Chapter 373: The Unprecedented Path Of Martial Cultivation (I)

The dim golden sunlight poured down. A gentle breeze swept past, and the river surface rippled with waves of shimmering gold.

In a simple courtyard by the riverbank, Lin Zheyu sat with his eyes closed, his expression calm. After using Origin Force, a vast amount of mysterious energy surged up from deep within his body, sweeping along the immense medicinal power of Blazing Flame Blood-Burning Powder as it flowed into his limbs.

Under the influence of the mysterious energy, the massive medicinal force rapidly transformed into golden blood qi. The golden blood qi, again guided by the mysterious energy, nourished and strengthened Lin Zheyu's spirit and spiritual soul in accordance with the method of the Sacred Evolution Spirit Nurturing Art in an astonishing manner.

Within Lin Zheyu's sea of consciousness, the thin spiritual energy expanded and swelled at a speed visible to the naked eye. Spiritual energy that had not undergone cultivation remained scattered, spread throughout the entirety of his sea of consciousness. But as Lin Zheyu's spirit and spiritual soul grew stronger, the soul energy began to condense into a single mass, hovering at the center of his sea of consciousness.

After several breaths, Lin Zheyu slowly opened his eyes, a trace of exhaustion flashing within them. He had used 10 units of Origin Force consecutively. Even though he cultivated the Sacred Evolution Spirit Nurturing Art, which placed very little burden on the spirit, the expenditure was still astonishing for him. He felt as though his entire being had been hollowed out. From the depths of his soul rose an intense wave of fatigue, making him want to lie down on the ground at once and fall into a deep sleep.

Even with my current spiritual strength, using 10 units of Origin Force in succession within a short time is still too much of a burden

.

[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]

[Name: Lin Zheyu]

[Origin Force: 15]

[Skills: Tortoise Breath True Technique (Sixth Stage: 0%), Blood Burning Saber Technique (First Stage: 96%), Azure Tide Boundless True Technique (Sixth Stage: 70%)]

He looked at the data within his consciousness. Only 15 units of Origin Force remained. However, the results were gratifying. Although his spirit was utterly exhausted, Lin Zheyu could clearly sense the terrifying improvement in his perception. His awareness had increased by at least seven or eight times. Within a radius of one hundred meters, he could clearly perceive every stirring of wind and blade of grass.

"What powerful perception."

A look of astonishment appeared on Lin Zheyu's face. At this moment, he felt a profound and mysterious sensation. It was as though everything within a hundred-meter radius lay under his dominion.

Focusing his spirit, Lin Zheyu could hear every subtle sound within a hundred meters and detect all kinds of auras he had previously been unable to sense. Based on those sounds, scents, and movements, his mind could instantly construct a complete image of everything within that hundred-meter radius.

"What a wondrous feeling. So when the spirit and spiritual soul become strong to a certain degree, a martial artist's perception undergoes a qualitative transformation." Lin Zheyu was filled with amazement.

The human body and soul were closely interconnected. The physique could nurture the spirit and spiritual soul. In turn, once the spirit and spiritual soul grew stronger, they could also nourish the physique. This nourishment was primarily reflected in perception.

"The so-called Grandmaster Domain is probably nothing more than this," Lin Zheyu murmured softly as he experienced his unbelievably powerful perception.

The Grandmaster Domain was formed when a martial artist had refined everything they had learned in their lifetime, comprehended the Grandmaster's will, achieved dual Perfection of body and spirit, and merged spiritual consciousness into the life field to create a unique domain. Within the Grandmaster Domain, a Grandmaster was invincible.

It was a power far beyond battle awareness, comparable to foresight. Once you entered a Grandmaster Domain, every movement, breath, flow of blood qi, and heartbeat could not escape the Grandmaster's perception. The moment your body shifted, the Grandmaster already knew your next move, made a prediction, and struck first. At that moment, Lin Zheyu felt exactly this way.

The area within a hundred meters was equivalent to his domain. Lin Zheyu called it the Perception Domain. Within this Perception Domain, his awareness was incomparably clear. This powerful perception was the transformation brought about when the strengthened spirit and spiritual soul nourished the physique.

In contrast, a martial artist's Grandmaster Domain arose from the sublimation achieved after integrating the Grandmaster's will into the life field.

