High Martial: I Can Copy All Root Bones!

Inside the Changfeng Martial Arts Hall.

This time, Lu Changfeng truly wanted to praise Teng Xiaofan.

But before Lu Changfeng could open his mouth to offer his sincere compliments,

his disciples had already swarmed him, their expressions full of excitement.

"Master, you’re going to represent Jiangnan Prefecture in the Martial Arts exchange with Daliang Country?"

"You’re going to win for sure, Master!"

"How can a few clowns from Daliang possibly compare to you?"

It wasn’t until his disciple, Lin Yan, approached with a newspaper in hand that Lu Changfeng learned the Mansion Master had already published the list of contestants for the Martial Arts exchange.

His own name, Lu Changfeng, was featured prominently on the list of five Martial Artists from the Blood Forging Realm.

That was why the disciples of the Changfeng Martial Arts Hall were so thrilled today, each one bursting with pride for their master.

After calming his excited disciples, Lu Changfeng finally found a moment of peace.

Just then, Chunzhu handed him an invitation, her face alight with a pleasant surprise.

"While you were out, someone from the Mansion Master delivered this invitation. You’re invited to a banquet at the Prince’s Mansion tomorrow evening."

Lu Changfeng raised an eyebrow, though he wasn’t surprised. Luo Tianhao had mentioned this possibility before.

Lu Changfeng reached out and took the invitation.

The invitation from the Prince’s Mansion was incredibly lavish. Its cover was adorned with special cloud patterns painted in gold dust, and the large characters inside were also written with a thick layer of the same.

The amount of gold dust used was enough to sustain a commoner for a lifetime.

The gorgeous invitation specified that Lu Changfeng was to attend a banquet at the Prince’s Mansion at 5:00 PM the next evening.

Mansion Master Hong Ying would be hosting the nine people selected for the upcoming Martial Arts exchange.

After stowing the invitation, Lu Changfeng glanced at his system interface. It was due to refresh just after midnight tomorrow.

’The timing is perfect. Everyone attending the banquet will be a top genius from Jiangnan Prefecture.’

’Perhaps I’ll find someone there with an even more outstanding Root Bone Talent.’

"It’s a banquet at the Prince’s Mansion! You don’t have a single decent outfit. I’ll go with you to have one tailored; there’s still time," Chunzhu offered.

Lu Changfeng thought for a moment and agreed. The two of them walked right out of the Martial Arts Hall, leaving Teng Xiaofan, who had been waiting for a round of applause, completely high and dry.

However, Teng Xiaofan’s disappointment didn’t last long.

Zhisha, wearing a wig, sought him out and cupped his fists in gratitude. "You must be Teng Xiaofan. I am here to thank you on my master’s behalf..."

"Oh? You’re a disciple of the Dark... Ahem, a disciple of *that* person?" Teng Xiaofan lowered his voice and glanced over at Sikong Jue. "Does the Dark Buddha Demon Sect accept lay disciples now?"

Sikong Jue’s expression was hidden behind a mask. "It’s a wig."

As realization dawned, Teng Xiaofan grabbed Zhisha and dragged him to the backyard, where he began to passionately recount his great deeds from that morning.

Zhisha, with the characteristic neuroticism of a Dark Buddha Demon Sect disciple, listened with rapt attention, much to the satisfaction of Teng Xiaofan’s ego.

...

Lu Changfeng and Chunzhu left the Martial Arts Hall.

They went to a well-known tailor on Five Horses Street.

After looking around, Chunzhu chose a moon-white fabric for Lu Changfeng.

The tailor took Lu Changfeng’s measurements.

They decided on a style for the robes and arranged to pick up the finished product the next day.

The material was precious, made from the silk of the Western Domain’s Silver Silk Worms. It was warm in the winter and cool in the summer, with a price tag of over eight hundred taels of silver.

The cost of this one outfit was more than a common person could save in a lifetime.

However, since it was for the banquet at the Prince’s Mansion, the normally frugal Chunzhu was unusually willing to spend.

After leaving the tailor shop, Lu Changfeng told Chunzhu to head back to the Martial Arts Hall without him.

He then turned and went to a newspaper office, where he stuffed a pre-written manuscript and a silver banknote into a pouch and handed it to a street urchin.

