Xiuxian, I can travel to another world

Chapter 228 Breakthrough
The Great Qi Dynasty was founded on military strength and therefore placed great importance on martial arts.

Each prefecture had a martial arts arena where people could compete in martial arts, even to the point of life and death.

This is especially true in Shenjing (the capital city).

The soft burial mud, after being repeatedly pounded by a martial arts master, will turn into an extremely hard soil and stone.

Even a second-grade grandmaster would find it difficult to leave a significant mark on it.

The training platform, built from these materials, is over ten acres in size, and two swordsmen stand facing each other on it.

No action has been taken yet.

The two sword intents clashed across the air, creating a gust of wind that forced the onlookers to retreat.

"Taoist Master."

Jiao Ru Opening:
"Who do you think will win?"

"A sword maniac, perhaps?" Zhu Ju casually remarked.

"He has a deeper foundation."

He knew absolutely nothing about the two people on stage; even a Dao Foundation cultivator couldn't guess who would win or lose.

"Indeed." Jiao Ru nodded.
"As the chosen one of the generation of the Absolute Blade Sect, his physical foundation is solid, which is incomparable to that of the Blade Ghost."

"However, Dao Gui has been through many battles and has often won against stronger opponents. Now that it is a life-or-death duel, the outcome is hard to predict."

"here we go!"

The one who launched the first attack was surprisingly Wu Luo, the Madman of Knives. He flashed and leaped a hundred meters to bring his knife down on Wu Luo's head.

A force that splits the mountain!

An ordinary strike suddenly darkened the sky, leaving only the downward slash in sight.

Knife intention!
A sword intent capable of distorting the perception of others.

While a Grandmaster of the First Rank in this realm may be slightly inferior to a Nine-Aperture Innate Master in terms of skill, their actual combat ability is in no way inferior.

Close-up,

It might even be better.

Just as the long sword was about to fall, a sinister and eerie cold sword intent emerged, like a venomous snake pouncing upwards.

"Ding……"

The two swords clashed.

The knife in the hands of the knife madman was long and wide, a size larger than that used by ordinary people; the knife in the hands of the knife ghost was a broken knife.

Left hand, broken knife, unpredictable swordsmanship.

The two men's swordsmanship was one righteous and the other wicked, presenting a stark contrast.

Zhu Ju's eyes flickered slightly, showing some interest.

"Bah..."

The broken blade flashed, appearing to others like a venomous scorpion, its tail suddenly stabbing into the void.

moment.

Hundreds of afterimages appeared.

Within a radius of several dozen feet, the shadows of blades darted and intertwined, launching a fierce attack on the figure inside.

Dao Gui's ruthless and vicious swordsmanship is enough to send chills down your spine if you only look at it a few times.

"I've long heard of the Demon Blade, but today I finally get to see him in person." Jiao Ru's expression was solemn.
"Truly extraordinary."

"boom!"

The loud noise interrupted his mutterings.

Wu Luo, the Madman of the Blade, had a solemn expression. He unleashed the nineteen moves of the Peerless Blade in sequence, generating even more variations.

Unleashing its power across the universe!

A power that lasts for eternity!

……

The violent sword intent, like a storm, enveloped the entire training ground, and cracks appeared on the ground beneath our feet.

Compared to his ferocity, Dao Gui's sword techniques are extremely insidious.

The intent of the blade can either pierce the eyes or bewitch the six senses; the sword energy is sinister and vicious, and every strike is unexpected.

"Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding..."

The sounds of collisions were like raindrops pattering on banana leaves, continuous and incessant.

The two on the martial arts stage were like two ferocious beasts from the wilderness, baring their fangs and fighting fiercely.

With a casual dodge, they covered a hundred meters, leaving deep marks on the ground from the leaked blade energy.

The onlookers retreated again and again, but were reluctant to leave.

The duel between two Grandmasters of the highest rank is too tempting for martial arts practitioners, who are even willing to take certain risks for it.

"what?"

Jiao Ru frowned:

"The situation is not good; it has become a stalemate."

Unless the strength and methods are roughly equal, a fight between martial artists can be decided very quickly.

Even if the difference is small, a slight mistake can quickly decide the outcome.

It's rare to find a situation where you're truly in a state of anxiety.

"They want to take this opportunity to break through their own limits and reach the Divine Realm; they are not in a hurry to defeat their opponent." Zhu Juze saw this more clearly:

"By pushing their limits with the thrill of life and death, it seems that they don't have much killing intent towards each other. They are more focused on pursuing breakthroughs in martial arts than on hatred."

"pity……"

"The likelihood of both sides suffering heavy losses is greater."

The reason why breakthroughs in the face of battle are often talked about is because they are extremely rare and dangerous.

of course.

