Chapter 637: The Path of Walking Alone

Chapter 637: The Path of Solitude

Outside the city of Jinan, at the foot of Mount Qinglong.

Deep within the Eastern Branch, in a document room of the highest secrecy, Li Jun was flipping through all the internal research findings of the Eastern Court regarding the martial order system.

The room was filled with towering bookshelves packed with paper archives rare to see in the outside world.

Although Mo’s technology had long made such things unnecessary, for some reason all content related to the martial order was still recorded on paper.

The vast sea of documents and the extremely complex terminology made Li Jun’s head spin. His tightly furrowed brow had not relaxed even once in the past three days.

As for gains, there were hardly any. At best, he had roughly grasped the Eastern Court’s research direction.

To advance the martial order from the fourth rank to the third, the minimum threshold was to complete one tempered martial art.

This matched what Shen Li had said before—such a promotion path was relatively easier, but the drawbacks were also evident.

Those who tempered strikes lived short lives.

Those who tempered the body had weak hands.

Those who tempered internal energy had frail bodies.

Those who tempered movement lacked resolve.

If one was too ambitious and tried to temper all four categories of martial arts, they would fall into the plight of biting off more than they could chew, spending their entire life unable to step into the third order.

Only the rarest of monstrous talents could ascend to the third-order overlord of a sect by tempering multiple martial arts.

As for someone like Li Jun, there had been no precedent in the Eastern Court’s records.

This was not hard to understand—Mo’s research was based on analyzing a large number of cases to find universal patterns, and such outliers were simply not within their scope.

Of course, the most important point was that even if such figures had appeared in the martial order, no one dared to study them.

To stir up trouble on the head of the Grand Duke would mean annihilation for the whole clan if one was not careful.

So, in these past few days, Li Jun had gained very little. In fact, in his view, it was even less enlightening than the insights he had obtained from that fight with Huang Shilie.

“What you get from books is only superficial; real understanding comes from risking your life. What martial artist ever relied on reading?” Li Jun chuckled to himself, casually tossing the file he was holding back onto the shelf.

Just then, the door to the secret room behind him opened silently.

Such a disturbance naturally did not escape Li Jun’s perception, but by now he was used to it. He still stared blankly at the wall of books and scrolls before him, his eyes filled with unwillingness.

During this time, at regular intervals, someone from the Eastern Court would come to clean the secret room.

Presumably, Elder Han Yang believed that Li Jun would reap great rewards here, working day and night to the point of forgetting to eat and sleep, so he had specially arranged all his daily needs.

Before entering, Li Jun had thought the same. Now, however, aside from the fresh stubble on his chin, he had gained nothing else.

“Brother Jun, it’s me.”

A familiar voice sounded from outside the door.

Zhao Qingxia paused for a moment before stepping inside.

Li Jun snapped back to attention and turned to look. Zhao Qingxia was now wearing the uniform of the Eastern Court—a well-fitted black short coat with a pattern of an ink fountain and a saw crossing on the chest. His thick eyebrows were striking, and his bearing was sharp and capable.

“Time to eat.”

In Zhao Qingxia’s hands was a large bowl as big as a head, filled with tightly packed rice and piled high with steaming dishes.

Li Jun raised a hand to rub his brow. Thinking back, he realized he hadn’t had a proper meal in days, and only now did he feel a wave of hunger and fatigue.

The food Zhao Qingxia had brought looked simple, but the dishes were carefully chosen—all familiar Sichuan flavors.

Li Jun held the bowl in one hand and chopsticks in the other. Just as he was about to start, he suddenly paused for no apparent reason.

Since becoming a martial order, his need for food seemed not to have increased as dramatically as his physical strength had. Though it was greater than an ordinary person’s, it was far from inhuman.

Even after a major battle, aside from mental exhaustion, he had no strong urge to eat. It was as if something had silently replenished his body’s consumption.

Could this be the reason martial order practitioners had short lives?

Having spent hours among the documents, Li Jun subconsciously recalled a research topic he had come across.

While he was lost in thought, a strangely shaped Ink Armor slid out from behind Zhao Qingxia and transformed into a table. A plaintive voice came from somewhere unknown.

“My lord, please sit on this humble one and eat.”

Li Jun’s thoughts were interrupted, and his expression turned quite strange—twisted with discomfort.

