Both start in hell: but their talents are multiplied a hundredfold.

Shen Jue strode towards the Golden Palace: "Come in, all of you."

The seven people filed in. Zhang Sanfeng returned to the carriage and sat down to meditate, while Huang Shang followed him to the door and stood with his hands in his sleeves.

Zhao Ji shakily got up and left, and for a moment, no one dared to stop Shen Jue and his group.

As more and more martial arts masters gathered in the capital, Shen Jue made no attempt to conceal his inner strength and powerful physique.

Every expert who arrived at the imperial city felt Shen Jue's terrifying presence, which was like a natural disaster.

It's like the feeling of a dinosaur living in the age of dinosaurs witnessing a meteorite fall from the sky and completely destroy the earth and ocean into ashes.

No martial artist attempted to make a move. Even the most staunch royalists, when trying to channel their inner energy to attack Shen Jue to prove their loyalty, would find that their bodies instinctively reacted with fear!

Shen Jue sat down on the throne, his gaze sweeping over the seven people following him, and said, "The first-class realm is not enough."

"Many grandmasters and martial artists will attend the Heroes' Gathering in ten days."

"I will make you all masters on the spot."

Liu Da, Liu Er, and the other six men were overjoyed.

"Wow! To witness Brother Shen Jue's abilities firsthand!"

How lucky!

Going from third-rate to first-rate simply requires continuous growth in physique and internal strength until one reaches the standard of a martial artist.

To progress from a first-rate level to a grandmaster, one needs to overcome three hurdles: accumulating internal strength, tempering the body, and breaking through the mental barriers.

Ordinary martial artists cannot cross this threshold even after decades.

What's more, within ten days?

Because the Heroes' Gathering was to be held in ten days, Liu Da, Liu Er, and the others intuitively took Shen Jue's words about becoming a master on the spot as meaning becoming a master within ten days.

Inside the Golden Palace, all the officials, whether civil or military, were trembling and dared not speak.

Even the Southern Song imperial family, or rather, the Zhao family's so-called princes and marquises, remained completely silent, letting Shen Jue do as he pleased.

What else can we do?

Even Huang Shang, the pillar of the Southern Song Dynasty and a grandmaster, admitted defeat. These martial artists, whose strongest was no more than a grandmaster, could only helplessly let Shen Jue do whatever he wanted.

Shen Jue rested his chin on one hand and extended the other.

Pure white internal energy surged from his palm, so rich and pure that it seemed almost tangible, distorting the air.

Huang Shang's pupils constricted slightly as he followed Shen Jue into the Golden Palace. The quality and quantity of this internal energy were beyond what ordinary martial artists could achieve.

Just looking at Shen Jue's white internal energy made him feel dizzy and his ears ring.

The internal energy split into seven streams, which burrowed into the bodies of the seven people like serpents.

The changes were sudden.

Liu Da's eyes snapped open, a white light flashing in his pupils, and his internal energy exploded like a lit powder keg.

The bones made a series of cracking sounds, the muscles expanded and contracted, and white steam gushed from the pores.

That was internal energy tempering the body, compressing what would normally be a process of years of arduous training into just a few breaths.

The total amount of internal energy has increased several times over, and its quality has also leaped several levels.

Muscle density, bone hardness, and the resilience of internal organs are rapidly improved.

Liu Er also underwent a violent change, his whole body trembling, his teeth clenched, and he let out an excited shout.

"Awesome!"

The Golden Palace was filled with the cracking of bones, the roar of internal energy, and the strange cries of the seven people.

Then, light began to shine above their heads.

The essence is perfected, and the flower of essence blooms.

Seven clusters of spiritual flowers rose from above the seven people's heads, blooming like lotus flowers.

Liu Da went first, followed closely by the others, and within ten breaths all seven essence flowers bloomed.

The perfection of Qi transforms into the flower of Qi.

Shen Jue's internal force directly pushed their internal force cultivation to several levels, and the seven Qi flowers bloomed almost simultaneously.

The flowers of Qi and the flowers of essence complemented each other, making the aura of the seven people more than ten times stronger than before!

Grandmaster Huang Shang's eyebrows twitched slightly.

The scene before him was beyond his comprehension.

