Chapter 53: The Dawn of a New Era

Ji Family Escort Agency, on the martial training grounds.

Ji Wu moved with agile precision, his form flashing like lightning. As his fists and palms swept through the air, fierce gusts of wind howled in succession, exuding formidable power.

After completing an entire set of movements, Ji Wu felt an unparalleled sense of ease. The energy and blood within his body flowed as one, and many actions and techniques that had previously been difficult for him now came effortlessly.

“With my current strength, I should already be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the top experts of the martial world, save only for some lack of experience,” Ji Wu thought, his eyes gleaming with a brilliant light. He could feel the surging vitality within him, as well as the internal energy equal to over a decade of cultivation—a newfound vigor.

He had trained since childhood, forging his muscles, bones, and flesh, and had even received the blessing of “immortal energy.” Though he was still some distance from the ultimate realm, his transformation was nothing short of a rebirth—an inexhaustible benefit.

Now, unless he confronted a martial arts grandmaster whose muscles, bones, and flesh had all reached perfection and who possessed profound internal strength, there were few who could pose a real threat to him in single combat.

After a round of practice, though Ji Wu felt exhilarated, he sensed that something was still missing.

Thinking for a moment, he hurried to the kitchen, found a jar of prepared honey, and awoke Bear Overlord.

“Bear Overlord, I feel my skills have reached a new height—shall we spar?”

Ji Wu, having made such a leap in his martial prowess, was eager to put it to the test. Practicing alone held little meaning; a true man must challenge his limits.

“Roar?” Bear Overlord devoured honey with obvious enjoyment, its eyes—large as copper bells—casting a sidelong glance at him. Though it could not speak, its meaning was crystal clear.

You? Seriously?

“What’s with that look? You should see me in a new light! Soon I’ll show you how much I’ve changed!”

Ji Wu stood with hands on his hips, thinking he was now truly fearsome.

A short while later, Ji Wu lay flat on the ground, panting heavily. His chest burned, and his internal energy surged rapidly, mending his wounds.

Yet even so, cold sweat streamed down his forehead. He realized that had Bear Overlord not held back a little, even his internal organs might have been displaced.

“Roar, roar?” Bear Overlord scratched its head. Ji Wu had been hopping around in front of it, occasionally landing a punch or two. While not painful, it was certainly annoying, so Bear Overlord had finally swatted him with a paw. Even with its strength restrained, it might still have hit too hard.

“Damn it, I was careless—I didn’t dodge!”

Gritting his teeth, Ji Wu reflected. He had wanted to test Bear Overlord’s strength, thinking his newfound skills would allow him to withstand a blow or two, but he had still overestimated himself.

Fortunately, Bear Overlord understood the spirit of a friendly spar and didn’t use its full force—otherwise, Ji Wu would not have survived even a single blow.

“This is totally unfair! I—”

Before he could finish, Ji Wu suddenly realized something.

Damn, who knows how many times this bear has eaten peach blossom petals? He’d witnessed it once, but who could say how many times it had happened unseen?

He should never have tried to spar with Bear Overlord—this creature defied all logic!

Buoyed by his recent progress, he had gotten carried away!

Ji Wu took this to heart and resolved never to spar with Bear Overlord again. If it ever failed to restrain itself, all his plans would come to a tragic end.

He lay on the ground for quite a while, until his internal energy had nearly replenished itself and the burning pain in his chest had completely vanished.

Internal energy was the life force a martial artist refined within. It was the best remedy for self-healing, and could also be used to invigorate one's blood and strength in battle. So long as the wounds were not fatal, a practitioner with strong internal energy could recover swiftly—one of the many benefits of mastering internal strength.

“Bear Overlord, you’re incredible!” Ji Wu praised, giving a thumbs-up as he rose. He wasn’t a sore loser; Bear Overlord’s display of strength had simply exceeded his expectations, serving as a valuable lesson.

There is always someone better; the sky is endless.

Though he was fortunate to have gained unique opportunities, who said he was the only one so blessed?

He must guard against arrogance and impatience!

“Roar, roar.” Delighted by the praise, Bear Overlord immediately squared up in imitation, clearly eager for another round.

“…No more, no more,” Ji Wu quickly waved his hands. “With your sheer brute strength, even a martial grandmaster might be unable to withstand you. A mere graze would wound, a hit would kill!”

As he spoke, Ji Wu suddenly froze.

That’s right!

Wasn’t Bear Overlord the helper given to him by Mister Xu?

Until now, Bear Overlord had indeed shown its prowess, but had only ever faced bandits and mountain thieves. Even if armored or in great numbers, these men amounted to little in the eyes of the world—troublesome at best, but never truly formidable.

Strip away their armor, and in terms of status in the martial world, they were hardly worth mentioning.

In other words, his opponents had been too weak for Bear Overlord’s true might to be revealed.

But today, with just a gentle swipe from Bear Overlord, Ji Wu understood the magnitude of its power.

This was strength beyond mere mortal flesh!

Even if his internal energy were multiplied several times, Ji Wu doubted he could withstand a single swipe from Bear Overlord. If he ever took the full brunt of that immense force, it wouldn’t just leave bruises—he’d be torn to pieces. No amount of internal energy could save him then.

Only by facing Bear Overlord’s power head-on could one truly understand what a gap it was.

To have such an ally, yet use it solely to escort caravans?

There could be no greater waste!

He had utterly failed to realize Bear Overlord’s true value!

If such a being entered the battlefield, what a terrifying sight that would be!

With this thought, Ji Wu’s eyes burned with fervor. He had already formed a plan in his heart.

The very next morning, Ji Wu pulled every string he had to buy books—history books, chronicles of dynastic change, and accounts of various rebellions.

Some of them, of course, were banned, but the Ji Family Escort Agency was now one of the most powerful forces in Qingshan County. With friends in Xishan Prefecture helping him, it wasn’t difficult to obtain even forbidden tomes.

In the days that followed, Ji Wu didn’t act rashly. Instead, he pored over these books, drawing from the rich experiences of those who had rebelled before him.

From the successful, he gleaned lessons; from the failures, he drew caution.

Some heroes had him clapping his hands in admiration, wishing he’d been born in their era. Others, nothing but scoundrels riding the tide of history, made him frown—even if they rose for a time, they always met a bitter end, leaving Ji Wu to marvel at their sheer foolishness.

For over half a month, Ji Wu shut himself away, absorbed in study.

Even Ji Yun and Cai Shulan were astonished by his behavior.

This continued until one day, news arrived.

The imperial court had dispatched Liu Sanyuan as Commander-in-Chief of Xishan Prefecture to suppress the traitorous former top scholar!

One, a former Number One Scholar now declared an outlaw, on the run for years and leading a great rebellion; the other, a pillar of the state who had recently swept the imperial examinations, now arriving with the court’s authority to crush the uprising.

It was a true clash of titans.

Proclamations were soon posted throughout Xishan Prefecture, inviting heroes from all quarters to join the righteous cause.

That day, Ji Wu strode out of the Ji Family Escort Agency with Bear Overlord at his side, his ambitions soaring.

“My era is about to begin!”