A Scroll of Infinite Glory

Chapter 99 The Ticket to the Strong

The trail left by the plane as it flew through the clouds initially appeared from the ground as just a straight white line.

As time goes by, the straight and slender mark will gradually expand and spread out, becoming thicker and less straight, more like a thick, intermittent graffiti drawn on the canvas of the sky after being smeared with white paint.

By the time the trace had faded, the pilot of that plane had already arrived in the territory of Singapore and Malaysia from the airport of the allied country.

The manpower guarding the entire Nianjiangnan region was simply no match for Situ Dianluo's advance.

Walking on the cobblestone path covered with damp moss, he even casually took out his tobacco and stuffed it into his pipe with its natural wood grain.

Snapped! !

A snap of the fingers.

The true spiritual energy overflowed, and at the tip of the bionic machine's knuckles, an electric spark was rubbed out, igniting the tobacco.

The commotion finally caught the attention of the defenders. At the end of the cobblestone path, along the dilapidated wall, a group of cold, stern figures with guns at their sides gathered.

"You can't stop him, let him come over."

Yan Du's voice came from beyond the ruined wall.

Situ Dianlu smiled, and with a light tiptoe, he crossed the nearly ten-meter sloping distance and stood lightly on the broken wall.

The broken steel bars became his foothold, and from this height, he could see everything in the courtyard.

Yan Du was on the far left, and Guan Luoyang was on the far right. Each of them had an elegant low table, cushions, and a teapot beside them, and behind them were large umbrellas specially erected to shield them from the morning rain and night dew.

Although there are still some signs of damage from the battle around the courtyard, the wreckage and corpses have been removed, washed away, and cleaned up, making it quite different from the scene in the aerial photographs.

Situ Dianlu shook his head: "I rushed over as quickly as possible, but it seems I still missed a lot. It looks like a lot of time was wasted by the time the message reached me."

"You were the most flamboyant one, descending from the sky with an imposing aura to provoke us, but you were certainly not the first one to arrive."

Guan Luoyang slowly began to speak, but the latter half of his words suddenly rose in volume, spreading throughout Nianjiangnan: "However, this is also a good opportunity. Since we already have a guest making such a grand entrance, everyone, why don't you all come out and introduce yourselves?"

After this voice was heard, it was tantamount to an invitation, and those who were originally responsible for blocking the way simply made way.

Soon, a clear and melodious voice responded.

"It seems Mr. Lightning's rude personality has somewhat offended the host."

The young white man with long, brown-red hair tied up walked in with that voice.

Among his entourage, the most conspicuous were two maids, one carrying a wine chest and the other carrying a long, rectangular box that was taller than her on her back.

"So it's Harald of the Canute family. Among the nobles of the northern shore of Europe, the cruelty of your Canute family has always been the most well-known. Even among the children of the same family, there is no affection or etiquette to speak of. For you to accuse me of being rude is truly the best joke of the year."

Situ Dianlu scoffed twice, then jumped from the broken wall into the courtyard and said to Guan Luoyang, "I've always thought of myself as just being straightforward. If I've offended you, I apologize in advance."

"Besides Lightning, I prefer to be called Situ Dianluo."

Guan Luoyang nodded: "Would you like me to arrange seating for everyone?"

"No need. In Chinese terms, we are already uninvited guests, how can we trouble our hosts further?"

Harald stopped in a corner of the courtyard, smiled and responded. The people behind him had already skillfully laid out a carpet and set up tables and chairs.

Situ Dianluo scoffed at his act, casually leaning back without a care that her back was poking into the uneven wall that had been cracked by the blow.

At this moment, the third group of people walked in. The leader was a tall man with a hooked nose, but his cheeks looked a bit thin. He had bandages wrapped around his head, and he seemed to be very afraid of the cold. Even in the hot climate of Singapore and Malaysia, he was still wearing a gray mink coat.

After approaching the courtyard from the corridor, his brownish-yellow eyes stared at Yan Du for a while before turning to Guan Luoyang and greeting him in German.

