Invincibility Begins with Mastery of Fist Techniques-Chapter 188 - 182: Martial School

"Rein in the Martial Arts Realm of the Northern Three Prefectures?"

Zhou Yuanjue was slightly surprised to hear this.

Just as the Southern Boxing Three Capitals were the core territory of the Southern Martial Arts Realm, the Northern Three Prefectures were likewise the most important part of the Northern Martial Arts Realm.

The Northern Three Prefectures are located in the northernmost part of Donghua. Since ancient times, their people have been known for their fierce and martial spirit. Masters emerged one after another, and they occupied half the landscape of the Northern Martial Arts Realm.

The Fist Techniques of the Southern Boxing Three Capitals, due to their proximity to port cities, benefited from a populace that had been open since ancient times. They frequently interacted with the outside world, refusing to cling to old ways, and always sought innovation and change.

Meanwhile, many schools and families in the Northern Three Prefectures had long, ancient lineages, possessing more of the flavor of ancient Donghua Martial Dao. It could be said that their respective styles were vastly different.

Previously, Zhou Yuanjue had always operated within the Southern Martial Arts Realm. He hadn't actually come into contact with many Martial Artists from the north, and his understanding of the Northern Martial Arts Realm was relatively limited.

Hearing the Chief Commissioner ask him to help "rein in" the Northern Three Prefectures, Zhou Yuanjue was still a bit surprised.

'What happened in the Martial Arts Realm of the Northern Three Prefectures?'

"Changhe Martial Arts School. Have you heard of it?"

the Chief Commissioner said.

"Changhe Martial Arts School?"

Zhou Yuanjue paused slightly upon hearing the name, then recalled some data about this martial arts school.

Changhe Martial Arts School was a martial arts academy in the Northern Three Prefectures that had risen to prominence in the last twenty years. Unlike most martial arts schools that only taught flashy, empty forms, Changhe Martial Arts School had real substance. They were willing to teach true skills to students with both excellent Talent and character. In recent years, they had trained many masters in the Martial Arts Realm, thus their fame had skyrocketed, and they gradually made a name for themselves nationwide.

However, because this school was in the north and part of the Northern Martial Arts Realm, and because it had risen to prominence relatively recently, Zhou Yuanjue had never met any of its students before. He had assumed that the talk of them teaching "true skills" contained some element of exaggeration. Now, hearing the Chief Commissioner mention it, he knew the rumors were likely true.

This made Zhou Yuanjue instantly understand a few things.

In the Martial Arts Realm, sectarian divides and factional biases have existed since ancient times. For the more traditional Northern Martial Arts Realm, this phenomenon was even more pronounced.

"It seems you've already guessed some of it. The transmission of the Martial Dao is a matter of life and death and must be handled with caution. For one, martial practitioners have vigorous qi and blood. A single wrong word and they might strike and injure someone, easily causing trouble that implicates their school. That is why accepting disciples requires rigorous trials. On the other hand, it is because lineages are not easily passed down. As the saying goes, 'the law is not transmitted lightly,' so to learn the true teachings, one must pay a corresponding price. This is why the Martial Arts Realm has valued schools and lineages since ancient times."

"The Northern Martial Arts Realm is a prime example. It has even led to the formation of certain lineage families, where the true secret teachings are held only in the hands of the direct family line, giving rise to names like the 'Fist Technique of the So-and-so Family.' The emergence of Changhe Martial Arts School, however, has broken this tradition by openly teaching the true meaning of the Martial Dao and shattering the lineage families' monopoly on its secret teachings."

"With these two things, the new and the old, conflict is naturally inevitable. Before, with the higher-ups keeping things in check, the contradictions and conflicts between the two sides were still restrained. But recently, with the holding of the North-South Martial Dao Tournament and in order to create more Saint Awakening Powerhouses, the higher-ups have loosened the restrictions. As the saying goes, 'let those in the martial world settle their own disputes.' Some conflicts have now spiraled out of control."

the Chief Commissioner's voice vibrated in the air as he spoke.

