Chapter 626: Communication

The next afternoon, Qin Qinghe arrived.

Dressed in casual clothes and looking travel-stained, he had clearly just returned from the front lines.

"Junior Brother Xu," Qin Qinghe greeted with a smile. "I heard you’re going to fight on behalf of the Federation. Master asked me to pass on a message."

"What did Grandmaster Shen say?"

"He said not to take these clowns to heart," Qin Qinghe said with a chuckle. "Of course, his exact words were much more tactful, but the meaning is the same."

Xu Wuyi also smiled. "Please tell Grandmaster Shen that I’ll do my best, Senior Brother Qin."

Qin Qinghe sat down across from him, his expression turning a bit more serious. "I went to take a look at the Great Liang side. The battleground is set on a plain with open terrain and no cover."

"What about the people from Great Liang?" Xu Wuyi asked.

"I saw a few. They were all at the Sub-Saint level, and their momentum wasn’t weak," Qin Qinghe mused. "However, rumor has it that none of them are candidates for the battle.

"But interestingly, there seems to be some division within the Great Liang Court regarding this scheduled battle. The pro-war and pro-peace factions argued fiercely, and it was State Preceptor Li Xuangang who made the final decision."

"Li Xuangang..." Xu Wuyi recalled the description of this Martial Saint in the files. "Is he strong?"

"I couldn’t get a clear read on him." Qin Qinghe’s expression grew solemn. "I only caught a glimpse from a distance and couldn’t see through his depths. He’s definitely stronger than me. Even if he can’t compare to a Divine Intent Grandmaster, he’s not far off."

Xu Wuyi nodded.

The Martial Saint level corresponded to the Federation’s Grandmaster, and Li Xuangang was clearly a top-tier existence among Grandmasters.

In the Federation system, the classification for the Grandmaster level was relatively broad. It was no longer based on Life Energy Levels, but on the level of externalization of the Heart Image.

It was divided into three levels. The first was to completely release the Heart Image from the sea of consciousness outward, condensing a Dharma Form with the power to destroy heaven and earth.

The second was to take the connected Heaven and Earth Energy and subject it to extreme compression and refining with one’s own Heart Image, constructing an ’absolute Domain’ entirely dominated by one’s own rules. This step focused on ’retraction’, pursuing control and rule efficiency.

The third was to stop releasing the highly refined Domain rules and Heart Image power outward, but instead turn them inward, deeply fusing them with one’s own flesh, bones, and Divine Soul to form Divine Intent. This step focused on ’fusion’, pursuing a state of unity between man and nature where ’I am the rules, and the rules are me’.

These three levels were marked by the Dharma Form, the Domain, and Divine Intent, which were used to roughly determine a Grandmaster’s realm.

"But you don’t need to worry," Qin Qinghe said, his tone lightening. "The rules of the battle dictate a duel between Sub-Saints; Martial Saints cannot interfere. You just need to focus on dealing with the opponent in front of you.

"When the actual battle takes place, the Federation will definitely have a Divine Intent Grandmaster holding the fort to ensure that Great Liang doesn’t take desperate risks and fights fairly."

"I understand."

The two chatted about a few more details before Qin Qinghe stood up to take his leave. "I need to go back and prepare. I’ll be leading the team to the battleground first thing tomorrow morning. You can just head over when the time comes; a special plane will be arranged to take you."

"Okay."

After seeing Qin Qinghe out, Xu Wuyi sat back down on the sofa.

He closed his eyes and began to adjust his breathing.

In his sea of consciousness, the dark gold marsh slowly swelled and fell, while the Golden Crow Illusion bobbed in the depths of its center.

The Gravity Field fluctuated slightly in rhythm with his breathing, like a tide.

He was neither anxious nor impatient.

He adjusted his condition to its peak, and then—waited.

In Great Liang, candlelight blazed brightly inside the Ziji Hall.

It was already the hour of Hai, and the night was thick. From outside the hall came the low moan of the early autumn night wind blowing past the pillars.

