“The so-called ancient martial arts… are actually the power gained through physical training…”
Zuo Linling explained carefully, “The essence of all things in heaven and earth… my ancestors described it as ‘Qi’. The ancient martial arts stream is about sensing this ‘Qi’ and harnessing its power…”
Wu Ming nodded continuously, his eyes sparkling with fascination.
To be honest, he didn’t believe a single word of the previous loyalty oath, so he directly asked Zuo Linling to report the cultivation method for his reference.
Obviously, with his Yuan Shen at the Earth Immortal level and his knowledge, he could instantly discern the authenticity and quality of this rudimentary Qigong.
“On the whole… this ancient martial art is somewhat similar yet different from the martial cultivation of the Great Zhou world. It’s actually quite similar to the so-called ‘Qigong’ of my previous life…”
Wu Ming pondered for a moment, then suddenly closed his eyes.
This so-called “ancient martial arts,” emphasizing the sensing of primordial energy in heaven and earth, was somewhat similar to Daoist techniques.
With his previous foundation, once he obtained this manual as the key, opening the door was an extremely simple matter.
“Whoosh! Whoosh!”
Beside him, a breeze stirred, and suddenly the airflow intensified, with astonishing spiritual energy even forming a vortex, enveloping Wu Ming in the center.
“What’s going on?”
Hou Yong was greatly alarmed, looking at Zuo Linling.
“I don’t know either… but this situation seems familiar. I remember elders mentioning it as the phenomenon of spiritual rain, which only occurs when true ancient martial artists practice their skills…”
Zuo Linling’s expression was a mix of surprise and doubt: “Impossible… this is the hundred-meridian foundation building! It means he has never practiced ancient martial arts before, yet he has achieved mastery in an instant?”
She recalled how she had trained since childhood, solidifying the foundation and nurturing the primordial essence for over a decade before gaining spiritual insight and breaking through.
But this young Spirit Controller had surpassed her achievements in just one night?
This disparity and shock dealt a significant blow to the girl who considered herself the last prodigy of ancient martial arts.
“Hu! Ha!”
Amidst the rain of spiritual mist, Wu Ming suddenly moved!
He stood up, punching and kicking, the airflow exhaled from his nostrils as sharp as swords, creating two small whirlwinds that swept the ground clean.
“I see… the so-called ancient martial arts are actually the foundation of ancient Xian Shu (immortal techniques), focusing on cultivating the ability to sense the primordial energy of heaven and earth…”
Wu Ming felt a sense of joy in his heart, sensing that under the guidance of the ancient martial arts manual, a vast amount of data he had previously researched surfaced, cross-verifying and analyzing, making many things suddenly clear to him.
“Primordial energy of heaven and earth, gather in my body, haste!”
In an instant, it seemed as if a faint white glow emanated from his body, a manifestation of harnessing the mighty power of heaven and earth, allowing him to accomplish in a moment what many ancient martial artists could only achieve over a lifetime.
“Stone-breaking Palm!”
The power surging through his limbs and internal organs compelled Wu Ming to step forward directly, delivering a flat palm strike. The stone pillar opposite him shattered instantly, revealing a grayish-white cross-section.
Peng! Peng! Peng!
He struck out dozens of palm attacks in succession, each leaving a deep imprint on the cave walls.
“Ahh…”
Hou Yong’s mouth hung open.
If he had used illusion abilities, this wouldn’t have been surprising, but the Master just now showed no signs of summoning at all!
“Impossible… impossible… he just looked at my techniques and learned them…”
Beside him, Zuo Linling was trembling violently, her worldview seemingly shattered.
“Hu!”
At that moment, Wu Ming roared loudly, delivering another palm strike!
Crackling! A series of explosive sounds erupted from his joints, from his legs up to his spine, then from his spine to his shoulders and hands, connecting in a continuous chain of kinetic energy.
Peng!
The air seemed to compress violently, transforming into a cannonball that, from several meters away, directly left a deep palm mark on the wall.
“Empty Palm Strike…”
Zuo Linling’s expression was stunned as she watched Wu Ming stop his movements. He opened his mouth, exhaling a stream of hot white vapor that merged with the copious white mist emanating from his limbs and internal organs, rising above his head to display its power, vaguely forming the shape of an exotic flower. She couldn’t help but murmur, “All meridians open? Bright flower gathering at the crown? The peak of ancient martial arts?”
This realm was the pinnacle of the ancient martial arts path, sufficient to establish a sect and even mark the beginning of entering the next major stage, known as “entering Dao through martial arts!”
She had only vaguely sensed that she was on the verge of breaking through this bottleneck, which was why she had started considering the subsequent ancient Xian Shu.
She never could have imagined that this Spirit Controller opposite her would surpass her in just one night!
The complex emotions stirred within her were indescribable.
“Finally regained some of my strength…”
Wu Ming stood proudly in the center, his face filled with excitement.
“With the partial interpretation of the world’s rules and this ancient martial arts heritage as a catalyst, the power I can now exert is roughly equivalent to a Grandmaster-level martial artist from the Great Zhou, right?”
In the Great Zhou, a martial grandmaster was at the second level of martial cultivation, barely able to match a war general-level spirit beast in battle.
Unfortunately, martial techniques were single-focused, while spirit beasts had a variety of abilities. Not to mention, general-level spirit controllers could command multiple spirit beasts.
If a second-level martial expert were to truly fight a general-level spirit controller, the outcome would be far from optimistic.