If the two can stop here and process this battle, they will gain a lot, and may even be able to lay the foundation for the divine treasure.

Unfortunately, who dares to stop when the fighting is at its peak?

They're already in a bind!

"not good!"

"Shh!"

Jiao Ru's expression changed, and he suddenly appeared near the martial arts stage, clapping his hands together in front of him.

The violent energy acted like an iron gate, firmly guarding the training ground.

at this time.

"boom!"

The two swords clashed again, and the sharp, visible energy surged outwards like a towering mountain.

If it is allowed to run rampant, the surrounding onlookers will surely suffer heavy casualties.

"what!"

Jiao Ru's forehead veins bulged, and he roared through gritted teeth:

"Get out of my way!"

"Peng!"

The force surged, causing him to sway, his clothes to burst open, and he staggered back several steps.

The two people on the martial arts stage lay on the ground covered in blood, their fate unknown.

Shaking his head, Zhu Ju turned and left.

He wasn't worried about Jiao Ru; in fact, even if Jiao Ru didn't take action, the nearby people would be fine.

There is also a hidden martial arts master in the arena.

but……

The battle between Grandmasters of the First Rank was not of much reference value to Zhu Ju; he could only treat it as a show.

Compared to the two players on the field, he had an even better target to observe, and it was about time tonight.

*
*
*
The Southern Barbarians belonged to the Great Qi, but were not one of the various states. Instead, their territory was managed by the Barbarian King himself, similar to a king who was not of the same surname.

In Shenjing (Beijing).

There were barbarian settlements belonging to the southern barbarians.

Dozens of horse-drawn carriages loaded with goods drove into the backyard of the foreign residence, and a group of barbarians skillfully untied the reins.

"prince."

One of them stepped forward and reported: "Lord Ming has come to pay a visit."

"Oh!" Batu, the son of the barbarian king, frowned.
"What is he here for?"

He shook his head, put down what he was holding, and walked into the living room, where a middle-aged man in a long robe was already waiting.

"Master Ming!"

Batu Shili, as the son of the barbarian king and the envoy of the southern barbarians, was no different from the scholars of the Great Qi except for his name.

"Your Excellency Prince Batu, we meet again." Lord Ming laughed heartily and embraced Batu.
"Zhang Xiang asked me to convey his greetings."

"You're too kind, Prime Minister." Batu bowed his head. Although he was a barbarian, he didn't like the greeting of hugging. It made him feel like he hadn't integrated into the society of Daqi, and that others still treated him as a barbarian.

A flash of anger crossed his eyes, and he spoke slowly:
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, we will not miss His Majesty's birthday."

"Of course!" Lord Ming nodded.

“I have complete confidence in Prince Batu’s work. The reason I’ve come here is to entrust him with another important matter.”

"What is it?" Batu looked up.
"Since it is the Prime Minister's request, I will certainly go through fire and water to fulfill it."

"Haha..." Lord Ming laughed heartily:

"Small things."

"I would like to trouble the southern barbarians to send someone to poison someone."

"Using poison to kill someone?" Batu's expression changed almost imperceptibly, and he asked cautiously:

"Kill who?"

"Was the journey not peaceful today?" Lord Ming changed the subject, saying:
"Someone is blocking the road?"

"Yes." Batu nodded.
"Lord Geng Wenyong blocked the road to advise His Majesty, but his words were too extreme, and he has been imprisoned in the imperial prison."

"That's the one I killed." Lord Ming's face darkened.
"The man surnamed Geng is facing imminent disaster and knows he cannot escape it, so he utters wild words to slander His Majesty in order to hide in the heavily guarded imperial prison."

"Humph!"

Lord Ming snorted coldly:
"Did he think he'd be safe hiding in the imperial prison?"

"I've long heard that the Southern Barbarians are skilled in using poison, and even their common people raise poisonous insects. They even have methods for cultivating Gu worms. Killing a scholar who can't even kill a chicken shouldn't be difficult, right?"

"Lord Ming!" Batu's expression changed drastically:
"Geng Wenyong is a high-ranking official of the third rank in the imperial court..."

"It's not anymore." Lord Ming's voice was icy.

"Just now, His Majesty issued an edict stripping him of his official position. Now he is just a commoner, and no one will care if he is killed."

?

How could no one care?

Geng Wenyong was a famous incorruptible official and a role model for countless scholars. Killing him would offend countless people.

"grown ups."

Batu whispered:
"Now that we've already stripped him of his official position, Geng is just a useless man. It seems like there's not much difference whether we kill him or not?"

"Hmph!" Lord Ming snorted coldly.

"The man surnamed Geng has his own way of courting death, so you don't need to ask him any further. He's quite clever; he managed to hide in the imperial prison and even gained a good reputation to protect himself."

