Urban Most Awesome Dad

Chapter 178: The Situation in the Ancient Martial World_1

Xu Fan tidied up the mountaineering bag he had brought up the mountain and the remaining herbs, then tossed the backpack to his junior brother Mo Luo Dan, leading him to start descending.

Mo Luo Dan quickly adapted to the role of Xu Fan’s junior brother, first carrying stones for Xu Fan and now carrying his backpack; it seemed like even if Xu Fan would ask him to take the blame for something in the future, he would also gleefully comply.

While descending, Xu Fan also inquired Mo Luo Dan about the affairs of the Ancient Martial World. After all, Mo Luo Dan came from a large martial artist faction in the Western Regions and was the chief disciple of that faction’s revered master. Consequently, he was quite familiar with some of the Ancient Martial World’s secrets and began to recount the current state of Yan Country’s Ancient Martial World to Xu Fan as they made their way down.

Mo Luo Dan was actually quite curious as to why Xu Fan, who was strong enough to be considered among the elite Martial Arts Grandmasters, would ask about the Ancient Martial World, as if he had no understanding of it. However, Mo Luo Dan thought that perhaps Xu Fan was one of those martial fools who only cared about cultivating and paid no attention to the outside world. With that in mind, he felt at ease and obediently began to tell his tale.

In the past, Xu Fan was nothing more than a wasteful and wealthy young master. Although the Xu Family supported some Ancient Martial Artists, Xu Fan never cared about these matters and only knew how to flaunt his wealth and charm women, so he had no knowledge of the Ancient Martial World in his memories.

However, the current Xu Fan was no longer the prodigal son he once was. He was now very, very interested in the Ancient Martial World of Yan Country and listened intently to Mo Luo Dan’s narration.

“The matters of the Ancient Martial World are mostly unknown to ordinary people, and many simply don’t believe in the existence of martial artists. Because martial artists possess overwhelmingly powerful strength, they have been suppressed by rulers throughout history. However, because martial artists valiantly sacrificed themselves for Yan Country in the face of national crisis last century, resulting in heavy losses and the near extinction of many clans, the contemporary upper echelons, in recognition of the martial artists’ merits, have tacitly approved their existence. Still, they set rules to prevent martial artists from disrupting the normal world’s operations. Therefore, martial artists’ matters have gradually faded from public memory, and the younger generation probably regards martial artists as fictional characters from martial arts novels,”

“Thus, martial artists’ affairs are generally only circulated within their circles, and ordinary people are unlikely to be aware of the Martial World. I also only learned about some of these matters because I followed my former master to various martial artist exchanges,” said Mo Luo Dan with eyes reddening and a slightly choked tone as he spoke of his master.

“Hmm, continue,” Xu Fan nodded and urged Mo Luo Dan to go on.

“Today’s Ancient Martial World is not like it was a hundred years ago, but there are still some ancient martial families that, with their heritage, have withstood many crises and tenaciously survived. The current innocent world’s structure is also complex, with several hundred martial institutions, large and small. However, among the top-tier institutions, there are six: the Western Regions’ Kunlun Sect, Zhongzhou Taiji Sect, Sichuan and Shu’s Shu Mountain Sword Sect, East Province’s Haibo Gate, and two great martial families, the Su Family and Ye Family. These six great powers are the strongest forces in the current Ancient Martial World and hold most of the say,”

“In addition to the six strongest clans and sects, there are over a dozen slightly smaller institutions, each controlling the power of a province. The six great houses almost have influence over an entire region within Yan Country. For instance, the Western Regions’ Kunlun Sect nearly controls Tianshan Province, Dizang Province, Haiqing Province, Yunnan Province, and a vast area. My former sect, Mo Luo Sect, was a nearly first-class institution in Tianshan Province with significant influence in the southern part of the province.”

“First-class and nearly first-class institutions together only total thirty to forty. The rest are smaller second- or third-tier sects, as well as some lesser martial artists without a sect, who, without protection and resources from a sect, find it quite tough to get by. Like me, when I was in Mo Luo Sect, I never worried about a place to cultivate. Later, when wandering outside, I could only find places to practice in desolate mountains and wild ridges. But because of misfortune, I was lucky enough to meet you, young master, who is a great benefactor,” Mo Luo Dan said, not forgetting to flatter Xu Fan in the process.

Xu Fan grimaced and asked, “Tell me in detail about those six great Ancient Martial houses. I’m quite curious about them.”

Upon hearing this, Mo Luo Dan, a bit excited, began to speak to Xu Fan, “First is our Western Regions’ top sect, Kunlun Sect, which relies on Mount Kunlun, the leader of the world’s dragon veins, occupying many famous mountains and rivers. Among the top sects, Kunlun Sect has the largest influence area, mainly uninhabited places. But it’s precisely these kinds of places that have more abundant Spiritual Energy than other areas, which makes them more suitable for martial artists to cultivate. Moreover, these mountains hide countless valuable resources. Therefore, Kunlun Sect is the one among the six great houses with the most Spiritual Energy and Spiritual Treasure resources and has the highest number of advanced martial artists.”

“The remaining sects also rely on local geographical features and possess other formidable resources. Some places produce talents with high-quality martial arts aptitude easily, while others are rich in herbs that can boost a martial artist’s strength. And there are places with developed economies where martial artists have significant power and wealth. These six great sects almost all have substantial influence in their respective areas, and although there doesn’t seem to be much conflict between them on the surface, what kind of competition they have in private is something we don’t know.”

“How strong are these martial artists?” After listening, Xu Fan asked the question that concerned him the most.

“Reporting to the young master, when I left my sect, I was only a young disciple, so I’m more familiar with the strength of the younger generation. The six great houses have jointly established a ranking list that includes the strength of young Ancient Martial Artists. This ranking only has a hundred spots. I used to dream that one day my name could enter that list.”

“Oh?” Xu Fan became interested and asked Mo Luo Dan, “What is the name of this list?”

“Reporting to the young master, this list is called the ‘Heroes List.’ Every martial artist who enters the Heroes List becomes a coveted recruit for various powers. They are practically stars in the Ancient Martial World and receive an enormous amount of resources from their respective sects. Generally speaking, martial artists who make it onto the Heroes List will become a leading figure in a sect in fifteen to twenty years, if nothing unexpected happens,” Mo Luo Dan explained, not forgetting to toss another compliment Xu Fan’s way.