Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 200: Chapter 153: Immortal Technique

Night fell.

Wan Ze lay on his back, hands clasped behind his head, his gaze fixed on the ceiling.

After returning from the Golden Gate Sect, he had given some jewelry to his family, telling them it was a bonus from the Dragon Eagle Martial Arts Hall.

His little sister, Xiaoyu, cradled the Golden Hairpin, her eyes shining like stars. She clamored to join Dragon Eagle too, so she could pick out jewelry every day.

Feeling a headache coming on, he made up a random excuse and slipped back to the martial arts hall to train until late at night.

Lying down now, his body still radiated the warmth from his practice.

The Ginseng Chicken Soup he’d had for dinner left him feeling comfortably warm, a pleasant sensation spreading through his limbs and bones.

He closed his eyes, and the scene of the evening’s battle at Xitang Port replayed in his mind.

Qin Jiu... A veteran Martial Artist in the Refining Viscera Realm with decades of White Crane Fist experience. When he fought for his life at the end, he was both fast and insidious.

If his Horizontal Training Technique hadn’t been so tough, that blow to his shoulder would have at least exposed bone.

"Qin Jiu’s downfall was his age. If he had been twenty or thirty years younger..." Wan Ze opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, murmuring, "I’m afraid I wouldn’t have won that fight so easily."

After a moment of contemplation, Wan Ze closed his eyes again, carefully recalling every detail.

’That first move, smashing his face into the wall, I was half a beat too slow... No, that’s not it. I could have come in from a more difficult angle. My Palm Blade was clean, but as I struck, Qin Jiu had already used the momentum to twist his waist, deflecting thirty percent of the force. If I had used Iron Mountain Fist instead...’

Wan Ze’s right hand formed a loose fist as he made a gesture in the air.

He had long since trained his Iron Mountain Fist to the Ultimate level. Once that unified power exploded, forget deflecting the force; Qin Jiu wouldn’t have even had a chance to react.

’There’s an old boxing saying, "A three-section punch leaves no form." I still rely too much on the brute strength of my Horizontal Training. My finesse with techniques is still severely lacking.’

’And then there’s the explosive burst of power...’

’Swift, ferocious, and instantaneous—that’s the key to Iron Mountain Fist. But against an opponent with higher cultivation, simple Power suppression won’t work. Their unified power would be purer, their strikes faster. Before my fist could even reach them, theirs would have already landed on me.’

’So...’

’I need to dig deeper for more power.’

Wan Ze murmured to himself, "Not just the power of muscles and bones, but also the Five Viscera and Six Bowels... the level of Inner Strength."

As he thought of this, a flash of insight struck him.

’That’s right! That Forbidden Technique Qin Jiu used at the end!’

That old bastard had been beaten to a pulp, but when he clapped his hands together, his aura had suddenly skyrocketed.

It only lasted for two breaths, but that sudden burst of power managed to leave three bloody gashes on him.

That was definitely not an ordinary Bursting Technique...

’How could I have forgotten about that!’

Wan Ze shot upright.

He’d been so focused on practicing those Low Level Martial Skills since returning from the Golden Gate Sect that he’d completely forgotten about this!

’I’m such an idiot!’

He threw himself out of bed and walked barefoot to the desk. He pulled open a drawer that contained a stack of draft paper where he usually recorded his Martial Dao insights. Rummaging at the very bottom, he pulled out a thin booklet.

The booklet was old, its cover yellowed and its corners frayed.

There was no title, only three characters written in the bottom right corner in tiny, neat script... Qin Jiuzang.

Wan Ze sat back down on the bed and turned on his desk lamp. The dim yellow light illuminated the booklet’s inner pages, revealing line after line of tidy, brush-written script.

He held his breath and read, word by word.

"In my youth, I traveled through Qingcheng and met a strange master who taught me this art, called the Soldier Immortal Technique. It derives its meaning from the Military School’s principle of ’breaking the cauldrons and sinking the boats.’ It uses the five viscera as a furnace and qi and blood as fuel, igniting a true fire to burn the body and release the shackles of the mortal form..."

"The first resolution, of the Liver (Wood), is like a sharp blade piercing the abdomen, a pain that sears the very marrow..."

"The second resolution, of the Heart (Fire), feels like ten thousand arrows piercing the heart, consciousness on the verge of collapse... The third resolution is of the Spleen (Earth), the fourth of the Lungs (Metal), the fifth of the Kidneys (Water)... Once all five resolutions are complete, the five viscera are reforged as if in a furnace. Qi and blood become endless. Even blades and axes will not kill, nor water and fire extinguish..."

"However, this technique is extremely perilous. Each resolution is like enduring a calamity, impossible for any but those with the greatest willpower. Ancient legends say that mastering Soldier Resolution allows one to be reborn, becoming immortal and indestructible. Yet, in my life, I have only seen one person reach the third resolution; all others died violently midway. Be wary. Be warned."

