Chapter 73.1: Carp Leaping over the Dragon Gate; Each Dragon Gate Marks a Higher Realm! (I)

Lu Changsheng quietly slipped back into his room, lit a candle, and set down his pouches. Back at Miaoshou Garden, his heart finally settled after the earthshaking upheaval he had just caused. Now he was back to being a mere physician.

After settling down, he contemplated the gains and losses from his duel with Yan Jiansheng. In truth, battles between martial artists of the Divine Strength Realm were completely different from battles of lesser realms. Once stepping into that realm, many combat strategies and styles became ineffective.

A prime example of that was Deathflash. In the past, Lu Changsheng had been unstoppable with that technique; it allowed him to defeat opponents of higher levels, like Organ Refinement martial artists.

The core principle of Deathflash was striking the enemy's vital points with incredible speed and precision. But given the physical transformation one had to achieve in order to reach the Divine Strength Realm, many of those "vital" points were no longer vital for someone of that realm. As such, Deathflash was significantly less effective against someone in the Divine Strength Realm. Besides, the technique was merely at the fifth tier, which meant its power had significant limitations. Ultimately, it simply could not pose a threat against a Divine Strength martial artist.

Deathflash doesn't help much anymore. Even the arts I used back during the Bone Tempering phase are barely useful now. I must change my combat style. At the Divine Strength Realm, it comes down to whose defense is stronger and whose power is greater, so martial techniques must also develop in that direction. For example, the Divine Dragon's First Transformation enhances the body by thirty percent. In a sense, a secret art like this is what a Divine Strength martial artist should rely on.

Since Lu Changsheng had unlocked the Divine Dragon's First Transformation, perhaps other Divine Strength martial artists possessed similar enhancing secret arts. The issue was that Lu Changsheng lacked martial techniques specifically of the Divine Strength level.

He wanted to create a martial technique of his own, but he only had a rough direction and no true inspiration yet. Even with his Perception as high as 581, it was still quite impossible to devise a Divine Strength Realm martial art right away. Of course, there was no issue with going slowly with martial techniques, and Lu Changsheng did not feel any urgency.

He proceeded to tally his gains from the ordeal with the Blood Fiend Sect. The pouches held a great number of manuals for martial arts and techniques—all accumulated by the sect over two or three centuries. Lu Changsheng sorted through them one by one.

Wait, these are Divine Strength martial arts?

His eyes widened slightly as he looked closely at two specific manuals. These were the ones placed on the highest shelf in the Martial Pavilion, which clearly meant they were extremely valuable. He hadn't examined them closely before, but now he realized they were Divine Strength Realm martial arts.

One was titled

Blood Fiend Divine Strength Art

, and it was likely the core inheritance of the Blood Fiend Sect. However, its tier was only on par with arts like the Layered Peaks Divine Strength Art and the Raging Waves Divine Strength Art. In other words, all of them were ordinary martial arts for the Divine Strength Realm. The sect master, Yan Jiansheng, had most likely broken through by cultivating the

Blood Fiend Divine Strength Art

.

The second manual was titled

Ninefold Carp-Dragon Ascension

, also a Divine Strength Realm art. The name itself sounded grand and imposing, and at a glance, the art seemed anything but ordinary.

Lu Changsheng had learned about a fair share of Divine Strength Realm arts before, such as the Divine Strength Chapter of the

Myriad Poison Scripture

, the

Raging Waves Divine Strength Art

, the

Layered Peaks Divine Strength Art

, and so on. Most of them followed the same pattern.

However, after reading through the

Ninefold Carp-Dragon Ascension

carefully, a flicker of surprise stirred his heart. Sure enough, this was not a common Divine Strength Realm art; rather, it was a top tier one.

In terms of cultivation within the Divine Strength Realm, this art allowed the martial artist to go from the first stage, namely the Ten Cauldrons Stage, up to the Hundred Cauldrons Stage, the second one.

The Ninefold Carp-Dragon Ascension consisted of nine levels, each one granting ten cauldrons worth of strength. If a martial artist used this art as the main way to break through into the Divine Strength Realm, they would immediately gain twenty cauldrons of strength and could instantly crush most martial artists of the same realm who practiced other arts.

However, if a martial artist only began cultivating this art after reaching the Divine Strength Realm, the difficulty would multiply several times over. Even upon cultivating it to the first stage, it would only increase ten cauldrons of strength. Still, the later levels, from the second to the ninth, would function normally and would not be affected. More importantly, cultivating this art required no external resources at all. As long as one possessed enough Perception and talent, one could cultivate it.

Top-tier martial arts truly are extraordinary. I wonder if Yan Jiansheng used the Ninefold Carp-Dragon Ascension or the Blood Fiend Divine Strength Art to reach the Divine Strength Realm. To gain twenty cauldrons of strength right at the start, it might well have been the Ninefold Carp-Dragon Ascension.

