Chapter 572 - Earthly Martial Realm in Ten Days

Even though Huangfu Fengchen and the others were recovering through meditation, they could sense their surroundings. They were initially curious as to why Long Yue was teaching Long Chen to cultivate here, but they understood the reason when they saw the Mini Transporter.

The Martial Emperor and the Demon Emperor were both happy when they saw that they had one less competitor since Long Yue was too busy to attempt to take the Red Emperor Seal. They also didn’t care about Long Chen’s predicament. However, their eyes were filled with fear when they recovered and saw Long Chen’s monstrous talent.

If he continues to grow, he could really attain the same strength as the two geniuses.

Both the Demon Emperor and the Martial Emperor came to the same conclusion.

But they could do nothing to him right now as they were trapped in this place.

They would only be able to touch him after they got out. But another problem arose. Both Huangfu Fengchen and Long Yue wanted to protect Long Chen, so it didn’t seem plausible to attack him.

Without any plan, the two of them could only focus on trying to take the Red Emperor Seal for themselves. Even though it was almost impossible to get it, they refused to give up when it was just out of reach.

As for attempting to break into the Fourth Earthly Martial Stage and obtaining it ... They never even entertained the idea. Many cultivators could only go so far on the path of cultivation. They would be on the level of the Martial Overlord if they made just one more breakthrough, but it was never that simple. If it was, then Martial Overlord Zhao Wuji wouldn’t have dominated the entire Divine Martial Empire.

The Demon Emperor and the Martial Emperor locked eyes before they made their way into the solar fire once more.

If they learned that Long Chen had already taken the Red Emperor Seal, they would get so angry that they would faint on the spot.

Huangfu Fengchen was the type of person who didn’t try too hard when it came to things that he couldn’t do. After he failed once, he gave up and tried to teach Long Chen. Since his corridor was on the other side of Long Chen, both he and Long Yue could teach him.

After Long Chen practiced once, Long Yue started to explain his mistakes.

“In order to enter the Earthly Martial Realm, you must first perfect the form. From there, try to understand its essence. Once you do, you no longer need to care about the form. If you understand the basic concept and have a firm understanding of its essence, you can shape any form you like based on it.

“But first, you need to perfect the first stage of the fist art. You have to do it again and again to perfect the form. You can start now, and I will point out where you need to improve.” Long Yue was taking this very seriously.

Long Chen took a deep breath and tried recalling what Long Yue had done. He was smart enough to know that he had to be immersed in a world where there was only him and the earth. That was exactly what Long Yue wanted him to do.

Huangfu Fengchen was amused by this. He tried his hand at teaching Long Chen from time to time. Since he and Long Yue had different experiences when it came to advancing to the Earthly Martial Realm, it was easier to point out what the other person had missed.

Long Yue was a lady, but her combat tendencies were based on pure strength and brute force. She had the strongest attacking power amongst the four of them, while Huangfu Fengchen was adept at using spears and evasion. He preferred agility and evasion over power.

Both of them had their own requirements and criteria, but neither side criticized one another. Rather than picking one side, Long Chen chose to take in both views and incorporated them into his cultivation. This led to an unforeseen growth.

Huangfu Fengchen nodded as he watched Long Chen cultivate. “He really can complete it in ten days.”

With just a few repetitions, Long Chen managed to improve massively. Huangfu Fengchen approved of him.

“It’s too early to say that.” Long Yue, however, was calm.

She was stricter than Huangfu Fengchen.

“Martial Realm, Martial ...” Long Chen immersed himself as he practiced again and again. In just a single day, he perfected the form of the first stage.

It was also thanks to his strengthened comprehension.

His strength surged all the way to his heaven meridian point and connected with his sea of consciousness. He had a much easier time than most when it came to controlling it.

“Feel the power of the earth. Heaven and earth form the world, and they themselves are immensely powerful. Humans are weak compared to heaven and earth. The Earthly Martial Realm uses one's strength to guide the strength of the earth ... The power of the earth comes in the form of pulses, vibrations, and waves. To obtain it, one must immerse themselves and become one with the earth. The Earthly Martial Fist Manual is the bridge to that.”

Long Chen had thought that it was just a simple manual and felt nothing after completing it for the first time. Without the words guiding him, he might’ve given up.

