I became a Sword Emperor in the Martial Arts World

Chapter 188 Listen to me say thank you

Grip the knife, press the sword.

Just as tensions were rising and a fight was about to break out, a figure descended from the sky and blocked their path. It was none other than Black Tiger King Yin, who had arrived on the wind.

Seeing that Ye Qingzhou was safe and sound, the weight that had been hanging over him finally lifted: "Ye Qingzhou, it's good that you're alright."

Afterwards, Wang Yin looked around. The remaining innate Bing Fire energy made him frown: "What happened here? Why did a master-level battle break out?"

"General Wang."

Chen Shiming recognized Wang Yin's identity. After hesitating for a moment, he still told the truth: "Our Wuxi Martial Arts Association is still investigating the case, but the clues we have so far indicate that this matter is related to Ye Qianlong."

He had no grudge against Ye Qingzhou, so when facing Wang Yin, he was too lazy to stand up for the Fu family and chose to tell the truth without embellishing or putting others down. Anyway, this matter had nothing to do with him, and now he didn't want to get involved.

Wang Yin looked at Ye Qingzhou, then glanced around, and said with a dark face, "Whatever it is, we'll talk about it when we get back."

The Fu family immediately protested: "We can't leave!"

"The murderer is right here, with witnesses and physical evidence. He's even confessed himself. What more is there to say?"

The perpetrators must be severely punished!

"General Wang, are you trying to protect the criminal?"

A large group of people, who had been too afraid to face Ye Qingzhou just moments before, were now filled with righteous indignation, clamoring for severe punishment and wishing they could execute Ye Qingzhou on the spot.

But how could Wang Yin's will be swayed by these small fry?

"Shut up, all of you!"

With a roar like a tiger, the entire area was overwhelmed. The sound waves whipped up a whirlwind, and the shockwaves were so powerful that the entire Fu family was silenced in an instant.

"Are you teaching me how to do things?"

Wang Yin's skin was already dark, and now it looked even more hideous. His gaze, like an axe, swept over the entire Fu family, causing them all to shrink back in fear and dare not make a sound.

The display of a grandmaster's power indeed silenced the Fu family.

Although the Fu family of Wuxi is a martial arts family, they haven't produced a martial arts grandmaster in two generations, so they are not very confident when facing Wang Yin.

"Hmph~"

Wang Yin stomped his foot, and the ground shook violently, causing a large number of Fu family members to fall to the ground: "A bunch of ignorant fools! I will investigate the matter thoroughly myself. How dare you interfere? Anyone who dares to spout nonsense again will face my wrath."

Afterwards, Wang Yin took Ye Qingzhou away. On the way back, he finally asked, "What exactly happened?"

"Sun Ninghui colluded with the Blood Origin Society to set a trap to kill me, intending to seize the Yan Emperor Sword and the Yan Yang Treasure Seal."

Ye Qingzhou's words enraged Wang Yin: "That bastard, he still hasn't given up!"

"Is the general willing to believe my side of the story?"

Ye Qingzhou was somewhat surprised.

Wang Yin laughed heartily: "Why don't you believe me? Not to mention that your value is greater than Sun Ninghui's, you have no reason to lie. In fact, on my way to find you, I received a message from the rear. They found some clues that Sun Ninghui had damaged the sealing formation. I had long suspected that the old man had ill intentions."

Clearly, Wang Yin is a straightforward person who speaks his mind directly and doesn't have many hidden agendas.

When they returned to the second peak, the battle was already over, and even the battlefield had been almost completely cleaned up.

"Ye Qingzhou, where is the King of Snipers?"

"He's dead."

"Dead?"

"Um."

Upon receiving this answer from Ye Qingzhou, Wang Yin was utterly astonished, then burst into laughter: "Good riddance! It saved me a lot of trouble."

Originally, Wang Yin planned to take Ye Qingzhou back to the Second Peak and then hunt down the King of the Snipers, but unexpectedly learned of the King of the Snipers' death from Ye Qingzhou.

Wang Yin didn't ask how Ye Qingzhou killed a grandmaster-level monster. Every martial artist who makes it big has a few secrets.

There are many ancient cultivation techniques within the cave, and even many unique inheritances. Whoever obtains them has the ability. As long as they do not harm the country, the authorities generally don't bother with them.

