We made you practice martial arts, and you've mastered the Great Golden Body?

Chapter 214 I beseech you, my lord, to bring peace and prosperity to the Great Xia Dynasty for all eternity!

After falling several meters, Ding Lei managed to regain his balance. Only after he looked up did the members of the expedition team notice him.

At this moment, their captain was no longer as relaxed and carefree as before. He was bent over, panting heavily. His once rosy and vibrant face was now as pale as a sheet of paper, and his wet hair was stuck to his scalp.

He seemed to have recently gone through a life-or-death ordeal.

"Captain, Captain... what just happened?" Someone noticed the situation and immediately realized something was wrong, but after looking around, they couldn't find anything unusual.

Ding Lei, unlike his usual talkative self, didn't say a word, but simply shook his head quietly.

"Captain, if there are any difficulties, we can solve them together. Don't keep things to yourself, okay?"

“Yes, that’s right.” Some members of the expedition team nodded in agreement and said to Ding Lei with concern, “Captain, just tell us what’s wrong.”

"We've been brothers for so many years, we've been through thick and thin together, we're always here to help you out."

"..."

"Don't worry, I'm really fine. I was just momentarily distracted." Ding Lei hesitated for a moment, looking at the concerned looks from his teammates, but ultimately chose to keep it a secret.

The look in his eyes just now was so calm that it was incredibly oppressive, which was truly terrifying.

Like a bottomless, lightless abyss, even a casual glance can send a shiver down one's spine and an unprecedented sense of oppression and unease rising from the depths of one's heart.

Can't hold it down.

"You are not allowed to talk about this anymore. Just pretend it never happened." Ding Lei glanced at his teammates who seemed hesitant to speak and earnestly advised them again.

This time, due to a moment of carelessness, he inadvertently offended the other party, but fortunately, the unknown strongman was still young and did not go all out. He withdrew his gaze in just a moment.

Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.

But if some of them are still thinking about "revenge," the next time they meet, it might not be as easy to just glance at each other as before.

"Alright then." Upon hearing this, the members of the exploration team exchanged glances for a moment.

They understood the meaning behind Ding Lei's words: that young man was someone they couldn't afford to offend, whose strength was at least at the late stage of the Transcendent Realm, or even the peak of the Transcendent Realm.

In addition to the other party's age, based on their experience, that boy's physical fitness level would be among the best even in a top-tier university.

Behind him stood one or more powerful figures at the Sea Opening Realm or even the Moon Embracing Realm.

It's fair to say that if you really upset the other party, the consequences could be unimaginable, no matter how hard you try.

"Hmph, so what if he's a martial arts prodigy? What's so great about him!" A man with a buzz cut at the back of the group looked in the direction Shen Bailian had left and said resentfully.

"Captain, don't let that kid's loud and boisterous manner fool you. I guarantee that among his peers, he'll be defeated by Shen Bailian, the number one martial arts prodigy in Bozhou!"

"Exactly!" Upon hearing this, someone paused for a moment, then immediately reacted, his dejected state from a few seconds ago vanishing, replaced by a bright and energetic expression.
"I almost forgot about Shen Bailian!"

"I heard that Shen Bailian, the martial arts prodigy who came from our Bozhou City, was able to reach the Transcendent Realm in November. Even if he is a little weaker now, he probably won't be much weaker than that kid from earlier."

"It's not impossible that we could even win the battle!"

"Besides, that guy looked young, but he might be an old martial arts student from some class. He's definitely not as good as Shen Bailian from our city!"

"Correct!"

"That's right!" Amidst the various opinions, the entire expedition team instantly transformed from their previous lifeless state into one of pride and joy.

What Shen Bailian didn't know was that when he stormed into the finals of the Bozhou City Martial Arts Tournament as a dark horse, he had already gained some fame in the martial arts circle.

When he defeated Li Hongling, the number one prodigy of Bozhou No. 1 Middle School besides bloodline martial artists, to win the championship, his fame had already reached a small peak in the martial arts circle.

Shen Bailian's humble appearance gave these martial artists, who had been stuck at the first or second rank for many years, a greater sense of identification and familiarity.

With the conclusion of the Bozhou City Martial Arts Tournament, ordinary people returned to their lives. No matter what achievements Shen Bailian made, they had nothing to do with them or their lives.

These ordinary viewers are just watching for the excitement; once the excitement is over, they basically won't pay any more attention to the news.

