I became a Sword Emperor in the Martial Arts World

Chapter 249 You call this civilized?

This year, the finals of the National High School Martial Arts League of the Eastern Kingdom were chosen to be held in the Imperial Capital.

The entire Eastern Pole Kingdom has a total of ten megacities with a population of over ten million, and the finals of the "All-High Martial Arts Tournament" have been held in these ten megacities in turn.

As the capital city, the imperial capital naturally possesses a magnificent and ever-changing atmosphere, with a unique cultural ambiance.

As Ye Qingzhou gazed at the scenery flashing by on both sides of the street, he was filled with emotion, as if he were witnessing page after page of profound historical epics from ancient times to the present.

"Ye Qingzhou, what are you looking at?"

Xu Yuebing asked curiously.

"Observing Qi (vital energy)."

Ye Qingzhou looked up at the sky. His divine eyes, refined by the golden flames of the Great Sun, now shone with golden light. Gazing at the surging power of thought above the capital and the flourishing national fortune of the Eastern Pole Kingdom, he said, "The momentum is like a rainbow, like oil being poured into a raging fire. The national strength of the Eastern Pole Kingdom is still on the rise. No wonder it can gather such an amazing phenomenon."

As they were talking, one after another pure azure aura descended silently from the sky, landing on Ye Qingzhou, which surprised him.

"Is fate on his side?"

After a moment's thought, Ye Qingzhou understood that a portion of the Eastern Pole Kingdom's fortune had fallen upon him, somewhat similar to being favored by Heaven.

Not only Ye Qingzhou, but also Xu Yuebing, Huang Liwen, Zhu Jinfeng and others received the blessings of the Eastern Pole Kingdom to varying degrees, entering a state of great fortune, and their luck changed accordingly.

During the period that follows, those who are blessed with good fortune will find everything going smoothly and will turn misfortune into good luck.

"The harder you work, the luckier you get? No, it should be said that the stronger you are, the luckier you get."

Ye Qingzhou could now clearly see the so-called luck.

"The reason we are favored by fate is because we are all part of the Eastern Kingdom, and we are about to participate in the National High School Martial Arts League. Once we win a place in the competition, we will gain official recognition, thereby obtaining a large amount of training resources, further improving our strength, and the benefits are countless..."

The flourishing of martial arts means that martial artists are qualified to participate in the distribution of social resources, so the more powerful they are, the more they will be favored by fortune.

National destiny is never something ethereal or intangible; rather, it is a reflection of reality. Every aspect of national destiny essentially represents how many resources a country possesses.

Therefore, the stronger your luck, the more resources you can control.

Fate of the nation, everyone is responsible.

The reverse is also true: when the nation prospers, every individual benefits.

Accepting this gift of fortune means being deeply bound to the fate of the Eastern Pole Kingdom; nothing in this world is ever free.

Ye Qingzhou didn't want to be someone else's dog, but he didn't refuse to be deeply tied to the fate of the Eastern Pole Kingdom. After all, humans are social animals, and everyone has to choose a place for themselves.

With this thought in mind, Ye Qingzhou let the fortune of the Eastern Pole Kingdom fall upon him, and at the same time took out the Flying Frost Sword from the Xiayu Treasure Ring and held it in his hand: "This part of the fortune is very suitable for nurturing the sword soul of Flying Frost."

The Flying Frost Sword hummed and vibrated. Its sword spirit was overjoyed after absorbing a large amount of luck. Although it had been reforged and upgraded to the level of a divine weapon, it was still the weakest of the divine weapons.

This is normal. Most of Lian Lingxiao's martial god soul was used to forge Lian Hongying's exclusive divine weapon, so naturally less was allocated to the Flying Frost Sword.

Fortunately, this can be gradually improved.

Like now!

The Eastern Kingdom's national fortune is thriving, brimming with vitality, which aligns quite well with the "Transformation" principle embodied in the Flying Frost Sword, making it very fond of it.

"Is this the Flying Frost Sword?"

Xu Yuebing looked surprised; if it weren't for the fact that it was her sword, she almost wouldn't have recognized it.

"Yes, I recast it."

Ye Qingzhou replied with a smile, "What, you want me to take it back?"

"Hmph, once I defeat you, I will take this sword back myself."

"Then you probably have no hope in this lifetime."

"Then I'll ask you for it in my next life!"