After all, it is an ancient civilization with thousands of years of history. If every martial arts tradition is forcibly confiscated, who will be willing to risk their lives to explore the secret realms in the future?

Moreover, many of these traditions are actually not valued by the official authorities of the Eastern Pole Kingdom, because they have already found better alternatives.

Wang Yin kindly reminded Ye Qingzhou, "You need to be careful of the Shen Gang Dao and Xin Sha Liu. The authorities won't try to seize the Yan Emperor's inheritance from you, but other martial arts forces might not be so keen."

"I can understand being wary of the Heart Fiend Cult. After all, the Heart Fiend Cult's members are a mixed bag, and its management is lax. Who knows, some people might choose to take the risk and seek fortune in danger."

Ye Qingzhou looked at Wang Yin with a puzzled expression: "But isn't the Divine Gang Path a righteous organization?"

Wang Yin scoffed, his tone seemingly disdainful of the Divine Gang Path: "Perhaps Qi Shengtian is a good person, but are all those who follow him truly upright and honest? Two hundred years have passed, and the Divine Gang Path of today is no longer the organization that was once solely devoted to martial arts."

The main members of the Shen Gang Dao today are mostly from martial arts families. Internally, they value relationships and connections, and compete based on background and seniority.

There is no doubt that the theory of bloodline is prevalent within the Divine Gang Path.

After all, their bloodlines trace back to mythical beings who were renowned in ancient times. Therefore, they often regard themselves as noble and talented, with a distinguished lineage.

It's easy to imagine how such a group of people would view ordinary people who have no bloodline inheritance.

Even if they resort to trickery or force, in their minds it's nothing more than reclaiming the legacy of their ancestors, which is perfectly justified.

Ye Qingzhou understood immediately: "So, they believe that the divine weapons and artifacts of ancient times are also a legacy they should inherit?"

"That's right."

Wang Yin nodded: "There are certainly experts within the Divine Gang Path, after all, the power of bloodline inheritance is indeed strong. But the path of martial arts is a path of self-improvement and striving. What kind of hero is he compared to one's ancestors? Nowadays, there are too many useless people in the Divine Gang Path. They have little skill but a big temper. You should be more careful."

"Yes, I will."

Ye Qingzhou wholeheartedly agreed with this. Although he had always cooperated well with the Xu family of Linjiang, he had encountered many other martial arts families who produced even more useless individuals.

Such a conservative force, clinging to past glories, is destined to go nowhere in the future.

When the two returned to the camp, the battle had just ended, and the soldiers of the Southwest Military Region were cleaning up the battlefield.

Ye Qingzhou's return caused a stir among the crowd.

"It's Ye Qianlong!"

"He's still alive!"

"The King of the Razor-Slaying Beasts is a Grandmaster-level beast! It's truly remarkable that he managed to escape unscathed!"

Last night's battle saw Ye Qingzhou, who single-handedly defended the second peak and forcefully blocked the King of Snipers, making him a great hero in the eyes of the soldiers.

If it weren't for Ye Qingzhou, the second peak would probably have already been breached. If that happened, the Dragon Vein Formation would have malfunctioned, and the entire defensive line would likely have collapsed in the face of the raging beast tide. The soldiers stationed there would have suffered heavy casualties.

Even then, the entire Xiangxi region behind it will be stained with blood, and countless innocent people of Dongji Kingdom will be swept up in it and die tragically at the hands of beasts.

Wang Yin patted Ye Qingzhou on the shoulder: "You deserve the greatest credit for this battle. The Eastern Pole Kingdom will not mistreat those who have made contributions. After I report it, the reward will be issued soon."

"There's a reward?"

Ye Qingzhou's eyes lit up, revealing a greedy expression.

"Hahaha, rewarding merit and punishing wrongdoing—isn't that just the way things are? Otherwise, who will be willing to risk their lives in the face of future crises?"

Wang Yin found Ye Qingzhou increasingly pleasing to the eye. After all, given the situation last night, even if Ye Qingzhou had slipped away and avoided battle, watching the fall of the Second Peak, it would have been difficult for the Southwest Military Region to punish him severely.

After all, to be fair, Ye Qingzhou wasn't even a martial arts master; he only possessed master-level combat power by wielding a divine weapon. Asking him to face a grandmaster-level expert like the King of the Snipers was simply asking too much of him.

