Chapter 585 All Abilities Are Superpowers (6600, Second Update Seeking Monthly Tickets!)

"Child, all your efforts are in vain."

In 1946, after the Second Global War, the Zheng Nation, having concluded the Southeast and Pacific campaigns, began to recuperate.

Thirteen-year-old Liu Li began to inherit his family's martial arts tradition.

Every morning upon waking, before his morning practice, he would first hear his father's calm, yet discouraging voice.

"All of this is meaningless."

His father was gentle. His father was strong. His father never wanted to say harsh words to his child.

His father was missing his right arm.

The Liu family was one of the few families in Zheng Nation that had inherited a complete set of Lingwu (Spirit Martial) battle techniques, which was extremely rare for most Lingwu families who had lost their scriptures due to the depletion of spirit energy and the deaths of their successors.

Because martial artists in the era without spiritual energy were prone to early death, being able to maintain a complete and renowned lineage after thousands of years of war was enough to prove the superiority of the tradition and the excellence of the inheritors.

And for the Liu family, holding such prestige, all boys, upon reaching puberty, would begin preliminary martial arts training to hone their physique and cultivate the physical qualities needed for subsequent training.

However, there was a strange tradition in the Liu family—although martial arts training was compulsory, if a Liu family child truly wanted to quit, and vowed never to practice martial arts again, nor to be exposed to related teachings, while also permanently renouncing the family's inheritance, then he could be exempt from inheriting the family's martial arts and become an ordinary person.

No one would despise those who quit, as everyone considered it a normal choice, just like how some people liked durian and others didn't.

Since that was the case, there was no need to force it.

In fact, before Liu Li, several of his cousins had given up martial arts due to their inability to endure the arduous training.

But Liu Li was different.

"Good morning, Father."

Every morning, upon waking, after hearing his father's calm voice, he would always reply with the same calm tone: "What is the training for this morning?"

Liu Li didn't really understand why his family had such a tradition, why his father, who never said harsh words, would always take the opportunity to discourage him in the morning, saying that everything was meaningless and futile…

But it didn't matter, because he never took it to heart anyway.

Liu Li had a big heart and was very forgetful about bad moods, which might be a talent for martial arts, allowing him to always calmly and focusedly persist in training, day after day.

The martial arts inherited by the Liu family were not profound, but they were not simple either. Even in the era without spiritual energy, where only partial guidance could be practiced, it would still take more than ten years of arduous training day and night to master it completely.

After all, it wasn't just simple routines, but also numerous techniques for cultivating the body and mind, many of which exceeded the limits of the human body and were originally meant to be practiced normally with spiritual energy.

With the depletion of spiritual energy, many originally simple physical strengthening processes could only be achieved through day after day of arduous training, so that the preliminary guidance process, which geniuses could complete in just a few days, could take ordinary talents decades.

Many people, most Liu family descendants, quit midway through training because they couldn't bear it. In Liu Li's generation, only two people persisted in learning, himself and a stubborn cousin of his.

Unlike Liu Li, who regarded martial arts as a rather difficult hobby, this cousin persisted in practicing martial arts simply out of rebellious psychology.

—You don't want me to learn, thinking it's futile for me to learn martial arts? I insist on practicing martial arts and achieving something to show you!

The arduous process of practicing martial arts accompanied the two children through their childhood.

Running with weights, swinging fists and swords, training footwork, mastering balance, breathing exercises, meditation to refine the spirit…

While other children were playing, the two teenagers spent every spare after-school hour and every weekend afternoon in the training room.

"Do not compete for strength, do not use martial arts on ordinary people, and do not bully the weak just because you think you are strong."

His father would always advise Liu Li in this way.

['Wu' (Martial) is a tool for the weak to strike the stronger, 'Wu' is a ladder for the strong to challenge higher peaks, 'Wu' should not be used on the weak; such behavior is a disgrace to the word 'Wu'.]

Liu Li had always been a good boy; he felt that his father was right and that he shouldn't do that.

After all, for him, martial arts was just a hobby. As long as no one bullied him, he wouldn't use his hobby to bully others, just like no one would want to use playing the erhu to bully others.

