Emperor of the North - Chapter 1

Emperor of the North – Chapter 1: Witness

Edited by Owner – The Sexy among Sexy

The State of Chu, located at the upper-north of the seven territorial borders.

The Li family of Muyun City – a not-so well-known martial arts family – was located within the borders of Chu.

And today was a big day for the Li family. The people in the Li household were in a festive mood and had huge smiles on their faces.

All these were for nothing else but the Li family’s genius, Li Mu, who had attained the pinnacle of the Guti Realm and would be breaking through to the Houtian Realm on this very day.

As such, the Li family had made the necessary preparations to promote this grand occasion to everyone within Muyun City. Even the few nearby cities were not spared and many prestigious people were invited to witness the ceremony.

Although the matter of someone breaking through from the Guti Realm was still valued, there was actually no need to make it known all the way to even the nearby cities. This was because, within the large territorial borders of the State of Chu, meeting with a skilled person in the Houtian Realm was considered uncommon, but their numbers were not small.

However, that was not the case for Li Mu because he was just twelve years old.

To be able to break through to the Houtian Realm at the age of twelve, he would be the first in the State of Chu’s history to have accomplished such a feat. If he were successful in his advancement, his success would inevitably revolutionize the course of martial arts in the State of Chu. Who is the genius? That would be Li Mu.

As of now, in the back garden of the Li household, a handsome young man stared into the sky. That man was Li Mu, the Li family’s genius.

“Houtian Realm, hmph! In order to satisfy their vanity?” Li Mu muttered. “To have suffered for many years with nothing but practice and practice! If life is this tedious, then what’s the point of following the martial arts way? Or having longevity? Or even soaring through the heavens?”

Even though everyone in the Li household was busy preparing for his advancement, the lead did not seem content, and instead, felt somewhat uncomfortable.

In this world, where the strong were respected, people pursued to become the best of the best, to soar through the heavens and attain longevity.

Mortals had to go through intensive practice to strengthen their body, and Li Mu seemed particularly talented in this area. Reaching the pinnacle of the Guti Realm at a young age, he was now ready to break through to the Houtian Realm at any time.

Li Mu understood the multiple realms that divided the martial-arts path. Guti, Houtian, Xiantian, Shentong, but what came after Shentong, he was unsure as the strongest he had ever been in touch with was from nothing more than the pinnacle of the Houtian Realm.

The Tenth Point of Guti, also known as the pinnacle of the Guti Realm, focuses on strengthening the physical body by absorbing the essence of Heaven and Earth. Martial artists who have stepped into this realm would attain immense strength. Their physical strength in all aspects would surpass that of ordinary mortals. This was the most important realm of them all as it laid the foundation for subsequent realms.

If the Guti Realm truly was to lay a foundation, then Houtian Realm would be the first step a martial artist had to take towards cultivation. Martial artists who had reached the Houtian Realm would have the space in their Dantian unlocked, which would enable them to store essence. Together with the essence they had already accumulated in their body through practice and the basic spiritual mind, the martial artist would be gifted with the unimaginable.

As for the Xiantian Realm, once a martial artist reached this realm, their lifespan would double; their spiritual mind and the essence in their body would show significant improvements. Among the mortals, they were respected and were deemed powerful.

For the Shentong Realm, once a martial artist attained this level of cultivation they were no longer considered mortal. They are able to travel through air, run miles on the ground, and with the flip of their palm, could cause clouds to churn and rain to fall. By reaching this realm, they could already be considered as divine beings.

“Third Brother! I’ve finally found you.” Being brought back from a daze, Li Mu looked back down to see a girl aged no more than five years old, running to his side.

With her pale skin, she was like a cute and little porcelain doll. Anyone who saw her could not help but have a go at pinching her chubby face.

“Xue’er, why are you here?” Li Mu pinched the girl’s face habitually. The girl was his little sister, Li Xue, and was one of his only blood relatives in this world.

Li Xue pouted, unhappy at her brother’s actions. “Father told me to find you. There are many, many people outside ready to witness your advancement to the Houtian Realm. Everyone’s waiting for you!”

“Is that so? They sure gather fast. Then let us head over there together.” Li Mu rubbed Li Xue’s head before he stood up.

“Third brother, wait a bit. I saw big uncle and third uncle giving you gifts a few days ago, so Xue’er also wants to give brother something. Here.”

As she spoke, she carefully dug her hand into her pocket. Once she found it, she gave it to Li Mu. It was a green-colored pellet.

“Lingqu Dan? Xue’er, this pellet is priceless in the market, and even our family only has a small number of it. Where did you get this?” Once Li Mu took hold of it, he immediately recognized the pellet and its background. Even though he felt moved, he was curious at the same time.

“That would be a secret, on in which I cannot tell you. This Lingqu Dan will benefit you when you break through to the Houtian Realm. This is from your most doted Xue’er, so promise you won’t give it to anyone else. Otherwise, Xue’er won’t be happy!” Li Xue snorted.

Li Mu grinned. “I promise! I’ll take this before I conduct my advancement.” In the end, he concluded that Li Xue must have stolen the pellet from Father.

