Chapter 310: 286 Spirit Light, Part 2

Pa.

A teacup landed heavily on the table, pulling Zhang Rongfang out of his thoughts.

“Hey, if you ask me, the Jade Sea Gang is so arrogant and overbearing. Why don’t we just pool money, hire some masters, and get rid of them?”

Two tables away on the right, a group of people was engaged in heated debate.

“Get rid of them? Do you know how many masters are in the Jade Sea Gang? Some masters can’t be hired with money alone.” Someone scoffed.

“The Hundred Merchants Association has so many wealthy people and connections, why fear such a thing? I heard this time they invited Zhang Ao of the Flying Bear Hammer from the three heroes of Wuzhou!

Zhang Ao founded the Flying Bear Gang over ten years ago and has long wanted to expand his influence toward our Citong. This opportunity is tailor-made for him.” Another person explained.

“What does Zhang Ao matter?” A teacup landed heavily on the table again.

A burly, bearded man at a nearby table sneered.

“Arrogant foreign figures must rely on outsiders to ward off threats? Have all the locals died?”

“Brother, you’re bold. Do you know how many significant deeds the Jade Sea Gang has committed? How many families opposing them have been uprooted, and even the authorities have no evidence to arrest them?”

“It’s not that there’s no evidence; those in power have long been bought off.”

“I heard Lord Zhao of the province has a considerable stake in the Jade Sea Gang, so why would he really step forward to deal with problems?”

“I’ve heard this too.”

The others began explaining to him.

“After all this talk, is it really that Citong has no one?” The burly, bearded man scoffed.

“Nonsense! Don’t you know Citong is where the merchants of Great Spirit gather! The Jade Sea Gang’s arrogance is temporary…” One man stood up angrily.

“Can anyone deal with them?” The burly man sat upright, unimpressed.

“Well…” That man hesitated, “If Lord Zhao had the will, a mere Jade Sea Gang…”

“Really think Lord Zhao is unwilling to act? It’s because he can’t. Lord Zhao Yanting is already old; perhaps he was capable in his youth, but now… He hasn’t taken action himself in recent years, has he?” The burly man argued.

A group of people was rendered speechless.

But some were still unconvinced.

Another fair-faced scholar also stood up.

“Lord Zhao might be old, but he commands many masters and strong soldiers. Why fear a mere Jade Sea Gang?”

“Which masters? The Waterfall Spear? The Black Knife Zhao Yu? Ask them if they dare confront the Jade Sea Gang, didn’t one of them nearly get beat into severe injury recently?” The bearded man retorted.

“Even so, Citong still has local major clans like the Fulier family. The Jade Sea Gang hasn’t provoked them yet, only handling some small families…” An elderly man interjected.

“Are you from the Fulier family? Do you know how many of the fleets dominated by the Jade Sea Gang were paying tributes to local major clans? Now these fleets are taken over, have they voiced any complaints?

You know nothing yet dare spew nonsense here? Aren’t you afraid Leona, your clan leader, will trouble you?” The bearded man countered sharply.

“You… You!?”

“Citong has Guardian Zhang Ying, Lord Zhang! Last year he swept away the sect influence, cleansing Citong. If Lord Zhang acts, he can easily overturn and purge the Jade Sea Gang!”

Another person stood up defiantly.

“Really think the sect influence was easy to sweep away? Zhang Ying, the Guardian, hails from Celestial Treasure Palace and only cultivates literature; even if he knows some martial arts, it’s just for invigorating blood flow.

See if Guardian Zhang is still causing a stir now? He might secretly be worrying over the major sects targeting him.”

The bearded man seemed quite knowledgeable, speaking with coherence and clear logic.

Zhang Rongfang listened nearby, heart slightly stirred.

“So, by your account, you don’t seem impressed by anyone here. You must be the true master then?” He smiled and asked.

At the moment, he wore a human skin mask and his figure was slightly smaller due to his perfect Hard Skill, making him less conspicuous.

No one could recognize him as the famed Guardian Zhang Ying.

“You have quite the keen eye.”

The bearded man surprisingly admitted openly.

He looked somewhat smug, taking a sip of tea.

“In Citong, if I were the Lord of the province, I would never collude with the Jade Sea Gang. Look at what they perpetually do? Is it possible to sustain such a large crowd and masters purely with legal earnings?”

“By your words, you claim to be even stronger than Lord Zhao?” Someone couldn’t help but mock.

“Heh.” The bearded man heavily placed his teacup down.

Bang.

Releasing his hand, the teacup became deeply embedded in the center of the wooden table, unmoving. The teacup itself astonishingly remained unbroken!

This feat caused everyone around to gasp in shock, making those who wanted to rise and argue involuntarily suppress their thoughts.

Zhang Rongfang also gave a slight start.

Even he couldn’t accomplish such a feat.

He could smash the wooden table with a slap, create a hole with a move, but such intricate and skillful refinement was truly beyond him.

“An admirable skill indeed!” He couldn’t help but praise aloud.

“Just a trifling trick, nothing special.” The bearded man said casually. “Hence I said earlier, the world is vast with countless wonders. Masters are just as abundant as clouds and rain, innumerable.”

