The Modern Martial Immortal

Just moments ago, the unusual activity of the ancient tree within his mental world had drawn his attention.

He had taken a glance and immediately discovered that the Merchant branch was overflowing with nutrients. The increase was so dramatic that even the complete sweep of the daemons at Yulong International and Qingyu Industrial Park could not compare.

If he invested these nutrients into any branch other than Martial Dao, he could raise those professions to at least the third tier on the spot.

This was why he directly asked what gift had been delivered. The question left Yue Xingzhou slightly stunned. Even the woman who came with him could not help looking his way as though she found him somewhat shallow.

Yet Yue Xingzhou simply smiled and said, ”I heard the Su family is purchasing a batch of high-quality medicinal ingredients for you. Our Yue family happened to have them in stock, so I selected a batch and brought it over.”

He gestured at the driver. The driver understood at once and carried a box forward.

”Also, during yesterday’s battle, I noticed you were fighting without a combat suit. Modern combat suits barely affect mobility. They are not like those early bulletproof vests or armors. They are all designed with a martial artist’s flexibility in mind. So I brought you a combat suit as well.” He opened the box. Inside lay a dark-brown combat suit and its corresponding components.

”This is the most advanced level 1S Crimson-Gold Combat Suit produced by the Crimson Star Empire. Aside from the superior materials, it is also equipped with the newly developed Divine Armament auxiliary battle system. It can effectively detect hidden targets, analyze ballistic trajectories, and so on.”

Yue Xingzhou smiled. ”Of course, this auxiliary system does not help much when fighting martial artists of the same tier. It only reduces stray-shot injuries on chaotic battlefields. Life-and-death combat at the grandmaster tier is often dictated entirely by instinct. If one waits for a prompt before counterattacking, the battle will already be over.”

”Level 1S combat suit?” Yaoguang paused, genuinely surprised.

He had only heard Pang Long explain the levels of combat suits that morning. Level S was considered the top on the market. And now the Yue family had delivered a level S Crimson-Gold Combat Suit straight to his door?

”In addition to these, there is also a bottle of Snow Ginseng Pills,” Yue Xingzhou continued. ”Advancing from the grandmaster tier to the martial paragon tier requires having sufficiently strong internal organs. Each organ must be capable of supporting the body, whether through digestion, detoxification, or exchange, and everything will ultimately converge on the heart. Its ability to transport energy must grow until the heart’s internal operations form a complete cycle. To achieve this cycle, energy intake is essential, and Snow Ginseng Pills excel in this regard.”

”I know.” Yaoguang had seen information about this pill before. But he had never considered it among the materials for his regular cultivation because of one simple reason: It was too expensive.

Its market price was one billion for one pill. And that did not necessarily mean it could always be bought. One usually had to offer more.

”Also, while your villa is not small, proper martial training really requires a specialized venue. Coincidentally, I currently own a martial hall. It is less than one kilometer outside Yuyuan Estate. It was built with top materials, and several of its training facilities are grandmaster-tier. If you have time, you may train there.”

Yue Xingzhou smiled. ”The transfer agreement is here. If you want it, it’s yours. The martial hall is still open to the public. It does not generate much profit, but it maintains balance easily. My granddaughter Yumo manages it for now. If you think she is not competent enough, you may replace her anytime.”

One kilometer? That has to be the Mountain-Water Martial Hall. Lei Yun felt her heart tremble.

That martial hall was one of the most famous in the capital, occupying an enormous area. Its heritage was weaker than that of those ancient halls, but its reputation was exceptional. They hired many young, handsome, and attractive martial artists as instructors and invested heavily in social media marketing. For people in the martial arts world, sports world, and fitness industry, it was one of the must-visit locations when coming to the capital.

”That is all,” Yue Xingzhou said.

There was a bottle of Snow Ginseng Pills worth one billion each. The level S Crimson-Gold Combat Suit was worth 1.5 billion asters, making it as valuable as a top-tier fighter jet; yet, acquiring such a suit didn’t require only money, but also connections. If one tried to purchase it in Dayu, the price would rise even higher, easily reaching 16 to 18 billion dayu.

On top of that, the Mountain-Water Martial Hall, due to its vast land area, was valued at between eight and ten billion.[1]

The remaining batch of medicinal ingredients was the largest in quantity, yet the least valuable individually, only worth five to six billion in total.

Adding everything together, Yue Xingzhou’s gift amounted to no less than forty billion. With forty billion worth of assets received at once, it was no wonder the nutrients for the Merchant branch skyrocketed.

”A generous gift indeed,” Yaoguang said.

”I do not believe my life is only worth forty billion,” Yue Xingzhou laughed.

”You have my thanks. I will accept the gifts.” Yaoguang nodded.

These items were undoubtedly useful to him, especially the Snow Ginseng Pills. A single pill could easily save him a full month of arduous cultivation. In other words, his original timeline of two months to become a martial paragon would be reduced by half.

From then on, the conversation grew notably warmer. An hour later, Yue Xingzhou rose to take his leave.

