Human Clan Defender-Chapter 599 - s The New Emperor Ascends to the Throne, Annihilation Rule (4-in-1, Request for Monthly Tickets)_4

At this moment, he didn't deliberately conceal his aura, simply stepping onto the third floor as an ordinary person would. Therefore, the moment Shen Changqing entered, he caught the attention of the others. After a brief stun, everyone instantly rose to their feet as if by unspoken agreement, their faces filled with reverence.

"Greetings, Pavilion Master!"

"Greetings, Lord Defender!"

Some addressed him as Pavilion Master, while others respectfully called him Lord Defender.

"In the Martial Hall, my identity is simply Pavilion Master," Shen Changqing said, shaking his head slightly. "There's no need to address me as Lord Defender. You should all carry on with your affairs; don't feel constrained."

Hearing this, the others sat back down.

Although they were told not to feel constrained, Shen Changqing could sense everyone's tension. It can't be helped, he thought. Facing such a renowned contemporary expert, they find it difficult to remain internally calm. That kind of pressure isn't as simple as facing an ordinary Defender Envoy.

Regarding this, Shen Changqing paid it little mind. He went straight to his seat, casually picked up a few Martial Pavilion Scrolls, and began perusing them in silence.

His purpose in coming to the Martial Hall, aside from meeting its members, was to thoroughly organize all the scrolls left by his predecessors and glean insights from them. As the saying goes, 'Read a book ten thousand times, and its meaning will reveal itself.' The simplest way to consolidate one's learning is to broaden one's horizons, then integrate this new understanding with one's existing knowledge, refining it piece by piece. When it came to broadening horizons, no place was more resourceful than the Martial Hall.

Since the Martial Hall's establishment, over a thousand Grandmasters had entered, each leaving behind their insights—a truly vast collection. This included many records from Martial Hall members detailing their experiences and observations during their travels. These records varied in usefulness, some being valuable while others were not. Regardless, Shen Changqing planned to review them all thoroughly.

As he engrossed himself in the scrolls, the tension among the other members on the third floor gradually eased, and before long, the atmosphere returned to normal.

One day passed, then two.

「Ten full days went by.」

Shen Changqing, without eating or drinking, silently remained inside the Martial Hall, having gone through almost all the scrolls.

Studying these scrolls was a process that consumed a great deal of mental energy. If an ordinary person were to immerse themselves like this for ten days straight without food or drink, their mental energy would likely be exhausted.

However, for Shen Changqing, who had reached the Immortal Golden Body Realm, such exertion was trivial. Ten days were nothing; even a year without food or drink while sustaining this level of activity would pose no problem for him. With his transformed Flesh, his body constantly drew upon nature's spiritual energy for replenishment. It could be said that the rate of replenishment outpaced his consumption. So, even after ten days, Shen Changqing was still in peak condition.

After returning the last scroll to its place, Shen Changqing was filled with emotion. It seems the Martial Hall's establishment over the years wasn't purposeless after all. Methods for breaking through from Grandmaster to Great Grandmaster had already been partially deduced by some. It's a pity their limited lifespans and innate talents ultimately prevented their success. Many scrolls contained conjectures. Some postulated that even achieving the pinnacle in both spiritual and physical—Flesh—cultivation was insufficient to break through existing limits. To shatter those limits, the Dantian and True Qi were definitely key. Such conjectures undoubtedly aligned with the true breakthrough method for Great Grandmasters. It was merely a pity that those individuals hadn't truly succeeded.

Thinking of that scroll, penned over a hundred years ago, Shen Changqing couldn't help but shake his head. More than a hundred years have passed; even a Grandmaster's lifespan would have been exhausted by now.

Moreover, after reviewing all the Martial Pavilion Scrolls, he had gained a thorough understanding of numerous Ancient secrets and the insights of many Grandmasters.

What I need to do next, he thought, is to fully assimilate all this information, making it truly my own—discarding the chaff and retaining the essence.

Then, without any visible movement, Shen Changqing, who had been seated motionlessly for a long time, simply vanished from the Martial Hall.

***

「Great Liang.」

In the imperial court, a minister stepped forward and announced, "Your Majesty, there is news from Great Qin. Emperor Qin Gu Xuanji has passed away. The New Emperor is now Crown Prince Gu Xing. Should we formulate a response?"

The Liang Emperor sighed. "I didn't expect this... Gu Xuanji has finally reached this point."

The fall of Gu Xuanji is a boon for Great Liang. Among all the Great Qin Holy Emperors, he was the most capable. Had anyone else been in charge of state affairs, Great Qin might have disintegrated long ago. However, as the proverb says, 'When the rabbit dies, the fox grieves.' Even someone as powerful as Gu Xuanji couldn't ultimately escape the fate of death. Today, Emperor Qin has passed; tomorrow, perhaps it will be my turn, the Liang Emperor. The two words 'immortality'... they are indeed profoundly alluring. I can somewhat understand Mu Shentong's madness in pursuit of longevity. Yet, Emperors cannot achieve immortality. Even if I were to abdicate one day, it would make no difference. Once one ascends to that position, there is no retreat. Unless, like Mu Shentong, one could shatter this restriction through heaven-defying means. But those who defy Heaven ultimately face divine retribution. Mu Shentong's failure has made it abundantly clear to me: to attempt to change one's fate and fail means complete obliteration.

Setting aside these thoughts, the Liang Emperor looked towards the assembled civil and military officials, his expression calm. "Gu Xuanji has passed away. What are your thoughts, ministers?"

A minister replied, "Gu Xuanji's death was a consequence of the battle at Luo'an Prefecture, where he drew upon Great Qin's national fortune to combat the Demon Saint. Furthermore, reports indicate he burned a portion of Great Qin's fortune, leading to a significant loss."