High-level martial arts: Invincibility starts with basic archery.

At the same moment, at the headquarters of the Martial Arts Association.

The spacious and brightly lit hall was bustling with people.

Whispering discussions could be heard from time to time.

"I didn't expect the president to reach the Celestial Realm so soon. He truly lives up to his title as the president."

"That's for sure. The General Manager is undoubtedly the number one person in our Jiangnan District Martial Arts Association."

"More than that, even if we include the other martial arts associations, our president is still the most awesome."

"Absolutely! There's no question about it. Our Jiangnan District Martial Arts Association is definitely the strongest among all the martial arts associations in Yan Country!!!"

The excitement of the crowd was palpable.

Most of them were unaware that the General Manager would choose to make a breakthrough today.

They were simply drawn to the strange celestial phenomena above the base, and after some inquiries, they finally figured out the reason.

So, one by one, they called on their friends and acquaintances, and soon, almost all the martial artists in the headquarters had returned from all over the country, waiting for the moment when the Grand Master would emerge from seclusion.

But just then, a weak voice rang out.

"But I heard that the president of the Jiangbei District Martial Arts Association reached the Celestial Realm last year, right?"

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became quiet.

Countless eyes turned to the person who had just spoken.

The latter immediately broke out in a cold sweat, stammering, "I, I didn't mean that, I just, I just..."

He wanted to slap himself, but he had to speak up at that crucial moment.

"Ha, so what?"

Someone let out a cold laugh.

"That Chairman Fan chose to break through when he was at the second level of the True Essence Realm, so he only condensed a second-grade Martial Dao True Pill. Last year, our chairman was also at the second level of the True Essence Realm. If he had chosen to break through, he could have condensed a second-grade Martial Dao True Pill as well, and there was even a small chance that he could have condensed a first-grade Martial Dao True Pill. However, our chairman postponed it for a year to be on the safe side and only chose to break through when he reached the third level of the True Essence Realm."

"is that so?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's spirits lifted.

"That's natural."

The person who sneered continued, "If you don't believe me, you can search for related information online."

"When Chairman Fan broke through, the celestial phenomenon he triggered was less than three miles in scale and lasted only three minutes. The celestial phenomenon triggered by the Chairman was more than three times larger and lasted nearly a quarter of an hour. Isn't this enough to illustrate the difference between the two?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the pride on everyone's faces deepened.

Even among martial artists at the same Celestial Realm, there are differences.

Although the president has only just broken through, his combat power may not be weaker than that of President Fan.

Given enough time, the gap in strength between the two will only widen.

"I wonder when the president will emerge from seclusion."

"It should be around now, right? The strange phenomenon in the sky is slowly disappearing."

"Just wait patiently. We've waited all these years, so what's a little longer?"

Soon, the hall returned to calm.

Inside a secret room, a burly middle-aged man slowly opened his eyes.

"It worked?"

A warm voice rang out, giving people a feeling of being bathed in a spring breeze.

The one who spoke was an old man, dressed in ancient attire.

She wore gray cloth shoes and a simple, ancient-style robe. Her long hair was gathered together and coiled into a bun on top of her head.

His temples were gray, but his eyes held a sharp, inner light.

"It's done."

A look of joy appeared on the burly man's face. He then knelt down and said respectfully, "Thank you, Elder Wang, for protecting me."

"Get up quickly."

Old Wang smiled slightly and said, "This breakthrough is all thanks to your own efforts. I didn't help you at all."

"You're too kind, Mr. Wang."

The burly man rose from the futon and said, "If it weren't for Elder Wang's guidance, Shi Tao's breakthrough wouldn't have been so smooth this time."

Breaking through from the Refining Meridian Realm to the True Essence Realm carries risks.

True Qi is sharp and can easily sever meridians or even injure internal organs; if not handled properly, it can be life-threatening.

Breaking through from the True Essence Realm to the Celestial Realm is even more dangerous.

But this breakthrough of his was as natural as water flowing into a channel.

Old Wang stroked his long beard, feeling quite satisfied.

Over the past thousand years, he has taken in many disciples.

Shi Tao was just one of them.

In terms of comprehension, Shi Tao was not the most gifted among them, but in terms of temperament, he was indeed the best.

Don't underestimate the power of mentality. Comprehension determines a martial artist's lower limit, but mentality determines a martial artist's upper limit.

Many of his former disciples failed because of their character flaws.

"Now that you have broken through to the Celestial Realm, it is time for me to pass on to you the few supreme martial arts techniques I know."

Old Wang said, "Actually, with your aptitude, I could teach you when you are still in the True Yuan Realm. However, I am worried that doing so would be like pulling up seedlings to help them grow, which would be counterproductive."

