Chapter 52: The Sage of the Strategists

"Su Ling, that's enough of the nonsense. You are not here to talk back to the Master."

"...I stand corrected." Su Ling cupped his fists in apology, though he knew he had indeed gone a bit too far just now.

Still, it was all because that damn Confucian sage kept running his foul mouth and barking incessantly; otherwise, he wasn't someone who acted so unreasonably...

Without showing them a taste of force, these supreme sages, who occupied their high positions while contributing nothing, wouldn't even deign to cast a proper glance in Su Ling's direction.

"..."

"Kid, you've got quite a fiery temper, but more importantly, you actually have the skills to back it up. Not bad, this general likes you!"

Right at that moment, the supreme sage of the Strategists, sitting in the traditional kneeling posture in the void directly above Qi Jingchun, looked down at the sesame-seed-sized Su Ling with a gaze full of deep appreciation.

"I heard you are a disciple of Ruan Qiong. Well... kid, how would you like to come under my banner and take up a position second only to one and above ten thousand?"

Hearing this, Su Ling raised an eyebrow. Judging by what this Strategist sage was saying, it sounded like he was trying to recruit him. Was he really standing out that much?

Even a peak achiever of the Strategist path was willing to lower his pride and attempt to take Su Ling in as a personal direct disciple?

"My master is Ruan Qiong, and this junior currently has no intention of changing masters. I am deeply grateful for the sage's kind words."

Su Ling turned around, cupping his fists and bowing to the Strategist sage above him to indicate that he had no other intentions.

Although this Strategist sage before him was also one of those who had come to dissuade Qi Jingchun, perhaps because they both belonged to the Strategist lineage, the tone was exceptionally amicable—completely lacking the fiery temper and the cold-blooded, murderous tyranny of the other sage who was ready to wage war over a single disagreement.

"Haha, no worries..."

The Strategist sage let out a hearty laugh, chatting casually with Su Ling, this rising star, in the affectionate tone of an elder caring for a junior.

It was evident that attitudes depended entirely on the person. Facing an exceptionally gifted rising star of his own lineage, the Strategist sage was all smiles, wishing he could keep him in his mouth to melt or hold him in the palm of his hand to carefully nurture him to growth.

"Right, kid, what is your purpose in coming here?"

Getting down to business, the Strategist sage's tone grew increasingly solemn. Short of a catastrophic issue, he was definitely going to protect Su Ling, this suddenly emerged supreme talent.

"..."

Su Ling first glanced at the indifferent Qi Jingchun standing behind him, then nodded toward the Strategist sage overhead, briefly explaining his intentions.

...

A moment later, after hearing the entirety of Su Ling's plan, even the Strategist sage—a being of vast knowledge and supreme divine powers—couldn't help but admire Su Ling's sheer audacity.

At the same time, he felt deeply pleased and overjoyed that the pillar-to-be of his own lineage wasn't someone who clung cowardly to life, but rather someone with clear goals, pursuits, and strength, who crucially maintained a great sense of propriety in his actions.

Although the peerless splendor of that single punch had indeed stunned him, the Confucian sage struck by the fist-wind had merely lost a bit of face without suffering any severe damage.

After all, every single peak achiever of the Confucian lineage was a supreme divine being that the human race could ill afford to ignore. Even if it was merely an avatar's projection, it was still not something the current Su Ling could casually shatter at will.

If Su Ling were to step into the Upper Five Realms, there might perhaps be a sliver of possibility to shatter and collapse the dharma-form of a supreme sage.

"Hmph!"

At the edge of the void, the dharma-form of the supreme sage of the Confucian lineage wore an exceptionally ugly expression. Anyone with eyes could clearly see that he had been genuinely angered.

Had he not witnessed the Strategist supreme sage making it abundantly clear that he intended to protect the life of this shameless junior, the Confucian sage probably would have thrown aside all dignity and used his seniority to severely punish this junior who dared to commit insubordination.

Killing him was out of the question; after all, though Su Ling had caused him to lose face, Su Ling was still a member of the human race. Not easily slaughtering human prodigies was one of the fundamental bottom lines that could not be trampled upon lightly.

Seeing this, the Confucian sage let out a cold snort, utterly displeased with the junior's attitude.

As he flicked his rift-filled Confucian robe, the cracks blasted onto his dharma-form by the terrifying fist-wind healed instantly.

Though the Confucian sage was merely an avatar of his true body, he still possessed a trace of his true body's might. As long as the dharma-form wasn't shattered instantly, his injuries would mend at a rapid pace.

One had to admit that a supreme sage was truly worthy of the title. After all, not just anyone could withstand Su Ling's full-blown attack and survive unscathed, let alone retain the surplus energy to heal their wounds.

If the powerhouses here were known to the bald caped hero residing in another world, Saitama would probably fail to suppress his deep-seated desire for battle and rush over to have a thorough fight!

Of course, this was still Su Ling holding back during what he considered an all-out strike; after all, if he truly fought without any reservations, the aftermath would be very difficult to clean up.

After all, one must not forget that he hadn't even utilized the martial arts power he had cultivated ever since his transmigration.

A full-out strike blessed by invincible fist intent was definitely not something a mere sage dharma-form could resist. Even if a supreme sage descended in person, it was very likely they wouldn't be able to extract any favorable advantage from Su Ling...

Crack—.

The vast expanse of the void in front of the Confucian sage that had been shattered into pieces by the fist-wind was now experiencing continuous spatial fluctuations. Through the cracks in the void, the depths of the fractured space were pitch black.

This small world, carved out by four sages, seemed to be showing signs of imminent collapse?

Upon seeing this, the Confucian supreme sage, despite holding a myriad of resentments in his heart, let out a cold snort and flicked his Confucian robe once more.

The Confucian robe instantly erupted with a dazzling radiance, casting down a light that blotted out the sun and sky, covering the space that had been blasted into powder by Su Ling.

The very next moment, the previously precarious small world stopped trembling, the spatial fissures healed rapidly, and the instability in the void was soon alleviated.

On the other side, Su Ling had already made his intentions clear to the supreme sage of the Strategists, earning the sage's favor and ensuring that escaping the wrath of the Heavenly Dao would be completely unproblematic.

At this point, having weathered Su Ling, this suddenly appearing monkey wrench, the gazes of the four supreme sages were no longer fixed solely on Qi Jingchun; instead, they turned toward Su Ling's future as a Martial God...

"Kid, don't go dying on me."

At this moment, the expression of the Strategist sage shifted slightly, as he seemed to perceive an abnormal fluctuation appearing in the void—the impending wrath of the Heavenly Dao, descending to purge Qi Jingchun, the one who defied the current order.

"This junior is deeply grateful for the guidance."

Su Ling modestly cupped his fists and bowed to the Strategist sage above. After all, this big brother, though newly recognized, had a backing that was rock solid.

And this big brother was even tougher than he was, possessing the actual strength to protect his life so he wouldn't end up playing with fire and burning himself to death.

Of course, Su Ling believed that he wouldn't be easily crushed to death by the wrath of the Heavenly Dao. His adventurous trip here was precisely aimed at growing stronger and making up for the fatal weakness in his divine soul.

Just as Su Ling finished making his preparations, he looked up and suddenly discovered that at the very apex of the void, a series of distinct ripples were transmitting outward, carrying the terrifying, suffocating oppression akin to the arrival of a violent storm.