Chapter 518: King of Humans

Chapter 518: The Sovereign of Men

No matter how anxiously one wished for wings to sprout from their ribs, the reality remained that they could not fly, forcing him to lead Wuzhui onto a boat like a law-abiding traveler.

Fretting was useless anyway, as there was nothing else to be done. Zhao Changhe suppressed his restlessness and sat by the gunwale, taking small sips of wine while casually flipping through the body-tempering method Situ Xiao had given him, testing whether it could be integrated into the Blood Asura Physique to bolster the defensive capabilities that had always been his relative weakness.

Judging by his current understanding of martial arts and Li Shentong's prior pointers, it truly could not be integrated; the modes of exerting force and even the configurations of the muscles were vastly different. However, Zhao Changhe felt his own understanding was still insufficient, and Li Shentong’s interpretation might not necessarily be the absolute truth either. When the time was right, integration might not be impossible; for now, he would just keep it for later.

There was still a bit of reference material for the present moment, such as projecting astral qi to form a short-term defense on the body's surface.

The so-called astral qi was actually a hallmark transformation born from the internal and external flowing together after opening the Second Secret Treasury—the integration of external martial arts and internal strength. The saber-glow and sword-qi that Zhao Changhe had unleashed in the past were the embryonic forms of this. Once internal and external became one, turning as solid and persistent as if the blade or sword itself had grown longer, that would be saber-astral and sword-astral.

Astral qi could be projected through blades and swords, so it could naturally also be blasted through fists to create the effect of a heavy cannon, and likewise, it could be spread over the body's surface to form an astral qi shield. As for how to stimulate the astral qi shield, the methods of different sects naturally varied, and the method of the Shenhuang Sect was evidently among the very top tier in the world today.

Although even the most supreme method could only provide a momentary defense and could not last long, it was still an extra life-saving measure, which made it highly valuable.

In addition, Situ Xiao had actually given him the essentials of the Drunken Steps... How should one put it? This thing wasn't just for showing off; its pattern of rooting the lower body while letting the torso sway like a willow indeed held great reference value, quite unlike other movement techniques where body and steps moved as one. Now that he had reached the stage where he ought to ponder creating his own techniques, this was an extremely beneficial supplement.

Regrettably, his mind was not on it right now. Whether it was the projection of astral qi or the Drunken Steps, he had no heart to ponder them in detail.

Zhao Changhe closed the booklet, stood up, and looked toward the east. The morning sun was just rising, and Mount Wu was already faintly visible in the distance.

The conversation of other passengers drifted over indistinctly: "Eh? In previous years, didn't those bound for Mount Wu all stop on this side? Why are we running straight for the Wu Gorges now that the wind is favorable? Aren't they afraid of the mountain bandits anymore?"

"Brother, how many years has it been since you last traveled this waterway?"

"Just a year I haven't been here."

"A year, no wonder. The bandits of Mount Wu were granted amnesty a few months ago; this route is already clear."

Zhao Changhe: "..."

Chief Xue of the Mount Wu bandits, please stop dwelling on that reputation of being bypassed by someone of a higher tier. Putting that aside, your reputation among the common folk doesn't seem to have much prestige either.

A sigh echoed from inside the cabin: "It's rare for the imperial court to do a few proper things!"

"The imperial court? Heh. This happened when Chief Tang was presiding over the Xiangyang campaign. It's said that the Asura King was the one who put in the effort."

"Chief Tang... then it's no wonder. Whenever the court does anything decent, eight out of ten times it's related to her. And with the Asura King taking action, it was naturally a foregone conclusion."

"Uh..." Zhao Changhe poked his head into the cabin: "Excuse me, which one is the Asura King? Yi Ping?"

"Ha, the Blood Asura Zhao Changhe, of course! Number one on the Ranking of Men, what else could he be but the Sovereign of Men?"

"Zhai Muzhi was also number one on the Ranking of Men, but I've never heard him called any kind of king. It's just the Ranking of Men, isn't that blowing it out of proportion?"

"Bah, is Zhai Muzhi even qualified to be compared with the Blood Asura! He's not even fit to carry his shoes!" A martial artist looked at Zhao Changhe with disdain: "Where did this young lad come from, not even knowing this kind of lore in the rivers and lakes?"

Zhao Changhe humbly asked for instruction: "I would gladly hear the details."

"Except for those who filled the vacancies at the top of the Ranking of Men this past year,

But before he could finish speaking, the array plate let out a "crack" and completely healed.

Zhao Changhe reached out and wiped it, and the several-zhang array plate suddenly disappeared into the ring: "Although the inlays are missing and it cannot exert its full power, at least the main body is complete, and it can still deliver a strike at the level of the Heavenly Ranking. If Wang Daoning thinks we are insignificant, let him taste the shock from ancient times."

Xue Canghai's eyes went wide.

Where was that huge array plate just now?

Several zhang in circumference, how did it just vanish...

No, even if the array plate is repaired, none of us know how to activate its effect—the classics don't mention it either. How do you already know as if you've known all along?

This isn't the Holy Son, is it? This is the Blood God himself, right?