Top-Tier Perception Starts From Basic Fist Techniques

"Does anyone else want the patriarch's position?" Lu Changsheng stood with his hands behind his back, his voice echoing across the martial ground.

Everyone held their tongue like cicadas in the cold, not one daring to answer. What had just unfolded was simply too shocking, and the toll too grievous.

Lu Changsheng had unleashed his divine ability only for a single breath, and the result?

Forty-two of the contestants were dead, with only Li Guang still standing. Those scions had been the finest of this generation, and now they were all dead. Who would still dare contend for the patriarch's position after that?

The elders of the Li Clan trembled, their faces ashen. Many of those forty-three scions had deep ties with these elders, and now all of them were gone.

Lu Changsheng hadn't even killed them deliberately; the contestants had simply been too weak to withstand a second of his divine ability. Their minds had been too weak, or rather, Lu Changsheng's divine ability was too powerful, so much so that a Dao Foundation martial artist's mind would be snuffed out in the blink of an eye.

It wasn't just Dao Foundation martial artists; a number of Divine Ability experts had died as well, and neither Li Chengwu nor the elders could have done anything to save them.

The Divine Ability martial artists who had survived were utterly shaken, even though Lu Changsheng's Mental Black Hole had not even descended upon them. Had it come down, then apart from the rare few with extraordinary gifts of the mind or treasures meant to withstand mental attacks, no one else could have held on.

That was the might of an immeasurable divine ability!

"Among the Divine Ability experts there is a kind of being who has walked the path of the divine ability to its very end, whose combat power is overwhelming, who crushes all before him and stands invincible, a true overlord of his domain. Such an entity is called a Martial Venerable. Lu Changsheng has condensed an immeasurable divine ability, crushing all, looking down on every living thing. As such, he deserves the title of Martial Venerable!"

"The Heavenly Sacred City has actually produced a Martial Venerable! Below the Martial Saint, the Martial Venerable is the strongest! From now on, we'll have to call him Venerable Lu..."

Some of the Divine Ability Realm martial artists wore complicated expressions. Indeed, none of them would have imagined that an obscure, unheard-of martial artist would attain a divine ability and quickly claim supremacy in the Martial Dao.

The Martial Saint, in truth, belonged to another tier altogether, seemingly nothing like other martial artists. Several hundred years could pass without anyone witnessing a Martial Saint. Thus, the Martial Venerable already stood at the peak of the Martial Dao.

There were fewer than ten Martial Venerables in all of the Heavenly Sacred City, and even fewer who had condensed an immeasurable divine ability.

"Seems like there's no one left who wishes to contend for the patriarch's position," Lu Changsheng remarked. "In that case, Patriarch Li, would you make the announcement that Li Guang is the successor?"

"Of course, Young Friend Lu—no, Venerable Lu!" Li Chengwu blurted out, barely able to contain his excitement.

He never would have imagined this seemingly obscure martial artist his son, Li Guang, had helped would suddenly become a Martial Venerable. Only the thirty-sixth patriarch had enjoyed fortune greater than that.

Back then, the patriarch had saved a Divine Ability martial artist with no reputation, who, a few years later, would go on to become a Martial Saint. Then, with that Martial Saint's backing, the patriarch's rise had begun.

Could it be that Li Guang would become a figure much like the thirty-sixth patriarch

With a broad smile on his face, Li Chengwu turned to the elders. "Elders, what do you say?"

The elders had all been cowed by Lu Changsheng. And now that Li Feng, Li Chen, and the other able scions were dead, and Li Guang had Lu Changsheng's backing, who else was there to choose as successor but Li Guang?

"Announce it, Patriarch," one of the elders said.

They knew the tide had turned against them. In this struggle against the patriarch, they were utterly defeated. At this point, given the formidable entity backing Li Guang, only a Martial Saint could stop him.

Once Li Chengwu stepped down and Li Guang became patriarch, the patriarch's authority would only grow greater, and the elders' days would only grow harder. Regardless, circumstances outweighed any man. A loss was a loss, and for now, the elders had to concede and fall in line.

"Good." Li Chengwu smiled. "In the name of the patriarch of the Li Clan, I now declare Li Guang the sole successor!"

From this day on, he could pave the way for Li Guang openly and without reservation. After all, Li Guang was now the true successor!

Li Guang himself was in a daze, as though unable to believe that he had actually accomplished his goal.

"Su-Successor...? I-I really did it...? Brother Lu, I really did it?"

Lu Changsheng looked at the elated Li Guang and nodded. "Yes, Brother Li, you did it. You're the successor now, the future patriarch of the Li Clan."

Li Guang drew a deep breath, trying to steady the excitement in his heart.

"Thank you for making this possible, Brother Lu!" he exclaimed with a deep bow.

He was not so self-deluded to think that he could have become the next successor without Lu Changsheng. In fact, he wouldn't even have made it to the contest in the first place without Lu Changsheng's help.

Regardless, the contest was over, and everyone had witnessed Li Guang stand above all others to become the true successor of the Li Clan.

However, more eyes settled on Lu Changsheng. Everyone understood that the birth of a Martial Venerable was bound to reshape the whole Heavenly Sacred City.

Of course, a Martial Venerable did not wield the influence of a Martial Saint, but in reality, disputes between ordinary factions were settled at the level of the Divine Ability Realm. As such, a Martial Venerable would almost always be invincible.

With a Martial Venerable like Lu Changsheng among them, the Li Clan's power would likely soar at a tremendous pace. This was a most momentous occasion for the whole Li Clan!

"Brother Lu, you've worked hard today. Please go and rest for now," Li Guang said, his voice barely above a whisper. "In a few days, once I've sorted out some of the clan's affairs, you and I will talk things over in detail."

