Splash! Splash!
Within the courtyard, Wu Ming’s aura was profound, his inner energy surging through acupoints and meridians, running along a newly deduced path and producing a mighty sound like the surging waves of a great river.
“Water is good, benefiting all things without contention, dwelling where all others detest; thus, it is close to the Dao. This is the supreme virtue of water…”
Wu Ming’s Yuan Shen was deducing the Xuan Ming Zhen Gong, waves of spiritual consciousness radiating outward.
“Xuan Ming refers to water and wind! When water and wind combine, they become ice!”
“This martial technique, although extremely domineering, carries a chill of the netherworld, originating from the Wind and Water divisions of the Martial Emperor’s techniques, and even surpassing them, its power is implicitly the strongest among the eight divisions, yet it lacks the essence of the Dao…”
In Daoist philosophy, water is supremely good and gentle, possessing the virtue of nourishing all things without conflict, embodying the ultimate Dao.
Martial cultivation and immortal cultivation are one and the same; this naturally suited Wu Ming’s taste.
In contrast, although the Xuan Ming Zhen Gong was powerful, it had lost the original intent of transcendence.
Though it could temporarily dominate, integrating the essence of two divisions and overpowering the other eight, even achieving the body of a deity or demon, further progress beyond that would be hopeless.
Wu Ming now restored it to its origin and added his own understanding, making its power even greater than the original Water Division’s technique, and allowing the potential to continue progressing along the path.
In an instant, the inner energy circulating through his body took on a different quality.
Gentle and tranquil, like the supreme virtue of water.
The technique is the foundation, and the law is the application!
His inner energy had accumulated sufficiently, aided by the martial method, breaking through the barrier in an instant.
Splash!
Inside Wu Ming, the dense inner energy flowed like water, swirling repeatedly at several hidden acupoints, accumulating strength, and suddenly piercing through like dripping water eroding stone, as if a dam had collapsed, breaking through a certain barrier.
“Hu…”
Wu Ming opened his eyes, his gaze gentle. With a wave of his hand, a stream of water like a jade belt appeared on his palm, bending and twisting, embodying both rigidity and softness.
Pure martial cultivation has finally broken through to the Earth Yuan Realm!
If Ding Jiao and Lin Xinlan outside knew that Wu Ming, the high-level martial artist suspected of being at the “Heavenly Phenomenon” level, had previously not even reached the rank of Fourth-Level Martial Sage, they would surely be astonished.
In the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Heavenly Yuan realm is equivalent to a Fourth-Level Martial Sage, possessing profound inner energy capable of invoking external celestial forces to create unique martial effects… Perhaps it could be referred to as a special ability?
“After my deduction, this new martial method, although based on water, transcends water, becoming the vehicle of the Dao! One day, it will surely assimilate the other eight division techniques, evolving into a complete Daoistic will…”
Tai Chi generates Yin and Yang; Yin and Yang generate the Eight Trigrams.
The martial method Wu Ming was deducing now traced back to the origin, possessing powerful inclusiveness, or rather, becoming the nemesis of the Martial Emperor’s legacy.
“This Xuan Ming Zhen Gong took an extreme path, obviously formed by the Martial Emperor merging two techniques, but my current method encompasses all phenomena and can integrate all eight divisions!”
Wu Ming’s aura transformed.
Upon arriving at Earth Yuan Realm, his inner spirit was divine, while his external martial aura was gentle and serene, as if embracing heaven and earth, emanating a “Dao resonance.”
“When this technique reaches initial mastery, it becomes the source of all waters, capable of embracing all rivers, integrating all phenomena to achieve the Dao, and can be named ‘Xuan Shui Zhen Fa’!”
Wu Ming thought joyfully.
Clearly, this “Xuan Shui Zhen Fa” would be his standard martial power in the Shen Wu world.
Otherwise, every time he encountered an Earth Yuan realm martial artist, using his innate celestial power would be excessively draining, even for a Divine Temple Master like himself.
“I now have the martial method; next comes…”
Rays of light descended from his consciousness sea, transforming into thick inner energy.
The Xuan Shui Zhen Fa eagerly circulated, absorbing this inner energy, growing stronger.
“Celestial power, when suppressed in this world and transformed into inner energy, no longer has such issues… Previously, without a confirmed martial method, I couldn’t convert too much, but now I can push it to the limit…”
Wu Ming’s powerful spiritual consciousness enveloped and digested this inner energy.
For ordinary martial artists, a sudden encounter with a treasure boosting decades of inner energy would only result in ruptured acupoints and death!
But Wu Ming was different!
His celestial-level Yuan Shen represented supreme control over his physical form, instantly directing each thread of Xuan Shui inner energy as effortlessly as moving his limbs, obediently settling into his limbs and bones.
“Wu…”
Feeling his limbs immersed as if in warm water, his bones becoming crystal clear and pure like jade, his meridians strong and resilient under the cleansing of Xuan Shui inner energy, Wu Ming couldn’t help but exhale softly.
“Reached the limit…”
His Yuan Shen issued a warning, and Wu Ming barely stopped just before his inner energy was about to rupture his dantian.
“My current inner energy has already reached the peak of the Earth Yuan realm, just one step away from the Heavenly Phenomenon realm!”
Different world rules meant that although he could break through now, Wu Ming preferred to slowly cultivate and wait for the right moment to grasp that final insight for his martial foundation.