Wan Ze’s breathing grew shallow.

Immortal and indestructible?

He stared at the phrase, his pupils constricting slightly.

’Others don’t believe it because they can’t master it completely.’

’But I’m different!’

’I have the Illustrated Guide! As long as I meet the conditions, I can deduce any Martial Skill to its perfect state!’

For him, the promise of becoming immortal and indestructible was not just a legend.

Suppressing the shock in his heart, Wan Ze began to read through it, character by character.

Soon.

The database in front of him flickered.

...

[Illustrated Guide: Soldier Immortal Technique]

[Skill Beginner Level Conditions: All Attributes no less than 2.5, and successfully perform Soldier Resolution once]

...

Wan Ze took a sharp breath.

All Attributes no less than 2.5...

With a thought, he quickly pulled up his personal status panel:

[Physical Strength: 2.28]

[Intelligence: 2.01]

[Agility: 2.11]

[Endurance: 2.13]

[Power: 2.28]

[Coordination: 2.11]

The lowest was Intelligence... only 2.01. He was short by 0.49.

The others were a little short as well.

He pondered for a moment.

Leaning against the headboard, Wan Ze looked back at the booklet.

’This thing... I’m afraid it’s already beyond the scope of a High Tier Martial Skill.’

But that only made him more excited.

The four Low Level Martial Skills he’d gotten from the Golden Gate Sect would come in handy now.

One Pile Skill increased the Endurance Attribute, two Fist Techniques increased Power and Coordination, and the Body Technique increased Agility and Coordination. Plus, there was a chance to trigger All Attributes after High Level tasks.

In any case... it would be enough to keep him busy for a while.

Wan Ze tilted his head to look out the window. The moonlight was like water, and the faint cry of a night bird carried from the distance.

He let out a long breath and folded his hands over his abdomen.

These days of cultivation might be monotonous, but every bit of progress was real and tangible.

Besides, the hope of becoming immortal and indestructible lay ahead of him, a lure far more tempting than any gold or jewels.

"Starting tomorrow, I’ve got my work cut out for me."

...

「Early morning, at the Dragon Eagle Martial Arts Hall.」

The thin mist had not yet dispersed.

Inside the main hall, the tea on the eight-immortals table had already been refreshed twice.

Situ Bai sat calmly in the main seat, his fingers resting lightly on the lid of his teacup as he listened to his subordinate’s report.

To his left and right sat the four Elders: Master Qin, Master Ma, Master Gu, and the rarely seen Master Pang.

Standing before them was a dark-skinned man, flanked by Tan Xiao and Lei Ming, neither of whom dared to breathe too loudly.

"...The situation has been confirmed." The dark-skinned man closed his notebook and said seriously, "Qin Jiu, real name Qin Gui, had a life-and-death bond with the late Elder Li Bingkun of the Divine Martial Society in his early years. After Li Bingkun’s death, he spent his years active around South City, taking on disciples. On the surface, he was just a master teaching his art, but he secretly took on a few dirty jobs. Regarding the Golden Gate Sect incident, he approached them on his own initiative. According to the Golden Gate Sect’s testimony, he was after something."

He paused and glanced at the head of the table.

"As for what he was after, the Golden Gate Sect doesn’t know either. They only said that Qin Jiu offered a high price for them to keep an eye on Sun Beixi’s whereabouts. The day Sun Beixi entered Holy City, the message was passed along."

Situ Bai nodded but said nothing.

Leaning back in his chair, Master Qin picked up the conversation, slowly rolling two walnuts in his hand. He added with a smile, "We’ve already spoken with the police department. That disciple of Qin Jiu’s was a fugitive from the East Sea Federation with three lives on his head. On the record, this is now all Xiaowan’s achievement, and no one can take that away from him."

Acting heroically for a just cause, assisting in the capture of a wanted fugitive... Such deeds were always beneficial and would be a great boon to Wan Ze’s future development.

Master Ma slowly set down his teacup and began to speak with a smile. "This boy, Xiaowan, I hear he trains diligently day in and day out. He hasn’t had a moment’s rest since returning from South City. This time, he fought two-on-one and killed Qin Jiu and his disciple... And Qin Jiu was a veteran in the Refining Viscera stage, with decades of White Crane Fist experience. For Xiaowan to take him down shows that his strength is already quite remarkable. With his age, his temperament, his comprehension... his future is limitless."

Master Qin nodded with a smile and looked at Situ Bai. "Hall Master, this boy Xiaowan, I think he’s worth properly nurturing."