“Hehe!!! Third brother, when you break through to Houtian Realm, remember to thank me!” Seeing that Li Mu had accepted the pellet, Li Xue giggled.

“You sure are clever. Let’s go.” Li Mu picked Li Xue up before walking towards the square of the Li household.

“Everyone, thank you for being here to witness my young nephew, Li Mu, as he breaks through to the Houtian Realm. I, Li Zhengkun, shall represent the Li family to express our deepest gratitude.”

The moment Li Mu entered the square while carrying Li Xue, he could hear a person loudly greeting the guests who were present at the square. That person was no stranger to him. That was the head of the Li family, and also his ‘big’ uncle, Li Zhengkun.

The moment Li Mu appeared in the square, all the guests’ attention immediately shifted to him. Many of those from Muyun City even shouted his name. In that instant, all eyes were on the juvenile.

“Mu’er, you’re finally here. Are you ready?” On the front row of the square sat a middle aged man. With a serious face, he walked to Li Mu’s side and asked, while receiving Li Xue from Li Mu at the same time.

“Father, I have long been ready. In fact, if big uncle had not wanted to hold this ceremony, I would have broken through to the Houtian Realm already.” Facing the serious face of the middle aged man, Li Mu smiled stiffly as he responded.

That person in front of him was Li Zhenglong, his biological father. Although towards his father he had displayed a smile, a sense of loss could be seen in the depths of his eyes.

His achievements today was not only due to his own talent but also because of the relationship he had with his strict father. Since young, he was never like the other children of his age where he could play around during his free time and be spoiled by his parents.

Although Li Mu was a sensible child, under the strict guidance of his father to train hard from day to night, he had never enjoyed the happiness a child his age should have. Not even once.

“Your uncle did so for the sake of the family. This is nothing to complain about. Go quickly. Making so many prestigious people wait is outrageous on your part!”

Li Zhenglong’s face was expressionless. In the words he spoke, a slight dissatisfaction could be sensed.

Li Mu’s heart turned slightly cold, but he remained silent before taking one step at a time up the elevated platform in the square.

Against the numerous gazes from the crowd beneath, Li Mu was not anxious and kept a smile on his face. Sitting cross-legged on the platform, he took out the Lingqu Dan, which was a gift from Li Xua, and consumed it.

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Seeing that Li Mu had sat comfortably on the platform, Li Zhengkun waved his hand gently and two teams of guards, armed with spears, positioned themselves around the platform, each of them exuding an aura that was not weak.

Those who had come to witness the ceremony were not dissatisfied. After all, if their family were to have produced a genius such as Li Mu, they would definitely go through all measures to ensure his safety, not to mention in front of such a large crowd.

Once Li Mu was ready, he closed his eyes and activated the Qiankun technique – a refined technique that was passed down from generation after generation within the Li family.

Techniques are categorized into four grades: Heaven, Earth, Black, and Gold. Each grade is again split into another four: low-level, mid-level, high-level, peak-level. The Qiankun technique was a powerful technique of the Black grade.

For a small place like Muyun City, a Black grade technique is highly looked upon when used for practice. That was because legend says that such a technique would enable one to cultivate all the way to the Shentong Realm.

But what was the Shentong Realm? A legend that only a divine being could tell you of. And it was only because of this that the Li family was able to possess a seat among the greatest forces within its vicinity.

The biggest difference between the Tenth Point of Guti and the Houtian Realm was that essence cultivated in the Guti Realm was used to strengthen the physical body, whereas, in the Houtian Realm, essence was stored in the unlocked Dantian. As such, to break through to the Houtian Realm, Li Mu must first unlock his Dantian.

Along with his breathing, a string of essence began to be absorbed into his body. The essence then began to gather around his Dantian.

Unlocking the Dantian was not as easy as being said. The Dantian has to open up a space to allow the essence to be stored.

Following the passage of time, Li Mu’s Dantian gradually began to glow. Seeing the glow from his body, the crowd became restless.

“His Dantian is glowing. This is the critical moment for him to unlock his Dantian and open up the space! He is now half a step away from breaking through to the Houtian Realm!”

“Refined at the age of twelve, just how did this boy practice? Laozi is thirty-five this year, yet I’m only at the Seventh Point of Guti!!”

“It seems the Li family’s name will rise this time around. To be so refined at such a young age explains his extraordinary talent. If given time, he may be able to step into the Xiantian Realm!”

Different opinions sounded in the square, some filled with admiration, some with jealousy, but most were emotionally happy for Li Mu. The happiest for him were largely the members of the Li family, where each one of their faces had a big smile.

“Hmph! To be able to break through to the Houtian Realm at the age of twelve, I admit that you’re qualified to be extraordinary. However, I’ll definitely not let you do as you wish! The moment you break through to the Houtian Realm would be your demise!”

In a corner of the Li household, where no one would notice, a gloomy figure was secretly spying at Li Mu who was on the platform. That person’s looks were similar to Li Mu, but his gaze was full of hatred.