Chapter 20: The Martial God Sect
In the late afternoon, the number of people in the earl's manor had dwindled significantly. Most nobles had already left, as the banquet was a luncheon. Those still present at this hour were all important guests.
"Walton, where's your big brother?" Yale, carrying two bottles of wine, walked over to Walton and asked, "I haven't seen him all afternoon."
"My brother left with that Mr. Hodan. I don't know where they went," Walton shook his head.
"I'll go find him. Knowing your eldest brother, he's probably run off to the training grounds to practice." Yale left the living room, walked along the corridor for a while, and directly arrived outside the backyard training grounds.
…
"Drip!" "Drip!"
Water was slowly dripping from the rockery beside the training grounds. The sound of dripping water was very clear in the quiet training field. Linley sat cross-legged on the grass, motionless.
If one looked closely, they could see that Linley's muscles were rhythmically contracting and bulging. A natural breeze stirred around Linley's body.
His mind merged with the vast earth, merging with the boundless wind.
"Thump!" "Thump!" …
"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" …
With his eyes closed, Linley felt that heaven and earth had been reduced to only the pulse that shook his soul and the formless wind that filled the universe. After an unknown amount of time, Linley opened his eyes.
"The master said that no one is allowed to enter without his permission."
"Not even me?" Yale sounded very helpless.
"Big Brother Yale, come on in." A faint smile appeared on Linley's lips as he stood up. Yale finally walked in. Seeing Linley, he said cheerfully, "Third Bro, I knew it. You're here training again. I tell you, why do you work so hard? You're already at the Saint-level peak, so powerful."
Linley glanced at Yale and smiled.
In Yale's mind, Linley was already an absolute powerhouse on the Yulan continent. Even the Emperor of the O'Brien Empire treated Linley with such courtesy. But after interacting with Hodan, Linley knew he still had a long way to go.
"Come on. Have a couple of drinks with me. We didn't really drink much today." Yale placed the two bottles of wine he was carrying on the stone table.
Linley sat down and, with a flip of his hand, took two wine glasses from his space ring.
"It's a pity the Fourth Bro isn't here." Linley shook his head and sighed. Last month, when Emperor Johann announced who he would choose as his son-in-law, Reynolds had already left the imperial capital.
"No choice. The army gave orders; he had to go whether he wanted to or not." Yale shrugged helplessly. "Last time was a coincidence, a leave of absence, that allowed us three brothers to gather. The Fourth Bro is okay, but as for the Second Bro… to see him, you have to go to the Yulan Empire."
The distance between the Yulan Empire and the O'Brien Empire was still quite far.
Chatting freely with his good brothers, Linley felt very happy. Why did he have to go to the Higher Plane and fight bloody battles?
The joy of cultivation lay in the enlightenment of the soul time and again, not in the bloody slaughter.
"Third Bro. I'm going to leave the imperial capital in a few days too." Yale sighed. "No choice. I'm young now. There are many things in the chamber of commerce that I have to do, otherwise I won't have the seniority to take power later."
Linley understood.
For a chamber of commerce as powerful as the Dawson Conglomerate, succession was never a simple matter of father passing to son. Otherwise, the Dawson Conglomerate probably wouldn't have grown so large. Of course, the son of the chamber of commerce would have some advantages, but the prerequisite was that he had to be capable and have the experience.
"So you won't be able to see the fight between Olivier and the Adamantine Sword Saint 'Hederson' next month?" Linley asked with a smile.
"Yeah." Yale laughed nonchalantly. "I'm just a mage anyway. Even if I watched a battle between two Saint-level warriors, how much would I really understand?"
Linley suddenly put down his wine glass and looked towards the door. "Someone's coming."
"Who?" Yale asked doubtfully. "Does anyone else know you're here?"
"Two members of the Martial God Sect." Linley said with a faint smile.
