Top-Tier Perception Starts From Basic Fist Techniques

"Lu—I mean, Saint Lu..." Zhang Shu spoke up, her expression somewhat complicated.

She could hardly believe it. Only about ten months had passed since her three-year pact with Lu Changsheng, and he had already become a Martial Saint. More than that, he had even accomplished a string of deeds that shook the entire Sacred Earth along the way.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang Shu, the lead you gave me on the Void Divine Crystal saved me a great deal of time in forging my Saint Body," said Lu Changsheng. "The three-year term isn't up yet, but I can make a trip to your family now and take care of that Martial Saint threat for you."

Lu Changsheng would keep his word. What he had promised Zhang Shu, he would naturally see done.

As she listened to him, joy rose in Zhang Shu's heart, though her expression revealed that she was still somewhat conflicted. Back then, she had come to him herself, offering to become his Dao companion.

Had Lu Changsheng agreed, the Zhang Clan's crisis would already be over; with the enormous reputation he now carried, what Martial Saint would dare threaten the Zhang Clan?

But that was merely a what if. Even if becoming Lu Changsheng's Dao might have been possible at some point, it was certainly impossible now that he had become a Martial Saint.

"Then I will trouble you, Saint Lu," Zhang Shu said with a respectful bow.

In any case, the fact that Lu Changsheng would honor his promise and take care of the Martial Saint threat for her was a relief.

"No point in waiting. Let's set out now," Lu Changsheng urged. He wanted to settle Zhang Shu's problem quickly and then deliver the Heavenly Rain Creation Pill back to the Heavenly Sacred City.

"Very well. Please follow me, Saint Lu."

Zhang Shu turned into a streak of light and left the Martial Saint Institute, with Lu Changsheng following behind. Her speed was not particularly great, and the two flew for well over a month before reaching her family's home, Xiao City.

"Saint Lu, Xiao City lies ahead. The Zhang Clan is one of the city's Martial Saint families, but since our Martial Saint fell, no one in the clan has managed to become a Martial Saint. These past years the Zhang Clan has slowly declined, and even our standing among Xiao City's supreme powers hangs by a thread.

"Meanwhile the city's foremost power, the Xiao Clan, not only has a Martial Saint at its head but produces divine ability martial artists one after another. Some of their younger generation may even become Martial Saints. The entire city bears the Xiao Clan's name."

"The Xiao Clan wants to swallow my clan, with me being the first step in their plan. First a marriage alliance, then they nibble away at us through me. Once the Xiao Clan marries me in, they could even control my cultivation, keep me from ever becoming a Martial Saint, and subjugate the Zhang Clan for good."

Just like that, Zhang Shu laid out the whole situation. Ultimately, this was a classic old strife between clans.

The Zhang Clan had once had a Martial Saint of its own and been a Martial Saint family in every sense. But after that Martial Saint fell, holding onto their position came at a price, and now even paying that price could no longer keep them among the Xiao City's supreme powers. The will was there, but not the strength. And now, the Xiao Clan had moved to devour them whole.

The Zhang Clan's only remaining hope was Zhang Shu herself. She had entered the Martial Saint Institute, after all, and was the clan's best prospect for producing a Martial Saint. If she advanced, the clan could rise again.

However, becoming a Martial Saint was no simple matter, and even Zhang Shu herself had little confidence left. In the end, to avoid becoming a sacrificial piece, she had turned to Lu Changsheng to deal with the threat of the Xiao Clan.

Now that Lu Changsheng understood the full story, he made his decision.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang Shu, I shall not meddle in the affairs between your Zhang Clan and the Xiao Clan. Still, I will deliver what I have promised you. You fear a forced marriage with the Xiao Clan, so I will go have a proper word with them. I trust they will not press the matter again.

"That said, even if the Xiao Clan gives me their word, staying with the Zhang Clan means becoming a sacrifice for the family sooner or later. On that note, I have a suggestion that might win you a measure of freedom, so you won't need to fear being used that way."

"What suggestion?" Zhang Shu asked at once.

"You can go to the Heavenly Sacred City and join the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect. The Zhang Clan won't be able to reach you there; they can force nothing on you. You can cultivate in peace at the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect, and for the sect's sake, the Xiao Clan will not press the Zhang Clan either. Cultivate steadily there, and one day you may yet have hope of becoming a Martial Saint!"

Lu Changsheng's suggestion would essentially kill two birds with one stone. It helped Zhang Shu while strengthening the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect. Anyone admitted to the Martial Saint Institute needed no introduction where talent was concerned; Zhang Shu was a genius by any measure.

Even if ten years at the Institute had not made her a Martial Saint, who could say she had no hope if she cultivated in peace at the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect? And if she did advance one day, the sect would stand firm even without Lu Changsheng holding it up.

Zhang Shu weighed the possibility carefully. Times had changed. The Xiao Clan had set its sights on the Zhang Clan, and even if she dodged them this time by relying on Lu Changsheng, what would she do when they became a problem again?

Without a marriage alliance, the Xiao Clan had other ways to eat away at her family, and the Zhang Clan, desperate to preserve itself, would try anything, including sacrificing her.

If she returned home from the Martial Saint Institute, it would likely not be long before the family sacrificed her in its own name, whether through a marriage alliance with some other great faction or by some other means. Either way, her prospects were bleak indeed.

However, joining the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect would change things. With a supreme Martial Saint of boundless prospects like Lu Changsheng at its head, the sect was visibly destined to flourish. At the very least, it would prosper for three thousand years.

That would be enough. If Zhang Shu wanted to advance further in the Martial Dao without other worries, joining the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect was the best possible choice.

Having weighed all the stakes, Zhang Shu voiced her decision. "Yes, I will join the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect!"

Her decision brought a smile to Lu Changsheng's face. "Good. Then there's no need to visit the Zhang Clan. We go straight to the Xiao Clan. You are now an elder of my sect, so naturally I must have a proper talk with the Xiao Clan."

With that, Lu Changsheng led Zhang Shu straight into Xiao City. The city seemed even larger and more prosperous than Heavenly Sacred City.

The two made their way to the Xiao Clan.

"Halt. Who are you two?" the Xiao Clan's guards demanded, blocking their path.

Zhang Shu was about to speak, but Lu Changsheng shook his head. He drew a deep breath.

Whoosh!

His aura erupted.

"Ghah..."

The guards shuddered violently and stumbled back a dozen steps, frozen in place as if struck by a heavy blow. They were not even Divine Ability martial artists, merely ordinary guards. As such, they were absolutely powerless against the aura of a supreme Martial Saint.

Lu Changsheng walked straight into the Xiao Clan without concealing his aura in the slightest. The clan instantly fell into chaos as countless Divine Ability martial artists rushed out. Still, no one dared to actually approach Lu Changsheng.

With his aura fully unleashed, how could their trained eyes fail to see it? The man before them was a Martial Saint. The only question they had to ask themselves was which Martial Saint would barge into the Xiao Clan like that.