Deities Abandoning Children (Part 6)
“I couldn’t discern much considering I only had a single strike exchange with him; or I only gathered as much as you have. When it comes to knowledge in martial arts, there aren’t many who can hold a candle to your knowledge.” Wang Du put on airs as he crossed his arms – completely unlike what one’s impression of him might have been without having met him.
Jin Shiwang chuckled as he rubbed his hair into a bigger mess. “You speak too highly of this one. Jin Clan’s martial arts are nothing compared to Dark Robe Brotherhood’s.”
Wang Du shook his head. “I never said Jin Clan; I said you. Ever since your clan harboured the ambition to invent a complete discipline, the ‘Vast Treasure’ became a nightmare your clan can’t erase. That’s no treasury of knowledge.”
Only Jin Shiwang understood what was conveyed.
Gold and Silver Sect did not build their position in the martial world on martial prowess. Though they did produce some elite warriors, the number of elites could have been counted on one hand. Even then, was it their clan’s credit or those warriors having inborn talent for martial arts? Since their clan never had any advanced disciplines in their possession, it was understandable for them to have never produced many elites. Thanks to Li Dynasty’s progenitor valuing them, they were able to build their wealth over the next century to rival Feng Clan’s wealth. They had an easier time establishing themselves in the pugilistic world compared to Feng Clan because they interacted with many folks in the martial world. They did not have as many allies as Song Clan since they did not deliberately try to forge alliances, but they definitely had plenty of allies. By nature, then, they did not have many enemies. Thus, they were not a clan to be trifled with, not because they had mighty warriors behind their doors but because they could easily squash anyone with the elites they could hire.
Over the last century, Jin Clan made many attempts at producing their own martial arts disciplines. While they were still inferior to the five other clans, their improvement was self-evident. Nevertheless, martial arts were a nightmare for Jin Clan.
Jin Clan’s problem was that they had the wrong “diagnosis” to begin with. As a family of merchants, barely anyone in their family practiced martial arts. Their ancestor did not see eye to eye with Hero Shenzhou, either, so he tried to set up Hero Shenzhou numerous times when they were both serving Li Dynasty’s progenitor, only to have Hero Shenzhou turn the tables on him. As such, he swore an oath to create a discipline superior to Hero Shenzhou’s, or he would perish miserably, and the outcome went without saying. He was placed into his coffin with his face scrunched up in anger. He was not to blame, having said that. He just set his goal too high.
There was only one way a family of merchants was going to surpass someone coming from a sect that had existed for ages – not to mention the number of mysterious skills he had at his disposal. Instead of trying to beat Mount Daluo in terms of depth, it was wiser to surpass the breadth of skills Mount Daluo had. If they just collected enough manuals, they could accumulate an incomparable library. If they could synthesise the immense knowledge base, there was hope they could surpass Mount Daluo.
All that being said, the plan was on par with a daydream. After all, that was tantamount to possessing the blood and tears of every sect; they would have had to shed an unbelievable amount of blood to obtain them – if they were not annihilated before then out of revenge. But, Gold and Silver Sect had enough money to make it happen. This is what inspired “Vast Treasure”.
At the time, Gold and Silver Sect was just starting out and striving to grow, which was also when they needed martial power to support said growth. Hence, many in the sect supported the idea. Unfortunately, the idea was dealt a fatal blow right on the first step. Their competition was not just Mount Daluo, but also Hero Shenzhou himself.
Compared to Hero Shenzhou’s “Daluo’s Five Divine Styles”, “Vast Treasure” was laughably pitiable. No matter what sort of talent they could foster, they were not going to find someone who could rival Ming Huayu. Even if the “brand” was ignored as a factor, the contents could not beat “Daluo’s Five Divine Styles”, either.
“Vast Treasure” had a problem that still could not be overcome at this point in time. Though they could collect disciplines, there was no guarantee they could practice them. Even if they could practice them, there was no guarantee that they could master them. They could read all the manuals they wanted, but there was no guarantee they could comprehend what they read. Trying to outdo Hero Shenzhou was something that would have taken numerous lifetimes.
Gold and Silver Sect’s collection of martial arts manuals grew endlessly, but there was nobody who could blend all of them. Notwithstanding their lack of progress and nobody committing to the task, they had yet to given up on the plan, although it was just passed around as something that did no harm but was unnecessary.
Demanding Gold and Silver Sect to change their current way of life was too difficult. They were never martial artists, after all. Over time, they had even considered themselves as merchants in the pugilistic world more than ever before, not martial artists operating a business. They did not see any appeal in risking their necks when they had experienced the pleasures that money could buy. The fact that their budget for the plan only increasingly grew showed just how little they were dedicated to it.
Wang Du scoffed, “What inventions could someone who doesn’t like martial arts possibly create? Would you be able to master thirty thousand manuals even if I donated them to you? Does that mean Beggars’ Sect’s Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms and Dog Beating Stick are weak because they’ve been passed down for ages?”
Jin Shiwang picked up a wine jug for a mouthful, loudly set it down, wiped his mouth and then flicked up a thumb. “You could not be more correct. What can be mastered if one treats their manual collection as some sort of treasure, yet never even spares them a glance? To express respect, this one shall have another drink.”
Having craved the opportunity to chat over drinks due to his isolation, Wang Du hurriedly had another drink before his disciple could stop him.
Jin Shiwang departed from Gold and Silver Sect on his own accord, resulting in Jin Clan putting a bounty on his head. Needless to say, his wanderer-esque appearance was a consequence of his life as a wanderer.
Wang Du knew Jin Shiwang was the only person in Jin Clan to seriously pursue “Vast Treasure”; Jin Shiwang was the only person to view the collection as a treasure trove of martial arts. Even though he had his conjecture on the monster’s background, Wang Du still wanted to hear Jin Wangshi’s opinion.
“In your opinion, what do you think the monster’s background is?”
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