Chapter 13

Hao Qi was eating dinner and reading the newspaper. As he read, his expression suddenly changed, and he read a particular article several times before putting the newspaper down, lost in thought.

The newspaper reported an article about a major corruption case discovered in the capital region of the Blue Shadow Republic. Many people were involved, but the top suspect was Xu Wen from the capital region's government internal affairs department. The article included a black-and-white photo of her and a list of her crimes, which included embezzlement, bribery, drug smuggling, abuse of power, and mass murder. After the crimes were exposed, she attempted to kill witnesses to cover her tracks. However, the law eventually caught up with her, and she was arrested, tried, and sentenced to death by hanging, with no possibility of appeal, and her political rights were permanently revoked...

(Could the Xu family have fallen? Because I killed one of their internal strength practitioners? No, that's unlikely. Even if the Xu family had only one internal strength practitioner, they wouldn't have completely fallen. Now that I'm also an internal strength practitioner, I understand how powerful they are. Even in this civilization, with no heavy weapons or missiles, it's almost impossible to harm an internal strength practitioner. They're not fools; they wouldn't charge at you if they saw hundreds of heavy weapons. They would hide in the shadows, and anyone who dared to harm my family would be killed one by one. So as long as the Xu family has one internal strength practitioner, such a trial shouldn't happen, unless...)

Hao Qi, having come from the information explosion era, naturally understood that laws were essentially created to protect the ruling class. If the law were to turn against the ruling class, the ruling class could simply eliminate those enforcing the law. Unless the ruling class was no longer the ruling class, the law would never turn against them.

As long as the Xu family had an internal strength practitioner to maintain their power, they would always be part of the ruling class. The only reason such a trial could happen is if the Xu family allowed it...

(Do they want to reconcile with me? Haha...)

Hao Qi had a suspicion, and he was almost certain it was correct. Although his identity and worldview from his previous life made it hard for him to fully understand the intense loyalty people in this era had towards their families and sects, it didn't stop him from deducing the Xu family's plan. They were likely sacrificing this direct descendant to preserve the entire family. After all, he had already killed one of their internal strength practitioners. If he killed another, the Xu family would be truly exterminated. No matter what alliances or friendships existed, when a powerful family declined, all its interests would attract other powerful families to tear it apart, leaving no remnants.

Now, the choice was in Hao Qi's hands. He picked up the newspaper again and read it carefully for a long time. Finally, he sighed and put it down, never to pick it up again.

Well, an eye for an eye, a debt for a debt. He did have the power to force the Xu family into a corner, but was it necessary? After all, the person who killed his brother had already been sentenced to death. As long as it was really him and not a substitute or a trap, their feud could end there. The Xu family was a major family with many members, both young and old. He couldn't bring himself to sacrifice an entire family for his brother, regardless of their knowledge or innocence.

Well, that's that.

With his decision made, Hao Qi put aside his final thoughts. He just needed to confirm that Xu Wen was truly executed by hanging, and then he could start planning his dreams. Of course, he had many things to do first, such as securing enough money, obtaining maps, and buying many books on wilderness survival, languages, and various cultures.

Oh, and medical books were essential. He realized this while healing his internal injuries. His medical knowledge was lacking, and repairing and strengthening his organs, internal organs, and nerves was challenging. If he wanted to improve his strength, he needed to study medicine. Additionally, during his future travels, medical knowledge could save his life in case of illness, poisoning, or serious injury.

"Sigh, I still need money..."

Hao Qi sighed and stopped his thoughts. After dinner, he went to a telegraph office and sent a message to the Li family in the capital region. Then he returned to his hotel to rest. The next afternoon, Li Pancheng, Xue Na, and the Li family's internal strength practitioner arrived at the hotel.

Among the three, the elderly internal strength practitioner from the Li family looked natural and smiled warmly at Hao Qi, addressing him as a young friend, as if they had been close for years. Li Pancheng and Xue Na, however, looked more complex, especially Li Pancheng, who seemed hesitant, unsure of what to say.

"Brother Li, Big Sister, we met in humble circumstances and have always been sincere with each other. I believe we will be friends in the future, right?" Hao Qi said to Li Pancheng and Xue Na.

Before Li Pancheng could respond, Xue Na exclaimed, "Of course! You've really made it, you little guy. The youngest internal strength practitioner in the history of the Blue Shadow Republic, and with the strength of a mid-level internal strength practitioner. When we first met, we didn't recognize you. Now that we've confirmed it, you're still that stubborn little radish head, nothing has changed."

Hao Qi awkwardly touched his nose. When he first came to this world, his body was still growing, and his training in the Luohan Fist consumed a lot of nutrients, making him look big-headed and thin. He was known as "little radish head," a nickname only his closest friends knew. Now that Xue Na had mentioned it, even if he had some reservations, he couldn't say anything more.

