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    Edict of Peace 96

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    Chapter 96: Second Realm!

    Starlight blazed, jade liquid transformed into Qi. The White Tiger Law Physique’s body, even before Li Guanyi had broken through, began to expand again. Brilliant light spread like water, fur grew, claws sharpened, starlight flowed around it, and it roared incessantly.

    Li Guanyi sat cross-legged, the air around him rippling. In the void, one could hear the continuous roar of a tiger. Li Guanyi could directly feel the Law Physique’s power increasing.

    Unlike previous transformations—for instance, when he encountered Changsun Wu’chou, the fox Law Physique had a portion of its energy taken by the White Tiger and Red Dragon, but it was only swallowed and digested—this time was different.

    This time, it was like a river bursting its banks, as if it were inherently the same power, surging forth—not only incredibly vast but also exceptionally pure. It didn’t need to be refined; it could be used directly. The transformation began immediately.

    “The best power for a Law Physique’s transformation and enhancement is a higher-level Law Physique of the same type?” Li Guanyi realized this.

    He then dismissed this idea, because neither Yu Qianfeng nor Xue Daoyong’s Law Physiques had provided such a significant boost to Li Guanyi’s. There was only one answer.

    “The Mandate of Heaven of the White Tiger Grand Lineage…” Li Guanyi grunted.

    As the White Tiger Law Physique began to rise and change, the jade liquid within Li Guanyi also became turbulent. The jade liquid in the Bronze Tripod rapidly flowed and transformed within Li Guanyi’s body, his muscles, bones, and skin taking on a faint golden jade color. The aura of the fifth Divine General, even a trace, was far beyond what someone of his cultivation level could handle.

    Normally, he would have been shattered by this powerful energy, spitting blood and suffering from demonic obsession. But this body’s foundation also came from a once-unrivaled hegemon, from a hero who had slaughtered his way across the Western Regions. He possessed golden muscles, jade bones, and the marrow of a dragon and tiger.

    Li Guanyi stubbornly withstood the impact of the jade liquid transformed Qi. The tiger’s roar continued in his ears. This was the power of Yu Wen Lie, the current peak White Tiger martial artist. In the three hundred years of chaos, his power was extremely formidable. Beside Li Guanyi, the White Tiger Law Physique roared, its body emitting a rich glow, slowly expanding. Li Guanyi seemed to see again the White Tiger Law Physique he had encountered in Tu Guhun, its eyes blood red.

    The jade liquid in his body transformed into Qi, rolling like a torrent. Li Guanyi exhaled, saying, “Yu Wen Lie…!”

    Gritting his teeth, he endured the searing pain of the Qi surging within him like thunder. He abruptly stood up, assumed a stance in the courtyard, and unleashed his punches and kicks, practicing the Tiger’s Roar Bone Forging Scripture. Qi flowed rapidly through his bones and muscles, constantly increasing his strength. The White Tiger Law Physique leaped and pawed beside him.

    Li Guanyi practiced the Tiger’s Roar Bone Forging Scripture for a full hour. With his final punch, Qi condensed into the image of a tiger’s paw, roaring unceasingly. The jade liquid in Li Guanyi’s body gradually dissipated, and he panted slightly. The Tiger’s Roar Bone Forging Scripture, even after having already reached the initial Hegemon realm, had advanced a tiny bit. The golden jade color on his skin gradually transformed into pure white light.

    Even though that hegemon had achieved unparalleled feats, his realm was already extremely high when he did so. He couldn’t do what Li Guanyi was doing—reaching the first level but somehow obtaining a trace of the aura of a top Divine General. Some things are only possible at the beginning of cultivation. In this state, it was as if the fifth Divine General, Yu Wen Lie, was personally acting, expending his Law Physique’s foundation and essence to temper and strengthen Li Guanyi’s body.

    Li Guanyi clenched his fist, suddenly striking out. A sharp tearing sound erupted from his fist. He spun around, kicking out his right leg. A stone monument in the courtyard shattered as if struck by an iron mace. Li Guanyi calmly sensed his strength; the tiger’s roar continued in his ears.

    Though it was only a slight improvement, or perhaps just a trend, it was undeniably a Tiger’s Roar Bone Forging Scripture that surpassed the initial Hegemon realm. Throughout history, he was the first cultivator of this scripture to achieve this.

    The White Tiger Law Physique beside him calmed down, then transformed into starlight. Li Guanyi seemed to sense something; he slowly raised his head, looking at the White Tiger constellation in the sky, feeling the starlight falling upon him. He felt a sense of quiet vastness, a feeling of standing alone between heaven and earth.

    He had a sudden feeling, an almost instinctive one. The starlight of the White Tiger constellation favored him even more. If the favor of the White Tiger constellation’s starlight was independent, that would be one thing. But if there was an upper limit to the amount of favor, then a shift in the balance meant that Li Guanyi’s increased favor represented some of the starlight leaving Yu Wen Lie.

    Li Guanyi thought Yu Wen Lie must be furious. And at this guess, this result, Li Guanyi felt very happy. The young man raised an eyebrow, giving the middle finger towards the palace.

    “Unreasonable old geezer!”

