I’ll Give K’un-Lun a Grandmaster (First Update)

So direct… Old Wang smiled. "I’m very curious about Shou-Lao and Iron Fist."

Not the kind of curiosity you’re thinking of, but that kind of curiosity…

Old Wang’s answer did not surprise the Jade Emperor. He said evenly, "Shou-Lao has only been reborn for a few decades. The power it has accumulated is not even one-tenth of yours. I don’t understand why you want its power. We have all walked our own paths. There is no need to covet power that does not belong to us."

In his view, for a Grandmaster to neglect his own path and covet another’s power was tantamount to ruining his own future.

For five hundred years, Shou-Lao had remained weak. There were many in K’un-Lun who could defeat it, but none of them had any interest in becoming Iron Fist.

That was because the power did not belong to them, and because Shou-Lao’s power was too advanced. Bringing it into one’s body was like inviting a wolf into the house. Iron Fist was essentially a vessel, a vessel for Shou-Lao’s power. Receiving higher-level power would not extend one’s lifespan; instead, it would shorten it.

Why did Iron Fist change so frequently?

Because they died young.

Throughout history, only a handful of Iron Fists had been exceptions.

The one defeated by the first Iron Fist had been the strongest Shou-Lao in history. Yet before she defeated Shou-Lao, she had already reached the same level as it. Only then could she truly subdue Shou-Lao’s power and make it her own.

Wu Fengji had fused with the higher-level power known as the "Phoenix Projection," allowing her to transform from Iron Fist into the Phoenix Force.

Other than those two, K’un-Lun had never again produced a life-form on the same level as Shou-Lao, so…

Iron Fist really was just a gatekeeper.

"Stones from other hills may serve to polish jade, let alone an Immortal Dragon."

Old Wang smiled. "We have both reached this point. Once we take that step, we can enjoy longevity. Perhaps the Immortal Dragon’s power can open a new door for me and let me see hope for a breakthrough."

That was only half true.

Shou-Lao was an Immortal Dragon, roughly equivalent to the Wild Gods of World of Warcraft. But because it kept dying and being reborn, its power was constantly being stolen. And because this world had no Emerald Dream, Shou-Lao was far weaker than its distant relative from World of Warcraft, the Azure Dragon Yu’lon.

But its essence remained.

To a Grandmaster Monk, it truly had value as a reference.

But to Old Wang, it had none.

His path as a Monk was smooth and unobstructed, leading straight to demigodhood.

His most important reason for coming here was not Iron Fist at all, but K’un-Lun itself…

Old Wang’s answer still did not surprise the Jade Emperor. He had discussed the matter with Shou-Lao more than once, but unfortunately, he had still failed to take that step.

"Do you know Shou-Lao’s origins?" he asked.

"I don’t." Old Wang shook his head.

"Shou-Lao was K’un-Lun’s first guardian. Its power was fused with K’un-Lun, and only it could open the Kunlun Gate."

The Jade Emperor said, "Until one day, our ancestor Fan Fei was punished by Shou-Lao for making a mistake. Instead, she defeated Shou-Lao and seized its power, becoming the first Iron Fist. She once fought alongside Odin and Agamotto, defeating a Celestial that had tried to destroy Earth. From then on, K’un-Lun gained the tradition of merging with Shou-Lao’s power to become Iron Fist. Iron Fist also replaced Shou-Lao as K’un-Lun’s guardian."

Old Wang was slightly surprised. He had not expected Iron Fist to have come about by accident.

If Shou-Lao had lived continuously until now, its strength might have long since reached the level of the Ancient One.

The first Iron Fist had actually teamed up with Odin and Agamotto to challenge a Celestial?

Was this K’un-Lun’s true foundation?

"Though Shou-Lao is powerful, it is too large and not agile enough. The same power is stronger in Iron Fist’s hands than in Shou-Lao’s."

As if he had guessed Old Wang’s thoughts, the Jade Emperor said, "There are too many enemies coveting K’un-Lun, so K’un-Lun has a rule: Iron Fist may not leave K’un-Lun at will. If you want to become Iron Fist, you must remain in K’un-Lun and cannot leave."

"But?"