"Mr. Wang, there's no need to worry. Shi Tao understands your good intentions."

Shi Tao said respectfully, his eyes burning with passion.

Supreme martial arts.

As the name suggests, mastering any one of these martial arts styles is enough to become the supreme martial artist of the era.

Even mastering any one of the most powerful martial arts techniques will only make you a peerless master of your time.

As for divine and demonic martial arts...

He dared not think too much about it.

"It's good that you understand."

Old Wang smiled and nodded, paused slightly, and said, "I have a total of five supreme martial arts techniques: Flying Star Nine Revolutions Technique, Free and Easy Wandering, Three-Part Return to Origin Qi, Xuanwu True Skill, and Sacred Heart Technique."

Even Shi Tao's heart skipped a beat when he heard the words "Sacred Heart Technique".

Countless powerful figures from the same era as this Elder Wang have perished over the past millennium. Many of them were even stronger than Elder Wang, yet they still could not withstand the passage of time.

The fact that Elder Wang has survived to this day is largely thanks to this Sacred Heart Technique.

"pity."

Old Wang saw through his thoughts and sighed softly, saying, "To cultivate the Sacred Heart Technique, one must consume Phoenix Blood. Otherwise, not only will one be unable to cultivate to the highest level, but one will also suffer from the backlash of true essence from time to time. Therefore, it is not too late for me to teach you when you obtain Phoenix Blood."

"Yes."

Shi Tao bowed deeply.

The relationship between Wang Lao and him was not that of father and son, but it was even closer than that of father and son.

This also made him develop the same feelings for Ling Yu.

"Um."

Old Wang smiled and continued, "Besides the Sacred Heart Technique, which of the other four supreme martial arts do you want to cultivate first? Apart from the Xuanwu True Skill, which I missed a small part of, I have complete versions of the first three martial arts."

Shi Tao frowned and pondered deeply.

He had learned about all of these martial arts techniques.

The first technique, Flying Star Nine Revolutions, is a burst of power that can increase one's strength several times over in a short period of time. It is an excellent choice whether used for fighting or for escaping.

The second technique, "Free and Easy Wandering," is not only a martial art focused on physical movement, but also a way to cultivate one's character.

The third technique, the Three-Part Return to Origin Qi, is a martial art for both fist and foot techniques, as well as a defensive martial art, and it seems to be the most suitable for him at present.

The fourth gate, Xuanwu True Skill.

He had longed for this for a long time.

This martial art can be considered the supreme martial art with the highest potential. It can fuse various moves to unleash the ultimate move. Its power, even if it is not as good as the martial arts of gods and demons, is not much worse.

However, it is also the most difficult.

Moreover, Elder Wang had stated beforehand that he did not possess the complete version of the Xuanwu True Skill.

This increases the difficulty of cultivation several times over.

However, giving up easily is not in his nature.

The path of martial arts is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall behind.

"Elder Wang, I would like to cultivate the Xuanwu True Skill first."

A fighting spirit ignited in Shi Tao's eyes.

"it is good."

Mr. Wang seemed unsurprised by this.

Or rather, if Shi Tao hadn't made this choice, he wouldn't be Shi Tao.

The next moment, a stack of books appeared in his hand.

"These are the parts I've collected. The Xuanwu True Skill, including the lightness skill and footwork, has twelve methods in total. I've only collected seven. The rest, I'm afraid you'll have to find them yourself."

Shi Tao knelt down again before rising, bending over, and taking it from the other person's hands.

These seven manuals are all unparalleled martial arts techniques, and they are complete versions that even the Awakeners Association cannot produce.

But Old Wang entrusted it to him without reservation; the bond between them was heavier than Mount Tai.

"After you take it home, study it carefully. If you encounter anything you don't understand, you can come and ask me anytime. Although, I can't teach you much."

A bitter smile appeared on Old Wang's face.

Even among the top experts of his era, none dared to claim that they had thoroughly studied this martial art, let alone him.

Shi Tao nodded solemnly and put the several secret manuals into his spatial ring.

"Oh, right, take this one too, let's practice together."

Old Wang thought for a moment, then took out another secret manual.

"A carefree journey?"

A look of surprise appeared in Shi Tao's eyes.

"Um."

Old Wang nodded and said, "Pursuing greater strength is understandable, but one must not forget self-cultivation. Otherwise, losing oneself on the path of martial arts would not be a good thing."

After saying that, he sighed.

Over the centuries, many of his disciples have met the same fate.

"Yes."

Shi Tao accepted it respectfully with both hands.

"Okay, don't look so serious."

