Chapter 12: The Dragon Was Not Born in a Pond

  "Ahahahaha! Good! Your most valuable asset is your unique temperament, unmatched by anyone else! Challenging the Haomen, intimidating the Western Gate's powerful family, and taking the first place in the Martial Arts Trial - I can see this fearless and unstoppable aura of yours! This is also why I have high hopes for you. Of course, whether or not you possess innate spiritual roots cannot be determined yet. I am ashamed to say that our country does not possess the means to test for innate spiritual roots... However, this trial itself was not organized by our country. Its origin comes from the imperial nation that rules over our country."

  "So, your final destination for this trial is Zhongshengguo."

  Suzerain?

  Qin Wushuang was not a native resident of this world, and did not have a deep-seated concept of the suzerain state. He vaguely remembered that the suzerain state of Baiyue Kingdom was a mid-grade empire from the eastern part of Tianxuan Continent.

  Medium-grade Great Empire, on the Tianxuan Continent, its strength is only slightly inferior to that of a High-grade Great Empire. It is one of the few high-level civilizations in the Tianxuan Continent.

  In the Tianxuan Continent, there were only three top-grade empires in total.

  The middle-grade empire has nine.

  The Dahuo Empire is one of the nine middle-grade empires among them.

  Qin Wushuang said: "Martial Saint, I heard that the results of this trial will directly affect the ranking and status of our Baiyue State?"

  "Yes, under the jurisdiction of the Daluo Empire, there are dozens of vassal states, large and small. There are about ten medium-grade vassal states like Baiyue State. As for high-grade vassal states, there are only three in total. However, this time, the Daluo Empire has promised to give out two quotas for high-grade vassal states. In this trial, the two medium-grade vassal states with the highest contribution value will be promoted to high-grade vassal states."

  The Lord of Wu continued: "This is a rare opportunity for the country of Baiyue to change its fate. Once we become a high-ranking vassal state, the entire environment of our country will be greatly improved. After all, most of the surrounding vassal states are medium-grade vassal states. Once we become a high-ranking vassal state, we will have an advantage in status and will not have to worry about being invaded by neighboring vassal states."

  Qin Wushuang nodded silently, thinking that the entire world was indeed strictly hierarchical, from individuals to countries, with such clear levels of interest and division.

  "Lord Wu Sheng, we are from Baiyue country, what is your intention this time?"

  The Lord of Wu Xian brought up this topic, a hint of a smile on his face: "Originally, our Baiyue country was not particularly advantageous among the top ten vassal states. But now, it's different. All of this is because of your appearance."

  "Oh?" Qin Wushuang blinked his eyes, he was very curious.

  "Six hundred points, Wu Shuang Hou, your personal trial score is almost equivalent to the scores of three other people. This contribution value is not ordinary at all. Therefore, our Baiyue country may very likely stand out in this selection. However, the specific results will have to wait for the official announcement from the Dali Empire. Our scores have already been sent to the imperial court, and I believe it won't be long before the results are released."

  "Of course, this achievement is only the result of the initial trial. To gain recognition, it must still undergo review and confirmation by the suzerain state." Duke Wu Sheng's tone became much more cautious as he spoke to this point.

  "Alright, that's for later." Wu Sheng waved his hand, "Peerless Marquis, let's get back on track. Now, I'll tell you about the specific divisions of the Spiritual Martial Realm."

  Qin Wushuang's eyebrows moved slightly, this was his biggest concern at the moment.

  "Please enlighten me, Saint of Martial Arts."

  "Heh heh, the so-called Lingwu Realm is actually about borrowing the power of nature through the physical body as a medium to release immense power. But think about it, if the physical body is just a medium, then it's like a ship carrying cargo, and how much it can carry depends on the size of the ship. Therefore, reaching the Lingwu Realm doesn't mean abandoning the physical body, but rather, cultivating the physical body will further strengthen it. The stronger the physical body's capacity to withstand, the more natural power it can borrow. And naturally, its attacking power will also be greater."

  However, having a strong physical body does not necessarily mean that one's attack power is great. In addition to having a strong physique, one must also possess exquisite control skills. For example, if your physical body can withstand three-tenths of the natural force, but you yourself lack the necessary manipulation techniques, then you can only exert one-tenth of its might, and naturally, your attack power cannot compare with those who can withstand two-tenths of it and perfectly exert two-tenths of its might. Do you understand this principle?

  Qin Wushuang thought for a moment, nodded: "Understood. To put it simply, having this power is one thing, exerting this power is another. Both must be combined to perfectly exert 100%."

  The Martial Saint nodded in satisfaction: "Not bad, the child is teachable, haha."

  "The Lingwu boundary is different from the Liewu boundary and also different from the Zhenwu boundary. It only has four boundaries: Initial Lingwu Boundary, Middle Lingwu Boundary, High Lingwu Boundary, and Lingwu Dajuan."

  "What are these Four Realms? Qin Wubai pondered, unable to resist asking, "Then what specific boundaries do these Four Realms have?"

  "It's very simple, the initial spiritual realm can carry one-tenth of the power of nature; the middle spiritual realm can carry two-tenths of the power of nature; and the high spiritual martial realm can carry three-tenths of the power of nature???? The Martial Saint stopped here, his eyes filled with complex emotions."

