Chapter 23: Celestial Martial Diagram

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, a tall woman slowly approached, surrounded by a flurry of admirers.

Her long silver hair gleamed with a metallic sheen.

Zhang Yu wondered if that shimmering hair was an Artifact Spirit. He mused,

How much would a single strand go for?

Her red evening gown flickered with traces of firelight, as if flames danced within the fabric, exuding a formidable wave of Mana.

Zhao Tianxing guessed that the dress itself was probably a magical artifact—likely priceless.

At that moment, the director of Xianyun Group, his body practically wrapped in gold leaf, stepped forward to greet Li Xuelian.

Two other wealthy Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators soon joined their conversation.

A circle of elite guests formed around them, all eager for a chance to chime in and leave an impression.

But before anyone could seize the opportunity, Li Xuelian exchanged only a few words with the trio before moving to the curtain concealing the Celestial Martial Diagram.

“Thank you all for coming to the exhibition,” she began.

As polite applause rippled through the room, Li Xuelian smiled and continued, “At this moment filled with inspiration and creativity, I’m glad we’ve all come together…”

Zhang Yu stifled a yawn. He wondered if he should squeeze in some Active Breathing while she talked.

Suddenly he caught himself.

Am I… becoming diligent in my cultivation?

Was it the Ritual pressure wearing him into habit, or was this society warping him in ways he hadn’t even noticed?

Thankfully, Li Xuelian didn’t speak for long. While Zhang Yu was still lost in thought, she had already pivoted to a topic that instantly captured the attention of every young Immortal Path genius present.

Li Xuelian said, “For years, my father has sought a disciple worthy of inheriting his mantle—someone to carry on his Martial Techniques and Dao Techniques.”

“Yet his standards have always been exceptionally high. Despite years of searching, he has never found someone who truly fit the bill.”

“So he personally painted this Celestial Martial Diagram, embedding within it a complete Martial Technique.”

“If any youth under the age of twenty can comprehend and master it, my father will accept them as his disciple and train them with full resources, up to the top universities.”

“However, the painting contains a fragment of my father’s Martial intent. Viewing it will subject you to a direct shock to your Dao Heart. Proceed with caution, or risk internal harm.”

As she finished speaking, she reached up and drew back the curtain, revealing the Celestial Martial Diagram.

Within a frame over two meters tall, a vague humanoid figure slowly took shape.

“This was painted by a Gold Core Cultivator?” Zhang Yu stared at the picture and could only think it looked like a scribble—a stick figure mess a grade-schooler might draw.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, someone shouted, “Magnificent!”

“The energy flows! The brushwork and structure! Xinghuo Zhenren’s work is sublime—truly humbling to us lesser artists.”

Others jumped in to flatter: “Exquisite! What looks simple at first hides vast and profound meaning. The longer you gaze, the deeper it becomes!”

As more people piled on the praise, Li Xuelian cleared her throat to interrupt the noise.

She explained, “To prevent accidental injuries, my father added a ward. Only those within five meters can see the diagram clearly. But that also means you’ll be subjected to its Martial intent.”

“Any young genius interested in comprehending the technique, please step forward.”

The sycophants fell silent, red-faced from their premature flattery.

But someone was already stepping up: Lian Tianji from Purple Cloud High School, the same one who’d recently chatted with the Bone Urn guy.

“Haha, let me see what this Celestial Martial Diagram is really about,” Lian Tianji laughed, striding confidently toward the painting.

Qian Shen’s eyes sharpened.

That’s Lian Tianji from Purple Cloud High. He scored a brutal 670 on last month’s exam—a major rival I’ll face after defeating Bai Zhenzhen.

As Lian Tianji approached, the figure within the painting grew clearer. A middle-aged man began performing a profound Martial Technique.

Lian Tianji was drawn in deeper and deeper—until suddenly, the figure in the painting hurled a punch directly at him.

Bang!

The air rippled with a dull thud.

Lian Tianji froze mid-step, eyes wide and locked on the painting.

To the onlookers, it seemed as though he had completely immersed himself in the Celestial Martial Diagram, studying its secrets.

Li Xuelian calmly explained, “My father crafted this challenge to select someone with an unshakable will and indomitable spirit. Anyone who attempts to comprehend this diagram will face their deepest fears.”

“Only those who conquer their inner weakness can unlock its mysteries.”

