This martial saint's health bar is too thick

Chapter 654 Unreasonable

April 12th, the second year of Yuanxing.

Zuo Jun, the commander of the White Flame Army of the Great Blue Dynasty, broke through to the Saint Realm and proclaimed himself to the four directions!
Just as celebrations began in Blue Ridge City, urgent intelligence arrived from the North—

The Northern Admiral, Prince Cheng, Qin Shixian, failed in his seclusion to break through to the peak and perished!
Upon hearing the news, the emperor was overcome with grief and wept on the spot.

Soon, an order was conveyed from the central command:
"Prince Cheng served the country's borders for decades and made numerous meritorious contributions in the Northern War. Now, in his pursuit of the highest level of martial arts, he unfortunately perished, which deeply grieves me. Therefore, I hereby grant my heir, Qin Ziyu, the title of Prince, which shall be hereditary."

In the Great Blue Dynasty, there are no more than five princes whose titles can be inherited without fail, and now there is one more Prince Cheng!
In the major battles in the Northern Territory, the vast majority of the credit belonged to Li Fei. Qin Shixian's personal contributions were not actually that great, and not enough to make the title of prince hereditary.

Now that the emperor has issued such an edict after his unexpected death, it can be said that the emperor's grace is boundless!

The next morning, Li Fei left Lanling City alone in his flying boat.

He had fought alongside Qin Shixian during the Northern War, and now that he learned of Qin's failure to break through to the next realm and his death, he still felt some regret.

In fact, given Qin Shixian's talent and accumulated experience, if Qin Ziheng were willing to tell him the most suitable time to break through his cultivation realm and use more of the nation's fortune to help him, he would have a chance to successfully break through.

Even without Qin Mingli's example, given the current situation, Qin Ziheng would not be able to help Prince Cheng break through to the next level.

The reasoning is simple: Qin Ziheng can guarantee the friendship between himself and Li Fei, and he can also trust Wenren Zheng's loyalty to him.

However, he could not guarantee that his next generation would have the same deep affection as Li Fei, nor could he guarantee that Wenren Zheng would still be willing to take care of his next generation.

After his death, if there is a Martial Saint in the royal family, and his son cannot win over Li Fei and Wenren Zheng, the throne will be under constant threat!
If the country falls into crisis again, a martial saint becoming emperor and taking control of the nation's destiny would be far more effective than an ordinary person or someone with low cultivation becoming emperor!
If Li Fei, Wenren Zheng, Zuo Jun, and others wanted to become emperor, it would be a heinous crime, and few people would support them; they would lose the hearts of the people.

If Prince Cheng, of royal lineage and pure blood, were to step forward and declare his desire to become emperor during a time of national crisis, he would undoubtedly garner a large following!

During Emperor Hongguang's reign, if it weren't for the strong support of the Imperial Advisor Yun Shu and the Grand Marshal Wenren Zheng, Qin Mingli would have had a real chance to stand up and rally support during the internal and external troubles of the Great Lan Dynasty.

In fact, if Emperor Hongguang had been willing to abdicate and pass the throne to Qin Mingli instead of his son, the situation in the Great Lan Dynasty would not have been so perilous, and Li Fei might not have even needed to step in to turn the tide.
But no one is perfect. Emperors would rather see their empire destroyed in their own hands than fall into the hands of others.

This kind of mentality is the norm.

Li Fei could understand Qin Ziheng's choice and also understood that it was precisely because Prince Cheng, Qin Shixian, failed to break through to the next realm and died that Qin Ziyu was able to obtain the long-desired hereditary succession.

Otherwise, Qin Ziheng might beg Li Fei to play the villain in the future.
While helping Zuo Jun break through his cultivation level, Li Fei sensed that another person had also successfully broken through, and that person was located in the south.

Therefore, he immediately suggested to Qin Ziheng that he go to the south to find this new Martial Saint.

Qin Ziheng agreed, and Li Fei left Lanling City alone.

However, before heading south, Li Fei had to meet someone first.

Ancient Yang City.

Ning Qingman sat leisurely in a private room of the teahouse, drinking tea.

In the battle outside Vajra City, she was severely injured by the 'Demon Spear', and her Dao principles were damaged once again.