At this moment, Xu Yuebing's fair cheeks were flushed red, making her truly a feast for the eyes, and one couldn't help but want to take a gentle bite.

Ye Qingzhou wasn't stupid; he naturally sensed her feelings and replied with a smile, "Okay."

…………

Upon checking into the hotel, Ye Qingzhou and his group quickly attracted attention.

"It's Ye Qingzhou!"

"Who's number one on the Hidden Dragon List?"

"I heard that he has mastered all six strategies of military strategy to an unparalleled level."

"Holy crap, is this even human?"

In the hotel lobby, many teams from all over the country gathered, and when they looked at Ye Qingzhou, it was as if they were looking at an alien species.

After all, even a martial arts prodigy who can cultivate any one of the six basic techniques to perfection is already quite proud.

If any one of the six stances can be cultivated to a state of unparalleled mastery, it can be called a martial arts legend.

As for mastering all six techniques to perfection?

You're cheating, aren't you!

Now, to most of the other contestants, Ye Qingzhou is an invincible figure, the most terrifying demon king in this year's "All-High Martial Arts" competition, an insurmountable mountain.

"I heard that Ye Qingzhou wrote his insights into martial arts on six sword scrolls. Whoever obtains the sword scrolls will be able to reach a state of extraordinary skill."

"Is it fake?"

"It's true. Li Jianshu of the Shence Army and Wang Huaxian of Sanqing Mountain both entered a superb level of skill in the blink of an eye after reading the sword scroll."

"Each of the six sword scrolls has now been sold for a staggering two billion."

"So expensive?"

"Expensive? You think it's expensive, but I think it's expensive too. No one who holds the sword token will sell it. It's said that it has already been divided up by several major forces. No matter how high the price you ask, it won't make a difference."

The speaker is unintentional and the listener is interested.

Many contestants were thrilled upon hearing this and decided to seek out Ye Qingzhou for his autograph.

The authentic sword scroll is so valuable, even if Ye Qingzhou's signature doesn't have the same effect, it must be very valuable as well, right?

The Eastern Pole Kingdom is so big, there are always people who are rich but lack martial arts talent. Wouldn't it be better to use Ye Qingzhou's signature to make money off these rich guys and girls?

In the evening, when Ye Qingzhou and his teammates went to the buffet area for dinner, they encountered a large group of enthusiastic "fans" who asked him for autographs.

"Ye Sheng, I've watched your live streams and even sent you gifts. Could you please sign your autograph?"

"Ye Sheng, I'm your fan too! I have a fan badge!"

Ye Qingzhou was a little confused by the enthusiasm of the crowd. Was he that famous now? Why was he being asked for autographs just for participating in a competition?

It wasn't until Huang Liwen came to him that evening to ask for his autograph that Ye Qingzhou learned that his autograph had been put on salted fish and was being resold by scalpers for over 100,000 yuan.

Some signatures containing the character "sword" have been ridiculously sold for millions of dollars, and some wealthy people have actually been willing to pay for them, which is simply outrageous.

"Old Ye, I've decided to change my name to Huang Jianwen. Please sign it for me so I can hang it on the salted fish."

"Why don't you just change your name to Huang Jianren?"

"Sure, Jianwen and Jianren, write one for me each, and I'll put them on the salted fish website together to make two kinds of money. Just thinking about it makes me ecstatic."

Huang Liwen laughed heartily.

For money, what does one's reputation matter?

Ye Qingzhou was both amused and exasperated by this. He casually wrote a few signatures and blessings for him, muttering to himself, "You're living off the Hehuan Sect now, what's a million or two in cash?"

"Sigh, you don't understand, a man needs to have some savings of his own."

Huang Liwen happily accepted the autograph, then informed Ye Qingzhou of an important piece of information: "I sensed that three True Mantra Nine Seals are approaching us."

"Three at once?"

Ye Qingzhou was somewhat surprised: "How close?"

"The closest one is near our hotel. I guess it's either a contestant or a teacher accompanying them."

Huang Liwen said earnestly.

He made a special trip to Ye Qingzhou just to tell her this news.

"It seems that this year's 'All-High Martial Arts Tournament' is truly full of hidden talents."

Ye Qingzhou had already obtained the Dou character seal and the Xing character seal, so he knew how powerful the supernatural abilities recorded on them were.

"So, are you going to make a move?"

