Chapter 36: Grandmaster
Night Emperor—
This title was the main reason why Si Mingyue disliked this person.
Unlike the ranks bestowed by the imperial court—Emperor, Sovereign, King—the terms within the realm of Grandmasters signified strength.
In this world where martial prowess is revered above all, Grandmasters stand as the supreme embodiment of power, often called Martial Sovereigns.
Just as with Martial Masters and Great Martial Masters, Grandmasters of the Void also differ in strength.
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Among them, those who have just entered the Grandmaster realm and can achieve harmony between man and nature are usually called Void Initiates, occupying the lowest rung of Grandmasters.
Si Mingyue herself was currently at this stage!
Upon becoming a Grandmaster and attaining unity with the heavens, with the passage of time, one's understanding of the void and the world deepens. They begin to perceive the hidden special energies, essences... and fragments of space within.
When their cultivation is sufficient, Grandmasters can gather these to enhance their own power or refine pills and weapons.
This stage is known as Void Refinement—
The spatial artifacts circulating in the martial world are mostly crafted by Grandmasters who have reached the Void Refinement stage.
Figures such as Lu Wanshan of the Great Jing dynasty, the Void Master and Profound Void of the Supreme Void Sect, and Thunder Sovereign of the Southern Sea—all renowned Grandmasters—are mostly at this level.
The ability to refine special energies and essences from the void grants Void Refinement Grandmasters strength far superior to Void Initiates.
However, Grandmasters' ability to merge with nature and hide in the void means that even those at the Void Refinement stage find it difficult to kill those only newly initiated, whose power is far weaker.
Only Grandmasters with profound insight into the world, exceptional perception, and the ability to see through the void can track and slay those who conceal themselves within it.
This stage is known as Void Penetration.
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Because they can penetrate the void and hunt other Grandmasters, those who reach the Void Penetration stage often add "King" to their titles—
Signifying that, among Grandmasters, they are sovereigns themselves!
Distantly, the five overlords who vied for supremacy during the Former Qin era, and more recently, the Overlord who contended with the Jing Emperor, as well as the descendants of the Jing Emperor after the founding of Great Jing—Dan King Lu Ninghua and Celestial King Lu Zhengyang—all belonged to this tier.
But since Void Penetration is so difficult to attain, some Grandmasters at the Void Refinement stage who, through unique means, manage to slay others of their kind are also bestowed the "King" title—
Such Grandmasters can still claim dominance over their peers.
For example, over a hundred years ago, the Golden Wolf King who unified the grasslands belonged to this group.
Relying on his mount's sensitivity to aura, not only could he track other Grandmasters, but with the wolf's speed and strength, he caught up and slew them—
Thus, he was revered across the grasslands as the Golden Wolf King.
Yet, his arrogance led to his eventual demise at the hands of Celestial King—
This showed that such forcibly crowned kings are not true Void Penetration sovereigns!
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Kings are already formidable, but above them, the titles of Emperor and Sovereign are reserved only for the strongest Grandmasters!
Throughout history, only four such figures have emerged—
The Qin Sovereign, the Ancestor of the Void, the White Emperor, and the Jing Emperor.
These four each reached the pinnacle of Grandmastery, even surpassing the limits of the Void stages.
Among them, the Qin Sovereign single-handedly ended the era of kings and unified the world, accomplishing an unprecedented feat.
He was the first ever recognized supreme Grandmaster.
Even now, the trace left by his mountain-cleaving sword in Yizhou is visited by those seeking enlightenment.
The Sword Sect of Yizhou established a Sword Pavilion there as their second ancestral ground.
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The Ancestor of the Void—his name unknown, his origins mysterious—suddenly appeared in the martial world, immediately acknowledged as possessing supreme Grandmaster strength.
Because of him, the Qin Sovereign's Twelve Golden Armor Formation was broken, leaving Great Qin unable to suppress other Grandmasters;
Because of him, the secrets of the Thunder Gate were revealed, and people began to enter Divine Ruins;
Also, thanks to his brief words and the illusory diagram he left behind, someone extracted the teachings of the "Void Classic" and founded the Supreme Void Sect.
Thus, he is revered by later generations as the Ancestor of the Void.
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The White Emperor, said to hail from the Qin clan of Yongzhou, but he never spoke of his origins. People could only identify him by his white garb and sword, hence the name.
