Chapter 186

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Chapter 186: He Changed the Lonely City

The military camp was on the Appointing Commander Platform.

Qiao Mu gave an impassioned speech and spoke about the "Xumi Mountain King Sutra" in public after the fight.

He wanted to sow the seeds of martial arts in this lonely city.

While speaking, his gaze unintentionally swept across Hai Siyuan Captain Hai, who looked puzzled.

This "Xumi Mountain King Sutra" was passed down from Hai Wuya and now it is being shared with the military and civilians of the lonely city, including Hai Siyuan.

Qiao Mu has practiced and studied Hai Wuya’s "Xumi Mountain King Sutra" and it won’t lead to fatal consequences, so naturally he wants to promote it.

He thought that if Hai Wuya were here, he would probably make the same decision, after all, the ultimate purpose of the "Xumi Mountain King Sutra" is to become the "Human Path Sutra."

Promoting this still-imperfect "Xumi Mountain King Sutra" within the entire lonely city will naturally contribute to further study and improvement of this martial art technique.

So, he transformed into a martial artist motivator and talked passionately about practicing martial arts on the Appointing Commander Platform.

"The Xumi Mountain King Sutra is a martial arts technique that anyone can practice, even those who are not naturally talented. It doesn’t require much skill in martial arts."

"As long as you work hard and persist day after day, even someone who is not naturally talented can reach higher levels of mastery."

"Young man, put in the effort, sweat will never deceive you, time will give you the answers."

"There are no shortcuts in martial arts, it is a long and challenging path, but our sweat can prove our hard work."

"Under the heavy burden of inhumanity, the only way to resist is to strengthen oneself through martial arts."

"I have been practicing martial arts for nearly a hundred years, training in the harsh winters and scorching summers. I’ve gone from a young and vigorous youth to having silver hair, and that’s how I gained my hundred years of skill." Qiao Mu reminisced about his youthful years, with a nostalgic expression on his face.

"Actually, practicing martial arts isn’t that difficult."

"As long as you are dedicated enough, and serious enough, a hundred years will pass in the blink of an eye."

The soldiers and civilians who have been trapped in the lonely city for forty years have never experienced such a bombardment of chicken soup.

Moreover, Qiao Mu is not just casually talking, he has already shown the extraordinary "Xumi Mountain King Sutra" in front of the crowd.

This is truly talented and knowledgeable, even Lu Yanbei, who just lost earlier, has to admit this.

Within this isolated city, there used to be 100,000 elite Great Yan warriors led by the former Martial Saint. Even after forty years of bitter battles, there are still martial artists with a broad perspective.

Captain Hai said… There are no higher-ranking and stronger officers than him on the battlefield anymore.

However, there are still a few elderly soldiers and veterans in the city who can no longer go to the battlefield. They either have physical disabilities or are too old and weak to fight.

Although they are powerless to kill enemies, they still have a keen eye for detail.

They have already seen through Qiao Mu’s true abilities and extraordinary qualities, naturally igniting their enthusiasm.

"If this technique can truly make people ageless, then do we still have a chance to return to the battlefield?"

"We are already old, weak, and nearing the end of our lives. This is a natural law that even a highly skilled martial artist cannot escape…"

"However, anyone with high aptitude who practices martial arts can achieve twice the results with half the effort… This Qiao Shuangsen is even older than me, and he can practice. Why can’t I, with my aptitude?"

"We were once the elite of Great Yan, seen as the hope of Jiu Province in the fight against inhuman beings… Even if we suffer a terrible defeat, we are not ordinary soldiers."

Many old soldiers and veterans murmured to themselves.

The once young and strong military martial artists naturally refuse to accept their aging and weakening.

They still have the will to resist, but they lack the ability.

But the "Xumi Mountain King Sutra" mentioned by Qiao Mu gave them a glimpse of hope.

So countless elderly and young people gathered around the Appointing Commander Platform, listening to Qiao Mu tell the story of "Xumi Mountain King Sutra" and sharing words of encouragement.

"Grandpa Qiao, you’ve been practicing martial arts for nearly a hundred years. Isn’t it tiring?" a child with shining eyes asked softly.

"Tired, of course tired," Qiao Mu said seriously.

"But in today’s Jiu Province, how many people envy the opportunity to practice superior martial arts? If we don’t work hard now, we’ll be stepped on by inhuman beings."

"Charge forward, practice until we drop, and don’t stop until we can’t open our eyes!"

"When I was young, I made up my mind to sacrifice my life. I would rather die than kneel in front of inhuman beings. I’ve had enough of them ruling over the people of Jiu Province!"

"Grandpa Qiao, if you work so hard, how many hours a day do you practice martial arts?" the child asked again.

Qiao Mu was momentarily speechless, finally saying,

"Martial arts has become a part of my life, integrated into my existence. So it’s hard to distinguish how many hours I spend practicing martial arts in a day."

