Longevity Martial Arts: Starting from Inner Core Skill

Yuelai Inn’s headquarters was located in Chi State, a not so distant journey from Shuzhou.

However, both Wang Sheng and Zhu Xiao were supreme powerhouses, and this distance didn’t even take half an hour to cover; this was still considering that Wang Sheng was accommodating Zhu Xiao—if not, he could have been faster.

The two arrived at the headquarters of Yuelai Inn, which, being a commercial entity along with its powerful presence, didn’t hide its location and could easily be found in a very conspicuous spot.

On the way to meet the Clan Elders of Zhu Xiao’s family, Wang Sheng became curious, "With your strength, how could you be restricted by the Clan Elders?"

Zhu Xiao’s power and tactics should not be constrained by a single Clan Elder.

"That hereditary Clan Elder is one of my relatives, quite stubborn, dead set against telling me, and there’s nothing I can do about it. I can’t kill him, can I!"

Zhu Xiao also felt helpless. With someone else, she could have acted without reservations to get the answers she sought.

But she didn’t want to sever her ties and emotions. Faced with her own relative and Clan Elder, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Furthermore, she wasn’t interested in this so-called family heritage before, so she didn’t pay much attention to it.

Of course, she still felt quite puzzled internally.

Clearly, the Clan Elder wasn’t like that in the past. However, since he inherited the legacy from the previous generation of Clan Elders, he became obstinate.

This was her willingness to accept Wang Sheng’s suggestion, as there was no risk involved, and she also wanted to see what the secret was.

Before long, they met with the Clan Elder, who was in the midst of cultivation within the quiet chamber.

Neither Wang Sheng nor Zhu Xiao concealed their aura. Obviously, as a Grandmaster Level Martial Artist, the Clan Elder had detected them but made no move.

"Clan Elder!"

Zhu Xiao had thought she wouldn’t get any response, but unexpectedly, the Clan Elder actually responded.

"I understand what you want. Since you wish to know, then I shall tell you," he said.

Wang Sheng glanced at Zhu Xiao. Wasn’t he supposed to be a tough old man?

Zhu Xiao was clearly baffled, not expecting to get the answer so easily.

The Clan Elder guessed Zhu Xiao’s thoughts and spoke, "You brought someone here to find me, which means you’ve figured out a way to get information. But I’m an old man, and not up for the hassle. Might as well just tell you. However, Zhu Xiao, this secret is quite significant—are you sure you want an outsider to know it?"

"It’s fine. Wang Sheng is trustworthy," Zhu Xiao replied without hesitation.

Although this visit was for the sake of obtaining the secret of the family heritage, the secret was merely to solve another mystery.

So it didn’t matter who else found out about it.

"Alright, but I hope you won’t regret it. Ask whatever you want—if I know it, I’ll tell you both," said the Clan Elder.

Since the Clan Elder had said as much, the two of them naturally wouldn’t hold back. It also saved them a lot of effort.

Having discussed beforehand, it was Wang Sheng, being more informed of the situation, who asked, "I want to know, can an influence of your caliber gain anything from fighting for territory?"

After he asked, he continued to observe the Clan Elder with Divine Thought.

Upon hearing this question, the Clan Elder looked somewhat astonished.

"Are you a person from an Overlord Level force?"

Wang Sheng shook his head, "No, but it seems the answer to my question is ’yes.’ Contending for territory indeed allows you to gain something. But what is that something?"

"Indeed, fighting for territory can indeed grant certain gains," the Clan Elders gazed at Wang Sheng deeply. Not being from an Overlord Level force and yet deducing this much showed significant capability, "But as for what it is, I’m not entirely certain—only aware that it can drastically enhance strength. If one unifies an empire, it could reach the level of a Master of Destiny."

"As I suspected!" So it was true—the Overlord Level forces had their reasons for claiming kingship.

Logically, with their strength, whether they claimed kingship or not wasn’t important at all. But if tangible benefits were at stake, that was a completely different matter.

"So, where does this power come from?"

"Unclear. It wasn’t specified in the legacy left by our ancestors, which only taught us what to do," the Clan Elder shook his head.

"What to do?" Wang Sheng was curious, knowing that it had to be more than just claiming kingship.

"To wait until the current Master of Destiny dies and the empire falls before claiming kingship. If strong enough to suppress the world, one could also directly declare oneself emperor and then rule the people well, garnering their support."

"Is it really that simple?"

"Yes, that’s the method passed down in the legacy."

Under the perception of Divine Thought, Wang Sheng knew the Clan Elder wasn’t lying. He hadn’t expected the method to be so straightforward, devoid of any other information.

"Where did you obtain this legacy, then?"

"Naturally, it’s been passed down by our ancestors. Our family has a history of thousands of years. Such a legacy is nothing out of the ordinary."

"Thousands of years of history, what does that mean? The Zhu Family has been inheriting this for so long?"

Wang Sheng hadn’t imagined it. He thought the Zhu Family had only risen in prominence during the era of the Great Zhou, and even if it dated further back, it would only go as far as the previous dynasty.

But now he found out it spanned thousands of years.

