Immortal Martial Emperor

Hong Yu put away the Nine Feather Flying Knives and looked at Old Sir Tie. "Sir, what was it you wanted to discuss earlier?"

Old Sir Tie sighed softly. "Little Yu, while it’s true that controlling flying sabers with Spiritual Power can be surprisingly effective..."

"But controlling nine flying sabers at once means dividing your Spiritual Power into nine parts. This might work for a surprise attack against opponents weaker than you. However..."

"If you face an opponent stronger than you, your scattered attacks will be completely useless. In fact, they’ll just expose more of your weaknesses!"

Old Sir Tie was a dignified Primordial Core Realm expert. He was even a top-tier powerhouse from a generation senior to Yuan Cang, the Sect Leader of the Guiyuan Sect.

The number of battles he’d fought in his life was immeasurable!

His wealth of combat experience was far beyond anything Hong Yu could compare to. His sharp and unique insight cut straight to the heart of the matter, pinpointing a flaw Hong Yu hadn’t noticed before.

Hong Yu felt as if he’d been struck by a rude awakening, a moment of enlightenment that made everything suddenly clear.

"Sir, are you saying that instead of splitting my Spiritual Power to control the Nine Feather Flying Knives, I should focus all of it on a single flying saber?" Hong Yu asked.

Old Sir Tie nodded, then shook his head. "It’s not a simple matter of using nine sabers or just one. Although I’m not accustomed to using flying sabers myself, I have fought against some powerful Spirit Cultivators. Some of them were adept at using Spiritual Power, and their method of attack was object manipulation—controlling Primordial Weapons to strike."

After a pause, Old Sir Tie rummaged through a nearby bookshelf, pulled out an ancient-looking Secret Manual, and tossed it to Hong Yu. "This Secret Manual is a Spiritual Power control Secret Technique called the *Flying Thunder Divine Skill*. I obtained it years ago after killing a Spirit Cultivator. He was simultaneously controlling eighteen Primordial Weapons in a formation to attack, and its power was quite formidable. You can take it back and study it!"

’"*Flying Thunder Divine Skill*?"’

Hong Yu casually flipped through a few pages, the gleam in his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

This *Flying Thunder Divine Skill* was a Secret Technique for controlling Primordial Weapons with Spiritual Power. It was described in extreme detail, even dividing Spiritual Power control into five tiers.

The first tier: controlling one Primordial Weapon, able to unleash its full power.

The second tier: controlling nine Primordial Weapons, each able to unleash its full power.

The third tier was eighteen weapons, the fourth was thirty-six, and the fifth tier was simultaneously controlling seventy-two Primordial Weapons to attack, with every single one unleashing its full power.

The Spirit Cultivator that Old Sir Tie had killed was an expert at the third tier. Reaching the third tier already meant one was at the level of a Primordial Core Realm expert!

Hong Yu was even more thrilled. "The *Flying Thunder Divine Skill*! This Secret Technique is practically tailor-made for me! If I could reach the fifth tier and control seventy-two Primordial Weapons at once, my combat power would instantly increase seventy-two-fold. I could even put up a fight against a Primordial Core Realm expert! It’s just a pity..."

He shook his head, a hint of regret in his voice. "To reach the fifth tier and control seventy-two Primordial Weapons, my Spiritual Power alone would need to be at the Peak of Primordial Core Realm. But I have the *Heaven-Swallowing Divine Technique*. I’ve just reached the entry-level with it, so I can start improving it now. If I can reach the second tier of the *Flying Thunder Divine Skill*, my combat power with Spiritual Power attacks will be no weaker than my close-quarters combat!"

At this thought, Hong Yu carefully put away the *Flying Thunder Divine Skill* and looked at Old Sir Tie with renewed gratitude. "Thank you, Sir!"

"Hahaha, leaving these two items here would be a waste. Since you can use them, it’s perfect for you to take them and let them shine!"

The old man laughed heartily, then suddenly scratched his head. "Ah, Little Yu, now that you’ve chosen your treasures, this old man has to bring up that matter I mentioned earlier!"

"Please, Senior, speak!"

Hong Yu listened attentively.