Situ Bai chuckled. "You all should stop putting him on a pedestal. Wan Ze is still young, and he has a long road ahead of him. Reaching Refining Viscera is one hurdle, and Refining Force will be another. There’s an even longer path after that. Praising him too much now won’t do him any good."

Though he said this, he couldn’t suppress the slight curve of his lips.

In truth, from yesterday until now, he had been thinking about one thing.

Qin Jiu contacted the Golden Gate Sect to hunt down a disciple of his Dragon Eagle hall.

He had thought about it all night but couldn’t figure it out.

Where did the people of the Golden Gate Sect get the nerve?

If it were just some minor scuffle, he could understand.

The Federation’s iron fist was so strong, yet people still dared to break the law and provoke it. What’s more, Dragon Eagle was just a martial arts hall.

But the Golden Gate Sect...

That wasn’t a minor scuffle.

That was a business where you hang your head from your belt—a life-or-death gamble.

What made them think they could touch someone from Dragon Eagle and get away unscathed?

Situ Bai lowered his eyes, his fingertips tapping twice on the lid of his teacup.

’Forget it. If I can’t figure it out, there’s no point in dwelling on it.’

The Golden Gate Sect was gone anyway, and Qin Jiu was dead. Time would reveal the rest.

The dark-skinned man spoke again, "Hall Master, about the Sun Family’s matter..."

Situ Bai waved his hand, cutting him off. "That’s their private affair. We won’t interfere."

He stood up and walked to the front of the hall, hands clasped behind his back, and watched the morning mist gradually dissipate outside.

"Also, regarding the joint operation plan with City Hall, you all discuss it and decide who to send. Submit the list to me tomorrow morning."

Everyone answered in unison and began to disperse.

The sound of footsteps faded, and the main hall grew quiet.

Lei Ming didn’t leave.

He stood there, head bowed, clenching and unclenching his fists.

Without turning around, Situ Bai said, "Speak."

"Master..." Lei Ming took a step forward, his voice a bit tight. "This joint operation, I want to go."

"Give me a reason."

"I want to..." Lei Ming paused, took a breath, and said seriously, "I want to use this opportunity to find the catalyst to reach the Refining Viscera Realm."

Situ Bai turned around and looked at him.

This disciple had been with him for five years, growing from a greenhorn boy to his current self, never once slacking off or cutting corners. Now that he had said these words, the fire in his eyes was impossible to hide.

"Is this because of your Junior Brother Wan?" he asked.

Lei Ming froze for a second, then gave a bitter smile and scratched his head. "I was the one who showed Ah Ze around the day he joined the martial arts hall. It’s only been half a year, and he’s already in the Refining Viscera Realm, killing a veteran Martial Artist like Qin Jiu without breaking a sweat. I..."

He sighed.

"I’m happy for him, truly. But deep down... it just doesn’t sit right with me."

A great sense of defeat washed over him.

Situ Bai looked at him without speaking.

After a long moment, he walked back and sat down in his chair. "This joint operation plan, do you know what it entails?"

"I have a vague idea," Lei Ming nodded. "The list from City Hall includes remnants of the Secret Palace, some bandits who’ve drifted down from the north, and a few vicious criminals who’ve been wanted for seven or eight years. They’re all desperate, bloodthirsty fugitives..."

"You know all that and you still want to go?"

"I have to go! If I don’t face a life-or-death situation, I’ll never break through this barrier." Lei Ming raised his head, looking his master straight in the eye, and said formally, "Disciple implores Master for his approval."

Situ Bai was silent for a moment.

He looked at Lei Ming’s face...

Young, stubborn, with a fire burning in his eyes.

He’d seen that fire before—decades ago, in a mirror.

"Lei Ming," he finally said, his voice heavy. "Reaching the Refining Viscera Realm isn’t a dinner party. On the battlefield, blades and bullets have no eyes. If you step into this, there’s no guarantee you’ll come out alive."

"I know."

"When I was young, I also saw off several of my martial brothers," Situ Bai said, looking at him. "Some of their graves are still over on North Mountain. When I go to sweep their graves during Qingming, I can still see their faces as I burn the paper money."

Lei Ming’s Adam’s apple bobbed, but he remained silent.

"I’ll ask you one more time: have you thought this through?" Situ Bai leaned forward slightly.

Lei Ming took a deep breath, his back ramrod straight. "I have."

Situ Bai looked at him for a long time.

Finally, he slowly leaned back in his chair and waved his hand.

The gesture was slight, but Lei Ming understood.

His eyes grew hot as he bowed deeply. "Thank you, Master."

He turned and strode out. As he reached the doorway, Situ Bai’s voice came from behind him: "Don’t try to be a hero. Come back alive."

Lei Ming’s steps faltered for a moment. He nodded firmly and grinned. "Master, you said it yourself. I’m a cockroach—you can’t kill me!"

"You brat."

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