Not Very Convenient, Is It?

K’un-Lun was actually a valley, with a small town at its center. The town had fewer than ten thousand residents.

There were quite a few villages around the town, and the total population was under one hundred thousand.

Most people here were illiterate, a typical case of valuing martial arts over education. They practiced martial arts but did not study literature. Yet their manners were actually better than those of Earthlings. They were kindhearted and amiable, preferred using their fists to their mouths, never cursed, and certainly never bit anyone.

Over the millennia, K’un-Lun had taken in many outsiders. Though most were Asian, there were also quite a few white and black people. The population was mixed, and while Old Wang’s clothes were somewhat conspicuous, few people paid him any attention—

Everyone was absorbed in the earthshaking battle from earlier. They had formed little circles to discuss the outcome of Lei Gong’s battle with the Jade Emperor.

However, some believed the combatants had not been Lei Gong and the Jade Emperor, but Lei Gong and the Council of Elders.

The people quickly split into two camps and argued with each other, neither side able to convince the other.

They had no idea that the slightly chubby big shot walking past them had been a firsthand witness to that battle.

Surrounded by the rich atmosphere of daily life and listening to unfamiliar yet familiar Chinese, Old Wang felt very comfortable.

He kept walking and soon arrived at the training grounds.

K’un-Lun revered martial arts, and every child of suitable age was sent to the training grounds.

As far as the eye could see, over a thousand people were practicing martial arts at once. Their movements were orderly, and their shouts rang out without end. Their overall momentum was far stronger than that of the Shangxi Training Grounds, giving him the feeling of doing school calisthenics.

The times are calling.

After taking a casual look around, Old Wang shook his head slightly.

The Kunlun People’s physiques were indeed somewhat stronger than Earthlings’, but only somewhat. They were nowhere near the Asgardians, not to mention that there were plenty of Earthlings among them.

Although K’un-Lun was a paradise cut off from the world, it had constantly replenished itself with fresh blood from outside. Because it had not adhered to the original practice of marrying within the tribe, the alien bloodline had grown increasingly diluted. Some people were not even descendants of aliens at all.

Perhaps the earliest Kunlun People had physiques no worse than Asgardians’, but after all these years, they had long declined. Population was their fatal weakness.

These students who had not yet graduated were basically all minors under eighteen. Once they cultivated True Qi, they would formally take a master and pursue further training under a martial arts master or grandmaster.

Old Wang soon spotted several white people, none of whom stood out in the crowd.

He had no idea which one was Danny Rand, but that was unimportant.

Because Danny was destined not to become the disgrace of the Iron Fist, betray his duty, and bring shame upon K’un-Lun.

Perhaps because Lei Gong or the Jade Emperor had sent word ahead, the instructors at the training grounds quickly recognized Old Wang. One of them approached, staring at him with fervent eyes before clasping her fists in salute. "Master Wang, you… please… please come with me!"

She was a martial arts master surnamed Chen, with abundant True Qi and a respectful attitude.

In literature, there could be no undisputed first; in martial arts, there could be no undisputed second. The battle atop the mountain platform had not escaped their notice. The shattered blade aura and the fist aura soaring into the heavens had told them at a glance who had won and who had lost. Whoever could defeat Lei Gong could defeat the Council of Elders, and only the Jade Emperor could subdue someone like that.

Along with their admiration, they secretly looked forward to it, believing that Master Wang and the Jade Emperor would inevitably fight in the near future.

That would be the true clash at the summit.

The two soon arrived at a temple.

Calling it a temple was less accurate than calling it an ancestral hall. Immortal Dragons were carved into the pillars on both sides of the entrance, and directly opposite the door, in the most prominent spot, stood a massive Immortal Dragon statue. Within its coiled body was an altar table holding memorial tablets.

Row upon row, column upon column, layer upon layer—there were simply too many to count.

"Master Wang, these are the memorial tablets of the Iron Fists throughout the ages." Master Chen bowed respectfully.

