An hour later, it was the afternoon.
“Pitter-patter…” There was a sound of footsteps.
Everyone turned their heads and found that He Gaoming, John Doe’s disciple, also come with his people.
Because it was not time to battle yet, Fang Qiu and Lin Rusheng didn’t make any move. They had been resting with their eyes closed, secretly improving their state.
Time was ticking away.
There was still a day left before the battle started.
As the sun set and the sun rose, no one spoke.
The people who came all found a place to sit down quietly.
The next morning, the entire peak of Zhongnan Mountain was crowded with people.
The martial arts practitioners from all over the country jostled each other in the crowd in order to see this unprecedented battle with their own eyes.
Because there was no space to stand, some people climbed to the trees in the distance.
On the other side of the mountain range even further away, several figures suddenly flew over from a distance to an empty mountain peak that was higher than the peak of the Zhongnan Mountain.
There were four people in total if one took a closer look.
“Haha.” With loud laughter, the four figures stopped in unison.
The person who was laughing was a middle-aged man in ancient leather armor. This armor looked quite ancient, but it also made him look rather imposing.
Next to the middle-aged man was a middle-aged man wearing round gold-rimmed glasses. He was Diwu Qian’s father, the patriarch of the Diwu family, Diwu Mingchuan!
On the other side, it was a middle-aged woman in white clothes with a bun on her head. She looked sophisticated. At first glance, she gave people a feeling that she had seen all the vicissitudes of life.
The last person was a grey-bearded old man.
The old man’s face was ruddy, and he looked like an old man who specialized in drunken boxing at first glance. However, his body was not bent. He walked steadily and didn’t have a wine gourd in his hand.
“Qian, what are you laughing at?” The ruddy-faced old man looked at the middle-aged man in ancient leather armor. He belched first, then laughed and said, “Tell me honestly, are you planning something again?”
“Haha.” Diwu Mingchuan also laughed out loud.
“Hmm?” The ruddy-faced old man was stunned. He turned to look at Diwu Mingchuan and asked, “The guy from Nanjiang, what are you laughing at?”
The two of them smiled and said nothing.
The ruddy-faced old man snorted and turned to look at the woman in white. Then he quickly rubbed his eyes hard because he found that there was a smile on the woman’s face.
“Damn! Xi Fengling, why are you smiling too?” The old man seemed to have seen something incredible, and he froze.
“Elder Zhan,” Diwu Mingchuan stopped laughing and said. “What we are laughing at is the future of Wulin.”
The old man surnamed Zhan snorted disdainfully and said, “Humph. You old folks have been thinking about the same thing since you were young. We’re not the same kind of people.”
The middle-aged man surnamed Qian, who was wearing ancient leather armor, said, “We are the same kind of people. The reason why I smiled is that this battle is like a once-in-a-lifetime snack to go with drinks today. If it goes well, we may see the future of Wulin today.”
The woman named Xi Fengling also nodded and said, “Yes. After today, there may be another guru in Wulin. This is the blessing for Huaxia.”
“Guru?” Old Zhan snorted in disdain and said, “I don’t think so.”
“Elder Zhan.” Diwu Mingchuan took a step forward and stared at the top of Zhongnan Mountain in the distance. He waved his hand casually and asked, “What do you think of these two people?”
“Not bad,” The ruddy-faced old man also walked forward and answered. Then he continued, “But it’s just all right. Now the strength of John Doe is not as good as Lin Rusheng’s. Lin Rusheng is so useless that he can’t reach the Guru Realm for ten years. Taking this into account, I think neither of them is capable.”
“Isn’t that a little too decisive?” The middle-aged man surnamed Qian came forward and said, “I agree with Mr. Zhan that John Doe is not as good as Lin Rusheng, but it’s only for the time being. Mr. Zhan seems to have forgotten that John Doe has only appeared in Wulin for two years. The most important thing is that this kid has been walking for nearly five minutes with Lotus Stride. If he comes to Lin Rusheng’s age one day, he might be better than us.”
Xi Fengling said, “I think Lin Rusheng has a bigger chance of winning in this battle. Lin Rusheng has been stuck in the realm below guru for more than ten years. The strongest part of a martial arts practitioner is not his breakthrough but his accumulation over the years. Comprehension is also a kind of outburst after accumulation. In these ten years, Lin Rusheng has not made a breakthrough, which means that he has been accumulating for ten years. In terms of internal Qi, skills, and experience, he is superior to John Doe!”
“That’s true.” Elder Zhan chuckled and nodded.
Diwu Mingchuan glanced at the three of them and said, “Do the three of you root for Lin Rusheng? It seems that I’m the only one who believes in John Doe.”
As soon as he said that, the other three instantly turned their heads and stared at Diwu Mingchuan in confusion.
Xi Fengling said in surprise, “Mr. Diwu, with your experience, your strength of judging people is definitely better than ours. Although John Doe does have great potential, it is absolutely impossible for him to have the upper hand in today’s battle.”
“Of course I know that.” Diwu Mingchuan nodded with a smile and said, “Even so, I’m still confident about John Doe.”
“Why?” The middle-aged man surnamed Qian asked.