Originally, this injury would have affected her combat strength, but fortunately, Li Fei used his own energy to heal her and stabilize her condition.

Therefore, Ning Qingman is currently in good condition.

A moment later, someone entered the private room; it was Li Fei.

"coming."

Ning Qingman smiled and gestured for Li Fei to sit down, "Try the tea I brewed."

Upon hearing this, Li Fei sat down opposite her and quietly watched her.

Ning Qingman took out tea leaves from a plain bamboo tea caddy with gentle movements. The bamboo tea scoop touched the rim of the caddy with only a very slight "ding".

She forcefully poured the warm water from the kettle next to her into a state where it was almost boiling.

She lifted the kettle, and water poured from the spout. She first warmed the cups, then added the tea.

The tea leaves fell into the warm gaiwan, and the residual heat stimulated them, releasing a subtle sweet aroma.

Ning Qingman poured water again, the water flow was extremely fine and steady, slowly flowing down the inner wall of the gaiwan without directly impacting the tea leaves, which is called "suspended pot high pour".

In an instant, the delicate aroma of chestnuts rose with the rising steam.

Ning Qingman put the lid on, her eyelids slightly lowered, her gaze fixed on the covered bowl, her expression focused and serene, just like when she wields a sword.

When she wields her sword, it's as if she's creating a traditional Chinese ink painting.

At this moment, brewing tea is like a painting in Li Fei's eyes.

After waiting for a moment, Ning Qingman picked up the covered bowl with her bare hands, her thumb and middle finger holding the rim and the bowl base respectively, and her index finger gently pressing the lid knob, revealing a small gap.

The tea soup was a clear, light golden color. She poured it into another pot, filtering out the tea leaves, and the soup became pure and transparent.

Finally, she slightly raised her arm, keeping her wrist low, and brought the spout of the teapot close to the rim of the cup to prevent the aroma from dissipating. A golden thread fell into the white porcelain teacup, the water level rose, but not a single drop spilled.

She stopped when the cup was seven-tenths full, and the tea rippled slightly before settling back to its original calm.

She gently pushed the teacup towards Li Fei, her fingertips as smooth as jade, a faint smile playing on her lips, without saying a word.

Everything is contained in this cup of warm tea.

Li Fei snapped out of his reverie, picked up his teacup, took a sip, his eyes lit up, and he gave Ning Qingman a thumbs up:
“Good craftsmanship!”

“When I was a child, my family wanted to raise me to be a well-bred lady, so they had me learn the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.”

Ning Qingman smiled faintly and said.

When Li Fei chatted with her, he never mentioned the Ning family's past. This was the first time she had brought it up in front of Li Fei on her own initiative.

Li Fei looked into her eyes and listened quietly.

“But I’ve never been able to sit still since I was little; I only love playing with knives and guns. My mother said that I should learn tea ceremony, which can calm my mind and will be beneficial even if I learn martial arts in the future.”

Ning Qingman looked into Li Fei's eyes and said, "So I've neglected all the arts, but I've never fallen behind in tea ceremony over the years."

She paused here, a faint blush rising to her cheeks:

“Over the years, besides my father, you are the first man to have tasted this craft.”

Upon hearing this, Li Fei's heart fluttered, and looking into the woman's eyes, he felt as if he were seeing stars.

The Duke of Jing'an, who had never been nervous even when facing a siege from several top figures, was now somewhat nervous.

He had anticipated this moment, but he never imagined that Ning Qingman would bring it up herself, and in such a quiet and elegant way.

"I hope that I can drink tea brewed by you every day from now on."

Li Fei took a deep breath, looked directly into Ning Qingman's eyes, and said those words.

Ning Qingman chuckled and winked at Li Fei:

"The Duke is busy with state affairs and probably doesn't have the time."

Li Fei breathed a sigh of relief, then his heart was filled with intense joy:
"Once we've pacified the Western Continent, I will resign from all my official posts and travel the world with you!"

He has just ascended to the top of the civil and military ranks in the Great Blue Dynasty, wielding immense power and becoming the most powerful minister in history!

At this moment, he says he wants to resign from all his official positions, as if the power that countless people would risk their lives for is nothing but fleeting clouds to him.