—Indeed.

To punch the weak, still requiring skill, well-trained muscles, and techniques soaked in sweat from years of hard practice…

Such a thing would truly disgrace his fists.

As time passed, Liu Li grew older and his mastery of martial arts became more and more refined.

Soon, it was 1952.

When Liu Li was nineteen, his one-armed father stood in the training ground and sighed.

"I have nothing more to teach you."

The somewhat lonely man said: "As long as you continue to hone your fist techniques, maintain your condition, and occasionally spar with your cousin to increase your practical experience, you should be able to smoothly reach the Grandmaster realm and become a master capable of establishing a school and teaching martial arts."

"In this era, you have reached the pinnacle—there is no road upward."

"Just a Grandmaster?"

Liu Li, upon receiving such an evaluation, was puzzled and even asked with a hint of dissatisfaction: "Isn't there a stronger realm? I feel that I can become stronger, and not just like this."

Even now, sixty-seven years later, Liu Li still remembers the slightly sorrowful look in his father's eyes when he touched his missing right arm.

"Liu Li, this kind of effort is futile."

"In this era, practicing martial arts is meaningless."

His father never lied. His father never deceived. His father never exaggerated to his son.

His father always told the truth.

Liu Li knew that his father was absolutely right.

His ten years of relentless cultivation were, in a sense, indeed futile.

Because this world had the existence of 'technology.'

Because this world had the existence of 'firearms.'

Likewise.

Because this world once had the existence of 'superhumans.'

Because this world once had the existence of 'spiritual energy.'

After becoming an adult, Liu Li, a graduate of a second-rate academy, had difficulty finding a job due to his major. His cousin, who was a few months younger than him, was the same. The two of them were unemployed at home, occasionally going for interviews to see if they could get lucky and find a company that urgently needed people to hire them.

After the end of the Second Global War, the world economy was extremely prosperous. Theoretically, even a beggar who knew nothing could easily find a job in the city.

However, the two of them seemed to be unlucky. Despite being academy graduates, they couldn't find a position that met their requirements.

Then one day, Liu Li, returning home from a job fair, overheard a conversation between his father and a strange man.

"No, at least I don't agree. Our Liu family has shed too much blood during the war, and it won't continue!"

His father's tone was heavy, even with a rare hint of reproach, as he said, "Don't come again—don't drag the younger generation into this world!"

"Don't you understand? In this era without spiritual energy, martial artists who haven't awakened are no different from ordinary people facing firearms in front of those with innate talent?"

"...I understand your meaning. Alright, I won't come again."

The man who replied seemed somewhat guilty and ashamed. After hearing his father's stern rejection, he even breathed a sigh of relief, revealing a relieved expression, and then picked up his hat, preparing to leave.

When the man opened the door and saw Liu Li, he was stunned.

"Such an excellent martial arts seed…" he murmured softly.

And Liu Li also happened to see the worried and helpless expression on his father's face through the opened door.

"What are you talking about? Why is the atmosphere so tense?" Liu Li joked casually, wanting to liven up the mood.

But he didn't expect that this would be the beginning of his path of no return.

From the young and ignorant Liu Li becoming an employee of the National Security Bureau, then the leader of a special operations team, and then cultivating and fighting all the way, shining in the first energy war in the central region of World Island, gradually rising through the ranks, and then becoming a Zhen Guo Shi (Nation Stabilizing Envoy), a full sixty-seven years had passed.

Sixty-seven years was twice the average lifespan of commoners in human dynasties two thousand years ago.

Sixty-seven years was enough for a young man who had just begun to master martial arts to become a Grandmaster, advance to a higher realm, have disciples and grandchildren filling the halls, and create a vast lineage. It was enough for a martial arts Grandmaster to grow old, no longer be in his prime, and even be unable to hold chopsticks.

Sixty-seven years was enough for a person to experience a long life, with partings and deaths, with indelible love and hate born in their heart, or to see through everything and calmly observe the birth, death, prosperity, and decline of all things in the world.

In those sixty-seven years, his regretful father passed away, his gentle and loving mother passed away, and even his cousin, who had practiced martial arts with him, died in the energy war due to the overt and covert struggles and espionage operations between superhumans from various countries.

