Holy Fist!

Chapter 456 Oh, I'm cheating, no wonder!
Hear this.

Bai Xiao suddenly stopped and turned to look at Ouyang Ming.

Seeds of the Enlightenment Tea Tree?
It's important to understand that in the current world of martial arts within the Tianxia Federation, the two most prized and rarest items are forbidden martial arts techniques and the Enlightenment Tea Tree. While there are many forbidden martial arts techniques, there is only one Enlightenment Tea Tree at the headquarters of the Martial Arts Association! The Enlightenment Tea leaves from different years, and the quotas for studying the Enlightenment Tea Tree, are all awarded as major rewards by the Martial Arts Association. Only those who participate in major competitions held by the Martial Arts Association every few years, or who have made outstanding contributions to the Association, can obtain this opportunity.

I wonder how many people are drooling over it!
Now, President Ouyang was actually asking him if he wanted the seeds of the Enlightenment Tea Tree? This piqued Bai Xiao's interest, but also filled him with doubt.

Although he played a significant role in the battle at the Martial Arts Tournament, restraining the Prison Sect of the Demon Court and even triggering a chain reaction that led to the three Grandmaster-level fighters from the Martial Arts Association chasing him all the way to the deep sea to intercept and kill him, it was ultimately President Ouyang and his group who truly took action; Bai Xiao merely initiated the attack.

He felt that his contribution was not exaggerated to that extent.

If Yu Zong had been killed by Bai Xiao himself, that would be more reasonable; he would indeed be entitled to a seed from the Enlightenment Tea Tree. Otherwise, it would be too much.

Bai Xiao pondered for a moment and then asked.

"President Ouyang, what do you mean?"

Seeing that Bai Xiao had quickly calmed down, Ouyang Ming felt a surge of admiration. "A man with thunderous passion yet a calm demeanor is worthy of being a general. No wonder he's the champion of this martial arts tournament; his temperament and composure are second to none."

He paused for two or three seconds, then spoke.

"It means exactly what it says, Master Bai."

"Thanks to your prior warning, we were able to prepare well for the battle against the Demon Court in Cloud Mountain Valley—that's one merit. You used the forbidden power of your forbidden martial arts to restrain the Prison Sect, playing a significant role in their eventual demise—that's another. Furthermore, several top-tier sect leaders from the Demon Court fell at your hands—that's a third. These three merits combined are why we have this reward..."

Bai Xiao glanced at Ouyang Ming, his expression remaining calm.

He spoke.

"Of course I know that."

"But compared to the seeds of the Enlightenment Tea Tree, it's still too much."

“Tell me the real reason, Chairman Ouyang.”

Ouyang Ming glanced at Bai Xiao again, expecting the latter to accept his explanation readily. After all, no one dislikes being praised for their great achievements. However, Bai Xiao remained extremely calm, without a trace of arrogance or complacency, nor any loss of reason.

"What a magnificent dragon and elephant!"

"Now I truly believe that you are only a short time away from becoming a grandmaster."

Ouyang Ming sighed, then looked at Bai Xiao and said.

"Master Bai, do you think the seeds of the Enlightenment Tea Tree are incredibly precious? In some ways... perhaps even more precious than forbidden martial arts techniques?"

Bai Xiao nodded straightforwardly.

However, Ouyang Ming shook his head.

"But I must tell you, the seeds of the Enlightenment Tea Tree aren't as precious as you imagine. They are certainly extremely rare and have the potential to grow into the next Enlightenment Tea Tree. However, the conditions for these seeds to take root and sprout are far too demanding, so demanding that it significantly diminishes their immense value..."

He started walking again, saying as he headed up the mountain.

"Since its maturity, the Enlightenment Tea Tree has spawned three seeds, but none have successfully grown into a second Enlightenment Tea Tree. This is because resources and manpower are limited. The Enlightenment Tea Tree requires continuous support from multiple Grandmasters to survive. Otherwise, it will soon wither and die. Every so often, a Grandmaster who has mastered a forbidden martial art needs to feed it a portion of the forbidden rules, and a share of the nourishment extracted from heaven and earth by the forbidden martial art must also be given to it. After feeding it, the Grandmasters suffer considerable losses and need to recuperate. If it's only one or two Grandmasters, they might even be completely drained by the Enlightenment Tea Tree..."

"Even the Martial Arts Association doesn't have the resources to raise a second one."