But Ning Qingman believed what Li Fei said.

He began his path to enlightenment with the goal of "pacifying the world," but it was not simply about "pacifying the world." This was to avoid being deeply bound to the Great Blue Dynasty, so that he could travel freely throughout the world in the future.

Li Fei had already discussed this matter with Ning Qingman.

Li Fei has indeed done it.

"I do want to go and see what kind of place the Western Continent is."

Ning Qingman said.

Li Fei's eyes lit up: "Then you can come with me. I won't need to lift a finger; just treat it as a vacation."

"There are no top-tier experts in the Western Continent. With your current strength, you should be able to easily sweep through it, right?"

"That's the theory, but the Western Continent countries have existed for so many years, they must have some trump cards, so it might not be that easy."

"How long do you think it will take before the Great Blue Dynasty sends troops to invade the Western Continent?"

"The Great Blue Dynasty has experienced a series of major wars. Although it won, it suffered heavy losses. War requires money and various resources. It will take at least three or four years to recover before it has the strength to launch a expedition to the Western Continent."

Li Fei said.

He obtained this time from Ye Ze'an.

The Great Blue Dynasty wants to conquer the Western Continent and expand its territory, not destroy it. It cannot simply send a few powerful individuals to kill indiscriminately.

However, mobilizing a large army for a distant expedition is not such an easy task.

Putting aside everything else, with the current navigation technology of the Great Blue Dynasty, it is simply impossible to send tens of thousands of people across the sea to the Western Lands.

Therefore, there's no need to consider an expedition in the short term.

Inside the tea room, the two chatted for a long time, from day to night.

Then, right there in the tea room, Li Fei began to treat Ning Qingman's injuries.

Ten days later.

Deep in the mountains, ancient trees reach for the sky, their dense foliage cutting the sky into fragments, with only a few rays of light occasionally struggling to penetrate and fall onto the open ground.

Li Fei stood alone in the center of this open space surrounded by mountains, the only sound being the rustling of leaves in the wind.

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the world changed drastically.

Countless streaks of azure sword energy surged from all directions, like raging waves or galloping horses, bringing with them sharp, piercing sounds!

These sword energies were incredibly sharp; wherever they passed, the air was torn apart, vegetation collapsed, and even the light was distorted!

Li Fei's gaze was calm, and suddenly a faint golden halo spread around his body, which was his Primordial Sword Realm.

However, he did not unleash his full power, only maintaining the sword realm within a ten-zhang range.

The torrent of sword energy crashed into the sword realm, but like ice and snow meeting the sun, it vanished without a trace.

Some of the sword energy was quietly transformed and integrated into the Primordial Sword Realm, making the golden halo even more solid and bright.

A moment later, the sword energy suddenly converged and condensed into an incomparably dazzling sword light.

The moment the sword light appeared, the surrounding space seemed to transform into a traditional Chinese ink painting. The sword light, like a stroke of thick ink, carried the momentum to annihilate everything, attempting to completely blacken and tear apart this "painting"!
When the sword light entered the range of the Primordial Sword Realm, its fierce momentum seemed to sink into a quagmire, its speed decreased sharply, and its light gradually dimmed.

When it finally advanced to within three zhang of Li Fei, it had lost all its previous power and was now just a blurry gray shadow, swaying uncertainly.

Li Fei smiled faintly, and with a flick of his sleeve, the remaining sword light shattered, turning into specks of light that then vanished into the air.

"do not fight."

A hundred meters away, Ning Qingman emerged from the jungle.

She looked at Li Fei helplessly: "Your Dao principle is too shameless, there's no way to fight against it!" In ten days, Li Fei used his Qi to completely heal her injuries.

During her recovery, Ning Qingman had already gained new insights into swordsmanship. Now that her injuries have healed, her swordsmanship has improved significantly, and her combat strength has also increased!
She took the initiative to suggest that she spar with Li Fei, and that's how this battle came about.

Having witnessed Li Fei's attack outside Jin Gang City, Ning Qingman did not engage in close combat with him, but instead attacked from a distance.

Her [Sword Unraveling] can break any law in the world. She originally wanted to remotely use her sword energy to imbue it with the power of the law in order to try to break Li Fei's [Unique Law].

