In the seventh month of year 242 of the Yaoqing King Calendar, Li Chang’an was nine years old.
A full year had passed since the Taiping Uprising Army retreated into the wilderness to wage guerrilla warfare.
During this year, Li Chang’an had finally and completely assimilated the Cultivation Techniques salvaged from the bottom of Tai Lake!
Aside from his own Martial Dao strength growing at its usual rapid pace, he had poured his heart and soul into innovating. Building upon the Taiping Body Refining Divine Skill, he took things a step further and created a Cultivation Technique called the Taiping Qingyu True Scripture!
This Cultivation Technique not only encompassed the body refining Cultivation Method of the Taiping Body Refining Divine Skill, but also incorporated a Heart Method Mantra that Li Chang’an, with his Heaven-defying Comprehension, had spent more than half a year in deep contemplation to create himself.
The mantra had the effect of clearing the mind, nurturing the spirit, and accelerating Energy Introduction!
Of course, clearing the mind and nurturing the spirit was merely a side effect. The important part was that silently reciting the mantra could increase the efficiency of Energy Introduction!
Even in Li Chang’an’s own opinion, this was an absolute stroke of genius worth writing home about.
Not long after this Cultivation Technique was introduced, it sparked what could only be described as an explosion of discussion within the Rebel Army.
After all, to many members of the Rebel Army, the Taiping Body Refining Divine Skill that Li Chang’an had initially decreed was already considered a world-class Divine Skill—the kind one would only hear about in martial arts stories!
Now, the contents of the newly released Taiping Qingyu True Scripture were even more mind-blowing. It could actually accelerate their speed of Energy Introduction...
It was just like the legendary Immortal Divine Skills!
Because most members of the Rebel Army had very limited knowledge of the Martial Dao.
Thus, after cultivating this technique, most members of the Rebel Army simply remarked on how incredible Li Chang’an was and didn’t think much more of it.
However, for Lü Changning and Wang Su, who possessed a sufficient understanding of the Martial Dao, the contents of the Taiping Qingyu True Scripture struck them with a shock comparable to a massive tsunami!
—From ancient times to the present, the Martial Dao had always been a privilege enjoyed by only a select few.
In the Imperial Court’s examinations, a scholar from a humble background might still change his fate through sheer diligence and burning the midnight oil.
But the path of the Martial Dao, with its characteristic ’high barrier to entry,’ offered almost no chance for a commoner to surmount their station and achieve success.
To become a true Martial Artist.
First, one had to possess the ability to sense the Qi of heaven and earth.
Second, one needed a famous master to show the way, only then having a chance to stand on their teacher’s shoulders and reach a greater height.
Heaven, Earth, Sovereign, Parent, and Teacher!
The teacher’s importance on the path of the Martial Dao was even greater than in the imperial examinations.
This was the biggest reason why Wang Su often lamented that Li Chang’an had not been born in a better era!
Although he himself possessed power approaching the Martial King Realm, he was completely insignificant before a Demon like Li Chang’an, a talent seen only once in a millennium.
He was completely incapable of guiding Li Chang’an’s path forward, let alone helping him reach a higher level.
But now, with two Cultivation Techniques, Li Chang’an had changed this age-old rule!
If it had been just the Taiping Body Refining Divine Skill alone, Wang Su and Lü Changning would have been endlessly impressed, praising Li Chang’an as a heaven-sent talent for lowering the barrier for commoners to practice the Martial Dao. They could have understood and accepted it.
The Taiping Qingyu True Scripture, however, was just plain shameless—it was basically a cheat code.
Its ability to accelerate the efficiency of Energy Introduction through a unique Heart Method Mantra—this alone was an epoch-making achievement in the history of the Martial Dao!
In their long-held understanding, a Martial Artist’s efficiency with Energy Introduction had always been a matter of innate talent.
A talented Martial Artist would have a higher efficiency of Energy Introduction.
A less talented one would have a lower efficiency.
While Cultivation Techniques could also increase the efficiency of Energy Introduction, they did so by optimizing the circulation pathways, allowing Qi to be absorbed into the Dantian after as few cycles as possible once it entered the body.
The difference between a top-tier technique and a worthless one lay in how many cycles were required to guide the Qi into the Dantian.
But never had there been a Cultivation Technique like the Taiping Qingyu True Scripture, which directly increased a Martial Artist’s efficiency of Energy Introduction at the fundamental source!
It was like two masters were in the middle of a fight.
You throw a palm, I throw a fist; both are engaged in close combat, operating under the same set of principles. But then, a special forces soldier suddenly leaps from the bushes with a machine gun and unloads on them both. RAT-AT-AT-AT-AT.
It was simply... unbelievable!
Wang Su in particular, after reading the Taiping Qingyu True Scripture, began cultivating and verifying it almost without rest. A few days later, he was stunned to find that his bottleneck to the Martial King Realm, which he had been stuck at with no leads, had actually begun to loosen!
Now, Wang Su understood why Li Chang’an had been so confident and full of spirit half a year ago.
Talent like that truly could not be constrained by the era.
On the contrary, the era itself would likely become the backdrop for his story, serving only to accentuate his peerless and illustrious reputation!
...
Armed with Martial Arts Techniques and practical combat experience, the fighting strength of the Taiping Uprising Army grew continuously.
Consequently, the pressure on Harqin mounted.
Ever since they had vanished into the wilderness, the Rebel Army was like a fish returned to the sea, or water blending into water. Harqin had repeatedly dispatched men to locate the Rebel Army’s headquarters.
But the Rebel Army moved its camp every ten to fifteen days, making it impossible to ever pinpoint their exact location.
The two Chief Banner Officers from the Fengzhou Prison Control Department also made several attempts. On one occasion, they even managed to locate Li Chang’an, but his combat prowess was terrifying to behold.
He fought both of them single-handedly without falling into the slightest disadvantage, and what’s more, he even seemed to have the strength to spare to finish them both off for good!
After that battle, both men were thoroughly spooked.
They were considered elites among Martial Kings, yet before Li Chang’an, they were like clay chickens and pottery dogs—utterly fragile.
In all their years, they had never seen a Martial King of the same Realm with such monstrous, unreasonably high combat strength!
After returning, the two of them no longer dared to venture near the Rebel Army’s stronghold.
Trapped in this dilemma, Harqin was stunned to find himself caught between a rock and a hard place. Even with his vast army, it felt like punching a ball of cotton; he had all this power but no way to apply it.
He could only hold his position in the cities, defending against the Rebel Army’s constant harassment and raids.
After this continued for a full year, both Harqin and the Yaoqing Imperial Court finally lost their patience.
The Emperor personally issued a decree, mobilizing several surrounding prefectures to assemble an elite army of three hundred thousand. Including logistics personnel and various local militias, the total force was said to be a million strong. This massive army entered Fengzhou that September.
Clearly, the Imperial Court had run out of patience. They planned to use their absolute numerical superiority to simply flatten the wilderness sheltering the Rebel Army, wiping away every last trace of dissent!
At the same time, to deal with the anomaly that was Li Chang’an, a mysterious contingent from the Royal Court also arrived in secret...
Just as Li Chang’an was taking stock of his forces and preparing to relocate the camp yet again.
Dozens of miles away, several gaunt, black-robed figures stared into the depths of the wilderness. One of them spoke, "The ’destiny’ of the Central Plains Martial Dao remains unbroken. This land continues to produce exceptional talents!"
Another’s eyes were ancient and chilling, their voice like a Night Owl in the dark. They sneered, "That brat must be the fated one from the Founder’s prophecy. Kill him, and all of this will be over!"
...