Chapter 76: Ranked Martial Artists

Unlike Yang Ze, Lu Qing's eyes did not show the same astonishment. Instead, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his gaze, filled with terror, also carried a hint of envy.

When Yang Ze saw Lu Qing’s expression, he felt bewildered. Lu Qing’s current state was truly odd—a mixture of fear and longing.

Noticing Yang Ze’s gaze, Lu Qing did not take offense, nor did he care about his own demeanor. Instead, he spoke softly, “Brother Yang, how much do you know about the Wuyang Martial Academy?”

Yang Ze shook his head, answering candidly, “In truth, I know very little. I only know that it is a martial academy formed by many powerful martial artists in the Jianghu.”

Lu Qing, seeing that Yang Ze was not lying, continued, “Then Brother Yang ought to know that the world is divided into nine provinces, and our Tianwu Dynasty rules over all nine, yes?”

Yang Ze nodded, “I have heard a little.”

“The nine provinces are vast beyond measure—ordinary folk could exhaust a lifetime and still not traverse them all. Though the Tianwu Dynasty governs the nine provinces, within them exist countless sects, noble families, and innumerable martial factions.

Do not think these Jianghu factions are insignificant—among them, some are powerful enough to dominate an entire province.

Nominally, they fall under the court’s jurisdiction, but within their territories, they wield authority no less than the government. Even the court must show them great respect.

Brother Yang, as a fellow wanderer, you should understand: when heroes use their strength to defy authority, the Jianghu becomes a force opposed to the court—and now, the Jianghu in the nine provinces is just so powerful.

To counter this, the court established martial academies across the land. The academies’ leaders are all formidable martial artists. The academy is like a sect but belongs solely to the court, obeying no other.

The academy’s purpose is to recruit all promising youths from its region, training them into martial masters. After enough years, they may choose to remain in the academy, serve in the local government, or leave altogether.

And Wuyang Martial Academy is the only academy in our Qianyang Prefecture, one of its two greatest powers, and ranks among the foremost forces in all of Yangzhou. It answers only to the Prefecture Governor!”

Yang Ze's expression changed entirely, his face filled with perplexity.

He couldn’t help it—much of what Lu Qing said was news to him, and it was only natural that he was astonished.

He also grasped something: Wuyang Martial Academy was akin to the schools of his previous life, dedicated to nurturing students.

This benefited the court, allowing them to recruit from the Jianghu. When graduates entered the official system, it weakened the martial factions and bolstered the court’s power.

In Yang Ze’s eyes, this was a clever strategy. The Jianghu, with its myriad factions, had its giants but could never truly unite; it remained as scattered as grains of sand.

If the scattered sand was poorly managed, it could harm the court, but if controlled well, it could become a sharp blade in the court’s hand.

Yet Yang Ze still doubted Lu Qing’s claim that some sects could dominate an entire province. The scale of a province was unimaginable—how could a sect rival the court?

“If Wuyang Martial Academy is so powerful, who else in Qianyang Prefecture can compete with it? Could it be the government?” Yang Ze didn’t voice his doubt but instead asked this question.

Lu Qing shook his head, his expression changing as if surprised by Yang Ze’s question.

“The government holds some prestige in Qianyang Prefecture, but it cannot match Wuyang Martial Academy. The other top force is the Thunderblade Sect.

Wuyang Martial Academy’s role, aside from training outstanding disciples, is to counterbalance the Thunderblade Sect.

Thunderblade Sect is the foremost martial force in Qianyang Prefecture, its sect filled with experts and its reputation renowned across Yangzhou. It has ruled the prefecture’s Jianghu for years, and even the government dares not provoke it. Only Wuyang Martial Academy can rival Thunderblade Sect.”

Lu Qing explained, but omitted that Thunderblade Sect’s dominance made it difficult for the academy to recruit martial folk elsewhere—only in remote places like Yuyang Town could they find recruits.

Yuyang Town was simply too remote—a place where even a postnatal martial artist could reign, utterly insignificant in the prefecture’s grand scheme.

