It is quite difficult to establish a Zhenwu Hall from scratch.
However, Yang Cheng established the Zhenwu Hall on the basis of the Yushousi, which made things much easier; at most, it was just a matter of changing the plaque.
The main hall where the Imperial Guardian Office was located can still be used, as can the Zhenwu Hall, which is also needed in places like the Imperial Prison and the Martial Arts Arena.
To be honest, Yang Cheng looked down on most of the people from the Guardian Division.
They are all pampered and will hide when faced with trouble. They are good at getting by, but if Yang Cheng really relied on them to support the Zhenwu Hall, he would not be able to complete his mission even if he stayed in this world for ten years.
Therefore, Yang Cheng only kept the intelligence department of the Imperial Guard, and had Zhang Meng help select a group of people who were somewhat capable to stay, while all the others were dismissed.
Furthermore, Yang Cheng even went to the Sutra Repository to beg Zhou Yan to find some cultivation techniques for Yin Wuxie and the others.
The martial arts lineage of the Great Zhou Dynasty has been severed. It doesn't lack techniques, but rather people to practice them.
In other words, since the Great Zhou Dynasty has already prioritized civil affairs over military matters, it's better to curry favor with some important figure and get promoted faster than to waste time cultivating those martial arts techniques.
Just like Chu Wenze and Shangguan Ling, they were once young talents who were obsessed with martial arts.
But after they became pampered and discovered that being good-looking was more likely to win the emperor's favor than being strong, how could they possibly spend a lot of money to cultivate?
Inside the Sutra Repository, Zhou Yan manipulated his internal energy with fluid grace, extracting all the cultivation techniques Yang Cheng needed without the slightest pause, clearly demonstrating his complete mastery of all the techniques present.
"I never expected that just a few days after our last meeting, you would have already established the Zhenwu Hall and wanted to rebuild the martial arts lineage of the Great Zhou Dynasty."
However, this path is extremely difficult. I'm an old man, and I'm no longer able to help you. But if there's anything you don't understand, you can come and ask me.
"This old man's hands and feet are crippled, but my mind still works pretty fast; I haven't forgotten things from decades ago."
Zhou Yan was quite pleased at this moment.
After nearly a century, he finally saw someone willing to truly dedicate themselves to rebuilding the martial arts lineage of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
"You're too kind, senior, but I do have a question."
The martial arts masters I've encountered during this period don't seem to be very strong.
Even the elders of the Heavenly Sword Sect were only considered to be of decent strength.
On the contrary, some unorthodox individuals possess astonishing power, such as the Ma Xian lineage outside the pass and the Holy Duke Zhang Liang of the Great Brightness Sect.
The master at Vajra Minglun Temple is also quite powerful, but he practices mantra and Vajra secret techniques, so it's not exactly pure martial arts.
If the limits of martial arts are only this strong, then are the major sects of the Central Plains actually weaker than the secret techniques of those unorthodox sects?
This is also what Yang Cheng has been wondering about and struggling with.
If you spend hundreds of reincarnation points to learn the Heaven Stealing Divine Technique and make a huge investment to prepare for cultivating this specialization, only to find that its upper limit is so small, wouldn't that be a huge loss?
Zhou Yan shook his head and said, "Of course, the upper limit of martial arts is not like that, but in recent years, both the Great Zhou Dynasty and the major sects in the Central Plains have been too stable."
Therefore, whether it is the younger generation or the middle generation, their strength seems somewhat weak. As for the elders of the Heavenly Sword Sect, which one of them didn't get their position through seniority?
However, you should not underestimate the masters in the martial arts world because of this.
For example, Luo Fei, the leader of the Heavenly Sword Sect, is unparalleled in swordsmanship and can cleave rivers.
For example, the leader of the Xuanzhen Taoist sect, Master Xuanwei, cultivated the Huangting Great Dao Temple, refined internal and external elixirs, and possessed continuous true qi. He was even able to ride the qi and walk through the air, and was known as a terrestrial immortal.
There is also Abbot Fakong of Shaolin Temple, the "Arhat Who Crosses Calamity," whose golden body is indestructible and whose Arhat appearance is unparalleled, capable of destroying cities and moving mountains.
These people are already considered grandmasters in martial arts; even at my peak, I wouldn't have much of a chance against them.
Yang Cheng nodded naturally.
According to Zhou Yan, a martial artist who has cultivated internal energy is generally only at the early stage of the Ninth Revolution. Only those who can project their internal energy can be considered to be at the middle stage of the Ninth Revolution, which is considered a master level.
In the later stages of the Nine Revolutions, martial arts skills have basically reached an extreme, like Zhamude of the Vajra Minglun Temple. The next level up is a grandmaster like Baosheng Batu, who is comparable to the peak of the Nine Revolutions.
However, even among grandmasters, there are varying levels of strength. Baosheng Batu is clearly the strongest among grandmasters, approaching the level of the Eight Gates.
Sword Master Luo Fei can cleave rivers with his sword, Xuanwei Zhenren can fly through the air, and Shaolin Temple Abbot Fakong can destroy cities and move mountains. Clearly, they have already surpassed the limits of mortal martial arts. The strength of such beings must be at the level of the Eight Gates.
However, beings of this caliber are probably few and far between; there might be a dozen or so in the entire martial arts world at most.
Zhou Yan sighed and said, "However, you are right about one thing: martial arts are declining, but all sorts of unorthodox and evil practices are thriving and have terrifying power."
Those thirty-six bandits and the Holy Duke Zhang Liang were all extraordinary in their methods, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, and were extremely difficult to deal with.
There are also those shamanic disciples outside the pass. Although the evil spirits behind them cannot leave the pass due to some kind of restriction, their power is still astonishing. I have suffered great losses at their hands.
"If your Zhenwu Hall ever has to face them in the future, you must be careful."
"Thank you for reminding me, senior."
After bidding farewell to Zhou Yan, Yang Cheng returned to the newly established Zhenwu Hall and announced only two things.
One approach is to recruit people from respectable backgrounds into the Zhenwu Hall, offering them not only generous salaries but also access to martial arts techniques and expert guidance.
Yang Cheng had no interest in using the imperial guards and palace guards, even though both Zhou Heng and the Empress Dowager would allocate some of them to him if he asked.
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