Simultaneous travel: Starting from returning to the main god space.

Chapter 572 Peerless Martial God...That's it? (Seeking monthly votes! Seeking follow-up subscriptions!)
"Teacher! What are you doing...?"

Xu Qi'an looked at the supervisor who appeared in the Heavenly Gate with a look of surprise on his face.

Although he knew that his grandfather was the embodiment of the will of Heaven and would not be so easily killed, he never expected that the other party would return to the human world so quickly and in such a peculiar way.

"The Celestial Venerable has transformed into the Dao."

The supervisor smiled slightly, and then began to recount the story of the first super-grade powerhouse of the human race in ancient times—the Dao Venerable—who attempted to replace the Heavenly Dao with his own consciousness.

"The Dao Venerable failed to merge with the Heavenly Dao, but he brought a trace of humanity to the Heavenly Dao. However, this trace of humanity was too weak and could dissipate at any time. Therefore, after achieving the peak of the first rank, the successive Heavenly Venerables of the Daoist sect would choose to merge with the Heavenly Dao through the technique of the unity of heaven and man, and gradually strengthen that trace of humanity."

"Finally, after a long period of time, I awoke and became an independent consciousness of the Heavenly Dao..."

Xu Qi'an suddenly realized:
"So, after the Celestial Venerable transformed into the Dao, he awakened you?"

"good."

The supervisor nodded, looked at Xu Qi'an, and a look of satisfaction appeared in his eyes.

"You have finally broken through to the half-step Martial God level. In this way, I can help you advance to the true Martial God level. At that time, with the help of the Taiping Blade, you can easily kill super-grade enemies and become the gatekeeper of the Heavenly Dao."

"The gatekeeper of the Heavenly Dao?"

Xu Qi'an repeated the newly coined term with a hint of doubt in his eyes, but he soon received an explanation from the supervisor.

"In this world, all major systems can draw upon the power of heaven and earth and utilize the five elements. Only the martial arts system does not interact with the outside world and forms its own world... The martial arts system is the only system that will not replace the Heavenly Dao, and therefore can never replace the Heavenly Dao."

Xu Qi'an's lips twitched, then he sighed dejectedly.

I thought the reason why the supervisor was doing everything he could to train me to become a Martial God was because the Martial God system was the strongest among all the systems and could kill other Super Grade beings. Who would have thought that the real reason was that the Martial God could not pose a threat to the Heavenly Dao and was just a doorman who could only look but not eat.

The whole world is humiliating warriors, and even the laws of heaven and earth are humiliating warriors!
Suddenly, Xu Qi'an seemed to have thought of something and asked again.

"If that's the case, then why don't you choose to become the Martial God by becoming the Bad Commander? Wouldn't that be easier?"

After a moment of silence, the supervisor slowly replied, "He... is different."

"What's different? Does he have a way to replace the Way of Heaven?"

Xu Qi'an was surprised, wondering to himself if his fellow villager was really that amazing, able to break the shackles of the martial arts system.
"I do not know."

The supervisor shook his head, a look of helplessness appearing on his aged face.

"His future is uncertain, but it holds infinite possibilities. He might even be able to break the rules of the martial arts system."

"But because of this, I cannot let him become a God of War. The Way of Heaven should be impartial and selfless, and should not have emotions or independent consciousness. Otherwise, it may not be a good thing for the living beings of the Nine Provinces."

Xu Qi'an pondered for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded silently, clearly agreeing with the supervisor's point of view.

"One last question, how do I advance to the Martial God realm?"

Xu Qi'an asked, "I heard that person say before that there are three conditions required to advance to the Martial God realm: the cultivation level of a half-step Martial God, the faith of all the people in the world, and the recognition of the Heavenly Dao."

"He lacks your approval, and I am unknown in the Nine Provinces Continent, so I don't meet the requirements either."

"No need for all that trouble. Someone has already fulfilled the final conditions for you, so we can use it directly."

The supervisor smiled slightly: "Don't forget, I am the Fate Master."

After saying this, a seemingly weak fluctuation emanated from the Supervisor's body, and in the blink of an eye, with the cooperation of the Heavenly Dao, it radiated throughout the entire Nine Provinces Continent.

For a moment, all living beings on the continent were momentarily dazed, especially the people of the Great Feng Dynasty, whose perceptions were subtly altered.

"The Bad Commander... Xu Qi'an?"