  "What about the Great Perfection?" Qin Wushuang couldn't help but ask. The old man's mouth twitched, and his eyes gleamed with a hint of divine aura! As for the Great Perfection, standing in my position, it is impossible to know. I've heard that the realm of the Great Perfection can carry five times the power of nature, and can control it at will. With a wave of the hand, the heavens change color, mountains collapse, and the earth shakes - all are within its grasp.

  The heavens change color, the mountains collapse and the earth cracks.

  Upon hearing these eight words, Qin Wushuang's blood suddenly boiled. This was exactly the Supreme Cultivation Realm recorded in the Pre-Heavenly Alchemy Scripture of his past life.

  Congenital

  Qin Wushuang had never felt such an urgent longing for the Xiantian realm, filled with yearning and reverence.

  "Martial Saint, are there any powerful beings with a complete Spiritual Martial Circle in the Tian Xuan Continent?"

  "I'm not sure if it's specific, but I can infer that there must be. Our country of Baiyue is only a mid-tier vassal state, and yet we have those who possess the initial stage of Spiritual Martial Arts. Then it wouldn't be surprising for those large empires to have those with higher stages of Spiritual Martial Arts. And it wouldn't be surprising if the hidden sects behind those empires possessed the Great Perfection." Although this explanation couldn't satisfy Qin Wuduo's curiosity, it was enough.

  At least, he has grasped a little bit of the pulse. His understanding of the Tianxuan Continent is also much richer than before. It's not as unknown as it was before.

  "Master Wu Sheng, judging from your tone, your cultivation..."

  "My cultivation is nothing to be ashamed of. It's just the initial stage of Spiritual Martial Realm. I can bear the power of one Natural Tribulation, but due to the lack of Spiritual Martial Techniques, my cultivation at this level can only be considered average. From what I know, among the middle-grade vassal states, the Great Wu State has a National Guardian Martial Saint who is slightly inferior to me in terms of bearing Natural Power, but because they have a decent Spiritual Martial Technique, they might still be slightly superior to me in actual combat."

  The Baiyue Kingdom and the Great Wu Kingdom have always been in a relationship where they cannot coexist. The balance of power between them has never been broken, precisely because each has a national martial saint guarding their country.

  Once this balance is broken, the situation may be quite different.

  Therefore, both countries attach great importance to this trial and want to take advantage of this opportunity to rise to the status of a superior vassal state and gain an overwhelming advantage.

  "Alright, we've delayed long enough. I believe those martial arts students should also be coming out of the dense forest by now. Wudou Duke, do you want to continue waiting here for them or head down the mountain first?"

  "Can we head down the mountain now?" Qin Wushuang said, "Let the junior decide whether to go down the mountain first."

  "Alright, after you descend the mountain, I suppose you'll be heading back to Donglin Town? If the imperial household is efficient enough, by the time you arrive home, all the rewards should have been settled. Wu Sheng nodded and continued, "Duke Wusou, your trip to the Great Luo Empire for inspection will be in three months' time. Within these three months, I hope you'll carefully consider my previous proposal."

  "Lord Wu Sheng, I will consider it seriously. If one day I can enter the Xiantian realm, whether or not I take over Mount Wu Sheng, I will forever be a person of Baiyue Kingdom. The affairs of Baiyue Kingdom, I, as a junior, will never stand idly by."

  Taking over Wusheng Mountain, this glory is probably a scene that any martial child of the Baiyue Kingdom cannot even dream of.

  If this glory were placed on anyone, even the crown prince, he would probably not hesitate to choose to take over Wusong Mountain and become the next Martial Saint, rather than inherit the throne.

  Martial Saint, that is the backbone and pillar of a country, the true supreme authority. Energy and power are three times stronger than the Emperor of the Hundred Yue State.

  However, Qin Wushuang's personality was just like that. In his previous life, he was known as a martial arts fanatic and a madman of martial arts precisely because he pursued the way of martial arts with extreme obsession.

  He would never sell his own freedom for temporary glory and fame.

  He likes the unbridled exploration of martial arts, rather than the so-called dominance of the world.

  He has his own set of theories about the understanding of martial arts. The pursuit of martial arts is like a horse running freely in the sky, emphasizing the importance of being unrestrained and natural. If one loses their freedom, they will inevitably encounter numerous obstacles on the path to pursuing martial arts.

  This is absolutely not a situation he would be willing to accept.

  So, for this position of Martial Saint, he didn't have any desire for it.

  Of course, this is not to say that he will be indifferent to the fate of Baiyue. After all, he is now a person of Baiyue, and every move he makes has already been branded with the mark of Baiyue, closely related. If Baiyue encounters difficulties, he personally will also inevitably encounter difficulties.

  Moreover, the current Donglin Qin family is already the royal family of the Baiyue Kingdom!

  Even if it weren't for the invitation of the Martial Saint, I would still contribute my own strength for the sake of this royal family's identity.

  The Martial Saint looked at Qin Wushuang's back as he descended the mountain, feeling somewhat lost and melancholic.

  He also admitted that he had a little selfishness and wanted to tie the entire outstanding young man completely to the country of Baiyue. However, he had to admit that the future of this peerless marquis was absolutely not something that the small temple of Baiyue could contain.

  The dragon is not a creature of the pond.