Martial arts ascend to the gods

Chapter 560 Social Anxiety
Zhao Cong couldn't help but admonish, "You media should stop now and stop biting like mad dogs all the time. If you cause an international dispute or even attract attention from other worlds, you'll definitely be punished by the higher-ups."

"Don't worry, a divine script researcher whose martial arts are completely crippled can't cause much trouble. I'll listen to you and guarantee that all procedures will be legal and compliant, minimizing media attention and only keeping a few trending topics. As long as we have solid evidence to discredit Zhou Leng, and the sixteen companies make some concessions, even if others want to protect him, they'll have no choice but to compromise. We've already taken a step back; they can't afford to push their luck, can they?"

"Hmm," Zhao Cong hummed casually.

Gao Tianfeng breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhao Cong thought for a moment, then said earnestly, "The Dragon Kingdom has always been a country centered on the Martial Academy. The Martial Academy controls and decides everything. Even if the Demon City Army is as powerful as it is, its status has greatly improved in the era of martial artists, and it has a certain degree of independence, but it is still an organization under the Martial Academy's hierarchy."

Gao Tianfeng naturally knew.

"Martial Palace" is a general term encompassing all organizations and institutions within the Dragon Kingdom; it is commonly referred to as the "National Palace."

The highest authority in the Martial Academy is the Supreme Court, which decides everything.

The Demon City Army is only a part of the Martial Academy, and the highest-ranking members of the Demon City Army are also in the Supreme Court.

The number one of the Martial Academy is the true number one of the Dragon Kingdom, and the number one of the Demon City Army is subordinate to the number one of the Martial Academy.

This is not a simple matter of civil and military affairs, but a consensus reached by many martial sages after drawing on historical and international experience.

In any era, once a warlord seizes supreme power, the country will inevitably descend into chaos, with almost no exceptions.

Zhao Dongjun's voluntary withdrawal from the position of No. 1 in the Martial Academy laid the foundation for the current stable situation.

Otherwise, like most countries in the world, the Dragon Kingdom would be a mere shell, with the Martial Palace being the actual domain of powerful clans and warlords.

Zhao Cong continued, "The Martial Academy has too many important matters to resolve right now and hasn't paid attention to them yet. You must act swiftly and decisively before they notice. Otherwise, once the Supreme Court takes notice, you will be in a very passive position."

After saying that, Zhao Cong said no more.

Having said that, we have done everything we could.

Gao Tianfeng pondered the meaning behind the words carefully.

After parting ways with Zhao Cong, she made two phone calls and returned to the company.

The company was brightly lit, and representatives from many companies were sitting in the reception room.

When they saw Gao Tianfeng enter, they all smiled and bowed in greeting.

Gao Tianfeng walked in arrogantly, head held high, face indifferent. She glanced at everyone, nodded indifferently, and said, "Let's talk in the conference room."

The others followed behind, respectfully entering the conference room.

Gao Tianfeng said calmly, "Today we will only discuss business cooperation; nothing else."

"Yes, yes, yes, let's only talk business..."

Before long, the two sides reached an agreement on cooperation matters for the next five years, with a total investment of over five billion.

The First Military Hospital of the Demon City.

The theologians from the Divine Literature Institute, together with Zhao Nandi, learned the situation and were filled with emotion. They never expected that Zhou Leng was actually Ma Xingkong's nephew.

An old expert said, "Back then, we also paid attention to Ma Xingkong's case. We might not be able to do other things, but if they dare to use underhanded methods, I dare to put up banners at their gate. I just don't believe it!"

"I'll go as well."

"Take me with you. I'm an old man, I'm not afraid of anything anymore."

Many experts on the mythical texts were filled with righteous indignation.

The dean sighed and said, "Don't worry, as long as you're innocent, no one can convict you for even a day. You are a hero of the Dragon Kingdom and even all of humanity. If even you are harmed, then the Divine Script Academy should just be disbanded. I will definitely report this to the higher-ups, even if it means going to great lengths to do so!"

The crowd gradually dispersed, leaving only Zhao Nandi behind.

As the two were talking, two martial artists dressed in camouflage entered through the door.

They showed their identification; they were from the Demon City Army Headquarters.

Zhao Nandi felt relieved. This was a core department within the Demon City Army, far beyond the reach of the sixteen families. If they dared to mobilize the headquarters, they would inevitably face a devastating blow.

She glanced at Zhou Leng, nodded slightly to indicate that there was no problem, and walked out of the room.

As soon as Zhao Nandi left the room, the two martial artists bowed in unison.

Their eyes revealed undisguised respect for Zhou Leng, and one of the younger ones had slightly red eyes.

One person said, "Comrade Zhou Leng, you have been wronged."

Zhou said indifferently, "What are the Tiger and Bear duo up to?"

"Well, we don't know that. We're just following orders from the General Headquarters to ask you about the details of the Great Battlefield. We need to verify this from multiple sources."

"Did the supervisory team take the people outside away?"

"They will receive the punishment they deserve."

"Alright, let's talk about the Great Battlefield. What do you all want to ask?" Zhou Leng knew he had no martial arts skills and had no right to argue about so many things.

The two asked for the record, and Zhou Leng answered.

Except for extremely private matters, they are almost always open and honest.

This even includes Dragon God combat techniques, King-slaying skills, and the harvest of Broken Heaven Bones, because some experiences involved more than one person alone.

The two already knew some of the outlines and had asked others.

Now, after cross-verification, I admire Zhou Leng even more.

Both of them were considered to be among the more outstanding innately, but compared to Zhou Leng, they were far inferior.

"Could we examine your battle medal?"

Zhou Leng handed it over.