After some greetings, Hao Qi asked the Li family's internal strength practitioner, "Is the Xu family really planning to reconcile? Is Xu Wen the real person, or is it a trap to lure me to the capital region? Sir, since I owe the Li family a favor, I can only ask you these questions."

The Li family's internal strength practitioner didn't seem bothered at all and laughed, saying, "Speaking of favors is too formal. Your sister is our Li family's direct daughter-in-law, so we are family. Talking about favors is being too formal... Regarding Xu Wen's trial, it is indeed real. The trial process, the evidence collection, and the upcoming execution by hanging have all been verified. The Xu family invited the eight major families in the capital region, including our Li family, to participate. Xu Wen has been imprisoned and verified as the real person, not a substitute. She is the only one among the Xu family's younger generation who is almost at the quasi-internal strength level."

"Is that so?" Hao Qi was silent for a moment before smiling and saying, "Then please convey a message to the Xu family. I will wait for Xu Wen's death. Once he is dead, my feud with the Xu family will be over."

The old man from the Li family nodded and said, "Wise... However, even if your feud with the Xu family is over, you still have another challenge to face."

Hao Qi was curious and asked, "What challenge? Is the Xu family planning to continue their feud with me?"

"No, not the Xu family," the old man from the Li family continued, "but the state, the Blue Shadow Republic... Have you heard of the 'baptism'?"

"Baptism?" Hao Qi was even more confused and asked, "Is it a religious ceremony?"

"No, no, no, you misunderstand," the old man from the Li family laughed and said, "As martial artists, some of us may believe in religion or deities, but martial arts generally have nothing to do with religion. The 'baptism' refers to the baptism of martial artists."

"Thousands or even tens of thousands of years ago, when humans lived in tribes, internal strength practitioners were already at the top of human society. This world has many large, fierce creatures with innate energy systems similar to internal strength. In ancient times, without firearms, these creatures could not be defeated by collective human strength. Only internal strength practitioners could match them. This is why internal strength practitioners have such high status, as they were the protectors and evolutionary advantage of humanity in this natural world."

"However, internal strength practitioners are still human. Even with their enhanced life levels, humans still have emotions, love, and hate. Speaking of which, I want to ask you, do you think the existence of powerful families is reasonable?"

The old man from the Li family looked at Hao Qi with a serious and earnest expression.

Hao Qi felt a chill. Since achieving the internal strength realm, he had developed a subtle intuition. For example, when he sent the telegraph to the Li family, he somehow felt it was safe and wouldn't attract enemies. This intuition was hard to describe but was definitely there. Now, he sensed that this answer was important, almost a test of his path. If he answered incorrectly, his current friendship with the Li family might end.

"Powerful families... I personally believe they are inevitable."

Hao Qi, guided by his intuition, decided to answer according to his true feelings. Since his internal strength burst five days ago, breaking through his previous constraints, he no longer intended to compromise. If it worked, it worked; if not, it didn't. He was unafraid of any difficulties, having spent ten years honing his internal strength and his resolve.

"For example, if I become an internal strength practitioner and have a family, my children will naturally have a higher starting point than ordinary people. I can't pretend to be content with a simple life. With my strength, my social status will naturally exist. As a result, my children will have social status and wealth from a young age, along with my martial arts knowledge and guidance. They may also become internal strength practitioners. This process, generation after generation, forms a powerful family. Unless my descendants are unworthy, the establishment of my family is reasonable and justified, with no harm to others. This is a natural and inevitable process."

"This process applies not only to powerful families but also to sects, the state, and any collective power. There may be unworthy individuals or villains, but this is fundamentally unrelated to powerful families. Of course, if a powerful family itself becomes corrupt, such as my family, and deviates from its original path, engaging in drug trafficking, human trafficking, or forcing people into prostitution, then that family deserves to be destroyed. But this is like good and evil; you can say a person is bad, but you can't say all people are bad. The same applies to powerful families."

After Hao Qi finished speaking, the old man from the Li family slowly smiled and said, "That's exactly the point, but many people don't understand this, especially the young and impulsive. They incorrectly judge an entire class based on good and evil, which is fundamentally wrong. If it were just an ordinary person, it wouldn't matter, but what if this young and impulsive person is an internal strength practitioner? You and I are both internal strength practitioners, and we know that if an internal strength practitioner is determined to cause destruction and assassination, no one except another internal strength practitioner is safe. The damage to the state, powerful families, sects, and society would be enormous. What if this internal strength practitioner is a young, poor genius, similar to your situation, and has a life-and-death feud with powerful families, sects, or the state? Therefore, the 'baptism' for internal strength practitioners began at some point in ancient times."