"The process of merging a Grandmaster's will into the life field should be similar to how a strengthened spirit and spiritual soul nourish the physique and enhance perception," Lin Zheyu speculated.

Elder Yang had previously explained to him the abilities of a Grandmaster, the condensation of the Grandmaster's will, and the formation of the Grandmaster Domain. The process of forming a Grandmaster Domain was very similar to the way a strengthened spirit and spiritual soul nourished the physique. Ordinary martial artists could not rapidly enhance their spirit and spiritual soul like Lin Zheyu. They could only refine and condense the Grandmaster's will to achieve the purpose of strengthening the soul.

Altogether, Lin Zheyu had spent 13 units of Origin Force on the Sacred Evolution Spirit Nurturing Art. His physique was far stronger than that of ordinary martial artists. In terms of pure physical strength alone, he already possessed power comparable to a Force Transformation realm martial artist. This showed just how formidable his physique was. Only with such a powerful physique could he use 13 units of Origin Force to elevate his spirit and spiritual soul to its current level.

Ordinary martial artists did not possess such an abnormal physique. Even if they had decent talent in the Sacred Evolution Spirit Nurturing Art, after decades or even a century of cultivation, they still could not develop such a powerful spirit and spiritual soul. Moreover, martial artists had a peak period. For Marrow Refining realm martial artists, the peak was before seventy years of age. For Force Transformation realm martial artists, the peak was before one hundred.

After passing the peak, their condition would begin to decline. In truth, martial artists did not have that much time to cultivate. As his understanding of martial cultivation deepened and his comprehension of the world's nature grew, Lin Zheyu realized that the main purpose of martial cultivation was to open the Bridge of Heaven and Earth and connect with origin qi. Causing blood qi to undergo a qualitative change and advancing to the Marrow Refining realm served to grant martial artists more cultivation time and delay the decline of blood qi.

Condensing true intent was primarily for tempering the spirit and spiritual soul. True strength was likely only a byproduct of that process. The so-called Grandmaster's will existed to allow a martial artist's spirit and spiritual soul to undergo the greatest possible transformation within a limited time. If the transformation succeeded, the Grandmaster's will would be formed. If it failed, one would stop at the Grandmaster realm. After condensing the Grandmaster's will and advancing, a martial artist's lifespan would increase further, reaching a limit of three hundred years. Only then would there be sufficient time to move toward the Martial Innate realm.

I keep feeling that martial cultivation exists to prepare one for immortal cultivation. Once someone successfully advances to the Martial Innate realm and fully connects the Bridge of Heaven and Earth, they can begin cultivating immortality. And the starting point of Martial Innate should already be quite high among immortal cultivators. Given the destructive power of martial cultivation in this world, a Martial Innate realm cultivator should possess considerable strength even among immortal cultivators

.

As his strength continued to grow, this feeling became stronger. Lin Zheyu let out a long breath and did not dwell further on the matter. Although Great Wei was filled with undercurrents, the major cities of the Central Plains remained safe. He did not feel an urgent need to increase his strength rapidly. With the help of Origin Force, what mattered most was to proceed steadily, step by step, and maximize his growth at each realm. This would also leave him a path of retreat. If one day he advanced to the Martial Innate realm and chose to pursue immortal cultivation, only to discover serious problems within the Immortal Dao, he could return to martial cultivation without regret over a weak foundation.

I wonder whether my current Perception Domain is stronger or weaker than a Grandmaster Domain. The Sacred Evolution Spirit Nurturing Art has not yet reached its limit. Even if it is inferior now, using another 5 or 10 units of Origin Force could allow it to surpass a Grandmaster Domain,

Lin Zheyu mused inwardly.

The novel sensations brought by the strengthening of his spirit and spiritual soul filled him with immense confidence.

Lin Zheyu stepped out of the courtyard and walked to the riverside, letting the biting cold wind brush against him. Suddenly, his expression froze. Within his perception, a familiar aura appeared.

"

Hm?

This familiar aura... Is it Baleful Yin force? The air is actually filled with so much Baleful Yin force."

Lin Zheyu was filled with shock and uncertainty.

This aura was very faint, but there was no doubt that it was Baleful Yin force. Previously, because his perception was not strong enough, he could only sense it when the Baleful Yin force was dense to a certain degree. Now, with his spirit and spiritual soul strengthened, he could actually perceive the Baleful Yin force permeating the air throughout Wuling City.

