Chapter 201: Wealthy in Martial Arts
"Or perhaps, only after reaching the **Myriad Thoughts level** or even higher, will my full deductions be able to rival the speed of mobilizing the entire society."
**Bai Mo** deliberated at length, finally choosing to upload the cultivation methods for levels below **Hundred Thoughts** from his already compiled **Thousand Souls Scripture** to the **Contribution Point System**, allowing all cultivators to jointly refine them.
At least for the current stage, he believed the refinement speed of open-source cultivation techniques would be much faster.
As someone who no longer needed to concern himself with money, **Bai Mo** chose to open-source most of his research achievements, allowing other cultivators to help perfect them.
And during these months of his **closed-door cultivation**, the entire Eurasian continent surged with unrest as the cold war between the **Huaxia Federation** and the **One-Wheel Cult** escalated.
Under the strong mandate of the **Huaxia** authorities, followers of the **One-Wheel Cult** within its borders were forced to make a difficult choice: either abandon their faith and remain in their original homes, or uproot their lives and travel thousands of miles to **Maysuo**.
As the stronghold of the **One-Wheel Cult**, **Maysuo** extended an olive branch to these ostracized followers, promising citizenship and a rich material life in the local area to every departing believer. Such conditions indeed attracted the interest of many.
"Why must we make such a damned choice! Our homes are ours! Our faith is our freedom!" However, with the support of certain foreign powers, some people dissatisfied with **Huaxia's** brutal policy obtained weapons, formed guerrilla units, and embarked on a path of resistance.
These guerrilla units initially caught the authorities completely off guard, for after each time they caused a ruckus, they would use their familiarity with the terrain to hide in the mountains or the wilderness. The local militias and police were mostly ordinary people, helpless against such tactics, and could only request support from their superiors.
After discussion, the **Seven-Person Council** decided that **Hua Changjiang** would oversee this matter. Thus, he handed the operational command of the specific troops to **Nian Xiong**, an **Ability User** from the military with whom he had a good personal relationship. In his eyes, this was purely an unearned military merit.
"Yes, Chief!" **Nian Xiong** didn't refuse; he simply gave **Hua Changjiang** a crisp, standard military salute.
"Don't call me Chief anymore. Call me Councilor Hua."
"Yes!" **Nian Xiong** saluted again.
To resist the endless landing incursions from the **Sea Race**, the vast majority of the **Huaxia Federation's** regular army had been redeployed to guard the **Eastern Front**, leaving the interior significantly hollow, which in turn created fertile ground for the rebel forces.
These rebels held a significant advantage when facing militia forces composed of ordinary people, but once they confronted regular armies comprised of **Ability Users**...
These **Ability Users**, with their off-the-charts mobility, heavy firearms, and high-precision satellite intelligence support, made the guerrilla units across the regions truly experience what deep despair felt like.
They couldn't win a head-on fight, surprise attacks were impossible, and they couldn't even outrun the monsters who traversed towering mountains and steep ridges as if walking on flat ground.
"You are so cruel even to your own people; sooner or later, you will lose all popular support and be driven from power! If one of me falls, there are thousands, tens of thousands more! God will punish your evil deeds!" the rebel leader Wang Cao clamored defiantly at **Nian Xiong** after being captured.
"From the moment you picked up a weapon, you ceased to be one of us. Popular support? That is the people's heart, and it has nothing to do with you. As for being driven from power, perhaps that would only happen the day the entire **Huaxia** can no longer see the sun." **Nian Xiong** sneered, then left the prisoner-of-war area.
"The **Thousand Souls Scripture**... I didn't expect you to come out with such a good thing after a few months of **closed-door cultivation**," **Hua Taishan** said to **Bai Mo** with a smile after another bi-monthly **Martial Arts Symposium**.
"What were you all discussing in the two meetings I missed?"
"Mostly about identifying and rectifying deficiencies. We've been fiddling around with the people at the symposium, systematizing the **Acupoint Cultivation Method** we previously collaborated on."
"It's finished? Why haven't I seen it on the system?"
"Not yet, but it's close. After all, it's a large system, containing five or six different specific cultivation methods, so there's a lot to process. The path of **Acupoints** seems to be much broader than that of **Spirit Hubs**."
"According to the population sample survey data from the past six months, about twenty percent of people can perceive the existence of their own **Acupoints**, and approximately one-third of them can cultivate **Acupoints** using our current methods."
"Regrettably, I fall into the two-thirds of that twenty percent," **Bai Mo** said with a shrug.
"No matter what, you're still among the lucky one percent."
"That one-third statistic of yours is also quite flimsy. The **Acupoint Body Refinement Method** requires a huge quantity of various **spiritual materials** for cultivation, needing large amounts of medicinal liquids and pastes as aid. Without money, it's basically hopeless." **Zhen Yao** chimed in, joining the banter.
"Ancient saying goes, 'Poor in scholarship, rich in martial arts; cultivating the Dao brings ruin to the family'," **Hua Taishan** didn't refute **Zhen Yao**, because what he said was indeed true, and **Acupoint cultivation** became increasingly expensive the further one progressed.
"Old Hua must spend at least two to three million on materials for each breakthrough now, right?" **Zhen Yao's** **Hong Xing Sect** dealt in business related to **spiritual materials**, so he was naturally well-informed about these things.
**Hua Taishan** gave a dry laugh and didn't pick up on that thread.
"How about we have a spar?" he suggested to **Bai Mo**. "We've both made some progress recently; a fight would be good for exchanging insights and experiences."
"Hmm, I also want to see how strong an **Ability User** who has opened eight **Acupoints** in the **Unmelting Realm** can be." Seeing **Hua Taishan**, whose appearance had reverted to that of a man in his early forties and whose body was brimming with nearly overflowing power, **Bai Mo** found himself completely unable to feel the reverence for an elder he once had.
"'In literary arts, there is no first; in martial arts, there is no second.' I want to see what kind of gap there is between me and you, the number one on the global underground ranking list," he said to **Bai Mo** with a serious expression.
"Those meaningless rankings..."
"I know it's a 'killing with praise' tactic by America, trying to cause you trouble, but let's put that aside. I simply want to know how strong I am now!"
"With so many instruments for measuring various attributes..."
"Combat is the sole standard for testing strength."
Since the sparring ground inside the symposium couldn't withstand their battle, the two walked and talked, arriving at a large stretch of barren land in the suburbs. **Zhen Yao** and several other experts also watched from the periphery.
"Also, thank you for something earlier."
"Hmm?"
"My good-for-nothing disciple, after you blunted his sharp edge, his entire demeanor changed. Now he spends every day painstakingly tempering himself, saying he'll crush you one day."
"Aren't you afraid he'll despair?"
"Young people always need a goal to chase to have the motivation to strive for improvement."
"It seems I lack such motivation," **Bai Mo** continued brazenly.
"Then I'll fight until you *do* have motivation! Take this!" With that, **Hua Taishan** launched his attack first, bringing forth a massive roar.
"A sound barrier... his movement speed is already approaching the speed of sound?" He didn't dodge or evade because he wanted to see if his opponent could break through his **A Thousand Miles in a Foot**, which specifically countered close combat.
"The same trick, and you still want to use it against me? Eye of Illusion-Breaking!" **Hua Taishan** had always believed that **Bai Mo** was actually using an ability similar to distorting light, causing it to refract and affect his judgment. Thus, he immediately unleashed his hidden ability, attempting to find **Bai Mo's** true location.
"How is that possible! He really *is* there! It's not an effect on light?!" But clearly, his ability didn't help him unravel this mystery.
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