"What are you doing?"

"Go ahead and steal it! Didn't you want to gather the Nine Seals and find the Holy Sword Xuanyuan?"

Huang Liwen's expression was restless, as if he wanted to stir up trouble.

Ye Qingzhou glared at him and said, "Can't you be a little more civilized? Don't always talk about robbery. Are we bandits? Can't you at least ask if they're selling?"

What if the other party refuses to sell?

"Then rob it."

"..."

Huang Liwen said speechlessly, "You call this civilized?"

"How is 'courtesy before force' not considered civilized?"

Ye Qingzhou's tone was so matter-of-fact that Huang Liwen rolled his eyes.

Afterwards, the two disguised themselves and went downstairs.

Following his senses, Huang Liwen located the nearest target.

At this moment, outside the athletes' village hotel, members of the Xiurong No.1 Middle School team were getting off the bus and gathering for roll call under the guidance of their teachers.

One boy in the group stood out.

He was over two meters tall, with an extremely robust physique, and with his large, gleaming bald head, it was hard to ignore his presence.

He Han, also known as Vajra, is the direct disciple of the current sect leader of the Pure Land School. He ranks eleventh on the Hidden Dragon List and possesses exceptional external martial arts skills.

Huang Liwen sensed the energy fluctuations of the Lin character seal from He Han.

Ye Qingzhou activated his Heavenly Eye and instantly saw the string of prayer beads that He Han was playing with in his hand. One of the beads was the Lin character seal, and it was a Lin character seal that had already been unsealed.

"Sigh, this is really bad news. He has already broken the seal on the Lin character, so it's probably unlikely that it will be sold."

The value of a martial arts technique is naturally far beyond what money can buy.

It should be understood that supernatural abilities can be passed down, and can continuously produce masters, which has extraordinary strategic value for a martial arts school.

But once the money is spent, it's gone; there's no comparison.

"So, shall we just take action?"

"Be civilized, let's try diplomacy first, then resort to force."

After saying this, Ye Qingzhou stepped forward and called out to He Han, "Hello, may I get to know you?"

He Han stopped abruptly and stared intently at Ye Qingzhou.

With just one glance, he seemed to see an endless river of sword energy rushing towards him from Ye Qingzhou's dazzling, starry eyes.

Master!

He Han specializes in the "Dragon Elephant Prajna" divine skill of the Pure Land School, possessing the strength of a dragon and elephant and the wisdom of Prajna. Therefore, in addition to his amazing physical strength, his spirit is also extremely powerful.

At this moment, he sensed an unprecedented and astonishing sword intent emanating from Ye Qingzhou.

Just gazing at him caused him a pang of pain in his soul, as if his own soul was being constantly cut and stabbed by the other's sword intent, causing a dull ache.

"Ye Qingzhou?"

The teacher leading the group from Xiurong No. 1 Middle School recognized Ye Qingzhou's identity. After all, he was the number one on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, and Ye Qingzhou's photo had probably been thoroughly searched by various forces in the martial arts world long ago.

"What are you doing here?"

Seeing that the other party was taking a very serious stance, Ye Qingzhou smiled and waved his hand to show friendliness: "I have no ill intentions, I just want to make a deal with him."

After saying that, he pointed to the prayer beads in He Han's hand: "Name your price."

He Han clasped his hands together, recited a Buddhist chant, and then shook his head in refusal: "I'm sorry, this was a gift from my master and cannot be given to others."

Ye Qingzhou naturally wouldn't give up so easily, so he offered his price: "Rare treasures, divine skills, I can offer anything in exchange. Why don't you consider it?"

"No need to consider it."

He Han still chose to refuse.

He had already mastered the supernatural powers on the Linzi Seal, so he naturally knew the value of this treasure. Therefore, no matter what conditions Ye Qingzhou offered, he would not be tempted.

Moreover, the actual ownership of this treasure belongs to the Fanjing Sect; it is merely temporarily entrusted to him for safekeeping and use. He Han himself has no right to dispose of it.

Seeing He Han's resolute attitude, Ye Qingzhou sighed, "That's really a pity."

If the deal falls through, then they'll have no choice but to resort to robbery.

Ye Qingzhou led Huang Liwen away, and after they had gone a little further, Huang Liwen couldn't help but ask, "Aren't we just going to take action?"

"Too many people around, it's not the right time. Anyway, the match is long, there will be plenty of opportunities to make a move later."

