Chapter 144. The Level Four Zone
That guy had actually come too?
Interesting.
Xu Yuan was first taken aback, but then he smiled and took the initiative to speak. “Isn’t this my old superior, Chief Overseer Yang?”
Yang Cang glanced at him. There was no real expression on his face as he said with a false smile, “I heard Battle Overseer Xu has recently established one great merit after another. You really are full of youthful vigor these days.”
Xu Yuan chuckled. “Not at all, not at all. Naturally, I still can’t compare to how comfortable and leisurely Chief Overseer Yang has it in the medicinal fields.”
Yang Cang gave a cold snort and did not respond again. Clearly, he had no interest whatsoever in chatting.
After Xu Yuan left, he had made some further inquiries and had all but confirmed that his niece, Yang Caiyu, had almost certainly been dealt with by Xu Yuan.
Naturally, he was furious about it, but he also knew that Xu Yuan had now become one of Shangyang Residence’s banner figures. It was already difficult to make a move against him.
So naturally, he was in no mood to be pleasant.
Seeing that the two of them clearly had a serious grudge between them, Qin Chuan forced a laugh and changed the subject.
“Let me first explain the current situation. The Level Four zone lies directly beside the Bai Family’s front line. In total, there are twelve streets on this side. The Bai Family originally had about the same number, but since we currently hold the advantage, we’ve already taken two of theirs.”
Hearing this, Xu Yuan and Yang Cang could hardly keep wearing cold faces, so both nodded to show they understood.
Qin Chuan smiled again and said, “If either of you has any questions, feel free to ask.”
Xu Yuan thought for a moment and did not stand during the ceremony. He asked the question he cared about most. “Chief Overseer Qin, may I ask how many seven-meridian and eight-meridian martial artists the Bai Family currently has?”
Yang Cang said nothing, but he was clearly equally concerned about this question.
Qin Chuan explained, “On our side, there are four seven-meridian martial artists and one eight-meridian martial artist, namely me. On the Bai Family’s side, because they now have some additional manpower from the authorities, they have eight seven-meridian martial artists and one eight-meridian martial artist.”
“So in terms of high-level combat power, we are at a slight disadvantage.”
Xu Yuan was somewhat surprised after hearing this.
He had already guessed that there would not be many eight-meridian martial artists here, but he had not expected that on such an important front as the Level Four zone, each family would actually have only one.
Seeing his confusion, Qin Chuan smiled and said, “Battle Overseer Xu may not know this, but Shangyang Residence naturally has more than just one eight-meridian martial artist. There’s a reason there are so few here.”
“The first reason is that the bottleneck from seven-meridian to eight-meridian is several times harder than all the previous bottlenecks combined.”
“Let me give you a figure, and Battle Overseer Xu will understand. According to statistics, the probability of breaking through from the sixth-meridian bottleneck to the seventh meridian after taking a Meridian-Opening Pill is sixty percent. But the bottleneck from seven-meridian to eight-meridian? It barely reaches thirty percent.”
“It’s already this difficult at eight-meridian? Then wouldn’t the Extraordinary Meridians realm be as hard as ascending to heaven?” Xu Yuan exclaimed in surprise.
Of course, it was only a casual remark or two. In truth, it had nothing to do with him.
Whether bottlenecks were hard or easy, he felt nothing either way.
For him, as long as his aptitude improved, those bottlenecks would be as brittle as paper, unable to create even the slightest obstruction.
What was more, his aptitude would only become more and more heaven-defying as his skills advanced. He could practically use one foot to step on the other and keep climbing upward.
At the side, Yang Cang suddenly cut in, “You keep asking pointless questions. Otherwise, if Shangyang Residence has been rooted in Prefecture City for a hundred years, why is it that the number of resident retainers at the Extraordinary Meridians realm can still be counted on one hand?”
“Chief Overseer Yang speaks well!”
Xu Yuan smiled faintly. “But who asked you?”
“You...” Yang Cang choked on that sentence, and his expression turned somewhat ugly.
If this had been before, Xu Yuan had only been a chief guard under his command. How would he ever have dared speak to him like this?
‘If I had known earlier, I should have kept him in the medicinal fields. Then I might still have found a chance...’
Yang Cang narrowed his eyes, seemingly thinking about something.
