The Martial Unity

Chapter 2609: She

The solitude of his journey was something that he had expected to be tormenting and boring. And it was.

Yet, what he hadnʼt expected it to be was soothing.

While he wasnʼt truly all alone by himself due to the nations that he visited and the monsters and beasts that he had run into, the times when he was by himself, felt like it was relaxing and calming.

Until, of course, he got bored and yearned for some company.

He has rarely spent this much time by himself when he wasnʼt training. And training simply took every ounce of his mental and physical energy. Thus, it was neither boring nor soothing. It was painful yet exhilarating and euphoric.

The purposeless solitude he experienced now was unlike anything he had experienced before.

”When was the last time that I was by myself while also not entirely buried in training?” he wondered aloud.

Certainly not his time in the Kandrian Empire. As spacious and as low of a population density as the massive nation had, it still felt extremely congested to Rui. And before that, he spent all his time with Kane and the Divine Doctor.

”The last time I had this much solitude and room for thought was after I broke through to the Senior Realm twenty-eight years ago...” Rui murmured with a hint of shock. ”No wonder this has been so cathartic and different.”

It wasnʼt going to last forever, of course, so Rui knew to make the most of it.

Time passed as he continued his journey through Southeast Panama, making his way to the Gen Temple. On his way, he made sure to stop by Sage-level nations and Master-level powerhouses, spreading his gifts as far and wide as he could, arming the forefront defenders of human civilization with as much power as he was able to impart to them.

Every once in a while, when he felt that a given nation was particularly unstable and unsafe, he would go a step further, imparting even greater power to them in the form of high principles or the Hungry Pain technique.

Ultimately, every nation that he stopped by was blessed with an immediate and long-term boost in power.

Thus, simply by passing through Southeast Panama over the span of several months, he increased the probability of human civilization surviving the Beast Incursion and emerging from the Era of Darkness.

And thus, amid his journeys, a whole year had passed since his journey began.

He had grown to be fifty-two years old biologically, although more than a decade of that had gone in the manifold.

And yet, he looked and felt half that age. The benefits of consuming multiple powerful life- prolonging potions when he was physiologically very young are reflected now as he still maintains an extremely high rate of growth and retains his youthful vigor.

It allowed him to stay awake longer for greater periods of time and allowed him to tire slower while also recuperating quicker in the nations that he stopped by. It allowed him to cover distances and strengthen nations quicker than he otherwise would have.

And thus, he reached his next destination.

STEP...

He paused as he spotted the massive fortress walls of the temple atop Mount Jinrae.

”Finally...” A whisper escaped Rui. ”The Gen Temple.”

RUMBLE

”RAAAWWWRRR!!!”

”KRRRIIIEEKKK!!!”

”ROOOAAARRR!!!”

The world shook as countless beasts and monsters clashed against the ascetic warriors of the Gen Temple from the other side of the enormous mountain. Ruiʼs nerves tingled as he could feel the immense power of the Bodhisattvas of the Gen Temple exerting their tremendous power to suppress Sage-level beasts that sought to destroy the Gen Temple.

RUMBLE...

The enormous Mount Jinrae quivered under the weight of the fantastical powers of its protectors.

Even though it was the largest mountain in the Human Domain with a base as wide as a continent and a mountaintop that was entirely capable of accommodating an extremely large and powerful nation, it could still be destroyed, especially by the powerful hoards of monsters and beasts that sought to flatten all human establishment.

And thus, what was originally a strategic advantage for them had been rendered into a strategic liability.

The Sages and Masters had to, in particular, be most careful and perfect. If the beast tides damaged the stability of the mountain, then they could indirectly destroy the entirety of the

Gen Temple.

In just the blink of an eye, Ruiʼs keen observation had dissected their strategic outlook quite thoroughly.

There was a solution to all their problems, of course.

”Me.”

BADUMP!

His Realms of power blazed into action as he leaped to his destination.

And with just a single leap, he had arrived before the mighty gates of the Gen Temple. Instantly, he grew enamored.

He grew enamored by the beauty of the intricate architecture and art on the celestial iron walls that protected the Gen Temple. The carvings on the walls and gates stretched about the entirety of the walls of the entire border in a distinct chronology.

It was a story.

The story of the Gen Temple since its very inception.

Long ago, before the Age of Martial Art, a group of ascetics resided atop Mount Jinrae for as long time existed. They lived a humble life, spending most of their time immersed in

meditation, pursuing the ultimate truth.

They sought Nirvana.

They sought Enlightenment of Self.

Centuries passed by as this community of ascetics grew larger and larger, even as they

continued in pursuit of Nirvana.

And then, one day, everything changed.

Everything changed forever.

Everything changed when she came.

”She...?” Ruiʼs eyes lit up with realization.

The Progenitor.

The Progenitor of Martial Art.

The Martial.

She imparted to them the secret of Martial Art.

She imparted them with the Apprentice Realm before departing on her journey to bestow her

gift to the rest of humanity.

The ascetics that had received her blessings sought to merge her gifts with their own path of asceticism to create a path that took the best of both worlds.

And thus, they created Genism.