Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 102: Chapter 88: Waiting for You to Refine Your Viscera

Sun Fan’s heart jolted. A little ashamed, the tips of her ears turned red. ”I-I understand.”

”You’ve practiced enough for now. Go ahead and consolidate what you’ve learned. Find me anytime if you need anything.”

Wan Ze turned and grabbed his clothes from the hanger.

Sun Fan opened her mouth, but ultimately chose not to ask him to stay. She lowered her head and redoubled her Cultivation efforts, a sense of urgency now burning within her.

...

Wan Ze cultivated alone in his room, holding his breath and concentrating his spirit.

Ever since returning from Yu Yang on Sunday, he had been visiting Lei Ming in the hospital whenever he had free time.

Fortunately, Lei Ming had already woken from his coma that Sunday, but his body was still weak.

Lei Ming knew little about Zhao Qilong or that research institute.

On top of that, his master, Situ Bai, had explicitly forbidden the Dragon Eagle Martial Arts Hall from getting involved, so no one in the hall spoke of the matter openly anymore.

”Hoo...”

After completing a round of Pile Skill, his qi and blood settled, and Wan Ze slowly relaxed his stance.

But he suddenly sensed something.

His heart tightened, and he spun around abruptly.

”Master?”

There, he saw Situ Bai standing in the courtyard, his hands clasped behind his back, watching him quietly.

Wan Ze was stunned. He hadn’t even noticed his master’s arrival.

”You were so engrossed in your practice, I didn’t want to disturb you,” Situ Bai said with a smile. Of all his disciples, Wan Ze was the only one who had remained by his side and was still willing to train so hard.

How could he not be gratified by such dedication?

Wan Ze smiled sheepishly.

Situ Bai stepped forward, but his smile suddenly vanished. ”Come,” he said seriously. ”Attack me with your full strength.”

Wan Ze was taken aback.

Seeing how serious Situ Bai was, Wan Ze nodded. But right before he attacked, he suddenly joked, ”Master, let’s get this straight first. No hitting back, okay?”

”You little brat, enough with the nonsense. Hurry up,” Situ Bai said, amused, but he deliberately put on a stern face and urged him on.

”Here I come!”

Wan Ze took a deep breath.

His feet shifted slightly.

He stepped forward again and threw a straight punch with incredible speed.

Situ Bai nonchalantly held up a palm.

THUD!

Wan Ze staggered back three steps, his face flushing—not from shame, but from the shock to his qi and blood.

He was utterly shocked.

From start to finish, Situ Bai hadn’t attacked at all. He had merely raised a hand nonchalantly to block.

’Is this the power of someone at the Peak of Refining Force?’

He couldn’t help but feel a wave of emotion.

”Not bad.” Situ Bai withdrew his hand, though a trace of disappointment flickered in his eyes. ’Wan Ze’s growing faster than I expected, but he’s still not strong enough.’

’If this is all he can do...’

Before Wan Ze could snap out of it, Situ Bai’s next words startled him. ”You’re not to go running around for the rest of the month. Stay in the martial arts hall and cultivate properly. You went to Yu Yang and managed to wipe out a Saiya Sect hideout? Do you really see yourselves as crusaders for justice?”

Wan Ze gave a dry laugh. ”Master, you... you know everything?”

Situ Bai snorted. ”That little bastard Zhai Jia has been deliberately avoiding me! He knows I’m going to tan his hide! The Saiya Sect may not be a top-tier organization, but they have Refining Force masters in their upper ranks. What if a master from overseas happened to be there on inspection? You wouldn’t even have known what killed you!”

Wan Ze smiled sheepishly and didn’t dare poke the bear, even though he really wanted to say that high risk meant high reward.

Situ Bai seemed to recall something as well. His anger subsided slightly, and he sighed, a hint of helplessness in his voice. ”As your master, it’s not that I want to keep you by my side. But while your wings are not yet full-grown, while you aren’t strong enough to venture out, I don’t want to be an old man burying a young one.”

”Master, I was wrong,” Wan Ze apologized obediently.

Situ Bai waved his hand, his expression complicated. ”...If I hadn’t gotten a call from that person in the Royal City, I still wouldn’t have known what you two have been up to!”

”Ah? The Royal City?” Wan Ze’s heart skipped a beat. He suddenly recalled what Zhai Jia and Liu Zhengming had said. ’Have I really caught the attention of the higher-ups?’

”That kid Liu Zhengming’s team was broken up, and he needs to recruit new members. He filed a report requesting to have you join... but I’ve already refused on your behalf. That kid’s team is a bit lacking. If my disciple is going to join a team, it has to be a more High Level one,” Situ Bai said, laying his cards on the table.

Wan Ze listened quietly without interrupting.

Situ Bai looked at him and continued, ”The higher-ups do have some special ’dagger’ teams that carry out clandestine and extremely dangerous missions. Working for them certainly has its benefits... I admit you’d get access to resources, intelligence, and even secret techniques unimaginable to the outside world.

But the downsides are just as great.

You haven’t even perfected Blood Tempering, and Refining Viscera is still a distant goal. Getting sucked into that kind of whirlpool too early would do more harm than good. Of course, once you reach Refining Viscera, I naturally won’t stop you.

Of course, your fourth senior brother meant well. He wanted to pave the way for you, but right now... it would be like trying to help a seedling grow by pulling on it. Besides, catching the eye of certain people too early isn’t necessarily a blessing. It could also attract unwanted attention.”

Wan Ze’s heart tightened, understanding his master’s concerns. ”This disciple understands.”

Seeing that his words had sunk in, Situ Bai’s expression softened, and his tone took on a fiercely protective edge. ”However, here in our own backyard, in Holy City, they won’t dare to be too blatant. If you’re ever approached like this in the future, just push all of it onto me. Giving a high school student a hard time? I’d like to see them try! Besides, I’m not dead yet!”

Wan Ze knew his master meant well and readily agreed. ”Actually, Master, to be honest... ever since I experienced a true life-and-death battle, I’ve found that... I don’t reject it. In fact... my spirit seems to undergo a sort of... sublimation when I’m walking that line between life and death.”

He chose his words carefully.

But Situ Bai just chuckled, misinterpreting his meaning. ”That’s just how it is at this cringey age. Everyone goes through that phase. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Wan Ze’s face darkened. ”...”

’It’s not some cringey phase.’

’It’s real!’

Of course, he suspected it was because his Tiger and Wolf Momentum being activated.

’But it’s better to keep my secrets to myself.’

Situ Bai didn’t press the issue. Instead, he took the rare opportunity to explain in detail the nature of special teams like Liu Zhengming’s and some of the truths about the world they faced.

”...Even today, there are still regions in this world that have not been truly conquered by modern human civilization. Places like the depths of primeval forests, isolated islands in the great oceans, beneath the polar ice caps, and even certain areas with abnormal magnetic fields... Many of the rare materials needed for Martial Dao Cultivation, strange minerals recorded in ancient texts, and even clues to certain lost arts are often found in these places.”

”Based on the fragmented intelligence and archaeological discoveries we currently have, we even suspect... that in the distant past, those extremely dangerous, uninhabited zones might have been home to glorious and flourishing Martial Dao civilizations that were, for some unknown reason... annihilated.”

’Martial Dao ruins?’

Hearing this, Wan Ze couldn’t help but gasp.

’If that’s true!’

’Then those places would be a treasure trove for me!’

’Wouldn’t Stealing Celestial Secret be able to go wild?’