The Almighty Martial Arts System - Chapter 337

Jiang Fei, of course, couldn’t actually go into hiding and change his name. That was just an angry outburst.

He now had a vast business empire. The Jiang Clinic and Jiang Pharmaceutical Company had grown so large that even if he wanted to flee, he couldn’t just abandon everything. He couldn’t possibly run away to a distant land and disappear forever just to avoid Liu Shengzongju.

However, after hearing the descriptions from Little Wine Ghost and Bai Kedi, he truly wasn’t feeling very confident.

“Even a blade of grass or a twig can be a sword; with flowers and leaves, one can wound.” What kind of realm was this? As a master of swordplay who had learned the Dugu Nine Swords, Jiang Fei understood all too well. This absolutely represented the pinnacle of comprehension in sword dao. Moreover, it also meant one’s inner energy cultivation had reached its utmost limit! Both aspects were indispensable; one had to reach the summit in both to possibly achieve this.

It was like the Sword Demon, Dugu Qiubai. Before thirty, he used the Violet Meteor Soft Sword, pursuing speed and sharpness. After thirty, he used the heavy, unsharpened sword, where great skill appeared effortless, allowing him to roam the world unchallenged. After forty, he was no longer confined by material objects; grass, trees, bamboo, and stones could all become his sword. From then on, he refined his art, gradually approaching the realm where ‘no sword surpasses having a sword.’

Wasn’t Liu Shengzongju now equivalent to having comprehended Dugu Qiubai’s post-forty realm?

Of course, sword techniques in real life couldn’t be completely equated with those in wuxia worlds. Similarly, while inner energy in real life shared similarities with internal strength in wuxia worlds, they were entirely unequal. When Jiang Fei absorbed others’ inner energy with his Northward Ming Divine Skill, one year’s worth of their energy could only be converted into one-fifth of his own.

Therefore, it was very likely that even if Liu Shengzongju could reach the stage of wounding with flowers and leaves, compared to ultimate techniques like the Flower-Pinching Finger from novels, he probably had at most twenty percent of the power.

The same went for swordplay. Even if Liu Shengzongju was the top swordmaster in his country, hailed as a so-called swordmaster, compared to the Sword Demon Dugu Qiubai, he couldn’t possibly be an opponent of the same level; the gap must be vast. The likelihood of him having even twenty percent of Dugu Qiubai’s power was slim!

Yet, even possessing only twenty percent of Dugu Qiubai’s combat prowess would still be an utterly terrifying existence!

Jiang Fei wasn’t invincible or unmatched under heaven either. His Dugu Nine Swords weren’t fully mastered yet, and his Northward Ming Divine Skill hadn’t even broken through the first layer. How many tenths of Dugu Qiubai’s power did he possess now? Still far, far from it!

“In real life, how could anyone possibly cultivate sword techniques to the point of emitting sword energy? Hmm, excluding that cheap master of mine, Xuanji Zi—he’s inscrutable and beyond current understanding. If this Liu Shengzongju has truly reached the realm where ‘no sword surpasses having a sword,’ can I… still be his match?” Jiang Fei couldn’t help but wonder inwardly.

He wasn’t overly concerned about Wine Ghost and Bai Kedi.

They were undoubtedly rare masters, perhaps even stronger than Miyamoto Isshin. But Jiang Fei had grown significantly since his decisive battle with Miyamoto. He had improved in all aspects. He had already defeated Miyamoto back then; now it would be even easier. So, when these two came seeking a duel, Jiang Fei simply didn’t want to bother with them. Otherwise, defeating them wouldn’t be difficult!

He might only feel wary if their master came.

And Liu Shengzongju, having reached the realm of wounding with flowers and leaves, where no sword surpasses having a sword, could definitely easily defeat Little Wine Ghost and Bai Kedi!

Liu Shengzongju’s realm was probably already on par with true top-tier experts like ‘Lord Dong,’ ‘Wine Ghost Monk,’ and ‘Wild Grass Taoist’!

Against them, Jiang Fei truly had no confidence.

Returning to the clinic in a rather gloomy mood, Jiang Fei chuckled bitterly to himself, “Master, since you, old man, have already divined that your disciple is in trouble, why don’t you step out and shield me? Such an old monster simply isn’t someone your disciple can handle! Shouldn’t you seniors bear such heavy, arduous tasks? Just passing the buck over like this, aren’t you afraid of crushing me?”

Jiang Fei really wanted to drag out his cheap master right now, to have the old man accept Liu Shengzongju’s challenge. With Xuanji Zi’s power, almost reaching ‘shattering the void,’ defeating Liu Shengzongju naturally wouldn’t be difficult.

But… Jiang Fei had no idea where his master had wandered off to! The old man hadn’t left a phone number or email address when he left; Jiang Fei had no way to contact him.

“Maybe I could have Liu Shengzongju challenge Lord Dong, Wine Ghost Monk, and Wild Grass Taoist instead? They’re from the same generation, the same age group; fighting them would be fair! I’m just a junior in my twenties, haven’t cultivated for many years. I’m simply not suited to cross blades with them!” Jiang Fei sat in his clinic office, frowning in thought.