Setting aside the fact that Old Sir Tie had not only opened up his treasure vault but also gifted him the precious Nine Feather Flying Knives and the *Flying Thunder Divine Skill*, giving him another trump card to save his life...

...just the fact that Old Sir Tie had appeared at the critical moment before the banquet, when Xue De was using his ultimate move to kill him, was a kindness great enough for Hong Yu to etch into his heart.

Looking at Hong Yu’s sincere gaze, Old Sir Tie said, "Little Yu, you should know that our Tie Family is in the Primordial Weapon business. In recent years, the Tie Family has been developing faster and faster, which has made certain powers antsy. As a result, they’ve started to restrict our Tie Family in many ways..."

As Old Sir Tie explained, Hong Yu gained a clearer understanding of the whole story.

It turned out that back when Old Sir Tie first founded the Iron Soldier Pavilion, he had established a close network of relationships with the Underground Alliance, the Royal Family, and the Guiyuan Sect.

On the Royal Family’s side, although the throne had changed hands, it always remained with the Qin Family, so that connection hadn’t been broken.

The Underground Alliance prioritized profit above all else. While their relationship with the Iron Soldier Pavilion couldn’t be called a loyal alliance, they wouldn’t engage in backstabbing either.

Only the Guiyuan Sect had seen a change in leadership a few years ago.

Ever since Sect Leader Yuan Cang went into seclusion, Grand Elder Wang Ba had gradually infiltrated the Sect and taken firm control.

At this point, even if Yuan Cang were to emerge from seclusion, his influence and authority within the Guiyuan Sect would likely be suppressed and fall short of Wang Ba’s.

Because of this, Wang Ba had begun to act more and more unscrupulously.

Not only had his conflict with the Royal Family become increasingly open, but Wang Ba had also started targeting other powers. The Iron Soldier Pavilion, a place as rich as a kingdom, naturally became a key focus of his attention.

"In the past, elite disciples from the Guiyuan Sect would come to my Iron Soldier Pavilion’s weapon factories every year to forge and produce Primordial Weapons. But ever since Wang Ba took complete control of the Guiyuan Sect, that cooperation has been terminated..."

Old Sir Tie was clearly still holding a grudge over this, snorting angrily. "That little bastard even started producing his own Primordial Weapons and selling them through various channels to amass a huge fortune. To secure those channels, that old fox didn’t even hesitate to marry his daughter to Beichen Ba to scheme for his Beichen Commerce Association."

"So that’s the secret behind it all."

Hong Yu nodded.

He finally understood why Wang Fei had been so focused on infiltrating and controlling the Beichen Commerce Association after entering the Beichen Family. It turned out this had become Wang Ba’s main channel for sales and accumulating wealth.

The fury on Old Sir Tie’s face burned like a flame. "If that was all, I wouldn’t even bother with him. But the problem is, that bastard is completely shameless! Ever since the Beichen Commerce Association’s channels were established, he started competing with my Iron Soldier Pavilion for all resources—customers, materials, Primordial Weapons, everything."

"Then two years ago, he used the Guiyuan Sect’s power to forcibly cut off my Iron Soldier Pavilion’s long-term material suppliers. Especially when it comes to Elemental Ore. If it weren’t for the Royal Family’s support, the Iron Soldier Pavilion would have run out of stock long ago."

Old Sir Tie truly lived up to his reputation as a formidable figure of his generation who had built the Iron Soldier Pavilion from scratch.

Faced with Wang Ba’s schemes and suppressive monopoly, he decisively resolved, with great perseverance, to explore for Elemental Ore veins on his own.

After more than two years, the Tie Family now controlled no fewer than a hundred Elemental Ore veins, but these were all small-scale and couldn’t support the Iron Soldier Pavilion’s terrifying rate of consumption.

Then, a few months ago, the Iron Soldier Pavilion finally discovered a massive Elemental Ore vein in the mountains on the border of the Qin Kingdom, near the Yaoyue Kingdom.

Conservatively estimated, this vein contained enough ore to supply the Iron Soldier Pavilion for a hundred years.