A person next to him translated for him: "This is Leopold XVII, from Berlin, who greets Mr. Guan Luoyang."

The translator paused for a moment, then said, "Please also extend your greetings to Mr. Yandu."

Yan Du looked over with a kind expression and said in a gentle tone, "Your body has not fully recovered, but it seems that your spirit has recovered a lot. You bravely came here. I hope that after this experience, you can get rid of the psychological shadow and grow again."

The translator's lips twitched slightly, and he translated it truthfully.

Leopold looked at Yandu again, the muscles on both sides of his nose twitched, and he silently sat down on the thick blanket laid out by his attendants.

Then, the sound of water could be heard, getting closer and closer.

To the west of the courtyard is a small river. The wall over there was completely destroyed in the previous battle, and the view became much more open.

On the river, green waves rippled, and a small boat slowly drifted into view.

An Asian man with somewhat messy hair, dressed in samurai attire, knelt on a small boat, his sheathed long sword resting lightly on the exposed concrete and steel foundation.

The small boat, drifting downstream, came to an immediate stop because of this gentle movement, remaining steadily in that position with almost no buffer time.

"Fusang, Sanada Sengun."

The people on the boat sheathed their knives, and their introductions were stiff and brief.

Situ Dianlu asked curiously, "The most renowned swordsman in Japan, the one who indirectly prompted the United Nations to expedite the establishment of S-level individual files, you seem to have just been involved in some battles?"

Sanada Sengun replied, "Some people are not worthy to come here. I walked around and advised them to go back."

Situ Dianlu took a drag of his cigarette, exhaling bluish smoke, and shook his head vigorously: "There are very few people who can receive the news so quickly and are willing to come here. At the very least, they are influential and sincere people. Letting them in will make things more lively."

Sanada Senjun ignored him.

Situ Dianluo wasn't embarrassed. He looked around again and said, "So, that's about the number of people who came this time."

He suddenly frowned. "That's not right, is it? This place isn't far from China, it's much closer than to the Americas. There are five Chinese people in the S-level files, surely none of them received the news and are willing to come?"

Guan Luoyang raised his teacup and took a sip: "Of course not, Professor Yan Zhen arrived even earlier than all of you."

There was a private room on the north side of the courtyard. Through the window of the private room, Lao An suddenly turned around and stared blankly at the old professor who was chatting with him across the table.

This man wore silver-gray suits all his life, was rather thin, had gray hair, a gaunt but energetic face, and deep wrinkles on his forehead and around his eyes, but his eyes were clear and bright.

At this moment, he nodded and smiled at Lao An, picked up his teacup, and walked to the window.

"General Situ, Mr. Sanada, it's been a long time. And to all the distinguished guests I'm meeting for the first time, I apologize for my rudeness."

Old An suddenly came to his senses. Right, two days ago, this old professor also appeared in Nianjiangnan with a group of people without anyone noticing. He was obviously not an ordinary person.

But for some reason, these past two days, when we chatted occasionally, drank tea and played chess together, Lao An treated him like an ordinary old man, almost forgetting where he came from.

Situ Dianluo and the others were probably no less surprised than Lao An.

These people consider themselves to be at the top of the modified martial arts world, and they are used to being able to sense things that threaten them from within a kilometer away, almost as if they could foresee the future.

However, before Guan Luoyang pointed it out, no one noticed Yan Zhen's whereabouts.

Although this capability does not represent the strength for direct combat, it already represents a preemptive strike against these people's confidence.

However, these people all possess the ability to remain calm and collected.

Even Harald, who appears to be the youngest and most impetuous, is a ruthless and ambitious man who, in recent years, has played a game of both enmity and friendship with his cousin, tearing apart and devouring all the older generation of nobles on the North Shore. His cunning is unimaginable.

The crowd responded to Yan Zhen with either laughter or bows, remaining calm and composed.

Situ Dianlu laughed loudly, "Professor Yan is as elusive as ever. Not only did he arrive before us, but he also managed to keep quiet. I truly admire his composure."

