Martial arts ascend to the gods

Chapter 359 Photos
After Qiu the Cripple finished speaking, he kept searching and finally found the photo after a while. He then took out his phone and showed it to the two of them.

Jax glanced at the photos of Zhou Leng's four family members, stared at one of them, and said, "I think I've seen this person before, but I can't recall his name."

Tu Rong stared blankly at the photo for a long time before saying in a dry voice, "Ma Xingkong looks a lot like Zhou Leng's mother. So, Ma Xingkong might be Zhou Leng's uncle?"

"Yes, that's what we guessed at the time. However, Ma Xingkong is a taboo subject in Rucheng, and we were afraid he would cause trouble for Zhou Leng, so I didn't say much just now."

"I never expected this..." Tu Rong was filled with emotion.

“So it’s Ma Xingkong. I’ve heard of him in the Eagle Alliance as well…” Jax said thoughtfully.

Jax dismissed Qiu the Cripple, then looked at Tu Rong and asked, "Do you know Ma Xingkong?"

Tu Rong said, “He saved me. Back then, I was young and was out there causing trouble. My boss angered the principal of No. 8 Middle School. The principal led all the martial arts teachers and students in the school to arrest us. I would have been arrested and sentenced, but Ma Xingkong saw that I was thin and small and realized that I had no choice but to become a hoodlum, so he reported to Principal Lu and released me. I never expected that he would be Zhou Leng’s uncle.”

Jax said, "I remember you said before that you were originally going to help your friend lead a group to beat up Zhou Leng. But then you found out that Zhou Leng was being praised by Principal Lu of No. 8 Middle School, and you didn't want to attack someone Principal Lu valued. Instead, you escaped danger and survived?"

“Yes,” Tu Rong said slowly, “I still remember Ma Xingkong coming over, patting me on the back, and seeing me off.”

“That’s interesting.” Jax hadn’t expected the two of them to have this connection.

"How's your friend whose legs were broken by Zhou Leng?"

"Tao Bing has not gone back to the martial arts school because he is terrified of Zhou Leng. Especially after I said that Chang Luan and his son might have been killed by Zhou Leng, he was so scared that he didn't leave the house for a month."

“The twists and turns of life…” Jax sighed softly.

That night, Zhou Leng went to the tavern at the Tree Man base and gathered with Zhao He, Lou Feiqiong, and some other innate humans to drink and chat.

Zhou Leng spoke very little, only listening to their conversation.

At first, these people only talked about martial arts and major events in the Ten Realms, but after drinking too much, they started talking about all sorts of gossip.

For example, whose son or daughter is dating which celebrity or internet influencer, whose family made a fortune in the financial market, whose family acquired shares in a new company, whose family made a huge profit from Ten Worlds Trading...

They seem to talk about everything, but when it comes to important and sensitive topics, they don't mention a single word.

Zhou Leng wanted to hear something exciting, but unfortunately he couldn't.
In addition, since this is a war zone, people are not as open about their activities.

Several people asked Zhou Leng to add Wu Xin as a friend, and Zhou Leng added him, but still didn't say much.

Zhou remained calm and composed, saying that they were not from the same circle to begin with, and there was no need to force themselves to fit in.

Lou Feiqiong walked over and asked Zhou Leng if he wanted to go outside for some fresh air to sober up.

Zhou Leng sensed that he had something to say, so they went outside together.

After the two left, one person looked at Zhao He.

"Second brother, who is Zhou Leng? Why is he so arrogant?"

Zhao He said, "Don't ask me, ask Brother Hu. He just got beaten up by Brother Hu."

"Commander Chen?"

"nonsense."

"This person... is not interesting."

"He is a martial artist at the pinnacle, single-mindedly focused on cultivating martial arts. The fact that he came to this event is already a great honor for me."

"I don't think this person will go far."

"Whether you look or not makes no difference." Zhao He glanced at the doorway.

He had met all sorts of people, and the more determined Zhou Leng was, the more optimistic he became.