Perhaps afraid he might misunderstand, Zhao Qingxia quickly explained, “Brother Jun, don’t mind her. She has a gentle nature and doesn’t like fighting, so after leaving the Ming Ghost Realm, the Ink Armor she chose to inhabit was set for auxiliary living functions. We didn’t deliberately modify her to be like this.”

Zhao Qingxia joked, “These past few days, she was the one serving you food and drink. Now she probably feels you’re rejecting her.”

“It’s not your fault, my lord. It’s just that this servant’s appearance is ugly and unworthy of your notice.”

Truly, the Ink Order could encounter the strangest things.

No wonder Old Ma had once boasted to him about being intimate with a machine tool…

Looking at the crossed legs of the table, Li Jun’s mind suddenly conjured the image of a woman with her hands clasped before her, eyes full of sorrow. He felt a wave of disgust and quickly shook his head.

“No need, miss. It’s not that I’m rejecting you—I’m just not used to it.”

Li Jun carried the large bowl of rice and sat down heavily on a stack of valuable paper documents.

“Alright, Xiu’er, you go rest first. I don’t need you here.”

Zhao Qingxia dismissed the Ink Armor. It let out a long sigh and reluctantly slid out of the secret room.

At the door, it even turned back to glance at Li Jun.

Its mechanical eyes were full of the sorrow of unrequited feelings—the water flowing, the flower falling, love unreturned.

When the door closed, Li Jun finally said with irritation, “Tell me, do all you Ink Order people play around like this?”

“Not me. I treat them like siblings, uncles, and aunties,” Zhao Qingxia laughed. “Of course, there’s also that scoundrel Old Ma, who has no standards—he’d go for anything, human or armor.”

“Speaking of Old Ma, how is he now?”

Li Jun dug into his meal, his mouth stuffed full, speaking indistinctly.

He had been buried underground for days and had no idea how Ma the Demon King was doing.

“Don’t worry. Old Ma is sly. Though his armor was completely corroded, his core wasn’t damaged at all,” Zhao Qingxia said, sitting down beside Li Jun. “I figure he’s probably wandering among the flowers in the Eastern Court’s Ming Ghost Realm right now, too happy to think of home.”

“Good. How long will it take to finish the repairs?”

“Probably about a month. And that’s only because the Eastern Court specially pulled ten research teams to handle Old Ma’s maintenance and upgrades. If it were just me alone, who knows how long it would take.”

Zhao Qingxia spoke and then suddenly laughed.

He was thinking of the time back in Chongqing Prefecture, when he had hidden alone in the mountains, trying to repair Ma the Demon King with just a hammer after Yu Canghai had smashed him to pieces.

“Seems like you’re doing pretty well here.”

“Mm. My teacher is very good to me.” Zhao Qingxia smiled. “Mo Qijing is not bad either, except he never acts like a proper senior brother—he’s always stealing my Tian Gong points. I’m still deep in debt and have to work in other research groups every now and then to pay it off.”

"Where is Crow Duoduo?"

"Duoduo is also doing very well. She has now advanced to Ink Sequence Eight and is independently leading a very promising project at the Nonattack Institute under the Eastern Court."

Zhao Qingxia nodded. "She also heard that Brother Jun and the others had arrived at the Eastern Court, but she's right in the middle of a critical phase of her research and can't get away. She sent me a message specifically, asking me to apologize to you in person."

"As long as she's doing well, I'm relieved knowing you're looking after her. It's the least I can do for that old man Crow Hua."

"Brother Jun..."

"Hm?"

Li Jun finished the last bit of food and soup from his large bowl, set it down by his feet, and then turned his head to look over.

Zhao Qingxia's expression was hesitant, as if he wanted to speak but held back.

"Twisting and turning like that, what kind of look is that? If you have something to say, just say it." Li Jun scolded with a laugh.

"Although I don't know exactly what was said between you and my master, I want to say you absolutely don't need to worry about me."

Zhao Qingxia said seriously, "I've always remembered how I got into the Eastern Court. If they want to—"

"Don't worry. Master Han is an honest man, and he truly sees you as his successor, the one to carry on his legacy."

Li Jun interrupted him, speaking in a light tone. "Besides, do you really think the Eastern Court would dare to threaten me now?"

