mijobooks Chapter 68 With Mount Tai as its foundation, martial arts flourish.
Chapter 68 With Mount Tai as its foundation, martial arts flourish.
The battle at Wudang Mountain has come to an end, but its aftermath is like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up countless waves.
Ma Cong slew a god with a single sword strike and suppressed the world.
These eight characters spread like wildfire throughout the martial arts world of China and even the global underworld.
Everyone remembered this name—Ma Cong.
In an instant, Jincheng, a city that was originally a second-tier city, became a holy land in the hearts of countless martial artists.
Countless people flocked from all over the country, just to catch a glimpse of Master Ma, even if it was just a distant sight.
However, after the battle at Wudang Mountain, Ma Cong disappeared without a trace, and no one could find him.
In a heavily guarded manor on the outskirts of Jincheng City.
Ma Cong was sitting cross-legged in a huge medicine barrel, which contained rare and precious herbs provided by the system, enough to make any sect envious.
Glug glug.
The medicinal liquid churned and steamed, filling the entire room with a rich aroma.
He is consolidating his elixir-embracing realm.
Inside the martial arts space.
Ma Cong's figure appeared, and in front of him stood an illusory, otherworldly old man.
Zhang Sanfeng.
"Embracing the elixir is merely a new starting point in martial arts."
Zhang Sanfeng's illusory figure slowly spoke, his voice ancient and resonant.
"After embracing the elixir, one must condense the qi and transform the internal strength into true essence. Then, one must use the true essence to temper the bones throughout the body; this is called 'refining the four bones'."
"Hand bones, leg bones, body bones, skull."
"With each tempering, the bone marrow will be reshaped, and the physique will evolve accordingly. Once all four bones are formed, and the body is made of jade and gold, one can open the gates of heaven and step into the realm of the Heavenly True Immortal."
Ma Cong listened silently.
These are all deeper martial arts secrets that are not available on the system panel.
"This process is extremely time-consuming and requires a massive amount of resources. Even with the full support of a sect, it may not be possible to successfully reach the Core Formation stage even after two hundred years."
Zhang Sanfeng's illusory figure looked at him and said, "With the system's assistance, time and resources are not a problem, but you must go through the trials of your mind step by step on your own."
Ma Cong nodded.
One year in the outside world is a hundred years in the martial arts world.
What takes others two hundred years, he only needs two years.
He set himself a small goal: to spend three months tempering his hand bones.
Within a year, one can reach the pinnacle of skill, like the old Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain, who achieved the "Embracing the Elixir" stage.
Ma Cong calmed his mind and began a new round of arduous training.
Outside the home, Zhou Tianyi—no, he should now be called Elder Zhou.
He has become a complete fanatic of Ma Cong and the chief steward of "Martial Sect".
As soon as his injuries healed, he threw himself into the great undertaking that the sect was preparing for.
"Old Zhou, are you crazy? 10 billion! You're going to use 10 billion to buy a mountain?"
On the other end of the phone was Zhou Tianyi's business partner, whose tone was filled with disbelief.
Zhou Tianyi sat in his office on his estate, a cigar dangling from his lips. A huge map of the country hung on the wall, with several places circled in red.
"You know nothing!" Zhou Tianyi roared back with full force, "This is called investing in the future! What's a hundred billion? Once our Martial Sect opens its gates, hundreds of billions, even trillions, will be no problem!"
After hanging up the phone, he looked at the map and became worried again.
Famous mountains and rivers are either scenic spots or have long been occupied by various reclusive sects, making it extremely difficult to find a suitable place for one's sect to reside.
Just when he was at his wit's end, a phone call came in.
It's Dong Yue.
"President Zhou, I heard that Master Ma is preparing to establish his own sect?" Dong Yue's voice was tentative.
"Director Dong, you're quite well-informed," Zhou Tianyi chuckled.
"The government wants to do its part in this matter," Dong Yue stated directly. "Master Ma has brought glory to the country and intimidated the villains; we should do our part in this regard."
Zhou Tianyi's heart skipped a beat.
"I don't know, do you have any good suggestions?"
"Mount Tai is the foremost of the Five Sacred Mountains," Dong Yue slowly uttered the four words.
The cigar in Zhou Tianyi's hand fell to the ground with a thud.
Mount Tai?
That was the place where emperors performed the Fengshan ceremony, a symbol of the Hualong Kingdom!
This is an enormous investment!
"Our idea is to permanently lease an entire area of the back mountain of the main ridge of Mount Tai, as well as some undeveloped peaks, to Emperor Wuzong as the site of his mountain gate."
"The rent is a symbolic dollar."
Zhou Tianyi gasped.
This isn't a loan, it's a free gift!
He knew that this was the imperial court extending the highest level of goodwill to Ma Cong and the future Emperor Wuzong.
The value of a martial arts sect capable of suppressing the fate of a nation is immeasurable.
"I'll go ask Master Ma right away!" Zhou Tianji excitedly hung up the phone.
He can't make decisions on such important matters.
After receiving Ma Cong's affirmative reply, Zhou Tianyi immediately set off with his legal team and professional team to Beijing to discuss the follow-up details.
The matter of the mountain gate's location has been settled.
On the other side, in Jincheng.
As the Lunar New Year approaches, the festive atmosphere on the streets is growing stronger.
Ma Cong has emerged from seclusion.
This time, he was going to accompany Zhou Xing to her home to meet her future parents-in-law.
Even though he is now a Celestial Immortal with the power to flatten mountains with a single sword strike, the thought of meeting his parents still makes him feel a little uneasy.
Why are you so nervous?
On the high-speed train, Zhou Xing looked at the restless Ma Cong and covered his mouth to chuckle.
"My parents are very nice people."
"I...I was just afraid of embarrassing you." Ma Cong scratched his head, looking rather simple and honest.
Who would have thought that this seemingly ordinary boy next door was the invincible Master Ma?
Zhou Xing's home is in Jiangcheng.
A very ordinary working-class family.
When they met Ma Cong, Zhou's parents seemed a little awkward and reserved, but their attitude was very kind.
Through the news, they vaguely knew that Ma Cong was no ordinary person and was at a very high level, so they tacitly avoided mentioning anything about the martial arts world and instead chatted with him about everyday matters.
"Little Ma, eat more vegetables, you're so thin." Zhou Xing's mother kept putting food on Ma Cong's plate.
"Uncle and Aunt, you should eat too." Ma Cong said a little shyly.
The meal was enjoyed by everyone.
That evening, Ma Cong received a call from Zhou Tianyi.
"Sect Master! It's done! The contract has been signed, Mount Tai! The entire back mountain is ours!" Zhou Tianyi's voice trembled with excitement on the phone.
"Thank you for your hard work, Elder Zhou," Ma Cong said with a smile.
"By the way, Sect Leader, I had my eye on a mountain near the Shaolin Temple on Mount Song, and we were almost done negotiating. Now that we've chosen Mount Tai, I'm thinking we should go and apologize to them in person," Zhou Tianyi said. "I'm planning to take my wife and kids there tomorrow and spend a couple of days sightseeing on Mount Song."
"Of course. Be careful," Ma Cong said casually, without giving it much thought.
the next day.
Zhou Tianyi and his family arrived at Mount Song.
After dealing with the changed business deal and paying a hefty penalty, he took his wife and children and, like any ordinary tourist, entered the ancient Shaolin Temple.