"If it were me, with two such powerful martial artists here debating and discussing, I probably would have already joined in."

Guan Luoyang put down his teacup and suddenly took over the conversation: "In that case, Yan Du and I might as well wait a moment and let General Situ open another chapter in this discussion, so that everyone can participate."

"Wouldn't that be overshadowing the main event?"

Situ Dianluo first smiled politely and then readily agreed, "Alright, I'll do the deed of setting the stage."

"I believe that if modified warriors and martial artists who have undergone mechanical modifications want to become even stronger, the three aspects they need to focus on most are mechanics, magnetic fields, and mental strength."

"Among these, spiritual power is a relatively new concept. Before the 1950s, although the term existed, it was only a general term. It was not until the discovery of the True Spirit Machine that spiritual power was manifested in the form of True Spirit Electricity and became a real force."

"True spirit electricity can also interact with external magnetic fields, thereby generating even more elemental forces..."

On the fourth day of Guan Luoyang and Yan Du's long conversation, sincere and powerful individuals from all corners of the world set aside their own troubles and came here to participate in this discussion.

Under the clear blue sky, the weather in Nianjiang was gradually getting hot and dry, and the atmosphere between people was becoming increasingly lively.

Situ Dianluo's explanations are very cunning. Most of them start from so-called concepts, and none of them can be put into practical use. Only occasionally are there some arguments that are refreshing.

However, when Sanada Senjun refuted some of his arguments, he had to reveal more "real" things, using concrete examples and applications to refute his opponent.

One of them used a more scientific and systematic theory to point out the direction for transforming martial artists' training, while the other emphasized the depth and sublimation of the spirit, talking about Japanese swordsmanship, Bushido, and Zen Buddhism.

Situ Dianluo spoke fluently and eloquently, while Sanada Senjun's words were stiff and awkward. As he spoke, he became somewhat tongue-tied and was at a disadvantage. Some of the ancient philosophical ideas he quoted were directly ridiculed as utopian dross.

This prompted Haral, who was standing nearby, to intervene.

Their ancestors, the Knut family, were pirates who built an empire that dominated the European continent. Later, this short-lived empire collapsed, but the family, in its long continuation, acquired the so-called classical aristocratic habits.

Harald was exposed to Jewish mysticism from a young age. The pursuit and training of spiritual cultivation and psychological qualities can be traced back thousands of years. The mysterious place inside the human brain that condenses the spirit is called the "virtual crown" to signify nobility.

After the appearance of the True Spirit Machine, those ancient meditation methods helped Harald acquire martial prowess far beyond the ordinary, which he regarded as an unparalleled treasure.

Situ Dianluo's opening remarks were a sweeping generalization, mocking the so-called ancient meaning, which Haral naturally could not tolerate.

Later, Yan Zhen also got involved. He was well-versed in the three schools of thought, and had all sorts of stories from Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. One sentence mentioned the Confucian uncrowned king who lifted the city gates and drove a long chariot to travel to the six kingdoms. The next sentence mentioned scientific research that emotions can stimulate the pineal gland.

Guan Luoyang listened quietly, his eyes flickering, sometimes bright, sometimes dim.

If we're talking about the person who has gained the most these past few days, there's no one else but him.

The martial arts he had been exposed to before focused on muscles and bones, and trained strength; they were practical and laid a solid foundation.

This is certainly good, but because it is so solid, like an unyielding rock, it becomes even more difficult to continue forging ahead.

The martial arts of this world, though outwardly mechanical and technologically advanced, are ultimately methods of cultivating the mind and spirit. They are ever-changing, unpredictable, and highly malleable.

Guan Luoyang's understanding of this point has become increasingly profound over the past few days of discussion.

Take, for example, the example Yan Du mentioned. The first kind of power this guy gathered was when he was at the seaside, feeling the strong wind blowing and thousands of birds taking flight. Suddenly, he understood, and then the destructive power of his true spirit's electrical energy increased dramatically.

For martial arts practitioners, the idea of ​​becoming stronger out of thin air without any real training is utterly unimaginable nonsense.