Zhao Qingxia was taken aback for a moment, then scratched his head and gave an embarrassed smile. "That's true. I was overthinking things."

"What made you suddenly bring this up?"

"I saw that the old master has been in high spirits these past few days, smiling at everyone and being unbelievably good-tempered. Even when a research group accidentally destroyed several expensive pieces of equipment due to an operational error, he didn't pursue it too harshly, so—"

"So you think he got the better of me?"

Li Jun smiled. "Unless Zhang Xiji personally storms the Eastern Court one day, you can't really say who got the better of whom."

"Brother Jun, have you agreed to protect the Eastern Court?"

Being chosen by Han Yang as his closed-door disciple, Zhao Qingxia was naturally sharp; he immediately understood Li Jun's meaning.

"Old Han is a decent fellow, and he's looked after you and Duoduo for so long. If I can help out, of course I will."

Li Jun said, "Besides, repairing Old Ma's armor shell must cost a lot, right? I'm dead broke right now, and Chen Qisheng and the others are even poorer—their pockets are cleaner than their faces. Since I can't pay, I naturally have to do something for the host."

"Then you can legitimately stay in the Eastern Court?"

Zhao Qingxia said with excitement, "This is a perfect chance to stop and take a good rest!"

"I can't rest." Li Jun shook his head.

Zhao Qingxia looked puzzled. "Revenge for Old Su is mostly settled, isn't it? Why can't you stop?"

"It's not that I don't want to stop; it's that some people won't let me stop."

Li Jun said calmly, "Even Old Han says I'm a force unto myself, proving that in the eyes of many, I'm a factor that can upset the balance. They're fighting tooth and nail and won't want to see me sitting on the sidelines. Besides, even if old grudges are cleared, I still have new ones to settle."

Zhao Qingxia's expression froze. He could hear the implication in Li Jun's words.

"I understand."

Zhao Qingxia said through gritted teeth, "Those bastards from Honghu, Longhu Mountain, and the Eastern Palace just can't stand a few peaceful days in the empire."

"Those aren't things you need to worry about."

Li Jun changed the subject and asked, "By the way, how is your bionic martial arts research coming along?"

Back in Chengdu Prefecture, when they first met, Zhao Qingxia had fought Li Jun using a set of bionic martial arts.

The way Zhao Qingxia played music as he fought had left a deep impression on Li Jun.

"I haven't tinkered with it in a while."

Zhao Qingxia said casually, "But I've only set it aside for now. I'll continue researching it when I get the chance."

Li Jun raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"A person needs to have clothes on their back and food in their stomach before they have the strength to chase after impractical dreams."

Zhao Qingxia pointed to the piles of documents filling the room. "Right now, I'm mainly responsible for all kinds of research on martial sequences within the Eastern Court. What you see here—a lot of it is stuff I've organized and summarized from previous work. Not bad, is it?"

"Not bad at all."

Of course, Li Jun knew in his heart why Zhao Qingxia had started researching the lone martial sequence.

But some things didn't need to be said too clearly. Knowing them in his own heart was enough.

"Since all this stuff here is your work, there are some things I don't understand that I want to ask you about."

"How could there be something you don't understand?"

Zhao Qingxia wondered, "I remember these documents and reports should have all the details written very clearly."

A sudden, overwhelming pressure descended on his heart. Zhao Qingxia's body stood as firm as a mountain, but the words coming out of his mouth took a very decisive turn.

"Actually, I've always felt that some parts of the research weren't thorough enough, but my abilities are limited, and I could never find out where the problem was. Brother Jun, you truly are the only lone Sequence Three in the empire—to have helped me find the problem in such a short time is amazing!"

Li Jun gave a cold laugh, his gaze fixed on the text appearing before his eyes.

[Sequence]: Martial Sequence Three – Revolutionary Lord

[Striking Arts]: Sharp Force, Collapse Momentum, Concealed Spirit, Taotie (Fourth Rank Grand Perfection), Bright Ghost's Will (Fourth Rank Grand Perfection)

[Body Technique]: Thunderclap from All Directions

[Body Forging]: Ten Thousand Miles of Mountain Pass

[Internal Arts]: Deceive Heaven, Vanquish Foe

[Remaining Proficiency Points: 270]

Seven trained martial arts converged in one person—truly unprecedented and likely never to be repeated.

