Chapter 604 - 597: Returning to Beisha
Saint Awakening, a realm that transcends the limits of the human body. Those who achieve it are one-man armies. After a series of related events, individuals who have broken through these human limits are now considered a measure of a nation’s power—walking strategic weapons.
Unfortunately, even with human civilization at its current stage and a population approaching ten billion, there are, at most, only about a hundred individuals who have reached this realm. And the majority of them did not achieve it through their own breakthroughs.
On average, that’s roughly one person for every one hundred million—a truly staggering ratio.
But now, Donghua had released news that twenty-five top Martial Artists had simultaneously broken through to the next realm overnight, all under Zhou Yuanjue’s "enlightenment." While twenty-five might seem like a small number, when considered against the total number of Saint Awakening masters in the entire world, it was an unbelievably, shockingly high figure.
The man now universally acknowledged as the strongest person in the world had once again shocked the globe.
Once the news of the Reincarnation Technique and the twenty-five Donghua breakthroughs spread, Zhou Yuanjue’s upcoming public tour took on a whole new meaning.
He would personally provide "enlightenment" and "guidance" to the candidates in the countries he visited. This was an act that would change the entire global landscape!
Nanjiang, Gong Martial Arts Academy.
Gong Shouzhuo sat in the academy’s back courtyard, his two disciples, A Nan and Lin Heng, standing behind him.
"That kid... How long has it been? And he’s already made Saint Awakening seem so worthless?"
A wry smile touched Gong Shouzhuo’s face as he processed the news about Donghua gaining twenty-five new Saint Awakening masters overnight.
The image of his own fight with Zhou Yuanjue was still vivid in his mind. Back then, he had only seen a young man with an unshakeable will, sky-high ambitions, and extraordinary skills. He never expected that young man to advance so triumphantly, breaking through to Saint Awakening without even pausing, becoming strong enough to withstand strategic weapons, and ultimately being recognized as the strongest human alive.
And now, he could even "enlighten" other Martial Artists, allowing them to enter the Saint Awakening Realm...
This was completely beyond Gong Shouzhuo’s wildest imagination.
"Saint Awakening..."
Listening to his master’s emotional reflection, Lin Heng also seemed to recall the first time he met Zhou Yuanjue.
He had assumed Zhou Yuanjue was just an ordinary university professor, a member of the social elite. He never imagined that the martial arts he took such pride in would be shattered by a single finger, leaving him utterly powerless to fight back.
Since then, he had witnessed this star’s steady rise, and now, it burned like a blazing sun high in the sky. Judging by what he was doing now, perhaps... he would shine through the ages and illuminate the future.
"Master, you once told us that on the path of the Martial Dao, Talent and hard work are both indispensable. To have one makes you ’good,’ a skilled practitioner. To have both makes you ’great,’ a martial arts expert. To have both, plus an unyielding will that never retreats, makes you ’pinnacle,’ a top-tier master. And to have Talent, diligence, and will, plus a stroke of fate, makes you ’Grand.’ You can break your limits, defy the cycle of life and death, and become a Grandmaster—one who can establish their own school and leave their name in history."
"So then, what about someone like Zhou Yuanjue? He can guide people onto the Dao, travels the world to spread the Martial Dao, and is number one in the world. How does someone like that come to be, and what should we call him?"
A Nan asked, a look of confusion in his eyes.
"He is unprecedented in all of history. We can only marvel at the inscrutable miracles of creation. As for a title? I’m afraid not even the Martial Ancestor who created the Donghua Martial Dao could compare to him. The only way to possibly name him would be to do what the once-in-history Empress did: invent an entirely new word."
Gong Shouzhuo said with a sigh.
In truth, Gong Shouzhuo’s sentiment was shared by all the experts and masters throughout the Donghua Martial Arts Realm; it was their collective assessment of Zhou Yuanjue’s current achievements.
...
...
WHIRRRR!!
A military transport plane sped across northern Donghua, soon crossing the border into the territory of Beisha Country.
At this moment, Zhou Yuanjue was seated inside the plane’s cabin.
There was a time when he wouldn’t have dared to travel abroad on an airplane or any other form of air transport, fearing that his location would be leaked, allowing hostile forces to lock onto him and create a life-or-death crisis.
But now, he could withstand a nuclear blast and walk on air. The dangers of the past could no longer trouble him, so he could travel with peace of mind.
Of course, if the distance from Donghua Country to Beisha Country wasn’t so vast and the Energy consumption so great, he probably wouldn’t have needed a plane at all.
’I probably could have run there faster than this plane, anyway...’
Choosing Beisha as the first stop on his tour was an expected decision.
As a key member of the current Far East Alliance, Donghua and Beisha were in a "honeymoon period." During the campaign on the Black Continent, Beisha had shown considerable support, sending not only their conventional Saint Awakening combatants but also two of their Four Pillars to reinforce the battlefield.
It was a matter of returning the favor.
Moreover, thanks to the existence of the Four Pillars, Beisha Country’s Martial Arts Realm was quite prosperous, boasting numerous experts who were suitable for enlightenment and guidance.
After Beisha Country, the next stop would be Bosha Country, followed by other nations. Barring any surprises, this was the general plan.
Aboard the plane, Zhou Yuanjue wasted no time and fell into a state of deep thought.
The subject that sparked his contemplation was the unknown power he had recently witnessed from Ancestral Ji.
’What exactly is that power?’
’It seems illusory and intangible, yet it also feels real, as if it exists in some kind of overlapping state with the real world.’
"What are the ’reality’ and ’Truth’ that Ji spoke of? They must be related to this power. There have to be certain conditions to touch it. This could be connected to the secrets of the Celestial Demons, or even certain secrets of the entire universe."
Zhou Yuanjue muttered to himself, feeling he had very few clues and couldn’t even think of a good way to counter this power.
’This universe, this starry sky... it’s far from being as simple as we imagine or see.’
’I’m really looking forward to it... What kind of secrets are hidden beyond all this?’
A look of anticipation appeared on Zhou Yuanjue’s face.
However, he was also keenly aware that in the grand scale of the universe, both Earth and he himself were far too insignificant. Even beings like the Twelve Celestial Demon Ancestors had times when they were hunted like stray dogs. The boundless darkness hid the most profound terrors.
’But that’s the only thing that can truly ignite one’s desire for transcendence...’
WHOOSH!!
Just then, the plane began its gradual descent. Peering out the window, Zhou Yuanjue could already see the bustling cityscape on the ground in the distance.
They had arrived in Moscow, the capital of Beisha Country.