Saint-level experts could already use their spiritual energy to search. A small earl's manor was easily covered entirely by spiritual energy, so finding Linley was naturally simple.
*******
Cassarot and Lanco walked side-by-side towards the backyard of the earl's manor. They were very surprised by their teacher's instructions.
"Linley's strength is not bad, but does the teacher really need to go this far?" Lanco shook his head.
"I don't quite understand either." Cassarot was also puzzled.
With doubts in their hearts, they arrived at the entrance to the backyard. The guard at the door had already opened it. Cassarot and Lanco exchanged a glance.
"This Linley already knows we're here."
Cassarot and Lanco immediately saw Linley sitting with Yale. Seeing Yale there too, Cassarot and Lanco frowned slightly.
Yale stood up. "Third Bro, someone's looking for you. Talk to them first. I'll head to the main hall."
Linley nodded.
After Yale left, Cassarot and Lanco sat down. Linley asked, "Cassarot, Lanco, what brings you two here?"
Cassarot smiled. "Linley, our master has sent us to invite you to the Martial God Sect."
"The Martial God is inviting me to the Martial God Sect?" Linley found it hard to believe.
What status did the Martial God have? Why would he invite him?
Lanco nodded beside him. "Linley, our master did instruct us to have you come to the Martial God Sect. Moreover, this time, the master has asked our senior apprentice-brother to personally receive you. Linley, you should know that even when the Adamantine Sword Saint Hederson visited the Martial God Sect back then, our senior apprentice-brother did not come out to receive him."
"Oh?"
Linley's heart stirred. The senior apprentice-brother of the Martial God Sect… who was he?
"Your senior apprentice-brother, the first disciple of the Martial God… how old is he now?" Linley suddenly realized this question. Good heavens, the Martial God was a figure born over five thousand years ago.
Cassarot and Lanco both laughed.
"Yes. Our senior apprentice-brother is already over five thousand years old now, not much younger than our teacher." Cassarot nodded. "The teacher having our senior apprentice-brother receive you surprised me and my junior brother quite a bit."
Linley understood. The Martial God Sect only took on a personal disciple once every two or three hundred years.
The youngest was Brumer, only about thirty years old. But the oldest, the senior apprentice-brother, was over five thousand years old.
"Alright, when should I go?" Linley asked with a smile.
"You can come to our Martial God Sect anytime. Here, this is my token. When you arrive at the Martial God Sect, just give this token to the disciples there, and they will inform me." Cassarot flipped his hand and produced a small, crimson-red plaque with Cassarot's name engraved on it.
Linley took the token and smiled. "Don't worry, I will definitely come."
Cassarot and Lanco nodded and then left directly.
Linley thought to himself. The senior apprentice-brother of the Martial God Sect was over five thousand years old. How strong was he?
Would he be weaker than the Adamantine Sword Saint?
Linley didn't think so. The Adamantine Sword Saint was only a few hundred years old. This senior apprentice-brother had been cultivating in the Martial God Sect all along, with the Martial God himself as his teacher. After over five thousand years, how could his strength be low?
*******
On the main peak of Martial God Mountain, there were many buildings. This was where the nominal disciples of the Martial God Sect lived, and it was also where Kenyon, Cassarot, and Lanco managed the daily affairs of Martial God Mountain.
The mountain wind was strong, and many nominal disciples of the Martial God Sect were training.
"Hah!"
A boulder weighing tens of thousands of jin was kicked at high speed towards another person. That person casually kicked it back… Two nominal disciples of the Martial God Sect were effortlessly kicking this tens of thousands of jin boulder back and forth.
Most importantly, the boulder remained completely intact.
Their control over strength and battle qi was indeed very clever.
At this moment, an ethereal figure, like a wisp of smoke, drifted along the mountain path of Martial God Mountain. In the blink of an eye, he arrived at the square of the Martial God Sect.
"Huh?" A nominal disciple of the Martial God Sect looked at the newcomer in surprise. He hadn't seen anyone a moment ago, and suddenly, this person appeared before him.