His most famed act was his battle with the Jing Emperor, then at the Void Penetration stage—he not only utterly suppressed his opponent, but at the end transformed into a beam of white light and broke through the void, vanishing forever.
That battle drove the Jing Emperor to recognize and correct his weaknesses, bringing him to the threshold of supreme Grandmastery.
Later, after attaining that level, he admitted in conversation—
Even as a supreme Grandmaster, he never surpassed the White Emperor.
Thus, people likewise regarded the White Emperor as a supreme Grandmaster.
The present Sword Sect of Yizhou was founded by the White Emperor's disciples.
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As for the Jing Emperor, his deeds are even more numerous!
The founder of Great Jing and the most recent supreme Grandmaster, most contemporary legends trace back to him.
His most renowned acts include crossing the Great River and leaving the Monument of Mountains and Rivers at the edge of the Wildlands, its lingering martial essence deterring all powerful beasts in the region from causing chaos.
Legend holds that the monument was left after the Jing Emperor traversed the land, inspired at the border of the Wildlands and creating the "Classic of Mountains and Rivers," which imbued it with martial truth.
Upon realizing this, not only did he not destroy it, he gathered void essence and refined it into a giant stele, using the lingering truth to awe the beasts of the western Wildlands.
For centuries, though wars have ravaged the Wildlands, no beast of the fourth rank or higher has dared leave the mountains.
The chief reason: the existence of the Monument of Mountains and Rivers—
Any powerful beast sensing its martial truth dares not pass.
Even now, at the site of the monument, many martial artists have gained new techniques.
Those who gathered there founded the renowned Sect of Mountains and Rivers, famous across the Wildlands and the world.
Lu Wanshan, who practices the "Classic of Mountains and Rivers," has also visited this place.
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Knowing all this, one can understand why Si Mingyue so dislikes the title "Night Emperor":
"Night Emperor, if you truly possess the power of a supreme Grandmaster, why do you never dare show yourself openly—"
"Why not reveal your full strength!"
"Though Ancestor of the Void and White Emperor were both mysterious, they never hesitated to use their martial power when faced with conflict—"
"Why must your actions be so furtive?"
Considering this, Si Mingyue sighed. However much she disliked the Night Emperor, she could not deny his strength.
Unlike the rumors circulating in the martial world, she had heard Ning Qingyu herself say that defeating the Void Severance Venerable had relied on the Night Emperor's guidance.
Without her intervention, the Void Severance Venerable would never have returned to the Supreme Void Sect—
This proved that the Night Emperor possessed at least kingly power!
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Had they openly clashed with the Four Seas Merchants or the Great Jing court, the Night Emperor's strength would only have delighted Si Mingyue.
But now, with only a potential dispute with the merchants, she did not wish the Night Emperor to intervene:
"He acts so covertly, surely for some unspeakable purpose!"
"And his strength is so overwhelming—if he joins the alliance of the Bright Moon Sect, Thunder Gate, and Azure Cloud Sect—"
"He might turn us into mere vassals!"
This was something the outwardly cool, but fiercely proud Si Mingyue could not accept.
Moreover, the Night Emperor's presence made her feel that the martial world had entered another era of turmoil:
"Eight hundred years after Great Qin's founding, the Ancestor of the Void appeared, shattering its unity."
"For two centuries thereafter, the world was rife with conflict, producing the White Emperor, Jing Emperor, and the Overlord—"
"All immortal names in history!"
"Only after Great Jing's founding did peace return!"
"Now, Great Jing has stood for nine hundred and twenty-six years—"
"Could another age of strife be upon us?"
This anxiety was why, upon leaving seclusion, she was so eager to consult with the Thunder Sovereign—
In such turbulent times, even as a Grandmaster, she felt powerless to protect herself!
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"I hope things will turn out well!"
As these thoughts flashed through her mind, the giant eagle carrying Si Mingyue and Lei Xie'er soared above Blackstone Island.
Just as she held Lei Xie'er, preparing to leap down—
A warning surged within her, and she swiftly drew a crescent blade, slashing toward the sea beside the island.
Before the blade's energy struck, the waters east of Blackstone Island suddenly split apart, and a monstrous beast—two yards thick and dozens of yards long—leapt from below.
With a thunderous roar, it lunged at the two of them!