However, these martial arts groups are different because, due to their level of authority, the range of information they can obtain is much wider than that of ordinary people.

Among these low-level martial artists in Bozhou City, there was a group of people secretly watching Shen Bailian's growth process, every progress he made, every achievement he made, and every drop of sweat he shed.

Some of them were directly or indirectly influenced by Shen Bailian and embarked on the path of cultivation again, once again filled with enthusiasm for martial arts.

Just like idolizing celebrities.

Or rather, a hero, the most representative figure of a city in an era, and such a figure is not just a simple statue placed in Bozhou No. 3 Middle School.

If even one out of a hundred martial arts students is influenced by that heroic figure and embarks on a path of self-improvement, it would be an extremely rare opportunity for the entire city of Bozhou.

What if we look at the entire Great Xia Dynasty?

Therefore, in this era fraught with crisis, the official government of the Great Xia Dynasty not only had no resistance to this kind of hero worship, but even supported it to a certain extent.

However, the Great Xia government will not openly express this support, otherwise it would be easy for those with ulterior motives to make a big fuss about it.

"It's a pity Old Zhou is gone, otherwise we could have had his nominal disciple beat up that kid for us!" A member of the exploration team said resentfully, looking in the direction Shen Bailian had left.

"Eh~"

"There's nothing to regret." Ding Lei silently assessed his own condition, realizing he had less than thirty years left to live, and sighed in a low voice, "The deceased is gone. For Lao Zhou, this outcome can be considered a relief."

"Living in such a messed-up world is not as good as being an ordinary person."

"Captain, what you said is so true! I never want to come back to this messed-up world again! In my next life, I definitely want to be an ordinary rich kid~"

“A menial servant!” someone added maliciously.

"Roll rough!"

"Hahahaha." In an instant, the air several thousand meters above was filled with the joyful laughter of Ding Lei and the members of the expedition team.

"...Respected top martial arts prodigy Shen Bailian, thank you for your positive response to this Level 2 conscription order. Please rest assured that your military merit points have been recorded. You can exchange them for the cultivation resources, rare treasures, and armor you desire at the city hall of any city..."

Shen Bailian swiftly traversed the sea of ​​clouds, and upon hearing the voice coming from the wireless channel beside him, he nodded.

Although this was my first time experiencing something like this, after reading detailed tutorials on this type of event, I already had some idea of ​​what to expect.

"It's getting late, we need to speed things up." Shen Bailian glanced at the setting sun, then with a deafening roar, he broke the sound barrier and sped home.

Eager to go home.

It's about ten o'clock in the evening.

"How about a little more?"

"That's enough, that's really enough!" Shen Bailian quickly stood up, looked at the dozen or so empty plates on the table, and grabbed his mother: "I really can't eat anymore!"

As he spoke, he quickly glanced at Shen's father beside him: "Dad, come help!"

"Alright, alright." Mr. Shen understood and chimed in, "It's not like our son can't eat good food at school. That's the Heavenly Gang Academy; the chefs there are from seven-star hotels..."

"What, are you saying my cooking is bad?"

"No! I absolutely did not mean that!" Mr. Shen quickly denied.

After all, if he really angered Shen's mother because of this, then he would have to take on the responsibility of cooking at home all by himself from now on. What a tragedy for a middle-aged unemployed man!
"Oh, right." Father Shen raised an eyebrow, as if he had remembered something, and changed the subject, saying to Shen Bailian, "Son, there is another letter. It was asked by someone from the Xingyi Martial Arts School to give it to you."

"A letter?" Shen Bailian was somewhat puzzled. What era was this? Who would still write a letter? And from a Xingyi Martial Arts School no less… Could it be…?

"Yes, I'll get it for you right away." With that, Mr. Shen quickly ran to the coffee table, opened the drawer below, took out a blue letter, and handed it to Shen Bailian.

The paper feels very comfortable to the touch, with a cool, refreshing sensation.

Shen Bailian glanced at it briefly with his Divine Eye, then his expression changed slightly. He said to his parents, "I'll go back to my room and take a look."

After saying that, without waiting for their response, he quickly walked back to the familiar little room and closed the door.

"This...it can't be a love letter, can it?" Mr. and Mrs. Shen exchanged glances, then their faces lit up with joy as a long-awaited idea popped into their minds.

Inside the room.

Shen Bailian sat at his familiar desk, remained silent for a moment, and with a heavy heart, opened the long-sealed letter—

[Bai Lian, I guess it's okay to call you that? I hope so. After all, I've already nominally called you my disciple outside, so I'm sure you won't hold a grudge against a dead man, hahaha...]

