Chapter 165: Shaolin Heritage, Return to the Seven Heroes Town
Everyone present had their own guesses.

People outside the martial arts world know very little about the Grand Master realm. Only those who have reached a certain level know that among all the Grand Masters in the world, very few can reach the third level.

If someone reaches the second level like Shangguan Jinhong, he is already a rare talent. Most of the grand masters are like Zhou Botong. After reaching the first level, it becomes extremely difficult to improve.

However, the lifespan of a grandmaster is much longer than that of an ordinary person, and living over a hundred years is a common occurrence. Therefore, with a long period of accumulation, some people can still gradually improve.

No one can tell exactly how powerful the court's guardians are, because they have existed for so long.

As early as the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Taizu had appointed some guardians.

The number of people during each period may be more or less, but they always exist. After so many years, no one dares to determine their strength. It is only based on long-term observation and various signs shown by the court that it is speculated that there should be two or three second-level grandmasters in the palace.

If they can really reach the third level, it would indeed be a huge breakthrough. It is only natural that the court's way of doing things would change. Shaolin and Wudang would have to weigh the pros and cons and make appropriate concessions.

As for the legendary Heaven Realm...

After a few people thought about it, they all felt that it was a little unlikely.

After thinking for a moment, many people's eyes were focused on Master Zhang.

The Shaolin monks were not in a position to ask Master Zhang about his specific realm, but they all speculated that Master Zhang should have reached the third level decades ago.

Now, sitting in front of Master Zhang, he didn't feel any sense of oppression at all. After probing a little, he felt that Master Zhang was empty and seemed to have no internal strength at all.

Everyone knows that this is a sign that the path of martial arts has reached perfection and is beginning to return to its original simplicity.

Master Zhang is the most powerful. I wonder if he has found any clues after entering the palace.

But after watching for a long time, Master Zhang kept his eyes downcast and showed no intention of revealing anything, which made everyone in Shaolin Temple feel a little disappointed.

After thinking for a while, Xuan Ci spoke first and said to the fat monk.

"Uncle Master, please be patient. We cannot make the decision on this matter. Let's go back and discuss it carefully before making a decision."

The fat monk snorted, but didn't say anything else.

The crowd discussed for a few more sentences before dispersing.

Several Shaolin monks walked out of the house and reached a deserted place. Then the fat monk grumbled in dissatisfaction.

"If the four brothers of the Kong generation and the three uncles of Talin were not in seclusion and could not spare any manpower, how could we have suffered such humiliation?"

Xuan Ci, who was standing beside him, did not respond to his complaints, but instead changed the subject and asked.

"Uncle Master, I wonder how the seniors have improved their strength?"

"Don't worry, Brother Kongjian's Vajra Indestructible Divine Art has reached a critical juncture. As long as he can get through this period of time, he will probably be able to successfully enter the third level of Grandmaster. The other three brothers will also have a significant improvement. In addition, the three uncles are also in the life and death retreat to comprehend the method to the heavenly realm. Although they will not come out easily, they will definitely not let us Shaolin suffer, so the court will not dare to touch us in the short term."

Hearing the fat monk say this, Xuanci felt much more relieved.

Just as the outside world has speculated, Shaolin Temple has a profound heritage that is completely beyond the outside world's imagination.

The four great monks of the previous generation with the character "Kong" in their name and the three masters, were all at the level of grand masters.

They are the accumulation of Shaolin over the years, and the greatest support for Shaolin to stand tall in the martial arts world as the greatest transcendent place in the world.

It’s just that these predecessors have not been active in the martial arts world for many years, especially the Three Divine Monks, who last appeared in the martial arts world a hundred years ago. Now many people in the outside world are not even sure whether they are still alive.

These seniors would not easily expose themselves unless Shaolin was in danger.

Xuan Ci thought of his two junior brothers Xuan Nan and Xuan Ji who had managed to escape from Juxian Manor this time. He couldn't help but sigh softly and took a few quick steps to catch up with the fat monk.

-

A few days later, outside the town of Seven Heroes.

After disguising themselves, Qiao Feng and A'zhu followed Li Ming back to the outskirts of the town.

"Is this the Qixia Town?"

Qiao Feng and Azhu looked at the prosperous and bustling town not far away and praised it.

Although Qixia Town is called a town, its current scale is much larger than that of an ordinary town.

Ever since the nearby bandits were exterminated, the public security in Qixia Town has improved, and Qianming Martial Arts School has risen rapidly. Qixia Town has now undergone two rounds of expansion and has become very impressive.