Those truly powerful grandmasters and martial arts masters are almost all like this.

We will never compromise with worldly forces.

He felt that Zhou Leng wouldn't go far if he had to befriend these people in a humble and subservient manner.

Lou Feiqiong and Zhou Leng stood outside the Tree Man Tavern, gazing at the stars in the night sky.

"The nights here, and in the Giant World, seem brighter than on Blue Star," Lou Feiqiong said.

“It’s very likely related to the location of different planets. Blue Star is far from the center of the Milky Way, while this place and the Giant World are closer to their galactic center,” Zhou Leng said.

"You've grown quite fast, but a solid foundation is more important. The path of accumulating knowledge and experience, like that of Chen Shouhu and Wang Boxiong, is more suitable for you. The path of Li Shenkong is too difficult."

“I’ll also try to take the path of gradual accumulation. Li Shenkong has too many resources; starting from a young age, he’s essentially ten years ahead of me. We’re destined to take different paths,” Zhou Leng said.

“I rarely see you at the Guhe Research Bureau,” Lou Feiqiong said.

“I’m used to being free and I don’t like being constrained,” Zhou Leng said.

"Our Ancient River Sect is quite interesting. So many people have joined, but no one has ever said who the senior brother is." Lou Feiqiong was still looking into the distance.

“Indeed,” Zhou Leng replied calmly.

“I had a family gathering a few days ago and only then did I realize that you are actually Ma Xingkong’s nephew,” Lou Feiqiong said.

Zhou Leng's eyes flickered slightly, and he said, "I thought you always knew."

"What's past is past. Some people keep dwelling on it, but we're different from them; there's no need for constant infighting. I heard you're on an overseas assignment, right?"

“Yes.” Zhou Leng replied calmly.

"We should strive to eliminate demons and monsters, after all, time is running out for humanity. The final battle of the Ten Realms is about to begin."

Zhou Leng said, "This battle between the tree people is quite unusual."

"Yes, I have a guess. This battle between the tree people may very well be the prelude to the second war of the ten realms."

The two chatted for a while longer before Lou Feiqiong went back, and Zhou Leng left, returning to his room in the Tree Root Cave.

In his mind, he repeatedly recalled the words Lou Feiqiong had said at the beginning.

"Great things come from small beginnings..."

"A gathering of elders at home..."

"Some people are always thinking about..."

"I heard you're on assignment abroad..."

"Time is running out for humanity..."

Zhou Leng pondered the matter repeatedly, and after a long time, he seemed to have an epiphany.

After recovering from his injuries for another three days, Zhou Leng opened the Martial Arts City app and volunteered to participate in the battle to defend against the giant worm.

Feel the power in your body and be full of confidence.

In just six days, his strength improved significantly.

With the True Qi in its innate state fully stabilized, once the Yuan-Embracing Pill purchased with borrowed money arrives, it can rapidly compress its true qi. Reaching ten times its original density will allow it to advance to the Blood-Shaking Innate state.

After acquiring the innate ability to ward off evil, the destructive power of the blood-shaking technique increases even further.

The application had just been sent out when loud cheers were heard coming from the direction of the city wall.

"The giant insect has retreated..."

Zhou Leng stared at the various ethnic groups cheering on the city wall, his eyes full of questions.

What will happen to my war merits?
Did I come here to cultivate?

Although the effect is indeed good.

Zhou Leng climbed the city wall and looked out.

For dozens of kilometers ahead, nothing grew; there were large craters and charred remains.

Dry bones, severed limbs, and filthy blood were scattered everywhere.

A long wind blows, and all is empty.

At the horizon, giant insects receded into the distance.

Even the smallest insect is three meters tall and can fill a small room.

The largest beetle looks like an entire building slowly moving.

Zhou Leng asked the treant captain next to him, "Friend, why did the giant worm retreat?"

The treant captain had a complicated expression.

