I Have A Martial Dao World

Jinmen It was already the eighteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, and with the New Year approaching, the streets were decorated with colorful lanterns, festooned with a touch of holiday spirit; the faces of passersby were also filled with joy. Not only did the wealthy clients in their brocade furs show a rosy glow on their faces, but even the poor, clad in patched clothes, seemed to have a bit more pep in their step. The New Dynasty had just been established, bringing with it a fresh start. Not only had it eliminated various harsh taxes and forced labor but it also cracked down hard on underworld gangs, especially martial artists who used their strength to bully the people. With social order stable and the hearts of the people at ease, civilian life had recovered quite well, visibly flourishing in the marketplace. Add to that the fact that the Great Yi Dynasty was waging war against Izumo, with the war machine in full operation providing numerous livelihoods, the common folk's daily life could be considered quite prosperous. With the New Year in plain sight, Jinmen Port remained busy, with icebreakers occasionally carving through the iced over channels, allowing cargo ships to dock. These were fleets from the Overseas Enfeoffment, seizing the opportunity to make one last profit before the year's end. Among them were ships from Izumo, returning with a large quantity of extremely high-quality copper and silver. People marveled, noting that this nation, once a member of the great powers, now had nearly half its territory lost. As for how to rule and exploit the enfeoffment, the Coalition Forces of the Great Powers and Izumo had already set an excellent example; the "governors" simply needed to copy the ready-made answers, which seemed to be highly effective for the time being. The dockworkers, wearing their tattered coats, began to unload the cargo when all at once, figures appeared flying over the sea at speeds of over a hundred kilometers per hour! The crowd was unfazed, knowing these to be martial artists who couldn't wait for the ships to dock. Normally, only Innate Grandmasters could walk on water, but now with the harbor frozen, martial masters could do it as well. One after another, quite a few arrived, most in military uniforms. The people on the dock chatted idly: "His Majesty is to host a feast for the civil and military officials on the first of January; these must be the experts returning to attend the [Imperial Banquet]." "If they're coming back, does that mean there's no more fighting in Izumo?" "There must be people left behind to defend it, and besides, the people of Izumo also celebrate the New Year." "The people of Izumo celebrate the New Year too?" "All the countries around us celebrate the New Year. But... it's not going to be a good year for Izumo." ~~~~~~~~~~ Izumo, Kyoto In this era, the New Year for Izumo was still the "old New Year," not much different from the Yi Dynasty's Spring Festival, which should have been a time of celebration. But at this moment, the streets of Kyoto were silent as the grave, with the cold wind that blew through carrying faint sounds of wailing. Inside the Kanda Shrine, bodies wrapped in straw mats were laid out. These were the corpses of Izumo's soldiers, who could only be gathered up as the Yi Dynasty's military eased its assault for the Spring Festival. Their bodies were mostly intact, most having met their end by the small-caliber rifles of the "Auxiliary Army of Mortals" or the .50 machine guns mounted on battle armor. To die by the hands of a mecha meant there was no hope of piecing the body back together. Whether it was from a mecha cannon or [Armored Combat Techniques], it would simply blow a person apart. Relatives wailed in utter sorrow, unable to cry out loud; the priests held white silks, dancing with expressionless faces to complete the ritual. Having witnessed too much of life and death, they were no longer disturbed by such scenes. This scenario was not unique; cries of heart-wrenching pain could be heard from shrine to shrine, temple to temple. But however deep the grief, it could not halt the progress of war; the fire of greed within human hearts is not easily extinguished. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ At the same time, 50 li west of Kyoto. This was where the Third Legion of the Yi Dynasty was stationed. The entire army had Kyoto surrounded, just waiting to celebrate the New Year before completely taking over this major stronghold of Izumo. At that moment, in a hot spring bathhouse, several legion soldiers were cuddled up with local maidens, seeking pleasure. They drank and teased each other amidst the noisy commotion: "I heard the Great Grandmaster Wen Taiji from the Penglai Sect got heavily injured by two shadow-level ninja masters and has returned home to recover." "He wanted to monopolize Osaka, but ended up in an ambush, who can he blame for that?" "An enfeoffment, I wonder when it will be our turn... I'd be content with just one county!" After the expansion of the Yi Dynasty's military, it was divided into three legions: the first was 'Imperial Fist', the second was 'Imperial Thunderbolt', and the third was 'Imperial Blade'." 