85.

While Yang Ze was busy promoting the martial arts, in a small room inside the Xia Clan, a different scene was playing out. In the dimly lit room, the figure of an old man was sitting on a chair with his eyes closed, and in front of him were the figures of many people kneeling respectfully. The man didn't speak a word, but with every breath he took, the room seemed to tremble.

Even though the people on the ground were kneeling for half an hour, none of them dared to speak a word. The reason was because of the old man in front of them. This old man was one of the strongest existence in the town, one who was respectfully addressed as an Immortal. The ancestor of the Xia family, 'Xia Jian'.

"Umm..." Opening his eyes, Xia Jian looked at the members of the Xia family kneeling in front of him before nodding slightly.

"You all are here." His hoarse voice echoed throughout the room. At that moment, the people kneeling on the ground almost stopped breathing due to the sheer pressure that just this voice gave them.

"Xia Wen."

"Yes, ancestor." A man in his late sixties stood up and slowly walked toward Xia Jian respectfully.

"You are already the patriarch of the Xia family. What do you think about the decision that I made?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the room plunged into silence. The patriarch of the Xia Family, Xia Wen, swallowed hard before opening his mouth and speaking with some hesitation.

"I... I... I request ancestor to reconsider this."

As soon as he said the words, the temperature in the room seemed to drop by a lot. Right now, everyone could feel their hair standing on their back.

"Oh! Why do you say so?" However, Xia Jian just smiled gently.

"Ancestor, Since the day we formed this city, we have always pledged our alliance to the Xuanwu Academy. How can we betray them and join a different power? If the people from the Xuanwu Academy get the wind of it, our entire family will be wiped out."

The people kneeling on the ground trembled and looked at the old ancestors with pleading gazes, with their meaning obvious.

"Heh." Xia Jian sneered before looking at them with disappointment. A few hours ago, he called all the higher-ups of the Xia family here to tell them about the decision that he made. A decision that will change the very foundation of their family.

"Let me tell you this. The Yuwen family and the Feng family have already accepted this offer and are ready to change allegiance which leaves just us. I hope all of you can make up your mind as soon as possible."

"Leave now."

The people stood up slowly before giving him a bow and exiting the room.

"Heavens... What are we going to do now?"

"No idea. We should just ask the patriarch."

"God damn, we are all dead. You hear me. DEAD."

As soon as they were far away from the room, they suddenly started cursing in low voices. It wasn't their fault for this sudden outburst. Just a few hours ago, the ancestor of the Xia family, Xia Jian, announced that their family was going to rebel against the Xuanwu Academy. They are going to join another powerful organization and help them fight against the Xuanwu Academy.

At first, they all thought that the ancestor was joking with them, but only now did they realize that he was being dead serious. In the split of a second, their entire life seemed to change drastically. Although the ancestor told them to think about it, however, in their eyes, he had already decided upon it. Right now they were stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea, unable to make any decision themselves.

Just when they were discussing amongst themselves, the figure of the patriarch Xia Wen slowly walked out of the room and stood in front of them.

"Patriarch, you need to do something."

"Yes, we need to think carefully about it."

"A single mistake and we will be history. Please, think about it."

Numerous voices rose, making Xia Wen unable to speak. Raising his hand, he signaled them to stop before speaking in a low voice.

"Third elder, if I remember correctly, you must be in the Late stage of the Qi guiding realm right?"

"And the second elder, you have been stuck in the late stage for a long time too."

"Patriarch, what do you want to say?" The second elder looked at Xia Wen with a frown. No one would feel happy being mocked this way.

"What if I tell you you can step into peak Qi guiding realm?" After speaking these words, he looked at the third elder.

"Not only you but all of you too. What if you all can also step into the peak of Qi Guiding realm and what if you all can step into Innate?"

Looking at their breathing which was getting rapid, Xia Wen shouted again.

"What if your children can become Qi Guiding Experts? Will all of you still stick to the Xuanwu Academy? ANSWER ME?"

Looking at the silence, he spoke again.