He gave the boy a few coins and told him to deliver the pouch inside.

Lu Changfeng watched from the side to see what would happen.

The boy quickly completed his task and came skipping out of the office a moment later.

Not long after, a man with a terrified expression chased out of the building, but the boy was nowhere to be found.

The child had already taken his coins and run off to another street to buy a sugar figurine.

Even if the man found him, what could a child that young remember? He wouldn’t be able to explain anything.

The man from the newspaper office scanned the crowded street, feeling certain that members of the Saint Demon Sect were lurking somewhere in the throng.

He instinctively shrank back and immediately chose to return to the office.

The Dark Buddha Demon Sect’s live alchemy incident had just occurred, and the people of Jiangzhou now had an innate fear of the Saint Demon Sect.

’I’ve given them money, and the infamous reputation of the Saint Demon Sect will provide the necessary... persuasion. This newspaper should publish what I wrote.’

’I’ll just wait until tomorrow and see how everyone reacts.’

Lu Changfeng quietly slipped away.

...

「The next day.」

The sky was not yet light.

The Jiangzhou Martial Report.

Rolls of one of the top five Martial Arts Realm newspapers in Jiangzhou were being shipped out from the printing press.

Merchants were already waiting outside, ready to transport their allotted shares.

Some papers went directly into Jiangzhou Prefecture City, to be sold by newsboys or delivered to the homes of regular customers.

Others were loaded onto cargo ships and carts, circulating throughout Jiangzhou and even beyond Jiangnan Prefecture.

Transmitting information was an especially difficult task in this era.

Jiangzhou, the Prince’s Mansion.

As usual, Mansion Master Hong Ying rose at dawn to practice his Martial Arts.

Though he was a noble Prince and held the title of Mansion Master, he still trained diligently every single day.

It was precisely because of this that Hong Ying, despite his unremarkable Root Bone Talent, had still become a master of the Bone Refining Fifth Layer.

Of course, achieving this cultivation level also had to do with his privileged birth; he had never lacked for rare and precious resources.

After his training, Hong Ying began a luxurious medicinal bath, with a maidservant at the Blood Forging Realm by his side to massage his acupressure points and enhance the bath’s effects.

Then, another servant delivered a stack of newspapers into his hands.

Reading the papers each day was Hong Ying’s most important method for staying informed about the world.

"Hmph. Those brats from the Profound Nether Sect!"

One of the papers reported that the Profound Nether Sect had won yet another victory, which made Hong Ying furious.

’I fear Lii Tianxing has already broken through to the Rebirth Realm.’

Hong Ying thought of Lii Tianxing, a man he had once fought. Reports from multiple sources indicated that Lii Tianxing had used a Secret Technique to achieve a breakthrough into the Rebirth Realm.

Watching the world descend into chaos, Hong Ying, a descendant of the Royal Family, could do nothing. A sense of powerlessness washed over him.

He shook his head, forcing himself to rally. He knew he couldn’t collapse now.

If even he were to fall, the Hongg Family would truly have no hope left.

He still had to lead Jiangnan Prefecture in facing the malicious incursions from Daliang Country. He had to be at his sharpest.

"Hm? The Saint Master of the Saint Demon Sect, an announcement to the Martial Arts Realm!"

Hong Ying had stumbled upon a remarkable notice.

His eyes flew across the page as he read.

"I am the Saint Master of the Saint Demon Sect..."

"The Saint Demon Sect is not of the Demon Dao. In the Ancient Era, the Saint Demon Sect was a pillar of the Martial Arts world..."

"Beginning with me, the Saint Demon Sect shall reclaim its ancient glory..."

"The Saint Demon Sect is also a part of the Song Country’s Martial Arts Realm. Should Daliang Country..."

Hong Ying finished reading the notice and came to a single conclusion: this Saint Master was trying to redeem the Saint Demon Sect.

’How naive. For thousands of years, the Saint Demon Sect has been branded the foremost sect of the Demon Dao. All kinds of dirty deeds, both those they committed and those they didn’t, have been used to slander their name.’

’How could a single announcement possibly wash all of that away?’

’Still, this is something no previous Saint Master has ever done.’

’If this was truly written by the Saint Master of this generation, then he is certainly an interesting character.’

Hong Ying felt he and this Saint Master were somewhat alike—they were both idealists.

