Martial Ascent to Divinity-Chapter 640 - 619: Grocery Shopping

Zhu Shiji’s entry into the Giant Dragon Envoy’s quarters spread gradually.

But the two of them didn’t care about outside opinions, they focused solely on cultivation.

Zhou Leng’s theoretical knowledge has already surpassed Zhu Shiji, but Zhu Shiji understands the current martial arts of humanity better than Shen Yunxian and the Void God teacher in the World Instrument, and can also help Zhou Leng.

The two spent three days together.

Zhu Shiji asked Zhou Leng to take his phone and film him.

Zhu Shiji executed a set of basic palm techniques with perfect harmony and skill.

After getting the video, Zhu Shiji posted it on his social media circle.

In the video, he noted: "Still okay, not so old that I can’t even do basic palm techniques."

Soon, Chen Shaohuang replied below: "Who are you insulting?"

He followed up with a decades-old meme, revealing Chen Shaohuang’s internet age.

Then, the elder took a joint photo with Zhou Leng and also posted it on his social media circle.

"To correct earlier statements, saying I took Zhou Leng as a registered disciple was just a temporary measure. In fact, I accepted the disciple on behalf of my master, and Zhou Leng is my junior brother."

Within less than fifteen minutes, the news that Zhou Leng became the Martial Saint’s junior brother spread across the martial clan circles, and then continued to expand.

Wang Boxiong looked at his social media, it was like the sky was falling.

Far away at the Shuizhou Base, Chen Shouhu was slapping his thigh and laughing uncontrollably for a while, then called Wang Boxiong.

"Hmm?" Wang Boxiong’s tone was very impatient.

"Hahahahaha..." Chen Shouhu said nothing, just laughed wildly.

He hung up.

Chen Shouhu called again.

He hung up.

After three times, the call connected.

Chen Shouhu held back his laughter and said, "I have something serious to discuss."

"Speak."

"How should the two of us address Zhou Leng in the future?"

"Beep beep beep..."

He hung up again.

Chen Shouhu laughed out loud, then saw Wang Boxiong reply with a message.

"You can’t escape either."

"Uh..."

Chen Shouhu fell into contemplation.

Eventually, he decided to try not to meet Zhou Leng.

Zhou Leng was leisurely in the Dragon Race’s envoy quarters, while a secret investigation team composed of various parties was established in Xiong City.

After collecting the evidence, the forces within the investigation team began discussions.

"He’s using foreign backing to seine power and is extremely guilty!"

"If you want to talk about using foreign backing for personal gain, isn’t it necessary to investigate which hundreds of families are doing so?"

"His methods are extremely cruel, with severely vile circumstances."

"Nonsense, except for one, he used steel balls to kill, leaving intact bodies. This is the most merciful martial artist I’ve ever seen."

"The point is, he killed people."

"What does a martial artist killing people matter? That’s a habit."

"No matter what, if this isn’t dealt with seriously, it will affect the Martial Mansion’s public credibility."

"All of Zhou Leng’s procedures are reasonable and legal. Fighting the Demon Worship Sect not only doesn’t harm the credibility, but enhances it. Besides, some people are more capable of damaging credibility than Zhou Leng."

...

"May I remind everyone of a few things. First, a hundred thousand Ancient River Sect prospective disciples have entered Rucheng and are waiting for the initiation ceremony. Second, the shares of the four clans’ mines haven’t been sorted out. Third, Zhou Leng being in the envoy quarters has diplomatic immunity. Fourth, all clans, including the demons, are waiting for us to expel him and then invite him. Fifth, what Gao Tianfeng has done, you might know better than us... "

"The point is, he’s in Xiong City and has killed hundreds!"

"The point is, he killed Demon Worshippers."

"He’s the killer."

"He’s a martial artist, you’d better pray you’re not related to the Demon Worship Sect, so you won’t be dissected by Zhou Leng on the office table."

...

"Please make your final statements representing all parties..."

"We, the Demon City Army, need his soft gold."

"We, the Martial Guard Academy, need his fierce beast bones."

"What fierce beast bones? Why don’t we know?"

"We’ll discuss it later."

"Alright."

"Additionally, interrupting to announce that Ten Extremes Martial Saint recognized Zhou Leng as a junior brother, the previous claim of being a registered disciple was false, it was actually a discipleship accepted on behalf."

Inside the conference room, there was a silence.

At this moment, with Zhu Shiji going to the Giant Dragon Envoy again and personally recognizing a junior brother, it was hard not to overthink.

It could only be that the Martial Saint was backing Zhou Leng, and it was a second backing.

Last time, it was a suppression of a grand master clan, not a big deal.

But this time, it was a real and true Martial Clan Zhao Family they were clashing with.

The Martial Saint cannot interfere in Martial Mansion affairs, but don’t push the Martial Saint too far.

The whole process, from a legal standpoint, left no way to pin a handle on Zhou Leng.

When the Martial Guard captures Demon Worship Sect members, when have they killed less?

The grandmasters in the Martial Guard system, which of them hasn’t killed thousands of Demon Worshippers over these decades?

The investigation team conducted a vote.

In the end, the votes in favor of Zhou Leng’s innocence took the lead.

The result was submitted to the Supreme Court.

Two days later.

The Martial Guard Headquarters announced that during mission execution, Zhou Leng failed to control the extent of damage and accidentally harmed innocent people, resulting in a deduction of one year of his Special Martial Guard salary.

After this announcement, the internet was in an uproar.

Many netizens expressed dissatisfaction, believing that Zhou Leng should not be punished.

Some also felt the punishment was too lenient, calling it a typical slap on the wrist, a disgraceful move.

Others cheered for Zhou Leng, saying it was a mark of prestige to even qualify for such a punishment.