In these sixty-seven years, he had gradually become an old man, almost alone, with almost no companions, walking his lonely path.

After such a long time, Liu Li clearly understood the meaning of what his father had said back then.

Indeed, his efforts might have been futile at that time.

There were existences in this world who, merely by 'awakening' their abilities, could surpass the limits of humanity with their physical bodies alone.

Just like the strongest person on Earth who had awakened the blood of the Yinglong (Responding Dragon) and the Zhuzhou (Torch Dragon), from the very beginning of his awakening, he surpassed the strength of ordinary humans who had worked hard their entire lives. Even if someone wanted to strangle him barehanded, his bulging muscles would directly shatter their flesh and bones.

Was skill meaningful? His punch would ignore any force redirection and directly punch a hole through someone. His grasp could directly crush a thigh bone. Parrying would only provide the opponent with a target.

Using a gun? That was even more of a joke. In the eyes of such a person, what was the difference between a bullet and a slightly faster paper airplane?

When facing these monsters, they must never be treated as humans. One must go all out and not be contemptuous just because the opponent had not practiced any skills.

His cousin died in this way. He forgot the essence of martial arts, forgot that 'Wu' was a tool for the weak to fight against the strong, a tool created by humans who were not strong in order to fight against other naturally stronger humans, stronger beasts, and even stronger cultivators.

He forgot the adage [Use your strengths to strike at the enemy's weaknesses].

Wu allowed the weak to have the possibility of resisting the strong and could also make the strong even stronger.

But when facing geniuses who could resist bullets with their muscles, distort steel with their minds, and contend with small-scale armies with their own strength, even in an era without spiritual energy, could still forcibly rely on their talents to cultivate some achievements and reach the Awakening realm.

The tool of Wu was too fragile for ordinary people.

Thinking like this.

In 2019, Zheng Nation, Qingzhou, Nine Xuan World spacetime portal.

Due to the fluctuations of the spacetime portal, endless spiritual energy surged again, and the spiritual tides of the two worlds collided, forming a huge whirlwind that turned the surrounding Qingzhou Plain into a dusty, hazy sky.

Standing in front of the spacetime portal, a sturdy old man with a head full of white hair, but unwilling to dye it black, stood with his hands behind his back in front of the huge spacetime rift.

His gaze was distant, as if recalling the past.

And in front of him were the Hongwang (King Hong) of the Nine Xuan World and his Hongtianwei (Hong Sky Guards), who were constantly fluctuating and intending to cross over from another space-time realm and arrive at the 'Immortal Sky'.

Liu Li recalled many things. He recalled his cousin in the middle of World Island, during a battle with an unknown foreign superhuman organization, after defeating a dozen ordinary cultivators, being scorched into charcoal by a superhuman who was terrifyingly powerful and controlled lightning and flames.

Fists and feet were useless, skills were useless, weapons were useless.

Whether it was footwork, spiritual sense, strength, or will, all were useless.

—What a tragic fact, a martial artist's decades of hard work could not compare to another's innate talent.

But Liu Li didn't feel sad.

The old man, who was used to seeing births, deaths, separations, and the prosperity and decline of all things, knew very well that the level represented by himself and his cousin did not represent martial arts at all.

This was not the limit of 'Wu'.

"Wu is a tool of mankind."

Stepping forward, slowly approaching the spacetime portal, under the watchful eyes of all the Baidiwei (White Emperor Guards), under the tense gaze of Tang Yuan and Li Yeyu, and under the confused and contemptuous gazes of all the Hongtianwei and Nine Xuan people who were constantly pouring into the Immortal Sky realm.

Liu Li, alone, murmured to himself, and then walked alone towards the Hongtianwei, who had instinctively begun to gather their formations: "Spiritual energy, abilities, supernatural powers, various cultivation methods—these are also tools of mankind."

"Just like airplanes, cannons, firearms, missiles, religion, science, technology, faith… These things are all tools and technologies that humans have gradually invented and created in the process of developing over millions of years."

