Chapter 82

Thousands of years ago, the Five Animal Martial Saints, the founders of martial arts, evaluated the various levels of martial cultivation. He said, "In martial cultivation, the lower level uses brute force, the middle level uses skillful force, the higher level uses internal force, and the supreme level uses mental force." In one sentence, he encapsulated the essence of martial cultivation.

Martial students, the most basic of the basic, are still novices on the path of martial cultivation. Strictly speaking, they are not yet considered part of the mainstream and can be disregarded.

Martial masters, the so-called lower level, focus on training their muscles and bones. When engaging in combat, they use simple punches and kicks.

Martial warriors, the so-called middle level, mainly practice standing postures, grappling, and integrating their strength with their waist and horse stance. When facing enemies, they sink their qi to the dantian, exert force throughout their body, roar like thunder, and fight fiercely like tigers.

Martial grandmasters, the so-called higher level, meditate, contemplate, endure hardships, and comprehend the great way, developing their potential. Once they act, they are like divine dragons from the heavens, unpredictable and ever-changing.

As for those who reach the supreme level, they naturally advance to the grandmaster level. At this stage, martial cultivators defy the heavens, break through obstacles, and control the land and people. Even when facing enemies, they do not act rashly. Instead, they use their mind to enter the void, transform martial arts into supernatural powers, and their actions appear miraculous and incomprehensible to ordinary people. Therefore, the first realm of the grandmaster is called the Miraculous Realm.

The so-called "mind entering the void" means that grandmasters use their supreme mental cultivation to invade others' consciousness, forcibly suppress their original consciousness, and take control of their bodies as tools. In this process, grandmasters can also forcibly stimulate the life potential of the controlled body, allowing them to immediately break through their bottlenecks and greatly increase their power.

However, this method of forcibly increasing power is like pulling up seedlings to help them grow, extremely domineering. It often greatly damages the life essence of the controlled body. The temporary increase in power is merely a false fire. Once the false fire burns out, the controlled body often becomes exhausted and dies, ending up with a depleted life force.

There is no free lunch in the world. This is an unchanging truth.

Prince Xiao Ji, seeing this clearly, decisively knocked out his three subordinates and Xu Zongmen. Although they would suffer some physical pain, they would thus escape control and avoid the fate of being over-consumed and dying. Without Xiao Ji, the three subordinates and Xu Zongmen would have met their end today.

However, although these methods seem very miraculous, to the Son of Donghuang, they are merely small tricks. He habitually adjusted his glasses and said slowly, "Director of the Supervisory Bureau, our Donghuang is a society governed by law. Everything must be based on the law and evidence. Although I know that Zhonghuan is far from our Donghuang, this is still the capital of Da Hao, Luoyang City. At least you should put on a show and not make the Empress lose face. So, if you have evidence, then arrest me. But if you don't have evidence... hehe, I will sue you for defamation and tarnishing my reputation."

Xiao Ji was left speechless. After all, mental invasion is invisible and leaves no trace, making it impossible to find any evidence.

If the target were an ordinary person, it would be different. Xiao Ji, as the head of the Supervisory Bureau, has encountered cunning criminals who left no trace and provided no evidence. In such cases, Xiao Ji would not be gentle. He would directly drag them into the interrogation room, use all kinds of torture methods, and make them confess. Even if they had nothing to confess, he would still find something to make them talk.

Someone once told a story. Once, the Ministry of Justice of Da Hao, the Ministry of Justice of the overseas country Ying Jixiang, and the Ministry of Justice of Donghuang held a joint exchange to test the capabilities of the police in three regions. They placed three rabbit spirits in three forests and saw which of the three police forces could capture the rabbit spirits the fastest and most efficiently.

First, the police from Ying Jixiang went. They spent half a day in meetings to formulate a battle plan and divide tasks. Then they sent elite forces into the forest for a thorough search. However, the meetings took too much time, and the rabbit spirit escaped, leading to a failed mission.

Next, it was the turn of the Donghuang police. They sent over a hundred people and dozens of armored vehicles to line up outside the forest. The leader then raised a megaphone and loudly announced, "Rabbit spirit, you are surrounded. I order you to surrender immediately in the name of the Donghuang Ministry of Justice." Despite the strong momentum, nothing happened after half a day. The Donghuang police searched the forest but found nothing, leading to a failed mission.

