Urban Martial Saint

In mid-March, exactly a month after Ye Qing returned from the Demon Hideout Cave, the Wanyan Family and the Sword Saint Sect had been at war for half a month.

During this half month, everything was calm in Shenchuan City. Although the outline of the Heaven Earth Man Tri-Map was becoming clearer, the precise location of the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates could only be found once the Tri-Map was fully understood. Therefore, the current Heaven Earth Man Tri-Map pointed to no particular direction at all.

Despite there being quite a few master forces gathered in Shenchuan City, among them, the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance and the Twelve Green Halls were the strongest. Especially during this period, the Seven Steering Committees and Twelve Green Halls had a steady stream of masters coming out of retreat. Although occasionally people would join the World Alliance as well, it couldn't compare to the number of people on the side of the Seven Steering Committees and the Twelve Green Halls. As a result, the strength of the World Alliance gradually fell behind.

Even so, neither the Seven Steering Committees nor the Twelve Green Halls dared to provoke the World Alliance. Firstly, both sides had good relations with Ye Qing, and secondly, the Seven Steering Committees and the Twelve Green Halls were in a state of mutual confrontation, with their forces balanced. At this moment, no one wanted to provoke the World Alliance. If they did, and the World Alliance helped the other side, those who provoked the World Alliance would find themselves in deep trouble. Thus, although the World Alliance was in the midst of it all, they remained leisurely while the Seven Steering Committees and the Twelve Green Halls were locked in a tense standoff, leaving the World Alliance with nothing to worry about.

In this situation, although the hidden peak masters in Shenchuan City coveted the Heaven Earth Man Tri-Map and the seven keys to unlock the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates, they too had to consider their own strength. Not to mention the Seven Steering Committees and the Twelve Green Halls, even just the World Alliance was not a force they could contend with, let alone seize the seven weapons hidden within the World Alliance.

So, even though there were many hidden peak masters in Shenchuan City, the waters here remained turbulent beneath the surface. Everyone had their own schemes, but none dared to act, preferring to wait for the Seven Steering Committees and the Twelve Green Halls to go to war before they could fish in troubled waters and seize any opportunity.

The World Alliance wasn't worried about these matters at all. Under Shen Tianjun's leadership, the World Alliance was growing stronger by the day. Originally, those who joined the World Alliance did so for their own selfish gains. However, as the World Alliance's rules gradually perfected, those who joined began to see it as their own alliance, rather than just a shelter as before.

However, what worried Ye Qing most was the increasing number of hidden masters in the world today. Originally, the Five Unmatches of the World dominated the land, but now there were at least hundreds of peak masters. In this situation, it was no longer possible for a peak master to stand alone. Aside from those beyond the pinnacle, only the foremost among peak masters had real say. As for other peak masters, they had to seek the protection of major forces, otherwise, even self-preservation would pose a problem.

To strengthen the World Alliance, Ye Qing was constantly training his people. In this half month, Ye Qing had also passed on his knowledge of the Innate Nine Diagrams to Huangfu Ziyu. The martial arts practiced by Huangfu Ziyu were actually in the same lineage as Shen Tianjun, already close to a Taoist cultivation technique. With the Innate Nine Diagrams, her strength could rapidly improve. In just half a month, Huangfu Ziyu's strength had reached the top level, and just one step higher would make her a peak master. However, with her mastery of the Sun Shooting Bow, her strength already rivaled that of a peak master. With the improvement of her own power, the Sun Shooting Bow's potential could be even more fully realized. Although she hadn't reached Shen Tianjun's level yet, she could at least match the Wolf Monk. Given time, if she could elevate her strength to the peak state, she might reach the status of someone like Shen Tianjun.

The improvement in Huangfu Ziyu's strength was relatively slow; the one whose strength grew fastest was Liu Mubai. Ye Qing had taught Liu Mubai all the patterns he obtained from the Great Demon King's Coffin in the Demon Hideout Cave, which greatly delighted Liu Mubai. According to Liu Mubai, those patterns were the method to cultivate the Indestructible Demon Body. However, he only had the patterns, without any text. If he could pair it with the text, he was confident he could resurrect the top-tier cultivation technique of the Great Demon King.

The Indestructible Demon Body is a cultivation technique comparable to the Buddhist Vajra Indestructible Body and the Taoist Returning Origin Mysterious Body. Not only does it make one's body impervious to knives and spears, but crucially, it also enhances strength with effects like lifespan extension, a top-level secret technique. If Liu Mubai could really bring this cultivation technique back to the world, his prowess would become truly terrifying. After all, the Corpse Ghost Dragon had tried everything to transform his Human-shaped Gu into the Indestructible Demon Body, indicating its tremendous power. This meant that if Liu Mubai could train the Indestructible Demon Body to its fullest, his strength might even surpass that of the Corpse Ghost Dragon. And the Corpse Ghost Dragon was the strongest master Ye Qing had ever encountered!