The most difficult is the Flower of God, which corresponds to spiritual will.

There is no shortcut to this step; martial artists must hone their minds and comprehend the principles themselves.

However, the spiritual will that Shen Jue had implanted in the cultivation technique came into play at this moment.

The same image appeared in the minds of the seven: in the boundless starry river, a bare-chested figure stood with his back to them, and light dispelled all darkness.

The man turned around, revealing Shen Jue's face with a lazy smile: "There has never been a savior in this world."

"If you want fairness, I'll lead you to obtain it. If you want justice, I'll lead you to achieve it."

"The common people are silent, but the heroes speak for them."

"Ah! Power! I command you to surge forth!"

boom!

In the seven people's mental world, all confusion and fear melted away like snow meeting boiling water!

Instead, there was an almost absolute belief: Shen Jue is justice! He is a hero for the common people!

This belief was so strong that it directly overcame the most difficult mental hurdle in the Grandmaster realm!

Seven divine flowers suddenly bloomed!

The Three Flowers Gathering at the Top is complete!

Seven people instantly became grandmasters!

The Grandmaster realm was achieved so simply.

Seven powerful auras shot into the sky, causing the roof tiles to rattle.

The military officers inside the Golden Palace couldn't help but steal glances.

Those are the auras of seven genuine grandmasters!

When the three flowers of essence, energy, and spirit bloom together, one person can be a grandmaster who is worth ten thousand martial artists!

The source of their success was Shen Jue, who was as beautiful as a god!

Inside the side hall, seven people knelt on one knee in a frenzy, the sound of their knees hitting the ground making the dust rise.

"Brother Shen Jue! We've become Grandmasters!"

"From now on, we can help Brother Shen Jue!"

"Haha! We must become the most powerful and strongest heroes!"

Shen Jue nodded with a smile and waved his hand: "The Grandmaster realm is just the beginning."

"The potential of 'Breathing Techniques 2.0' is far greater than this, and becoming a Grandmaster is not out of reach."

"Go find them, go find the boys you approve of."

"I'm still short-handed."

"Let everyone gather in Lin'an."

The fervor in the eyes of the seven intensified.

"There are constant skirmishes on the border of the Southern Song Dynasty. When the time comes, you several hundred grandmasters will go and defeat those invading foreign armies."

"Ten days seems about right."

"I don't want anyone to disturb the gathering of heroes from all over the world."

Shen Jue's lips curled up: "I'm really looking forward to seeing the expressions on the faces of those alien races when they see you."

After witnessing all of this, Men Huangshang remained silent for a moment.

His lips moved slightly: "When the three flowers bloom together, one instantly becomes a grandmaster... Such a technique is no longer martial arts."

Shen Jue leaned back on the throne and smiled gently: "In this vast imperial city, is there truly no one who has tried to challenge me?"

The residual energy of the seven newly promoted grandmasters was still flowing, while Shen Jue sat on the throne, looking forward to the gathering of heroes from all over the world in ten days.

The ten-day deadline arrived in the blink of an eye.

Outside Lin'an City, on the banks of the Qiantang River, a martial arts arena nine zhang high rose from the ground.

The platform is built of huge stones, rough and majestic, without any carvings.

The area within a hundred feet around the platform was covered with yellow sand, making it look more like an execution ground than a gathering of heroes.

Just after dawn, someone arrived.

The Beggars' Sect was the first to arrive.

Acting gang leader Hong Qigong, the Nine-Fingered Beggar, carried a vermilion gourd, but his usual playful expression was gone.

He stood down below the stage, looked up at the high platform, uncorked the gourd, took a swig, and remained silent for a long time.

The Shaolin monks followed closely behind.

Master Xuancheng, the head monk of the Bodhidharma Academy, led a group of monks in slowly approaching, his steps steady as a bell, while the copper rings on the staffs in the hands of the monks behind him occasionally made a soft, tinkling sound.

Among the monks, an unnamed old monk with a calm demeanor and a scholarly air was mingling among them.

The leader of the Quanzhen Sect, Ma Yu, arrived side by side with Qiu Chuji, followed by the other five members of the Seven Masters of Quanzhen.

Qiu Chuji, whose temperament was as fiery as fire, was now as silent as a stone.