But Long Yue said nothing, which meant his words were right.

After practicing a few times, Long Chen suddenly had a faint feeling that some of his punches contained a profound feeling.

The more he practiced, the more he felt it. Three days later, his punches were all filled with profound energy when he did the first stage of the fist art.

“This is the process of going from simple to complicated before returning back to simplicity again. You have now completed half of the manual, but that was the easy part. The second half is where the difficulty spikes up. You need to feel and understand the power contained in your fists to obtain the essence of the Earthly Martial Realm,” Long Yue explained.

“Unfortunately, words cannot help you in the next stage. You need to grasp the essence on your own, but we can practice it for you. We can show you what our Earthly Martial Realm looks like. Let’s see if you can grasp anything.” Huangfu Fengchen was abnormally excited. Without waiting for Long Chen to agree, he immediately started displaying how he did the Earthly Martial Fist.

Long Chen was transfixed on the movements.

The movements were the same, but Huangfu Fengchen gave off a different feeling than Long Yue. Long Yue’s movements were snappy and powerful, but Huangfu Fengchen’s were billowy and fleeting just like a swallow.

Long Chen immersed himself in Huangfu Fengchen’s world.

Essence. Now what is it?

Long Chen pondered as he observed Huangfu Fengchen’s dance. As he watched, he immersed himself in Huangfu Fengchen’s practice and even started to copy him!

“This is the path of spears.”

Huangfu Fengchen suddenly took out an ordinary spear.

“The art of spears originated from fists. Even though it’s displayed in a different form, the logic behind it is the same.”

The same movements could be applied when using the spear.

Every single movement contained the intention of Huangfu Fengchen, regardless of whether he used his fists or spear.

Long Chen did his best to grasp what essence was.

He had always been smarter than others. He also had many advantages that the others didn't have. With two experts leading the way for him, everything proceeded smoothly, and Long Chen’s improvement could be seen within hours. Both Long Yue and Huangfu Fengchen witnessed his growth.

Once Huangfu Fengchen completed his demonstration, Long Chen closed his eyes and immersed himself in his own little world.

He mirrored his own movements in his mind and compared them with Huangfu Fengchen’s.

If it’s like this ...

The fist should start from the heart ...

Everything around him went silent. Long Chen heard a thumping sound in his world. He realized that it was coming from his body and from somewhere far away.

Bam.

Long Chen punched.

Bam.

Long Chen punched again.

His fists were swift just like the raging river.

He gradually felt the shape of the earth. He had a feeling that he was close to connecting with the earth. As he continued to grapple with the sensation, he felt that he was no longer standing on the earth but instead on a giant beating heart.

Bam. Thump. Bam.

He felt the ground pulse every time he heard the sound.

This should be the pulse of the earth. As long as I can align my attacks with the timing of the pulse, then my attacks will contain the essence that I need.

Long Chen started to abandon his form. He had good comprehension, so he knew that it was more important to align his attacks with the pulse of the earth.

After all, everyone forged their own path of cultivation.

Without being restricted to the form, Long Chen’s attacks were as free as soaring birds. The energy coming from the earth was the updraft that allowed the bird to fly.

Long Chen needed to connect himself to the endless earth, just like how birds soared in the endless air. He was but a chick practicing to feel the presence of air when he first started, and now he managed to feel it.

As long as he continued cultivating, he would grasp the timing and grow as a chick. He would officially advance into the Earthly Martial Realm when the little chick could fly in the air.

The theory had always been the same.

Long Chen understood many things after his first repetition.

He slowed down and took a deep breath.

Then he opened his eyes and saw that Long Yue and Huangfu Fengchen were looking at him as if he was a freak.

“What’s wrong?”

Long Yue and Huangfu Fengchen looked at each other. Long Yue flashed a rare smile while Huangfu Fengchen gave him a thumbs up. “You have extraordinary comprehension. In terms of comprehension, you are unbeatable in the Divine Martial Empire. Your fist contained a little bit of the essence just now. As long as you continue to cultivate, you will be able to form your Martial Soul. When that happens, you will officially advance into the Earthly Martial Realm.”

“We are now on the third day. I think you will be able to do it in three more days.” Even Long Yue was impressed.

Just then, both the Demon Emperor and the Martial Emperor came out of the solar fire. They looked at each other in disappointment.