It covers a large area, and there is a constant stream of pedestrians and merchants coming and going. From afar, one can feel the prosperity of the worldly world.

Soon, Qiao Feng, Li Ming and his party entered the town.

Qiao Feng and Azhu disguised themselves as a father and son. Qiao Feng had white hair and beard, and Azhu looked like a handsome young man. She helped her father go shopping without attracting other people's attention.

The two of them strolled along the main street, observing the surrounding environment.

As soon as Li Ming and his group returned, they immediately caused a sensation!
Master Li had not appeared in the town for many days. At the beginning, everyone was generally a little uncomfortable.

As a result, just a few days later, I heard the news about the battle of Juxianzhuang!
The town of Qixia was in an uproar at that time.

Hearing that many top masters were killed by one person in that chaotic battle, everyone found it extremely outrageous.

However, no matter how outrageous something is, it becomes very reasonable when it involves Master Li.

The more ridiculous it is, the more it seems to be true. Even if it is made up, it is impossible to make up such a plot.

This is very much in line with Master Li’s style!

Therefore, before Li Ming returned, his deeds had already spread throughout the town.

As for the fight between the imperial court and the underworld, most people don't care who is right or wrong. They will definitely stand on the side of Master Li unconditionally.

Besides, no matter whether it is the imperial court or the underworld, whichever side is more powerful, it will not be a good thing for ordinary people like them.

The people of the underworld break the law with force, and if the imperial court becomes powerful, they will intensify their exploitation. Only Master Li brings real benefits to everyone in Qixia Town.

As expected, Li Ming's brilliant performance this time once again made the already bustling entrance of Qianming Martial Arts School boil again. Almost every day from morning to night, it was crowded with people who came to try their luck.

Even if they had no hope, they would still bring some disciples, nephews, and juniors with them to see if they could pass the selection of the martial arts school and get in.

As a result, the Foreign Affairs Hall had no choice but to send in additional staff to maintain order every day.

I finally waited for Master and others to come back.

When Li Ming and his group returned to the town, they were immediately surrounded.

The Tongfu Inn and the second floor of Yihong Building were packed with people, and many people opened the curtains to look in this direction.

Faced with the enthusiastic neighbors in the town, Li Ming felt a little helpless. Finally, the martial arts school sent dozens of disciples to greet him, and they finally made way for Li Ming to return to the martial arts school.

"Master!"

As soon as he came back, the core disciples in the martial arts school came to greet him.

Although Li Ming was away for a short time this time, they still felt quite uncomfortable.

But after hearing about Li Ming's achievements, the fanatical admiration in everyone's eyes became even more enthusiastic.

Many disciples regretted that they should have worked harder. Maybe they would have been chosen by the master to go to Juxian Manor this time.

Everyone felt deeply regretful for missing out on such a lively and great opportunity to become famous. Yang Guo was the most active, and after greeting Li Ming, he immediately pulled Lin Pingzhi aside and asked about what happened.

Lin Pingzhi briefly described what happened in Juxian Manor. Yang Guo immediately beat his chest and stamped his feet, regretting that he should have pestered his master and insisted on going with him.

In this regard, Sister Jiang is very smart...

Just as he said this, Yang Guo heard a burst of exclamations from his fellow martial arts school brothers not far away.

Yang Guo looked over hurriedly, and was stunned like everyone else.

Jiang Yuyan casually released a stream of true qi, which was strong and pure, and set off a vortex of true qi storm around her body.

Everyone looked straight.

After such a short period of time, Jiang Yuyan has actually reached the late stage of the Innate Realm and has become the strongest among Li Ming's direct disciples!
Yang Guo rubbed his eyes hard, unable to believe that all this was real.

If he hadn't pinched his skin and felt the obvious pain, Yang Guo would have even suspected that he was dreaming.

Jiang Yuyan only demonstrated her skills briefly and then immediately stopped.

Being stared at with envious eyes by her fellow apprentices, Jiang Yuyan also felt a little proud.

However, some disciples kept asking her how she had improved her cultivation level, but Jiang Yuyan remained silent and did not reveal a single detail.

She still knows clearly what to say and what not to say.

But it still couldn't stop the envious and jealous gazes of many disciples.

Yang Guo once again felt extremely regretful. He felt that his master must have encountered a great opportunity when he went out this time, but it was a pity that he was not included in it.

Yang Guo even made up his mind at this moment that if there was another opportunity to travel far away next time, he would go with them no matter how hard he tried.

On the other side, Li Ming called Di Yun over.

With so many core disciples around, he called his doorman first. Di Yun was quite flattered and ran over quickly.