Old Wang chuckled. "Nothing is absolute. Rules were made by people in the first place. K’un-Lun does not depend heavily on Iron Fist, especially the current Iron Fist. After all, K’un-Lun’s true pillars are you, Lei Gong, the Council of Elders, and Shou-Lao. Iron Fist? At the end of the day, he is just a gatekeeper, while the gate’s master is Shou-Lao. Since K’un-Lun had no Iron Fist in the beginning, why can’t it return to how it was?"

"Because K’un-Lun was strong enough back then, and the Jade Emperor of that time was a Grandmaster," said the Jade Emperor.

Immortals were undying, Earth Immortals enjoyed longevity, and Grandmasters were Earthly Immortals.

A single Grandmaster could protect K’un-Lun for centuries or even millennia, giving Shou-Lao enough time to grow.

Even if no new Grandmaster emerged afterward, they could still cultivate an Immortal Iron Fist comparable to a Grandmaster to continue protecting K’un-Lun.

"That’s easy."

Old Wang smiled slightly. "I’ll give K’un-Lun a Grandmaster. Wouldn’t that solve it?"

Grandmasters were not cabbages. You could not just give one away because you wanted to.

No matter how powerful Old Wang was, he could not create a Grandmaster out of thin air. There had to be a foundation.

Even in World of Warcraft, among so many Pandaren Monks, only Old Chen and Taran Zhu had possessed sufficient foundations to undergo a transformation in the essence of their lives with Old Wang’s help and become Grandmasters.

Though the Kunlun People had Pandaren bloodlines, their average lifespans were in fact only about the same as the Pandaren’s, and their talent was similar as well.

For such a small place with such a small population to have two Grandmasters at once was truly remarkable.

Only the Jade Emperor and Lei Gong had the potential to become Grandmasters.

And when it came to cultivating Grandmasters, Old Wang had experience.

Words were the least weighty things in the world. The Jade Emperor could not possibly believe Old Wang’s empty claims. What he wanted was proof.

"Come with me, Master Wang."

The Jade Emperor led the way, and the two soon arrived at a courtyard deep within K’un-Lun.

The forest was tranquil, the mountains lofty, and the air clear. This was the Jade Emperor’s residence, as well as one of K’un-Lun’s most sacred forbidden grounds.

They had not come here to fight, of course. Old Wang was here to discuss the Dao with the Jade Emperor.

To enter the Dao through martial arts—once successful, one would join the ranks of immortals, or at the very least become an Earthly Immortal.

At this level, ordinary techniques had already lost their meaning. What one truly sought was communion between man and nature, unity of heaven and man, and a leap in life itself. One step forward meant becoming another kind of life, one at a higher level than before, belonging to two utterly different races.

Not human, but immortal.

K’un-Lun and the Pandaren each had their strengths. Their two entirely different martial traditions had both accumulated and evolved over tens of thousands of years. It was difficult to say which was superior. Shaohao might not necessarily have been inferior to the first Iron Fist, while Taran Zhu and the Jade Emperor were roughly on the same level.

When three walk together, one can always be my teacher. Naturally, more than two people would be discussing the Dao.

Before he even entered, Old Wang sensed Lei Gong, whom he had beaten until he coughed blood, as well as several dozen Martial Arts Masters. Without surprise, they were members of the Council of Elders.

Five of them were especially powerful, with one foot already in the realm of Grandmasters. They must have been the Five Great Elders who had fought Lei Gong a century ago.

Seeing Old Wang arrive, the elders quickly rose and bowed to him.

No one showed any disrespect.

The accomplished came first. Besides, in their eyes, Master Wang had surely lived for who knew how many centuries. He might even be from their fathers’ or grandfathers’ generation. Respecting one’s elders could never be wrong.

They had not come to discuss the Dao. They had come to listen.

Before Old Wang, the Jade Emperor, and Lei Gong, these masters were all younger brothers.

Little brothers.

When martial artists fought, they showed no mercy once they struck. When there was a large gap in strength, casualties were less likely. It was those of similar strength who could not hold back at all. Discussing the Dao was another form of contest:

A contest of words.

They would draw on each other’s strengths and make up for their weaknesses, each gaining something.

"Begin."

The Jade Emperor glanced at Lei Gong.

Lei Gong coughed and began to expound on the Dao.