Guan Luoyang reflected on this.

After he gathered the power to reach the highest heavens, he did become much stronger, but that was only because he found a way to freely control the Azure Bird's primordial energy, learned to release the primordial energy outside his body to affect gravity, and learned lightness skill.

However, when it comes to the total amount of spirit and vitality, there doesn't seem to be much significant growth.

From this perspective, while the pursuit of the highest heavens is a kind of "momentum," it was merely something that Guan Luoyang guided and extracted from the fragments of the Bluebird Manual, rather than a spirit entirely derived from his own life experiences.

"Then, based on my experience, I should be able to gather enough momentum to create another force!"

Guan Luoyang listened to their argument while pondering this point.

Yan Du has also rejoined.

The only discordant element in the entire courtyard was Leopold's side.

Because when others were arguing, they were all using Chinese, which he couldn't understand at all, so he had to rely on the people around him to translate quickly.

By the time he had thought things through and wanted to offer his opinion, it was too late, even after the person around him translated it.

Because he couldn't keep up with the conversation and express his own opinions several times, his face grew increasingly gloomy.

Chinese has long been one of the official languages ​​of the United Nations. Moreover, since True Spirit Machinery originated in China, people like Situ Dianluo and Haral have learned Chinese as if it were their mother tongue.

Leopold hadn't valued this before, but now he regretted it.

As they argued and pondered, time gradually passed, from day to night, and then to sunrise.

The sun moved from east to west, and it was the afternoon of September 18th.

That afternoon, it rained. After the argument, everyone drank water and rested, and the silence lasted a little longer.

Those who brought them umbrellas and tea were all anxious and hurried about.

Whether it was Harald's maid, Leopold's attendants, or the members of the Divine Land Brotherhood and the Black Spire Society, they all looked haggard.

Those powerful individuals who come here directly, regardless of their stance or personality, ultimately harbor some sincere intentions.

The sincerity of a martial artist is certainly not something gentle.

During the argument, they repeatedly tried to fight.

Throughout the entire Nianjiangnan area, everyone felt like they were sitting on pins and needles. Even those who occasionally passed by on the street outside were affected by their spirit and aura, and felt inexplicably afraid.

In fact, this was a problem that Guan Luoyang and Yan Du had encountered before. If they hadn't remembered September 19th and deliberately suppressed their anger, they probably would have already started fighting.

The rain pattered down on the umbrellas of people from all directions and on the antique-style bluestone floor in the courtyard.

hiss! ! !

The red glow inside Situ Dianluo's pipe flared up.

The remaining tobacco was almost completely burned up in that one puff.

He tilted the umbrella to the side, folded it up, and exhaled a large cloud of smoke from his pipe into the umbrella.

Smoke swirled, and raindrops fell.

"September 19th is almost here, everyone. I'm sure you all want to see this battle between the two of them. So, shouldn't you at least pay for tickets?"

Situ Dianlu propped the umbrella on the ground with his left hand. His shirt was already soaked, and his platinum blonde hair flew more vigorously as the rain hit it.

He said with a smile, "One practical action is worth a hundred empty words. Let's each demonstrate a real move in exchange for the right to observe. President Guan, Chairman Yan, what do you think?"

Yan Du glanced at everyone: "If it's you, I have no objection."

Guan Luoyang raised his hand: "Please."

"good!"

With a sharp shout, Situ Dianlu raised his right leg, clad in military boots, high into the air, tearing apart and spraying out a large expanse of rainwater in front of him with the howling wind.

"The sky has no boundaries, the earth has no laws; fighter jets soar, able to roam the skies and also the earth!"

Leveraging all resources, the seventh fighter jet!

The greatest ace of the American Air Force, known as the Emperor of the Air Force, the Seventh Air Force fighter group.

The martial arts techniques that evolved from that grand takeoff scene were applied underground.

The foot slammed down heavily, and immediately, the ground arched up like several long snakes.

The stone bricks undulated and exploded in multiple directions simultaneously.

(End of this chapter)