Chapter 101: Sacred Lord of Five Weapons, Grandmaster's Path

Longxing County.

Wang Ping had just hauled Chen Luoyan back and handed her over to Madam Su to get her settled when Chenlong appeared before him. The operative's expression was dead serious.

"Yin Hu, you took too long to get back."

"When you went looking for them, I followed close behind," Chenlong said in a low voice. "I saw you kill an extraordinary person, then suddenly rush off in another direction."

"I planned to keep tailing you, but I ran into a Loose Immortal from Book Mountain along the way. I had to stop and deal with them, which meant I lost you. For a time, you were completely out of my sight... Something isn't right about that. It bears the traces of destiny interfering."

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Chenlong's bluntness gave Wang Ping a slight jolt. Sure enough, under the influence of destiny, Ye Chao had come incredibly close to being saved.

Fortunately, he had used the Ye Chao Trial Card right then.

As a result, the secretly tailing Chenlong had collided directly with Ye Chao's helper. The two had canceled each other out, buying Wang Ping the precious time he needed to act.

Wang Ping also grasped what Chenlong was implying.

'Good grief, does he suspect Ye Chao assassinated me? Is my brand-new alternate persona blown before I even get to use it?'

Replacing the protagonist was a trick meant strictly for Book Mountain. Wang Ping had no intention of hiding the truth from the Tribute Hall. He immediately pulled out the Six Desires Heavenly Demon Flag, gave Chenlong a glimpse of Ye Chao trapped inside, and explained his methods—omitting the part about his system cheats, of course.

As for the matter of destiny, Wang Ping had an easy explanation ready:

"Sir, my talent is incredibly high. I mastered the Martial God Pictorial Record in just three days. It's only natural that my destiny is tougher than Ye Chao's, right?"

"Hmm..."

Chenlong mulled over Wang Ping's explanation for a moment before coming to a conclusion. "That does make sense. I understand what you were thinking."

Then, a spark of excitement lit up Chenlong's eyes.

"Well done!"

"Book Mountain is suspected of having ties to the heavens. Since you're the one they've chosen, if you can seize this chance to infiltrate them, you'll be of immense use."

"But your cultivation base is still far too low. As an extraordinary person, you are not yet a Loose Immortal. As a martial artist, you practically stand at the absolute peak of the Titled Martial Master realm and possess a semi-divine weapon, but until you break through to the Martial Dao Grandmaster Rank, you won't even have a chance to run if you face those Loose Immortals."

Wang Ping sharply caught the implication in Chenlong's words.

"Are you saying a Martial Dao Grandmaster Rank would still only be able to run from a Loose Immortal?"

"Normally speaking, yes."

"We have to admit that the cultivation system of an extraordinary person is vastly superior to ours," Chenlong said mildly. "Even though the Martial Dao Grandmaster Rank and the Loose Immortal realm are theoretically on the same level."

"In a real fight, most Martial Dao Grandmasters are no match for Loose Immortals."

Wang Ping immediately pressed, "But a small minority are, right?"

"Correct."

Chenlong smiled. "At the very least, the Martial Dao Grandmasters of the Tribute Hall can fight Loose Immortals head-on, battle them to a standstill, and sometimes even come out on top."

"The second physical qualitative transformation..." Wang Ping whispered.

"More than that." Chenlong shook his head. "We are born with mortal bodies. Even if you undergo a qualitative transformation twice, it still wouldn't be enough to bridge the massive gap between a martial artist and a Loose Immortal."

"The key lies in the method of that transformation."

Chenlong reeled off the facts with the familiarity of someone listing family treasures. "In the long history of martial arts, the qualitative transformation methods are the true, closely guarded secrets of every major sect."

"Shenlong Temple, the Qingtian Cult, the Corpse Liberation Ground, and Guanchao City—why do you think these four sects are the titans of the martial world today? Why can they even produce Great Grandmaster Rank experts? It's because their lineages stretch back the furthest. The transformation methods they possess ensure that their Martial Dao Grandmasters are far stronger than anyone else's!"

Having said that, Chenlong deliberately paused.

