「The next morning.」
Qin Heng and Su Xiao boarded the plane bound for Yu State together. Both had booked first-class tickets, expecting a quiet journey to Kaifeng. However, to their surprise, the young couple sitting next to them turned out to be chatterboxes. They started making conversation with Qin Heng and Su Xiao right after boarding.
"Are you also going to Kaifeng? Let
tell you, Kaifeng is a great place!" the girl in the couple exclaid, her face alight with enthusiasm. Her na was Yu Jiaqi; she had above-average looks and a decent figure, scoring around six or seven out of ten. A Kaifeng local, she was a junior at Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture. This trip was a hocoming for her, and she was also taking the opportunity to introduce her boyfriend to her family.
Yu Jiaqi's boyfriend, Sun Kai, was her classmate. He was a rather handso, clean-cut young man with glasses and a scholarly air, sitting right beside her.
"Kaifeng is an ancient city with a long history and many cultural relics and monunts. It's definitely worth a visit," Sun Kai said with a smile, echoing his girlfriend's enthusiasm.
"Indeed, we're going to Kaifeng," Qin Heng nodded slightly. "I've heard that Martial Dao is prevalent in Yu State. Do you know if Kaifeng has a similar situation?"
Since they'd encountered a Kaifeng local, Qin Heng naturally wanted to gather more details. Although Su Xiao was also from Kaifeng, she had left for college and, in the past seven or eight years, her trips back ho had been very limited. She might not be fully aware of the current situation in Kaifeng.
"Martial Dao? Are you referring to the Martial Artists often ntioned in the governnt's public awareness campaigns these past few years?" Yu Jiaqi pondered for a mont before replying, "Yes, of course! And they're quite famous here! Have you heard of the Chai family in Kaifeng? Their martial arts are said to have been passed down from the Republican Era and are very powerful. They even have a Half-step Grandmaster! Their reputation in Kaifeng is extrely high!"
"The Chai family only has one Half-step Grandmaster?" Qin Heng asked, a flicker of doubt in his eyes.
If there was only one Half-step Grandmaster, it would be impossible for them to detect the unusual signs of a potential Sword Spirit in the Ancient Sword. Their Realm would be far too low; they'd be completely unqualified. Behind the Chai family, there were most likely other, stronger powers—perhaps one of the Martial Dao clans of Yu State that I intend to eliminate.
"What do you an, 'only'?" Yu Jiaqi seed a little upset, frowning as she said, "Haven't you paid attention to the governnt's public awareness campaigns about Martial Dao? A Half-step Grandmaster is soone just half a step away from reaching the Transcendence Realm! Their every move can exert thousands of pounds of force. They even exhibit so characteristics of a Grandmaster, like exhaling sword-breath or walking on water—they're practically like Immortals!"
"The Transcendence Realm, in a sense, represents the ultimate strength of the human body," Sun Kai added, pushing up his glasses and speaking earnestly. "Soone at Half-Step Transcendence is the closest one can get to the human body's limit. To ordinary people, they are incredibly powerful."
"Exactly!" Yu Jiaqi nodded, then said to Qin Heng, "For example, if you punched a Half-step Grandmaster, they wouldn't feel a thing. But a Half-step Grandmaster could send you flying over ten ters and leave you seriously injured with just a light flick of a single finger!"
Her words caused many nearby passengers to exclaim in admiration.
"So impressive! A Half-step Grandmaster! Is that the true power of a Half-step Grandmaster? I didn't quite grasp it from those awareness campaigns, but now I realize how strong they are!"
"What did you expect? That's a Grandmaster-level Martial Artist, soone almost at the human body's limit! Even if they're just half a step shy, they're so incredibly powerful that everyone on this plane combined probably wouldn't be enough to handle a single Half-step Grandmaster."
"Heh heh, young man, you're lucky your comnt about 'only one Half-step Grandmaster' wasn't overheard by a real Martial Artist, or you'd be getting a beating right now, haha!"
Nowadays, national awareness campaigns about Martial Dao knowledge were increasingly common. While not everyone in the country might fully understand what Martial Dao entailed, hardly anyone remained completely ignorant of its existence. Due to these changes, Martial Dao had gradually beco a hot topic of conversation. This was especially true when it ca to high-level Martial Artists; rely ntioning them could easily spark widespread discussion. For instance, to ordinary people, anyone at Open Force or above was considered a high-level Martial Artist. Half-Step Transcendence was viewed as an almost insurmountable peak, while the Transcendence Realm itself was legendary.
"It wouldn't matter if they heard," Qin Heng replied with a smile to the passenger who had just spoken. "Even if the Chai family's Half-step Grandmaster were here, I'd say the sa thing."
"Aren't you afraid of the Chai family's Half-step Grandmaster teaching you a lesson?" Yu Jiaqi retorted, sowhat dissatisfied. She felt Qin Heng was boasting, and she had always disliked people like that.
"Young man, be careful with your words," Sun Kai cautioned, frowning at Qin Heng. "There are many people from Kaifeng on this plane. If word of this gets back to the Chai family, you'll be in trouble."
"Actually, I'd rather hope the Chai family cos looking for ," Qin Heng said, a slight smile playing on his lips. "It would save
the trouble of finding them. As long as the Chai family dares to show up, I can kill them all."
After all, my very reason for coming to Kaifeng this ti was to deal with the Chai family—the sa Chai family that wants to seize the Ancient Sword and force Su Xiao into marriage.
Silence.
Absolute silence!
The entire first-class cabin fell quiet. All eyes turned to Qin Heng, staring at him as if he were a fool.
"Hahaha!" Yu Jiaqi burst out laughing. "Actually, that joke isn't funny at all! You say you can kill a Half-step Grandmaster? Hahaha! Do you think you're a Grandmaster of Transcendence? Stop kidding around!"
The other passengers also started laughing. No one believed Qin Heng. So even shot him disdainful looks, thinking he was just full of hot air, that his boasts were so outrageous they could pierce the heavens.
After all, in the minds of ordinary people, Grandmasters of Transcendence were already the pinnacle of Martial Dao. Those who reached this Realm were generally old n in their sixties or seventies, with the youngest typically being over fifty. Yet here was Qin Heng, who looked to be only eighteen or nineteen, claiming he could kill a Half-step Grandmaster. To these people, it sounded like he was talking in his sleep.
Joyful, mocking laughter echoed throughout the first-class cabin, all directed at Qin Heng. No one believed him; they all thought he was dreaming.
CLICK!
At that mont, the distinct sound of an airplane seatbelt buckle being unfastened cut through the laughter. A burly, broad-shouldered man stood up and strode purposefully towards Qin Heng. The man was over 1.8 ters tall and powerfully built, his short-sleeved shirt revealing bulging muscles. He lood over the seated Qin Heng and sneered, "Kid, who do you think you are, talking about killing the Chai family's Half-step Grandmaster? Are you trying to make
die laughing? Look at you, so delicate and fair-skinned—smoother than a woman's! Forget about fighting, could you even catch a chicken? Hahahaha! You're killing !"
Only then did the surrounding passengers really take in Qin Heng's appearance: tall and lean, fair-skinned and handso, with a complexion so flawless it would make most won burn with jealousy.
Soone like that knows martial arts? Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
Qin Heng ignored the onlookers' stares, glanced at the burly man, and asked, "And you are?"
"I'm a disciple of the Chai Family Martial Arts School!" the burly man declared with a contemptuous grin. "But a weakling like you isn't qualified to know my na. You're trash, not even worthy of being my opponent. Once we get to Kaifeng, I'll have my apprentices deal with you and teach you so manners! Let's hope you don't end up crying then! Hahahaha!"
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