    He exhaled, his primordial spirit moving. With a low growl, a tiger paw stepped out, landing on the ground. The hair on the White Tiger’s chin swayed. On Li Guanyi’s shoulder, the tiger, previously a little over a meter tall, had grown to ten feet, towering and solemn, standing quietly under the starlight, carrying a certain majesty.

    If the previous White Tiger Law Physique was on the level of a real beast, now it had a third of the bearing of a divine beast. Before, Li Guanyi’s White Tiger Law Physique only transformed when he broke through to a new level. When his Red Dragon Law Physique also transformed and improved to the entry level, the White Tiger and Red Dragon Law Physiques clashed. Now, the White Tiger Law Physique’s aura and level had reached a higher stage.

    Li Guanyi estimated that this level of transformation would normally only be reached upon breakthrough to the second level, but it had arrived prematurely due to his confrontation with Yu Wen Lie, the Divine General. Truly, the great currents of the world brought both opportunity and crisis.

    Li Guanyi reached out, gently touching the enormous White Tiger Law Physique, sensing its power. He suddenly paused, taking half a step back, his right hand gripping his sword hilt.

    He drew his sword. As the blade left its scabbard, the White Tiger Law Physique transformed into brilliant golden light, covering the sword. Then, he spun and struck.

    A layer of Qi radiance appeared on the black three-hundred-tempered heavy sword, and as Li Guanyi swung the sword, this blade of Qi radiance separated from the sword, flying like a bird for several meters before slowly dissipating on a garden ornament in the courtyard.

    The young man swiftly sheathed his sword, the blade emitting a clear ringing sound as it entered its scabbard. The top of a garden rockery slid to one side, rocks tumbling down with a rumble. Dust filled the air.

    Blade energy, capable of killing with a single strike at a distance of over ten feet (3-4 meters). Such ability was beyond the capabilities of an ordinary person—only a martial artist at the second realm possessed this power. But Li Guanyi hadn’t reached the Mixed Yuan state. He could only achieve this because his golden muscles and jade bones could carry enough Law Physique power, because the White Tiger Law Physique had reached a higher level.

    He stretched out his hands, stroking the enormous White Tiger, smiling. “I didn’t expect you to break through even earlier than me.”

    The White Tiger Law Physique growled softly, gently rubbing against the young man. Li Guanyi saw the Red Dragon appear, though it was much smaller than the White Tiger. The Azure Luan bird flapped its wings, moving above the calmly standing White Tiger in the starlight. Li Guanyi smiled slightly, lifting his sword from its sheath.

    He lightly ran his palm over the heavy sword. With the White Tiger’s Law Physique, he could sense that the inner Qi had surged through the sword when it was struck, and while outwardly it appeared unchanged, internally it was already damaged. A few more such strikes, and the sword’s structure would be destroyed, splitting in two. He needed a truly fine weapon from the martial world to withstand the impact of the blade energy. But Old Xue had promised him a good weapon. A sword wasn’t important; a halberd would be best, Li Guanyi thought. It didn’t need to be a very high level, just a fine weapon would do. Having become accustomed to long weapons, he now considered swords as secondary weapons. After all, in terms of power, speed, and range, long weapons far surpassed swords. Even with blade energy, a sweep of a halberd had a wider range than a sword. But fine weapons in the martial world were mostly swords, long weapons were controlled by the court, so it might be difficult to obtain one.

    Li Guanyi sheathed his sword again, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing, suppressing his joy. This power was due to the White Tiger Law Physique’s premature breakthrough, and while not a simultaneous breakthrough of all four images, it was still excellent news, especially for the selection of the Imperial Guards.

    “The elite of the land: Chen Kingdom’s Night Galloping Cavalry, Ying Country’s Tiger Barbarian Cavalry, the Turkic Iron Flotilla, the Western Region’s Golden Scimitar Light Cavalry, Big Brother Yu’s halberdiers, the Longxi Mo Dao army—all require second-realm cultivators to join. The Imperial Guards, compared to the Night Galloping Cavalry, are merely ornamental.”

    “The truly capable among Chen Kingdom’s martial families all join the Night Galloping Cavalry.”

    “Only those lacking in martial skill, unable to endure hardship, and only seeking to gild themselves go to the Imperial Guards.”

    “Having the second realm will greatly increase my chances…”

    Li Guanyi thought of the White Tiger Law Physique’s recent transformation, and suddenly had a great desire to see Old Master Si Ming. Of the people he knew, only Old Master Si Ming could see Law Physiques with the naked eye, and his understanding of Law Physiques was unmatched. The changes in his body and the issues with his aunt’s Law Physique needed to be discussed with him.

    But Jiangzhou City was vast, and Si Ming was elusive. Li Guanyi didn’t know where to find him, so he only held his sword, looking at his wall corner, his mind casually forming thought after thought. He wondered if leaving a cup of alcohol at the corner could lure the old man out. Of course, the alcohol would need to be watered down.

    The young man chuckled, his gloomy mood easing after that one strike. He casually tossed his sword, sending it flying to the weapon rack in the room, and slowly walked forward. Behind him, the White Tiger paced. Time to sleep!