"We had enough of this. Every year we need to pay a huge sum of tribute to the Xuanwu Academy. How many experts do you think we can have if not for sending all the resources there?"

"We are stuck here, at the bottom, living off the leftovers, while they all enjoy their lives in luxuries and peace. This situation of them getting stronger and us getting weaker will never change... Unless... Unless we decide to change the situation ourselves."

"SO TELL ME... DO YOU STILL WANT TO SIDE WITH XUANWU ACADEMY?"

"DO YOU STILL WANT TO BE OPPRESSED?"

"ARE YOU WILLING TO SACRIFICE YOUR STRENGTH FOR THIS MIRAGE OF A PEACE?"

"TELL ME!!!"

The more he spoke, the more emotional he became. To others, the patriarch of the Xia Clan was a position that promised power, glory, and riches. But only he himself knows what this position demands. It wasn't easy for him to manage resources for such a big family when he needed to pay tributes to the Xuanwu Academy and even the city lord who was leeching off resources despite them already paying to the academy.

No one spoke a word, but their eyes that were filled with ambitions were enough to show their stance and determination.

"Good." With a smile, Xia Wen, the patriarch of the Xia family nodded toward them. Finally, after years and years of oppression, they will be free. They can do what they want without any restraint or fear.

.

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"Well, there are no dreams?" Yang Ze who just promoted the Hollow Fist to perfection was in a daze. Every time he upgraded his martial arts, he would inevitably feel some headache or blurred vision, in some cases, he would even lose consciousness. But this time, he didn't feel any discomfort much less go into the slumber. It took 600 XP to reach perfection in Hollow fists.

Clenching his fists, Yang Ze slowly lifted it before pushing it gently.

"Crack..."

"Fuck." As soon as Yang Ze pushed his hand forward, the walls and the floor began to crack. Hastily pulling his hand back, Yang Ze looked at the small rune formation before sighing in relief.

He had to admit, Hollow fist was one of the strongest methods of attack. Just as the name suggests, upon reaching completion, this fist will derive all the Qi and energy from the surroundings before blasting it forward.

"Unfortunately, this is not the case with the energy of heaven and earth." Shaking his head in pity, Yang Ze sighed in disappointment. The power of this fist was terrifying in the Qi guiding realm where everyone uses Qi, but in the realm of innate, where the energy of heaven and earth was involved, this wasn't something grandeur.

"On the other hand, I doubt this book would be there if this worked for the Innate realm too." With a laugh, Yang Ze looked at the last martial art on the screen, Astra Art.

This was the first defensive technique that registered on the screen. After stepping into the realm of Innate, his body was baptized by the thunder, improving his overall physique. Yang Ze didn't know how much this book will help him, but since it was registered, it will at least provide him with some more strength.

According to the book, this defense technique was divided into three realms. The first realm is the introduction, the second realm is the half-Astra, and the third and final realm is Astra's body.

It is said that if someone can reach the third realm, they will step into the Innate. However, looking at the notes at the end of the book all of which were cursing the creator, Yang Ze shook his head.

These notes were written by people who took this book before him. All of them seemed to be the members of the three families who were able to borrow this book for a few days. After practicing it and not achieving any result, they could only helplessly return this book back along with the notes that were filled with death wishes to the creator.

"Hahahahahaha."

Yang Ze looked at the notes that were written at the end of the book before bursting out in laughter.

'Stepping Into Innate? More Like stepping into poverty.'

'Stupid people make stupid books.'

'Thank you for wasting my year. A BIG FUCK YOU.'

...

After browsing through the notes, Yang Ze had a rough understanding of this martial arts. It seemed, that not only this thing requires tons and tons of precious resources, but it is also a time-consuming process, that span decades. One of them even wrote about how the elders of the family came to a conclusion that if the entire city of Mehull went bankrupt, then perhaps there might be a twenty percent chance of producing someone who can reach perfection in this Astra Art.

Closing the book with a smile, Yang Ze shook his head. For others, it was a time and resource-consuming process, but for him, it was just a matter of XP. Looking at the requirement of 100 XP for promoting it, Yang Ze smiled before clicking on the '+' button.