Chapter 80 - 79: Heaven and Earth Secret Realm! The Way of the Martial Artist!

The Martial Arts of the Xia Country are merely those of vital energy and blood. In terms of killing power, they absolutely cannot compare with the Martial Arts of the Da Jing Dynasty. Tempering the Dermal Layer three times. Once I advance to the Iron Skin Realm, even without using the Famished Tiger Annihilation Claw, the toughness of my Dermal Layer alone would be enough to make a Bright Force Realm Martial Artist collapse. It’s just a pity... This grand competition came too suddenly, and I can’t use my real trump card. The Stone Skin Realm, plus the Break Limit level of the Tiger Form Trilogy... I wonder if it’s enough to defeat Shang Jibei, who’s already half a step into the Dark Force Realm. Jiang Shu practiced his stance, breathing and adjusting his state. Even if I can’t win, I can still firmly hold second place. With such an outstanding performance, Jiangnan Academy will have to give me the best treatment; resources will definitely be sufficient. What does it matter if I’m slightly behind others in the early stages? I, who traverse the Two Realms, am destined to grasp the pinnacle of Martial Arts! Jiang Shu’s gaze was resolute. Just then, his cell phone suddenly rang. It was an unfamiliar number. His expression unchanged, he hung up. The phone rang again, and simultaneously, a text message arrived: "This is Shang Jibei." Frowning slightly, Jiang Shu didn’t hesitate and answered the call. He knew Shang Jibei had watched his matches and had even given him very high praise, but he still hadn’t exchanged a single greeting with Shang Jibei. What could he want? Could there have been some unforeseen change in the competition? As he secretly pondered, Shang Jibei’s voice—clear and purposeful—came through the phone. Just a few short sentences were enough to stir a wave of emotion in Jiang Shu. "Brother, what happened?" Jiang Yanyue, sitting on the sofa, saw Jiang Shu hang up and asked curiously. She rarely saw her brother wear such a grave expression while on the phone. And from the voice on the phone, it sounded like someone not much older. "It’s nothing, I just need to go out for a bit after we eat," Jiang Shu said, looking relaxed as he watched his parents busy in the kitchen. After eating several pieces of Red Armored Tiger meat, his vital energy and blood circulated vigorously, and the minor external wounds on his body healed at a visibly rapid rate. 「Evening. Eight o’clock. The courtyard.」 Inside the vast courtyard, where the wind rustled the tree shadows under a high-hanging bright moon, Shang Jibei meticulously practiced his Innate Guiding Skill. The difference was, unlike Bright Force Realm Martial Artists, he was practicing—astonishingly—the full sequence of seventy-two movements! Although the Guiding Skill movements after the thirty-sixth became progressively slower, this also demonstrated the terrifying extent of his strength. The half-open main gate was pushed open, and Jiang Shu’s figure slowly walked in. Shang Jibei, after a brief glance, continued practicing his Innate Guiding Skill. "Zhu Qingyun is my classmate," he said, resuming his explanation. "I’ve fought her many times; she can no longer pressure me. My real purpose in joining this competition was to battle a genius of the same realm and, under that pressure, comprehend true Dark Force. I thought Wu Zhiming could be that person, but unfortunately..." He didn’t continue, but Jiang Shu understood the implication: Wu Zhiming wasn’t good enough. "I watched your match with Wu Zhiming," Shang Jibei continued. "Others might think he only lost by a little—perhaps he thinks so too. But I feel you were still holding back a trump card." "I invited you here this time because I want a true, exhilarating fight with you." "It wasn’t convenient to tell you over the phone. This is information you wouldn’t have officially known until the day after tomorrow. I’m just telling you in advance; just don’t spread it around. The world has changed so drastically because fissures have suddenly appeared between Heaven and Earth." "Through these fissures, one can reach another small world." "In our Xia Country, we call it the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm." "The passages between our world and the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm are unstable; people can only enter at specific times. And according to the explorations of some Martial Artists, the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm is fraught with all sorts of dangers." "The Heaven and Earth Treasure Medicine and exotic beast meat we consume at the academy all actually come from the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm!" "Only when one’s force has tempered the outer membranes of muscles and bones, allowing one to exert force through the pores—achieving a state where every movement of the limbs and body can erupt with power—is one considered qualified to enter a Secret Realm." Shang Jibei spoke more and more slowly as the Innate Guiding Skill he was practicing reached its final few movements. "There’s a Secret Realm in Shengjing that’s becoming unstable. It might become inaccessible tomorrow, or the day after. So, I want to take a chance. If I can break through to the Dark Force Realm today, I’ll withdraw from the competition and head directly to the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm." "I think you can understand. For people like us, winning the Genius Competition is meaningless. The Genius Competition can only create Star Martial Artists, public-facing performers. True Martial Artists must experience life-and-death battles, fight for survival time and again in perilous lands, and carve out a path with their own fists." "Entering the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm—that is our path!" As his words fell, Shang Jibei stood in his stance, breathing. He had only given a general idea on the phone; only now had he revealed his true purpose. Everything depended on Jiang Shu’s decision. In his view, this was entirely beneficial for both of them. If he succeeded, he would advance to the Dark Force Realm. Jiang Shu, too, would personally experience the process of transitioning from Bright Force to Dark Force in battle, making his future path to the Dark Force Realm completely smooth! "I have a unique skill called the Famished Tiger Annihilation Claw. Be careful." Shang Jibei’s breathing grew steadier. Jiang Shu spoke, his breath like a tiger’s, his posture like a crouching tiger. Force circulated slowly in his arms. Everything became clear in his mind. The high status of Martial Artists was because only they could enter the Heaven and Earth Secret Realms. The benefits for the top ten that Teacher Xie Feichen mentioned—it definitely wasn’t money or resources. It was the chance to understand the true state of this world! Only the top ten were considered true geniuses, qualified to know all this in advance. Star Martial Artists and Secret Realm Martial Artists. In the Xia Country, future Martial Artists would be divided into two types. Star Martial Artists would specialize in arena competitions, enhancing the reputation of Martial Artists in society and attracting more people to practice Martial Arts. Secret Realm Martial Artists, however, would remain unknown, venturing into Secret Realms where they faced life-and-death situations. The former might remain stuck between the Bright Force and Dark Force realms their entire lives, entangled in worldly affairs, with no hope of reaching the highest peak of Martial Arts. The latter, however, would gain access to top-tier resources; Dark Force was just the beginning! They aimed for the Transforming Force Realm! And even realms beyond Transforming Force! Jiang Shu breathed like a tiger. His stance was no longer that of the Innate Guiding Skill. Instead, it was the Famished Tiger Cave Sitting Stance, the Tiger Form Trilogy, and the Famished Tiger Roar Mountain Strength! At this moment, he held nothing back. He, too, wanted to see what the gap truly was between himself at full power and Shang Jibei! With a long roar like a tiger, Jiang Shu took a step forward. For the first time on Xuanxing, all the Martial Arts he had learned at the Famished Tiger Martial Hall were revealed to the world!