Soon, he dismissed this idea.

Little Wine Ghost and Bai Kedi had said Liu Shengzongju wanted to challenge him largely because he had slain Miyamoto Isshin, hence the desire for a bout. Even if those reclusive masters could withstand Liu Shengzongju, they hadn’t stepped forward!

Moreover, Jiang Fei had no ties to them. Why would they help him?

“That idea needs more consideration. For now, the safest bet is to quickly improve my own strength a bit more!” Jiang Fei thought.

Soon, he pulled up his character status interface in his mind.

Some time had passed since returning from the capital to Jincheng, about a month, and he had accumulated a fair amount of experience points again.

Character: Jiang Fei
Level: 5
Experience: 2145/7000
Physique: 4.0
Spirit: 4.1
Agility: 6.0
Strength: 4.2
Unassigned Points: 0

Martial Skills: Lightness Skill Triple Cloud, Level 1 (0/100); Incomplete Tai Chi, Level 1 (0/200); Qimen Dunjia Art, Level 2 (0/450); Dugu Nine Swords, Level 1 (1/500); Northward Ming Divine Skill (3.7/15); Ladder Cloud Leap, Level 1 (0/460). Available Skill Points: 294.5

Secondary Professions: Weapon Forging (Level 9), Plant Cultivation (Level 9), Culinary Arts (Level 9), Horticulture (Level 9), Musical Artistry (Level 9), Brewing (Level 9), Summoned Beast Taming (Level 9), Medical Skill (Level 8 + 85%)…

“I have 294.5 available skill points now. Upgrading Dugu Nine Swords to Level 2 requires 500 skill points. That means I still need 205.5 skill points, which translates to 2055 experience points, and then I can upgrade the Dugu Nine Swords!” Jiang Fei calculated silently.

His current swordsmanship was already miraculous to ordinary martial artists; they had never seen such sword techniques, which was why he could defeat Miyamoto. But Jiang Fei knew his Dugu Nine Swords weren’t yet proficient; he hadn’t unleashed the true power of the technique.

If he could raise it to the second level, he could barely claim mastery, and its power would skyrocket. Facing a swordmaster like Liu Shengzongju, who wielded no sword, he would then have some confidence.

However, it had taken him nearly a month to earn just over two thousand experience points. At this rate, to upgrade the Dugu Nine Swords, he would need almost another month.

Would Liu Shengzongju wait a month before coming to challenge him?

“This Jiang Clinic ‘guild’ still isn’t big enough. If the Jiang Clinic became a large, nationwide chain brand, experience points would surely shoot up. Two thousand points could be achieved in minutes, no need to wait a month!” Jiang Fei thought, feeling the urge but lacking the means, becoming even more eager to expand the Jiang Clinic.

“For now, it can’t be done, and rushing won’t help. We can only take it slow.” Jiang Fei shook his head.

Expanding the Jiang Clinic wasn’t an overnight affair but a long-term endeavor. Constructing buildings, purchasing equipment, recruiting doctors and nurses—all had to be done step by step.

“However, it’s somewhat possible for Liu Shengzongju to comprehend the ‘no sword surpasses having a sword’ realm, but how did he achieve wounding with flowers and leaves using sword energy? To what extreme level must one’s inner energy be cultivated for that? When will my much stronger internal strength reach that point? By upgrading the Northward Ming Divine Skill to the second layer?”

For the following period, Jiang Fei lived his days in relative peace, albeit with some underlying anxiety.

Until he faced Liu Shengzongju, or until he raised his own strength high enough to rest easy without fearing the ‘no sword’ realm, it was unlikely he could return to Dao Village for a brief escape from the world’s bustle.

So he simply stayed in Jincheng, going to the Jiang Clinic daily to see patients.

While the clinic’s scale was hard to expand quickly in the short term, Jiang Fei could use his own actions to accelerate his experience point earnings. He hoped Liu Shengzongju would come for their duel only after he had upgraded his Dugu Nine Swords by one level.

However, life seldom goes as planned…

It wasn’t a month.

Not even half a month.

Just one week after Little Wine Ghost, Bai Kedi, and the two members of the Seven Kill Group had visited Jiang Fei.

On this day, Lin Moli, having found some rare free time, came to the Jiang Clinic to ‘inspect’ the work.

After Jiang Fei’s special invitation last time, Su Nan had completely abandoned the idea of reopening her own clinic. She was invited by Jiang Fei to manage the daily operations and various affairs of the Jiang Clinic, taking over Lin Moli’s former role.

It must be said, Lin Moli had a good eye for talent. Su Nan showed real potential in management. In just one week since taking over, she was already doing a commendable job, handling all matters in an orderly fashion, becoming a far more competent director than Jiang Fei.

“Sister Su Nan, look how well you’re doing. A little director’s work couldn’t possibly trouble you,” Lin Moli said with a smile.

“I feel I’m already at my limit. From what Jiang Fei says, this Jiang Clinic will expand many times over in the future. When that time comes, I’m afraid I’ll be truly out of my depth,” Su Nan replied, shaking her head.