“Your insight seems decent, but once you ascend, it’s like the blind leading the blind; even with open eyes, you won’t understand a thing.”

He sighed, seemingly lost in memories.

“Back in the day, I was feeling triumphant with my achievements, wandering the world, when suddenly I encountered the blacklist master Fierce Moon Hook. Battling and escaping, I came to realize that there’s always someone better, just like there’s always a higher heaven.”

“Blacklist master!?”

Everyone gasped lightly in unison, clearly taken aback.

Many wealthy individuals in the group looked at the man with the full beard, their gazes turning increasingly fervent.

Lately, the influence of the Jade Sea Gang has been growing, causing many wealthy people to feel a increasing sense of crisis. They are keen to hire masters for their protection.

This has led to martial artists and masters in the market being in high demand.

If this full-bearded man truly escaped under the pursuit of a blacklist master as he claims, then…

Zhang Rongfang, on the other hand, was equally astonished. The man’s robes were thick, and even with his enhanced vision in dim light, he couldn’t discern his true nature. His face seemed to be disguised.

If this man truly escaped from a blacklist master, his strength must be formidable.

“May I ask, sir, where exactly does the strength of the blacklist masters lie?” someone couldn’t help but ask.

“Indeed, sir, we often hear about the fierce power of blacklist masters, but what makes them strong? Could you elaborate?” someone else stood up, respectfully cupping his fists and asked.

“You may not know, but the path of martial arts can be divided into three major stages,” the full-bearded man stated solemnly.

Everyone started to inquire.

“The first stage is the Nine-Grade System recognized by ordinary people. Anyone within the nine grades belongs to the first stage.”

“The second stage is the Super Grade.”

“The third stage is the Extreme Realm! Among the blacklist masters, many belong to the Extreme Realm!”

As the full-bearded man spoke, the attention of several nearby tables turned toward them.

Zhang Rongfang was also stunned.

This man is aware of the Extreme Realm… He scrutinized the full-bearded man once again.

Based on the exposed skin, his blood seemed vigorous, likely a martial artist, but the outlines of the veins were not clear, somewhat peculiar. It could be due to disguise or potentially other martial arts.

Upon hearing about the Extreme Realm, he couldn’t help but ask.

“May I ask, brother, is the Extreme Realm the ultimate realm for martial artists?”

“Actually, I’m not sure if it’s the ultimate realm. But it was once the strongest. The top martial artist of that time, the Grandmaster Imperial Tutor Damir, was unstoppable, defeating everyone — oh, that’s not right — he was invincible, in any case,” the full-bearded man explained.

“I was fortunate enough to witness an encounter involving an Extreme Realm master from afar,” he reminisced.

“The person wielded a longsword; wherever they passed, no one was their match. Often, there was a flash of silver, and then someone would fall. Even those who had worshipped gods were no exception….”

“What?!” Zhang Rongfang paused abruptly, his eyes flashing.

He was certain he hadn’t heard wrong.

“What do you mean by ’those who had worshipped gods’?”

Initially, he thought the other was merely boasting, but now…

“Literally,” the full-bearded man showed a meaningful smile, “Worshipping gods and not worshipping them is different….”

“The Extreme Realm can defeat the worshippers?” Zhang Rongfang squinted, testing the waters with a low voice.

“Some can, some cannot,” the full-bearded man replied.

“Brother, would you honor me with a detailed discussion?” Zhang Rongfang pointed earnestly to the seat opposite him.

The full-bearded man looked at Zhang Rongfang, laughed, stood up, and plopped down across from him.

“You don’t seem like an ordinary individual either. Do you know why worshipping gods can lead to death?”

“Why?” Zhang Rongfang’s heart skipped a beat; this was something the Eastern Sect had experimented with for years without finding an answer.

Though he doubted the man could offer much, he was inexplicably filled with a hint of expectation.

The full-bearded man glanced around, his lips moved slightly, and he lowered his voice.

“Because everything has a heart,” he spoke calmly, exuding a faint aura of a mysterious master.

Heart?

Zhang Rongfang was startled.

The implication was that worshippers of gods also had a heart?

“However, not everyone can execute the heart-piercing technique, only a very few top-tier Extreme Realm masters can reverse-calculate the heart and pierce it. The Imperial Tutor was one of them,” the full-bearded man sighed.

Zhang Rongfang felt suspicious. The man’s tone was too grand, and he couldn’t help but question it.

Immediately, he quietly asked him about some experiences and performances in Super Grade martial arts.

If you haven’t gone through it or seen it personally, it’s impossible to know the specific level Super Grade is at or what can be achieved in reality.

To his surprise, the full-bearded man responded to all of it.

Gradually, Zhang Rongfang started to regard him as a peer-level martial arts master for exchange. His attitude shifted from the initial discussion to seeking guidance.

He was genuinely surprised to find that the man’s knowledge and martial arts experience were incredibly profound, with an implicit sense of superiority, looking down on everything.

Among the many martial arts principles he heard, some left him feeling enlightened, his heart clearer.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep