Chapter 137: The Han-Tang Martial Arts World Welcomes Xiao Kaitian into Its Ranks

While Xiao Kaitian was negotiating with the military, another meeting was being held at Mount Hua in Han-Tang—the annual Han-Tang Martial Arts Congress.

The Han-Tang martial arts system was divided into three levels: the Congress, the Bureaus, and the Offices. The Congress stood at the very top, the Bureaus administered various regions, and the Offices were established in important cities.

The entire system was vast and comprehensive, maintaining stability throughout Han-Tang’s martial arts world.

Broadly speaking, the regional distribution of power was as follows.

The Tianshan Martial Arts Bureau controlled the martial forces of the Tianshan lineage, whose representative sect was the Tianshan Sect.

The Kunlun Martial Arts Bureau specialized in formations, mystical arts, and swordsmanship. Its representative sects included the Wudang Sect, the Emei Sect, and the Huashan Sect.

The Yinshan Martial Arts Bureau focused on unorthodox techniques, strange arts, and the arts of Qimen and Dunjia. Its representative sects included the Qimen Sect and the Dunjia School.

The Changbai Martial Arts Bureau was known for swordsmanship and demonic arts. Its representative sects included the Hengshan Sect and the Demon Sect.

The Qinling Martial Arts Bureau excelled in traditional fist, palm, and sword techniques. Its representative sects included the Shaolin Sect, the Taishan Sect, and the Songshan Sect.

The Nanling Martial Arts Bureau specialized in the arts of moving mountains and removing ridges, as well as exorcising ghosts and driving away corpses. Its representative sects included the Wuyi Sect and the Ghost Sect.

Below the Bureaus were the Offices, which were far more numerous. Counting sects of every size, Han-Tang had several hundred, perhaps even more than a thousand, martial cultivation sects.

Those who attended the Han-Tang Martial Arts Congress were generally important members of the Congress headquarters, along with the directors and deputy directors of the various regional Bureaus. Personnel from the Martial Arts Offices had no qualifications to participate.

This year, however, there was an exception. Cheng Zhe, director of the Haidu Martial Arts Office, and his deputy, Chen Tongren, had also been ordered to attend.

There was only one reason for their presence: to resolve the matter of Xiao Kaitian.

According to Cheng Zhe’s original plan, Xiao Kaitian was currently in Haidu, which fell under the jurisdiction of the Haidu Martial Arts Office. At most, he intended to report the matter to the Qinling Martial Arts Bureau and resolve it internally.

Unfortunately, somehow the news had leaked. The Kunlun, Yinshan, and Changbai Martial Arts Bureaus had jointly submitted a motion demanding that Xiao Kaitian’s case be reexamined. They had even listed it as one of the principal topics of this year’s Congress, bringing it into the open for discussion and resolution.

This was tantamount to a public slap in the face. Not only were Cheng Zhe and Chen Tongren embarrassed, but even the director of the Qinling Martial Arts Bureau had lost face. In private, he had reprimanded the two men countless times.

The Kunlun Martial Arts Bureau’s involvement was easy to understand. In Harbor City, Xiao Kaitian had killed Qin Fei, a member of the Qin family, one of the eight great families of Shangjing. Qin Fei had not only been a disciple of the Songshan Sect, but also a talent the Qin family had been carefully cultivating. The Qin family’s main martial power came from the Wudang Sect, so it was only natural for the Kunlun Martial Arts Bureau to speak out.

As for the Songshan Sect, which harbored some resentment, it belonged to the Qinling Martial Arts Bureau’s sphere of influence and could still be suppressed for the time being.

But with the Yinshan and Changbai Martial Arts Bureaus also becoming involved, the matter had become extremely difficult to handle. It meant that half the martial arts world held something against Xiao Kaitian.

The first to speak was the director of the Kunlun Martial Arts Bureau.

“Strictly speaking, the Songshan Sect was in the wrong. A martial cultivator auction must be conducted with absolute fairness and impartiality.”

“However, whatever the circumstances, the fact remains that Xiao Kaitian killed three disciples of the Songshan Sect. Furthermore, according to what I understand, he once clashed with the Bounty Hunters’ Guild in the island nation. He may also have been involved in the disappearance of a martial cultivator from that country.”

“There is no doubt that this man is a martial cultivator. His exact realm is unclear, but he is at least above the Profound Realm. This is the first time such a serious oversight has appeared in Han-Tang’s martial arts world.”

The director of the Changbai Martial Arts Bureau immediately echoed him.

“The purpose of establishing the Martial Arts Congress was to preserve the balance between the martial arts world and the world of ordinary people. The existence of Xiao Kaitian makes me believe that this balance may be distorted.”

“First of all, he does not belong to the martial arts system. He is not officially a martial cultivator, yet he possesses strength surpassing that of ordinary martial cultivators. Under such circumstances, the martial arts world has no means of restraining him. If he remains in the ordinary world, trouble is bound to arise, and that trouble will inevitably spill over into the martial arts world.”

“Therefore, I propose that Xiao Kaitian be brought into the martial arts system as soon as possible.”

The president of the Martial Arts Congress was a white-haired old man. He frowned.

“In the more than a hundred years since the martial arts world was established, there has never been a precedent for actively recruiting someone into it. How are the formalities supposed to be handled?”

Normally, a martial cultivator who wished to enter the martial arts system had to undergo an assessment. In addition to the relevant sect, the local Martial Arts Office and Bureau would examine the candidate step by step. If necessary, the Martial Arts Congress itself would make the final determination. Only after the candidate had bowed three times and kowtowed nine times would the system, with great reluctance, accept him.

How could they possibly turn around and beg someone to join?

“What does everyone think?”

Though the old man asked the question generally, his gaze fell upon the director of the Qinling Martial Arts Bureau.

The director gave a bitter smile. He could not avoid answering. Xiao Kaitian belonged to his sphere of influence. He wiped his face and said, “I believe the best course of action is to leave the matter alone.”

“Xiao Kaitian is an enormous variable. We cannot see through his background. Everyone says he is the fool of the Xiao family in Shangjing, yet somehow he transformed into a martial cultivator—and one of considerable power at that. There is something deeply suspicious about him.”

“I think we should proceed with caution and consider the matter carefully.”

He was not foolish. He had already learned enough from Cheng Zhe and Chen Tongren to form his own judgment. The proposal to admit Xiao Kaitian into the Martial Arts Congress could not originate from him.

“It is precisely because he is such a great variable that I believe we must bring him under our control and manage him within the system,” said the director of the Yinshan Martial Arts Bureau. “Otherwise, what are we supposed to do?”

“If Xiao Kaitian enters the Grandmaster Realm in time, how will those present deal with a Grandmaster who is not officially a martial cultivator?”

“According to the rules, we cannot act against an ordinary person. But this ordinary person possesses the strength of a Grandmaster. If he comes looking for trouble, what are we supposed to do?”

It was a paradox. Once the question had been raised, even the president, who had originally been somewhat hesitant, began to waver. Such a situation absolutely could not be allowed to arise in Han-Tang’s martial arts world, or complete chaos would follow.

Cheng Zhe and Chen Tongren exchanged a glance. Both could see the helplessness in the other’s eyes. The arguments just presented were impossible to refute, yet both vaguely felt that bringing Xiao Kaitian into the martial arts world might not be a good thing.

After all, White Cade was with him—the female fiend of the martial arts world. Whenever those two were together, trouble was sure to follow.

But they did not dare, nor were they able, to say any of this aloud. Both men could only sigh inwardly.

The president felt a headache coming on. Xiao Kaitian’s admission into the martial arts system was clearly inevitable. The only question was how the process and formalities were to be handled.

They could hardly say, “Come on, hurry up and join the martial arts world. It’s wonderful here.”

What kind of absurdity was that?

Unable to help himself, he rubbed his brow.

“If the concern is merely the procedure, I believe the solution is simple,” proposed the director of the Yinshan Martial Arts Bureau. “We can grant special approval for someone to challenge Xiao Kaitian. If the Qinling Martial Arts Bureau finds it inconvenient, my Bureau can send someone. Once the battle is over, we can determine Xiao Kaitian’s realm according to the result.”

“After his realm has been established, we can issue him a martial cultivator’s certificate and complete the rest of the formalities. Everything will follow naturally, and the matter will be settled.”

“This... What does everyone think?”

The president considered it. The proposal did seem to offer a workable solution.

The director of the Yinshan Martial Arts Bureau looked around the room. This time, he had stolen the limelight all for himself, and he was naturally rather pleased.

And so, the Han-Tang martial arts world’s decision to formally accept Xiao Kaitian passed without difficulty.