Chapter 55 - 54: Martial Arts of Two Realms! Farewell Banquet for the Master! (Please Follow)

Chapter 55: Chapter 54: Martial Arts of Two Realms! Farewell Banquet for the Master! (Please Follow)"As martial artists, we transform our bodies from bowls to basins, and from basins to barrels!" Xie Feichen’s analogy might be crude, but at this moment, it resonated with Jiang Shu with crystal clarity. The instant he unleashed his Revealed Strength, Jiang Shu felt a metamorphosis within his body. It’s as if a layer of shackles has been unlocked inside me. Soul and flesh alike have attained a new level of sublimation. He couldn’t help but hum comfortably as he withdrew his fist, only to discover that an unknown substance had emerged from his pores and coated his skin. So this is Revealed Strength. So this is what it means to be a Martial Artist! No wonder a Revealed Strength Martial Artist initially possesses merely the strength of a thousand catties, yet it’s considered the first realm of Martial Arts. Strength is never the standard for measuring one’s realm. What matters is unlocking these shackles. Only by breaking free from these restrictions can one surpass the first physical limit of the human body, enhancing strength beyond a thousand catties! Revealed Strength Martial Artists on Xuanxing have already brought me such a huge surprise. If I could successfully reach entry-level in the Famished Tiger Roar Mountain Strength and become a Skin Grinding Realm Martial Artist, would my power improve further? Unable to resist fantasizing for a moment, Jiang Shu chose not to linger outside. He had stepped out only because he worried that his breakthrough and transformation into a Martial Artist would be too noisy and disturb his family. After returning home leisurely, Jiang Shu took several showers to clean the impurities from the surface of his skin. Only then did he return to his room, engage in crystal Visualization, and gradually fall asleep. 「The next day.」 The translucent panel updated: Jiang Shu— Famished Tiger Roar Mountain Strength (Skin Grinding Chapter): Entry-level (10/1,000) Innate Guiding Skill (First Thirty-Six Forms): Entry-level (10/1,000) He closed the Jiangnan Academy’s martial arts knowledge popularization page on his computer. Jiang Shu closed his eyes and began to analyze, bit by bit, the Martial Arts knowledge Elder Qiu had taught him alongside what he could currently access on Xuanxing. In the Da Jing Dynasty’s Martial Arts, the first realm is the Skin Grinding Realm. The Skin Grinding Realm involves cultivating the skin, developing a membrane on its surface. Terms like ’cowhide,’ ’stone skin,’ and ’iron skin’ don’t literally mean turning the skin into those substances; rather, they specify the membrane’s hardness. A single cultivation makes the membrane tough, achieving the Cowhide Stage. Two cultivations make it firm, forming the Stone Skin Stage. Three cultivations make it hard, creating the Iron Skin Stage. Therefore, although the Skin Grinding Realm is the first realm for Martial Artists, it is divided into these three minor stages, each requiring repeated small breakthroughs. It was just like that night when Qi Yuan broke through to the Stone Skin Stage right before my eyes. To advance through the Skin Grinding Realm, one must evolve from Cowhide to Stone Skin, and from Stone Skin to Iron Skin, undergoing two minor transformations before aspiring to the Bone Forging Realm, where one cultivates the strength of the bones. From quantitative change to qualitative transformation. This is the path of Martial Arts in the Da Jing Dynasty. Yet the path of Martial Arts on Xuanxing is not the same! Revealed Strength has no first, second, or third stage of cultivation. There’s also no distinction of entry-level, small success, or great success! Revealed Strength is just Revealed Strength. Using Instructor Xie Feichen’s analogy again, the Martial Arts progression in the Da Jing Dynasty from the Skin Grinding Realm to the Bone Forging Realm is like going from a small bowl to a medium bowl, to a large bowl, and then, after a qualitative change, to a basin. But in Xuanxing’s Martial Arts, it’s directly from a small bowl to a basin! Once a breakthrough is achieved in Xuanxing’s Martial Arts, there are no more obstacles within that realm! No wonder. No wonder Xia Country places such importance on Talent. As long as one can break free