Gao Wu: You have science, and I have magic!

Paris, the secret workshop of the Knights Templar.

In the dimly lit underground hall, the flickering candlelight illuminated the ancient runes carved on the walls.

Twelve knights clad in silver-white armor knelt on one knee, gripping their longswords tightly with the tips touching the ground.

Their armor was engraved with crosses and fleur-de-lis emblems, and their chests were inlaid with a crystal that emitted a ghostly blue light—a "psychic core" modified by the Vatican.

"In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."

Archbishop de Ravel raised his scepter high, his deep voice echoing between the stone walls, “Today, we bestow upon you a sacred mission—to transform the evil power of heresy into the glory of God!”

The knights responded in unison: "Amen!"

…………

Three months ago, deep in the Amazon rainforest of South America

French explorer Pierre Durand stood in a damp jungle clearing, before a Native American chief adorned with feathers. The chief's skin was covered in mysterious totems, and his eyes were as deep as abyss.

"You want the secret of 'Mind Breath'?"

The chief spoke in a hoarse voice, like sandpaper rubbing against rock.

"Yes."

Durand smiled and handed over a box of gold and flintlock pistols, saying, "France is willing to exchange its most precious treasures for this."

The chief remained silent for a long time before finally taking out a bone fragment covered with runes from his robes and whispering, "This is the cultivation method of the 'Spirit of Wind,' but you must remember that if power is abused, it will inevitably lead to destruction."

Durand took the bone fragment, a glint of greed in his eyes: "Of course, we will only use it for... 'sacred' purposes."

…………

Not long ago, in Paris, at the secret laboratory of the Royal Academy of Sciences
Scientists gathered around a steam-powered device in the center of which floated a fist-sized blue crystal that pulsated in a regular pattern.

"Incredible!"

Chief Engineer LeBlanc exclaimed, "This energy can directly power machinery without the need for coal!"

"Not only that."

A priest dressed in black robes stepped forward and gently stroked the surface of the crystal with his fingers. "Having been baptized by holy water, it is no longer the evil power of heresy, but 'divine power'."

"Apply it immediately to the 'Napoleon'!"

Louis Philippe I declared, "We must show the world that French technology and faith are unmatched!"

London, the secret crypt of St. John's Cathedral

Queen Victoria stood side by side with the French envoy before a huge map of the Far East, marked with the spheres of influence of the Xinwumen.

"Ye Qingzhou must be eliminated."

The Queen said coldly, "If his power spreads, the entire East will no longer submit to us."

"The Holy Knights of France are ready."

The envoy responded with a smile, clearly agreeing, "Our ironclad warships will be equipped with 'divine power,' making them faster and more powerful than any sailing warship."

"very good."

The Queen traced the map with her fingertip over Guangzhou, "The combined fleet will depart in three months. This time, the East must forever submit to our rule!"

Yuejiang Estuary, Xinwumen Headquarters
Ye Qingzhou stood on the high platform, the night breeze ruffling his long hair.

Black Hawk strode over and whispered, "Your Majesty, an urgent report from the South American branch: the cultivation method of 'Spirit of Wind' has been stolen by the French. The traitor has been executed, but the enemy has already mastered a portion of the power of the Mind and Martial Arts."

Ye Qingzhou's gaze was icy, and he didn't care. "It's alright. They tried to draw a tiger but ended up with a dog. They don't understand the true meaning of 'Heart Martial Arts'. Even if they learn some of the superficial aspects, they are no match for us."

He turned to look at the distant sea, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Pass down the order to launch the 'Skywork Project'—it's time to show the Westerners what true 'psychic technology' really is."

A storm is coming.

…………

Bharat, Mumbai Port

The flags of the Anglo-French fleet fluttered in the wind.

The Sassoon family's private army, a mercenary force of five thousand Sikhs, is now lining up to board the ship.

They carried state-of-the-art breech-loading rifles, but at their waists hung daggers engraved with strange runes—"magic-slaying artifacts" that the Sassoon family had purchased at a high price from lamas in the Kunlun Mountains.

"Remember, your enemy is not an ordinary army."

The British commander, staring at the map, said in a deep voice, "They can manipulate frost, fire, and even alter the terrain. But our Holy Knights will tear their defenses apart!"

The Sikh warriors remained silent, but their eyes gleamed with greed and fighting spirit.

Sassoon stood on high ground, a smirk playing on his lips: "Ye Qingzhou, your end has come."

…………

Yanjing, the Forbidden City
Emperor Daoguang's face was grim. On his desk were two secret letters: one from a Russian envoy promising to help suppress the "southern rebels"; the other was an "ultimatum" from the Anglo-French allied forces, demanding that the Qing court open all ports, or else "everything would perish."

"His Majesty!"

Grand Councilor Mu Zhang'a knelt on the ground and said, "The foreigners are powerful. Why not use them to eliminate the Xinwu Sect, then send troops to clean up the mess and reap the benefits?"

"Shut up!"