Lu Changsheng had initially believed that Yan Jiansheng cultivated the

Blood Fiend Divine Strength Art

, but now he wasn't so sure. No wonder Yan Jiansheng had seemed so arrogant, as though no one else was worth his attention. If he had truly cultivated the Ninefold Carp-Dragon Ascension, everything became clear.

He had been on the path to master the ninth level and become a Hundred Cauldrons Stage powerhouse!

Most Divine Strength martial artists spent their entire lives stuck in the Ten Cauldrons Stage. Stepping into the Hundred Cauldrons Stage was as difficult as ascending to the heavens. As far as Lu Changsheng was concerned, even if he acquired the Celestial Treasure-Refinement Secret Technique and gathered every required treasure, he still could not advance into the Hundred Cauldrons Stage.

However, the Ninefold Carp-Dragon Ascension allowed the practitioner to reach the Hundred Cauldrons Stage without relying on any external means, which was truly astounding.

The moment a martial artist cultivates ordinary Divine Strength martial arts to the level of Perfection, there will be no room for further cultivation, no path for growth. A top-tier Divine Strength martial art, however, not only allows the martial artist to advance to the Divine Strength Realm, but it can also be cultivated all the way to the Hundred Cauldrons Stage. The difference is as vast as the distance between the heavens and the earth!

Lu Changsheng now understood clearly the distinction between ordinary Divine Strength Realm martial arts and top-tier ones. He attempted the Ninefold Carp-Dragon Ascension at once.

Under normal circumstances, this martial art was exceedingly difficult to practice. Even activating it was incredibly hard. However, with his Perception as high as 581, Lu Changsheng seemed to catch hold of the basics in just two hours.

The Ninefold Carp-Dragon Ascension takes the carp's transformation into a dragon as its core principle. It treats the human body as nine Dragon Gates, each of which must be ascended step by step for the carp to become a dragon. Each Dragon Gate marks a higher realm.

Lu Changsheng understood a thread of the principle behind the

Ninefold Carp-Dragon Ascension

. He needed to gather every trace of his blood qi, his will, and his entire being, then treat his own body as the ninefold heavens and enact the leap of the carp ascending the Dragon Gate. One leap signified one advancement.

He did not hesitate in the slightest. His vital essence, qi, and spirit were at their absolute peak. If he did not ascend the Dragon Gate now, when would he?

As he focused, Lu Changsheng felt as though he had transformed into a carp, striving to leap over a towering Dragon Gate. At the same time, his vital essence, qi, and spirit were focused to the extreme while rapidly being consumed. The leap seemed to last only an instant, yet it also felt as though ages had passed.

When it seemed like he had reached the lofty gate, Lu Changsheng hurled himself over with all his might.

Buzz...

The instant he crossed the Dragon Gate, the marrow within his bones shook violently, and his blood boiled with equal intensity. This sensation was unmistakable to him: marrow transformation and blood replacement.

Hours passed by, until finally the sky began to light up. He opened his eyes, not a trace of fatigue in them. In fact, they gleamed with vigor.

That night, Lu Changsheng had completed a third round of marrow transformation and blood replacement. Consequently, his physical prowess had surged by ten cauldrons, making for a total of thirty. He had accomplished that simply by ascending over the Dragon Gate, without any external resources.

I can't believe it! This is incredible! Now then... I wonder if I should attempt the second level as well...

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

As that idea came to mind, he once again envisioned himself as a carp and gathered all his strength to leap toward the second Dragon Gate. He shot upward, passing over the first Dragon Gate. However, his strength faltered as soon as he did that, and he failed to even get close to the second gate. With a dull splash, he fell back into the water.

Lu Changsheng had gained great momentum, his blood qi raging through his body, but the next instant, he collapsed like a punctured balloon. His vital essence, qi, and spirit had all been drained away incredibly fast, and now he was gasping for breath, utterly exhausted.

Too much, huh? I must ascend the Dragon Gate in a single leap, otherwise reaching the second level is impossible. I guess there's no way to succeed in both attempts back to back. My vital essence, qi, and spirit hadn't recovered completely. Ugh, and it seems like this failed attempt has prolonged the time needed for recovery.

Although his second attempt had been an utter failure, Lu Changsheng had at least managed to grasp some of the essential principles behind the ascension. Most importantly, he understood now that he ought not to be rash about it. Failure would set him back for far too long. Just one failed ascent now would require two or three months, perhaps even longer, for his vital essence, qi, and spirit to return to peak condition. If he failed again, he would be stuck in a cycle of stagnation.

Anyway, one ascension is still great. The first level of the Ninefold Carp-Dragon Ascension gives me ten cauldrons of strength. I'm already at thirty, and I still have a Blood Crystal. Once I cultivate the Blood Crystal Secret Technique to Perfection, I can immediately refine it and gain another ten cauldrons of strength.