from one’s shackles, with enough resources, a Martial Artist can reach the Peak of that realm in the shortest time possible! Miraculous, truly miraculous. The Martial Arts of the Da Jing Dynasty require Martial Arts techniques and resources; with enough of both, one can break through the realms. But the Martial Arts of Xuanxing require extreme Talent; without Talent, no amount of resources can turn the water in a bowl into as much as in a bucket. In other words, though I’ve only just entered the Revealed Strength realm, if I can keep enjoying the academy’s resources, I could rival their Iron Skin Stage at a speed that Martial Artists in Pingling County wouldn’t even dare to dream of! Of course, this comparison only refers to situations where the vital energy of Martial Artists from both sides is the same. The Martial Arts techniques of the Da Jing Dynasty still possess qualities even more miraculous than those of Xuanxing. Let’s take an example from the games of my previous life. The strength on Xuanxing is like a fixed damage value. However much power you have, that’s how much you unleash; it’s straightforward. The strength in the Da Jing Dynasty, however, is more like mixed damage with various buff additions. It was only after I reached entry-level in the Famished Tiger Roar Mountain Strength that I understood: the force it generates, compared to the Revealed Strength I unleash using the Innate Guiding Skill, has an added buff—injuring the enemy by a thousand at the cost of eight hundred to oneself. When circulating the Famished Tiger Roar Mountain Strength, the vital energy in my body is rapidly depleted. The depleted vital energy is added to the force, producing even more vicious damage. This is extremely suitable for burst-damage fights. Hundreds of thoughts about improving his Martial Arts realm flashed through Jiang Shu’s mind as he steadied his breathing. Now that I understand the difference between the Martial Arts of the Two Realms, the path ahead is extremely clear. There’s no rush to head to Pingling County. Jiang Shu stretched his limbs and charged his phone, which had automatically powered off. In no time, the phone, which hadn’t been turned on for over ten days, booted up. On Weixun, countless messages popped up one after another. Ye Zhenzhen: "Jiang Shu, you’re even trending on Weibo! Someone @mentioned me, asking if you’re my kept pretty boy. HAHAHAHA." "Are you interested in shooting another promotional film? I think the last one we did was great. Let’s shoot another one after I achieve small success in my Horse Stance. I’ve been practicing it an hour every day; I’m so diligent." "Damn it, I’m so annoyed! Someone said you have exceptional Talent for Martial Arts and you’re destined for greatness. It’s more likely that I’m the one keeping you! AAAAARGH, it’s driving me crazy! Wait for me to switch to a burner account and flame them to death... BOO HOO HOO, I can’t win... Jiang Shu, do you have a Weibo account? You quickly scold them; I’ve sent you the link." "Are you living in a cave? Not replying to messages from five days ago????" "Seriously, are you a caveman?" "Bro?" ... Changcao Yantuanzi: "Jiang Shu, I’m feeling so much pressure. It’s all your fault for making Ye Zhenzhen write about hoping to get into Jiangnan Academy soon. Do you have any idea how few people from all of Ji City make it there?" "You got in directly through your Martial Arts Talent, but your sister has to fight her way through more than 30,000 candidates. Don’t you know my tendency to work by fits and starts—fishing for three days and drying the nets for two? High school material is so hard; I could understand middle school stuff at a glance, but for high school, I feel like I’ll be fishing for four days and drying the nets for one." "Jiang Shu, you fiend, give me back my leisure time!" Attached picture: Studying at nine o’clock at night. Jiang Shu casually replied: "Don’t panic. In three years, with your brother’s abilities, I might even be able to get you directly admitted to Jiangnan Academy. Just enjoy yourself for now." "Also, nine o’clock isn’t late at night." He cleared his inbox after sending the replies. Suddenly, one message caught his eye. Xu Shuhui: "Jiang Shu, the college entrance exams are over. Our Class Eight is planning to crowdfund a dinner to thank our teachers. Do you want to join? Tentative date: June 20, 2027, morning."