Old Wang smiled and said, "You've waited so long for this breakthrough, and now that you've succeeded, you should be happy."

Shi Tao smiled and shook his head.

Breaking through to the Celestial Realm is certainly something to celebrate.

However, compared to powerful ferocious beasts, this level of strength is still somewhat insufficient.

He had a bad feeling, as if something bad was about to happen.

Don't overthink it.

A glint flashed in Old Wang's eyes as he said, "There's always a way out, and things will work themselves out. Humanity has endured tens of thousands of years of hardship, and hasn't it continued to thrive to this day?"

"Old Wang is right."

Shi Tao took a deep breath.

According to Elder Wang, the past calamities were increasingly dangerous.

For example, in ancient times, a great flood fell from the sky, causing heavy casualties among the human race, with only one in ten surviving. Eventually, a powerful being used stones to mend the sky, allowing the human race to thrive and multiply.

Later, there was another period of chaos, with a hundred kingdoms fighting each other, rivers of blood flowing, and corpses strewn across the fields. This chaotic era lasted for a thousand years, and less than one-tenth of the people survived.

Later, evil spirits rose up everywhere, and the human race was almost driven to the brink of extinction. Only a few cities remained, barely clinging to life. The wilderness was full of demons. In the end, under the leadership of a few powerful figures, the demon race was wiped out, and the human race was able to turn the tide once again.

These are all things that happened in the past, and how similar they are to the current situation of Yan Kingdom.

In every era of the past, there were powerful figures who led humanity to survive.

That era...

Shi Tao was filled with fighting spirit.

Why is it that no strong leader will lead humanity to survive again?

And why can't these powerful individuals be themselves?

Seeing this, Old Wang nodded secretly.

This is precisely what he admires most about Shi Tao.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Wang, I was lost in thought just now."

Shi Tao snapped out of his daze and said apologetically.

"It's alright."

Old Wang waved his hand and said, "By the way, I heard that your breakthrough this time was largely thanks to a little guy, is that right?"

"good."

Shi Tao recalled Chen Fan's image and said truthfully, "His name is Chen Fan. It was because he provided the improved formula for True Qi Pill that the number of high-grade True Qi Pills produced skyrocketed. Ultimately, with the combined efforts of the entire association, I was able to reach the breakthrough threshold so quickly."

"So, he's a genius alchemist?"

Old Wang's eyes brightened slightly.

In his time, there were also many alchemical geniuses.

There are even sects famous for their alchemy.

Sometimes, the creation of a rare and precious elixir can stir up a storm in all directions, something even he envied greatly.

"That's not entirely true."

Shi Tao hesitated for a moment.

"Oh?"

Old Wang became even more curious, "Does he have some other extraordinary abilities?"

"That's right, Chen Fan is not only a genius in alchemy, but also a martial arts prodigy."

Shi Tao gave a wry smile and said, "He's only seventeen or eighteen years old, yet he's already a True Yuan Realm martial artist. Some people in the association have seen him single-handedly kill several commander-level ferocious beasts with a bow and arrow, and with a single, decisive blow."

"There really is such a person? Even more powerful than your personal disciple, right?"

Even Old Wang was genuinely surprised.

"Yes, she is indeed better than Xiaoyu."

Shi Tao sighed, his brows furrowed with worry.

"What, could there be some hidden story behind this?" Old Wang saw through it at a glance.

"It's nothing serious, Elder Wang, you don't need to worry about it." Shi Tao shook his head.

For Ling Yu's sake, this matter should not be publicized too much, especially in front of Elder Wang, so as not to affect the former's image in the latter's mind.

He changed the subject, saying, "Old Wang, to be honest, even I can't quite see through that kid Chen Fan."

Last time, he personally went to the Anshan City Martial Arts Association to meet Chen Fan, who remained very calm.

This made him doubt his own abilities when he returned.

Although this doubt was fleeting.

After all, Chen Fan had only recently entered the True Essence Realm, while he was already at the third stage of the True Essence Realm. The difference between them was considerable.

"What you're saying makes me even more curious about this kid."

Old Wang didn't pursue the previous topic further, and still smiled, saying, "I wonder when that kid will come to headquarters so I can meet him?"

"That day will come."

Upon hearing this, Shi Tao was left speechless, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

In some ways, he hoped that day would come as late as possible, or better yet, never happen at all.

However, this is unrealistic.

Of course, now that he is a Celestial Realm martial artist, he can use his own internal true essence as a medium to borrow the power of heaven and earth, making his moves more than ten times more powerful than before.

Naturally, there's even less worry about the future battle with Chen Fan.

"Okay, I'll wait."

Old Wang smiled and nodded.

(End of this chapter)