’s Martial Dao. Surely we are not afraid of them?"
"How many years has it been since our Jinmen Martial Arts Association last held an open tournament at Longwu Square?"
"The title of ’Jinmen’s First’—if they have the guts, let them come and take it! Since there is no path of retreat, then we will fight them to the death. They want an open tournament? Fine. This time, it won’t just be open to them; it will be open to all masters under heaven."
"A World Martial Arts Conference. What do you all think of that title?"
Finally, the Heavenly Elder, dressed in a white robe, spoke. His expression was calm, but his words sent shockwaves through every director present.
’The Martial Arts Association Three Elders have been silent for nearly half a month, and it turns out they were secretly planning this all along?!’
...
...
Early the next morning, the news spread from the Jinmen Martial Arts Association. An announcement was posted in the most conspicuous spot at the entrance of the Martial Arts Association Headquarters. The news quickly disseminated among the various factions and throughout the streets of Jinmen, and through channels pre-arranged by the Three Elders, it rapidly spread throughout the entire Martial Arts Realm of the Divine Land.
The World Martial Arts Conference!!
The Jinmen Martial Arts Association would be holding an open tournament at Longwu Square, accepting registrations from fellow martial artists from all circles. They had established extremely generous rewards—not just money, but also exceedingly rare Rare Beast Materials from the Association’s collection, Martial Arts Secret Techniques, Divine Weapons, and even the privilege of unrestricted access to the Martial Arts Association Library.
Beyond just individual rewards, everyone understood clearly that this so-called World Martial Arts Conference was actually being held specifically to counter the invasion by the Neon Martial Dao. If they could successfully repel the Neon Martial Dao, the subsequent redistribution of various channels and resources would be the truly tempting prize.
That afternoon, the specific rules of the conference were announced by the Martial Arts Association.
All fellow martial artists of the Divine Land whose training method had reached the realm of Five Qi Tongxuan or above could register for the tournament at the Martial Arts Association Headquarters. The conference was scheduled to begin in one month.
Additionally, the Jinmen Martial Arts Association issued a special announcement, stating that since the Neon Martial Dao originated from the Divine Land’s Martial Dao, it was in fact a branch of it. Therefore, this conference would also specially invite the Neon Martial Dao to participate, so they could appreciate the Profound Techniques of the Martial Dao’s source.
Once this announcement was made, it was met with a chorus of cheers.
"Excellent! I thought the Jinmen Martial Arts Association was going to act like cowards hiding in their shells after staying silent for so long. I didn’t expect them to be brewing such a grand plan."
"A World Martial Arts Conference, inviting all fellow martial artists under heaven to gather and resist the Neon Martial Dao invasion! Our Jinmen is called the Martial Arts Capital, and we are worthy of this honor!"
"What a great line, ’The Neon Martial Dao originated from the Divine Land and is a branch of the Divine Land’s Martial Dao’! Well said! Let them know who taught them civilization and the Martial Dao back when they were still uncivilized savages in the Wilderness!"
"Now let’s see if the Neon Martial Dao dares to compete!!"
"..."
The Martial Arts Association’s announcement was met with resounding praise on the streets.
Soon, the news reached the Neon Concession Consulate.
Sano Hideyuki, Yamada Ichirō, and Wakatsuki Kei were currently gathered in a tea room.
"A World Martial Arts Conference? It seems I’ve underestimated the Jinmen Martial Arts Association’s boldness. The Three Elders may be old, but their ambition has not waned," Sano Hideyuki said in a low voice.
He understood perfectly why the Martial Arts Association Three Elders had made such a decision.
They were using the Neon Martial Dao’s invasion to ignite the fury of the Divine Land’s entire civilian martial arts world, and using that momentum to hold this so-called World Martial Arts Conference. If they succeeded in repelling the Neon Martial Dao, one could only imagine to what new heights the Jinmen Martial Arts Association’s influence would rise within the Divine Land’s civilian martial arts world.
Perhaps then it would be called the World Martial Arts Conference, not the Jinmen Martial Arts Association.
The audacity of the Martial Arts Association Three Elders was clear.
They had transformed a massive crisis targeting the Jinmen Martial Arts Association into a huge opportunity and a high-stakes gamble.
"The Jinmen Martial Arts Association is making a huge gamble. If they win, they get everything. It’s quite interesting," Yamada Ichirō said with a calm expression.
"It’s a gamble they are bound to lose. It’s not just the major Warlords of the Divine Land who would be unwilling to see a World Martial Arts Conference succeed; we won’t let them succeed either. The only thing awaiting the Jinmen Martial Arts Association is failure."
"The Neon Martial Dao originated from the Divine Land? Yes, that’s an indisputable fact. But so what? Even the ancestor of humanity must bow down when they become weak. This is for the best. A mere Jinmen Martial Arts Association is too small, after all. The World Martial Arts Conference will be the true stage for our Neon Martial Dao. Let the frogs in the well of the Divine Land see for themselves what it means for the student to surpass the master," Wakatsuki Kei said, his expression cold and ruthless.
...
...
At the same time, the high command of the various Warlords and the other Five Nations also received the news.
Shangjing, Yuan Mansion.
A tall figure silently reviewed the intelligence report in his hands.
’Heavenly, Earth, and Human... although you did me a favor back in the day, you can’t take this too far.’
’The civilian martial arts world can afford to lose. I don’t care about the reputation of the martial arts world; to me, such things are too ethereal. In my eyes, they are also an obstacle to my unification of the Divine Land. The same goes for many of the radical populace. Using the Neon Nation as a blade to blunt their edge will make them realize who they should truly rely on. It won’t be too late to enter Jinmen and contest with the Neon People after that. However, if the civilian martial arts world wins and unites as a result, they will become an extremely threatening force. I will not sit by and watch that happen.’
Jinling, Lin Mansion.
A slender, well-composed figure sneered, a cold smile touching their bright red lips. "’Three Lights Limitless... do they really think no one can break it, just like in the old days? They’ve already got one foot in the grave and still won’t stay quiet. Is it because we refused to help? Do they think they can use this to put us in a corner?’"
"Someone, have Hong Luan take some people and make a trip to Jinmen."
Similar events unfolded among the major Warlord factions. With the invasion of the Neon Martial Dao, a single move by the Jinmen Martial Arts Association instantly stirred up massive waves throughout the Divine Land.
Jinmen, already a crossroads for various powers due to the war in the Northern Territory, became an even more chaotic mix of characters.
However, amidst this converging chaos, Jinmen itself became unusually calm.
The Neon Influence did not stir up any more trouble, and the other factions all fell silent. For that one month, everything was peaceful.
But everyone knew this was merely the calm before the storm.
A truly terrifying tempest was about to descend.