Wang Ping instantly took the hint. Feigning nervous anticipation, he took a step forward, widened his eyes in absolute sincerity, and asked in a tone of sheer reverence, "Is there any method stronger than theirs?"

"Of course there is!"

Thoroughly satisfied, Chenlong let out a loud laugh. "The four great sects belong to the past! Today, the undisputed number one under heaven isn't any of them—it is the First Seat of the Tribute Hall!"

From seemingly out of nowhere, Chenlong pulled out five thick, newly bound manuals and shoved them into Wang Ping's arms. "Take these back and study them carefully."

The sharp scent of fresh ink hit his nose.

Clearly, Chenlong had penned these recently. To churn out five entire volumes in such a short time meant his hand speed was monstrous—if he wrote stories with this speed, he'd be wildly popular.

Wang Ping took the manuals and focused his eyes on the covers.

Sacred Lord of Five Weapons.

"This is the physical qualitative transformation method personally written, perfected, and compiled by the First Seat herself. It follows the path of using the flesh as a furnace to temper weapons into the spirit."

"To practice this martial art," Chenlong said casually, "you must have mastered at least ten arts of the Thirteen Grand Protectors Hard Qigong. Only then will you have the foundation to treat your body as a furnace. Otherwise, your 'furnace' will shatter before you even begin tempering a weapon, putting your life in grave danger. Of course, that won't be an issue for you."

As Chenlong spoke, Wang Ping had already scanned the entirety of the manual using his spiritual sense.

"To practice this art, one must first obtain five weapons, then temper them one by one into the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys, using the inner five elements of the body to refine the outer five elements of the world."

"The physical body drives the ascension of the weapons."

"The weapons drive the qualitative transformation of the body."

"Achieving minor success in this art yields one divine weapon. Reaching mastery yields three divine weapons. Reaching the pinnacle yields five!"

Right at that moment, Chenlong's voice chimed in.

"You should know that while a Martial Dao Grandmaster undergoes a qualitative transformation of both their Divine Intent and physical body, granting them strength far beyond mortals, they don't simply get a divine weapon the moment they break through."

Wang Ping naturally understood this logic.

After all, even within the Immortal Gate, divine weapons and magical treasures didn't exactly grow on trees. Just looking at the Longxing County incident, it was obvious that even a Qi Refining practitioner hungered for them.

"While Martial Dao Grandmasters possess the ability to forge divine weapons, the process is incredibly tedious. It easily takes years, sometimes over a decade, to succeed. Before the First Seat emerged, only the Martial Dao Grandmasters hailing from the four great sects could successfully temper a divine weapon immediately upon breaking through, saving them endless effort."

Hearing this, Wang Ping realized exactly how precious the Sacred Lord of Five Weapons manual was.

'One person, five divine weapons!'

'If you only have one divine weapon, there are inevitably blind spots. Some excel in attack, some in defense, and some in speed.'

'And where there are strengths, there are weaknesses.'

'For a martial artist, those weaknesses are fatal flaws.'

'But if a Martial Dao Grandmaster wielded five divine weapons simultaneously, they could cover every single base. They would be utterly flawless—a perfect, all-around fighter!'

At that thought, Wang Ping immediately looked up at Chenlong.

His earlier Chenlong Trial Card had let him master the Martial God Pictorial Record in just three days. Could he repeat the trick and blitz his way through this technique too?

Wang Ping's eyes grew heated.

"May I ask, sir—have you successfully cultivated the Sacred Lord of Five Weapons as well?"

"Naturally!"

Chenlong puffed out his chest with evident pride. "Back in the day, my mastery of this ultimate technique was phenomenal. The moment I broke through, I successfully tempered three divine weapons."

So he hadn't reached the pinnacle?

"Oh."

Wang Ping averted his gaze, his face completely devoid of interest.

Chenlong: "???"

"Don't think reaching that level of mastery is simple! The difficulty of cultivating the Sacred Lord of Five Weapons is far higher than the Martial God Pictorial Record, and the danger is even greater!"