"Tools and technologies are certainly important, but compared to that, the most important thing is people."

Saying this, the sandstorm that had appeared due to the spacetime portal began to slowly crack a crack.

Sunlight pierced down from it, like a sword sent from the heavens.

And Liu Li stretched out his hand, and he grasped this ray of sunlight, as if grasping a sword.

—Ordinary people say that martial artists can hurt people with flying flowers and plucked leaves, but that is not the case.

True martial artists can use light and pluck stars as martial arts, and stepping on clouds and breathing can be weapons.

"What the hell?!"

At this moment, Hongwang already felt that something was wrong. Not only was the old man in front of him, who appeared to have white hair but was actually full of vitality and like a volcano, of the same level as him, but the surrounding elite Taoist armored soldiers (exoskeleton armor), who had surrounded the entire spacetime portal, were enough to make him feel a sense of threat.

And the technique of receiving light and turning it into a sword was simply incredible! What kind of supernatural power was that?!

What was going on? Why did the Immortal Sky realm seem to be prepared?

But if they were prepared, why would they only send a mere thirty people to explore the Nine Xuan World?!

But all this vigilance and panic had nothing to do with Liu Li.

He closed his eyes, and his mind echoed with what Yansheng (Saint Yan) had told him before, about the process of his communication with Su Zhou.

—When transcendent power can replace humans in doing everything, when transcendent power can give a portion of people unique mysterious abilities.

Then what is the meaning of existence for the rest of the people, ordinary mortals?

Is it exactly the same if you replace transcendence with technology, and replace cultivators with permission holders, capitalists, hackers, and all those who have technology?

How should the meaninglessness of civilization be avoided?

Compared to Yansheng, who was somewhat stumped by the question, Liu Li, the Martial God, who was also a genius and a naturally transcendent and holy person, could answer this question more naturally, more easily, and more understandingly.

[Martial arts, from the beginning, was also something that only the rich could practice.]

[In essence, it is just a more popular superpower that requires people to work hard to obtain.]

[Any ability is the same. Compared to a newborn baby who knows nothing, whether it is mathematics, philosophy, physics, or chemistry, this knowledge is a peculiar superpower.]

—And these superpowers can be learned acquiredly and cultivated acquiredly, thus making people stronger.

Then why can't so-called cultivation, superpowers, transcendent power, and all other spells, these things that can also be analyzed, popularized, and thus possessed by everyone, be like mathematics and language?

This is obviously an unreasonable thing, isn't it?

As long as it can be analyzed, analyzed, and popularized, when the whole people awaken, the upper limit of mankind will be raised.

If everyone can cultivate, then the essence of mankind is also raised.

And as a tool of man, the upper limit of Wu is naturally raised.

It is not because Wu is weaker than cultivation, it is only because ordinary people who practice Wu are weaker than geniuses who have superpowers and cultivation talents.

When everyone stands on the same starting line, everything has meaning again.

Just like everyone knows that to become a successful industrialized country, at least the people of the whole country must be literate and have the basis to become workers—to become a modern country of great cultivation, popularizing cultivation is naturally the foundation.

All abilities are superpowers, requiring learning, cultivation, persistence, serious treatment, and sincere research.

Therefore, all the sages of Zheng Nation, and even the ambitious and enlightened people of the whole world.

Everyone is determined that no matter what the cost, they must popularize cultivation methods and carry out national cultivation.

Because if this is not done, the civilization of the human beings of Earth, in this era of spiritual energy recovery and the opening of all worlds, will have no future!

"Wu—the art of the masses, the skill of the people, using weakness to strike the strong, breaking the enemy to protect the family and the country."

Liu Li, grasped the ray of sunlight that fell from his side, that was just the most ordinary ray of noon light, but this ray of light seemed to be filled with some kind of will, it became shining, golden, and there were patterns of solar true fire burning and jumping around its blade, causing the atmosphere to emit an ionized scorch.

But in the final analysis, it was just a ray of light.

Just like Liu Li was just Wu.

The sadness that plagued his father's life and caused him to lose his right arm, the era that made him think that practicing martial arts was meaningless and that his efforts were futile, had left because of the recovery of spiritual energy.