"If you ask me, I can only say that I practice martial arts at all times, there is never a time when I am not practicing."

"Grandpa Qiao is really amazing!" the children suddenly realized, their eyes filled with admiration.

The chicken soup is fake.

But the lesson is true.

This is also part of Qiao Mu’s lies, as he boasts and tries to guide the people in the lonely city to practice the "Xumi Mountain King Sutra".

The practice of "Xumi Mountain King Sutra" doesn’t depend on talent, but on perseverance.

Even Hai Wuya, who was trapped in the heavenly prison for thirty years, can rejuvenate himself through this martial art technique.

The people in the lonely city face constant life-or-death challenges. Martial arts training is their only means of resistance. Under such intense pressure, martial arts training is not just about how strong their perseverance is, but about whether they can survive.

…….

Lu Yanbei stands at the back of the crowd, watching Qiao Mu deliver an impassioned speech on the Appointing Commander Platform. Strange thoughts fill his mind.

This man with the last name Qiao has single-handedly changed the atmosphere of the lonely city.

This kind of forceful encouragement, he had never experienced it in his life… but it is also a good thing.

Lu Yanbei’s gaze fell on several senior generals under the Appointing Commander Platform, who looked even older than him, and his gaze softened slightly.

The old man named Qiao Shuangsen brought the greatest change to this lonely city, allowing the soldiers and citizens to regain their fighting spirit and face death with determination.

He turned around and walked back, heading towards Hai Siyuan.

He had a lot of questions in his mind, such as why Hai Siyuan wanted to impersonate him, and what exactly was the situation with the so-called Immortal Slaying Army…

After all.

Since the "Xumi Mountain King Sutra" can be real, why can’t the Immortal Slaying Army also be real?

Unconsciously.

Even in Lu Yanbei’s heart, a glimmer of hope arose.

…….

When Hai Siyuan looked at the crowd in confusion, he noticed someone silently staring at him with deep eyes.

He turned his head and saw that it was Lu Yanbei, who had just suffered defeat.

"Captain Hai, you are really good at acting. Did you purposely hide it from me? Are you deliberately trying to make fun of me?" Lu Yanbei was quite upset.

"What acting? Mr. Lu’s acting?" Captain Hai didn’t understand, thinking that Lu Yanbei wanted to discuss his own acting skills, so he promptly raised his thumb in praise and said,

"Mr. Lu’s acting is truly superb. Even I couldn’t spot any flaws."

"Especially when he was defeated in the end, the look in Mr. Lu’s eyes as he glanced at the senior Qiao Shuangsen, a complex expression that had a mix of one-third disappointment, one-third confusion, and four-thirds joy. Only someone with extensive experience could truly portray it."

Lu Yanbei：？

Why are you speaking in such a strange and mysterious way when scolding me? Don’t bring up old matters.

"Captain Hai, your words are not enjoyable. It’s one thing to pretend to be confused, but why do you have to mock me like this?" Lu Yanbei was truly annoyed.

"I think you’re the one with great acting skills, you naturally pretend to be confused."

"What do you mean by pretending to be confused?" Captain Hai still looked completely bewildered.

"I won’t argue with you about these things. Let me straightforwardly ask, if the ‘Xumi Mountain King Sutra’ is real, then is there really an Immortal Slaying Army beyond this desert?" Lu Yanbei’s eyes were filled with excitement.

"What? The ‘Xumi Mountain King Sutra’ is real?" Hai Siyuan was shocked.

The two old men stared at each other for a while, finally understanding the reason behind the situation.

"The Immortal Slaying Army is fake, but the progress of martial arts in Jiu Province is real. The ‘Xumi Mountain King Sutra’ is also real, right?"

The truth was right in front of them, making them increasingly aware of Qiao Mu’s extraordinariness.

After some thought, Hai Siyuan turned to Storyteller Clairvoyance and wanted to ask about Qiao Mu’s background.

"The storyteller of Tide Listening Building, weren’t you the one who traveled through the desert with Qiao Shuangsen? Tell me, what makes Qiao Shuangsen so special?" Hai Siyuan asked.

"Qiao Shuangsen, the old man, is truly extraordinary. But to be honest, I only met him briefly and don’t know much about him," Clairvoyance pondered and replied.

"From my perspective… Qiao Shuangsen has mastered the Ripple Stacking Wave Strength of the Long Life Fist, reaching the level of Triple Wave."

"In the past, even the Qiao family, who ruled over the vast Heyang City, only had one clan leader who could reach the Triple Wave. Looking at this, Qiao Shuangsen has achieved considerable success in the martial arts field. With this skill alone, he could easily rank among the top thirty in the martial artist Skill List."

"Considering that Ripple Stacking Wave Strength is known for being difficult to cultivate and understand, if Qiao Shuangsen had practiced an easier martial art, his ranking could have been even higher."