“Martial artists at the Heavenly Phenomenon level in the Shen Wu world can invoke external heavenly phenomena over an extensive range… This is essentially a domain! Internally refined to perfection, equivalent to a Fifth-Level Reincarnator’s strength!”
“According to the Xuan Ming Zhen Gong, martial artists at this level have already reached the pinnacle of the Shen Wu world. What follows is silently accumulating strength, transforming their physical form, tracing the root power of bloodline and flesh, breaking free from the cocoon, and rebirthing into the body of a deity or demon, naturally entering the Divine Demon level!”
“Of course, this process seems extremely dangerous. Not only is it difficult for ordinary Heavenly Phenomenon-level martial artists to meet the criteria for entering rebirth, but even reaching the transformation phase to forge a divine demon body is no easy task, with many ending up dying violently…”
Wu Ming’s eyes gleamed: “Invoking the power of the world to transform the physical body? What an obsessive and mad idea? And it actually succeeded! It’s a different path!”
Undoubtedly, these Divine Demon-level martial artists had already stepped into the threshold of Sixth-Level martial cultivation!
But Wu Ming always felt something was missing, or rather, they had taken a detour.
No, perhaps it couldn’t be called a detour; it was just that martial cultivation had reached a branching point, and this path of intensively strengthening one’s physical form and exploring the primal power of bloodlines didn’t suit his taste.
“…For martial artists in the Shen Wu world, their naturally strong bloodlines make this path more suitable, but in the Da Zhou world, such convenience doesn’t exist…”
Wu Ming shook his head slightly.
What he sought was naturally the ultimate martial path adaptable to many worlds, capable of maximizing its power even under suppression.
“What I excel in is still the Dao of Immortality… As for martial cultivation? It seems I must draw from the strengths of many schools to gain something…”
“Everything at the San Yang Sect is now useless to me. It’s time to leave…”
Wu Ming pushed open the courtyard gate and rang the bell. Soon, Lin Xinlan gracefully approached, her face showing signs of anxiety.
“Having accepted someone’s request, I must fulfill it. Since I’ve received payment, I will do the task. Let’s go!”
He said indifferently, immediately causing her face to light up with gratitude.
…
The Shen Wu world had ten provinces and ninety-nine prefectures. After the decline of the martial dynasty and the rise of sects, chaos had persisted for nearly five hundred years.
Except near the Eight Martial Holy Lands, which enjoyed slight tranquility, other prefectures were plagued by endless sect conflicts, rampant bandits, and a fierce populace who practiced martial arts for survival.
Although there was interaction between prefectures, it was only possible through large trading companies hiring numerous martial artists to form caravans.
Otherwise, for ordinary people, even a distance of a hundred li would seem like an insurmountable barrier, let alone between provinces.
On a major road, a small caravan of about a hundred people was blocked by a mounted gang.
The caravan guards had already warily drawn their swords and blades. The wind howled, lifting their outer robes to reveal iron armor underneath.
Even the half-grown boys were watching the mounted gang with wary eyes, nervously observing the negotiations between the two leaders.
These were horse bandits! If negotiations failed, they would have to fight. If they lost, only the young women and carriage drivers might survive.
“Xue Lao San, why has the situation changed?”
The leader of the caravan was a fat middle-aged man with a mustache resembling mouse whiskers. His smile scrunched his features into a tight knot, his small face brimming with shrewdness.
Of course, at this moment, his face was filled with shock and anger: “Why is it twice the usual amount? We’re a small business with slim profits. If this continues, we won’t make any profit, and your big boss will also lose a source of income…”
When a caravan encountered bandits, even if they won, they would suffer heavy losses in compensation. If they lost, the consequences were even worse. Therefore, regardless of the size of the business, when encountering formidable bandits, they would try to maximize their interests. If the toll was reasonable, they often paid it, even establishing fixed rates.
These bandits, like local tigers, knew not to fish in a dried-up pond, so they usually didn’t go too far.
But now, the situation was clearly different.
“So, Manager, you’re refusing?”
The leader of the horse bandits was a giant man over eight feet tall, sitting astride an unusually sturdy chestnut horse. His scarred face turned red as he laughed: “To be honest, this rule was set by our new leader. If you refuse, that pile over there is your example!”
He casually pointed his axe toward the roadside.
The mounted gang parted, revealing a pile of heads, clearly over a hundred, stacked in a pyramid shape, with a small flag stuck in the top.
“The Zhijin Trading House?”
The manager’s eye twitched as he recognized the emblem on the small flag—it belonged to a well-known large trading house in the area.
“So they encountered a rival gang, and the new leader is asserting his authority…”
He inwardly cursed his bad luck but still forced a smile, bowing respectfully: “Understood. Congratulations to your esteemed leader on establishing his new rule! Our Luofeng Trading House naturally wishes to show our respect!”
With a wave of his hand, a martial artist stepped forward carrying a tray covered with red silk, faint glimmers of gold and silver visible beneath, clearly quite heavy.
“Haha… Good choice!”
The bandit leader laughed, waving his hand: “Count the money! Let them pass!”
“Chief! Another carriage is coming from behind, and the girl on it is quite nice!”
At this moment, a scout rode up quickly with the report.
“Eh?!”
The leader looked behind and indeed saw a black dot on the horizon transforming into a carriage slowly approaching.
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