After arriving in front of him, Li Ming roughly checked his strength.

Sure enough, Di Yun's Shenzhaojing speed was still abnormal, and was almost as fast as that of the extremely talented Yang Guo.

During the time he was away, Di Yun improved a lot again and reached the peak of the acquired realm.

The other martial arts learned in Qianming Martial Arts School also made rapid progress.

It's just that Di Yun is usually honest and loyal, and doesn't like to show off. He always does his own thing, so most people don't notice his terrifying speed.

It seems that finding an opportunity for Di Yun to use the cold jade bed to deepen his internal strength, and then giving him a small forbidden-breaking pill to help him break through to the innate realm, should be a sure thing.

Li Ming casually pointed at a few places of Di Yun, asked about his recent life in the martial arts hall, and then went to check the martial arts progress of those core disciples.

The rest of the people surrounded the disciples who had followed Li Ming through the battle of Juxianzhuang and asked them all sorts of questions.

Soon, after checking once, Li Ming told everyone to go back and rest first, and it was finally quiet down.

Not long after he sat down, a disciple outside came running over to report that many martial arts figures wanted to see him.

"None at all."

Li Ming refused without thinking, and watched his disciples run out. At the same time, Zhou Botong and Xuan Cheng walked in.

Ever since Li Ming and his group and Mo Xiaobei left Qixia Town, Zhou Botong's life immediately became extremely boring, making him depressed for several days.

Fortunately, Li Ming left Yang Guo to accompany him, otherwise, the old guy might have run away.

A few days ago, Mo Xiaobei returned to Qixia Town with the people from the Five Mountains Sword Sect. Zhou Botong finally found a playmate again and was very happy.

Judging from his rolled-up trouser legs, he must have gone fishing in Xiliang River not long ago.

However, Xuan Cheng next to him had a worried look on his face.

"Master Li, I heard that my two senior brothers also went to Juxian Manor this time. I wonder..."

Xuan Cheng asked with a worried look on his face.

"Don't worry, Xuan Nan and Xuan Ji are both fine. They should have returned to Shaolin by now."

Li Ming comforted.

"That's good." Xuan Cheng finally felt relieved.

He had heard rumors before, but he was not sure. It was only after hearing what Li Ming said in person that he was completely relieved.

"Thank you, Master Li, for your help."

Xuan Cheng had heard before that in the battle of Juxianzhuang, Xuan Nan almost suffered a loss at the hands of Wei Wuya, but Li Ming acted in time to save him.

Zhou Botong next to him was smiling and looked indifferent. When he saw Li Ming's gaze, he immediately spoke.

"Master Li, there's no need to ask. I did catch a fish that weighed more than 60 kilograms. There's no need to praise me or be envious. This is my normal level as an old naughty boy."

Li Ming was speechless for a while: "Who asked you?"

However, he knew Zhou Botong's character and said jokingly, "I haven't heard about the 60-jin fish, but I have heard that you and Xiaobei couldn't catch the fish in a normal game, so you just slapped it and picked up the dead fish. What a skill you have in frying fish."

As soon as these words came out, Zhou Botong's face immediately turned red: "Nonsense, can we call catching fish an explosion?"

After making a few jokes, Li Ming brought the topic back to the topic and his face regained its serious expression.

"Okay, let's get down to business first. Thanks to you two for your help during my absence, did anything unexpected happen?"

When Li Ming asked this, Zhou Botong and Xuan Cheng both nodded.

When Li Ming left Qixia Town, he did not notify anyone and left suddenly.

But after Li Ming showed up near Juxianzhuang, everyone in the martial arts world knew that Li Ming was not in the martial arts gym, and many people became interested.

During that period, someone was conceited about his excellent martial arts skills and sneaked into the martial arts hall to steal.

Of course, none of these people succeeded, and most of them were directly dealt with by the disciples patrolling the martial arts school.

Only a few managed to sneak in, but they couldn't escape the traps in the martial arts hall.

By the time the disciples arrived, they had already turned into corpses or were restrained and unable to move.

This group of despicable people did not cause any damage.

However, during this period, there were also several masters at the Grandmaster level who wanted to commit evil deeds, either openly or secretly.

To deal with them, Zhou Botong and Xuan Cheng came into play.

With these two masters in charge, these guys couldn't cause any trouble.

They both spoke lightly, but Li Ming could sense the difficulty in it.

Those who dare to come and cause trouble must be quite powerful. It is thanks to the hard work of the two of them that the martial arts gym has been safe and sound during this period. Li Ming was thinking about what kind of reward he should give them.

(End of this chapter)