Top-Tier Perception Starts From Basic Fist Techniques

"That man is a Martial Saint... But who exactly is he?"

"No idea. I've never seen him before. Surely he's not from Xiao City."

"Right. We'd all recognize the Grand Elder Martial Saints of Xiao City, more or less, and even those of the neighboring cities. But this man is a complete stranger."

"The woman behind him... Isn't that Zhang Shu?"

"Zhang Shu? The Zhang Shu who entered the Martial Saint Institute?"

"Maybe the Zhang Clan hired that Martial Saint?"

"Hmph, how could the Zhang Clan ever hire a Martial Saint? Besides, even a Martial Saint wouldn't casually interfere between the Zhang Clan and the Xiao Clan. If this Martial Saint came here with Zhang Shu, she most likely called in her connections from the Martial Saint Institute."

"Well, Zhang Shu did spend years at the Martial Saint Institute. It's no surprise she'd know a few Martial Saints, or even that she could invite one here. But what is she trying to do, provoke the Xiao Clan? Does she really think our clan has no Martial Saint of its own?"

The Xiao Clan's many Divine Ability martial artists watched Lu Changsheng and Zhang Shu with grave faces, eyes locked on the pair. In truth, their guesses were more or less on the mark. In any case, they were not afraid.

The Xiao Clan's Martial Saint was no ordinary Martial Saint; he was the strongest Martial Saint of Xiao City. Among all the cities within ten thousand li, he ranked within the top three. His strength was formidable, and ordinary Martial Saints truly did not dare provoke the Xiao Clan.

Surely it was only because the Martial Saint lay so far from Xiao City that this stranger was unaware of the Xiao Clan's Martial Saint. Otherwise, what ordinary Martial Saint would dare run wild in the Xiao Clan?

"Which Martial Saint dares run wild in the Xiao Clan?"

Just then, a voice heavy with authority came from the Xiao Clan's backyard. An elderly man with snow-white hair and beard stepped up into the void, looking down upon Lu Changsheng and Zhang Shu. This was the Xiao Clan's pillar and anchor, Martial Saint Xiao Zhenyi.

"Hmm?" Xiao Zhenyi's eyes narrowed slightly.

Under his aura, this unfamiliar Martial Saint stood completely unaffected, which was most unexpected. Xiao Zhenyi had fought his fair share of Martial Saints, and he had never lost.

Xiao Zhenyi's aura was sharper than any blade. Even among fellow Martial Saints, few could withstand his pressure with no effort.

Now that Xiao Zhenyi had arrived at the scene, the martial artists of the Xiao Clan could breathe easier. In fact, there was even excitement flickering in their eyes.

"It's the grand elder! With the grand elder taking action, this stranger will be expelled for sure!"

"We finally get to see the grand elder fight again. The last time was his great battle with the Zhao Clan's grand elder, wasn't it? Three hundred years ago. The Zhao Clan's grand elder walked away badly beaten and never dared to provoke our Xiao Clan again."

"With the grand elder here, the Xiao Clan stands firm as a mountain."

With Xiao Zhenyi's arrival, the clan's confidence surged back in an instant. Indeed, Xiao Zhenyi was the clan's pillar and anchor!

"Fellow Daoist, you are the Xiao Clan's grand elder?" Lu Changsheng asked calmly.

"Indeed, I am Xiao Zhenyi. And who might you be, Fellow Daoist? What's the meaning behind this intrusion into my clan? Bringing along a junior of the Zhang Clan, no less. Are you here to stand up for the Zhang Clan?"

Xiao Zhenyi knew of Zhang Shu as well.

Lu Changsheng glanced over the crowd, then at Xiao Zhenyi.

"I am Lu Changsheng of the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect," he said lightly. "I came to talk with the Xiao Clan. Zhang Shu is now an elder of my Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect, and she does not wish to enter a marriage alliance with the Xiao Clan. I hope the Xiao Clan will not force the unwilling. Do we understand each other?"

Lu Chansheng's introduction caused Xiao Zhenyi to frown slightly. He really did not recognize Lu Changsheng's name. Ever since becoming a Martial Saint, Xiao Zhenyi had spent his years in seclusion, and on the rare occasions he emerged from his seclusion, he never concerned himself with clan affairs. As such, he couldn't possible have heard of Lu Changsheng.

The Xiao Clan's veteran elders, on the other hand, were quite familiar with Lu Changsheng. In fact, his name rang like thunder in their ears.

"L-Lu Changsheng?"

"That Venerable Lu who killed a Martial Saint while still at the Divine Ability Realm?"

"No, he's no longer Venerable Lu. He's Saint Lu! Lu Changsheng has already forged his Saint Body and become a Martial Saint!"

"Yes, the news just reached Xiao City recently, and it's absolutely true. Saint Lu's Saint Body was forged on the foundation of immeasurable divine abilities. Its power must be beyond imagination."

"Grand Elder, we must not make an enemy of him..."

The Xiao Clan's patriarch was gripped by terror. Lu Changsheng, that dreadful Saint Lu of the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect had actually paid them a visit! Some already considered him the supreme Human Saint. In the entire Sacred Earth, the Martial Saints who could rival Saint Lu could be counted on one hand.

Not long ago, they had treated him as mere table talk, a figure of legend with nothing to do with the Xiao Clan. Who could have imagined that the man of legend would appear at their gates?

But one look at Zhang Shu, together with the fact that Lu Changsheng had been an inner division martial artist of the Martial Saint Institute, and the Xiao Clan quickly pieced things together. Zhang Shu and Lu Changsheng had to have met at the Martial Saint Institute.

