Chapter 177 - 146: Sitting and Discussing the Path, What is Danjin

The sun rose in the east, its morning glow brilliant. West Lake, once crowded with hundreds of thousands of tourists, remained sealed off by the military. Only repair teams who had signed confidentiality agreements were allowed entry to replace every stone and tree within. On the Martial Artist Alliance forums, the Grandmaster battle between Jiang Shu and Shang Siguo was replayed repeatedly by martial artists. In the video, their explosive battle raged with unrestrained power. Stone steps on all four banks shattered, and century-old trees snapped. Under the bright moon, the once serene West Lake was scarred with deep, vast trenches by their saber and spear. Winds whipped up clouds, and heaven and earth seemed to split apart. "This is outrageous! Is this really Martial Arts? A body like a cannonball, grasping the wind to form a blade, Condensing Water into Snow. Grandmaster Jiang’s Martial Arts Realm is truly capable of influencing the surrounding environment!" "This is definitely not a Martial Arts Realm possessed by all Hua Jing Masters. Grandmaster Jiang’s combat strength, his control over his body, his understanding of internal force—it has already surpassed the Transforming Force Realm! I’m already packing my bags to head to Jiangnan Academy. There’s no point in running a martial arts school anymore; these few pennies aren’t worth it. Better to apply as a Martial Arts teacher at the academy. Maybe I’ll even bump into Grandmaster Jiang and get a few tips." "I just returned from the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm, and it feels like the sky has collapsed. Regret! Why did I enter the Secret Realm back then? Just for a hundred million, I missed such a grand battle! If I had been there, I might have had a chance to advance from the Dark Force Realm to the Transforming Force Realm!" "Grandmaster Shang was already very strong. Each spear thrust was building momentum for the next technique; it’s terrifying to think how horrifying it would be if he reached his eighteenth technique. Unfortunately, Grandmaster Jiang was stronger, his internal force circulating, making snow drift through heaven and earth. It felt like even if a Core Realm Great Grandmaster came, they would only be on par with this at best." "Didn’t you see the Grandmasters in the front row? Their expressions all changed! Grandmasters are divided into three tiers. Grandmaster Jiang is in a league of his own, Grandmaster Shang is in the first tier, and all other Grandmasters are a tier below." "It’s such a pity. I heard if the battle had gone smoothly, Grandmaster Shang might have had a chance to advance to the Core Realm. After all, his Essence, Qi, and Spirit were all about to successfully build momentum, but then Grandmaster Jiang’s saber strike completely disrupted it. A water curtain stacked tens of meters high, instantly freezing into ice like an avalanche. This saber strike was no longer just a saber technique; it was the momentum of heaven and earth! No matter how powerful a person’s martial might is, it’s still insignificant before nature. Even though Grandmaster Jiang’s wasn’t even a small avalanche, it was still incredibly exaggerated." Who would have thought?The one who was once ranked nineteenth on the New Talent List, participating in the university Martial Arts genius competition and relying on luck to become champion. Now he truly is the number one on the Grandmaster List, renowned throughout the world, the foremost individual beneath the Core Realm. It’s truly moving; only a year and a half has passed! These were the words of a certain Dark Force Martial Artist, and they immediately stirred countless emotions. A year and a half. For most Martial Artists in the Martial Artist Alliance, that was merely enough time to advance from the Bright Force Realm to the Dark Force Realm. Such a gap in Martial Arts talent... It was, quite simply, despairing. 「Jiangnan City.」 In a very ordinary villa, Jiang Shu and Shang Siguo sat facing each other. Beside each of them was an incense burner. The aroma of Calming Grass, a second-tier Heaven and Earth Treasure Medicine, burning, swirled in the quiet room. "I plan to travel the world for some time," Shang Siguo said. "I feel my path has been mistaken." The battle at West Lake, which many Grandmasters and Dark Force Martial Artists viewed as a world-shaking duel, was merely an exchange for Jiang Shu and Shang Siguo to test their respective gains and losses. Neither had ever cared about the ownership of the top spot on the Grandmaster List. The Grandmaster List was just a minor scenic spot they passed along the way. "I don’t know how you undertake your Cultivation, to possess such terrifying combat power at your age," Shang Siguo continued. "But I can clearly feel that your strength lies only in your understanding of internal force and your perception of heaven and earth. In reality, your state of mind is the same as mine; both are merely ’perceiving the nature of mind, pointing directly to one’s true heart.’" "Before reaching the Core Realm, such a state of mind is sufficient for a Martial Artist to make rapid progress. But to advance further, to achieve true condensation of Essence, Qi, and Spirit, one must understand that in previous Martial Arts Taoist Scriptures, Essence, Qi, and Spirit were considered one and the same. When condensed, it is Essence; when flowing, it is Qi; when used skillfully, it is Spirit." "I used to believe that, so I always sought only within myself. But I’ve seen something different in your Martial Arts. The Core Realm itself involves embracing the Dan, the Great Pill of the human body. The Dan is a miniature human; the human is a miniature cosmos." "But if that’s all there is to it, the Core Realm has its