"This kind of conflict doesn't seem like a big problem for the higher-ups, does it? The Northern Three Prefectures should have a Guardian from the Secret Inspection Bureau stationed there, right? Since it's within his jurisdiction, it seems he would be more suitable for this than me."

Zhou Yuanjue asked, confused.

"No, you are more suitable than he is. The Northern Guardian is over 120 years old this year. To the core members of those various lineage families, he's a veteran Saint Awakening of their grandfathers' generation. If he were to act, it would inevitably feel like he's using his status to suppress them. And most importantly, that Guardian himself is a powerful expert who came from one of those lineage families. It wouldn't be appropriate for him to handle certain matters."

"There's another thing. The higher-ups previously made a promise to 'let the martial world settle its own disputes.' Although both sides have gotten a bit out of hand now, they ultimately haven't had a major impact on the ordinary world. If the Secret Inspection Bureau were to step in, it would likely create an excuse for them to be uncooperative when we need their help in the future."

"But you're different. Although you're also part of the Secret Inspection Bureau, it's only a nominal position. In practice, your personal actions aren't subject to the Bureau's control. The most important point is your youth. It's normal for young people to be full of vigorous qi, blood, and pride—even for a Saint Awakening. You are a newly ascended Saint Awakening traveling the world. Heading to the Northern Three Prefectures to meet the world's heroes and experience the various forms of the Martial Dao is perfectly reasonable. Therefore, your intervention would be the most logical and unimpeachable course of action."

"What do you think of my reasoning?"

the Chief Commissioner said with a light chuckle.

"You certainly didn't come here with good intentions. You've even written the script for me. The moment I go, I'm afraid not a single person in the entire Northern Three Prefectures' Martial Arts Realm will welcome me..."

Zhou Yuanjue shook his head with a wry smile.

"Would you care about that? Or rather, at our level, would we still care about such things? People are often jealous and secretly resentful of those a step above them, but when faced with a towering mountain, they can only feel reverence. Besides, I know this is something that will pique your interest, so all other factors are just secondary."

the Chief Commissioner's voice boomed with laughter as he spoke.

'This old fox,' Zhou Yuanjue thought calmly. 'Just as he said, he has the ability to see through people's hearts. Before we met, he must have studied my data with extreme care.'

'He's right. I am indeed very interested in the Northern Martial Arts Realm. I'm already quite familiar with the Southern Martial Arts Realm, but I know very little about its northern counterpart. I actually came to Shangjing this time hoping to learn more about the Northern Martial Arts Realm and to see if its ancient secret teachings could give me some inspiration.'

"I can agree to this."

"But I'm curious. Between the martial arts schools and the lineage families, which side do you lean toward?"

Zhou Yuanjue asked.

"Do you remember the story I told you about the child? Once, this country's aristocrats monopolized knowledge; books were more precious than gold. As a result, the vast lower classes were mired in ignorance and foolishness, leading to all sorts of tragedies. But those high and mighty beings turned a blind eye, believing that an ignorant populace was easier to rule and would make their reign more secure."

"But look at this era. Everyone has the right to pursue knowledge. Books once as precious as gold can now be found everywhere. The fire of collective wisdom burns brightly. Has the country descended into chaos because of it? Or has the world become more filled with Life Force?"

"An old saying goes, 'Scholars use literature to disrupt the law, and knights use martial arts to violate prohibitions.' But times are constantly changing. We live in an era more advanced than our predecessors. Everything about us will only be stronger than them. The rules and regulations of the old era do not apply to ours."

"What's more, the chaos of the Celestial Demons lurks in the shadows. The sudden abundance of material wealth has battered the spiritual world of modern humanity. Facing the possible coming impact of the Celestial Demons, people need a new spiritual backbone."

"Courage, faith, sacrifice, resolve, resilience, indomitability, dignity... This is the gold being gradually forgotten and secretly discarded by our gaudy, distracting era. Perhaps it is all hidden within the single word, 'Martial.'"