I've heard that in the 1960s and 70s, before the New Era, travel was slow, making letters all the more meaningful. So, after much hesitation, I finally decided to write you a letter—to my only true disciple.

Shen Bailian smiled knowingly upon seeing this, because in a sense, Zhou Changqing was indeed his nominal master.

Because, looking back now, aside from the basic sword techniques in the Five Spirits Fist course, Zhou Changqing was indeed teaching him wholeheartedly.

In my life, I've fooled many people. During my years as an instructor at a Xingyi martial arts school, I must have "fooled" at least a thousand people, right? You were definitely fooled by me back then too, don't rush to deny it, you definitely were.

"Damn it!" Shen Bailian cursed under his breath, then laughed.

When he first saw Zhou Changqing's information sheet, he felt something was wrong, but due to his lack of knowledge, he couldn't figure it out.

However, for a small place like Bozhou City, a martial artist at the Opening Sea Realm is considered a top-tier expert. If my information sheet listed me as a peak Transcendent Realm martial artist, I wouldn't have remained confined to the Xingyi Martial Arts School.

Therefore, it's perfectly reasonable for me to lie.

I've digressed a bit. Now, I want to ask you for a favor. Although the chances are slim, you're the person I've encountered with the greatest hope.

【Please, my lord, bring lasting peace to the Great Xia Dynasty!】

Each stroke was powerful and penetrating, deeply moving Shen Bailian, for he could faintly sense the subtle essence of the fourth level of martial arts skill from these final strokes of Zhou Changqing's calligraphy.

This is truly astonishing!

It should be noted that Zhou Changqing was merely an ordinary Transcendent Realm martial artist, not even a martial arts prodigy, yet he was able to touch the threshold of the fourth level of martial arts skill at this stage.

[It's so bitter! So incredibly bitter! This world is just too difficult! If I could live again, I would rather give up this human power than choose to come back to this world! But I have no choice!!!]

To be honest, when we first met, I was practically on my last legs. A martial artist at the peak of the Transcendent Realm only had fifty or sixty years to live—less than an ordinary person. Isn't that laughable?

[Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!]

But as I said before, I have no choice; I didn't before, I don't now, and I certainly won't in the future.

[Given my martial arts aptitude, reaching the Transcendent Realm would already be an incredible stroke of luck. But for my family, for my country… and for my sense of responsibility, I can only continue to burn my blood, my spirit… and the last vestige of my martial arts potential in battle!]

I don't regret it, because I did it; I did what a man should do.

The significance of a peak Transcendent Realm martial artist is far different from that of an early Transcendent Realm martial artist. I moved my parents from a cramped pigeon coop of 30-40 square meters to a large villa of several hundred square meters.

However, the path of martial arts is arduous, and so is the battle against ferocious beasts. In hundreds and thousands of battles, I have repeatedly found myself in perilous situations, and like many of my predecessors, I have had to temporarily amplify my combat power by burning my own lifespan.

Although I always controlled myself, burning for only a few months, half a year... at most a year, over time, my lifespan reached its limit, and I was forcibly turned back by officials from the Great Xia border.

At the beginning of cultivation, it was for the purpose of protecting one's home and country, for gaining personal power, and for living as long as heaven and earth, shining as brightly as the sun and moon. But as one cultivates, one discovers that the length of one's lifespan is even shorter than that of an ordinary person...

[Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!]

The border of the Great Xia Dynasty is like a meat grinder. Every year, hundreds of thousands of martial artists at the Foundation Establishment and Transcendent Realm die on the front lines. In times of frequent beast tides, this number can even climb to over a million... Those who are lucky can leave behind some flesh and blood to be cremated into ashes, while those who are unlucky...

One minute later~
Shen Bailian silently put down the letter that felt as heavy as a thousand pounds in his hand. Since starting high school, he had never read a single article from beginning to end.

Because with his abilities, he can remember 80 or 90% of what he sees at a glance.

However, Shen Bailian spent several minutes reading Zhou Changqing's farewell letter, which was several thousand words long, and every word was imprinted in his mind and heart.

"To usher in an era of peace for all generations?" Shen Bailian lay down on the familiar small bed, feeling the familiar atmosphere, and looked at the ceiling above his head, which he had been looking at for more than ten years, and fell into deep thought.

(End of this chapter)