I Have A Martial Dao World

Dengzhou, Qinggang. The Xiao family made a fortune through trade with Izumo, a fact known to all. But what was unexpected was that the Xiao family's flagship product turned out to be the ordinary—salt. Even though Izumo is surrounded by the sea, the development of the salt industry requires a high evaporation climate and demands flat terrain and good soil quality in beaches and coastal areas. Izumo possessed none of these, thus their salt resources were extremely scarce, with domestic production only meeting one-fourth of the demand. And yet, salt was an indispensable raw material for modern industrialization. It was also for this reason that the Xiao family, which controlled the private salt trade in the Deng-Lai region, made a huge profit. However, today, the Xiao family had to face a calamity. Although they had long known this day would come, when Xiao Li, the current head of the family, saw two gigantic Spiritual Sparrowhawks descending from the sky, he still couldn't help but feel his heart tremble with fear. These two beasts, merely by releasing their oppressive aura, caused everyone in the household to collapse in terror, with only he and a few elders barely managing to stand. The people seated atop them were even more untouchable. Xiao Li forced a smile and said, "Second Sister, when you return, why not send a message in advance so your brother can prepare... " The Liao Family Sisters and Lady Xiao leapt down from the backs of the Spiritual Sparrowhawks. Xiao Qing glanced at the familiar relatives around her and said with a cold smirk, "Big Brother, I have come back this time to take over as head of the Xiao family. Do you have any objections?" Xiao Li of course had serious objections, but what came out of his mouth was, "No objections, it's most suitable for Second Sister to take the role of head!" Xiao Qing then looked at the several old men and said, "What about the elders in the clan, do you have any objections?" These people hurriedly bowed and said, "We have no disagreements." "Xiao Qing has contributed greatly to the family, her taking up the position of head is only fitting." ... The entire process was as smooth as silk, with the people of the Xiao family meekly submitting to the takeover of power by a daughter who had remarried, showing no resistance even though they might have harbored great hatred in their hearts. After all, changing the head of the family to another Xiao was still better than the total annihilation of the clan. Many others flocked around to ingratiate themselves, bombarding her with questions about joining the army. Xiao Qing, dignified and graceful, handled them with ease, winning over many hearts in a short time. She wore an expression of enjoyment, seemingly liking the scene of being surrounded and flattered by others very much. At that moment, Xiao Qing felt even more grateful that her two daughters had found such good husbands. Using their power, taking control of the Xiao clan was as easy as reaching into one's pocket. She glanced at Xiao Li and others with fake smiles, knowing that she would have to cut through the mess quickly. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ In the days that followed, Liao Ya deeply felt her mother's desire for power. She watched as her mother formed alliances and manipulated others, effortlessly eliminating the hidden opposition within the family. Liao Ya felt that her mother seemed to enjoy this lifestyle, cheerful and energetic every day, frequently invoking Lu Yao's name without hesitation. The sight of her mother abusing borrowed authority displeased Liao Ya. Recalling her mother's excitement at remarrying the Great Grandmaster, Liao Ya grew increasingly critical of her, regretting that she had accompanied her here. "Had I known it would come to this, I would have been better off staying at home with my junior brother..." That day, she went to the port to gaze out and clear her mind, where the coming and going of various ships highlighted the prosperity of the place. These were all cargo ships traveling to and from Goryeo, bringing back a variety of goods produced by their fief. Colonial powers such as Izumo had already modeled how to govern and exploit the colonies, and everyone was quick to learn and adeptly put it into practice with great efficacy. The Joyful Sect's fleet brought back coal and iron; the Wudang Sect brought back copper and aluminum; senior generals like Fu Fangsheng were not to be outdone, returning with various resources, even silver; smaller factions with granted fiefdoms shared the costs through forming joint chambers of commerce. In order to build up their fiefdoms, it was necessary to purchase a large amount of materials from Divine Land and transport them to Goryeo, forming a trade cycle that visibly thrived on the market. Moreover, and more importantly, as news of the fiefdoms continually returned, it was confirmed that the Imperial Court had not broken its promise, and that the fiefdoms indeed enjoyed a high degree of autonomy. In light of this, everyone's enthusiasm surged even higher! Many powers that were initially watching from the sidelines could no longer sit still and began actively preparing to set out on an expedition to Izumo. Everyone in the Imperial Court, both civil and military officials, became advocates for war, with the decree for war against Izumo already drafted, waiting only for Lu Yao's command! ~~~~~~~~ And Lu Yao, whom everyone eagerly awaited, was about to begin his first "Ingestion of Gold". With his Divine Soul nourishing his physical body and his capable multitasking allowing for incessant cultivation, Lu Yao quickly stepped into Great Perfection in the Leak-proof Realm, turning his body into a melting furnace to consume gold internally. At this moment, he took out a piece of gold found in a submarine from the depths of the Blue Star sea and gently bit into it. Since gold is somewhat soft by nature, biting it was akin to chewing beef jerky for him. After swallowing the gold, his True Qi also converged there, turning into a raging torrent that kept heating up. Unlike Yu Yanmei, Lu Yao's Divine Thought was like lightning, compressing the True Qi into a focus as sharp as a welding torch, making the efficiency countless times faster. The temperature rose to 800 degrees, and his stomach became a furnace. The melting point of gold is only 1,000 degrees, and although it did not completely melt, it turned into a colloidal state, resembling a melted chunk of sugar. The Leak-proof Realm could withstand external temperatures of a thousand degrees, but this was happening inside his body. To do this inside, for a normal person, was nothing short of swallowing a red-hot coal ball! Lu Yao felt as if his intestines were perforating and his stomach was ruptured; the intense pain was enough to cause one's brain to ache. He certainly had the ability to sever his sense of pain through his Spirit Refining Stage capabilities, but at this moment he not only couldn't do that, he had to deliberately focus on the sensation to grasp that thread of "Indestructible Will." As the saying goes, true gold is not afraid of fire; one of gold's most notable features is its extreme stability, but the magic of this precious metal is far from just that. It was commonly believed in the early years that gold was produced under the high temperature and pressure conditions within planets. In recent years, more and more research suggests that gold is not a special product of Blue Star but the residue of a collapsing star. And the Golden Body Realm is precisely about absorbing and integrating this magical substance, to fortify oneself. At this moment, enduring the excruciating pain of having his guts deeply seared, Lu Yao was absorbing the gold into his body and grasping the "Indestructible" will contained within it. Previously, Yu Yanmei had consumed gold for two months during her campaign in Goryeo, and this was her main focus. This is also the most difficult step for ordinary people. Many people consumed thousands of pounds of gold, and besides scalding themselves painfully, they gained nothing because they failed to grasp that elusive Indestructible Will within the mystery of the universe. But Lu Yao, having endured the Heavenly Tribulation and the tempering of life and death in the thunderbolts, found this task to be all too easy. He had yet to completely digest the first bite of gold, yet he had already grasped that thread of "Indestructible" will. In almost an instant, that strand of will was absorbed by the cells of his body. The cells burst into cheers at that moment and then translated into a strong sense of pleasure that shot back to his brain, urging Lu Yao to continue without delay. Lu Yao discovered with delight that he was exuding a familiar aura, identical to the "Unbreakable and Indestructible" air that emanated from Yu Yanmei. Previously, it was this very technique that prevented him from entering and caused him a great embarrassment. Although this aura was still faint, it was sufficient to indicate that he had crossed the most challenging hurdle, and he simply needed to proceed systematically afterward.