As a result, the power of the Dao dissipated automatically as soon as it entered a ten-zhang radius in front of Li Fei, giving Ning Qingman no chance to break through it at all.

Without the power of the Dao, the sword energy alone is not enough to harm Li Fei.

So Li Fei stood still and let Ning Qingman do whatever she wanted. No matter how many moves she used, her sword energy couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes.

Ning Qingman walked towards Li Fei and shook her head, saying:

"A martial saint is at a huge disadvantage against you."

The Martial Saint's greatest strength lies in close combat. If she could fight Li Fei in close combat with a sword, her [Sword Release] would be even stronger.

But once they get close, she can't even use her [Sword Release] skill.

"Even if the True Lord were to face me, he would be at a great disadvantage."

Li Fei laughed.

Within a radius of a hundred miles, he could directly 'see' the aura emanating from a True Lord, thus pinpointing their true location.

In this way, he was essentially fighting the True Lord in close combat!
Ning Qingman came to him and said with emotion:

"When I face your Dao principles, I feel about the same as when I face Lin Tianyi's Dao principles."

Theoretically speaking, her [Sword Release] could break Lin Tianyi's [Great Dao Master].

Once the problem is solved, Lin Tianyi's power will be much weaker, and she will have a chance to win.

But in reality, her [Sword Unraveling] was like an egg hitting a rock when it encountered Lin Tianyi's Dao principles; it was instantly crushed, with no chance of breaking through!
The same thing happened when she fought Li Fei just now. Her power of Dao was instantly reduced to nothingness when it clashed with Li Fei's "Only I Am the Law," and she couldn't exert any power at all.

Apart from the [Great Dao Master] and the [Unique Law of My Own], Ning Qingman can use the [Sword Dissection] to break any other Dao principle, only the speed of breaking it varies.

"I really look forward to seeing you and Lin Tianyi face off again."

Ning Qingman said.

Li Fei laughed and said, "Okay, let's go together after we're done with this."

Ning Qingman: "Is there anything else you need to do?"

Li Fei: "First, we'll go to the desert, and then we'll go to the Abyss."

Ning Qingman: "Let's go, I'll go with you."

Li Fei: "Okay."

The two boarded the flying boat and headed towards the southern border.

Xuanji City.

Xuanmo Royal Palace.

After Wang Chengze announced his seclusion, the once bustling Xuanji City gradually became deserted.

As the people who had come to offer their congratulations departed, the Wang family, following Wang Chengze's instructions, kept a low profile.

Inside the secret chamber, Wang Chengze stopped practicing his internal energy, opened his eyes, and couldn't hide his joy.

In the 'battle for survival' a little over ten days ago, he successfully broke through his realm, reached the peak, and became the new Martial Saint!
However, Wang Chengze did not announce it to the public, nor did he tell anyone in the Wang family.

He remained in seclusion, familiarizing himself with the new realm.

Once you break through to a higher realm, you must hide in a secret room and not tell anyone.

Wang Chengze could only enjoy this joy by himself.

But he enjoyed it very much.

Qilian Guanshi secretly broke through to a higher realm and hid in the shadows, almost killing Li Fei in Cuiqing City!
Wang Chengze believed that his shrewdness and methods were no less than those of the Manchu ruler of the grasslands, so he was able to endure it.

He intends to keep this trump card hidden and wait for the most opportune moment to reveal it.

"Only when you reach the summit do you realize how vast the world is; you were just a frog in a well before."

Wang Chengze murmured.

Then his eyes turned fervent.

In any case, he has finally stepped onto the highest stage in the world!

"Wang Chengze—"

Just as Wang Chengze was immersed in his grand future, a tremendous voice broke through the outer silence array and entered the secret room!
"Li Fei?"

Wang Chengze was startled.

The true power flowing within this musical technique is so strong that it even incorporates the true essence of martial arts and spatial supernatural powers.

In this world, besides the number one martial artist, only Li Fei can perfectly integrate the power of martial arts into magic and achieve such strength.

"Come out and see me—"

Li Fei's voice continued to come through.

The sound resounded throughout the entire Xuanji City, indiscriminately breaking through one silence array after another!