"You are… Master Linley?" The nominal disciple recognized him. He had been one of those cheering for Brumer at the Colosseum that time.
Linley smiled and nodded. "Cassarot invited me. This is his token. Please go and inform him." Linley casually tossed the token to the nominal disciple.
The nominal disciple quickly said, "I will go and inform him immediately. Master Linley, please rest here for a while."
Linley nodded. It had been two days since Walton's engagement ceremony, and today, Linley had accepted the invitation and come alone to the Martial God Sect to see it for himself.
"That's Master Linley. I heard he's only twenty-seven years old."
"Even Senior Apprentice-Brother Kenyon was defeated so easily."
"I was there that day. Just one move. Senior Apprentice-Brother Kenyon was too weak compared to Master Linley."
"Senior Apprentice-Brother Kenyon is the teacher's twenty-fifth personal disciple. It's understandable that he's weaker. If Senior Apprentice-Brother Cassarot were to compare with Master Linley, the difference probably wouldn't be much. If some of the senior apprentice-brothers ranked in the teens, or even the top ten, were to step forward, defeating Linley would probably be very easy."
Many nominal disciples of the Martial God Sect were whispering to each other, occasionally glancing at Linley. These nominal disciples were all geniuses, each proud and arrogant. But compared to Linley, their gap was huge.
"Linley." A loud voice rang out.
Cassarot came running out from inside, his face full of smiles. "You came! Come on, follow me to the Green Thunder Peak."
"It's not here?" Linley asked doubtfully.
Clearly, the main peak had the most buildings, while the other four peaks had almost no visible structures.
Cassarot laughed. "Linley, our Martial God Sect has many nominal disciples. The main peak is for them to live on. My junior brother Lanco, and junior brother Kenyon, usually manage these nominal disciples. The other senior apprentice-brothers all live on the other peaks."
Linley nodded slightly.
Then, Cassarot led Linley directly towards another peak. On the slope, Linley and Cassarot walked as if on flat ground, light as birds.
"Cassarot, which personal disciple of the Martial God are you?" Linley asked.
"Me? The twenty-second." Cassarot smiled.
"Have you reached the Saint-level peak now?" Linley pressed on. He had heard those disciples in the square say that Cassarot could compare with him, which prompted this question.
Cassarot nodded. "Yes, but I probably wouldn't be a match for you. Your speed can match Olivier's, which is truly astonishing."
Linley's mind was racing.
The twenty-second personal disciple was already at the Saint-level peak. What about the earlier disciples?
"Cassarot, that Adamantine Sword Saint 'Hederson' is called the number one Saint-level expert. Can he compare to your senior apprentice-brother?" Linley asked.
"How could that be?"
Cassarot snorted. "Although Hederson's understanding of the Laws of the Earth is already quite high, there is definitely more than one person in our Martial God Sect who is stronger than him. The reason Hederson became famous is that my senior apprentice-brother, second apprentice-brother, and others are all over five thousand years old. They have been living in seclusion for millennia. How could they compete for fame with a junior who is only a few hundred years old?"
Linley suddenly understood a bit.
"Not to mention our Martial God Sect, I know of others. For example, the King of Assassins, 'Cesar'. Over a thousand years ago, Cesar sparred with my senior apprentice-brother, and they were evenly matched. I think if Cesar were to deal with Hederson, he could definitely win easily." Cassarot said with certainty.
Linley was stunned.
Cesar? It seemed Cassarot didn't know that Cesar had already reached the Demigod level. But this senior apprentice-brother, who was evenly matched with Cesar over a thousand years ago, was indeed a terrifying figure.
"We've reached Green Thunder Peak. Come on, I haven't seen our senior apprentice-brother in a long time either. The teacher said that our senior apprentice-brother is the most likely among us brothers to be the first to reach the Demigod level." Cassarot's face was full of confidence.