A Pawn's Passage

A Martial Arts Practitioner at the Xiaoyao stage of Heavenly Beings would be in the Divinity Realm. As early as the Guizhen stage, a Martial Arts Practitioner would start to condense their body and spirit. When they were in the Xiaoyao stage, they would fully refine all their major acupoints, each containing one spirit that was connected to one unified whole. As such, the body became nearly unbreakable at this stage.

The Five Immortal Lineages were deeply interconnected. Just as Rogue Cultivators, Qi Refiners, and Banished Immortals were a form of progressive hierarchy, so were Manly Immortals and Godly Immortals. The body spirit was also a divine being, a miniature version of a Godly Immortal compressed within the Martial Arts Practitioner. Each refined acupoint essentially became a tiny divine kingdom, where the body spirit resided as its ruler.

Even Earthly Immortals struggled to destroy a Godly Immortal’s divine kingdom. This was why a Martial Arts Practitioner’s acupoints were considered indestructible. At the very least, in a battle between equals, it was nearly impossible to shatter them.

However, having indestructible acupoints did not mean that a Martial Arts Practitioner was invincible. A Manly Immortal could only refine about 1,200 major acupoints, far from the over 30,000 acupoints that exist in the human body. Thus, while the refined acupoints were unbreakable, the rest of the body remained vulnerable.

This was showcased in a brutal battle between the Holy Xuan and Tantai Yun at the Northern Palace in the Great Wilderness. Although Tantai Yun’s acupoints remained intact, the rest of her body could not withstand the Holy Xuan’s relentless attacks. By the end of the battle, Tantai Yun’s form had become a bizarre sight—her acupoints shone like 1,200 luminescent dots, outlining a faint humanoid shape. But everything between those points had been obliterated.

Had it been any other immortal, they would have died instantly. Only a Manly Immortal could endure such destruction.

This was why Martial Arts Practitioners at the Xiaoyao stage could not fly but were the most resilient fighters. This also explained why Zhang Yuelu struggled against Zhao Fu’an.

A battle against a Manly Immortal was always a battle of endurance. Though Earthly Immortals were theoretically second only to Heavenly Immortals, they did not truly earn that title until reaching the Longevity Realm. Until then, Manly Immortals were often stronger in direct combat. However, their greatest weakness was the difficulty of closing the distance. If they could not engage in close combat, they could only suffer repeated attacks.

Given all this, the fact that Ji Jiaozhen managed to break Zhao Fu’an’s arm meant he must be at least one stage higher than Zhao Fu’an. In other words, Ji Jiaozhen was at the Wuliang stage of Heavenly Beings, on par with Lei Xiaohuan.

At this level, no matter how reclusive one might be, the Daoist Order could bestow upon them the honorary title of Sage, as long as they did not commit serious transgressions. Some might argue that it was unfair to those who earned their rank through merit and achievements. However, this was not necessarily an advantage because, at this level, titles mattered far less than actual authority.

After all, there were still Great Sages and Omniscient Sages above ordinary Sages. Even among regular Sages, their roles varied greatly. Some held high-ranking positions, while others were merely figureheads. Many wandering Sages did not hold any official duties and simply enjoyed slightly better privileges, but they held no real power.

Before deciding to seek revenge, Qi Xuansu had already considered this carefully. He advanced to the Xiaoyao stage of Heavenly Being after fully absorbing the Xuan Jade of Divinity. His Martial Arts Practitioner’s lineage and Diviner’s lineage were at the same level. Yet, a crucial issue remained—his abilities were still incomplete. As a Diviner, he had not yet condensed his Thoughts. As a Martial Arts Practitioner, he had not yet condensed his body spirit.

As a Martial Arts Practitioner, Qi Xuansu had a Heavenly Being’s physique, powerful blood qi, and regenerative abilities. But he lacked two crucial elements—refined acupoints and the body spirit.

Beyond being nearly indestructible, the acupoints and body spirit served a crucial connecting function.

Normal people could not consciously control every fiber of their flesh and bone. For a Manly Immortal, acupoints and the body spirit ensured that the cultivator’s conscious intent could reach every part of the body. This allowed complete mastery over one’s physical form, ensuring full control over one’s strength and power.

In essence, each of the 365 refined acupoints of a Heavenly-Being Martial Arts Practitioner was fully integrated with the cultivator’s consciousness, allowing for perfect energy control and optimization of every movement. This served as a foundation for the next realm, where a Martial Arts Practitioner’s form became infinitely adaptable.

Furthermore, their body regenerative abilities reached new heights. As long as their acupoints remain intact, their body could regrow and reconstruct itself, no matter how severe the injuries.

The most direct example was when Feng Bo severed Qi Xuansu’s arm, the latter had to retrieve his lost limb and reattach it. But a true Heavenly-Being Martial Arts Practitioner would no longer need to do this. By relying on their refined acupoints, they could reconstruct an entire arm from nothing. The acupoints would connect into lines, sketching the missing limb’s shape, and then their body would regenerate and fill in the missing flesh, nerves, and bones.

This was why Qi Xuansu could not rely on his incomplete Martial Arts Practitioner lineage to fight a true Heavenly-Being Martial Arts Practitioner. Likewise, without Thoughts, his Diviner lineage could easily be countered by the pure blood qi from a Martial Arts Practitioner.

Ironically, Qi Xuansu’s Shaman lineage was his most complete lineage, though he had just acquired the Xuan Jade of Divinity. That was because the Xuan Jade of Divinity he obtained from True Lord Siming’s descent was a large capacity vessel, and he had used the fragmented pieces of the amber-like Xuan Jade from Zhang Wuhen’s resurrection to fill in missing aspects of his Spiritual Statue. Thus, he was roughly at 70% completion compared to a Heavenly-Being Shaman.