Gasps and murmurs followed as the crowd speculated on what horrors Lian Tianji might be seeing.

In his mind, the world shifted. Lian Tianji found himself back in the classroom, forgetting entirely about the exhibition, Li Xuelian, or the Celestial Martial Diagram.

The homeroom teacher was reading out the latest test scores.

Yet from the top scorer down, Lian Tianji never heard his name.

10th place… not him.

20th place… still not him.

50th place… no sign.

As the scores plummeted, panic welled up inside him…

Back at the exhibition, Li Xuelian said, “Multiple people can comprehend the Celestial Martial Diagram at once. Any other young geniuses, please step forward.”

Qian Shen and several classmates exchanged glances and headed up.

Others soon followed.

Zhang Yu glanced at Zhou Tianyi. “You’re not going to try?”

Zhou Tianyi laughed and shrugged. “Just here for the show. No need to embarrass myself.”

Zhang Yu turned to Bai Zhenzhen. “What about you?”

Bai Zhenzhen glanced at the diagram and replied flatly, “Still deciding.”

“Deciding what?”

“I don’t want to find myself a master.”

She sighed inwardly:

Becoming a disciple probably means signing a contract with this Xinghuo Zhenren—basically a soul-binding agreement. He’ll control which university I attend, what major I study... I’ll end up in debt, and who knows how high the interest will be…

Zhang Yu, hearing her doubts, grinned. “Then just don’t master the technique. Problem solved.”

He looked at the Celestial Martial Diagram and said, “A Martial Technique left behind by a Gold Core Cultivator? Even if it's just Qi Refining level, if we tried to buy usage rights, it’d cost tens of thousands, easy. We’ve got a chance to study it for free—why not take it?”

“If you don’t want to become Xinghuo Zhenren’s disciple, just don’t finish learning it.”

Zhao Tianxing scoffed and edged away, worried people might mistake him for being as delusional as these two.

Bai Zhenzhen stared at Zhang Yu, speechless.

What kind of hellish loan platform pressure must he be under to get into this headspace?

Zhou Tianyi chuckled. “Makes sense. It doesn’t cost anything to try. Let’s go together.”

Zhao Tianxing, however, refused. Just imagining himself in a security or server uniform, trying to comprehend the Celestial Martial Diagram while everyone watched, made him cringe with shame.

But as he watched Zhang Yu stride up, he couldn’t help but admire the guy’s shameless confidence.

Then his walkie-talkie crackled to life. The head guard barked, “What the hell are you doing? You’re a security guard! Who let him wander off to stare at the diagram? Get him back here—now!”

Zhao Tianxing broke into a cold sweat, calling out as he jogged toward Zhang Yu.

But as he neared the Celestial Martial Diagram, the figure inside grew clearer—and the jeers around him rose in volume.

He turned and saw the entire crowd staring, pointing, laughing.

Who does this guy think he is? A lowly security guard trying to comprehend the Celestial Martial Diagram?

Amid the ridicule, Zhao Tianxing froze in place, scratching his head, then his ear—completely unsure how to even stand.

Meanwhile, as Zhang Yu, Zhou Tianyi, and Bai Zhenzhen approached the diagram, the blurry figure resolved into a stern-faced middle-aged man, who then hurled a punch toward them.

Darkness flickered across Bai Zhenzhen’s vision. Her phone started vibrating like mad.

She picked it up—and saw a stream of debt collection messages.

“Due to your failure to repay ‘OweMeNow’ after repeated warnings, we are initiating legal action…”

“Continued delinquency will result in an investigation of your registered residence…”

“Deadbeat! You owe pocket change and still won’t pay—want your whole family digging through trash for bottle refunds?”

The messages grew more invasive and vicious—going from reminders to full-scale humiliation and threats.

Cold sweat beaded across Bai Zhenzhen’s forehead. Her body tensed up as the ringtone began to shrill.

But she didn’t dare answer.

And even though she hadn’t touched anything, the phone picked up the call on its own.

To her horror, a cold male voice rang out from the speaker:

“Due to loan fraud and severe delinquency, your breach of contract has triggered a Heavenly Net lock-on. If payment is not made within three days, Heavenly Tribulation will descend…”

A clap of thunder rumbled.

Bai Zhenzhen looked up—and saw arcs of lightning faintly flickering overhead.