Chapter 710: End of Volume: The Foundation of the Legacy (Middle)

「May 9, 2017.」

The morning air was slightly damp. Dawn arrived with a gentle breeze, bringing a touch of warmth while also raising a faint, scattered chill on the skin.

In the mountains north of the Celestial Capital, a tranquil town was being bathed in a pale yellow light by the sun. Paired with the endless green of the surrounding mountain scenery, the sense of vibrant life was overwhelming.

Fengg Qiang had been looking at this scenery for three years and had long since grown used to it. He had spent the better part of the last three years here. Every morning, he was busy practicing his stances, cultivating Spiritual Qi, and honing his mind and body. He sparred with his peers and martial brothers, and the immense physical exertion left him drenched in sweat. Whenever he collapsed from exhaustion, he had ample time to admire the endless green of the mountains.

However, his senior martial brother Guan Wanjing—who was actually younger than him—and his acquaintance Su Zhou were admiring the scenery with great interest, constantly snapping photos.

’To suddenly be a generation lower than him... it’s really hard to wrap my head around...’

At this thought, Fengg Qiang couldn’t help but sigh again.

Fengg Qiang was the owner of the Hongcheng Rui’an Fitness Center, an Enhancement System Awakener, and currently a nominal disciple of the Rui’an Martial Arts Hall.

Right now, he was leading Su Zhou and Guan Wanjing to the ancestral lands of the Only Martial System.

Fengg Qiang and Su Zhou were old acquaintances. Back in the day, Su Zhou had been a big name in the Hongzhou fitness community, and Fengg Qiang was well-known himself. The two hit it off and often ate and lifted weights together.

After the Spiritual Energy Revival, Su Zhou’s fame skyrocketed, and he rarely visited the gym anymore. But Fengg Qiang’s luck wasn’t bad either. Under the stimulation of Spiritual Qi, his body developed strength and toughness far beyond that of an ordinary person—he could even lift a pickup truck and withstand sword and knife attacks with his bare flesh. In the ancient times before Spiritual Qi vanished, this Talent would have been enough to be called a match for a thousand men. And because of this, he was invited to join the Only Martial System, which had been observing him for some time.

For the last three years, Fengg Qiang had been cultivating here.

Guan Wanjing was one of the Direct Lineage Inheritors of the Only Martial System in Southern Zhengguo. This effectively made him Fengg Qiang’s senior martial brother. Meanwhile, Su Zhou had been Guan Wanjing’s supervising professor and semi-teacher, naturally placing him a generation above them. This meant that Fengg Qiang, who had once been Su Zhou’s peer, was now his junior.

"Hey, Brother Fengg, why get so hung up on it? We can just keep things as they were. It’s the New Era; no need to be so formal."

Su Zhou, who was following behind Fengg Qiang, didn’t seem to mind.

The reason he had come all the way to this small town in the mountains north of the Celestial Capital was because of a notice from the Artifice Sage two days ago.

"The Old Hall Master of the Only Martial System wants to meet you."

"My personal recommendation is that you go see him. As for the specific reason, I haven’t been authorized to tell you yet, but it’s definitely not a bad thing for you... And it’s related to national security."

Ever since Su Zhou had uploaded several thousand Souls from the Deep Space Callers into the Artifice Sage’s Electronic Netherworld, the Artifice Sage’s research in that area had been advancing by leaps and bounds. Therefore, it was now his main body that answered all of Su Zhou’s communications in real-time, rather than one of his previous AI subordinates.

Ever since Su Zhou had demonstrated his Talent and power, various factions from all over Zhengguo had wanted to invite him over to build a good relationship. To name a few, the White Tiger Family, the Black Tortoise Family, and the Chongming Li Family of the Mimic Dao System had all extended invitations to him.

But Su Zhou, for one, had no free time to waste on such things, and for another, he wasn’t particularly interested in that kind of networking. Thus, he had always refused, or just brushed them off with a "next time for sure."

The strong could naturally afford to be a little willful. Su Zhou had always treated invitations from the Only Martial System—that is, from Guan Wanjing and Fengg Qiang’s side—the same way, with no exceptions. But this time was different.

Previously, the invitations had come from the current hall master of the Rui’an Martial Arts Hall of the Only Martial System, and the purpose was merely to build connections. This time, however, the Artifice Sage’s message indicated that the invitation from the *old* hall master was not for personal reasons, but was related to matters of state.

Although Su Zhou couldn’t figure out why a matter of state had to be so secretive that even someone with his clearance level couldn’t be privy to the details, he figured there must be a good reason.

"Brother Fengg, I heard your old hall master also broke through to the Commander Tier recently?"

Su Zhou asked casually as they walked along the small path. More than a year after Su Zhou himself had broken through to the Commander Tier, most of the veteran Cultivators on Earth had also surpassed the threshold of the Extraordinary Tier and reached this realm.

And the old hall master of the Only Martial System was among the first batch of Powerhouses in Zhengguo, besides Su Zhou, to break through to the Commander Tier.

"Yes."

This question wasn’t a secret. Fengg Qiang had initially felt a bit proud to talk about it, but then he remembered that the young man beside him had already made the breakthrough over a year ago, and his enthusiasm vanished. He sighed softly and said, "According to the old hall master, if it weren’t for an accident, he would have planned to visit you personally instead of inviting you here. Look, we’re here."

As Fengg Qiang pointed ahead, they could see the entrance to the village right before them.

This was the ancestral land of the Only Martial System—in simpler terms, a training base. This small village consisted almost entirely of training facilities and practice grounds for cultivating Martial Arts. No normal families lived here. It was populated only by disciples in training, Tutors, and administrative staff who handled daily affairs like food and sanitation.