Fearing the grand elder did not grasp how formidable Lu Changsheng was, the patriarch sent a voice transmission and recounted Lu Changsheng's every deed in full.

After listening to the transmission, Xiao Zhenyi was deeply shaken. He had spent most of his time in seclusion, never imagining such a terrifying Martial Saint had risen in the Sacred Earth, one comparable to the once-in-a-generation prodigies of the sacred lands!

"Immeasurable divine abilities..." Xiao Zhenyi murmured, every trace of his pride gone.

With that, he quickly flew down.

"So it is Saint Lu gracing us with his presence. Forgive me for not coming out to welcome you," he said with earnest courtesy. "Rest assured, Saint Lu, the matter of Zhang Shu was merely a misunderstanding. The Xiao Clan will never again press her toward a marriage alliance, nor will we move against the Zhang Clan."

Xiao Zhenyi knew when to bend. He understood exactly what an immeasurable divine ability entailed, and he knew even better how terrifying a Saint Body forged on that foundation would be. He had absolutely no desire to test Lu Changsheng's Saint Body himself.

With Lu Changsheng personally backing Zhang Shu, how could Xiao Zhenyi dare touch the Zhang Clan? So long as Lu Changsheng lived, the Xiao Clan would not dare move against them. That was how mighty his influence had become.

A man's name casts a shadow like a tree. At this point, Lu Changsheng's name could shake the entire Sacred Earth, settling matters with a mere mention.[1]

"Good. Then the matter is settled," Lu Changsheng said with a smile. "Zhang Shu, return to the Zhang Clan and explain things properly to your family. Once they're settled, we will head to the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect together. The Xiao Clan's grand elder and I have hit it off like old friends, and we wish to discuss and exchange thoughts on the Martial Dao. Come find me at the Xiao Clan when you're done."

Zhang Shu's expression turned a little strange. Hit it off like old friends with the Xiao Clan's grand elder? How could this possibly count as hitting it off? But since Lu Changsheng had said so, she nodded and left the Xiao Clan, flying toward her family home.

Xiao Zhenyi looked at Lu Changsheng with a stiff expression, his heart sinking further.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, please," Xiao Zhenyi said helplessly, ushering Lu Changsheng inside.

In the Xiao Clan's secret chamber, Lu Changsheng and Xiao Zhenyi sat cross-legged. In truth, Lu Changsheng really had come only to consult and trade insights in the Martial Dao, especially regarding the Human Saint Realm.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, tell me, is the momentum of the masses from the Xiao Clan enough to sustain your cultivation?" Lu Changsheng asked.

Xiao Zhenyi shook his head. "It is not..."

The momentum of the masses sounded mystical, but in truth, a martial artist's great power resided in himself. The momentum of the masses was essentially a kind of cultivation resource, used to steadily strengthen the Saint Body and nothing more.

Once the Saint Body had been empowered, losing the momentum of the masses had no consequence; there was no dependence on it.

Immortal cultivators spoke of comprehending the Dao amid the mortal world, and martial artists rose from the common dust to begin with, so drawing on the momentum of the masses to cultivate was the most natural thing in the world.

Even the Xiao Clan's momentum could not sustain Xiao Zhenyi's cultivation. What if a second Martial Saint appeared? The clan could never support them both, and only one road would remain: relentless expansion. For any faction, more Martial Saints was not necessarily a good thing.

Indeed, more Martial Saints meant greater strength, but it also meant dividing up vast amounts of the momentum of the masses, and if the power's expansion could not keep pace, cultivation itself would suffer.

"Fellow Daoist, have you not considered going to a sacred land?" Lu Changsheng asked.

"A sacred land... Entering one is easier said than done," Xiao Zhenyi lamented. "The truth is, I once went to the Heavenly River Sacred Land myself, and I was screened out. I didn't qualify."

The memory stirred bitterness within Xiao Zhenyi's heart. His word used to be law in Xiao City, with everyone within ten thousand li knowing his name. However, upon failing to gain entry into the sacred land after becoming a Martial Saint, he had lost all face.

Lu Changsheng's eyes lit up instead and asked at once, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, you've actually been to the Heavenly River Sacred Land? What standards did they hold us Martial Saints to back then?"

"Standards?" Xiao Zhenyi repeated, giving Lu Changsheng a look.

He understood perfectly what Lu Changsheng meant. With talent like his, Lu Changsheng would never be content to stop at the Human Saint Realm. To go further, even to become an Earthly Saint or Heavenly Saint, he would have to find his way into a sacred land, which made intelligence on the Heavenly River Sacred Land invaluable.

Xiao Zhenyi thought it over. To smooth relations with Lu Changsheng, selling him a favor now would only benefit the Xiao Clan.

"The Heavenly River Sacred Land has only one requirement for outside Martial Saints. Overwhelming strength," explained Xiao Zhenyi. "The stronger, the better. After all, the sacred land must share out a great deal of the momentum of the masses to outside Martial Saints, and it cannot afford to feed idlers. Only the truly strong can be of use to the Heavenly River Sacred Land.

"My chance is gone, but you certainly have one. If a Saint Body forged on the

foundation of immeasurable divine abilities isn't enough to gain entry into a sacred land, then I don't know what is."

Xiao Zhenyi had no worries whatsoever about whether Lu Changsheng could enter the Heavenly River Sacred Land.

Lu Changsheng nodded thoughtfully. Although the standards Xiao Zhenyi spoke of could very well have changed over the years, it was a useful reference nonetheless.

1. "A man's name casts a shadow like a tree" is a Chinese saying that means a person's reputation, whether bad or good, has an influence on the people around them. ☜