Emperor Daoguang slammed his hand on the table, then slumped down and said, “Issue an imperial edict… ordering the Jiangnan Grand Camp to immediately march south and cooperate with the allied forces in ‘suppressing bandits’.”

…………

Guangzhou, the headquarters of Xinwumen
Ye Qingzhou stood with his hands behind his back, a global map spread out in front of him.

Black Hawk rushed in: "Your Majesty! The Qing army has crossed the Yangtze River, the British and French fleets have arrived in Malacca, and Sikh mercenaries are landing in Burma!"

Wei Yuan gripped "Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms" tightly, his beard trembling: "This is an ambush from all sides!"

"Do not."

Ye Qingzhou suddenly smiled. He raised his hand and pressed it on the map. As his spiritual energy surged, golden veins appeared on the map's Chinese territory: "This is a war of founding a nation. Only by being baptized in blood and fire can a powerful country be built."

"Everyone."

Ye Qingzhou surveyed the crowd, his voice ringing like metal on stone: "This battle is not for the change of dynasties, nor for the survival of sects..."

He drew his longsword, its blade pointing straight to the sky: "Just to tell the world that Chinese civilization has never needed anyone to bestow its life upon it!"

…………

At the mouth of the Yuejiang River, the raging waves surge.

The combined British and French ironclad warships loomed like a dark cloud, their steam turbines roaring and their cannons menacing.

On the deck of the flagship "Revenge", Grand Master Albert de Saint Clair of the Knights Templar held a cross sword inlaid with rubies, the blade wreathed in pale blue divine energy.

He stared coldly at the distant coastline and gave the order decisively: "Fire."

In an instant, hundreds of heavy cannons roared, shells tearing through the air and hurtling toward the Humen Fort!

However, the expected explosion did not occur.

The shell suddenly froze into ice in mid-air, then shattered with a "crack," turning into countless ice crystals that drifted away.

"What's going on?!" the British commander exclaimed in shock.

Humen Fortress, Star Observatory.

Ye Qingzhou held a hand seal with one hand, and spiritual energy surged around his body like a tide.

Behind him, three hundred disciples of the Xinwu Sect sat in formation, their spiritual energy converging into an invisible barrier that enveloped the entire sea area.

"Ice Barrier, activate!"

With a low shout, the sea froze at a visible speed, the ice spreading rapidly and instantly trapping the vanguard warships of the allied fleet in place! "Impossible!"

St. Clair roared, "The Holy Spirit should be able to counteract their power!"

Deep in the Yue River, the Black Bird Fleet sets out.

Twelve Xuan Niao-class warships broke through the ice, their hulls gleaming with runes, and the Xuan Niao carved on their prows seemed to come alive, their eyes blazing with crimson light.

"put!"

The Xinwumen gunners ignited the psionic cannons; the cannonballs were not iron bullets, but psionic fireballs compressed to the extreme!

Boom~~
A British frigate was hit directly, and the Sikh mercenaries on the deck were instantly vaporized by the intense heat before they could even scream!
On the land battlefield, blood and fire intertwined.

Jiangnan Admiral Qi Ying looked ashen-faced as he watched the fleeing Green Standard Army soldiers ahead.

He originally thought that with the help of the foreigners' cannon fire, the Qing army could wipe out the Xinwu Sect in one fell swoop, but he never expected...

"Sir! Let's go!"

His bodyguard tugged at his horse's reins, shouting, "Those monsters are catching up!"

In the distance, warriors bathed in flames rampaged through the crowd, sweeping across the battlefield like a torrent, leaving no trace of Qing soldiers in their wake!

With trembling hands, Qi Ying pulled out a secret edict from his bosom—a handwritten decree from the Daoguang Emperor: "If things cannot be accomplished... surrender."

He gave a bitter laugh, drew his sword, but ultimately lacked the courage to commit suicide.

"Hang... a white flag."

In one corner of the battlefield, Saint Claire personally led twelve holy knights, treading on the ice, straight towards the observatory where Ye Qingzhou was!
"Heretics! Accept the Lord's judgment!"

The cross-shaped sword unleashed a dazzling holy light, shattering the ice layer!

It was obvious that these European knights had mastered the method of utilizing emotional energy, but to Ye Qingzhou, this was nothing more than showing off his limited skills before an expert.

Ye Qingzhou let out a cold laugh, without moving, but simply raised his hand slightly.

"Heart Martial Arts - Heavenly Frost".

Click~~
Saint Clair's sword suddenly froze three feet away from Ye Qingzhou, and the ice spread rapidly up his arm!
"what?!"

Ye Qingzhou took a step forward, his fingertip pointing towards Saint Claire's brow: "Even if your god truly exists, it would never dare to appear before me."

bang~
St. Clair's head shattered like an ice sculpture!
The situation on the battlefield suddenly changed.

With the defeat of the Knights Templar, the morale of the Anglo-French allied forces completely collapsed.