The two put their battle merit plaques into the portable battle merit recorder, which immediately started beeping.

The two were prepared.

After a while, the two looked at the result, their eyes widening in disbelief.

The number of innate imprints exceeds 100,000. The number of major innate imprints alone exceeds 12,000.

There are a total of thirty newly promoted Grandmaster marks, most of which are at the Innate King level.

Although most of them were unidentifiable alien races, the number of monsters in the alliance was not small.

“You didn’t say you killed so many Grandmasters or even Great Innates.”

Zhou said indifferently, "I was so busy killing that I didn't remember much."

The two exchanged a glance and then understood why the Monster Alliance had sent thousands of people in, only to have only a few dozen survive and suffer a crushing defeat.

It turns out that Zhou Leng killed them all by himself.

"I heard you've been in contact with Xu Ming?"

Zhou Leng said, "He dragged me into the Ten Thousand Lights Project. Do you have the authority to do that?"

The two laughed and said, "Yes."

“I’ve handed the items over to Master Wang,” Zhou Leng said.

“We know. Do you have any other ways? I overheard a member say that he sent you something like a military notice.”

Zhou Leng said, "Then add me on Wuxin, and I'll forward our conversation to you."

"Excuse me."

One person added Zhou Leng on WeChat, and Zhou Leng sent him their chat history with Xu Ming.

One person continued asking questions while the other took notes from the written record. Suddenly, the other turned his head, wiped his eyes, and then turned back.

After asking the questions, one of them whispered, "We originally planned to come after your injuries stabilized, but things have developed too quickly, so we have to come earlier. This is the alarm at our headquarters. If you encounter an emergency, press it hard, and someone will protect you."

“Okay.” Zhou Leng took the alarm.

"There are times when we are powerless to help you. But please believe that even if you lose all your martial arts skills, you are still a member of our Demon City Army. Even if you are not a member of the Demon City Army, even if you have no identity left, there will definitely be martial artists who uphold justice."

The two of them got up and walked outside.

One of them hesitated for a moment, then walked back, looked at Zhou Leng, stood at attention, saluted, and said, "The ancient river flows on."

After the two left, Zhou lay quietly.

Countless messages are inside the magical wristwatch.

Zhou Leng didn't know how to respond.

At this moment, social anxiety reached its peak.

They didn't even dare to open Wuxin.

I don't know how to face all of that.

All the despair and suffering of the past are so insignificant in the face of the severance of martial arts.

Zhao Nandi walked in, feeding Zhou Leng fruit while chatting with her attentively.

At this moment, she was no longer the strict teacher she once was; she was like a kind and approachable older sister, always smiling and gentle.

She stayed there to keep watch over the bed until late at night, and no matter how Zhou Leng tried to persuade her, it was no use, so he had no choice but to let her be.

Lou family.

Lou Shanding walked into the room and looked at Lou Feiqiong, who had become a little thinner.

“Father,” Lou Feiqiong said.

"They don't call me Dad anymore?"

“Dad,” Lou Feiqiong said helplessly.

Lou Shanding said, "You'll probably be released in a few months."

Lou Feiqiong's expression changed slightly, and he asked, "You've attacked Zhou Leng?"

Lou Shanding slowly recounted the events of the past few days.

From the alliance of sixteen entities to the dispatch of a master assassin, to the mobilization of a cluster of four hundred media outlets to spread rumors, slander, and frame others, and finally to the dispatch of people to make arrests.

Lou Shanding said, "I have to say, Zhou Leng is indeed quite capable. Even though his martial arts have been cut off, Chen Shouhu and Wang Boxiong are willing to protect him, as are the people from the Divine Script Academy. Even Gao Tianfeng advised us to take a step back. However, we never intended to resolve this head-on. As long as we ruin his reputation first, we will have countless ways to torment him until he voluntarily commits suicide."

Lou Feiqiong stared blankly at his father and asked, "Has he really lost his martial arts?"

“Not only did a Grandmaster personally examine his pulse, but so can a Demon Spirit Master and a healing expert. Since he is destined not to advance to the Grandmaster level, there's no need for us to be so drastic. However, we must firmly pin the charge of 'forced crime' on him; otherwise, the hatred of the sixteen families towards Ma Xingkong will never be resolved.”

Lou Feiqiong remained expressionless and said, "So, you've committed numerous evils, made deals with the Demon Worshiping Cult, coerced Ma Xingkong into taking the blame and even joining them, and when he refused, you ruined his future. Forced into a corner, he reported you, and you not only killed him, but you also targeted his nephew, framing and slandering him without restraint. Is this what you call 'getting revenge'?"

"Is there a problem?" Lou Shanding's expression was equally indifferent.

"You will not succeed. Martial artists with a conscience will not let you go. The Huang Meng School will not let you go."

"What did you say!" Lou Shanding stepped forward.

Lou Feiqiong met his father's gaze without fear and said, "Dad, stop. You've made one mistake after another, committing countless evils. Zhou Leng has already severed his martial arts path, so let's spare his life."

"How can I trust you to take over the Lou family business if you're like this?"

"How can I possibly take over the Lou family business if you treat me like this, against my conscience?"

"You little beast, what kind of bewitching potion did Zhou Leng give you!" Lou Shanding, who had been holding back for many days, finally exploded.

"Because you taught me from a young age to be a good person, a good son, and a good student. You may have forgotten, but I have always remembered."

"you……"

Lou Shanding stared intently at his son, then sighed helplessly and turned to leave.

"Once Zhou Leng's matter is resolved, I will hand over the position of family head to you, and you can do whatever you want with it." Lou Shanding closed the door and walked slowly away.

(End of this chapter)