"Alright. I'll wait to hear from you, Brother Li."

With that, Lu Changsheng drifted away. He knew what Li Guang wanted to discuss, and Li Guang, in turn, knew what Lu Changsheng needed. However, there was no rush. The completion of their agreement could wait until Li Guang had a clear grasp of the whole Li Clan and the Li Clan Merchant Association.

Most importantly, Li Guang had to gain a deep understanding of the merchant association. Otherwise, he could hardly fulfill his promises to Lu Changsheng.

Lu Changsheng returned to the room the Li household had prepared for him. He was alone inside, sorting through everything that had happened that day.

Crossing swords with some of the Li Clan's Divine Ability experts had taught him one thing: those hundred drops of Heavenly Spirit Water had been worth it. As expected, an immeasurable divine ability stood far, far above a minor divine ability.

In truth, neither Elder Tu nor True One Ning Xu were weaklings. Even a major divine ability martial artist would likely have struggled to defeat them. And yet, Lu Changsheng had shattered them with a single move. Had he wished it, one strike of his divine ability would have been enough to slay them both.

Such was Lu Changsheng's strength now, indeed worthy of the title Venerable Martial.

"Claiming supremacy in the Martial Dao..." he murmured to himself.

He had climbed to such incredible heights without quite realizing it. Even within the Sacred Earth, he could be considered an overlord of his domain.

At the moment, Lu Changsheng could establish his own faction in the Heavenly Sacred City—the next day if he wanted to. And so long as he remained, that faction would hold significant influence.

What's the thing that matters most for a Martial Dao faction?

The question flashed through Lu Changsheng's mind, and he soon had his answer.

It's Heavenly Spirit Water.

Without a doubt, the most important thing for a Martial Dao power was Heavenly Spirit Water, or more precisely, a channel to obtain it, or better yet, direct control over it. Otherwise, one would forever be at the mercy of others.

Lu Changsheng had come to the Sacred Earth bearing the hopes of the entire Ancient Region Heavenly Sect. For the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect to gain a foothold, it had to establish a Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect here in the Heavenly Sacred City.

Founding a sect branch here would be easy, but sustaining it would surely prove difficult. Lu Changsheng was now a Martial Venerable, possessing enough influence to hold a faction together. However, there was no point in establishing the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect without first finding a way to sustain it.

I guess there's someone who can help me with that...

Indeed, there was someone, namely Li Guang. Lu Changsheng decided to wait until Li Guang sorted out the clan matters and was free to discuss with him.

In the blink of an eye, three days slipped past.

"Hmm?" Lu Changsheng opened his eyes, then waved a hand. The door of his room swung open.

Outside it, Li Guang stood quietly.

"Brother Li, are the matters of the clan and merchant association settled?" Lu Changsheng asked.

"All settled. I'm sorry I couldn't come see you sooner, Brother Lu. I hope you'll forgive me." Li Guang carried himself with greater poise now. Clearly, a change in status could truly change a man.

"It's nothing. You've just become the successor, so naturally there's a great deal to handle with the clan and the association. It's only natural you'd need a few days to sort things out," Lu Changsheng reassured him.

Then, his expression turned serious. "Now that the small matters are dealt with, it's time we talked about the real business."

Li Guang nodded. He knew exactly what Lu Changsheng meant by "real business."

"Brother Lu, the Heavenly Spirit Water you want, I can decide on a discount for you, bringing it down to as little as seventy percent of the going rate! But that's the limit. It's basically the cost price. Any lower and we likely wouldn't even recoup what it costs us."

Lu Changsheng was not particularly surprised. He knew the Li Clan Merchant Association was only that, a merchant association. It did not produce Heavenly Spirit Water itself, so there were costs involved. But even at seventy percent, that was still seven thousand spirit stones—far too expensive.

It was not just that Lu Changsheng needed large amounts of Heavenly Spirit Water for his own cultivation. Later, as the foundation of a great Martial Dao sect, it would need vast quantities too.

Even if a single Dao Foundation martial artist used only one drop, what about ten of them, or twenty, or more? And then there was the issue of the upcoming generations. Could the sect secure enough Heavenly Spirit Water for decades, or even centuries down the line?

Long term, the set would consume a staggering amount of spirit stones for Heavenly Spirit Water. As such, the only feasible solution was controlling the Heavenly Spirit Water itself.

"Brother Li, how exactly is Heavenly Spirit Water produced? Where can it be found?" Lu Changsheng asked.

"You want to control the Heavenly Spirit Water?" Li Guang replied as though he'd read Lu Changsheng's mind.

The Li Clan had the same aim. In fact, there was not a single large faction or merchant association in the Heavenly Sacred City that did not seek to control the flow of Heavenly Spirit Water. After all, most people in the Sacred Earth were martial artists, and for a martial artist to reach the Divine Ability Realm, Heavenly Spirit Water was indispensable.

Ultimately, controlling the flow of Heavenly Spirit Water meant receiving an endless stream of wealth. Who would not covet that?

Li Guang frowned slightly before saying, "Brother Lu, I'd advise you to drop the idea now, before it goes any further. Heavenly Spirit Water isn't something we can touch. It comes from the Heavenly Spirit Mountain, which has another name: the Heavenly Spirit Sacred Sect.

"By and large, Heavenly Spirit Water is monopolized by the Heavenly Spirit Sacred Sect. There are a few other sacred sects that hold some amount of it, more or less, but their output is low. Only the Heavenly Spirit Sacred Sect can produce it in significant quantities.

"It is precisely because of Heavenly Spirit Water that they've become all but the strongest sect in the whole Sacred Earth, and the wealthiest by far. Not even the immortal sects can compare to the Heavenly Spirit Sacred Sect in terms of riches."

Lu Changsheng nodded, falling into thought.