Fengling, a nun from the Emei Sect, Yu Lianzhou from the Wudang Sect, He Taichong from the Kunlun Sect, and the Five Elders of the Kongtong Sect arrived one after another.

Grandmasters from both Diancang and Huashan sects stepped forward.

Hundreds of renowned masters stood respectfully below the stage, without making a sound.

The evil path comes no later than the righteous path.

Yang Xiao, the Left Guardian of the Ming Cult, dressed in white, waved a folding fan and smiled, but there was no smile in his eyes.

The Blood Saber Sect's patriarch arrived alone, carrying his blood saber.

Ding Chunqiu of the Xingxiu Sect waved his feather fan, his face unfathomable.

Lan Fenghuang, a member of the Five Poisons Sect, stood at the edge of the crowd, her face veiled.

As the hour of Chen (7-9 AM) drew to a close, most of the people had arrived.

Just then, a figure in cyan robes drifted in, its form as sharp as a sword and its aura as powerful as a rainbow.

The man had a white beard and sharp eyes like a drawn sword. The air within three feet of him seemed to be cut and distorted by invisible sword energy.

"Sword Demon Dugu!"

Someone in the crowd whispered.

Dugu Qiubai has rarely appeared in public for decades, and it is rumored that his swordsmanship is even superior to Huang Shang's.

He stood still on the south side of the training platform, not looking at anyone.

Dugu had only been there a moment when another person emerged from the dense forest.

The man was dressed in a gray robe, with white hair and beard but a ruddy complexion, and walked with a casual gait, as if taking a stroll after a meal.

"Feng Qingyang".

The number one swordsman of Mount Hua, who has been living in seclusion on the Cliff of Contemplation for decades, has emerged from seclusion today.

Feng Qingyang didn't greet anyone, but found a clean spot to sit down and close his eyes to rest.

However, what truly made the thousands of martial artists present gasp in shock were the next four people.

Two people arrived first, walking side by side.

The person on the left is dressed in white, with long hair flowing down his shoulders, and a cold and stern face like an eternal iceberg.

He had a strangely shaped black-sheathed longsword hanging at his waist. Even before the sword was drawn, its sword intent was so strong that no one dared to approach within ten feet of him.

The person on the right is also dressed in white, but has a completely different aura.

His features exuded nobility and arrogance, like a peerless sword enshrined on a jade throne.

"Lord of Baiyun City, Ye Gucheng."

"Wanmei Villa, Ximen Chuixue"

The crowd automatically parted to make way.

The mere presence of the two greatest swordsmen of the era caused the legs of some martial artists with slightly lower cultivation levels to go weak.

Ye Gucheng stood with his hands behind his back, his face showing neither sorrow nor joy.

Ximen Chuixue didn't even lift his eyelids.

Then everyone smelled a floral fragrance.

The fragrance was very faint, like orchids in a deep valley, or osmanthus under the moon.

The fragrance brought a sense of relief to everyone, as if even the air itself had softened.

A young man dressed in a moon-white robe slowly walked out from behind the crowd.

He had a smile on his face, handsome features, and a folding fan in his hand. He wore a pair of thin-soled boots, which trod over the yellow sand as he walked, yet not a single grain of dust stuck to them.

What is most striking about him are his hands: his ten fingers are long and slender, and extremely well-maintained, as if they have never been touched by the elements.

But all the martial artists present knew that if those hands were to take a life, very few in the world could stop them.

"Chu Liuxiang." Yang Xiao closed his folding fan and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"He's here too?"

Chu Liuxiang walked down from the stage, looked up at the high platform, and smiled at a martial artist who happened to be looking at him.

The martial artist felt uncomfortable at the laughter and quickly turned his head away.

"Why is Xiang Shuai here instead of staying on the ship?" Ding Chunqiu sneered.

Chu Liuxiang wasn't annoyed. He simply shook his fan and said slowly, "I've heard that someone wants to be the best in the world. I'm just curious to come and see."

"After all," he paused, his gaze lingering on Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue for a moment, "it's been a long time since the martial world has been this lively."

Before he could finish speaking, a lazy voice came from behind the crowd.

"Brother Chu is right, it is indeed a rare and lively occasion."