'Imperial Thunderbolt' was expanded from the elite of 'Imperial Fist', with soldiers and officers at all levels being the cream of the crop, fiercely loyal to the dynasty, and the legion's discipline was extremely high. The third legion, 'Imperial Blade'... was composed of the relatively obedient forces from various major powers. These people were unstable elements within the country, often ready to brawl with just a glance on the streets. Although they hadn't committed any major treacheries or evils, they definitely couldn't be considered good. They were also quite dissatisfied with the Imperial Court's policies, believing that as Martial Artists, they should have special privileges. Why were so many things forbidden, and why should they be punished for accidentally injuring civilians? Thankfully, they were drawn to the promise of 'overseas enfeoffment' and competed to join the military on overseas expeditions, venting their excessive energy on foreign tribes. As for military discipline, there's no need to say much—it was full of the style of a feudal army. Fortunately, the forceful crackdown by the legion commander and the accompanying Great Grandmaster prevented things from getting too out of hand. But it was this group of people who, when the Coalition Forces of the Great Powers invaded, actually volunteered and actively came forward to defend the Imperial City! At that time, everyone knew it was a life-or-death situation, but they still came. This was their biggest reason for being able to join the military. Things or people in this world are not only black or white; in reality, most are grey. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Time came to the twenty-second day of the twelfth lunar month. Li Pei and Liao Qe had already entered a state of seclusion for recuperation, ignoring affairs of the outside world. Lu Yao and Yu Yanmei watched over them together, their faces showing no signs of nervousness. Armed with indomitable Divine Thought and True Qi, they were ready to handle any emergency situation. Being in the Leak-proof Realm, including the subsequent Golden Body Realm, no longer posed any obstacle. At this moment, Lu Yao was discussing the various aspects of cultivation in the Golden Body Realm with Yu Yanmei through voice transmission. "After the Golden Body Realm, the body, imbued with Indestructible Will, becomes even more powerful. Mere physical strength and True Qi are far from sufficient, and the body urgently needs a more efficient energy source to function. During the battle against the Blood Ancestor, I felt this more than once," Lu Yao said. Yu Yanmei nodded and replied, "I've had the same feeling. The body is strong, but the power feels minimal, like a person who hasn't eaten enough." Lu Yao clapped his hands and said, "So the next step in our cultivation is to use our bodies as furnaces and undergo a fusion reaction!" Yu Yanmei looked puzzled and said, "Are you talking about the Primordial Realm? The scriptures mention this realm as one where the five elements are unformed, the three talents undifferentiated, and the two principles unestablished—it is called chaos..." Lu Yao shook his head, took out his phone, and opened a video explanation: "The so-called nuclear fusion is about fusing atomic nuclei together, releasing huge amounts of energy... " Yu Yanmei watched with wide eyes for a while and then laughed, "It's such profound knowledge; I don't understand it." "No problem," Lu Yao said confidently, "In the past it was always me learning from you; this time I'll break through first, and then you can learn from me. Once we reach the Primordial Realm, there are some old scores to settle with certain scoundrels." Yu Yanmei nodded, then took the hand of her little man and said softly, "Lu Yao, when we meet strong enemies again, like the Blood Ancestor, you can't just carry the burden alone, you must let me fight alongside you." Lu Yao scratched his head and laughed, "I was just worried about the danger before..." "Don't see me as a frail woman." Yu Yanmei summoned the 'Tai'a Divine Sword' and spun it around, saying, "I'm strong; I won't hold you back. Moreover, I'm your Dao partner, and we're meant to live and die together." This woman, under Lu Yao's guidance, indeed possessed strength far surpassing that of the Golden Body Realm. However, the term "Dao partner" was interesting. Lu Yao, with his arms around her slender waist, teased, "What Dao partner? You're my wife~" As he spoke, his hands roamed playfully. Yu Yanmei pushed him away and said, "Get off, stop messing around, they're in the midst of breaking through!"