Eager to prove himself, Chenlong immediately began explaining the process to Wang Ping. "Take you, for example. The Dragon Head Guillotine is a bladed weapon, making it perfectly suited to be tempered into the lungs, resonating with the sharpness of the Metal element. But when you actually attempt it, the slightest misstep will cause the Dragon Head Guillotine to tear your lungs to shreds."

"And then you'll be bedridden, recovering from the injury."

"They say a bone injury takes a hundred days to heal, let alone severe internal trauma to your organs. Going back and forth like that, the recovery time alone will eat up the vast majority of your cultivation time."

At this, Chenlong fell into nostalgic reminiscence.

"Thinking back, I only had to try five times before successfully tempering a weapon into my lungs. But those first four failures left me nursing injuries for seven solid years."

"And that was with an unlimited supply of spirit pills and miracle medicines from within the Tribute Hall! You can imagine just how difficult that step is. Succeeding on the fifth try was already a stroke of absolute genius on my part. Don't rush into this. I'll write down my cultivation insights from back then, and you can give it a try after you've read them over..."

The very next second, Wang Ping's voice shattered Chenlong's emotional speech.

"Sir, do you mean like this?"

Chenlong turned his head. The Dragon Head Guillotine that had been hanging at Wang Ping's waist was completely gone. In its place, the distinct ring of a blade reverberated with every breath Wang Ping took.

Chenlong absentmindedly nodded at the sight.

"Right, right, exactly like that... Wait, huh?"

Boom!

Before the words even finished leaving his mouth, the ground beneath Chenlong's feet violently fractured. He practically teleported, slamming a palm onto Wang Ping's shoulder, his expression twisting in sheer horror.

"Y-You actually succeeded!?"

He achieved it on his first try?

At that moment, Chenlong was utterly lost for words. He was caught between wild surprise and sheer, lingering terror.

This reckless brat! He had absolutely zero sense of restraint. Chenlong hadn't even readied the healing pills yet, and the kid had dared to forcefully temper a weapon into his own flesh. Was he totally unafraid of death?

Meanwhile, Wang Ping's mood was completely serene.

'Hmm, it is indeed a little difficult. Without the Chenlong Trial Card, relying purely on my own abilities, I had to try over a hundred and twenty times before I barely scraped a success.'

What's that? A mistake would cause injury?

Please. With Qi Restriction active, severe organ trauma was no different from a flesh wound. Both healed exactly the same way, meaning he had absolutely no fear of getting hurt.

Of course, he couldn't exactly say that to Chenlong.

After a brief pause, Wang Ping said softly, "It's probably because I'm just talented. It's a kind of intuition. Those without enough talent might find it hard to comprehend."

"It can't be like that, right?"

From behind Chenlong, Xugou—who had managed to hold his tongue up until this point—finally snapped. "I don't comprehend it at all... Are you just trying to mess with us?"

"How could I!"

Wang Ping turned to Chenlong, his face perfectly earnest. "Sir, surely you comprehend it?"

Chenlong: "..."

"What a joke!" Chenlong crossed his arms over his chest and nodded solemnly. "It's exactly that kind of intuition! I've felt it before too. With my level of talent, how could I not comprehend it?"

"Really?"

Xugou stared blankly. "Then, sir, could you describe it to me?"

"Describe what?" Chenlong snapped irritably. "It's purely a feeling. It's too difficult to describe to a mediocre talent like you. Give it up."

Xugou: "..."

'Hey, you've got to be kidding me. Aren't I supposed to be a genius?'

Watching Xugou question his entire existence, Wang Ping chuckled inwardly. But he quickly shifted his focus back to something else that had been bothering him.

'I am still using the Ye Chao Trial Card.'

'Theoretically, I should be the destined protagonist right now. But when I just tempered the Dragon Head Guillotine into my lungs, I still failed over a hundred and twenty times.'

That didn't seem right.

As the destined protagonist, shouldn't I have succeeded on the very first try?

'Back when it was messing with me, its power was so immense. Now that the person has been swapped out, where did all of this destined protagonist's heaven-defying favor from destiny run off to?'

...

While Wang Ping was racking his brains in confusion, back inside the boudoir, the long-unconscious Chen Luoyan finally fluttered her eyes open.