Only the Demon Sect showed no hesitation. Cart after cart of copied cultivation technique manuals was sent to the Li Yang Capital.
When the Buddhist and Taoist Sects heard this news, they were dumbfounded.
Judging by their past disposition, the Demon Sect should have been the biggest rebel among the Three Major Sects, the one that loved to stir up trouble the most.
But now, it was as if they’d had a complete change of personality, following Li Chang’an’s every command. Whatever Li Chang’an said, went.
The Buddhist and Taoist Sects went to find Leng Yanran, wanting to see if Li Chang’an had put her under some kind of spell.
But Leng Yanran merely snorted. "Alliance Leader Li is the one who can truly lead us to prosperity," she said coolly. "I suggest you know what’s good for you and not bother Alliance Leader Li with such trivial matters!"
Upon hearing Leng Wuyan’s words.
The first reaction of the Martial Arts Mythologies from the Buddhist and Taoist Sects was that her body had been seized.
A person’s appearance, tone, and voice could all be faked, but their aura was impossible to replicate. They observed her carefully for a long time before confirming that it was, in fact, Leng Yanran speaking to them.
Leng Yanran had no intention of explaining herself.
She pulled a copy of the *Martial Scripture* from her robes and tossed it to them. "Read this, and you’ll understand what kind of person he is," she said. "If there’s nothing else, you should go. I need to continue my seclusion!"
Outside Leng Yanran’s seclusion chamber.
The Taoist master and the Buddha, two Martial Arts Mythologies, stared at the *Martial Scripture* in their hands, then looked at each other in bewilderment. They had heard of this cultivation technique before but had never paid it any attention.
After all, both of them were the patriarchs of the most powerful Sects in the world today.
The cultivation techniques they practiced were naturally the best of the best.
A Cultivation Method that Li Chang’an taught to a group of soldiers was simply not something that would catch their attention.
But now, this cultivation technique had come from the hands of Leng Yanran.
The implications of that were completely different.
Driven by curiosity, the two of them opened the book and began to read it carefully.
They had no idea what to expect.
But from the moment they started reading, they were completely engrossed.
Time ticked by.
The two of them stood motionless like a pair of statues, reading for a full day and night.
After they had read everything, the master of the Taoist Sect closed the book and sighed. "*Martial Scripture*, *Martial Scripture*... It truly is the scripture of the Martial Dao. To think he would so selflessly share such a supreme treasure of the Martial Dao with the world. He is truly the most remarkable figure in a thousand years!"
The Buddha shared his sentiment. "No wonder I couldn’t withstand a single blow from him, even at my full strength. A man like him is truly beyond what we mortals can comprehend!"
After seeing the *Martial Scripture*, the Taoist master and the Buddha understood everything.
Li Chang’an wasn’t just talking about unifying the world and reshaping the Martial Dao—he was actually doing it. Not only was he doing it, but he had also delivered a fatal blow to the traditional path of the Martial Dao, which focused on refining one’s Inner Qi.
According to the original cultivation path for a Martial Arts Mythology.
A Martial Artist could only extend their life after breaking through to the Grandmaster Realm, living for two or three hundred years. After the Grandmaster Realm, while a Martial Arts Mythology’s lifespan could increase further, the absolute maximum was five hundred years.
But here was the problem.
In an entire generation, how many people could achieve the rank of Martial Arts Mythology?
A Martial Arts Mythology had to become a true myth—a myth acknowledged by themselves, by the Jianghu, and even by the heavens and earth.
This meant there was a limit to the number of Mythologies that could exist.
Over several centuries, perhaps only a handful of Martial Arts Mythologies could be born.
But according to the cultivation path of the *Martial Scripture*, just by completing Perfect Body Tempering, a Martial Artist could extend their life by three hundred years. After finishing the tempering of the physical body, further tempering of the acupoints could add another five hundred years.
Moreover, the *Martial Scripture* could also temper one’s spirit, not only increasing a Martial Artist’s lifespan but also enhancing their perception during combat.
From this point alone, it was something the previous Martial Dao could not compare to at all.
In other words, this new path pioneered by Li Chang’an was immeasurably more powerful than the path of Inner Qi cultivation they had studied.
Whether it was the lower limit or the upper limit, the difference was like that between heaven and earth!
So much so that after reading the contents of the *Martial Scripture*, both the Taoist master and the Buddha fell silent.
They were deeply unsettled.
Because if they had cultivated the *Martial Scripture* from birth, with their talent, they would have likely already refined their acupoints and extended their lives by a thousand years.
...
On the year of Li Chang’an’s twentieth birthday, Empress Su Ying proposed holding a birthday banquet for him. This year was special because Su Ying was pregnant, and she wanted Li Chang’an to remember it forever.
Originally, the birthday banquet was meant to be a private affair.
After all, it wasn’t a major milestone birthday, so there was no need to make a huge fuss.
But somehow, news of the birthday leaked.
In an instant, the entire Jianghu dispatched representatives from their respective sects, bringing gifts to celebrate Li Chang’an’s birthday.
On the day the birthday banquet began.
Li Chang’an looked at the Jianghu People lined up almost to the gates of the Imperial Palace and fell silent for a moment before asking, "Are you all really here to celebrate my birthday?"
The Jianghu People all nodded.
Li Chang’an asked again, "Really?"
The Jianghu People nodded again.
Only then did Li Chang’an turn to look at Su Ying and say, "Arrange for them to have a banquet outside Chengtian Hall. And remember to call in the Black Tiger Army to keep an eye on this lot!"
The Black Tiger Army was the ten-thousand-strong elite force that Li Chang’an had trained.
Li Chang’an had given them a name that sounded reasonably imposing, and they were now the only force near the Liyang Imperial Palace capable of suppressing any unrest.
There was nothing to be done; Li Chang’an found it hard to believe this group of Jianghu People was really here to celebrate his birthday.
He was more inclined to believe they were here to cause trouble.
Although Li Chang’an wasn’t afraid, there were so many of them that even if he wanted to kill them all, it would take a significant amount of time. If a real fight broke out, it could genuinely turn into a disaster.
However, as it turned out, he had been overthinking things.
This group of Jianghu People who came to Kyoto were very well-behaved; they really were just there to celebrate his birthday.
This left Li Chang’an scratching his head for a moment.
’Did these people really have nothing better to do than travel a thousand miles just to wish me a happy birthday?’
At the banquet, Li Chang’an sat at the head seat as groups of Jianghu people took turns coming up to toast him.
Those who dared to approach Li Chang’an for a toast on such an occasion were typically major, well-known figures in the Jianghu. The smaller, second- and third-class sects and families could only watch on with envy.
It was also at this moment that Li Chang’an finally figured out what this bunch was up to.
A sect leader from a first-class sect, a man of about forty, offered Li Chang’an a toast. "Alliance Leader Li," he said with a broad smile, "to be frank, we have come today not just to celebrate your birthday, but also to collectively recognize you as the one and only Martial Arts God of the Li Yang Martial World!"
Li Chang’an paused, set down his wine cup, and said, "Martial Arts God?"
The Sect Leader replied respectfully, "That’s right. Your contributions to the Li Yang Martial Dao and to all of us Jianghu Martial Artists, Alliance Leader Li, are worthy of being recorded in history for future generations. After discussing it amongst ourselves, we decided we want to recognize you as the Martial Arts God. Please see it as a token of our heartfelt appreciation!"
All around them, other Jianghu People began to chime in. "Please accept, Alliance Leader Li! It’s a gesture from all of us!"
A hesitant look appeared on Li Chang’an’s face. "Is that really appropriate?" he said. "I’m not so sure it is..."