The dead deserved respect. Old Wang followed her example, but as he bent at the waist, he saw the name "Wu Fengji" written on one of the tablets at the very bottom. That woman did not seem to be dead…

Noticing Old Wang’s gaze, Master Chen said in a worshipful tone, "She was one of the strongest Iron Fists in history, second only to the first Iron Fist, ‘Fan Fei’! She is the only Iron Fist still alive, and the Goddess in the hearts of all Kunlun men!"

Old Wang glanced at Master Chen.

Master Chen was probably in her forties, broad-shouldered and powerfully built, with upper arms thicker than his thighs. Given the Kunlun People’s habit of marrying young, her grandchildren were probably already running around. And she still had a Goddess?

More importantly, Master Chen, you were a woman too…

Still, Wu Fengji had fused with the Phoenix Projection and possessed the Phoenix Force. Her strength had definitely surpassed the level of an Earth God. Calling her a "Goddess" was not excessive.

K’un-Lun had a long history, and there had probably been plenty of turmoil. Ancient truths had been buried by history. No one knew how many years ago the first Iron Fist had existed, and the sequence of Iron Fists was incomplete as well. The uninterrupted records probably began around thirty-six hundred years ago.

That had been the early years of the Shang Dynasty, the legendary "era of the Investiture of the Gods."

Beneath every tablet was a brief evaluation. Wu Fengji’s read: "Phoenix Force."

The lowest tablet bore a line in English:

Olsen Rand.

A member of the Rand family?

What was this person’s relationship with Danny Rand?

Old Wang shook his head slightly. That was unimportant too.

Behind the Rand family stood Madame Gao, and behind Madame Gao stood The Hand. Now that The Hand was all his, Rand Corporation was naturally his as well.

"Master Wang, please wait a moment. The Jade Emperor and the Council of Elders are interrogating the traitors, and your three disciples are present too."

Master Chen said, "Please rest assured, they only have a few questions to ask them. Once the interrogation is over, the Jade Emperor will come here to see you."

The Jade Emperor wanted to see him?

Old Wang nodded slightly. "Thank you."

"Um… Master Wang."

Master Chen hesitated for a moment before finally making up her mind. "This junior has some doubts regarding martial arts. Could I ask you to help answer them? Also, if you plan to stay here for a long time, you can stay at my home. I even have a jar of Daughter Red that has been cellared for three hundred years!"

Old Wang was stunned for a moment, then tempted.

K’un-Lun rarely had outsiders, so there were no hotels. How could he stay at the training grounds?

Most martial artists did not care about such things, but Old Wang did.

Pandaren enjoyed life. Fights had to be fought, but life had to be lived well too, especially when there was wine…

"Wouldn’t that be a little inconvenient?" Old Wang felt he ought to show some restraint, if only to live up to the title of "grandmaster."

"Convenient, very convenient! I live separately from my parents. I’m not married yet, so it’s just me!" Master Chen hurriedly explained.

The smile on Old Wang’s face slowly froze.

A full three hours later, there was a knock at the door. Only then did Master Chen rise and leave reluctantly, radiant with health and savoring the experience.

"Master Wang, you must come!" she reminded him softly.

"I’ll try, I’ll try…" Old Wang could not bear to hurt Master Chen’s feelings.

The door opened, and a figure in green entered.

Old Wang had sensed the other’s presence long ago. He quickly stood and clasped his fists. "Jade Emperor?"

This person was completely concealed beneath green robes, with only a pair of silver eyes exposed. Even their gender could not be determined, though Old Wang had his methods.

Their aura was steady and their power peaceful, like a calm sea whose depths concealed unknown raging waves and undercurrents.

To look upon them was to see the sea; to probe them was to peer into an abyss.

"Master Wang."

The Jade Emperor stood with hands hanging at their sides, silver eyes fixed on Old Wang. "Tell me why you came to K’un-Lun."