After careful deliberation, Qi Xuansu planned to fight Zhao Fu’an using his Rogue Cultivator lineage, supplemented by his Shaman lineage.

His greatest confidence came from his past battle with Qi Jianyuan. If he could defeat Qi Jianyuan while still at the Guizhen stage, then there was no reason he could not defeat Zhao Fu’an now that he had leveled up.

Confidence was one thing—carelessness was another. Even Zhang Yuelu had suffered minor setbacks against Zhao Fu’an back then. Moreover, Zhao Fu’an was not like Qi Jianyuan, whose foundation was unstable and experience lacking.

Qi Xuansu was also not the only experienced fighter in this world. Zhao Fu’an was a soldier who had climbed his way to the position of Garrison Chief Military Officer. He had vast combat experience, not just in sparring but in real, life-and-death battles. Thus, Qi Xuansu remained cautious.

By the time he and Ji Jiaozhen reached Shuzhong Prefecture, night had already fallen. Instead of rushing to the military headquarters, they chose to stay at the local Taiping Inn.

There, Qi Xuansu humbly sought Ji Jiaozhen’s advice on battle tactics against Zhao Fu’an, ensuring he could outmaneuver the Garrison Chief by knowing his weaknesses.

At dawn, the two Daoists departed the inn and headed straight for the Garrison Chief Military Office.

By convention, the Garrison Chief Military Officer should be stationed within the barracks. However, due to long-standing peace and the rarity of large-scale warfare, the Garrison Chief Military Officer also had an office in the city that functioned much like a civil official’s government office.

There was a grand courtyard spanning 16,000 square meters in front of the Chief Military Office, symbolizing the Imperial Court’s authority. At its center stood a towering flagpole about 10 meters tall, topped with a battle flag.

Flanking the main gate on either side were two colossal stone lions, reinforcing a sense of authority and grandeur. Along the two angled walls beside the stone lions, elite guards stood in formation, their presence alone intimidating and imposing.

Ji Jiaozhen and Qi Xuansu arrived at the edge of the courtyard.

Gazing up at the towering flagpole, Qi Xuansu slowly tightened his hands that were clasped behind his back into fists. Suddenly, a reckless thought rose within him, compelling him to break the flagpole with a single strike. However, he quickly dismissed the thought.

Such an act would be seen as blatant defiance against the Imperial Court, and no matter what his Daoist status was, this would bring nothing but unnecessary trouble. It was simply unwise to do so.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu had an assortment of items hanging on his waist—his Novice License, Flying Shadow, the Dragon Painting Pistol, and the Nine Yang Fiery Dome Replica. Compared to how fully equipped Qi Xuansu was, Ji Jiaozhen was far more relaxed. He had not even brought his Daoist license, carrying only a wine gourd at his waist, which he sipped on leisurely from time to time.

The Black Robes at the entrance had long since noticed these two suspicious figures. However, upon recognizing them as Daoists, the guards hesitated to step forward. Daoists were not common civilians who could be handled arbitrarily. They had exalted status, with privileges that extended beyond standard laws. More importantly, they possessed formidable combat abilities. Who would dare provoke them recklessly?

This was an unavoidable reality. Daoists, possessing great martial and mystical powers, had become an inherent elite class. Their authority did not stem from wealth, government ranks, or even from lineage. Instead, it was built upon a simple truth—strength reigns supreme.

Their power was not only undeniable. It made them something more than humans. They could survive without food, subsisting on air alone. They could soar through the skies and traverse great distances in an instant. They could also summon storms and bend reality to their will. At some point, the gap between Immortals and mere mortals had grown greater than the gap between humans and apes.

Occasionally, a Daoist of noble character might choose to treat commoners as equals. However, as a collective class, their position was inevitably above the masses.

This was an immutable reality—a fundamental aspect of human nature. If anyone else had become a Daoist, they too would have thought the same way. “I could turn you into dust with a single snap, so why should I regard you as my equal?”

Even the Holy Xuan could not change this instinct. He could only regulate and restrain it. He elevated Daoists’ status, power, and privileges to keep them content. But he also instilled a moral code, assigning them a sense of duty and responsibility. Finally, he established a rigid system of rewards and punishments, enforced through absolute power. That was how he shaped a stable order.

As such, justice and fairness were not necessary. Stability was of utmost importance.

Thus, Daoist law existed solely to uphold the interests of the ruling class of the Daoist Order, which consisted of Daoist priests. To them, the law was fair and just.

To demand equality purely through morality was akin to inviting the collapse of order. Wealth and power required structure, but individual strength did not.

If the Daoist priests were to lose control of themselves, the sheer devastation they could unleash would be enough to topple an empire. By then, it would not be the powerful Daoists who suffer, but the common folk.

This was why, throughout history, emperors have sought to control the Daoist Order, not to destroy it.

Thus, the relationship between the Daoist priests and the common folk transformed into one of deities and worshippers. The people provided incense offerings and devotion, while the god-like Daoists granted protection and blessings. Both sides took what they needed from each other.

In some ways, the very existence of secret societies and heretical sects only reinforced the necessity and legitimacy of the Daoist Order.

However, the most crucial rule was to never sever the link between the ruling class and the common folk. One should not erect unbreakable barriers or hoard all benefits for eternity. The common folk should also be given a chance to work toward such heights.

The Wanxiang Daoist Palace itself stood as proof of this principle. After all, people did not fear the sky above their heads. They only feared a sky with no ladder to climb. Thus, one must allow them to hope.