Having just arrived at the border of Chuzhou via Yang Qianhuan's teleportation array, Wei Yuan looked slightly bewildered. He subconsciously uttered a name that should be familiar yet felt strangely unfamiliar, as if something was amiss.

But soon, his powerful mental strength broke free from this feeling, and he instantly regained consciousness, his expression changing slightly.

"What the hell is Xu Qi'an? Shouldn't the Bad Commander be Wu Xian...? No! Someone is distorting my understanding. Is it another high-level sorcerer?"

Coincidentally, similar events occurred in every corner of the Nine Provinces Continent. Most of the extraordinary experts noticed the anomaly and quickly used various methods to break through this cognitive alteration. However, this only applied to extraordinary experts. Those cultivators who had not reached the extraordinary level and ordinary people did not have this ability, at least not in the short term. Their perception of the Bad Marshal was completely changed and replaced with the image of Xu Qi'an.

……

"Hahahaha—Supervisor, you've really got some skills!"

In the Southern Frontier, Wu Xian stood on the Five Elements Mountain. He sensed the information hidden within the fluctuations, was slightly taken aback, then slapped his forehead and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"A moment of faith among the masses, and it is still faith among the masses... Only you could come up with such a cunning and deceitful method!"

"Boom————!!!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the sky, which had been crystal clear due to the attacks of the three super-grade beings, was now filled with thick, dark clouds that stretched to the horizon, as if obscuring the entire Kyushu.

Thunder roared, and terrifying pressure descended from the sky, a heavenly tribulation brewing.

At the same time, Wu Xian felt the Five Elements Mountain beneath his feet tremble slightly. To be precise, the three super-grade mountains below reacted violently, as if an unprecedented fear was surging up.

Especially the Gu God, whose lifespan is incredibly long. Born into the world at the beginning of creation, He has never seen such a terrifying tribulation in the long river of time He has experienced.

A moment later, the thunder stopped abruptly, and the dark clouds receded, as if the strange celestial phenomenon just now was merely an illusion.

But Wu Xian narrowed his eyes and looked to the north, where he saw a ragged figure appear in the air.

He had handsome features, a tall and well-proportioned figure, and held a narrow-mouthed, black and gold longsword.

Apart from that, there is nothing else.

However, this is only natural; when martial gods fight, they don't need anything fancy.

Xu Qi'an looked at the handsome young man facing him from afar. Half an hour ago, the other party was still an insurmountable barrier in his eyes, and he couldn't muster the slightest thought of fighting him.

But after advancing to the Martial God level, everything changed.

He is now so strong that even he finds it terrifying. It's as if he can sever all the rules of the world as long as he holds the Taiping Blade. He can easily kill a fellow villager who is only half a step into the Martial God realm.

Thinking of this, Xu Qi'an glanced down at the Five Finger Mountain, a strange look on his face, but he still said to Wu Xian, "I have become an unparalleled martial god, and you are no match for me. Considering what you have done for the people of the Nine Provinces over the years, as long as you give up pursuing the Heavenly Dao, I will spare your life."

"Really? Should I thank you, fellow villager?"

Wu Xian seemed amused, but then raised his right hand and clenched it into a fist.

"Anyone can talk big, but in a battle between martial artists, the truth will ultimately be revealed in their hands... Come on! Use your full strength and let me see just how good this so-called peerless martial god really is."

"Obsessive."

Xu Qi'an sighed softly, raised his arm, and slashed down with his sword, breaking the rules of spatial distance and landing on Wu Xian's arm, seemingly intending to cripple his combat ability.

"clang----!!!"

Amidst the clang of metal, the blade of the Taiping Blade struck Wu Xian's arm, but failed to break through his defenses, instead emitting blinding sparks.

How can it be? ! !

Xu Qi'an's pupils shrank sharply. The Taiping Blade had already fused with the power of the Heavenly Gate, capable of severing all rules. How could it possibly be unable to break through even the physical body of a half-step Martial God?!
"Peerless Martial God...that's it?"

A mocking voice rang in his ears, making Xu Qi'an's heart sink.

Then, a fist the size of a sandbag filled his vision. It was as if he had been hit head-on by a meteor. An overwhelming and irresistible impact slammed into his face, sending him flying out of the Nine Provinces Continent!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

I wonder if anyone guessed how Xu Qi'an advanced to the Martial God. Also, the protagonist has actually been acting all along; he never intended to advance to the Martial God at all. He's making a bigger move, and we'll find out tomorrow.

Finally, I'm asking for a round of monthly votes! Please subscribe! Please recommend!

(End of this chapter)