If it were any other martial arts master, they wouldn't fight to the death; at most, they would offer a token resistance and then run away.

The martial artists in the martial arts association are not soldiers, so obeying orders is not their duty. Most martial artists are used to prioritizing their own survival.

But Ye Qingzhou single-handedly turned the tide, first fighting to the death to ensure the Second Peak was not lost, and then drawing away the King of the Snipers to prevent excessive casualties on the defensive line.

No matter how you look at it, this is a great achievement and deserves to be rewarded.

What do you want?

"If possible, I'd like some high-grade sharp metal."

After careful consideration, Ye Qingzhou earnestly put forward his requirements.

"You want top-grade, rare-level sharp metal?"

Wang Yin knew that Ye Qingzhou had mastered the legacy of Emperor Yan and was also somewhat knowledgeable in forging techniques, so he immediately understood why Ye Qingzhou wanted the sharp metal.

Currently, rujin is one of the special products of Dongji Kingdom. It is a strategic material under strict national control, with extremely low production and extremely high price.

Especially the top-grade rare and precious Ruijin, which is extremely rare and hard to find, with an official guide price of 500,000 yuan per gram.

As for the black market, the price starts at double the base price. Don't even ask for more than a million, and even if you have the money, you might not be able to buy it; it depends on whether the seller has any in stock.

And the material properties of Ruijin certainly justify the price.

Simply put, Ruijin isn't anything special; it just maximizes its various resistances—high temperature resistance, radiation resistance, fire resistance, acid resistance, earthquake resistance, etc.

Basically, anything that can be resisted, Ruijin can resist, highlighting its sturdiness and durability.

As a result, the price of such rare materials would naturally be sky-high, and the materials used to refine top-grade rare materials are already very precious, so their price is even less likely to be cheap.

The key issue is that there's nowhere to buy them even if you want to.

Because top-grade rare and precious sharp metal can only be forged by master craftsmen with the title of "Tiangong" within the Tiangong Group. The crafting process is still kept secret, and the recipe has been offered a reward of hundreds of billions by the Western Kingdom and Europe, but they have not been able to obtain it yet.

If someone else were to ask for top-grade sharp metal, Wang Yin would refuse without hesitation, as even the military itself doesn't have enough of such strategic resources.

But Ye Qingzhou is different. He carries the legacy of Emperor Yan and is protected by a mythical being like Kang Jinlong. He has a bright future and is worth the effort to win over.

So Wang Yin nodded: "Okay, I will report your request. I don't think there will be any problems."

Thank you.

"Haha, you helped me hold the line, I should be the one thanking you."

The two became increasingly congenial as they chatted. At this moment, Wang Yin showed no contempt for Ye Qingzhou, nor did he treat him as a junior. Ye Qingzhou was capable of withstanding the attack of the King of the Snipers and then killed such a master-level beast using unknown means. He was already worthy of being treated as an equal by Wang Yin.

Seeing Wang Yin and Ye Qingzhou acting like brothers, Lin Jianfeng and Zhou Ming felt very uncomfortable.

They were both filled with remorse. They had wanted to give Ye Qingzhou a hard time because of Li Yaoping's death, but they had kicked a hornet's nest and made a big enemy out of nowhere.

Given the fighting prowess Ye Qingzhou displayed last night, it's almost a certainty that he will become a master and grandmaster in the future.

Even reaching the realm of a Martial Saint is not without its chances.

Thinking of this, Lin Jianfeng and Zhou Ming felt even more bitter. If their families found out that they had offended a future martial arts master with unlimited potential, who knows how they would be punished.

It took a week to reinforce the seal of Jiuli Cave Heaven once again.

The second peak is Qifeng Cliff.

Wang Yin, carrying a briefcase, came to Ye Qingzhou: "Your application for the Sharp Gold visa has finally been approved."

The combination lock box is made of high-strength alloy, making it difficult to open even with a bomb. The box itself costs no less than 100,000 yuan, so you can imagine how valuable the contents are.

After entering the password, the box opened automatically, and Ye Qingzhou saw two pieces of champagne gold metal lying quietly inside.

Each piece weighs exactly one jin (500 grams), and the two pieces together weigh one kilogram, worth five hundred million!

This is still the official guide price. On the black market, Ye Qingzhou can sell it for a sky-high price of one billion yuan just by changing hands!