”Since you are not planning to replace her, you may coordinate with Yumo directly regarding the martial hall.” He glanced at the young woman beside him. ”Yaoguang is far stronger than I am. If he gives you even one or two pointers, you may benefit for life. At the very least, reaching martial master by tempering your tendons and bones will not be difficult. Make sure you do your best.”

”Yes, Grandfather,” Yue Yumo replied. She then bowed slightly to Yaoguang. ”Director Su, if you ever need anything, feel free to instruct me.”

Yaoguang nodded. As the group walked out, the martial master responsible for driving and carrying boxes whispered something into Yue Xingzhou’s ear.

After listening, Yue Xingzhou turned back and looked at Yaoguang. ”I heard Zhang Mingde has been crossing some boundaries recently. I happen to possess evidence of him embezzling funds and abusing his position. While some of his actions may be understandable under the circumstances, for the sake of keeping the local authorities clean, we ordinary citizens can’t ignore a government official breaking the law or lacking discipline. Brother Yaoguang, what do you think?”

”Zhang Mingde?” Yaoguang paused.

Who is that? Someone from the Zhang family? He glanced at Lei Yun beside him.

Lei Yun felt slightly alarmed, but when she noticed Yaoguang’s questioning gaze, she immediately lowered her voice and explained, ”The head of the Tiannan’s Development Bureau is named Zhang Mingde.”

So he isn’t someone from the Zhang family...? Forget it. Whether he belongs to the Zhang family or not, if there is evidence of corruption, sending him in is appropriate.

”Indeed.” Yaoguang nodded.

”No wonder Prosecutor Xia approves of you. Your values are truly upright,” Yue Xingzhou said with a smile. ”Alright, we will proceed like this.”

At the side, Lei Yun drew in a deep breath. The head of Tiannan’s Development Bureau was not only a major figure in the capital, but even across the whole province, he ranked among the top. He was only one step away from entering the true upper echelon of Dayu.

Someone like him still had his fate determined by a brief exchange between Yaoguang and Yue Xingzhou. She never doubted the strength of the Yue family. A starved camel was still larger than a horse.

Though the Yue family had been heavily suppressed by Wei Kongming and Lu Zhenhai working together, what kind of individuals were those two? Regional governors, rulers of an entire province, and men who carried direct authority granted by the royal house.

Yet, even figures of their level needed to join hands to suppress the Yue family. From that alone, one could understand how much power the Yue family was still able to wield. Zhang Mingde couldn’t compare.

Yue Xingzhou soon departed, and Yaoguang returned to his residence. The first thing he did was take out the bottle of Snow Ginseng Pills.

”I will test whether a pill worth a full billion actually lives up to its reputation. Do not let anyone disturb me,” Yaoguang said.

”Yes,” Lei Yun replied. She then hurriedly asked, ”Should I notify the patriarch about this matter?”

”You decide. But make sure you handle the degree of closeness between us appropriately,” Yaoguang instructed her.

”Understood,” Lei Yun immediately answered.

Yaoguang then entered his private cultivation room. After spending half an hour adjusting his condition, he took one Snow Ginseng Pill out of the bottle and swallowed it.

As soon as the pill entered his body, he clearly felt a surge of scorching and thick energy circulate through him, permeating every corner of his internal organs.

Having reached the peak of the fifth tier, he could precisely control his stomach and intestines to absorb the medicinal power and maximize its use. At the same time, he pushed his potential to the limit, forcing the endurance threshold of his organs to a higher level. To accomplish this, he circulated his qi and blood flow to accelerate the cycling of medicinal power.

Three hours later, he had refined most of the Snow Ginseng Pill. Its strengthening effects were immediate.

Seems like my estimation was correct. One month. Yaoguang thought.

Given that his understanding of the grandmaster tier, particularly the refining of the organs, had already reached a state close to perfection, it was not strange that he could estimate the time needed to break through to the martial paragon tier so accurately.

”Now that my cultivation progress is clear, it’s time for experience allocation.” Yaoguang focused his psychic mind upon his mental world.

Martial Dao, Daemon Hunter, Merchant, Refiner. The four branches that had grown from his autonomous trunk complemented each other beautifully.

Hmm. He looked thoughtfully at the nearly trunk-thick Martial Dao branch, then glanced at the other three underdeveloped twigs. Perhaps ”complemented beautifully” was not the right term after all.

”This nutrient gain probably is not enough to raise the Martial Dao branch to the mysterious sixth tier. But if I invest it into the other three professions, they could at least reach the third tier...” His gaze paused briefly on the other three branches.

Personally, he favored the Refiner branch. A martial artist’s strength depended not only on oneself but also on equipment. The Refiner profession clearly compensated for that weakness. Therefore...

”Alright, I’ve decided.”

In the next moment, the Martial Dao branch surged upward, rapidly climbing toward the 80% mark.

Strength alone was enough. Being good at everything was inferior to mastering what mattered most. As long as his strength was overwhelming, why would he worry about not being able to trade for suitable equipment? Continuing to stack experience on the Martial Dao was the true path.

1. Editor’s note: It can be pretty confusing, but the author often omits the currency whenever it’s dayu. ☜