Human Clan Defender-Chapter 435 - 188: There’s Nothing Fake (Vote for Monthly Pass)

Chapter 435: Chapter 188: There’s Nothing Fake (Vote for Monthly Pass)

Shock was an understatement; little more needed to be said. Not until Shen Changqing presented his Identity Token did Di Qiu finally acknowledge a fact: the junior he had once seen in the Martial Hall had now reached a level that required even him to look up.

Martial Hall Master!

He privately shook his head, his heart filled with emotion. At this moment, Di Qiu deeply felt the unpredictability of life and the truth of the adage that one should not judge a book by its cover.

"Di Qiu pays his respects to the Pavilion Master!" He bowed deeply.

Shen Changqing slightly raised his hand. "Senior, you are too courteous."

"Before the Pavilion Master, I am unworthy of being called ’Senior.’ In the pursuit of the Martial Dao, achievement dictates precedence. Pavilion Master, you broke through your limits at such a young age to become a rare Great Grandmaster of this era. On this point alone, I cannot be considered your ’Senior.’ Frankly, it is I who should respectfully address you as ’Senior.’" Di Qiu waved his hands repeatedly.

Whether Shen Changqing was sincere or merely feigning, he dared not accept the title of ’Senior.’ It had been acceptable in the past; he was, after all, older than Shen Changqing and had been in the Martial Hall longer. But things were different now. The person before him had soared to become the Martial Hall Master and, moreover, a rare Great Grandmaster of the era. For such a prominent figure to address him as ’Senior’—if word got out, he would become a laughingstock.

Seeing Di Qiu’s insistence, Shen Changqing did not press the issue. "Senior, you are a few years older than me, so I shall address you as Brother Di then!"

"As the Pavilion Master wishes." A relieved smile appeared on Di Qiu’s face.

Then, his gaze became fervent. "There is something I wish to ask the Pavilion Master."

"Brother Di, please speak."

"Those of us in the Martial Hall spend our entire lives pursuing how to break through the human body’s limits and advance to another realm. Now that the Pavilion Master is a Great Grandmaster, I wish to seek your guidance. If you could offer a few pointers, I would be eternally grateful!" As Di Qiu spoke, he solemnly clasped his fists, his expression one of earnest inquiry.

Great Grandmaster! That was the realm all members of the Martial Hall aspired to. With a living, breathing Great Grandmaster standing right before him, he would truly regret it for a lifetime if he missed this opportunity.

Hearing this, Shen Changqing said, "Brother Di, rest assured. As Pavilion Master, the secrets to becoming a Great Grandmaster will naturally be left within the Martial Hall. I will later compile them into a scroll, and any member of the Martial Hall will be able to use it to understand the mysteries of a Great Grandmaster."

"On behalf of everyone in the Martial Hall, I thank the Pavilion Master!" Di Qiu bowed deeply, his attitude extremely sincere.

The fact that Shen Changqing was willing to leave behind such a scroll was tantamount to unconditionally explaining to the members of the Martial Hall how to break through to the Great Grandmaster realm. This favor was immeasurable by other means.

Strictly speaking, even though Shen Changqing was the Martial Hall Master, if he chose to keep the secrets of the Great Grandmaster to himself, no one could compel him otherwise. Frankly, who in the world could force a Great Grandmaster? Especially since this Great Grandmaster was also the Defender Envoy of South Nether Prefecture, a position equivalent to that of a prefectural governor. Di Qiu believed that even Dongfang Zhao would find it difficult to coerce him.

"Brother Di, you are too kind. I still have to write the scroll. Please, do whatever you need to; there’s no need for formality."

"Very well."

Di Qiu, not wanting to disturb Shen Changqing further, returned to his seat, picked up the scroll there, and began to read it intently. But only he knew his mind was no longer on the scroll in front of him.

Shen Changqing went to his designated spot. He first took out a blank scroll, then ground some ink, and finally, he began to write with a brush. Ever since joining the Martial Hall, he had been the one browsing through its scrolls, yet he had never left anything of his own. Now that he had become the Martial Hall Master, leaving behind a scroll was the proper thing to do.

All members of the Martial Hall, like Di Qiu, truly wished to see scrolls detailing how to break through to the Great Grandmaster realm. After all, the ultimate purpose of the scrolls previously left in the Martial Hall was merely to help future generations find the direction for their breakthroughs.

When the first character was written on the scroll, Shen Changqing’s mind had already calmed. There was only one method to break through to the Great Grandmaster realm. At least, as far as he currently knew, only one method existed. Therefore, writing it down did not take much time.

But after he finished writing how to break through to become a Great Grandmaster, he did not stop. Instead, he continued, writing down his personal insights one by one.

Unwittingly, the freshly inked characters seemed to come alive. A surging Spiritual Power permeated them, causing the originally plain scroll to gradually acquire a profound weight and pressure.

Perhaps it took a day, or maybe just half a day. When the last stroke was placed, Shen Changqing put down his brush.