"On the one hand, they defeated another tribe, killed a Tree of Life, obtained the Heart of Life, and accomplished their strategic objective."

"On the other hand, this time the reinforcements are numerous and very strong, and the giant insects have suffered heavy losses. If nothing unexpected happens, they will attack other places, and then the number of reinforcements from various races will be much smaller."

Zhou Leng understood that since the Demon City base connected to all realms, the Humanoid Alliance would naturally offer its full assistance.

If the battlefield is only within the Tree People's world, the Humanoid Alliance will still provide assistance, but its strength will be greatly reduced.

Human nature.

It would be difficult for the Tree People to devote all their efforts to helping the alien world in its great war.

Zhou Leng was even more melancholy than the Tree Man Captain. He touched his battle merit plate; six days had passed, and his battle merit was 0.

They certainly borrowed a lot of life force.

The fifty-member group of the Ancient River Sect became active.

The early disciples of the Ancient River Sect, located at the Tree Man Base, began to chat.

Zhou Leng looked and realized that it was the innate disciple who had gone back to the Water Continent Demon City to report the news who had returned.

He sent messages to other disciples of the Ancient River Sect, and many disciples came, but some did not respond.

They are either cultivating or far away in the Demon City or even another world.

Shanheyuan is still in the Giant World, while Elder Song goes down to the Demon Prison alone to hone his skills. Zhang Xinglie rushes into the Orc World to fight, having heard that some treasure has been unlocked there.

Third Brother Li Yuanhe didn't come; Guhe Sect needs him too much.

He has switched to an administrative career path, nominally serving as deputy director, but in reality, he oversees the daily operations of the Furukawa Research Bureau.

Our old friends are all busy with their own things.

Zhou Leng wanted to invite them to join him in searching for ancient tree fossils, but they all had their own schedules to keep.

Scrolling through Wu Xin's chat page, I slowly scrolled down until my eyes landed on Rao Mingxian's profile picture.

Upon opening it, there was no change whatsoever; everything seemed to have remained frozen on the day Huang Mengpai attacked the city.

After that day, Zhang Xiaoxiao and Tong Tianxia had no new information.

The Huang-Meng school seems to have evaporated.

Zhou Leng raised his head and silently gazed into the distance.

Giant insects passed through, leaving the land barren.

He descended the city wall and returned to his room in the tree root cave, where he silently cultivated.

Compared to the beginning, the overall efficiency of cultivation has been improving.

The main reason for accelerated cultivation is that the life force enhances the body's vitality.

The stronger the body's vitality and the more external forces one receives, the better the cultivation effect.

However, there are limits to the enhancement of physical activity.

At that point, cultivation efficiency will be fixed at a certain range and will no longer improve.

Feeling his body's activity nearing its limit, Zhou Leng recalled the contents of the second part of the "Star-Gazing Technique," and began to read it slowly.

The first part mainly focuses on the practice of the exercises, while the second part is a collection of miscellaneous knowledge, involving a great deal of cultivation knowledge.

Zhou Leng read slowly, gaining a clearer understanding of his own cultivation progress.

As evening approached, news arrived that the previously purchased Baoyuan Pills had arrived and could be collected.

Zhou Leng went to the human settlement and collected a large number of Yuan-Gathering Pills.

Now, the total number of Baoyuan Pills in my hand, plus those I've taken before, has reached 90.

Back in the Root Cave room, I saw Flourishing Root and several other tree people chatting at the door.

The tree-man's voice was deep and resonant, echoing in the corridor.

“Flourishing Roots,” Zhou Lengxian greeted.

"Zhou Leng".

"Go in and talk."

Upon entering the room, Zhou Leng brewed a pot of tea and poured it into teacups for his four tree-man friends.

Each of the tree people extended a root and inserted it into the teacup in front of them.

Zhou remained silent.

Every time I see a tree-like person drinking tea, it reminds me of soaking one's feet.

The tea in the teacup slowly descended.

(End of this chapter)