“Straightforward.” Without hesitation, Diwu Mingchuan said with a smile, “John Doe is the most straightforward, the purest, and also the most resilient martial arts practitioner I’ve ever seen. We’ve all witnessed the battle between him and Yun Yangzi. I don’t need to talk much about his straightforwardness. You all know that. He also has fully shown his resilience in that battle, so I’m confident about him.”
“Straightforward, resilient?” Elder Zhan seemed to have thought of something, but he instantly shook his head and said, “No matter how resilient the iron is, it will still break. I think Lin Rusheng has a better chance of winning.”
“There’s no point arguing, we’ll know once we see the results,” said the middle-aged man surnamed Qian.
“Mr. Qian is right. It has no impact on the battle no matter who we root for. The only thing that can affect the battle is a point that no one can expect.”
Xi Fengling stared at the battlefield at the peak of Zhongnan Mountain and said, “This point is the Ultimate Enlightenment.
The other three nodded as they heard that.
They knew that the Ultimate Enlightenment that Xi Fengling was talking about was related to Lin Rusheng.
Lin Rusheng needed to obtain the Ultimate Enlightenment in the battle of ascension.
If he obtained the Ultimate Enlightenment during this battle, then Lin Rusheng would change completely from now on. He would become an entirely different person, perhaps even a different kind of person!
However, it was extremely difficult to obtain the Ultimate Enlightenment.
Even the four of them, the patriarchs of Four Great Families which were the strongest forces in current Wulin couldn’t be sure.
“It’s not easy to get the Ultimate Enlightenment.” Diwu Mingchuan sighed slightly, and there was a hint of desolation in his words.
“It’s hard.” Patriarch Qian, who was wearing ancient leather armor, shook his head and said, “How many talents and heroes have been hindered by the Ultimate Enlightenment?”
“It’s too elusive,” Elder Zhan laughed and said. “But not for me. I obtained it with a sip of wine!”
The other three immediately gave a wry smile as they heard that.
Undoubtedly, the four people present had been hindered by the Ultimate Enlightenment.
Diwu Mingchuan, Xi Fengling, and Patriarch Qian all held on for a long time and eventually made a breakthrough with great difficulty. However, Elder Zhan, who always lived freely, didn’t even know what the Ultimate Enlightenment was. After being drunk for a whole night, the first thing he did when he woke up the next morning was to swallow a mouthful of wine. Then, he made a breakthrough.
This kind of breakthrough made Diwu Mingchuan, Xi Fengling, and Patriarch Qian feel bitter.
There was no logic in it.
Xi Fengling said, “You might either live or die to achieve this. You’ll live if you pass, or die if you can’t!”
Elder Zhan nodded and sighed. “Yes. Everyone has a different way to become a guru. I can make it after eating and drinking. There’s no logic at all.”
As he said that, it immediately caused Patriarch Qian to roll his eyes at him and show his disdain.
“Actually, Lin Rusheng has a huge conundrum.” Diwu Mingchuan looked at Elder Zhan and then glanced at the Patriarch Qian. After snickering, he immediately changed the topic and said, “It’s been ten years. Anyone will feel depressed if they encounter this conundrum. This time, he challenges John Doe in public and makes it clear that this is his battle of ascension, which means that he has decided to solve this conundrum in the battle. He feels that he can’t break through because no one stimulates him. He wants to solve this conundrum today. Maybe once he does, he may be able to make a breakthrough!”
The other three nodded affirmatively in unison.
While talking, the four people’s eyes were fixed on the battlefield on the top of Zhongnan Mountain. Everyone’s eyes were filled with expectation.
Suddenly, Xi Fengling asked, “Haven’t you found out John Doe’s background yet?”
The other three hesitated for a moment and looked at each other. Diwu Mingchuan then shook his head and said, “Not yet. It’s not that we didn’t find it, but that we can’t find it at all.”
Patriarch Qian also nodded and said with a frown, “Same here. I’ve used all my power and even invited the people in the government to investigate, but there is still no clue. This person shows up strangely, but he’s too ordinary, which is completely different from his performance. I feel that he seems too extreme and shouldn’t appear in this world at all.”
Elder Zhan shrugged and said, “Since you can’t find it, I can’t find it either. You know the thing I’m least adept at is investigating people.”
Xi Fengling said, “I have an idea. Do you think who in Huaxia can hide a person’s identity and background to such an extent?”
As soon as she said that, the other three were still stunned.
“You mean, the government?” Patriarch Qian raised his eyebrows.
Xi Fengling nodded and said, “That’s right. I don’t think there’s anyone else other than the government who can hide a person perfectly. Even the Sword Sect can’t do it so thoroughly.”
Diwu Mingchuan nodded in agreement and said, “I’ve thought about it too. John Doe is very likely to be trained by the government. Otherwise, it’s impossible that we can’t find any information about him at all.”
The expressions of the four patriarchs changed unknowingly.
At four o’clock in the afternoon, after resting with their eyes closed for a whole day, John Doe and Lin Rusheng, who had been sitting opposite on the square at the peak of Zhongnan Mountain, suddenly opened their eyes at the same time!