THE MARTIAL KING - SEASON 5 EPISODE 71

How could Zen not be angry?

There were two important parts of his life—martial arts was the path on which he wished to harvest his achievements, and Yan was his most cherished, beloved little sister.

To make it to where he was, Zen had sacrificed a great deal only to suddenly be told that all he had done was in vain. The dream that once seemed so close to him slipped right through his fingers just before he could reach it. How on earth could he possibly take it easy?

Meeting Zen’s eyes, Kenneth was neither fazed nor afraid. With a plain smile, he simply said, “You don’t have to be so angry. Yan was imprisoned in Hell Mountain for a reason. And as her brother, you deserve to know why.”

“Out with it, then,” said Zen with a dark scowl at Kenneth, darting a fierce glare of hate.

Even though Kenneth was way stronger and more powerful than him, who was able to kill him in a single strike, at that moment, Zen didn’t care one bit. Hatred and determination drove him, bolstering him to man up, showing no sign of cowardice.

“Yan is supposed to be the disciple in Cloud Sect with the greatest potential. As you know, not many female disciples enroll in Cloud Sect, leading to Lady Peak’s depopulation. Among those girls, only a few are truly good. You see, Jill is one of the most talented there, and yet, she didn’t get a very good result in the competition,” said Kenneth slowly.

Pausing for a moment, he caught Zen’s attention. “But Yan is different.

Unlike those lesser girls, Yan possesses true talent. I have high expectations for her. I can see even greater potential in her than in you, Zen.

Do you know what our purpose is? Do you know why we bother to establish a Cloud Sect here in the Eastern Region? We, Cloud Hall, aim to attract all the talents of the Eastern Region!

Once their true potential is identified, they would be sent to Cloud Hall for further learning. The world of warriors is a world where only the fittest survive. To make it here, one has to endure fierce competition and strong opponents. And as numerous geniuses as there may be, there is a hunger here for true super-geniuses, who will be cherished and nurtured by all sects.

According to my judgment, you are very gifted in martial arts, Zen. Normally, from higher to lower, we divide the potential for martial arts into three grades—Heaven, Earth, and Human. However, an even greater grade than Heaven is Saint. You’ve got tremendous potential, Zen, so much that your grade is somewhere between Heaven and Saint. Your talent may be remarkable, but still, no match for your sister’s. She’s a Saint-level talent! How can we afford to send a Saint-level talent to Hell Mountain?

Yes, she hurt the Yun Clan’s eldest son and disabled him. But that was nothing compared to her future achievements. Even if she slaughtered the whole Yun Clan, I, Kenneth, would still back her up!”

As Kenneth went on, he stood from his chair, overcome by his determination. His strong hands were clenched tightly behind his back to the point of his knuckles whitening. The expression on his face seemed more emotional than usual.

At that moment, Kenneth’s passion was so compelling that when faced with him, one would barely be able to breathe easily.

Were Zen an average disciple, he might have yielded to Kenneth’s strength and knelt down. But because Zen was just as resolute, he managed to stay calm and composed in front of Kenneth’s overwhelming demeanor.

Beside them, seeing Zen handling himself easily, standing up straight, Elder Xu felt a sense of relief and remained where he was. Though he was ready to help Zen resist, lest he be hurt by Kenneth’s strength, to his surprise, Zen looked neutral, as if he was barely affected by the former’s power.

However, although Zen kept a calm facade, deep inside, he was rather shocked by Kenneth’s words as he brooded over what he was just told.

In the beginning, he thought Yan was confined to Hell Mountain because of her severe offense to the Yun Clan, and everything that followed was the clan’s retaliation. It seemed, now, that his guess was wrong.

According to Kenneth, Yan was the most promising disciple of the Cloud Sect, and he would do anything or go against anyone to protect her. Though he might have been exaggerating to help emphasize his point, his words revealed a certain truth—in Kenneth’s eyes, Yan was more important than the entire Yun Clan!

So why was she imprisoned in Hell Mountain, then? What did Kenneth say was the reason behind it?

Seeing that Zen was lost in thought, Kenneth paused for another moment. With a sigh, he looked up at the boundless sky and said, “You Luo Family have been mediocre for generations. But suddenly, a pair of geniuses were born. I would say that your births were God’s design. God’s will works in mysterious ways, after all, as is how we all ended up here. Whatever happens to you has been predetermined before your birth. It’s fate that Yan was sent to Hell Mountain, and fate doomed you to be unable to do anything about it. But one’s fate can be changed. By working hard enough, one day, you will take a step beyond the Illuminating Soul Realm, and even refine yourself in the Internal Elixir Realm. With all that, you might be able to free your sister from confinement. I believe that one day you will. But not now.

Right now, you’re too weak. You haven’t yet reached your full potential. You’re too weak to achieve your dreams and too weak to save your beloved ones.

You may have amazing talent, but the world is vast and full of people with talent. There are many talented people but very few truly accomplished ones. Not many talents can survive the hardships and come out strong.”

Kenneth’s shots of ‘too weak’ at him made Zen’s heart sink.

He couldn’t help but be apprehensive.

Yan seemed to be in greater trouble than he thought and Kenneth didn’t have a say in her release either.

Moreover, Kenneth’s requirements sounded completely impossible.

Enter the Illuminating Soul Realm, and then step beyond it?

Become one of the Internal Elixir Realm warriors?

Such stages were out of Zen’s reach. But he knew that Kenneth wasn’t trying to humiliate him—Kenneth was trying to tell him how powerful the opponents were and how radical the challenges he would face if he were to set his sister free. Compared to Internal Elixir warriors, Zen’s strength was like that of an ant. If they met in battle, he would be blown away like a grain of dust as he turned into literal ashes.