Chapter 11 The Frog at the Bottom of the Well Looks Up at the Moon_2

In addition, such a grand Martial Tao tournament, led by the Dali Dynasty, would allow anyone who slightly distinguished themselves to quickly rise to fame.

"And the Grandmasters..."

Lin Yuan stroked his chin.

Having Grandmasters participate in the Martial Tao tournament was meaningless.

After all, the number of Grandmasters was too few, the Grandmasters that are known to all could be counted on two hands.

Even if including those who secluded themselves from the world and remained hidden, the count wouldn't exceed twenty.

"If Grandmasters do come, they can challenge me, and regardless of winning or losing, they will receive a secret technique of Spiritual Martial Arts."

Lin Yuan spoke slowly.

Simply put, as long as the Grandmasters arrive, they will obtain a secret technique of Spiritual Martial Arts.

What's the concept of Spiritual Martial Arts? It is a secret law that only Great Grandmasters can cultivate.

Although Grandmasters cannot cultivate Spiritual Martial Arts, constant contemplation over the years would greatly assist in stepping into the Realm of Great Grandmaster.

"Yes."

The gaunt elder swallowed his saliva.

Though the Emperor of Dali left behind a few secret techniques of Spiritual Martial Arts in the past.

But who would complain about having too many Spiritual Martial Arts? Contemplating various Spiritual Martial Arts simultaneously and verifying the Realm of Great Grandmaster from different angles makes it easier to take that step.

...

As the news of the Martial Tao tournament spread.

The whole world boiled over, and countless martial artists were dumbfounded.

Just by securing a place among the top ten in the Martial Tao tournament, they could choose any three superior martial arts?

If it weren't for the promise made by the Emperor of Dali himself, probably no one would have believed it.

That's superior martial arts, achievable merely by being in the top ten? And also by choice.

Initially, some martial artists were skeptical, but after the first Martial Tao tournament was held, the top ten martial artists received the three superior martial arts they desired.

The martial artists of the world immediately went mad.

They rushed non-stop to the capital of Dali, waiting for the next Martial Tao tournament to begin.

In contrast with the excitement of martial artists in the Acquired Realm and Innate Realm.

The Grandmasters stationed at various places gradually began to change their minds.

The Emperor of Dali had disseminated the news about the Martial Tao tournament to the outside world, and they all saw it.

Grandmasters could also participate, and moreover, they could challenge the mysterious monk who broke through the palace alone.

No matter the outcome, they could obtain a secret technique of Spiritual Martial Arts.

For a time, many Grandmasters could no longer stay put and made their way toward the capital of Dali.

...

Half a year later.

Dali Imperial Palace.

Outside the Martial Hall.

Quietly appeared a burly man carrying a heavy sword.

By the side of the burly man was a young boy of only about fifteen or sixteen.

"Sword Saint of the Southern Sea, I didn't expect you to come too."

The gaunt elder standing outside the Martial Hall had a grave expression.

Before encountering Lin Yuan, the gaunt elder considered himself invincible under the Great Grandmasters.

Across the heavens, very few Grandmasters could make him wary.

And the Sword Saint of the Southern Sea was one of them.

In terms of strength, the Sword Saint of the Southern Sea was not stronger than the gaunt elder.

The two were at most considered equals.

But the Sword Saint of the Southern Sea did not come from the Great Martial Sects...

He had walked step by step to his current greatness.

The gaunt elder came from the Dali Royal Family and had been instructed by Grandmasters since his youth.

Often contemplating the philosophical insights left by the Emperor, he had reached where he stood today.

While the Sword Saint of the Southern Sea, relying solely on himself, stood shoulder to shoulder with the gaunt elder.

His perceptiveness and talent could not be underestimated.

"You, you've already started to nurture spiritual extraordinary powers?"

The gaunt elder carefully looked at the Sword Saint of the Southern Sea and was instantly shocked.

He could feel a faint spiritual pressure emanating from him.

This was a sign of beginning to gather spiritual extraordinary powers; another step, and he would break into the Realm of Great Grandmaster.

The Sword Saint of the Southern Sea did not speak.