All eyes turned to the source of the sound.

A young man was squatting on a large rock not far away, holding a bowl of wine in his left hand and stroking his beard with his right.

No, he didn't have a beard, but he was still touching it, touching the two neatly trimmed whiskers on his upper lip.

The man was dressed in faded old clothes, with a wine gourd hanging from his waist. He didn't own a single valuable item, yet the way he squatted there was more at ease than any king or nobleman.

"Lu Xiaofeng with four eyebrows." Hong Qigong chuckled. "Little Feng, you've come too?"

Lu Xiaofeng jumped down from the rock, dusted himself off, and walked over to Hong Qigong with a grin: "Old beggar invited me for drinks, how could I refuse?"

He tilted his head back and took a swig of wine, his gaze sweeping across the entire room before finally settling on the empty chair on the stage, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

At 9:00 AM, the sun is high in the sky.

Suddenly, all the sounds disappeared.

It wasn't that everyone fell silent on their own initiative, but rather that an invisible pressure pressed down from the sky, making everyone's throat tighten and their heart race.

Thousands of warriors looked up at the same time, gazing in the direction of Lin'an City.

A white figure was walking through the air.

Shen Jue was shirtless, his long hair was casually draped over his shoulders, and silver patterns rippled on his upper body. There was nothing under his feet to hold onto, so he walked step by step in the void, as if there were invisible steps in the air.

He was followed by a dozen or so figures, each with a powerful aura and three flowers faintly appearing on their heads.

Behind Shen Jue, the dozen or so figures gradually became clear.

The man at the front, with white hair and a Taoist robe, and a gaunt face, was none other than Grandmaster Huang Shang.

He trailed Shen Jue by half a step, his steps were composed, and his expression was calm.

However, upon closer inspection, it is not difficult to notice that the fingers hidden in the sleeve of this grandmaster, who has lived for three hundred years, trembled slightly with each step he took.

It wasn't fear, but rather that with each step he got closer to Shen Jue, he became increasingly aware of the terrifying, unfathomable nature behind that figure.

Standing next to Huang Shang was a young man dressed in a Taoist robe.

He looked to be only in his early twenties, but his eyes held a depth and clarity far beyond his years.

With each step he took on the Qi steps, a barely perceptible Tai Chi diagram would flash beneath his feet.

A Wudang disciple in the audience cried out in disbelief, "Grandmaster?!"

The young Zhang Sanfeng glanced down at his disciples and followers below the stage.

Three people followed behind Huang Shang and Zhang Sanfeng.

The man on the left was a burly figure with thick eyebrows and large eyes, his face weathered by time. It was Qiao Feng. His expression was calm, as if the blood feud of his past could no longer disturb his mind.

The man on the right, with a square face, broad shoulders and a thick back, stood there like an iron tower; it was Guo Jing.

After only a few days, he has already reached the Grandmaster level.

His gaze swept calmly across the audience, and when he saw Hong Qigong, he smiled, then looked away with a resolute expression.

Sandwiched between Qiao Feng and Guo Jing was Huang Rong, dressed in a pale yellow dress.

Next is Shangguan Haitang, the master of the number one manor in the world, and one of the most mysterious masters in the martial arts world.

Her face was covered by a thin veil, revealing only a pair of cold eyes. When her gaze swept across the audience, it lingered on Chu Liuxiang for a very brief moment before moving away.

A dozen or so figures stepped down from the sky, one step at a time, using the invisible energy steps.

The air currents reflected the sunlight, creating subtle ripples, like stepping on transparent water.

With each step, a faint ripple spreads through the air.

The audience was silent.

Huang Shang, Zhang Sanfeng, Qiao Feng, Guo Jing, Huang Rong, Shangguan Haitang, plus seven newly promoted masters including Liu Da and Liu Er.

At this moment, they followed behind Shen Jue with natural expressions and unhurried steps, as if there was nothing more natural in the world than following that shirtless young man.

Shen Jue shouted, "Ha!"

"Is that all the people?"

"It seems the martial world still doesn't think much of me, Shen Jue?!"

"Who do they think they're looking down on by building this training ground?"

"Get up!"

Shen Jue's white internal energy surged out!