Beside him, Bai Xiao, who had caught up, had a slightly flickering gaze.

Ouyang Ming continued.

"Of course, this is what we were going to tell you anyway. But the real reason we want to give you the Enlightenment Tea Tree Seed is because you have mastered several forbidden martial arts techniques—a rare feat! Bai Xiao, I don't know how you did it, or how you maintained a balance among various forbidden powers; you have your own methods. But the fact is, you succeeded. And once you can maintain this state and reach the Grandmaster realm, one person can be equivalent to several Grandmasters, and you might even be able to cultivate the Enlightenment Tea Tree Seed on your own..."

"In this way, the Tianxia Federation's martial arts world will possess two Enlightenment Tea Trees in the future, which will inevitably lead to greater prosperity in martial arts development. Whether you use the Enlightenment Tea Trees for resource exchange or as capital for the development of the Dragon Elephant Martial Arts School, it will ultimately benefit the entire martial arts world..."

Upon hearing this, Bai Xiao nodded slightly.

This explains why the reward was so generous this time.

The two chatted for a while longer, having already covered nearly half of the mountain path.

It's not far from the mountain gate of the Shangwu Association headquarters.

Ouyang Ming looked at Bai Xiao, pondered for a moment, and then gave a reminder.

"Master Bai, your mastery of multiple forbidden martial arts techniques is undoubtedly a huge advantage. However, you need to be aware that it also carries immense danger. Do you know... the true origins of these forbidden martial arts techniques?"

Bai Xiao turned his head slightly, realizing that what was about to happen was very important.

"please say."

Ouyang Ming nodded and continued.

"Have you ever felt that the growth of forbidden martial arts is like an invasive parasitic seed? It takes root, sprouts, absorbs the world's power as nourishment, and alters and distorts the rules of the world within its own domain..."

Bai Xiao raised an eyebrow and his eyes narrowed.

Ouyang Ming took a deep breath and continued talking.

"What I'm about to say may overturn common sense and defy logic in the martial arts world. But it is true."

"That is, all forbidden martial arts actually originate from the various fundamental entities deep within the void. It is their power that spreads and propagates through the void, eventually reaching this world. Our world should be considered powerful within the void, so some fundamental entities want to capture this world. Thus, they transmit their power, some near and some far..."

"Some were from a thousand years ago, some from hundreds of years ago, and some from decades ago. Back then, secret martial arts were the only mainstream in the world, giving rise to a large number of forbidden secret martial arts. It was power, and also the anchor point for those fundamental entities. As long as someone cultivates them, they can sense and influence this world. We grandmasters, in our so-called path of seizing the life force of forbidden secret martial arts, taking a share of the spoils while these forbidden secret martial arts take root and absorb the world's nutrients, aren't we also being permitted by the fundamental entities behind them? Forbidden secret martial arts let us taste the sweetness, and from then on, we coexisted with them, sharing the same interests..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Xiao's breath hitched slightly.

At this moment, he recalled his previous experiences of seizing forbidden martial arts, which confirmed that martial artists coexist with forbidden martial arts.

However, the only difference between what Ouyang Ming said and what he said was that he didn't seem to sense the source behind the forbidden martial arts.

Beside him, Ouyang Ming continued speaking.

"At the Grandmaster level, every life-or-death battle, every instance of unleashing forbidden power, leads to an ever-deeper entanglement with the forbidden martial arts, and a greater influence from the underlying entities that create them. Therefore, the more senior a Grandmaster is, the more battles they've fought, and once they reach a certain level, they often retreat into seclusion for extended periods, no longer recklessly engaging in combat with others of the same level. Otherwise, they risk becoming slaves to the very entity that controls them..."

"The process by which a grandmaster is gradually influenced by forbidden rules is called Dao transformation!"

"The terror of the Tao is unimaginable."

"At that time, one will be unable to control one's own body or one's own mind."

"The Martial Arts Association, besides myself, has two more senior former presidents. However, they weren't present during the battle in Yunshan Valley..."

"It's because their Daoization is extremely advanced, and they also fed the Enlightenment Tea Trees recently, that they didn't go into battle."

Upon hearing this, Bai Xiao muttered to himself.

"Taohua?"

"The ancient Loulan Secret Realm, hundreds of years ago, the Crimson Sect of the Blood God Sect was targeted by that terrifying Blood God precisely because of the forbidden secret martial art, the Blood Scripture..."

He corroborated his previous observations and experiences with them.