It was not only Baleful Yin force. Lin Zheyu discovered that, through his perception, he could actually "see" the spiritual qi drifting in the air. It was extremely thin, so faint as to be almost imperceptible. Yet spiritual qi and Baleful Yin force undeniably existed, intertwined and entangled together, inseparable from one another.

In addition, Lin Zheyu noticed that these energies were uncontrollably trying to flow into his body. After entering, when they encountered his blood qi, they produced a wisp of nearly imperceptible black smoke. Even with his current perception, he had to observe very carefully to detect it.

"My body is actually absorbing the spiritual qi of Heaven and Earth on its own?" Lin Zheyu exclaimed in astonishment.

Although it was extremely weak, it was indeed actively absorbing. Even when Lin Zheyu restrained his spiritual thoughts, it continued all the same. The process of absorption was beyond his control. It seemed like a spontaneous exchange between his body and the external world.

Interesting. Is it because I possess an aptitude for immortal cultivation, or is everyone like this?

Lin Zheyu pondered.

His figure flickered and vanished from the spot, heading toward a more crowded area. As Lin Zheyu walked, he continued observing, finding the experience remarkably fresh. With such a sudden surge in the strength of his spirit and spiritual soul, his perspective on the world had completely changed. In his perception, the entire world had shed a thick veil. Everything felt novel and unfamiliar. He needed time to adapt.

Before long, he walked from the riverside to the nearest marketplace. Though dusk was approaching, the market remained bustling. Red lanterns were lit one by one along both sides of the street.

"As expected, everyone is like this. But depending on one's physique, the efficiency of absorption differs. The differences in physique likely represent differences in aptitude for immortal cultivation. The better the aptitude, the faster the passive absorption of the spiritual qi of Heaven and Earth," Lin Zheyu speculated.

For ordinary people, the speed of passively absorbing the spiritual qi of Heaven and Earth was so slow that it was nearly nonexistent. Only those with special aptitude, like Lin Zheyu, were somewhat faster. However, he realized that his own body absorbed spiritual qi only about ten times faster than ordinary people. When the baseline was already unbearably slow, even ten times faster was still agonizingly sluggish.

"If this were an era of immortal cultivation, my natural talent would probably be quite ordinary," muttered Lin Zheyu as he chuckled, poking fun at himself.

At the same time, a question arose in his mind. Since the body passively absorbed the spiritual qi of Heaven and Earth depending on one's physique, ordinary people were one thing, but those legendary physiques suited for immortal cultivation, geniuses with monstrous natural talent, would they not be easily eroded by Baleful Yin force?

"No, that should not be a problem. On the contrary, the Great Wei authorities would likely be pleased to see such a situation. Although the existence of Baleful Yin force hinders immortal cultivators, it can also filter out those among the populace who possess a strong aptitude for immortal cultivation."

After some thought, Lin Zheyu grasped the key point. As long as Great Wei established an official organization... no, Great Wei had already established one. That was the Directorate of Celestial Observation. Folk spirit mediums were under its jurisdiction, and all had to register with it. Most strange and unusual illnesses were brought to the Directorate of Celestial Observation to seek treatment from spirit mediums.

If children severely eroded by Baleful Yin force appeared, the Directorate of Celestial Observation could quickly discover those ordinary people with powerful aptitude for immortal cultivation through the spirit mediums. Back when he was in the Feihong Gang, he had sought out spirit mediums to study ghosts, but he had not found anything unusual about those in Songyi City. It might have been because his strength was too low at the time. Or perhaps Songyi City was simply too remote and backward.

If one were to inquire further, some hidden truths should emerge. But if that is the case, then Great Wei's strength is truly unfathomable. No wonder, despite being surrounded by threats on all sides, Great Wei has stood firm for so many years.

The more he thought about it, the more alarmed he became. No wonder the authorities of Great Wei allowed martial artists to grow so powerful. No major sect dared to defy the will of the government. Whether in the Southern Barbarian Region or the Central Plains, Lin Zheyu noticed that every city was remarkably peaceful. No martial artist dared to cause trouble openly within a city.

"My strength is still not enough..." Lin Zheyu muttered softly.