If explained using Zhao Qingxia's research findings, a sect's Martial Sequence Three who had only trained one martial art, aside from body forging, would not be able to withstand a single punch from Li Jun.

Body forging greatly enhanced durability; at the very least, it would take an added kick.

Li Jun pondered for a moment, quickly recalling the specific circumstances of the few times he had fought since his advancement.

He had invested a considerable number of proficiency points in the Trained Martial Art [Collapse Momentum] earlier, and it had indeed brought a noticeable improvement in the coverage and intensity of his force, but there had been no qualitative transformation.

Although this was the path for the martial sequence to continue growing stronger as given by his instincts after advancement, Li Jun still wanted to confirm it.

"What is the next stage after training martial arts in the martial sequence?"

"Refining!"

Zhao Qingxia answered without hesitation, giving exactly the same answer Li Jun had received from his instincts.

"In the Eastern Court's research, the martial sequence is not complicated. On the contrary, on a macro level, it's so simple it's almost crude—just follow one path to the end!"

Speaking of his area of expertise, a bright gleam shone in Zhao Qingxia's eyes.

"But although the direction is simple and clear, the process is extremely difficult. In the sect's martial sequence, many mighty lords have fallen on the path of 'refining martial skills.' Especially those mighty lords who advanced by training multiple martial arts—they likely cannot refine even one martial art to its peak in their entire lives."

"This involves not just a martial sequence's bone constitution and talent; the greatest difficulty lies in 'lifespan.' The lifespan of a martial sequence can hardly support them in completing 'refining martial skills,' not to mention the constant interference of factors like aging and injury."

Zhao Qingxia paused, then frowned after a moment of silence. "This feeling, it's like there's some kind of 'heavenly will' that the Dao Sequence and Yin-Yang Sequence often talk about, deliberately creating a natural conflict between the long time required for 'training martial arts' and the human lifespan limit, preventing anyone from advancing to the sect's Martial Sequence Two."

What Zhao Qingxia saw as the greatest difficulty for a martial sequence to break through from three to two was no problem at all in Li Jun's eyes.

Since the course of 'Refining Martial Arts' was correct, that would suffice. He need only slaughter a few more who sought death for themselves.

Yet in the next thought, Li Jun felt a sudden surge of irritation, its origin from the deepest marrow of his bones.

It was as if his genes were reminding him that the 'contradiction' Zhao Qingxia had spoken of ought not to exist, or that one side of it was wrong.

“From your point of view, then, has there never been a Second Sequence in the sect's martial order?”

Zhao Qingxia shook his head. “Perhaps there might have been, but the Eastern Court has no such records. Even the annals of the Great Ming Empire contain not a single word about it.”

Li Jun’s irritation grew heavier, and he blurted, “Not even before the world’s division of martial arts?”

“No. Back then, when a hundred martial orders stood like trees in a forest, at their heyday the strongest was only a Third Sequence hegemon. They differed only in the pace of ‘Martial Refinement,’ but the sequence rank was the same.”

Zhao Qingxia said with emotion, “If a true Martial Order Second had appeared back then, the ‘Division of Martial Arts Under Heaven’ would have become ‘Martial Slaughter Under Heaven.’ Alas, that is but a hypothesis. Without reaching the acme of ‘Martial Refinement,’ advancement is impossible, so a sect’s Martial Order Second can only remain a legend.”

“Then, in your research, at what stage does ‘Martial Refinement’ reach its end?”

“That is for you to ask yourself, Brother Jun. After all, you are the farthest along this path. If even you do not know, I fear no one in the martial orders of this world can find the answer.”

Zhao Qingxia spread his hands, indicating he did not know either.

“Nevertheless, I once speculated that if a sect’s martial order successfully advanced to Second Sequence, he would become a tyrannical lord governing a sequence; all martial arts would rise from him and end with him. The people of the martial order would worship him, daring no defiance, feeling no will to revolt, harboring no heart to resist.”

“As for your solitary path, Brother Jun, it may be that which shatters all fortresses, reaches all distances, and repels all evil. Within a square inch, one man can match a nation.”

Zhao Qingxia said, emphasizing each word, “In short, invincibility.”