"However, if this person is not killed, there will be many more like him. Even if it is just to make an example of him, we must get rid of him."

"Prince Batu".

He turned his head to look at him and said slowly:
"We also have people in the Heavenly Prison, but this matter has become so big and obvious that it's not good, so..."

"Do the Southern Barbarians possess some kind of extraordinary poison that can kill without showing symptoms? Even renowned doctors would only diagnose it as a relapse of an old illness, rather than a murder?"

“…” Batu’s eyes flickered, then he slowly nodded:

"Have!"

"Good." Lord Ming laughed heartily.

“That makes things much easier. The imperial court has already issued an edict stripping Geng Wenyong of his official position and demoting his entire family. We’ll kill Geng Wenyong first, then his family.”

"We must show the world what the consequences will be for disobeying His Majesty!"

Even family members were killed?

Is this a case of eliminating the root of the problem?
Batu felt a chill run down his spine, but he quickly regained his composure. Poisoning one person could be explained as death from illness, but poisoning an entire family was simply inexplicable.

Therefore, the task of killing the entire Geng family should not fall on my shoulders.

This is true.

Next, Lord Ming asked him how he used poison and how he killed people, but he didn't mention the Geng family at all.

Finally, they left carrying a few local specialties.

…………

After seeing Lord Ming off, Batu's expression changed, and after a long while, he sighed helplessly and strolled to the barbarian villa, where the number one expert from the Southern Barbarians in the capital lived.

Yuexi, the second disciple of the Imperial Advisor.

"Senior Yue."

Arriving at a door, he bowed and spoke:
"What you requested has arrived."

"Oh!"

The door opened automatically without any wind, and a pale-faced, beardless man walked out with a smile on his face.

"Batu, thank you very much."

"You're too kind, senior." Batu cupped his hands in greeting and asked curiously:

"The Worry-Free Fruit is extremely poisonous. Are you sure you want to use it, Senior?"

"Since we've decided to use it, there's a way to resolve the issue," Yue Xi smiled.

"Prince Batu, rest assured."

"That's good." Batu breathed a sigh of relief.
"I am sure that your wishes will come true, and my Southern Kingdom will have another Dharma King."

"Thank you for your kind words." Yue Xi took the item, his expression complicated as he lowered his head. After a long while, his face became solemn.

Success or failure depends on this!
night.

The room was dark and quiet.

As a Grandmaster of the First Rank, Yue Xi could see the night as day, but he still habitually lit an oil lamp.

He sat cross-legged on the central prayer mat, with a stick of highly poisonous incense burning in front of him, and the method of breaking through quickly flashed through his mind.

"The Ten Thousand Poisons True Skill is a secret technique passed down by the National Preceptor. It uses poison to refine the body and hides the body in ten thousand poisons. The more poison one consumes, the higher one's cultivation level becomes. This is why I was able to reach the peak of the first rank before I was even fifty years old."

"But if I cannot break through to the Divine Treasure Martial Saint level, then in two or three years, I will die from the poison."

"Ah……"

“Since I began practicing this skill, I have had no other choice.”

"let's start!"

With his hands lightly forming hand seals, Yue Xi's eyes gradually dimmed, and his aura became restrained until he resembled a dead man.

His heart stopped beating, his breathing was almost nonexistent, and wisps of white smoke escaped from his body.

The smoke formed a large cocoon, completely enveloping him.

This is the "Butterfly Transformation Technique," a secret method within the Ten Thousand Poisons True Skill to open the divine treasure. It can seal the nine orifices and six senses, leaving only the human mind's single thought.

If successful.

Transform from a cocoon into a butterfly and advance to the Martial Saint.

If it doesn't work
When the body dies, the Tao disappears.

"call……"

A gentle breeze blew through the room, and a figure appeared silently.

"After waiting for so long, we have finally witnessed a Grandmaster of the First Rank break through. This kind of opportunity is truly rare."

"The Butterfly Transformation Technique?"

Zhu Ju seemed to be deep in thought:
"The spiritual treasure opened by this technique should be the essence and soul. Only with inexhaustible essence and energy to nourish the body can one resist the strange poison."

"what?"

"Something went wrong so quickly?"

White smoke billowed in the arena, and Yue Xi's face inside was contorted with rage, with veins bulging on his forehead, indicating that he had gone mad with qi deviation.

"There's something wrong with the cultivation technique!"

Zhu Ju's face was solemn:

"The Southern Barbarian Grand Preceptor can't tolerate a second Martial Saint?"

"You're lucky."

Given such a rare opportunity, Zhu Ju certainly didn't want the other party to give up halfway, so he reached out and probed into the white smoke.

(End of this chapter)