Chapter 244: Chapter 239: The Vulgar Martial Artist
As one of only six True Disciples in the Sect, just by standing there, Ling Wujue was able to attract the attention of the Sect’s disciples.
While he was waiting for Jiang Li, many were waiting for him, curious to see what this True Disciple of the Dinghu Sect intended to do.
Among them, there were also outsiders who had come to participate in the Sword Discussion Conference.
"Senior Brother, look, someone is coming over the lake, it seems Ling Wujue is waiting for him."
On the stone stairs leading to the Yaoguang Hall, a lively and clever-looking girl tugged at a young man’s sleeve and ran down, pointing to the lake and speaking.
The girl had a graceful figure, which even a brown robe couldn’t conceal; though she did not possess the open-hearted elegance of Gongsun Qingyue, she was not far off.
The young man besides her was also dressed in a brown robe, with his long hair simply tied up with a cloth band. His face was stern, and he wore an ancient iron-sheathed long sword at his waist. Following the girl’s pointing hand, he immediately spotted Jiang Li’s figure on the lake.
"Wearing a Red Robe, must be a disciple of the Dinghu Sect as well, his bearing is extraordinary, exuding a sense of grandeur in every move."
From a distance, the young man made his judgment: "Doesn’t look like a gentiana easily wilted by storms and stress."
His tone was flat and severe, especially when mentioning the gentiana, with an unmistakable disdain, clearly not using the word as a compliment.
Indeed, the gentiana, despite its noble elegance and being favored by scholars of Confucianism for its connotation with the word "gentleman," is notorious for being difficult to grow. Sensitive to heat, intolerant to cold, fearful of strong sunlight, and unable to withstand wind and rain, it is quite delicate.
"This Benefactor from the Mo Sect has quite the Eye Power. This man is no mere gentiana; he’s like the evergreen flower, the begonia, a dark horse that has emerged among his peers."
A voice suddenly interrupted, and the young man and girl turned to see a young Taoist with high nose and thin lips, wearing a jade crown and a white Dao Robe, making his way down the steps, also looking towards the lake.
"In three days, his name will be known throughout the world," the Taoist said with a light laugh.
"Huh?" Upon hearing this, the Mo Sect’s young man let out a sound of surprise, then realizing, "So he is Jiang Li? I didn’t expect him to come back so quickly."
The conflict between Jiang Li and Zhong Shenxiu and others had only occurred two days ago, coupled with the chaos in Yong Province, news had not yet spread widely, but some major forces were already aware of it.
Just like the forces behind the young man and the Taoist.
"That is Jiang Li."
As the Taoist replied, he gave a salute, saying, "Daoist Xuanming from the Yuxu Temple, greetings."
"Yan Hanqing and Mu Lingyi from the Mo Sect, greetings," the brother and sister duo from the Mo Sect responded.
After exchanging pleasantries, the Daoist Xuanming looked again towards the approaching figure on the lake, exclaiming, "This Fellow Daoist Jiang moves in accordance with the natural laws of Heaven and Earth, a prodigy worthy of nurturing his Qi Refining Dao Fruit. If he can catch the opportune moment and destiny, the great Tao is hopeful."
Hearing this, Yan Hanqing raised an eyebrow and said, "Unfortunately, we are now beyond the End of Dharma; Ming He Tian Di is a mistaken path. Moreover, how can there be any talk of destiny in this Five Turbid Evil World? In today’s world, we should be exploring the laws of nature, not chasing after some illusory grand Tao."
"Just like Artifact Refining, it should occur naturally, instead of chasing after some useless notion of opportune moments."
"Is that so?" replied Daoist Xuanming, a mocking smile on his face.
"Of course," said Yan Hanqing, his face growing even more stern.
The pair, who had seemed to be in agreement just moments before, now looked at each other with mutual disdain.
Clearly, they represented opposing sides in this Sword Discussion Conference.
Representatives of the Orthodox Sect, like the Yuxu Temple, believe that the creation of Artifacts should align with Heavenly timing, corresponding with either the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Sha or Circulation Completion.
The representatives of the Innovative Sect, like the Mo Sect, argue that Artifacts should be successfully refined if they are ready, and controlling the precise timing of refinement in pursuit of some alleged heavenly moment is like forcing a naturally born infant to be either premature or overdue, greatly damaging the finished Artifact.
What seemed like a mere dispute over a method of Artifact Refining was in fact a clash of ideologies between tradition and innovation.
One side wishes to return to the splendor before the End of Dharma, to make the Artifact Dao great again.
The other believes that as the Artifact Dao from before the End of Dharma is irrecoverable, one must research anew according to the present Heaven and Earth, starting from material things, from natural laws, to forge a new future.
Ideological conflict also brings about the struggle for benefits and the fight for status. Whoever can lead the future will dominate the mainstream and take the larger share of the cake, while the losers will merely get the crumbs or join in.
It seemed as though they were talking about Jiang Li, but in reality, they were asserting their own philosophies. It was fortunate they hadn’t come to blows; how could they possibly converse amicably?
"Hmph!"
Daoist Xuanming snorted coldly: "Unity of Heaven and Man still exists; how can the grand Tao of Heaven and Earth not? The Five Turbid Evil World is but a veil of dust that will eventually disperse, uncovering the true face of Heaven and Earth. This Fellow Daoist Jiang will let you understand what the power of Heaven and Earth entails."
"If it weren’t for the shackles of Unity of Heaven and Man, would the Qi Refining Dao Fruit have fallen to such a neglected state?" retorted Yan Hanqing coldly.
The two exchanged verbal blows sharp as knives, then simultaneously turned their gazes to the distant figure.
The intense atmosphere left the girl, Mu Lingyi, by their side fearful and apprehensive, worried they might start fighting at any moment.
