Chapter 258 (2)
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"This martial art allows one to stay young and healthy, but unfortunately, a hundred years ago when the hundred-year-old master from the Qiao Family in Heyang City taught this martial art in the palace, the nobles in the palace lived a pampered life and couldn’t endure the hardships of training. They all died young, unable to master the skills, so they didn’t live long, unlike me."
"So… do you understand, Emperor," the old man with white hair casually picked up a ginseng next to him and started eating it, just like biting into a sweet potato.
"In the past, the founding emperor was strong and skilled in martial arts, which was the foundation of his great achievements in the chaotic world."
"Emperor, those who are strong and skilled in martial arts should be respected!"
Emperor Yonghe couldn’t help but twitch at the corners of his eyes as he listened.
If anyone in this world were to say these words, it would be considered treason.
Even the relatives of the emperor would not dare to say such things in front of Emperor Yonghe, as it may be seen as a sign of rebellion.
But only the person in front of him could.
Because of his existence, he is like the most important person in the Great Yan Royal Family.The old man with white hair continued:
"But in today’s world, cruel beings live in the sky, even if we are very strong, we can’t defeat them."
"So we people from the Yan family need more than just being strong, we also need to have strength of our own, our fists are the most important."
"Emperor, how long has it been since you practiced martial arts?"
"Regular physical training from outside might actually shorten your life, but the royal family has many exceptional martial arts skills in its arsenal."
"Even if you don’t train too intensely, practicing martial arts can keep you healthy and live longer."
Faced with the old man’s words, Emperor Yonghe could only smile bitterly:
"Running the country is very busy, especially with the Immortal Gate becoming more aggressive in recent years. I have been walking on thin ice for forty years, trying hard to maintain a fragile balance. Where would I find the time to train in martial arts?"
The founding emperor established the country through martial arts, and his descendants have continued for two to three hundred years until now. The direct line naturally belongs to the Emperor Yonghe’s lineage.
Although the emperor’s status is prestigious, even if they are not skilled in martial arts, they can still make all martial artists bow down to them. Therefore, most emperors don’t have high martial arts skills nor need to have them.
As for the princes and grandsons of the royal branches, their numbers are countless, and among them are also those who practice martial arts.
Yan Shenji is one of them.
The saying goes "rich in martial arts, poor in literacy." To excel in martial arts, one needs a lot of herbal medicines, meat, and other dietary supplements.
Yan Shenji, however, is different from the rest.
He has a unique body constitution known as the Medicine Spirit Body, naturally close to herbs and medicinal plants, enabling him to absorb their medicinal properties well, almost without worrying about any side effects of the herbs.
He has already consumed life-prolonging elixirs and powerful items like the Centennial Vermilion Fruit, which can increase one’s strength for a hundred years.
When one’s martial arts reach a superb rank, they basically enter the realm of experts.
Whether possessing extraordinary physique, exceptional talent, or encountering numerous fortunate events, or even a combination of all three… Characters like Martial Saint, Earth Sword Immortal, and others were considered legendary figures in martial arts that ordinary people could never match even after a lifetime of efforts. ṙ
And Yan Shenji is the legendary martial artist in the Great Yan Royal Family.
For the past forty years, seventy percent of the treasures acquired by the royal family were handed over to the Immortal Gate, while the remaining thirty percent mostly ended up in Yan Shenji’s hands.
Emperor Yonghe watched Yan Shenji chewing ginseng like he would chew a sweet potato, feeling impressed.
Ordinary martial artists cannot spend money like this. As the saying goes, too much of a good thing can be harmful. No matter how rich someone is, they shouldn’t treat valuable medicine as everyday food.
Emperor Yonghe said:
"Everyone will die eventually, even an emperor. But the survival of the Yan family is more important than my own life."
"So whether I practice martial arts or not isn’t actually that important. What matters is whether our ancestors’ martial arts can advance further."
"If our ancestors can remain forever young, then they can ensure the eternal glory of the Great Yan ancestral heritage."
"Then, this world shall belong to my Great Yan. The foundation left by the founding ancestor shall also be passed down for generations to come."
"The lifespan of mortal emperors is no different from regular people’s; ultimately, they will also die."
"If immortality was possible, he would naturally want to be an immortal emperor, but that’s not achievable."
"So, he could only settle for securing the rule of Great Yan and passing it on to future generations."
Emperor Yonghe was deep in thought, actually waiting for the right moment; although it wasn’t a perfect opportunity, he hoped for Yan Shenji’s martial arts skills to continue improving.
The longer it took and the more rare treasures found, the greater the power of the ancestors would be.
If Yan Shenji is not a match now, with a few more decades, or even centuries, there might be hope.
However, Yan Shenji glanced sideways at his words.
"Is the survival of the Yan family more important than my own survival… Quite ambitious of him."
Yan Shenji was initially a bit disapproving of Emperor Yonghe being from the royal family, but now he is starting to see him in a different light.
He lived in the palace for a long time, had a high status, but never interfered in politics, only focusing on martial arts.
All he heard about was how both Emperor Yonghe and the former emperor had tarnished the glory of the royal family, so he naturally had a bad impression.
And he actually had some grievances in his heart.
"Although he has some potential, his vision is lacking," Yan Shenji bluntly stated:
"The two young talents named Wu and Hu who were exceptional martial artists forty to fifty years ago were true gems."
"But you ended up sending both of them out to the world. Now in the court, there are no outstanding martial arts talents to be found."
"Hai Wuya can be considered half-decent, but forty years ago he lost interest in martial arts and seemed to have taken a wrong path, ultimately not being of much use."
"Ahem. Ancestor, I actually came here this time with an important matter," Emperor Yonghe quickly changed the subject.
At that moment, Emperor Yonghe called for the eunuch behind him and opened the jade box in his hand, revealing the Winter Snow Lotus inside.
Yan Shenji and the emperors from the past were like one big family, and their dynasties had lasted until now because they supported each other.
Yan Shenji needed a lot of precious medicinal herbs to extend his lifespan or increase his strength.
The emperors from the past also needed Yan Shenji’s exceptional martial arts skills – in general, a superb martial artist like him could easily defeat a large army of ordinary soldiers, but it would require a significant number of soldiers.
Some exceptional martial artists with incredible agility, such as the "Eight-armed Heavenly Dragon" who was famous for his exceptional agility forty years ago, could use techniques like his Heavenly Dragon Eight Steps to move swiftly through the air with eight steps, even if surrounded by a large army, they could escape easily.
Ordinary soldiers were no match for these exceptional individuals, if they were to sneak into the palace at night, it would bring great shame to the royal family.
Yan Shenji was like a beacon of light in this regard.
He seldom needed to take action, but when he did, it was to deal with the most powerful individuals in the mortal realm.
Of course, this didn’t apply to inhuman beings.
"Hmm? You’re a thoughtful child." Yan Shenji squinted and praised.
"With this Winter Snow Lotus, I can now start refining my treasured medicine."
By practicing martial arts in the usual way, even training in extreme heat in summer and extreme cold in winter, one can only become a basic strong warrior.
A true strong warrior isn’t just achieved through hard work; diligence is just the foundation and cannot rival the Immortal Gate.
Members of the Qiao family gamble with their lives, Martial Saints gamble with the lives of others, and the Great Yan royal family gambles with gold; everyone has a bright future.