Finally, it was the turn of the Da Hao police led by Xiao Ji. He only brought three trusted subordinates and set up a table outside the forest to play mahjong for a day. At dusk, one of them entered the forest with a water fire stick. Soon, screams were heard from the forest. Xiao Ji and his subordinates came out laughing, dragging a bruised and battered bear spirit behind them. The bear spirit was in a daze, repeatedly muttering, "I am a rabbit, I am a rabbit..."

The story may not be true, but Xiao Ji's interrogation skills are undoubtedly top-notch. Unfortunately, no matter how skilled he is, he cannot use them on the Son of Donghuang. Not only is the Son of Donghuang a grandmaster with supreme cultivation, but Xiao Ji is also a level below him. Even if the Son of Donghuang had no cultivation, his status as a sworn brother to the ninth volume of the First-Class Marquis of the Four Marquises of Donghuang, and the fact that even Huangpu Yu and Sima Tianxia follow his lead, makes Xiao Ji feel like a rat trying to pull a turtle—completely at a loss.

Just as Xiao Ji was feeling stuck, a series of footsteps approached. Then, a warm, pleasant, and melodious voice attracted the attention of almost everyone present.

"Ha ha, what a lively day today. Everyone is here? Master Li, how is your health lately? Master Zhang, you've taken over the three shops on Feixia Road, congratulations. President Hua, no, Sister Hua, you are getting more beautiful every day. Master Xiu, do you still have the imperial rouge I brought you last time? If you've run out, I'll have someone send you more. Master Wang, I received the thing you sent me the other day, thank you. Ha ha, ha ha ha~"

Before seeing the person, the voice was heard. Xiao Ji didn't need to turn around to know who it was. It was his distant nephew, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, the current Eighth Prince, known as Prince Xian, Xiao Chang.

Prince Xian's reputation for wisdom and virtue is well-known throughout the land. Although he is a prince and thus more noble than everyone present, he showed no airs as he walked.

Prince Xian smiled and greeted everyone, shaking hands and patting shoulders with those he was particularly close to, telling jokes that were both refined and crude. The ninety-nine martial arts school masters of Luoyang City felt as if they were basking in a warm breeze, their faces glowing. They all complimented and returned the greetings, making the atmosphere lively and easing the tension.

Prince Xian's arrival was like a "great general with eight sides of power," stealing the show. Almost everyone's eyes were on him, making Xiao Ji and the Son of Donghuang seem dull by comparison.

Xiao Ji didn't mind and was even glad to have someone to share the burden. However, the Son of Donghuang felt differently. Despite his outwardly gentle and refined demeanor, his inner self was always supreme and arrogant. Seeing someone steal his thunder, he immediately felt angry and hated Prince Xian. His eyes, hidden behind his glasses, narrowed and stared at Prince Xian with a sinister look, ignoring everyone else around him.

At this moment, Prince Xian had finished greeting the ninety-nine school masters. He approached Xiao Ji, smiled, and bowed, saying, "Uncle, your nephew greets you. Hmm, Old Fourteen, you don't seem to interact much with Uncle Ji. This is not good. No matter what, we are family. We should get closer in the future."

"Brother Eight is right," Xiao Sheng, who arrived with Prince Xian, smiled and nodded, also bowing to Xiao Ji, "Uncle Ji, your nephew greets you."

"This is... Old Fourteen Xiao Sheng? Strange. Why did Brother Eight bring him? He is a famous failed prince." Xiao Ji was full of doubts but, of course, did not show any disrespect. He quickly bowed and said, "I dare not. I greet the Eighth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince."

"Bowing and scraping, nodding and bowing. Hey, Zhonghuan is indeed a wild, barbaric, and backward place," the Son of Donghuang said coldly. "It cannot compare to our Donghuang, which has accepted the advanced civilization of Ying Jixiang, where everyone is equal and no one is more noble than another. Even within the same department, there are only differences in positions and responsibilities, not in hierarchy. Hehe, if Zhonghuan wants to escape barbarism, the only way is to take Donghuang as a teacher and learn our advanced social system. There is no other way."

"Oh, everyone in Donghuang is equal and very advanced and civilized?" Prince Xian hadn't spoken yet, but Xiao Sheng had already turned around and smiled at the Son of Donghuang, "That is truly worth learning." As he spoke, he casually raised his eyes and glanced at the other Donghuang people standing beside the Son of Donghuang.

In a flash, those Donghuang people suddenly shuddered, then without hesitation, knelt down and kowtowed to the Son of Donghuang, shouting, "Son of Donghuang, with great power and boundless magic,