“No wonder martial cultivation has declined… working hard for decades, yet not even matching the trait bonus of a spirit controller’s steel spirit, enough to make anyone despair…”
Wu Ming sighed.
“I hope that the ancient art of immortality (Xian Shu), which even Jia Kongming was deeply fascinated by, can bring me some pleasant surprises…”
The ancient martial arts manual unlocked most of his combat skills and restored his grandmaster-level strength. What about Immortal Arts (Xian Shu)?
“It’s a pity… martial arts, based on the physical body, can be said to have a universal foundation, but Daoist techniques will likely be even more diminished… Still, it’s at least a hope…”
Wu Ming pondered silently and looked at Zuo Linling again: “Your family’s cultivation method is quite good, but there are a few flaws. Listen carefully, the first one…”
As he spoke, Zuo Linling’s expression became even more horrified.
Her family’s ancient martial arts, passed down through generations, naturally had omissions and errors, but even she herself couldn’t detect them.
This time, an outsider pointed them out, and the person had only looked at it for a few hours?
“Could there really be such a thing as a genius in the world?”
Zuo Linling’s gaze became increasingly bright: “Or is he the one our ancient martial family has been desperately waiting for, the hope to revive ancient martial arts…”
At this thought, she no longer hesitated and immediately knelt down: “Thank you, Master, for imparting your knowledge!”
Her words carried even more respect and loyalty than before.
She bit her lip: “I also beg you, Master, to teach me the true path of martial cultivation!”
“The true path of martial cultivation…”
A mischievous grin curled on Wu Ming’s lips: “You’re still leagues away! Even I have only barely grazed the threshold of martial arts’ supreme pinnacle…”
(Note: I translated “殿堂” as “pinnacle” to convey the metaphorical grandeur of martial arts mastery, while maintaining the original tone of playful superiority. The ellipsis (…) preserves the trailing implication of the unfinished thought.)
Even in the Great Zhou, reaching the fourth level of martial cultivation, the Martial Sage realm, was considered the pinnacle!
But he naturally didn’t believe it would be that simple. The Great Zhou’s inability to break through the limits of martial cultivation might be due to restrictions in the world’s rules, or perhaps the absence of a key element.
But what about other worlds?
“The highest achievement in the martial cultivation of the Spirit World should be entering Dao through martial arts, transforming from a human into an immortal… Could it be the same in the Great Zhou world?”
A glint of sharpness flashed in Wu Ming’s eyes…
…
Outside Feibao City.
“Roarrrr!!!”
The Mountain Land Turtle, carrying a volcano on its back, roared to the sky, dripping large amounts of lava and fire stones along the way, causing countless fires.
“Hold the line! Absolutely do not let it enter Feibao City!”
On the city walls, the head of the local volunteer rangers association, along with leaders of several major factions, had gathered together, followed by a large number of elite Spirit Controllers, their colorful summoning lights flickering.
“Water Jet Fish!”
“Big Shell Clam!”
“Three-Eyed Water Ape!”
“Ice Cannon Giant Turtle!”
…
A large number of water-element spirits appeared on the city walls, arranged in specific positions.
“Summon… Water Elder!”
At the forefront of the crowd, the head of the volunteer rangers association, an old man in a blue robe who walked with a tremble, raised his right hand with a determined expression.
Buzz!
Within a circle of icy blue contracts, a massive water elemental emerged, composed of dozens of tons of water, taking on a humanoid form and standing tall enough to match the city gates.
“Ow ow!”
In the elemental language, the water elemental immediately radiated a large amount of light blue glow, releasing spells that formed a water curtain connecting with the numerous water-element spirits, firmly blocking the path of the Mountain Land Turtle.
“Roarrrr!!!”
The Mountain Land Turtle roared and charged forward without hesitation.
Boom!
The volcano struck the water curtain, causing a massive splash of lava to scatter, splashing onto the shield.
The astonishing destructive power and heat made all the Spirit Controllers participating in the defense turn pale.
“Hold on!”
The old man from the volunteer rangers association roared loudly: “The Mountain Land Turtle has a gentle temperament. It only becomes enraged when its volcano erupts. If we can just hold on a little longer, the volcanic activity will be stopped, and it will calm down…”
Despite saying this, the pale faces of the other Spirit Controllers already told the reality.
“Is it not ready yet?”
Seeing this, the old man urged the leaders of the two major factions beside him.
“Almost! Almost!”
A middle-aged man with a crew cut and golden beard roared: “Ice Wind Lion! Talent – Ice Storm!!!”
“Black Water Heavy Turtle! Sorcery – Cloud Water Breath!”
At the same time, a noblewoman around thirty years old also shouted.
“Roar! Roar!”
Two battle-commander level spirits roared, unleashing their peak innate sorcery with all-out enhancements.
The massive ice storm combined with black clouds and rain, transforming into frost that seemed to freeze the heavens and earth.
“Combined Combat Technique – Frost Nova!”
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Amidst the howling cold wind, a pale blue meteor, wrapped in a massive amount of snow and ice, appeared and fell from mid-air, directly hitting the volcano on the Mountain Land Turtle’s back.
Sizzle!
Astonishing coldness radiated out, and a large amount of flames hadn’t even fully burned before turning into ice, with barely a wisp of smoke rising.
Crack! Crack!
The blue chill spread, and a massive amount of ice formed, finally barely sealing the volcano, turning it into a crystal-clear ice mountain.
“Ow…”
The Mountain Land Turtle shook its head, the ferocity in its huge eyes disappearing, replaced by confusion. Suddenly, it turned its head and slowly crawled towards the sea, gradually disappearing…
…
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