Chapter 1 The Young Man

This young man was none other than Su Jie.

Su Jie's temperament was outstanding, and in An Qisheng's eyes, he was even more favored by heaven, a child of fortune. Such people were invariably trendsetters of their times, sons of destiny for a time.

This was not difficult to understand. If the magnetic field of heaven and earth was likened to countless lines running horizontally and vertically, then Su Jie was at the node where they intersected.

Such a person, in politics, could govern a province, a high-ranking official; if they could borrow power, it was even possible to go further. Studying literature, they could have flashes of inspiration and easily complete subjects that others could not penetrate in their entire lives, becoming giants in scientific research.

Naturally, the same was true for martial arts.

In fact, in the trajectory An Qisheng had once seen, this Su Jie would be a generation of grandmasters who would carry on the past and usher in the future three hundred years after Gu Changfeng.

This was not a grandmaster who was respectfully called "Seeing God," but rather one comparable to Gu Changfeng, Zhang Sanfeng, Damo, and Chen Tuan in the history of Xuan Xing, a grandmaster who would be passed down through the ages.

A peerless hero.

Just how terrifying such a figure could be could be seen from the many legends left by Gu Changfeng's ghostly form in the human world. Of course, this was partly due to him possessing a fragment of the Daoyitu (Diagram of the Way).

His own talent could not be ignored.

Su Jie also had such potential.

Of course, he could not encounter irresistible forces in the process.

For example, An Qisheng taking action now.

In such a situation, even if the two polar giants of Xuan Xing and the million elites of the sea, land, and air forces protected him, it would be in vain.

If he wanted to kill, no one could stop him within arm's reach.

Of course, he had always been a peaceful person, and he would not attack someone without a reason.

"You..."

Su Jie felt his hair stand on end under An Qisheng's gaze, as if he were a white rabbit being stared at by a divine dragon, and he could not help but tremble in his heart.

But even so, his chest heaved a few times, and he still reached out his hands to grasp An Qisheng's:

"Mr. An, I haven't thanked you for saving my life yet."

Of course, he recognized An Qisheng.

Not to mention the life-saving grace in the distant suburbs of Luo City more than a year ago, just the earth-shattering battle on Mount Wudang half a year ago was enough to make him never forget it.

He had not expected that he would encounter this Seeing God grandmaster standing at the peak of the world as soon as he returned to Luo City.

The man who was taller than Mount Everest in the eyes of his coach, Potter.

"How do you plan to thank me?"

An Qisheng released his hand, a strange ripple appearing in his eyes as he looked at Su Jie.

To be able to casually encounter an invincible old senior, could it be said that he was indeed a child of fortune for a time?

Naturally, Su Jie had no secrets in his eyes.

This young man had only been in contact with internal martial arts for a little over two years. He didn't even have a master; he just casually signed up for a martial arts school's summer training camp and happened to meet Shi Xinlong, a Dan-holding great monk from the Shaolin Temple who was traveling outside, and inadvertently learned something real.

After that, he met Potter, the second-hand leader of the Qi Dao Society who had come to Da Xuan, a Seeing God martial artist, and entered the threshold of martial arts.

In less than three years, he was already about to reach the point where his dark force was transformed.

Such an encounter was naturally more than just a coincidence.

"Ah?"

Su Jie was stunned, as if he had not expected An Qisheng to say this.

"I've traveled a long way. Since we've met, treat me to a meal."

An Qisheng smiled slightly and walked towards a breakfast shop by the roadside not far away.

Su Jie was a little lost. He remembered Potter telling him that Seeing God martial artists did not eat ordinary grains, but only took special pills, nutrient solutions, and even occasionally went on a fast, only drinking water.

How could this one...

He was full of doubts, but he still quickly followed. In his eyes, the former's stroll contained many martial arts principles. He didn't see how he moved, but he couldn't keep up no matter how fast he walked.

The people of Luo City love to drink soup.

Beef soup, mutton soup, donkey soup, tofu soup, meatball soup, spicy soup; it could be said that there were many varieties.

At this time, the sky had just dawned, and a strong smell of spicy soup almost enveloped the entire city.

An Qisheng casually found a roadside stall and ordered a bowl of spicy soup, two meat patties, small steamed buns, and a small plate of sauerkraut.

Simple, yet, the color, aroma, and taste were all complete.

Such a simple breakfast, in his memory, he had not eaten for hundreds of years.

At this time, eating steamed buns and drinking spicy soup, he only felt his mind at peace.

Eating the wind and dew, taking pills and fasting sounded good, but in fact, even immortals have desires for food. Although he could swallow the wind and spit out qi, he did not need to be taboo about even eating human incense.

"Mr. An, I heard that martial artists like you no longer eat ordinary grains. How can you?"

Su Jie had questions in his heart, so he directly asked.

"If you don't eat ordinary grains, what do you eat? Practicing boxing, you can't just look at nutrition. Nutritional meals and fasting pills are good to look at, but not good to eat."

