The Martial Unity

“Your Majesty! Your Highness!”

Rui and Rael frowned as their conversation regarding the purification ritual of the Gen Temple as a solution was interrupted by an officer who barged in. “It’s Sage Zeamer!” the officer announced hurriedly. “He broke through to the Sage Realm!”

Both Rui and the Emperor of Harmony widened their eyes with surprise as they simply stared at the officer dumbfounded.

Of all the peak Martial Masters of the Kandrian Empire, they hadn’t expected Master Zeamer, of all people, to achieve Enlightenment of Self.

In fact, the Emperor of Harmony was convinced that such a worldly, lustful animal of a man would never achieve Enlightenment of Self.

Yet, he was evidently wrong.

“What was he doing when he achieved Enlightenment of Self?” Rui’s tone was that of stoic curiosity. “Usually, whatever you were engaged in at the moment of achieving Enlightenment of Self has a deep connection to the root of who you are.”

The officer coughed awkwardly. “Well, you see, he was…”

He explained what had been found when Martial Sages rushed to the scene.

Emperor Rael heaved a resigned sigh while Rui’s palm struck his face.

“…He’s giving the Sage Realm a bad reputation with this kind of nonsense,” Rui’s tone was half-amused and half-defeated. “To think that you can reach the Sage Realm by gooning.”

It completely destroyed the dignified and enlightened image of Martial Sages in his mind. Of course, having traveled across the entire continent over the span of nearly four years, that image had already been destroyed by all manner of crazy and maniacal Martial Sages.

But the notion of ejaculating one’s way to the Sage Realm really further destroyed the reverence that one might have for the Sage Realm and its lofty demands of Enlightenment of Self.

Emperor Rael immediately grew busy with the new matter. Even the Kandrian Empire had many Martial Sages, the addition of each new one was still a very significant event and was something that he needed to personally handle, leaving him indisposed with arranging a meeting and handling the paperwork that came with it. “Well…” Rui got up. “You’re clearly busy, so we can continue this conversation for another time.”

Emperor Rael nodded as he skimmed through several reports simultaneously. “I’ll let you know when I have time.”

Soon enough, Rui departed from the Royal Castle, leaving his overworked father to deal with this new matter while he rose to the air, considering what choice he was to make. He could return home to the Quarrier Village, or he could visit his grandmother for multiple matters relating to Project Water.

Of course, with the Enlightenment of Self, he already knew what decision he was going to make.

WHOOSH

He surged towards the forest where the Silas Clan had set roots in, heading don’t south across the Kandrian Empire across its vast skies. With each step he took, the sheer power and speed he achieved far exceeded what he could achieve without his Martial Heart active. The passive boost to his movements was great.

WHOOSH

He arrived before the Silas Settlement for the first time in several years. The first thing he noted was how much larger it was than in the past. The settlement had expanded within the forest, allowing them to develop the quality of their civilization more. Rui noticed that their housing and other infrastructure had grown more sophisticated and complex.

He noticed that there were clear pathways and roads, with carriages passing through them, that connected them to the rest of the Kandrian Empire. Over the many years that had passed since their settlement in the Kandrian Empire, they were simply no longer as insular in the Empire as they had been in the past.

Another thing that he noted was their increased willingness to rely on esoteric technology. Even though they still were unable to let go of their traditions of building their own housing and being entirely self-sufficient, they were unable to ignore the convenience of esoteric technology.

Their Martial Attires had changed to be more refined than they had been in the past when they were nomadic. Overall, they felt less out of place in the Kandrian Empire than when they first settled.

That was a good sign. It meant that the Silas Clan was here to stay.

Although that had always been the case, there was always a small chance that they could change their mind if something went wrong, but the more they integrated into the Empire, the more they were unable to leave.

WHOOSH

Rui gently descended into the clan without any impediment from its patrolling Martial Artists. He was the grandson of the matriarch, after all. STEP

He arrived before the largest home at the very center of the clan.

“Come in.” An elderly woman’s voice reached him first before he could knock on the door.

CLACK

He entered his grandmother’s humble abode, minimalist in its size and adornments, gazing at his grandmother, who simply meditated on the ground.

She opened her eyes, turning towards her grandson with a peering gaze.

“Hm, you have overcome your greatest hurdle, it seems,” she remarked with a knowing tone. “Good. Now sit before me.”

Rui sat cross-legged before gazing at her. “What’s the matter, grandmother?”

“I am here to give you what you have come for,” she remarked. “I am here to give you the Eye of Prophecy that you came to seek.”

Rui’s eyes lit up with a hint of eager excitement. He had been waiting for this for a long, long time. He had rejected mastering the technique while he was in the Master Realm for it would chip away at his lifespan significantly each time he used it. He decided to simply wait until he had reached the Sage Realm so that he could use the technique without any consequences.

And now he had finally arrived.

“Are you going to pass the technique on to me here?” Rui raised an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t this be done in training?”

“The Eye of Prophecy that our ancestor Sage Silas created is different from normal techniques,” she explained. “It can be passed on quickly but can only be mastered through experience. I have decided to pass it to you before we depart for the core of the Beast Domain so that you will be able to practice continuously after that war begins.”

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