From his appearance until now, his gaze had never fallen on the gaunt elder.

Instead, it was firmly fixed inside the Martial Hall.

"Great Grandmaster..."

A faint smile appeared on the lips of the Sword Saint of the Southern Sea.

Unlike other grandmasters who had come to this place.

He, the Sword Saint of the Southern Sea, wasn't here for Spiritual Martial Arts.

Though Spiritual Martial Arts did help in consolidating spiritual forces, he no longer needed it.

His real purpose was to challenge that mysterious monk.

The one who, single-handedly, had breached the Dali Imperial Palace.

The ambitions of the Sword Saint of the Southern Sea were vast; he intended to use a Great Grandmaster as a stepping stone.

To forge his own path into the realm of Great Grandmasters.

"Master, do you really want to go in?"

Next to the Sword Saint of the Southern Sea, the fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy was somewhat nervous.

After all, it was a well-acknowledged fact among many warriors that the mysterious monk was in the Grandmaster Realm.

Who else but a Great Grandmaster could have pierced through the Dali Imperial Palace with his own power?

And although his master, the Sword Saint of the Southern Sea, possessed extreme strength and had even begun to condense his spiritual forces and embark on the path of Great Grandmasters,

He was not yet a Great Grandmaster.

Facing a true Great Grandmaster, life and death were unpredictable.

"Do not worry, my disciple."

"With my current strength, just facing the spiritual pressure of a Great Grandmaster, I could break through to the Realm of Great Grandmasters at any moment."

The Sword Saint of the Southern Sea was not worried at all.

Now, he had already half-stepped into the Realm of Great Grandmasters.

He only needed a real Great Grandmaster to stimulate him a bit, and fully stepping into the Realm of Great Grandmasters would be instantaneous.

Then, being in the same realm as the Great Grandmasters, the Sword Saint of the Southern Sea believed he could retreat unscathed, even if he couldn't defeat the mysterious monk.

"I'm going in."

"Wait here for a while, my good disciple."

The Sword Saint of the Southern Sea spoke with an eager tone and an expectant expression.

The doors of the Martial Hall quickly opened.

The Sword Saint of the Southern Sea, full of fighting spirit, walked in.

The fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy caught a glimpse,

and saw, deep within the Martial Hall, a young monk in a gray robe sitting.

"Master will definitely not lose."

The fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy clenched his fists and cheered himself up.

Only a short while later,

The doors of the Martial Hall opened again.

The broad-shouldered man carrying a heavy sword walked out expressionlessly.

"Master, Master."

"Is it over already?"

The boy approached and asked with concern.

"Let's go."

The Sword Saint of the Southern Sea shook his head slightly, leading the boy away from the Imperial Palace.

They reached only a short distance from the capital,

before the Sword Saint of the Southern Sea stopped.

Turning to look back toward the direction of the Imperial Palace, he sat down heavily on a stone.

He muttered phrases such as "how could he be so strong" and "how could such a person exist in this world."

The fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy immediately realized that his master must have lost,

and lost quite thoroughly at that.

Otherwise, he would not have behaved this way.

"Master, I saw him, and he didn't look that strong. When you become a Great Grandmaster in the future, can't you just challenge him and win back the honor?"

The boy spoke from beside him.

That was the truth. Just before, when the Sword Saint of the Southern Sea entered the Martial Hall,

The boy had stolen a glance at that mysterious monk and, while his aura was indeed profound, he seemed only slightly stronger than his own master. Perhaps he would not be unreachable in the future.

"Not that strong?"

The Sword Saint of the Southern Sea was silent for a while, not sure what to say.

After a long moment, the Sword Saint of the Southern Sea gathered his thoughts and slowly said:

"Currently, you're only in the Innate Realm, and your perspective is narrow, seeing him as a frog at the bottom of a well looking up at the moon."

"The day you fortuitously step into the Grandmaster Realm, or become a half-step Great Grandmaster like your teacher..."

The Sword Saint of the Southern Sea, with a mix of complex emotions, continued:

"You will see him as a mere mayfly gazing up at the vast sky."