As his gaze returned to the scroll, the originally black characters were now tinged with a misty glow, exuding a powerful aura that washed over him. It felt as if the scroll before him was not just a simple scroll, but more like a powerful Martial Artist.

He exhaled slowly, a look of satisfaction appearing on his face. "Good, it’s finally complete!"

This scroll, if nothing unexpected happened, could very well become the most treasured artifact of the Martial Hall. It was no exaggeration. The spiritual imprint of a Great Grandmaster left on this scroll alone made it a priceless treasure.

To write this scroll, Shen Changqing had expended a considerable amount of his own spirit. The depletion of mental energy was not something that could be replenished by merely sleeping for a night or two. This spiritual imprint, although it could not directly help one break through to the Great Grandmaster realm, contained his own understanding of the Martial Dao. If someone were to see it, they might be able to derive new insights from it. But ultimate success would depend on individual comprehension.

There was no need to wait for the ink to air dry; the moment the writing was complete, the ink had already fused with the scroll.

While Shen Changqing was writing the scroll, Di Qiu had been watching silently. Now, seeing him finish, Di Qiu immediately came over. "Pavilion Master, is the scroll finished?"

"More or less." Shen Changqing had already rolled up the scroll and placed it to one side.

Upon hearing this, Di Qiu couldn’t help but rub his hands together and said, somewhat sheepishly, "Pavilion Master, may I borrow the scroll to take a look?"

"Brother Di, you are a member of the Martial Hall. If you wish to see the scroll, feel free to take it," Shen Changqing said with a faint smile.

Hearing this, Di Qiu eagerly picked up the scroll from the side. As he took it in hand, he felt a distinct weight. He didn’t dwell on it and, right in front of Shen Changqing, unrolled the scroll.

His gaze fell upon it. Instantly, Di Qiu stood frozen in place.

Seeing his reaction, Shen Changqing did not disturb him. Instead, he went to the place where scrolls were kept to search for related records. Dongfang Zhao had mentioned the matter of destiny’s fortune, and he wanted to understand it a bit more. The scrolls within the Martial Hall recorded many things, and perhaps they contained some information about it.

After spending half a day, Shen Changqing finally gave up the search. It wasn’t for any particular reason; the Martial Pavilion Scrolls were numerous, but those involving destiny’s fortune were nonexistent. According to Dongfang Zhao, if he wanted to understand destiny’s fortune, it seemed he truly had no choice but to talk with Yi Ning.

The matter of destiny’s fortune can be put aside for now. It doesn’t seem to affect me at the moment anyway. Wait a moment—Demon Evil! Shen Changqing suddenly thought of something, his eyes flashing with a bright light.

He had forgotten. He had almost forgotten. There was another matter he had forgotten upon returning to the Demon-Subduing Division. Thinking of that matter, he lost any inclination to remain in the Martial Hall.

As Shen Changqing left, only Di Qiu remained in the Martial Hall.

A long time passed before he finally recovered from his dazed state, his eyes regaining their spirit, his face a mixture of awe and shock.

"This scroll... is truly a treasure!"

Let alone the recorded methods for breaking through to the Great Grandmaster realm, the Spiritual Power it contained was itself immensely significant. If one were to study it day and night, it could likely even help temper one’s spirit. That single glance had subjected him to the mental impact from within, plunging him into a momentary stupor.

It must be understood that he had already reached the True Intent Manifestation stage in the Spiritual System. Even so, a moment of inattention could still draw one into it. Di Qiu then understood just how powerful the spiritual force imbued in the scroll was.

Of course, the Spiritual Power would not last forever. As time passed and more people viewed it, this spiritual force would gradually diminish. But while the Spiritual Power would fade, the content written inside would not disappear with time. In the future, this would still be the most treasured artifact of the Martial Hall.

Holding the scroll, Di Qiu returned to his seat, sat down, and earnestly began to study its contents from the very beginning.

「On the other side.」

Shen Changqing had already left the Martial Hall and arrived at the Council Hall.

"Why has Defender Shen come again?" Dongfang Zhao appeared surprised. He had just been here this morning, and now he had returned.

As soon as Shen Changqing saw Dongfang Zhao, he got straight to the point. "I have a rather important matter, which I forgot to tell Defender Dongfang earlier. I have come specifically now, hoping to get a definitive answer."

"What matter?" Dongfang Zhao’s expression turned serious. An urgent matter? As he asked, he was already silently speculating what could be so urgent as to make the other man return so hastily.

Shen Changqing did not take a seat but stood in the center of the hall. "Not long ago, in Luoyang City of South Nether Prefecture, I killed a Demon Evil. To save its life, the Demon Evil revealed some information before dying. I am unsure of its veracity, so I wish to ask if the Lord Defender is aware of it."

He was quite concerned about the matter of the Demon Evil in Luoyang City. If what the Demon Evil said was true, the Demon-Subduing Division should have some inkling of it.

After Shen Changqing recounted, word for word, what the Demon Evil had said, Dongfang Zhao’s expression became extremely grave. Only when Shen Changqing had finished did Dongfang Zhao slowly begin to speak.

"What that Demon Evil said... actually contains no falsehoods..."