He and Ning Qingman stood in mid-air above Xuanji City.

On the day Zuo Jun broke through his cultivation realm, he sensed, through his perception of destiny, that someone in the south had broken through to become a saint.

My first thought was that this person was Wang Chengze.

Li Fei personally ranked the other party as number one on the Heavenly Ranking, so he naturally understood this person's background better than others.

The opponent was indeed the one closest to becoming a Martial Saint among all the Grandmasters.

It's reasonable that he was able to successfully reach the top, given that he broke through to a higher realm at a relatively easier time and with the blessing of the Xuanmo King's national fortune.

Therefore, Li Fei brought Ning Qingman directly to Xuanji City to confirm this matter.

Wang Chengze thought he had hidden it well and that no one would know.

Little did he know that after becoming a Martial Saint, he would be as conspicuous as a torch in the dark in Li Fei's eyes!
As he himself lamented, before reaching the summit, he was nothing more than a frog in a well, completely unaware of the methods of those at the top.

Before Li Fei even arrived in Xuanji City, he had already located Wang Chengze, so he directly asked the other party to come out and meet him.

At this moment, the entire Xuanji City was alarmed. Some people did not know who the person in the air was, yet dared to call out the name of King Xuanmo.
Many members of the Wang family had already recognized Li Fei, and those who had originally planned to activate the city's protective formation now dared not mention it.

Soon, a figure rose into the air from inside the palace.

Knowing he couldn't escape, Wang Chengze deliberately concealed his aura and came in front of Li Fei and Ning Qingman.

He took the initiative to bow to Li Fei.

"Greetings, Duke Jing'an."

He was the King of Xuanmo, while Li Fei was merely a Duke. Originally, Li Fei should have bowed to him first.

But Wang Chengze was well aware of how he had obtained his throne, so he bowed first.

"This must be Sword Immortal Ning! I've long admired your name!"

Wang Chengze bowed to Ning Qingman again.

Ning Qingman nodded to him.

"I was unaware of the Duke of Jing'an's presence. I apologize for not welcoming you properly. Why don't we go to the Prince's residence for a chat?"

Wang Chengze adopted an extremely humble attitude.

As someone who has just reached the top, he is indeed very patient.

But Li Fei didn't give him face:
"Wang Chengze, you secretly broke through to a higher realm without reporting it. What are your intentions?"

Wang Chengze was taken aback and met Li Fei's eyes.

He intentionally concealed his aura; as long as a top-tier expert doesn't deliberately reveal their Dao principles, it's difficult for others to perceive them.

But unexpectedly, Li Fei saw right through it.

"This"

After exchanging a single glance with Li Fei, Wang Chengze knew he couldn't hide it any longer, so he frankly said:

"I myself have only recently broken through to the next realm; I simply do not wish to make a fuss. Why would the Duke of Jing'an go to such lengths?"

Li Fei looked at him and shook his head:
"I know your plan. You're thinking that when I and Grand Marshal Wenren lead our troops on a distant expedition to the Western Continent, and the Great Blue Dynasty's rear defenses are left vulnerable, you, the Martial Saint, will suddenly jump out and surely change the situation!"
Otherwise, breaking through to the peak is the most joyous thing in life, so why hide it so desperately?

Wang Chengze frowned slightly.

He didn't expect Li Fei to be so blunt, leaving no room for negotiation.

"If you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext. I merely did not publicize my breakthrough, yet the Duke of Jing'an accuses me of plotting a rebellion. How absurd!"

Li Fei remained calm:

"So, you're refusing to confess?"

Wang Chengze finally lost his temper and sensed danger.

"This is a fabricated charge; how could I possibly admit to it?!"

"The Great Blue Dynasty aspires to rule the world, but how can it convince the people with fabricated charges?!"

His voice also resounded throughout the city and spread far and wide.

Li Fei smiled:

"Good, King Xuanmo has broken through to sainthood in one day, congratulations!"

"This lord has come today to offer his congratulations and wishes to make friends through martial arts!"

"King Xuanmo, please—"

Wang Chengze's expression changed drastically.

He finally realized that Li Fei wasn't here to reason with him today; he was here to bully him!