Chapter 95 - 94: Forming a Team! Martial Artist Alliance!

What Jiang Shu had not anticipated was that Shang Jibei had not come alone; Zhu Qingyun was also with him. 「The Academy cafeteria.」 Jiang Shu spent a good deal of money to order several dishes of Ban Mountain Mang Beef to treat his distinguished guests. Shang Jibei sat opposite Jiang Shu. Compared to before, he had lost quite a few pounds; his face was somewhat haggard, and his hair was unkempt. There was also a faint scar on his neck. But his gaze was sharper than ever, and every breath he took seemed to pulse with boundless strength. Clearly, he had improved significantly in the Secret Realm. "I didn’t expect that in just over a month, you would have also broken through to Dark Force," Shang Jibei said, his voice filled with unconcealed amazement. "Moreover, you’ve taken such a significant step within Dark Force. But by now, you realize that the Academy’s resources aren’t of much use to us anymore." "My greatest realization from this trip to the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm is that until one reaches Transform Strength, an individual’s power is truly insignificant before the vastness of the world." "Dark Force might seem incredibly powerful to ordinary people, but it’s ultimately just an enhancement of physical strength and combat prowess. It’s unlike Transform Strength. A Transform Strength Martial Artist also cultivates their internal organs. For instance, cultivating the heart enhances the Spirit, allowing one to sense certain dangers in advance." "Or, by cultivating the lungs, one can sharpen the six senses: eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind, corresponding to form, sound, scent, taste, touch, and phenomena. This allows adaptation even to harsh environments." "Only after entering the Secret Realm did I understand that the gap between Dark Force and Transform Strength is even greater than that between Visible Strength and Dark Force." "Transform Strength is still too distant for us. Yet, I’m not content with slowly improving my realm. Therefore, I plan to form a small team for the next expedition into the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm. You and Zhu Qingyun are my ideal teammates." Getting straight to the point while eating, Shang Jibei continued, "Although Qingyun hasn’t reached Dark Force yet, she asserts she’ll break through within a month or two, so she won’t hold us back. Furthermore, Qingyun hails from a long line of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners; her elders are currently working secretly in Xia Country research labs. She also has some knowledge of Heaven and Earth Treasure Medicine. With her, we won’t miss out on opportunities in the Secret Realm due to ignorance." As he laid out the pros and cons, a large plate of Ban Mountain Mang Beef had already disappeared into Shang Jibei’s stomach. He looked at Jiang Shu, awaiting his response. Beside them, Zhu Qingyun kept her head down, silent. "I have no problem with that," Jiang Shu nodded without hesitation. Both Xie Feichen and Shang Jibei had emphasized that the greatest dangers in the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm were not the Mutant Beasts, but the harsh environmental conditions. At the Dark Force stage, an individual’s martial prowess wasn’t a decisive advantage. Even though he traversed the Two Realms, and his combat capabilities far surpassed those of Martial Artists in Xia Country at the same realm, having two more companions in a strange and perilous place would undoubtedly make things considerably easier. Seeing Jiang Shu agree so readily, Shang Jibei grinned, glanced around, and lowered his voice. "I’ve recently heard that our Xia Country government intends to establish a Martial Artists Alliance. Any Martial Artist can join, and each will have their own permanent account." "The most crucial thing in the Martial Artists Alliance is points. Points are extremely hard to come by. They can be bought with money—one point for ten thousand Xia Country currency—but there’s an annual limit. For instance, Dark Force Martial Artists can apparently only exchange for up to a thousand points a year." "Points can be used to purchase many things. The Academies teach us only Guiding Skills. That’s one cultivation method, but Guiding Skills alone are insufficient when truly entering the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm. Therefore, the Martial Artists Alliance will offer combat techniques and movement techniques, all exchangeable for points." "Exchanging points with money isn’t cost-effective, nor can you get many that way. For us Martial Artists, the real way to earn points is by entering the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm. Bringing back newly discovered fresh Mutant Beast meat or some rare Heaven and Earth Treasure Medicines can earn a substantial number of points." "This Martial Artists Alliance should be established by the end of the year. It will likely be in a trial phase then, open only to Martial Artists above Dark Force and some at the Dark Force level. I’ll get you in when the time comes." After sharing this classified information with Jiang Shu, Shang Jibei, who had arrived quickly, departed just as swiftly. With a parting "Let’s keep in touch," he led Zhu Qingyun out of Jiangnan Academy and headed back to Shengjing. 「Inside the cafeteria.」 Jiang Shu ordered a few plates of Red Armored Tiger meat and sat, lost in thought. The words of Xie Feichen and Shang Jibei replayed in his mind. The universities in Xia Country, whether ordinary ones or elite Academies, are primarily for training Martial Artists. Therefore, even the fist techniques taught are just Health Care Boxing. They don’t demand great combat power, focusing first on nurturing a Martial Artist’s temperament to prevent them from using their skills to break laws. This is an undeniable truth. Arena competitions enhance a Martial Artist’s fame and provide cultivation funds, all serving the same purpose: after enjoying such favorable societal treatment, one surely can’t use personal martial power to threaten social harmony. But true Martial Artists need to be courted differently—through an exchange of interests. Only interests are eternal. The Martial Artists Alliance is being established for this very reason. By entering the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm, one can not only temper oneself in life-or-death situations and elevate one’s Martial Arts Realm, but also use points within the Martial Artists Alliance to acquire combat techniques, movement techniques, or other rare items. I bought the most expensive alloy battle blade in the Academy, but in the Martial Artists Alliance, it probably wouldn’t even qualify as low-grade. Once the official establishment of the Martial Artists Alliance is announced, many Dark Force Martial Artists currently on the fence will likely flock to the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm. Everyone who practices martial arts wants to advance further. Moving from Visible Strength to Dark Force is merely an increase in power, but reaching Transform Strength means an increase in lifespan! Who wouldn’t desire longevity? Having consumed all the Red Armored Tiger meat, Jiang Shu sat squatting, circulating the Famished Tiger Roar Mountain Strength within him over and over. Nearby, Shou Junming furtively approached. Unlike other students, his greatest passion was eating. He typically spent three to four hours in the Academy’s cafeteria every day. Often, he would arrive as early as three or four in the afternoon, order a large quantity of Mutant Beast meat, and feast extravagantly. This was why Jiang Shu bringing Shang Jibei in had been instantly noticed by him. He had been eating and watching, and only now, unable to contain his curiosity any longer, did he come over to ask, "Jiang Shu, what did Shang Jibei want to talk to you about just now? Is there a new arena competition? Have his previous internal injuries healed? He didn’t come to challenge you, did he?" "We talked a bit about the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm." "Oh, I know about the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm! Mr. Xie told us about it before; only Dark Force Martial Artists can enter. That makes sense. Shang Jibei is already at Dark Force, so he’s probably thinking of entering the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm. Why would he need to bother with arena competitions? But if he’s at Dark Force, he can just go in himself. Why would he come looking for you..." Shou Junming prattled on, sitting beside Jiang Shu. Suddenly, he seemed to recall something. The memory of his first meeting with Jiang Shu in the classroom resurfaced in his mind. He stared at Jiang Shu’s calm face, his eyes widening like saucers. A bold, startling speculation arose: "No... Jiang Shu..." "Have you reached Dark Force?"