Yet, Emperor of Great Liang Zhou Shaoting felt no trace of sleepiness. He sat upright on the dragon throne, tightly gripping a secret report that had just arrived from the border, his brows furrowed deeply.

Below him, State Preceptor Li Xuangang sat with his eyes closed. His breathing was long and drawn out, as if he had merged with the shadows in the hall. Grand Marshal of the Army Xiao Pojun stood perfectly straight, like an iron spear planted firmly in the ground.

Prime Minister Song Wenyuan, Grand Commandant Zhang Wu, and other key officials were also present.

No one spoke. The only sound in the hall was the occasional, faint CRACKLE of the candlelight.

"State Preceptor," Zhou Shaoting said, his voice a little hoarse as he set the secret report down. "Did you see it with your own eyes?"

"Yes." Li Xuangang opened his eyes. "This afternoon, on the outskirts of the designated battleground, I had a brief encounter with a Grandmaster from the Star Yuan Federation.

"He called himself Qin Qinghe. He is no older than forty, yet his aura has already entered the Martial Saint realm."

The moment he said this, the atmosphere in the hall grew even heavier.

A forty-year-old Martial Saint.

In the six hundred years since the founding of Great Liang, the number of people who had stepped into the Martial Saint realm before the age of forty could be counted on one hand. Every single one of them was a legendary figure whose name went down in history.

"He took the initiative to reveal his aura, intending it as a show of strength," Li Xuangang continued. "However, I observed that his foundation is solid; he is no false saint who forcefully elevated his realm.

"Furthermore..." He looked at Zhou Shaoting. "Among the ranks of Grandmasters in the Star Yuan Federation, he is said to be one of the relatively young ones."

Relatively young.

These words felt like a heavy stone pressing down on everyone’s hearts.

Xiao Pojun asked in a deep voice, "Is the State Preceptor implying that the Star Yuan Federation’s system for cultivating Grandmasters is indeed complete?"

"Yes." Li Xuangang nodded. "Whether a civilization has true depth is not determined by how many veteran experts it has, but by whether it can continuously cultivate new ones.

"Qin Qinghe becoming a Saint at forty proves that the Star Yuan Federation already possessed a mature Grandmaster legacy at least two generations ago."

He paused, his tone flat. "In contrast, the last person in Great Liang to become a Saint before the age of forty was Prince Wu’an, two hundred years ago."

The hall fell silent once more.

Song Wenyuan stroked his beard and slowly spoke, "State Preceptor, in your opinion, is the Star Yuan Federation’s claim of having ’a hundred Martial Saints’ true or false?"

Li Xuangang did not answer immediately.

After a long silence, he finally said, "The number of one hundred may be an exaggeration. However, their number of Martial Saints is undoubtedly greater than Great Liang’s.

"Moreover..." He looked at Zhou Shaoting. "Although this Qin Qinghe is young, I observed that his bearing is extremely composed. Facing a senior like myself, he was neither haughty nor humble, and he knew exactly when to advance and when to retreat.

"This is absolutely not something that can be cultivated overnight. It is a natural composure honed from being in an environment teeming with experts for a long time.

"This proves that the Star Yuan Federation’s Martial Saints are not just a scattered few. They have already formed a large scale and an independent system."

With things laid out this clearly, there was nothing left to misunderstand.

Zhou Shaoting closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He was the Emperor, and more importantly, the helmsman of Great Liang. Faced with a powerful civilization that had suddenly appeared outside their borders, he had to make the decision most beneficial to the state.

"Regarding the scheduled battle..." He opened his eyes. "My beloved ministers, does anyone still insist on refusing?"

Zhang Wu opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

Song Wenyuan cupped his hands. "Your Majesty, the scheduled battle is already a foregone conclusion. This minister has no objections."

Xiao Pojun also said, "I second that."

Zhou Shaoting nodded. "Then let us discuss the candidates for the battle."

He looked at Xiao Pojun. "Marshal Xiao, are there any suitable candidates in the army?"

Xiao Pojun pondered for a moment. "There are thirteen Sub-Saints in the army. Zhao Yuanwu has already crossed blows with that outsider and was repelled in a single move. It is not suitable for him to fight again."