The Tie Family had planned to mine it secretly, but the news leaked, and the Guiyuan Sect wanted to stick their hands in it.

No matter how strong the Tie Family was, they were unwilling to completely tear off all pretenses of cordiality with the Guiyuan Sect. In the end, the two sides agreed that each would form a team of Martial Artists to excavate the vein.

As for the final ownership, it would be decided based on the contributions of each team during the excavation process.

To ensure a degree of fairness, both sides decided that only younger-generation experts below the Primordial Core Realm could participate in the mining and exploration.

"Sir, are you asking me to represent the Iron Soldier Pavilion in exploring the ore vein?" Hong Yu asked, stunned.

Old Sir Tie nodded with a wry smile. "Although there are some outstanding disciples among my Tie Family’s younger generation, they still can’t compete with the top geniuses of the Guiyuan Sect. I originally planned to pay a hefty sum to hire Blood the First, but he ended up losing to you. Naturally, that leaves me with no choice but to ask for your help!"

"Little Yu, as long as you’re willing to help the Tie Family, I, this old man, will definitely reward you handsomely once it’s done!"

Gazing at Old Sir Tie’s white hair, Hong Yu hesitated for a moment.

But he quickly raised his head and nodded. "Alright, I’ll go!"

「...」

「Within the Guiyuan Sect.」

A disheveled Xue De returned to the Sect with the miserable-looking Huo Yan and the others. Along the way, every Guiyuan Sect expert who saw him was shocked and astonished.

Xue De was a dignified Primordial Core Realm expert. Who could have forced him into such a sorry state?

Naturally, some people began to question the few disciples who were still conscious. When they learned that Xue De had fought Hong Yu and not only failed to win but had ended up in a draw and been injured this badly, the news spread like a wildfire.

Of course, it inevitably reached Wang Fei’s ears.

Wang Fei, her face wrapped in gauze, had a venomous glint in her eyes. Supported by Beichen Huo, she arrived at Xue De’s private courtyard.

Xue De’s face was cold as he looked at Wang Fei. "Little Fei, what brings you here?"

"Junior Martial Uncle Xue, your niece just heard the news and came especially to visit you," Wang Fei said.

A cold light flashed in Xue De’s eyes as he snorted, "You’ve seen me now. You can go, can’t you?"

"There’s no need to rush your niece out, Junior Martial Uncle Xue. I have something to say, I wonder if you would be willing to hear it?"

Seeing Xue De looking at her, Wang Fei felt a surge of excitement. She said, "Junior Martial Uncle Xue, I heard that Hong Yu is the one who did this to you. And that old fossil from the Tie Family is actually protecting him. Knowing that old bastard, he definitely wants to use Hong Yu for the upcoming ore vein exploration."

"So what?" Xue De said flatly.

Wang Fei smiled internally and said slowly, "Uncle, don’t you want that boy dead?"

"Oh? You mean..."

Xue De froze, a flicker of interest in his eyes, but he quickly hesitated. "But your father gave specific orders to leave Hong Yu for Zheng Tian to deal with!"

’He wants revenge, but he’s unwilling to take the blame?’

Wang Fei sneered inwardly, but her face remained wreathed in smiles. "Don’t worry, Junior Martial Uncle Xue. I will naturally take care of things with my father."

Xue De still looked hesitant. "But that boy has the Royal Family’s backing. Killing him could lead to a lot of trouble!"

’Old fox.’

Wang Fei gritted her teeth and forced herself to say, "Uncle, exploring an ore vein is fraught with danger. It’s perfectly normal for a few people to die. Even if the Royal Family and the Tie Family get suspicious, what can they do without proof? Besides, as long as you kill this brat, Uncle, once your niece takes back control of the Beichen Commerce Association, I will give you a twenty-percent cut of the profits every year!"

Xue De, who had been feigning indifference, suddenly sat bolt upright. A cruel smile spread across his face...

"In that case, I will cooperate with you. Hong Yu, oh, Hong Yu... I’ll let you be arrogant for a few more days. When the time comes, I will make you wish for death but be unable to die, wish for life but be unable to live!"

[Happy Birthday, Master Xin!!]