All meaninglessness had lost its foundation of existence, because the limit he saw was only his own limit, that was not the limit of man, nor was it the limit of 'Wu', nor was it the limit of the future.

Liu Li believed that his and the future's limit was far more than that.

Even in the era when spiritual energy was cut off, he firmly believed so.

—If spiritual martial arts cannot work, then take the path of cyber martial arts.

—If cyber martial arts cannot work, then take the path of biochemical martial arts.

—If biochemical martial arts cannot work, then find the next martial art.

Why?

There is no why.

—Because Wu is there.

Just like Liu Li has always been here.

This is the only belief that the Martial God Liu Li has always held.

"Kill him!"

In front of the spacetime portal, Jiu Xuan Hongwang issued a grim and somber roar: "Kill this leading Immortal Sky King, the surrounding army is not worth worrying about!"

After saying this, he directly drew out the saber at his waist, and his body turned into a torrent-like, powerful spiritual flow, and his whole person rushed towards Liu Li like the surging flame light during a volcanic eruption.

And in an instant, hundreds of guards shouted in unison, and countless incantations and supernatural powers were activated, and in the next instant, countless supernatural spells condensed into a vast and majestic spiritual energy giant mountain, which looked ordinary, but was grand and unstoppable, and it was suppressed towards Liu Li.

This was the joint spell of the Hongtianwei, and this strike, 'Hongshan Suppressing God', was enough to make a King at the peak of the Human Immortal level avoid its edge. If hit, he would definitely be suppressed.

And at the same time, Liu Li.

Martial God, Liu Li.

He raised his hand, gripped his fist, gripped his sword, and gripped the 'Li' (principle).

The thing he raised his hand and gripped was his 'heart', which had never been slack for decades, and this piece of heaven and earth.

[—Martial Arts·Heaven and Earth as Martial—]

Immediately, the sword of sunlight, which was tightly held in Liu Li's hand, suddenly soared, turning into a pillar of light that reached the sky, penetrating the spiritual energy giant mountain transformed by the Hongshan Suppressing God technique from bottom to top, and going straight to the top of the sky.

At this point, the haze receded, and the whirlwind stopped.

Between heaven and earth, the sunlight was great, and within a radius of more than ten miles, there was no cloud in an instant, and the sunlight of the scorching sun shot in from the window of the sky, illuminating the heaven and earth.

All the spiritual energy around the spacetime portal stagnated, and the spells dissipated, as if they had never existed.

All the cultivators of the Nine Xuan World felt trembling at this moment.

They felt that their bodies and souls were as if they were being grasped, and the sword was resting against their throats, and the entire heaven and earth seemed to be enemies with them—and this was only because the old man had raised the sword in his hand.

It was just a sword made of light.

"Focus, affection, intention."

"No regrets, no hatred, no obsession."

The old martial artist indifferently watched the Jiu Xuan alien world army in front of him, and he calmly announced to the world: "I am the Martial God of Zheng Nation."

Saying this, he waved his sword, and the tip of the shining light sword slashed across the earth, but it caused the earth and rocks thousands of meters away to be remotely split open, drawing a wide trajectory that was tens of meters deep, and the scorching lava transformed into a moat, directly surrounding the Jiu Xuan Hongwang and his party, who had already begun to tremble, and circled them.

The violent spiritual power flowed endlessly in it, and even faintly condensed into a formation, and the spiritual power of heaven and earth operated spontaneously, turning into supernatural powers and spells with the old man's heart.

Turning into, Wu.

Slightly lowering his eyes, Liu Li no longer directly looked at the group of enemies in front of him.

The old martial artist turned around, let go of his hand, and let the shining light sword dissipate, turning back into a ray of light, and endless spiritual energy converged towards his flesh, towards his soul and heart like a vortex.

His tone was calm: "Beings from the ghost realm of another world, kneel down."

"If so, there is still a chance of survival."

At this moment, at this moment.

Earth, apart from Su Zhou, the first hegemonic Earth Immortal level existence was born here.

Seeking monthly tickets!

Alas, a lot of plot is missing, but it's ok jpg