Previously, Hong Ying had optimistically convened a grand conference for the Jiangnan Martial Arts World, hoping to rally them to help him sweep away the villains in Cyan Mountain Prefecture.

In the end, almost no one attended the conference, and the whole affair ended with a whimper.

Not only had he failed to borrow any strength, but he had also lost a great deal of face.

Hong Ying himself didn’t pay it much mind, but the ladies of his household had no shortage of complaints, all urging him to just guard his own little territory and be content as a local lord.

"Someone, fetch me the person in charge of this newspaper office."

"Question him carefully. See if we can find any trace of this ’Saint Master’."

’If this notice was truly written by the Saint Master, then combined with the news released by the Lan Family Ancestor, it seems this Saint Master of the Saint Demon Sect is most likely right here in our Jiangzhou Prefecture City!’

’It would be an interesting affair to meet this Saint Master in person.’

...

While the newspaper article prompted Hong Ying of the Prince’s Mansion to seek a meeting with Lu Changfeng, the other major powers in Jiangnan Prefecture were also reacting.

Their most direct response was to rush out special editions from the newspapers they controlled, all offering commentary on the Saint Master’s announcement.

Most of it was along the lines of "Wishful thinking!"

"The Demon Dao thinks it can be redeemed?"

"As long as the Saint Demon Sect exists, the Martial Arts Realm will never know peace!"

Some conspiracy theorists claimed it was a devious plot by the new Saint Master. They argued that while he appeared to be making peace, he was secretly gathering the Saint Demon Sect’s army to conquer Jiangnan Prefecture...

Clearly, the Jiangnan Martial Arts World wasn’t buying Lu Changfeng’s announcement.

They bluntly rejected his attempt to redeem his sect and integrate into the world of the Righteous Dao.

Jiangnan Prefecture was a bastion of the Righteous Dao, so this reaction to Lu Changfeng’s announcement was understandable.

However, the state of the world was always changing. Lu Changfeng had declared his stance. Given time, should the situation shift, Jiangnan Prefecture might not reject the Saint Demon Sect as it did today.

「As evening fell.」

The Jiangzhou martial world was still buzzing over the announcement Lu Changfeng had published, and the streets and alleys were filled with discussion.

"Haha, I bet this Saint Demon Sect Master is terrified! He’s begging the Jiangnan Martial Arts World for mercy!"

"Yeah, with the world in chaos, his Saint Demon Sect has been weak for so long. Who knows if they’re even as strong as those three Demon Dao sects over in Cyan Mountain Prefecture."

"What ’First Sect of the Demon Dao’? They’re just a bunch of pushovers! And this Saint Master is nothing but a spineless coward!"

The common people turned their fear of the Saint Demon Sect into jeers and curses, as if shouting could erase the shadow that the ’live alchemy’ incident had cast over their hearts.

Lu Changfeng was sitting in a carriage, on his way to the banquet at the Prince’s Mansion.

Hearing the endless discussion and strings of curses from the people on the street, Lu Changfeng didn’t feel angry at all. In fact, he rather enjoyed it.

’It’s better to be reviled than to be ignored.’

’The more they curse, the more the idea of Lu Changfeng leading the Saint Demon Sect to join the Righteous Dao will be seared into their minds.’

’In time, if I really want to unite the entire Song Country, this will be very important.’

’Of course, uniting the world... that’s still a distant thought.’

The carriage halted a hundred meters from the Prince’s Mansion, stopping for an inspection by the Royal Palace Guards.

Lu Changfeng stepped down from the carriage, his exquisite moon-white robes giving him a commanding presence.

His tall, slender frame, handsome features, magnificent attire, and the Treasure Weapon Autumn Water at his hip all combined to give him a striking, elegant air.

Even the nearby guards found themselves unconsciously adopting a more respectful attitude.

Lu Changfeng took out his invitation and handed it to a guard captain.

"Ah, it’s Lu the Swordsman!" The guard captain recognized him.

Underneath his armor, the captain was just another resident of Jiangnan Prefecture, so he was naturally familiar with the most famous swordsman in the region.

"Someone, escort Lu the Swordsman into the Prince’s Mansion!" A guard jogged over, made a gesture of invitation, and began to lead Lu Changfeng toward the mansion.