Chapter 17: The Grandmaster of Martial Arts

Everyone present was shocked by the sudden revelation: "Li Changsheng of the Tianxia Guild!"

Throughout the past year, they had heard plenty about Li Changsheng, the leader of the Tianxia Guild. The rumors had described him as a young man, but seeing him in person, they realized he was even younger than they had imagined.

Qiu Yibai and Qiu Wanqian looked at Qin Yi, who stood behind Li Changsheng, with complex expressions.

Finally, Qiu Yibai sighed and said, "Brother Qin, I didn't expect you to have joined the Tianxia Guild. It seems the guild's strength far exceeds my expectations."

He and Qin Yi were from the same era, both rising to fame at a young age. They had all been the most dazzling prodigies of their time, competing fiercely with one another.

No one understood Qin Yi's strength better than they did. Thirty years ago, Qin Yi's power had already surpassed theirs, and now, after three decades, they had no idea how far he had progressed.

"The Weakwater Sword, Qin Yi!"

Qi Zhengwu's expression turned grave. He had initially assumed that Li Changsheng was the only peak Xiantian expert in the Tianxia Guild, but now, the legendary Qin Yi had appeared.

Qin Yi ignored Qi Zhengwu and the others, simply standing respectfully behind Li Changsheng and asking, "Young Master, should we handle them first?"

"It won't take much time to deal with them."

Upon hearing this, Qi Zhengwu and the others maintained calm expressions, but a flicker of anger flashed in their eyes.

Every one of them was a top-tier expert in the martial world, yet Qin Yi spoke of them as if they were mere minions who could be dealt with effortlessly. Thirty years ago, Qin Yi's reputation had indeed been greater, but in that time, they had all made significant progress.

"Let's move on. If anyone dares to obstruct us, kill them."

Li Changsheng shook his head and walked toward the tomb's passage without hesitation.

Qin Yi followed closely behind.

"Stop them!"

Qi Zhengwu shouted. As the Northern Prince of Qi, when had he ever been treated with such contempt?

The three peak Xiantian elders of the Imperial Family exchanged glances, then drew their weapons simultaneously, charging at Qin Yi. As for Li Changsheng, they didn't bother with him.

In their eyes, the long-renowned Qin Yi posed a greater threat than the mysterious young Li Changsheng.

If they could eliminate Qin Yi, dealing with Li Changsheng would be a trivial matter.

"Deal with them. I'll go in first."

Li Changsheng's expression remained indifferent. After leaving this instruction, he strode directly into the passage.

"Yes!"

Qin Yi acted without hesitation, drawing his sword and positioning himself at the entrance of the passage.

"Just in time to test my progress over the past six months with these three fools…"

Qin Yi's eyes showed neither joy nor sorrow. The reason he had willingly served in the Tianxia Guild was because of Li Changsheng's profound martial prowess, which seemed to encompass all schools of thought and was on the verge of groundbreaking innovation.

Over the past six months, Li Changsheng had imparted all of his knowledge to Qin Yi, and even Qin Yi himself wasn't sure of his current standing in the martial world.

"Flaws!"

"Every move is filled with flaws!"

As the three elders attacked, Qin Yi merely shook his head. Although their internal energy had reached the peak of the Xiantian level, their techniques were unremarkable.

If the three had joined forces six months earlier, they might have been able to fight Qin Yi for dozens of moves. But now…

"Zoom!"

Qin Yi didn't even unsheathe his sword. As the three Imperial elders launched their attacks, his scabbard struck at an incredibly precise angle, hitting the vital points on their bodies. The three immediately spat blood and were sent flying, their faces filled with shock.

"How… how is this possible?"

"Have you… have you surpassed the peak of the Xiantian level?"

The three collapsed to the ground, their faces pale. Their dantians felt completely empty; the immense internal energy they had cultivated had been dispelled by Qin Yi's scabbard with a single strike.

"Qin Yi, are you a cultivator? Our Qi Imperial Family also has cultivators behind it. Have you considered the consequences of opposing the Imperial Family?"

Qi Zhengwu's earlier composure was gone.

"No, no, you just used swordsmanship—you're not a cultivator!"

As one of the pillars of the Imperial Family, Qi Zhengwu knew some information about cultivators. At the age of six, he had even undergone a spiritual root test, but lacking one, he had turned to martial arts and eventually became the Northern Prince of Qi.

"This is beyond the Xiantian level!"

"Tell me, how did you achieve this?"

Qi Zhengwu relaxed slightly. As the Northern Prince of Qi, he knew far more than the average person. He knew that cultivators truly existed, but the mundane world was too impure for them to reside in for long. Cultivators practiced in spiritual veins beyond the mortal realm.

Since he lacked a spiritual root, he couldn't walk the path of a cultivator. However, he carried a life-saving treasure with him this time, and as long as he didn't encounter a cultivator, he had nothing to fear.

"Indeed, it's beyond the Xiantian level. Young Master calls it the Grandmaster Realm."

Qin Yi didn't conceal the truth, his expression showing a trace of melancholy. "In the path of martial arts, reaching the peak of the Xiantian level is essentially the end. Even with Young Master's unparalleled talent, he has only comprehended the Grandmaster Realm, which lies beyond the Xiantian level. Beyond the Grandmaster Realm, the path of martial arts simply… ends."

"That's why Young Master is so determined to seek the path of cultivation."

"Cultivation leads to immortality—how unfair it is to us martial artists!"

Qiu Yibai and Qiu Wanqian were deeply shaken.

"Grandmaster…"

Qiu Yibai muttered softly, suddenly addressing Qin Yi:

"If I were to submit, would Young Master Li be willing to impart the Grandmaster's methods to me?"

Qiu Wanqian followed suit: "My Tiesha Sect is also willing to submit to the Tianxia Guild. I only ask that the Guild Leader bestow the Grandmaster's techniques upon us. Brother Qin, could you make the introduction?"

The martial world of Qi had never seen a Grandmaster before. Now that they had a glimpse of such possibility, they naturally wanted to seize this unique opportunity.

"Hahaha!"

Qi Zhengwu burst into laughter. "How laughable, how laughable!"

"Li Changsheng himself seeks the path of cultivation, yet you wish to learn his martial arts techniques!"

Qi Zhengwu sighed. "Even Li Changsheng knows that martial arts cannot compare to cultivation. Today, I'll show you the true power of a cultivator!"

With that, he drew out a red talisman and infused it with a surge of internal energy.

Boom!

A fireball half a meter in size shot out, heading straight for Qin Yi.

This…

Qiu Yibai and Qiu Wanqian's faces turned pale.

The Qi Imperial Family truly had cultivators behind it, and Qi Zhengwu even possessed a talisman bestowed by an immortal!

"Qin Yi, get out of the way!"

"This…"

Despair filled the eyes of Qiu Yibai and Qiu Wanqian.

They had dedicated their lives to martial arts, and just as they had glimpsed the possibility of surpassing the Xiantian level, their hopes were about to be shattered.

Boom!

A deafening explosion rang out.

Dust filled the air!

A smile spread across Qi Zhengwu's face. At such close range, even a cultivator would likely be killed instantly by the fireball.

Several breaths later.

The dust settled, and Qin Yi stood unscathed amidst the debris. In his hand, he held a yellow talisman. The massive fireball had not done him the slightest harm!