limits. Times are different now. With the dramatic changes in heaven and earth, the first three realms of Xia Country’s Martial Arts focused solely on self-development, differing only in the ways of exerting internal force. But upon reaching the Core Realm, if one remains fixated only on the method of exerting internal force and personal physical gains, it is to miss the forest for the trees. The Dan is a miniature human; the human is a miniature cosmos. Therefore, the Dan should merge with the person, and the person should also blend with heaven and earth!" "Why can’t Essence, Qi, and Spirit be the body, Yuan Qi, and the mind?" Shang Siguo’s words were solemn, yet they were earth-shattering, effectively overturning countless past Martial Arts Taoist Scriptures. Martial Arts were inherently meant to evolve. Times are changing. Heaven and earth are changing. Martial Arts should also seek change. "It occurs to me that those true Core Realm Great Grandmasters, without exception, all had this realization. Hence, some are invited to reside in the Imperial Palace. Merely by standing there, their surrounding Qi Mechanism melds with that of heaven and earth. This allows the people in that region to align better with heaven and earth, thereby fostering an optimistic mindset and minimal troubles." "Hua Jing Masters, Core Realm Great Grandmasters. This ’Great’ in Great Grandmaster signifies not a difference in internal force or physical power, but a different understanding of heaven and earth. ’A fist that stabilizes mountains and rivers, a foot that measures heaven and earth.’ The state of mind of a Core Realm Great Grandmaster should correspond to what traditional scriptures describe as ’Unity of Heaven and Man’ and ’the innate purity of a child.’" "From this perspective, I am actually immensely grateful for your Winter Snow technique. Without it, I might have successfully built momentum and achieved the so-called status of a Core Realm Great Grandmaster. But such a Core Realm Great Grandmaster would be an illusion. In front of a true Core Realm Great Grandmaster, they would not stand a chance." "And by then, to think of turning back and attempting to enhance one’s state of mind would be like shattering everything established. How could that compare to starting now?" Shang Siguo spoke slower and slower, laying out his perspective piece by piece. The condensation of Essence, Qi, and Spirit. Jiang Shu did not speak. The Martial Arts of the Da Jing Dynasty are divided into Body Refinement, Qi Refinement, and Spirit Refinement. Clearly, it stages the Martial Artist’s Realm into phases. This separation lowers the threshold for Martial Artists to study Martial Arts. This aspect is evident just from the different focuses in the Martial Arts of the Two Realms. The Martial Arts of the Da Jing Dynasty emphasize resources. While the Martial Arts of Xia Country emphasize Talent. In the first three realms, the Martial Arts of the Da Jing Dynasty are entirely ahead of Xia Country’s Martial Arts. But now, it seems that Xia Country’s Martial Arts are not so simple. Bright Force, Dark Force, Transforming Force. These are essentially just different ways of exerting internal force. The foundation is all about the enhancement of Qi and blood. But upon reaching the Core Realm, it’s not just about Qi and blood anymore. It’s about the condensation of Essence, Qi, and Spirit. This aspect should correspond to the three stages of Body Refinement, Qi Refinement, and Spirit Refinement of the Da Jing Dynasty. To encompass the three stages of the Da Jing Dynasty’s Martial Arts within a single Realm... One can imagine how difficult it is to advance into this Realm! Of course, as Jiang Shu sees it, a Core Realm Great Grandmaster naturally could not compare with a Detachment Realm powerhouse of the Da Jing Dynasty. After all, the Martial Arts of the Da Jing Dynasty have truly matured. Each Realm holds a vast difference. No matter how strong a Core Realm Great Grandmaster is, they could not possibly leap three Realms at once. The Core Realm should be considered a highly simplified version of the Detachment Realm. It combines aspects of Body Refinement, Qi Refinement, and Spirit Refinement. This signifies that once someone steps into the Core Realm, their Martial Arts potential will be greatly enhanced. They would face no obstacles in the three Realms of Blood Exchange, Acupoint Passage, and Detachment! "How should one enhance their state of mind?" Jiang Shu asked. Jiang Shu knew himself well. Shang Siguo said his strength was in his understanding of internal force and his perception of heaven and earth. Actually, that wasn’t the case. His strength relied on the power of Cultivation Techniques from another realm. This strength could sustain him until the Blood Exchange Realm. But that was all it could achieve. In the Da Jing Dynasty, within a commandery city, he could still dominate. But in a provincial city, his advantages would vanish. The geniuses of the provincial city possessed even more powerful Cultivation Techniques and Martial Arts than him. The Four Symbols Internal Energy, no matter how profound, would only matter after he completely broke his limits. And even if he broke his limits, how would it compare to a Middle Grade Cultivation Technique ranked among the top three? The geniuses on the Little Dragon Tiger List definitely all possessed Cultivation Techniques ranked in the top ten! Even if he managed to get on it, he would likely remain at the bottom for quite some time. But now, it seemed if he could comprehend the Core Realm... At the Blood Exchange Realm, he would truly be an invincible existence. The Little Dragon Tiger List... He would surely be first. And perhaps, by the Acupoint Passage Realm... He could even attempt to ascend... The Da Jing Dragon Tiger List!