"Ordinary internal strength practitioners usually start as ordinary martial artists, gradually becoming quasi-internal strength practitioners, and by then, they are already famous throughout the country. They accumulate their reputation and social status, meet and befriend other internal strength practitioners within the country and neighboring countries, and gradually learn about the internal strength realm. By the time they achieve the internal strength realm, their character, social status, family, friends, and enemies are already known. In this case, the baptism is essentially a ceremony to confirm their internal strength status. At most, during the gathering of internal strength practitioners, the newcomer will spar with some senior internal strength practitioners. However, in your case, since you immediately clashed with a powerful family upon achieving internal strength, the baptism will be a true test."

Hao Qi's expression became serious, and he bowed, saying, "I wish to hear more."

The old man from the Li family nodded and said, "It's quite simple. Our country currently has forty-two registered internal strength practitioners, twenty-one from powerful families, eleven from sects, and ten as independents. After you sent the telegraph, the state has roughly learned your whereabouts. I am here to inform you that, starting today, in fifteen days, the baptism will begin. One person from a powerful family, one from a sect, one from the state, and one from the independents will be sent to spar with you. As long as you survive the sparring, whether by escaping, blocking, or seeking help, you will be considered to have passed the baptism."

"I see."

Hao Qi was deeply moved. This baptism principle seemed simple but had profound implications. First, those with power inevitably have status, a universal truth in any society with a hierarchy. In the past, during the Victorian era in Britain, the British Parliament even enacted laws stating that anyone with a certain amount of wealth should or must join the nobility. This was Britain's wisdom, not suppressing the powerful but integrating them, leading to the success of the British Empire. The same applied to the United States.

Therefore, if the baptism were simply to eliminate those who don't fit in or oppose the ruling class, Hao Qi would find it absurd that this custom could last for thousands or tens of thousands of years without the human society being destroyed. The ruling class is a small percentage of the population, while the common people are the majority. Although the ruling class holds most of the wealth, internal strength practitioners are not determined by wealth. While wealth can increase the likelihood of becoming an internal strength practitioner, the sheer number of common people, potentially thousands or millions of times more than the ruling class, would have torn the ruling class apart if there were a real crackdown.

Thus, the essence of the baptism is not to suppress common internal strength practitioners. It has three purposes: first, to integrate all internal strength practitioners into the ruling class; second, to make those who oppose the ruling class or are from common backgrounds realize that the state, powerful families, and sects have the power to defeat them; and third, to eliminate those who are completely uncontrollable and insane.

Hao Qi understood that an internal strength practitioner significantly enhances a country's strength. From what the old man from the Li family said, the entire Blue Shadow Republic had only forty-two internal strength practitioners, out of a population of over thirty million. The ratio of internal strength practitioners was extremely low, almost one in a million. While there might be some unregistered internal strength practitioners or those who quickly left the Blue Shadow Republic, this number still highlighted the value of internal strength practitioners.

Because of their value and potential harm, the baptism is essentially a process to serve the rulers. If an internal strength practitioner can be used by the rulers, they can join the ruling class through the baptism. If they cannot be used or have conflicts, they will be intimidated to understand the power of the ruling class. Even with conflicts, they should coexist without overstepping boundaries. The third purpose is for those who cannot be used by the ruling class and have major conflicts, where the baptism becomes a life-and-death battle, with only one side surviving.

Considering the intense political struggles in the capital region over the past few days, Hao Qi realized that the Xu family initially did not plan to reconcile. Such reconciliation would significantly lower their social status and distance them from the top powerful families. Initially, the Xu family likely contacted many other families, planning to categorize Hao Qi as the third type, aiming for a complete elimination through the baptism initiated by the entire ruling class.

The interests at stake and Hao Qi's own strength, along with the Li family's help, played a role. The ruling class is not foolish. If Hao Qi could kill one internal strength practitioner, would he drag another to his death in a desperate situation? Upon investigation, it was clear that Hao Qi was not against the entire ruling class but only the Xu family. In this situation, no one would fight the Xu family's battles, leading to their choice to reconcile. Hao Qi was then categorized as the second type, to be intimidated.

"I understand," Hao Qi immediately bowed to the old man from the Li family, "Thank you for the Li family's assistance."

The old man from the Li family smiled like a fox who had stolen a chicken, accepted Hao Qi's bow, and said, "I am one of the four internal strength baptism officials, representing the powerful families to assess your strength. So, for the next fifteen days, I will stay in this town with you. If you have any questions about the internal strength realm, feel free to ask me."

Hao Qi was overjoyed and thanked him again. The old man from the Li family stayed, and Li Pancheng and Xue Na also stayed, waiting for the...

Baptism!