    He slept well that night. The next day, he practiced martial arts and punches on his own, exercising his body, and then went to the Daoist temple to learn the Imperial Extreme Experience Scripture from Master Zu Wenyuan. The scripture was extremely dry; if it weren’t for learning the Qilin Palace’s array diagrams, Li Guanyi probably wouldn’t be able to stomach it. But now he could only grit his teeth and study. He memorized it during the day and pondered his notes at night.

    Two peaceful days passed. The only noteworthy event was accompanying Old Xue to write and submit documents to the Ministry of Personnel to participate in the upcoming Imperial Guard selection. The Grand Festival was only ten days away, so the selection would begin tomorrow.

    For some reason, all of the capital’s martial families had chosen the Imperial Guards this time. The officials of the Ministry of Personnel were astounded, remarking that such enthusiastic participation from martial families hadn’t been seen in years. Li Guanyi suspected it was the emperor wanting to use him as a whetstone. On his way back, he said to Old Xue, “Qi Jun Song’s son is dead, and they still intend to fight me?”

    Xue Daoyong said, “This time, Guanyi, you wrongly accuse our saintly emperor.”

    “You told me two days ago that you met Yu Wen Lie. At the banquet, the emperor asked these foreign envoys to talk about Chen Kingdom’s customs and people. It was merely a superficial display, each giving the other face.”

    “They spoke of vast lands, rich resources and flourishing culture—beautiful words to maintain outward harmony.”

    “But Yu Wen Lie said that the scenery and landscapes he saw were not as good as yours.”

    “Humph, it’s made you famous, but now all the countries know there’s a Li Guanyi in Chen Kingdom. Humph, a tree that stands tall invites the wind. This military Divine General wants to use the vortex of the Chen Kingdom Grand Festival to destroy you.”

    “These sons of military officers, how can they bear it? They are all young men. Now, even those who had no hostility towards you will want to test your mettle.”

    “Cunning and vicious, using borrowed knives to achieve their aims, turning it into an open strategy.”

    “There’s not a single easy-going person among the military Divine Generals.”

    Old Xue was quite indignant. He and Li Guanyi returned to Li Guanyi’s courtyard. Seeing the shattered rockery, the old man burst into laughter. He patted Li Guanyi on the shoulder, saying, “You, you. I always see you calm and collected, but so you do have some anger. Targeted by Yu Wen Lie, you were angry enough to smash the mountain to vent your anger?”

    “In this aspect, you’re far inferior to me.” The old man was quite proud.

    He then had tea and snacks brought, saying, “Today, we’ll have some tea, and I’m also quite curious why Yu Wen Lie targets you so.” The old man looked at Li Guanyi and softly said, “If it’s about the White Tiger Law Physique, I also have a White Tiger Law Physique. There are many young heroes in the world.”

    “It is only a Divine General with feats of national destruction—someone who is among the top ten in the world at only thirty-odd years old, who can command 100,000 troops, and is proficient in military strategy, formations, tactics, and techniques—not just young heroes, only geniuses can hope to meet him.”

    “The Xue family knows some inside information. Some believe that Yu Wen Lie, a young and domineering Divine General who destroyed countries and cities, is like our ancestor, the eight-hundred-year-old White Tiger Grand Lineage Overlord. Although violent, he should have a tolerance for others. Even if he’s arrogant and fierce, he shouldn’t kill you on the spot.”

    “Guanyi, why?”

    Li Guanyi looked at Xue Daoyong. He knew that only the elder had a clear understanding of Yu Wen Lie’s hostility towards him, and only the elder could be sufficiently prepared.

    After drinking his tea, Li Guanyi made up his mind. He stood up, picked up his sword, and said:

    “I’ll demonstrate for you, Old Xue.”

    The sword hummed in its sheath. Li Guanyi drew the blade, and cracks appeared on the black, three-hundred-tempered blade. Then the cracks were filled by golden light, and finally, the young man struck, the blade energy brilliant, splitting the remaining part of the rockery.

    The elder’s hand holding the teacup stopped. Li Guanyi withdrew his hand, the blade shattering, falling to the ground.

    Xue Daoyong watched the blade energy fly off, his body stiffening, but he had anticipated this. Li Guanyi’s rapid breakthrough had prepared him. Although this exceeded his expectations, he managed to remain composed. “You… second realm? While such speed is remarkable, it’s still not enough for him…”

    Li Guanyi sat down, placing the sword hilt beside him. The Qi around him condensed, transforming into the White Tiger Law Physique; a powerful White Tiger aura emanated. The wind stirred; in the void, there was a roar of a tiger.

    The young man sat at the tea table, his hair slightly raised, looking at the elder before him. He spoke softly, but his words shattered the trends Xue Daoyong saw.

    Li Guanyi said:

    “If I were to say…”

    “That I am the White Tiger Grand Lineage?”

    “?!?!?!”

    Xue Daoyong suddenly looked up at him, his expression frozen.

    P.S.: Today, the editor told me that the book title is too aggressive, so we changed it to “The Mandate of Peace”. To ask the world for death, for peace and tranquility in the world.

    (End of Chapter)

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