Lu Yanbei, the renowned martial artist ranked thirtieth in the Skill List, could not use his martial skills effectively in the recent battle.

Previously, he relied on pure speed to dodge attacks. Later, he used his century-long experience and surpassed his limits by using extraordinary martial techniques to overpower others.

"By the way, Qiao Shuangsen uses a spear, doesn’t he? He has already mastered the Military Spear Skill and has good lightness skills too," Clairvoyance mentioned, feeling a bit intrigued.

The Skill List is a ranking of martial artist skills.

Qiao Shuangsen thought that the longest board he had was undoubtedly the martial art called "Long Life Fist-Stacking Wave Strength." With this skill alone, he was able to rank in the top 30 of the Skill List.

But upon careful consideration, was this old man practicing more than just martial arts?

Before Qiao Shuangsen revealed all his martial skills, even Clairvoyance’s sharp insight couldn’t determine the extent of his martial arts abilities.

"What defeated Lu Yanbei in the end was his profound ‘technique’ and ‘strength’ that surpassed the limits of a 4th rank," Clairvoyance said.

"Compared to his martial arts skills, his internal strength is truly astonishing."

Even the experienced Tide Listening Building Clairvoyance was filled with astonishment.

"With a hundred years of accumulation and pure internal strength, his amount of internal strength alone is enough to rank in the top ten of the Strength List at Tide Listening Building," Clairvoyance said with seriousness.

"Only in the top ten? But this is a hundred years of cultivation!" Hai Siyuan exclaimed in disbelief.

"Has the martial artists of the outside world, the Jiu Province, become so strong after forty years that even a hundred years of cultivation can only rank in the top ten? I thought it would at least be in the top three."

Hai Siyuan was a Captain ranked sixth, which was his rank in the military forty years ago.

After being trapped in the isolated city for forty years, the rank of his position no longer had any meaning.

In the forty years of bloody battles, his martial arts cultivation had already broken through to the third rank of the Spiritual Refining Realm.

Based on his knowledge of the martial arts world forty years ago, Qiao Mu’s hundred-year power displayed should easily be ranked in the top three.

"Could it be that there are more than one hundred-year-old people like him in the outside world?" Hai Siyuan exclaimed in surprise.

"Of course not," Clairvoyance explained.

"In the past forty years, Jiu Province’s martial arts world has been oppressed by inhumans from the outside, and threatened by Martial Saints from within. Under the double heavy pressure, if they don’t make progress, they will die, and it will be a gruesome death, being completely devoured by the Martial Saints."

"Among the top ten of the Tide Listening Building’s powerful techniques, those who can make it are the extraordinary talents and prodigies born under this heavy pressure."

"Being in the top ten of the four rankings is no longer a realm that ordinary martial artists can achieve through hard work alone. They are all gifted individuals who have had multiple fortunate encounters. They can be called the descendants of martial arts fortune, walking at the forefront of martial arts today."

"Just speaking about the Strength List, the other people in the top ten have had accidents and fell off cliffs by chance, but in turn, they gained good fortune and consumed special fruits, transforming their bodies and gaining a hundred years of power for no reason."

"There is also a martial arts family named Xue who is said to be cursed with inhuman blood, unable to live past fifty years old."

"So, each generation’s family leader will use their lifelong power to pass on their skills to the next generation before they turn fifty. Although there is some consumption, the accumulated power surpasses that of ordinary martial artists. This is related to the martial arts practiced by the Xue family."

"And this person, Qiao Shuangsen, is different from those gifted descendants of fortune," Clairvoyance said with emotion:

"He didn’t rely on coincidences, but rather on consistent and unwavering years of hard work, gathering sand to build towers, collecting soil to create mountains. He can be called a role model for our generation of martial artists’ efforts."

"Listen to what he said on the Appointing Commander Platform, after years of hard work, he has finally reached this point. Even us onlookers are amazed."

Those with exceptional talent often attract jealousy.

But for those who work hard and diligently, they are admired and respected even more.

"What’s more important is that this represents a path that future generations can follow," said Clairvoyance.

"Even if progress is slow, as long as you have enough determination, the ‘Xumi Mountain King Sutra’ can continuously break through. The so-called levels of power only represent different stages, and there is no concept of a bottleneck in cultivation."

Hai Siyuan was filled with admiration as he listened. I wonder who this extraordinary person is, to create such a powerful martial art like the ‘Xumi Mountain King Sutra’. This person will surely leave a mark in the martial history of Jiu Province.

Just as they were talking, Qiao Mu had already finished speaking on the Appointing Commander Platform and walked down from it.

Dao Fei was spreading the martial art in just one day, and he was very interested in Lu Yanbei.

After all, just now on the stage, this old man personally said that his swordsmanship was learned from the former Earth Sword Immortal, who was known as the number one swordsman in the world… He was also one of Qiao Mu’s targets on this journey.