An Qisheng slowly chewed on a steamed bun. After eating one, he said:

"Man follows the earth, the earth follows heaven, heaven follows the Dao, and the Dao follows nature. Boxing is the same. Following it, one becomes a man; going against it, one becomes an immortal. The sun rises and sets, the moon waxes and wanes, the tide rises and falls, the wind blows and the clouds scatter. There is nothing that is a must, nothing that should be."

"The Dao follows nature..."

Su Jie seemed to be lost in thought.

"Confucius said that at seventy, one could follow one's heart's desires without transgressing the rules. These rules are the rules of heaven, and also one's own rules..."

An Qisheng raised his hand, and chopsticks were already resting on Su Jie's neck.

"Mr. An!"

Su Jie was startled, but he only felt his hands and feet go numb, and his whole body could not move. His dark force had already been trained to the point where it reached his limbs and hair, and he would bristle when startled.

But he was unable to sense An Qisheng's abrupt action at all.

"However, these rules are not the rules in the ordinary sense..."

As An Qisheng spoke, he slightly lifted the chopsticks, and Su Jie could not help but raise his head:

"At this moment, what do you want to do most?"

Just at this moment, the sunlight streamed down, reflected through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the high-rise building and shone on Su Jie's eyes.

The morning sun was not very dazzling, but looking directly at the sun still inevitably caused eye soreness, but Su Jie could not close his eyes no matter what. Before long, two lines of tears flowed down:

"I want to blink, close my eyes."

"The rising and setting of the sun are the rules of heaven and earth. Sore eyes, wanting to blink, are your own rules. Other things, such as being hungry and wanting to eat, being sleepy and wanting to rest, are all rules."

An Qisheng put down his chopsticks and said casually:

"You have practiced a lot of different things. You have Shaolin external boxing, Wudang internal boxing, military killing boxing, and Western boxing. But regardless of Eastern or Western boxing, external or internal, in the end, it is human boxing, not immortal boxing.

What you want to follow, rely on, and abide by are the rules of the body. If it hurts, it is wrong. If you are disgusted, it is off track. If you are happy, it is correct."

Having lived two lives and crossed three realms, the amount and variety of what he had learned was unmatched by anyone in ancient or modern times. His understanding of boxing had also far surpassed that of Su Jie at this time.

For boxing, whether internal or external, to be practiced well, one must immerse oneself in it, one must invest oneself in it. This investment is not only a mental investment, but also a physical one.

The spirit needs to be happy, and the body also needs to be.

Practicing boxing in emotions, making the body happy as well, is when boxing enters the gate.

"Uh..."

He only asked a question, how did he end up saying so much?

Su Jie wiped the corners of his eyes, thinking a little, but also smiling wryly:

"Then, what about the rules of heaven?"

"That depends on what rules you can comprehend from heaven and earth."

An Qisheng unhurriedly ate the last steamed bun, wiped his hands, and seeing that Su Jie was still dazed, he said again:

"Remember to pay the bill."

Su Jie raised his head and couldn't help but call out:

"Mr. An, why did you tell me this?"

An Qisheng walked forward, not turning his head:

"That, naturally, is according to my heart's desire."

"According to my heart's desire..."

Su Jie kept chewing on these words in his mouth, feeling as if he had gained something, but also as if he had not understood anything.

After a long time, the spicy soup in front of him no longer gave off heat, and he came back to his senses.

An Qisheng was no longer visible, but he inadvertently glanced and saw that there was a locust wood牌子 (pai zi - token, sign) on the table at some point.

It seemed to have a door carved on it, being pushed open.

The workmanship was exquisite, and the carving was lifelike.

Something An Qisheng lost?

No, how could such a grandmaster lose something? They could feel even a speck of dust falling off.

Then, did he leave it for himself?

Thoughts arose in Su Jie's heart, and he reached out and picked up the locust wood牌子 (pai zi - token, sign) as if possessed by a ghost.

It was icy cold to the touch, going straight to his heart.

Su Jie only felt a trance in his heart and could not help but grip the locust wood牌子 (pai zi - token, sign) tightly:

"This is..."

.......

Northwest Mountains.

In the silver-white base hall, a group of people walked in a hurry. Wang Zhixuan, Qinglong, Baihu, Qiu Niu, and others all looked solemnly at the full-screen projector in front of them.

The high-level officials and team members of the Special Affairs Bureau were also silent as rocks.

"Simulating the destruction of the zombie king with a triphasic bomb... success rate 16.9%, possible reasons for failure..."

"Simulating the destruction of the zombie king with space-based weapons... success rate 11.2%, possible reasons for failure..."

"Simulating the destruction of the zombie king with gene weapons... success rate 10.3%, possible reasons for failure..."

"...failure..."

......

In the empty hall, the cold synthesized voice of the artificial intelligence Yinglong kept ringing.

Each time its voice rang out, the faces of the people in the hall became more solemn, because each time the voice rang out, it represented the failure of their plan.