Actually, Ye Qing also had the written version of the Indestructible Demon Body, which he obtained from the Demon Hideout Cave. But the written version was in very ancient script, and Ye Qing still hadn't deciphered its meaning. Therefore, he couldn't pass it on to Liu Mubai for the time being. Nonetheless, even just the cultivation method from the patterns had significantly boosted Liu Mubai's strength, bringing him close to the pinnacle.

That morning, as usual, after exchanging a few curse words with Old Chen, Ye Qing went to Liu Mubai's residence. Liu Mubai had set up a special training ground in his courtyard, where a few people who had a good relationship with Ye Qing would come every day to spar and gain experience, enhancing their skills. Fu Qingping and Shen Tianjun would also occasionally visit to offer guidance, which sped up the progress of the group's abilities greatly.

Even before entering the courtyard, Ye Qing could hear Wu Xiuming shouting from afar, "Amazing! Amazing!"

"Not bad! Really not bad!" came another voice, this time belonging to Shen Tianjun. Ye Qing could tell there was unmistakable praise in Shen Tianjun's tone. Surprised, Ye Qing wondered what they were witnessing that was so praiseworthy.

Filled with curiosity, Ye Qing walked into the courtyard to find several people gathered around the training ground. In the center of the training ground, Liu Mubai was sitting cross-legged, with waves of black mist emerging from his body, shrouding him completely.

"What's happening here?" Ye Qing exclaimed softly as he hurried over. Liu Mubai's expression appeared somewhat contorted, as if enduring immense pain. It was puzzling—what was going on with him?

Standing beside the training ground were several people, including Fu Qingping, and Shen Tianjun and Wu Xiuming were next to Liu Mubai. On the other side stood the Bloody Monk and the Wolf Monk. They had come particularly early today, even before Ye Qing.

Upon hearing Ye Qing's voice, everyone waved at him, then collectively turned their heads back to Liu Mubai, looking very tense. Not knowing what was happening, Ye Qing joined the group, watching Liu Mubai intently as they did.

The waves of black mist were clearly emanating from Liu Mubai. This scene was quite like what Ye Qing had seen when black mist appeared around that Great Lord of the Church. By the end, Liu Mubai's entire body was engulfed in the black mist, appearing from a distance as nothing more than a billowing black fog, with Liu Mubai completely obscured within.

"What's really happening here?" Ye Qing couldn't help but ask again, noting the intense focus and even excitement in everyone's demeanor.

"Liu Mubai is currently breaking through to the Pinnacle Realm!" Shen Tianjun whispered. "If he succeeds, he can fully become a pinnacle master!"

"Ah?" Ye Qing exclaimed, excitement welling up within him. Liu Mubai was finally breaking through to the Pinnacle Realm! No wonder everyone was so excited; in just over half a month, Liu Mubai was attempting to break through—what astonishing progress!

Previously, Ye Qing had known that Liu Mubai was close to reaching the Pinnacle Realm, but he hadn't expected Liu Mubai would attempt the breakthrough so soon. If successful, Liu Mubai would become a pinnacle master. Considering that Liu Mubai could already defeat pinnacle masters while still at the top level, what would his power be once he became a pinnacle master?

Feeling excitement mixed with concern, Ye Qing added, "Do you think he can overcome this hurdle?"

"This question doesn't really need answering," Shen Tianjun said. "Breaking through to the Pinnacle Realm is essentially about fully unlocking the meridians. If the body isn't strong enough, it can lead to the meridians breaking and causing death; certainly a very dangerous process. But for Liu Mubai, there isn't any such danger. Although he isn't a pinnacle master yet, his body is already tougher than many pinnacle masters. The breakthrough process is practically effortless for him. The only thing left to consider is, once he becomes a pinnacle master, just how powerful he will become."

"Elder Liu's body is so robust; even before becoming a pinnacle master, he could defeat those who were. Once he becomes a pinnacle master, surely he will become a leading figure among them!" Wu Xiuming remarked in admiration.

Nowadays, Wu Xiuming was no longer the same as before. In this period, he had consecutively defeated two pinnacle masters who came to challenge the World Alliance, gaining even more fame, and the title of Vice Alliance Hierarch was now known across the world. This was something he never would have dared to imagine before!

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