Behind every forbidden martial art lies a source. Their power creates the forbidden weapon, and the user is transformed into a being that transcends the physical realm…

"However, why do I not seem to feel anything?"

Bai Xiao's mind raced, and he quickly realized the truth.

"Oh, so I'm cheating, no wonder!"

He mastered six forbidden martial arts techniques, five of which were forbidden, all of which were obtained through cheating, enhanced by the Furnace of Heaven and Earth, and gained forbidden power out of thin air!
Other forbidden martial arts all have a cause before an effect. The cause, the existence of the source in the void, gave rise to the effect of the forbidden martial arts possessing the power of the source. However, the Furnace of Heaven and Earth produced its effect out of thin air.

Where is it? I don't know!

Whatever, it won't affect Bai Xiao no matter what.

The power gained from your own profession panel is clearly priced, and its drawbacks are explained in detail. Anything without drawbacks simply doesn't have any; there are absolutely none.

"Doesn't that mean..."

"No matter how I use these five forbidden martial arts, I won't be affected by the existence of the void, nor will I have to worry about gradually becoming corrupted. Once I reach the Grandmaster level in the future, and possess these five forbidden martial arts, wouldn't that be equivalent to five Grandmasters who can act without restraint? One of them would be worth a whole country!"

Bai Xiao was filled with a myriad of thoughts, and then he thought of the Water and Fire Immortal Robe.

"This forbidden work should have a transformative effect."

"However, I possess five forbidden gates that completely obey my commands, which I can forcefully suppress and reduce their influence! Therefore, I can use them frequently..."

His expression gradually became strange.

Beside him, Ouyang Ming thought Bai Xiao was in shock.

So, I paused for a while to let it process itself.

Two minutes later.

The Martial Arts Association, at the entrance of the mountain gate.

Bai Xiao gradually snapped out of his thoughts.

Then he asked a question he had wanted to ask for a long time.

"President Ouyang, since you say that forbidden secret weapons are related to the existence of the Root in the Void, then are the metal mechs that emerged half a century ago, and the bio-armor that appeared five years ago... also related to some Root?"

Bai Xiao drew inferences from one instance to another, his tone carrying a hint of curiosity.

Ouyang Ming smiled and nodded.

"good."

"Moreover, the metal mechs are the most relevant!"

"Within the void, there exists a primordial being called the King of Metal, sometimes referred to as the Mech Lord. The Mech Lord is the primordial being closest to this world in terms of its physical form! One could even say that over the past half-century, its power has gradually sealed off and shielded the entire world, blurring the connections and observations of other void beings. It clearly possesses the momentum to take control of this world..."

"Behind the biological armor lies another source, which is gradually approaching this world, getting closer and closer, as can be seen from its rapid development. Similarly, the killer is for the same reason."

"Among the mystical warriors, some have suffered severe qi deviation, sensing an unknown enlightenment while on the brink of death, and thus becoming murderers. This is precisely the result of the Chief of the Demon Court breaking through his origin in the void, thus re-influencing this world. In recent decades, the number and quality of these murderers have increased, indicating the return of the Chief of the Demon Court. The Demon Court's summoning of its other members further confirms this..."

Ouyang Ming generously answered Bai Xiao's questions.

"Hongze, the sixth seat of the Demon Court, and Youtian, the third seat, are essentially pioneers to becoming kings. Hundreds of years ago, they entered the depths of the void, attempting to break through to the Grandmaster level and reach the Origin Realm. However, they only succeeded halfway. They needed to unite and coexist with a special being and be in a special environment to reach the Origin Realm level. This time, they have returned, naturally with a lower realm, back to the Grandmaster level. However, they may still possess methods surpassing the Grandmaster level. As for why they need to go through various cumbersome rituals and coordinates to descend, it's because the Mechanic Lord's power is growing stronger and his influence is expanding, sealing off the entire world. Only small loopholes and fragmented worlds can pass through. I even suspect that soon, the Mechanic Lord will be able to tear apart the world's barriers, allowing the ultimate true form to descend..."

He took a deep breath, his eyes gleaming.

"The return of the various seats in the Demon Court must be partly due to this. They don't want to hand over this world to the Mech Lord for nothing, especially the Chief of the Demon Court, who surely harbors ambitions to conquer the entire world..."

Bai Xiao finally learned most of the world's secrets and took a deep breath.

To some extent.

This world is on the verge of collapse.

(End of this chapter)