“Thunderblade Sect, Wuyang Martial Academy… so these are the strongest powers in Qianyang Prefecture.” Yang Ze murmured, though it was his first time hearing these names, he could guess their strength. To destroy Yuyang Town would cost them nothing, which explained Lü Feng’s attitude.

“There is one last question I hope Brother Lu will answer,” Yang Ze said.

“Please, ask freely.”

“Brother Lu, in the outside world, are there other divisions in martial cultivation? The City Lord and Master Ouyang seem to be at the postnatal realm—is that old man already at the innate realm?

And what of the strongest in Thunderblade Sect and Wuyang Martial Academy—do they surpass the innate realm, or are there legendary martial grades?”

Lu Qing couldn’t help but laugh.

“Hahaha, I thought Brother Yang knew nothing, but it seems you know a bit—at least the martial grades.

But your perspective is still limited. Innate realm? If there were truly innate experts, Wuyang Martial Academy wouldn’t even bother. The academy’s true disciples are all graded martial artists. Anyone less than a graded martial artist is the lowest of the low in the mundane world—not worth mentioning!”

“So what exactly are graded martial artists?” Yang Ze was shocked—he had only heard the term, without knowing its meaning.

“Very well, today I’ll tell Brother Yang everything I know. Channeling Qi, Postnatal, Innate—these are the basic paths of martial training in the Nine Provinces, followed for thousands of years.

Following this path, the highest one can reach in a lifetime is the innate realm. Innate martial artists are formidable against ordinary folk—one could defeat a thousand—but against thousands of soldiers, even the innate realm is helpless.

This persisted for millennia, until a thousand years ago, when a meteor from the heavens struck the Nine Provinces, changing everything.

A thousand years ago, the land was in chaos—warring factions, endless strife. The meteor’s arrival drew everyone’s attention; many masters investigated it.

After countless investigations, they discovered a new cultivation method within the meteor, and found it brought a new energy—spiritual Qi—changing the world.

A thousand years ago, with the resurgence of spiritual Qi and the rise of graded martial artists, the fragmented provinces plunged into centuries of bloody war, rivers of blood flowing—a time of utter darkness.

Finally, five hundred years ago, the Martial Emperor emerged, sweeping the Nine Provinces with his might, establishing the Tianwu Dynasty, ruling all nine, and ending the age of chaos!”

As Lu Qing spoke, his eyes grew feverish, almost losing control.

After regaining his composure, Lu Qing continued, “After spiritual Qi returned, only graded martial artists could stand at the forefront. Their classification is simple—from first grade to ninth grade; first grade is entry-level, ninth grade the strongest. Only graded martial artists can soar through the skies and move mountains.

In a great power like Wuyang Martial Academy, all members are graded martial artists. Elder Ma, for example, is at least a third-grade expert. Before a third-grade martial artist, the postnatal realm is nothing.

But even Elder Ma is not significant in the academy. It’s rumored the strongest in Wuyang Martial Academy is a fifth-grade martial artist—a true power capable of shaking an entire prefecture!”

After Lu Qing finished, Yang Ze’s heart surged with waves of shock. He had never imagined that the Nine Provinces harbored such a history.

A thousand years of spiritual Qi resurgence, the rise of graded martial artists, and he realized that not one person in Yuyang Town could stand out. Only those who reached the martial grades were true martial artists.

Having learned all this, Yang Ze understood how wise his choice was. If he had not connected with Wuyang Martial Academy, relying on himself alone, he would never have learned these truths.

“Brother Yang, I was astonished when I first learned these things. Once you leave Yuyang Town, you’ll see how vast the world truly is—Yuyang Town is just too small, too remote,” Lu Qing added, unaware that Yang Ze was already pondering leaving. In this tiny pond, he could never achieve greatness.

While the two of them whispered below, Elder Ma had already taken his seat on the platform. The other four followed, and Yuan Heng signaled Yang Ze and his companions to step forward.