During those thousands of years, empires rose and fell, but the Zhu Family persisted to this day, certainly not without complexity.

He looked at Zhu Xiao, who also looked utterly astonished.

"I don’t understand how our family’s legacy has lasted so long—weren’t only Stargazing Valley and the Border Army considered to have the longest histories?"

The Clan Elder’s face darkened as he spoke. "You were raised outside the family and didn’t receive a systematic inheritance. After returning, you got involved in the power struggles, and afterwards, you’ve only liked reading Martial Arts Secret Manuals, completely ignoring the family history. It’s natural that you don’t know. This is also one reason I didn’t want you to become the Family Head. Disregarding the ancestral laws is one thing, but as the head of the family, you’re not learning what you should..."

Zhu Xiao didn’t seem to care much, saying, "Even so, hasn’t the family developed well?"

Setting other things aside, the Zhu Family’s development had not deteriorated despite changes in strategies—in fact, their development had been even better.

The Clan Elder fell silent. It was indeed the case.

"Without a Master of Destiny, no matter how powerful a force may be, it’s like a flickering candle in the wind, unable to last long."

"Hasn’t there been development for thousands of years without a Master of Destiny?" Zhu Xiao immediately retorted.

"Who says our Zhu Family never had a Master of Destiny!"

"!!!"

Wang Sheng and Zhu Xiao were both shocked.

The Zhu Family had a Master of Destiny?

"What on earth is going on?" Wang Sheng hadn’t expected to uncover such profound secrets behind these Overlord Level powers during his inquiry.

"Our Zhu Family, as well as other Overlord Level powers on this land, have spanned thousands of years. Which one hasn’t had a Master of Destiny in all that time? Otherwise, how could they pass on their legacies for thousands of years?"

"Have Stargazing Valley and the Border Army also had one?"

The Clan Elder shook his head and said, "No, but that’s exactly why these two powers are considered mysterious. The absence of a Master of Destiny and direct succession for thousands of years isn’t easy to achieve. Therefore, we Overlord Level powers also need to constantly change our appearance."

Stargazing Valley and the Border Army remained shrouded in mystery.

However, these words were somewhat overturning Wang Sheng’s understanding of the Overlord Level powers.

All Overlord Level powers had been passing on their legacies for thousands of years; they simply often changed their appearances, which made people believe they were powers that emerged in the current royal dynasties.

But this raised another question.

"What about the Great Zhou Imperial Family and the Literary Palace that were wiped out?"

Zhu Xiao also looked towards the Clan Elder. She too was curious; this was the first time she had heard of such things.

"Wiped out? Are you sure they were wiped out and not simply withdrawn from this struggle?" The Clan Elder countered.

Wang Sheng was stunned.

Continuing, the Clan Elder spoke. "The death of a Great Grandmaster does not signify the end of their power. They have merely failed this time. In five hundred years, they will surely re-emerge as new Overlord Level powers. By then, who knows what identities they will assume?"

When he said these words, the Clan Elder’s tone was somewhat proud.

A legacy of thousands of years wasn’t something ordinary forces could manage, and if one were deeply indoctrinated by the family teachings, the sense of honor would be immense.

Zhu Xiao felt less affected because she had been raised outside the family and hadn’t been deeply influenced.

"Aren’t you afraid that something will go wrong in between, what if there isn’t a top-tier martial master in one generation, then..."

"Impossible." The Clan Elder interrupted Wang Sheng before he could finish. "Overlord Level powers are called such precisely because they have methods to ensure a continuous line of top-tier Grandmasters!"

"What?!" This time, it wasn’t Wang Sheng who spoke out, but Zhu Xiao. "How come I don’t know our family has such a method?"

Zhu Xiao felt like a failure, as if she knew nothing about her own family.

The Clan Elder consoled her. "It has nothing to do with you, because even I’m not clear about this method; I’m only aware of it. The method lies in the hands of Zhu Long’s line."

"Zhu Long’s line, no wonder!" Zhu Xiao snorted coldly. With this news, many things became clear to her.

Wang Sheng sensed something off in her expression. "What’s wrong?"

"Zhu Long’s line is the one that competed against me for the position of Family Head. Although they’ve come out to trouble me occasionally, I’ve always been unable to find where their key person hides. I thought they were afraid, but it seems that might not be the case!

Clan Elder, you’ve always been reluctant to inform me of this information, perhaps because you think I don’t have that method to ensure a hundred percent chance of reaching the top-tier Great Grandmaster and extend the family legacy, right?"

Zhu Xiao felt she had understood everything.

The disappearance of Zhu Long’s line and why the Clan Elder was adamantly secretive suddenly made sense to her.

It all hinged on this method that ensured a top-tier Great Grandmaster; that was the family’s core inheritance.

Zhu Xiao seemed to be in control of the family, but in reality, she hadn’t grasped anything substantial.

"There are too many in the clan to gamble on your success," the Clan Elder said once more.

Zhu Xiao didn’t want to argue further. She looked at Wang Sheng.

"Have your questions been answered?"

"Pretty much!"

"Then let’s confirm the truth."

Wang Sheng understood her meaning, to use Mind Control to verify the information’s authenticity.

"Okay!"