Another day passed.

The Martial Guard Headquarters announced that Special Martial Guard Zhou Leng successfully destroyed a significant Demon Worship Sect stronghold, collecting a vast amount of crucial information, and awarded him the "Demon Slayer’s Honor" and "First-Class Martial Guard Merit."

This news reassured everyone online.

Punishments and rewards should be deserved; this is how a proper Martial Mansion should operate.

These two honors are just under the top awards of the Martial Guard Headquarters, perfectly fitting.

If he had been given the highest honor, the merit wouldn’t fully justify it, and it would offend the Zhao Family, which would not be good.

If it were any lesser, it would undermine the Martial Guard System’s recognition of Zhou Leng.

But in the eyes of major powers, the situation is changing.

Theoretically, offending the Zhao Family so severely, even using the four clans to confront Zhao Cong, Governor of the Two Rivers, should provoke a furious retaliation.

Zhao Cong had just taken office as Governor of the Two Rivers and is set to enter the Supreme Court next year; such an incident greatly impacts his future prospects.

Yet, the Zhao Family remains silent.

Someone online suggested a possibility: "Who knows what evidence Zhou Leng got from Gao Tianfeng, Zhao Family might be anxious now..."

And then it was deleted.

Zhou Leng received his medal from the Martial Guard Headquarters, about to return to Rucheng, when Wang Boxiong sent a message.

"There was something I wanted to tell you last time, but you were overwhelmed with everything, so I didn’t. Now that things have settled, I can talk about it."

"Zhang Xinglie offended some disciples from great families while fighting in the Old Capital Demon City, injuring several."

"Previously, the great families couldn’t do anything to him, but recently, they want to test the waters."

"However, you must handle this matter calmly. You can be ruthless, but what will happen to Zhang Xinglie afterward?"

"No one told you before, Zhang Xinglie lost a leg and an arm, and he was injured by the Celestial Calamity Envoy; no method can heal him, not even a Demigod."

"Barring unexpected events, his path in martial arts is over."

"His Dantian and meridian damage should be healing soon, and his strength is still at the Great Innate level. If he doesn’t give up, he might still become a Grandmaster, but... his combat abilities remain uncertain, he’ll likely take an administrative or educational path."

Zhou Leng was stunned for a long time after reading the message. No one had mentioned this before.

No wonder Zhang Xinglie seemed strange before; he didn’t want anyone to know, didn’t want to drag anyone down.

Zhou Leng pondered for a long time, replying: "This time I will again use a diplomatic approach. I’ll first meet with those families, have a meal together, sit down and talk. If negotiations are possible, we’ll negotiate; if not, I’ll resolve it my way."

Wang Boxiong replied: "Your way of resolving it? Better not. You try talking first, and if they disagree, I’ll go in person. Hmm... how about this, I’ll personally deliver the message that you’re negotiating with them for Zhang Xinglie’s sake." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

At noon the next day, Zhou Leng went alone to the Xiong City Hotel to discuss with the patriarchs of three great families.

The patriarchs of the three great families were extremely generous and straightforward, first admitting their mistake, saying they were unaware of the relationship between the two; otherwise, they would never have entertained such ideas.

The three repeatedly said they would let Zhou Leng make the decisions, fully cooperate, and offer no opposition regardless of the approach.

Zhou Leng did not expect the other party to be so understanding, and as a gesture of goodwill and cooperation, allowed the three families to choose a trade route as a reward in the Demon Spirit, Giant, Giant Dragon, and Steel Dwarves worlds.

"I’ll arrange for you to receive the necessary documentation for the otherworld and assign people to ensure safe passage."

The three family patriarchs were overjoyed, quickly deliberated, and chose the well-regarded Demon Spirit World.

Zhou Leng contacted people from the Demon Spirit World and introduced members of the Ice Snow Divine Sect to the family patriarchs.

The patriarchs guaranteed that if Zhang Xinglie faced any problems in the future, their three families would provide full support.

After resolving the matters, Zhou Leng walked out of the Xiong City Hotel.

Xiong City Suburb, Sunjia Store.

Xiong City is the center of Dragon Country, filled with beauty and prosperity.

But most people cannot afford to live here.

Sunjia Store is located on the southeast side of Xiong City, packed with densely populated old buildings, where prices are affordable.

During the day, many work in Xiong City and return to Sunjia Store at night, making it a renowned sleeper town.

In the northeast of Sunjia Store, an open-air vegetable market bustles with people.

A young man on crutches limped forward.

"Master, how much for the cabbage?"

"Ninety cents."

"That’s so expensive, can it be cheaper?"

"You find it expensive? Look at how much prices have risen now. The farmers and transporters outside the city are risking their lives every day."

"Are there many demons outside recently?"

"Many, and they’re even capturing people. They used to take more women, now more men. Never a moment of peace, Zhou Leng should really kill them all."

Zhang Xinglie smiled slightly and said, "You all seem to trust Zhou Leng quite a lot."

"Of course we do! Out of all the martial artists, he’s the only one who dared to strike down the head of the great families, dared to kill Zhao Family’s scum. If all martial artists were like him, those of us who can’t practice martial arts wouldn’t live in constant fear."

"Zhou Leng is truly remarkable," said Zhang Xinglie.

The vegetable vendor glanced at Zhang Xinglie’s empty pant leg and sleeve, then at the small piece of meat in his bag, and said, "Seventy cents a pound, that’s the lowest, I need to make a living too. You know how tough it is."

"Alright, I’ll take two cabbages."

The vendor packed two cabbages, weighed them, received the money, and then slipped two sprigs of cilantro inside.

"Come back whenever you can."

"Thank you, sir."

"Oh, no need for thanks."