Seeing that the two were about to quarrel again, Qin Chuan did not try to smooth things over at once. Instead, he waited until both had cooled off before continuing with a smile.
“As for the second reason, once a martial artist breaks through into a certain realm, that does not mean their combat power can remain at that level forever. Most of Shangyang Residence’s other eight-meridian martial artists are already seventy or eighty years old. They’re not suited to come here, and they’re unwilling to come either...”
At this point, Qin Chuan teased, “When Battle Overseer Xu first began practicing martial arts, you must have heard the saying, ‘First train cultivation, then train martial arts.’ Let me put it this way: those elderly martial artists who look white-haired and depleted in qi and blood are the only ones who might actually be able to fight above their realm!”
Xu Yuan nodded in understanding, grasping the meaning behind those words: Shangyang Residence did indeed have other eight-meridian martial artists, but they were old, no longer at the peak of their strength, and also senior enough and well-connected enough that they were unwilling to come.
It was just like that group of old holdovers in the Level One zone. Unless the family had reached a truly life-or-death crisis, they would definitely hide if they could.
So this was what people meant by the front lines being under pressure while the rear enjoyed itself under pressure.
‘Still, this is good news for me. The Bai Family also has only one eight-meridian martial artist, and someone at that level usually has to remain in the center to hold the line and direct the overall situation. There’s no way he would personally make a move against me, right?’
‘And even taking ten thousand steps back, even if he did make a move against me, I’m now eight-meridian as well. My movement art and external martial art have both reached perfection. Even if the authorities are secretly hiding an eight-meridian martial artist, I still wouldn’t fear it.’
As for anyone below that, any so-called seven-meridian martial artists, then forgive him for being blunt, but they were all trash.
Thinking this, Xu Yuan suddenly felt much more secure. Still, not entirely reassured, he asked one more question.
“What Chief Overseer Qin says makes perfect sense, but if the Bai Family were pushed too far, is there any chance they might secretly send an Extraordinary Meridians expert here?”
“Haha.”
After hearing this, Qin Chuan burst out laughing. “The Bai Family would never dare do that, because no matter how well someone in the Extraordinary Meridians realm conceals their aura, anyone of the same level who observes carefully can still tell, unless they’re using some kind of aura-concealing method.”
“Secondly, the reason those in the Extraordinary Meridians realm do not make moves is also to restrain both sides. After all, this is only a battle over the spirit spring. It has not yet reached the point of a desperate war in which the entire family stakes its survival.”
As Qin Chuan spoke, a trace of longing appeared on his face.
“The Extraordinary Meridians realm, a resident retainer at that level... Shangyang Residence has only nine of them in total. Those are the true upper echelon. They do not enter the war. They sit and watch the winds and clouds shift. They are the treasures of both families. Who would be willing to let them suffer losses so casually?”
If he could break through to the higher Extraordinary Meridians realm, then to put it bluntly, this Chief Overseer position could go to whoever wanted it.
Hearing this, Xu Yuan asked in puzzlement, “It still hasn’t reached the point of risking the whole family? But haven’t we already driven them out of the Level Three zone?”
Qin Chuan let out a scornful laugh. “Driven out in name only.”
“With the Bai Family’s strength, if they really wanted to return to the Level Three zone, they could not be stopped. But this battle did establish our title as the number one great family of Prefecture City. When future interests are divided, we now have direct allocation rights.”
“The Bai Family still wants to turn things around through the Level Four zone, but how could we possibly let them have their way?”
Xu Yuan immediately understood.
He had been wondering how a family like the Bai Family, with several hundred years of inheritance, could collapse so quickly. So it turned out they were simply fighting it out on the same stage.
And Zhao Yan’s grand gesture, when he shouted that they would drive the Bai Family out of Yuquan Prefecture City, had turned out to be nonsense as well, just something said to raise morale.
‘Still, because of my appearance, it can be said that I accelerated the Bai Family’s defeat. From now on, I’m bound to be a thorn in their side.’
At that thought, Xu Yuan did not panic. After all, strength itself was confidence.
Then his thoughts shifted, and he opened his panel.
【Skills: Jade Platform Stance Art (Perfection 5%) Thunderclap Fist (Perfection 85%) Golden Bell Shield (Entry 6%)】
【Aptitude: 39 (one in ten thousand)】
【Martial Seed (0): Berserk, Paralysis】
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