Chapter 144: A Taboo Subject in the Martial Arts World

"That is a long story," Bai Kou said, rising from the edge of the window. She walked over to the table, sat down, and poured herself a fresh cup of herbal tea. "Won't you have some? It's quite good."

Xiao Kaitian did not care for herbal tea, but out of deference to Bai Kou's temperament, he reluctantly poured a cup. He glanced at Zhao Qixi, who remained unmoved, her head bowed over her book.

"The heritage of the martial arts world goes back hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. There is no accurate record of when it truly began," Bai Kou said, watching Xiao Kaitian’s movements. Satisfied, she began her tale.

Martial arts have existed for a long time. In the beginning, there was no official or formal presence; they existed in the shadows of history through wandering knights and recluses. While the official histories of the Han and Tang dynasties contain references, they are not particularly detailed.

It was only in the modern era that they truly surfaced in the public eye, largely due to the isolation of information in ancient times. With the advent of a modernized society, martial practitioners became a widely known phenomenon.

Curiously, the institutions of countries across the world have tacitly accepted the existence of martial practitioners and have even established independent operational systems for them. In today's society, martial practitioners have become a specialized social structure that exists stably within the world.

Logically speaking, people in the martial arts world are different from ordinary citizens. They possess the ability to counter firearms, and both the police and the military are often helpless against them. They are an extremely dangerous presence, yet the fact that their system is permitted to operate is something Xiao Kaitian found difficult to grasp.

"Why exactly is this?" Xiao Kaitian asked.

"For one thing, martial practitioners can resolve many problems at both national and international levels," Bai Kou said, taking a sip of tea and gesturing on the table with her fingers.

"For example, disputes between internal corporations are resolved through corporate challenge matches, which minimizes the economic waste caused by business competition. That is a minor type of dispute."

"On a larger scale, such as diplomatic disputes or conflicts between two nations where neither side wants to go to war but neither wants to easily compromise, the role of the martial practitioner comes into play. It is no secret that nations often resolve issues through duels in the ring."

So that was it. Xiao Kaitian suddenly understood. The military power of nations in this world varies, but generally speaking, each possesses a "trump card." If a full-scale war were to break out, it would be catastrophic.

Therefore, the resolution of many international conflicts relies on martial practitioners. The two sides fight, the outcome determines the winner, or they simply vent their frustrations to save face, and the matter is put to rest.

This is why martial arts are so prevalent in the Han and Tang regions and across the world.

However, Xiao Kaitian still felt that these reasons were too weak. Following this line of thought, the existence of martial practitioners remained far too powerful. He voiced his doubts.

"You are quite right. If it were merely about martial victory, special forces and the like would be sufficient," Bai Kou nodded in agreement, her recognition of Xiao Kaitian’s insight unquestionable. "This leads to another issue."

"It is the greatest secret of the martial arts world, one usually known only to core figures, such as a Grandmaster like myself." As she said this, she tilted her head with a hint of pride.

*Yes, yes, you are a Grandmaster, you are the best,* Xiao Kaitian thought, speechless. *Just tell me the reason.*

But after her proud expression, Bai Kou’s face grew solemn, and a trace of trepidation could even be seen. "The purpose of allowing the martial arts world to exist is to deal with the 'Wanderers.' This is a taboo topic in the martial arts world."

"Wanderers?" Xiao Kaitian, intrigued, crossed his legs. "What does that mean?"

"The so-called Wanderers are people who appear from who knows where," Bai Kou’s eyes shone with a sharp light, and she gritted her teeth as she slowly explained. "These people suddenly appear in the world, and their ideas, methods of operation, and abilities are far superior to ours."

"Some Wanderers are so powerful that even Grandmasters cannot deal with them," Bai Kou recalled, shivering slightly. "When I was young, I was fortunate enough to participate in a mission with my sect to hunt down a Wanderer. There were over twenty Grandmasters, and in the end, after suffering heavy casualties, we finally managed to kill our opponent."

"The scene was terrifying. What the opponent used did not seem to be martial arts techniques, but rather something more like magic or sorcery."

"There are also some who teach us—Wanderers who are close to the martial arts world. It is hard to tell the difference."

Xiao Kaitian frowned. These Wanderers sounded very much like projections from a higher dimension. But if they were projections, they would usually observe silently and leave without a trace.

To come into conflict with the people of this dimension meant they were not projections, but had truly descended. Yet, what would be the purpose of a higher-dimensional being descending? The probability of such an event should be infinitely close to zero.

Bai Kou looked at the stunned Xiao Kaitian. "Did you think of something?" Xiao Kaitian definitely had secrets, and they were not small ones. As she asked this, Zhao Qixi, sitting to the side, also looked up.

"Do you remember when I told you about higher dimensions?" Seeing Bai Kou nod slightly, Xiao Kaitian continued to share his perspective. "These Wanderers likely come from there, though which dimension is unknown. Considering the circumstances, it is highly likely they come from the fourth dimension."

"People from a higher-dimensional space?" Bai Kou was stunned. "The martial arts world has no such concept. There are also friendly Wanderers who teach us; according to them, they come from an 'otherworldly continent,' usually referred to as the Realm of Cultivation, though some call it the Spirit Realm."

"It seems every Wanderer has a different origin, which is a headache for the martial arts world. Eventually, they just accepted their existence and stopped investigating further."

"But the state’s perspective is different. The state worries that these Wanderers will cause trouble for the current world, hence the agreement with the martial arts world: the martial arts world maintains control over the Wanderers, and the state allows the martial arts world to exist. After all, the consequences of using super-large-scale weapons against Wanderers are too severe."

"As for other organizations related to martial arts—ninjas, bounty hunters, paladins—they were established on this basis. They differ only in their names and the focus of their respective techniques."

At this point, Xiao Kaitian finally understood the relationship between the state and the martial arts world. Since this world frequently experiences interference from higher-dimensional beings, it is indeed necessary for martial practitioners to intervene and handle problems discreetly.

One cannot simply resort to missiles, nuclear weapons, or large-scale military deployments every time a Wanderer appears. The origin of the martial arts world lies here.

According to Bai Kou, there are at least two opposing forces intervening in this lower-dimensional world. One side teaches the local martial practitioners to fight the other. As for the motives of the latter, they remain unclear.

Moreover, this situation seemed to have existed for a very long time. Xiao Kaitian could not help but frown. Is this a phenomenon unique to this dimensional universe, or does it occur in all universes within the same dimension? If it is the latter, the problem is grave.

The force supporting the dimension is weakening—this is the only logical explanation. Once the supporting force vanishes, it signifies the end of the entire Central Axis Universe.