Compared to the luxury brands favored by the wealthy, martial artists are truly bold and powerful, especially those who reach the master level. Martial artists are often powerful figures in their own right, and the rare and precious items they handle are often priced at an astonishing level.

"Isn't Sharp Gold supposed to be indestructible? Is it really necessary to use such a high-tech safe to store it?"

Ye Qingzhou chuckled and made a teasing remark.

Wang Yin shook his head: "This safe is for theft prevention. It has a satellite locator and a real-time monitoring camera. As soon as Ruijin leaves the scene, it will immediately sound an alarm."

Without a doubt, the Eastern Kingdom has always been extremely vigilant in its dealings with strategic materials like Sharp Gold, especially top-grade rare Sharp Gold, in order to prevent it from falling into the hands of hostile forces to the greatest extent possible.

After confirming his identity against the combination lock, Ye Qingzhou officially transferred ownership of the two pieces of high-grade sharp gold.

"I went to great lengths to get this for you, even if it meant losing face. Don't you dare sell it on the black market."

Because of their good relationship, Wang Yin also made a joke to Ye Qingzhou.

"Sell it? I don't even have enough for myself."

Ye Qingzhou shook his head and quickly put both pieces of divine metal into his Xiayu Treasure Ring, treasuring them dearly: "These are top-quality materials for forging swords."

After receiving their rewards, the two chatted about the Jiuli Cave Heaven.

After the beast tide broke out, the seal was reinforced again, and everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief, and could live a few more years of peace.

Ye Qingzhou asked Wang Yin, "Didn't you ever think about storming into the cave and solving the problem once and for all? The Void Sun Rat should still be asleep at this time. The purpose of this beast tide, which occurs about once every ten years, is probably to harvest enough spiritual energy to help the Void Sun Rat revive."

"That's too risky."

Wang Yin sighed dejectedly: "Our military and martial arts association have repeatedly sent martial arts masters to secretly infiltrate the Jiuli Cave Heaven to form exploration teams and gather intelligence. We currently know that there are quite a few intelligent races inside, but most of them are hostile to our human race. If war breaks out, we can only send a small number of personnel in through the teleportation portal, and it will be difficult to break through the enemy's encirclement."

"Moreover, all intelligent life possesses a spirit. To the Void Sun Rat, the spirit of our human race is a spirit, and so is the spirit of the rare birds and beasts within the cave. The result of a large-scale war will only cause the Void Sun Rat to awaken prematurely."

Ye Qingzhou now understood the official's predicament. It wasn't that war couldn't be started, but that once war broke out, the human race was destined to suffer losses, regardless of victory or defeat.

Essentially, it's because the Eastern Kingdom currently lacks martial artists who have reached the divine level, and thus lacks the powerful force to directly confront mythical beings.

Therefore, guarding the outer perimeter of the cave and continuously strengthening the defense line is the wise move.

As for directly killing the weakened Sun Rat?

We need to find the other party's true form first!

If the Void Sun Rat, like Kang Jinlong, secretly possesses several bloodline descendants through parasitism, then killing one or two of them is meaningless.

After all, the remaining one, as long as it hides, can still successfully revive the Void Sun Rat in the end.

Mythical beings that have reached the divine level have a form of existence that transcends the imagination of mortals, making it very difficult to completely eradicate their existence.

Therefore, the core strategy of the Eastern Pole Kingdom is still to focus on development.

As the art of war says, the best strategist first makes himself invincible, and then waits for the enemy to become vulnerable. This is the wise course of action.

The official decision-making body of the Eastern Pole Kingdom is clearly composed of people of great wisdom. Therefore, the Eastern Pole Kingdom is currently promoting the development of martial arts and continuously increasing the number of martial artists.

In addition, the Tian Shu system and the Thought Power Armament are core strategies of the Eastern Pole Kingdom, combining martial arts with science to develop a power that belongs to humankind.

In the days that followed, Ye Qingzhou resumed his leisurely life, spending his days either contemplating the natural world on Qifeng Cliff or honing his martial arts skills in the Tian Shu World, leading a very fulfilling life.

After a month, Ye Qingzhou's strength improved by leaps and bounds, and he even wanted to thank Zhao Zhiyi properly.

If Zhao Zhiyi hadn't assigned him this "hard job," how could his cultivation and realm have improved so quickly?

(End of this chapter)