The Xuan Bird fleet pressed its advantage, unleashing a barrage of psionic artillery fire that sank one ironclad ship after another in the flames!
The steam turbines of the British flagship HMS Revenge were emitting a dying wail, and frozen corpses littered the deck.

Captain Richard gripped the helm tightly, watching the Xuan Bird-class flagship, the "Xuanyuan," slowly approaching ahead.

Ye Qingzhou stood with his hands behind his back at the bow of the ship, his robes fluttering in the wind.

Behind him, twelve elders of the Xinwu Sect simultaneously formed hand seals, and twelve ice pillars suddenly rose from the sea, completely surrounding the "Revenge"!
"Fire! Keep firing!"

Richard roared hysterically.

But the gunners had already collapsed to the ground, their shells frozen in mid-air, while the psionic muzzles of the Xuan Bird ship were gathering a blinding light.

"This shot was for Humen."

Ye Qingzhou said softly.

Boom~~
A beam of blazing white psionic energy pierced through the "Revenge," tearing the steel warship in two like paper before it sank into the Yuejiang River in a deafening explosion!

Seeing the situation was turning against them, the Sassoon family's Sikh mercenaries defected and began to seize British supply ships!
"Retreat! All troops retreat!"

The British flagship raised a white flag.

After the war, dawn broke.

Ye Qingzhou stood on the damaged observatory, gazing at the gradually calming sea.

Black Hawk, covered in blood, knelt on one knee: "Your Majesty, the Qing army has retreated to Shaoguan, and the remnants of the British and French forces have fled to India."

Wei Yuan was so excited that tears streamed down his face: "We...won!"

Ye Qingzhou shook his head: "No, this is just a trivial victory. The real test has just begun."

He gazed at the rising sun in the east, his eyes deep and profound: "From this day forward, the Heart Martial Sect will no longer remain hidden from the world—we will let the whole world know what true...Chinese power is!"

In the distance, the battle flags of the Xuan Bird Fleet fluttered in the wind. The flags no longer bore the dragon pattern of the Qing Dynasty, but instead featured a golden Xuan Bird with outstretched wings, looking proudly at the sky!
…………

In the Indian Ocean, the morale of the defeated Allied forces was at its lowest point.

The surviving British and French warships fled in disarray toward Calcutta. On the deck, Sassoon family Sikh mercenaries suddenly sprang into action and threw British officers into the sea!
"What are you doing?!"

The French commander was both shocked and furious.

The leading Sikh warrior sneered, "Lord Sassoon said that since the British have lost... India should change masters!"

…………

In Yanjing (Beijing), and even in the Forbidden City, there was an atmosphere of wailing and lamentation.

When Emperor Daoguang received the battle report, he collapsed onto his dragon throne.

"The entire Jiangnan Camp was wiped out... The British and French fleets suffered 70% losses..."

Mu Zhang'a knelt on the ground, his voice trembling, "Your Majesty, Ye Qingzhou sent someone with a letter... He said..."

"say what?!"

"They said, 'If you dare to bring foreigners into China again, the next battle will be our army besieging Beijing!'"

…………

Guangzhou has finally ushered in the dawn of a new era.

On the third day after the war, Ye Qingzhou stood on the rebuilt Humen Fort, with the disciples of Xinwumen, Wei Yuan and other patriots behind him, as well as the surrendered Southern Guangdong Navy.

His voice resounded far and wide: "From this day forward, the Xinwu Sect is established and will accept disciples!"

"All sons and daughters of China can cultivate the Way of the Mind and Martial Arts!"

"No foreign warships will dare to invade our land again!"

A deafening cheer erupted from the crowd. Wei Yuan, tears welling in his eyes, murmured, "It's changed...this world is truly changing..."

…………

The silence of the Houses of Parliament in London

Queen Victoria stared at the battle report, remaining silent for a long time. Finally, she removed her crown and whispered, "From this day forward... Great Britain will never advance eastward again."

The Battle of Yuejiangkou took place three months later.

The morning sun pierced through the clouds where the smoke of battle had not yet dissipated, shining on the newly forged steel Great Wall at the mouth of the Yue River.

This massive fortress, stretching for ten miles, was built in just ninety days by Xinwumen in collaboration with craftsmen from Guangdong and Guangxi, using the "Melt Gold Method" to refine iron ore from the South Seas.

Ye Qingzhou, dressed in a black outfit, traced the spiritual patterns on the city wall with his fingertips.

These composite runes, improved by Wei Yuan, perfectly blended Taoist formations with Western mechanics, enabling the entire city wall to absorb the impact of cannonballs and even reflect some of the damage.

"Your Majesty, the latest battle report."

Black Hawk strode over and handed over a gilded secret letter: "The Sassoon family launched a coup in India, and the Sikh Legion captured the British headquarters in Calcutta."

Ye Qingzhou gave a disdainful smile: "It's just dogs fighting, we don't need to pay attention to it for now."

He then turned and looked towards the horizon, asking, "Where is the French expeditionary force?" (End of Chapter)