"You are a disciple of a king or nobleman, high above others. How could you possibly understand the hardships faced by ordinary martial artists like us?"
"Exactly, you have endless resources to squander, but how do you know that we'd fight to the death for a single vial of medicine..."
"Why don't they eat meat porridge... Is this the national martial arts champion? I've learned something new today!"
Shen Qian's words undoubtedly provoked everyone, and a barrage of curses immediately followed.
"At what age did you become martial artists?"
Shen Qian suddenly asked.
The criticism subsided considerably, as many people were somewhat bewildered by the seemingly inexplicable question posed before the sinking.
"Those who can get a spot in the 'Sea of Learning' are not necessarily all peerless geniuses, but at least they are all elites, right?"
Shen Qian said to himself, "I guess most of you were in your first year of high school, or you had already broken through to the martial arts realm when you graduated from junior high school. You must all be qualified to be recommended to prestigious universities."
There was no response, but that was tantamount to acquiescence.
This was the passing grade for elite martial artists, just like Ding Yi back then.
“But I am not,” Shen Qian said calmly. “Even before the college entrance examination, I couldn’t even meet the physical fitness standards for a quasi-martial artist… Back then, you were all people I envied.”
Whispers continued to rise. Many people only knew Shen Qian's name and were unaware of his past experiences. At this moment, they were all somewhat astonished.
"After the college entrance examination, people started calling me a genius, a prodigy, and I suddenly became the kind of person I used to admire."
Shen Qian looked up at the sky, his gaze unfocused. "I've been excited, thrilled, and I've made grand ambitions to reach the pinnacle of martial arts and see the view from the highest point... just like you."
"but……"
Shen Qian's voice seemed to possess a certain magic, drawing everyone's attention.
"I don't know when it started, but I began to loathe the aura of such unparalleled genius."
Shen Qian smiled, but there was a hint of desolation in his smile. "Perhaps it was during the Nine Heavens War that I saw those people, saw you all colluding with each other, even trying to kill me, all for the so-called Golden List Blessing within me."
"It might have been during that power struggle between kings and nobles that I realized there were so many kings and nobles who no longer considered themselves human!"
"You only see me, Chen Qian, seizing all the opportunities in the Nine Heavens, but do you know that the battle for the Nine Heavens has been infiltrated by the Witch Clan? It almost led to a 10-year death situation where the geniuses of the human race were cut off!"
"You only have eyes for the so-called 'literary rank' in the mountains of books, thinking about how much you can improve, even resorting to unscrupulous means. Have you ever thought that you are stepping on the souls of countless compatriots?"
"Yes, martial artists must fight for it, but why is it that in the process of fighting, we forget those 'gates,' forget the countless foreign races that are eyeing us covetously, and forget that what makes us human is that we have flesh and blood, emotions and desires, and are not just cold machines that only know how to become stronger!"
"If this is what martial arts geniuses should strive for, then I will sink before you and refuse to be associated with you!"
“Before I was born, I was just an ordinary person. I never had any grand ideals, but I know that I must at least live up to the expectations of the predecessors who created this modern martial arts system!”
"A golden sword, adorned with white jade, shines through the window in the night. A man of fifty, his achievements yet unfulfilled, stands alone, sword in hand, surveying the vast wilderness!"
"This is a poem that Minister Wu once gave me, and now I give it to you... You can choose to point your blade at me, or you can point it behind the 'door,' at the vast starry sky, at that mysterious being that is hiding somewhere and is always trying to destroy our human race!"
The vast Book Mountain Basin became so quiet you could hear a pin drop, with only the sound of Shen Qian echoing continuously.
Nearly 200,000 martial artists had gathered here at some point. Although a small number of people sneered, most people had complicated expressions, and many of them looked ashamed.
Perhaps seeing that many people were clearly backing down, Yan Kuan, who had been coldly observing Chen Qian's "performance," became a little anxious. He suddenly shouted, "You talk a good game, but all you're doing is trying to monopolize the king's 'civil service position'..."
Yan Kuan's words made many people realize that, in fact, who knows what the real intention behind Shen Qian's seemingly righteous words was?
Before many could continue to ponder, a sudden storm arose above the mountain of books. As countless people retreated in horror, they saw a divine light emanating from Shen Qian's eyes. He raised one hand high, and the long sword in his hand suddenly transformed into a sharp spear. The storm was stirred up by the terrifying soul power that Shen Qian had gathered at that moment.
Thousands of feet away, Yan Kuan, who was in the crowd, had only uttered half a sentence when he instantly sensed the danger of death.
His instincts even outpaced his consciousness, and he immediately tried to retreat.
"Certainly!"
But no matter how fast he is, how could he possibly be faster than Chen Qian raising his lips slightly?
Words become law!
Yan Kuan felt himself instantly trapped in a net from which he could not escape. His hands and feet became stiff, and he could only watch helplessly as Shen Qian threw the spear in his hand with all his might. The cold light flashed and disappeared in the blink of an eye, piercing through his heart.
Yan Kuan looked down at the huge hole in his chest in disbelief. It was almost unbelievable that he, who was already at the peak of the Mountain and Sea realm, could not even withstand a single blow from thousands of feet away.
The next moment, the rampant destructive power erupted completely within him, and he ceased thinking, his consciousness returning to nothingness.
It wasn't just the martial artists near Yan Kuan who were completely caught off guard and were drenched in cold sweat; even those standing at a distance were in the same boat.
In that instant, it was all subconscious; everyone retreated, some even retreating thousands of feet away, before they found a sense of security.
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