"Um."

Ye Qingzhou returned to the hotel to wait, but after a short while, Huang Liwen came and knocked on the door: "Good heavens, Old Ye, you even kept it from me?"

"What am I hiding from you?"

"Still playing dumb with me? Did you secretly steal the 'Lin' seal just now?"

"No."

"???"

Huang Liwen was shocked: "Holy crap, it wasn't you?"

Ye Qingzhou later learned that the Xiurong No. 1 Middle School team had been attacked outside the hotel. Not only was the teacher in charge injured, but He Han also suffered a great loss. His Zhang Liu Golden Body, which he had finally cultivated to the entry level, was broken, greatly reducing his combat power and potentially affecting his performance in the competition.

This time, the other party was clearly after the prayer beads in He Han's hand.

Do do do~

The sudden knocking on the door startled Huang Liwen.

"Hello, Ye Qingzhou, we are from the Imperial Capital Martial Arts Association. We need your cooperation in investigating a case."

Upon hearing this, Huang Liwen immediately felt guilty. He looked anxiously at Ye Qingzhou and asked telepathically, "What do we do? We've been caught!"

"Are you stupid? We didn't do it, why are you panicking?"

"Uh...right, why would I panic!?"

Huang Liwen then came to his senses. He had only wanted to snatch it, but hadn't actually done anything. Could it be that thinking about it was a crime?

After the door opened, a man and a woman stood outside. Both of them had professional ninth-dan martial arts skills, and they exuded a dignified aura. Their eyes were sharp as arrows, and they radiated a powerful spiritual pressure.

Ordinary criminals, if glared at by these two, would probably be so scared they'd wet themselves and confess everything.

But Ye Qingzhou remained calm: "I need to see your work identification."

"I am Yang Wenzhao."

"I am He Jie."

"These are our identification documents."

After the two men showed their martial arts association credentials, Ye Qingzhou invited them inside, but still ignored their oppressive gazes, firmly maintaining control of the conversation: "How do you two intend for me to cooperate with the investigation?"

He Jie immediately started recording and questioned Ye Qingzhou: "Before the Xiurong No. 1 Middle School team was attacked, did you go to see He Han?"

"Um."

"What do you want with him?"

"Buy things."

"What do you want to buy?"

"Can I not answer this question?"

"..."

He Jie gritted her teeth: "Okay."

"Next question, did he agree to sell it to you?"

"no."

Upon hearing Ye Qingzhou's answer, He Jie and Yang Wenzhao exchanged a glance, then asked again, "Where were you when Xiurong's team was attacked?"

"I was in my room. The hotel has CCTV footage, which proves that I didn't leave the room even once."

Ye Qingzhou's answer was watertight, after all, he really didn't do it.

Unable to obtain any useful clues, He Jie and Yang Wenzhao had no choice but to leave. After all, Ye Qingzhou was ranked first on the Hidden Dragon List, and without sufficient evidence, they were helpless.

After the two left, Huang Liwen breathed a sigh of relief, then became anxious again: "Old Ye, what do we do? Someone beat us to it with their seal!"

Ye Qingzhou smiled and said, "That's a good thing."

"Good news?"

Huang Liwen looked completely bewildered: "What do you mean?"

"It's very simple. Besides us, there are other people collecting the Nine-Character Mantra Seal. And they are in a hurry. They are even willing to offend both the Dongji Kingdom's government and the martial arts sect, the Fanjing Sect. They actually attacked the contestants during the 'All-High Martial Arts' competition."

"and then?"

Huang Liwen still didn't understand.

"We have the Dou character seal and the Xing character seal, which are the best bait. Once the other side has collected the other seven Jiu character seals, we can sit back and reap the benefits, saving us the trouble of searching everywhere."

Holy crap!

Huang Liwen was instantly filled with respect and gave Ye Qingzhou a thumbs up: "Are you trying to double-cross me?"

"What do you mean by double-crossing?"

Ye Qingzhou retorted righteously, "I am resolutely fighting against evil and will never tolerate criminals who steal others' property!"

"So, who exactly did this?"

Huang Liwen pinched his chin, genuinely curious about this matter.

"The person who made the move has the cultivation of a grandmaster. I heard that he broke through Vajra He Han's sixteen-foot golden body with a single finger. There might be some big conspiracy involved."