...
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On the other side, Jiang Li stepped off the boat and walked directly on the surface of the lake.
The wind supported his frame as he trod upon the surging power nodes of the waves. Without utilizing any True Qi, Jiang Li walked on the water as easy as walking on flat ground.
Both water and wind are fluids, with some aspects of their nature being interchangeable. Possessing the great wisdom of Wind Control, Jiang Li applied his understanding of wind to the water, achieving a preliminary mastery of water manipulation without the guidance of True Qi.
For him, it was simple, requiring only a tiny bit of understanding.
But for others, it seemed inconceivable.
Let alone Ling Wujue, who faced him head-on, even Elder Kaixiang, who was quietly observing Jiang Li while wearing a hat, was shocked by Jiang Li’s performance.
He could see how Jiang Li was controlling the wind and water, but it was exactly because he could see it that he was shocked.
For Elder Kaixiang could tell it was due to a higher realm, whereas Jiang Li’s ability came from his startling wisdom.
But different people had different levels of astonishment. Elder Kaixiang, because he could see the Mystical, was shocked for that reason, while Ling Wujue, after his initial surprise, steadied his heart.
"Being all mysterious and deceptive," he scoffed.
Because he couldn’t perceive the specifics of the Mystical, he assumed that Jiang Li was using some unknown and bizarre magic to accomplish this feat. After all, in this world, there are countless magics capable of this without revealing one’s Qi Mechanism.
Even if not through magic, there were also Dao Fruit Abilities.
Jiang Li saw Ling Wujue’s ignorance and felt the frustrating sense that he was casting pearls before swine.
If the other party couldn’t understand the brilliance of your feat, how could you show off to them?
"Fifth Brother,"
Jiang Li sighed, "The crudeness of a Martial Artist is indeed fully embodied by you."
If it were Zhong Shenxiu, he would definitely say, "You’re truly worthy."
If it were Zhang Daoyi, he might say, "Terrifying, indeed."
If it were Yuan Zhen, he would surely have a hidden murderous intent, thinking, "This child must not be left alive."
Unfortunately, the person Jiang Li was dealing with was Ling Wujue, who would simply say, "Being all mysterious and deceptive."
But it must also be said that it was precisely because Ling Wujue could not see the intricacies within Jiang Li’s skill that his Mental State did not break.
Otherwise, if Jiang Li had spotted a weakness and taken action, the outcome... perhaps would have only needed one strike.
Ling Wujue could not discern the Mystical nature of Jiang Li’s display, but he wasn’t that foolish. He could hear the mockery in Jiang Li’s words. Clutching the hilt of his sword, Ling Wujue’s gaze was piercing, his Qi Mechanism sharp as a blade, "Sixth Brother, it seems your strength has grown significantly since you last left home, daring to be so presumptuous."
"Do you want to give it a try, Fifth Brother?" Jiang Li approached closer still.
"Of course."
With an "Of course," Ling Wujue dashed forward, "swoosh, swoosh, swoosh," charging at Jiang Li across the lake. Unlike Jiang Li, who could command the water’s flow at will, Ling Wujue burst forth with explosive power, his Qi Force allowing him to skim across the waves and even soar into the sky.
The Jiuli Saber Scripture was formidable in its killing power; without a strong physical body, one could not withstand its Blade Energy, and without a determined mind, one would go mad from its Sword Intent.
Although Ling Wujue only began to learn this skill with the help of Yun Jiuye, since he had mastered it, it showed his physical body and willpower were exceedingly strong. As he charged forward, his presence arrived before his body; his Sword Force surged forward, and a row of white waves, sharp as blades, rushed towards Jiang Li, their fierce Blade Energy turning the flowing water into vicious blades that cut water and cleaved flesh alike.
Jiang Li immediately waved his right hand, his palm revealing the mark of a Fire Escape Talisman. Innate Fire Qi materialized in front of him, forming a three-foot-long talisman.
"Boom!"
The talisman collided with the sword wave, a burst of fire erupted, Water and Fire clashed, droplets of water shattered, mingled with the fire, turned into a sky full of mist. Jiang Li then swept up the mist with his large sleeve, gathering it like sweeping up the remnants of a cloud, creating a flash of Sword Light.
"The Wind Queen’s Strange Gate," Elder Kaixiang murmured from behind, witnessing this scene.
It appeared as though Water and Fire countered each other, negating one another, but in reality, it was fire overpowering water, the roaring Fire Qi melting the Sword Force, vaporizing the sword wave into mist. Such disregard for the natural oppositions; this uncanny display was the hallmark of the Wind Queen’s Strange Gate.
"Didn’t that damn Tianxuan woman only leave two days ago..."
As if Jiang Li had been under Tianxuan’s tutelage the entire time, it had only been two days. It would be genius just to understand the basics of Qimen Dunjia in that short period, but Jiang Li had already grasped the Wind Queen’s Strange Gate.
Elder Kaixiang did not know about Jiang Li’s Dao Fruit Ability, Karma Collection, and the aid of "Qi Tomb." Seeing the scene, he could only attribute it to a talent that exceeded the scope of genius.
’With such talent, how could Gongsun Qingyue keep him restrained?’ Elder Kaixiang couldn’t help but think.
At that moment, Jiang Li shifted the Eight Trigrams position, Kan and Xun aligned, merging wind with water to create nature’s own weapon — the Wind and Rain Sword. With one thrust toward the sky, the overwhelming momentum directly faced Ling Wujue, who was charging at him.
The Wind and Rain were mutual creators, the mist turned to a sword, its immense sword momentum as if occupying the heavens and earth, making Ling Wujue seem isolated by the universe, pitted against the world.