"Alright!"

Qinglong shouted in a low voice, and Yinglong immediately stopped speaking.

"Of the hundreds of destruction plans, the highest success rate is only five percent..."

Qinglong's face was solemn, and a trace of powerlessness rose in his heart.

He rarely had such powerlessness in his life, but this monster was beyond their imagination. It seemed that it could not be destroyed at all.

"Qinglong, if there is no better plan."

Baihu lowered his head and said softly, "Five percent is not impossible..."

"Impossible!"

Before he could finish his words, Qinglong waved his hand and interrupted him: "All the weapons in the plan have great dangers. Without 80%, no, 90% certainty, we must not act rashly!"

"Then it seems that we can only throw it into space and use the sun to destroy it."

Qiu Niu looked at the lines of scarlet words on the projection screen, his eyes deep.

"No."

This time, it was Wang Zhixuan who waved her hand in refusal:

"The uncertainty of five percent is too great. If we can't destroy it, but the talisman sealing it is burned, the problem will be too big."

Wang Zhixuan also felt a little headache.

Since learning of the existence of the zombie king Zhu Shang, Yinglong had proposed countless plans until now, but no plan could raise the success rate to more than five percent.

And five percent was possible or not possible. For gamblers, they could of course take a gamble, but for them, it was not possible.

The consequences of a single failure would be terrifying.

The incident in the Himalayas was enough to shock the world.

And what she was more worried about was Mars...

What was the monster that stirred up the sandstorm that filled the sky and almost burned the entire planet?

"What if we send it to Mars and detonate an antimatter bomb at the same time?"

Someone suggested again.

"The antimatter bomb has not been test-detonated. If something goes wrong, the problem will only be greater. Moreover, its power may not be able to destroy the zombie king."

If someone suggested, naturally someone would object.

"How would we know if we don't try? This is one of the two most successful plans. With our reserves, it is enough to cleanse half of Mars."

"What if it doesn't work?"

In the hall, the high-level officials became more and more excited as they spoke. They had suppressed themselves for too long, with no way to vent. At this time, they were like powder kegs, exploding at the slightest touch.

"Alright, let's talk about it later. We know too little about this zombie king. Delaying it by a day may give us one more point of certainty. Let's wait for Yinglong's follow-up plans."

Qinglong shook his head and still refused.

He rubbed his temples, feeling a little tired:

"First submit the simulation results of the plan. If the higher-ups agree..."

The matter was of great importance and could not be decided easily. Even if there was a success rate as high as 90%, it would not be them who would issue the destruction order.

Of course, a big reason for this was that they had only one chance.

Once they failed, it would be a catastrophe even more tragic than the one three hundred years ago!

"Yes."

The projection was turned off, and the high-level officials of the Special Affairs Bureau also dispersed.

Only Qinglong, Baihu, and Wang Zhixuan were left in place.

"There's only one month left..."

After everyone had left, Yinglong's electronic synthesized voice rang out again:

"To be precise, thirty-six days, twelve hours, eight minutes, and forty-three seconds."

What "Yinglong" was referring to was the time limit of the talisman sealing the golden coffin, or rather, the time when the zombie king would break free.

"Be prepared at all times."

Wang Zhixuan glanced at Qinglong:

"You are still in charge of the plan. I am not at ease with the snow mountain. I have to go and keep an eye on it."

"Go ahead."

Qinglong sat on the chair, covering his face with his hand, unable to hide his fatigue:

"One month, one month..."

.......

An Qisheng only stayed with his parents in Xing City for two weeks.

He had to leave.

For many parents, the day their children no longer go to school is the day they become adults.

Since they are adults, naturally they have to start a family and establish a career.

Therefore, An Qisheng had not enjoyed a few days of warmth at home when he encountered his parents urging him to get married...

He had expected this, but he also found it a bit funny.

But marriage was naturally impossible.

He did not cultivate the Heavenly Dao, so he still had seven emotions and six desires, but marriage was unnecessary for him.

Marriage was nothing more than mutual support and combination, passing on descendants, and leaving one's own traces in the world.

But for An Qisheng, it was not like that.

With his cultivation today, even if he made no further progress, even in this Xuan Xing land of spiritual exhaustion, he was confident that he could live for a thousand years.

Twenty years as a generation, a thousand years is fifty generations!

Moreover, some female cultivators of the Human Dao did not catch his eye, let alone these ordinary women on Xuan Xing who wore makeup and painted their eyebrows, but were actually just piles of carbohydrates in his eyes.

But there were no unfilial gods in the world, and he could not use methods to influence his parents' thoughts.

Therefore, after staying at home for a few days, he left again.

Of course, the more important reason for his departure, apart from this, was naturally the zombie king Zhu Shang.

He had not forgotten the time when the zombie king Zhu Shang, the Eleventh Fierce of the Sovereign Heaven, would break free.

After dragging it on for so long, it was time to meet this zombie king.

By the way, solve the problem.