Building a long-lasting family lineage starting with genealogy

Chapter 395 The Path of Martial Arts (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)

Upon hearing the news, the Zhou, Bai, Chen, and other families were initially overjoyed, but then immediately plunged into tense preparations.

They had participated in the Xu family competition more than once and were well aware of the strength of the Xu family's own members.

Zhou Zongdan stroked his beard and said to the clan members, "This is the first clan competition since Ancestor Xu came out of seclusion, and it is of great significance."

If one can gain the favor of the ancestors and elders during the clan competition, then one has succeeded.

As for the top thirty-two, only two or three, including Zu Yuan, have a chance.

"Patriarch, the Xu Clan is holding the 'Youth Competition' and the 'Jiazi Competition' this time. Are you within the age range for the 'Jiazi Competition'? " asked a young member of the Zhou family.

“Of course,” Zhou Zongdan replied. “However, with my Foundation Establishment Level 6 strength, I will need some luck to break into the top 32.”

There are more than a dozen members of the Xu family who are at or above the late Foundation Establishment stage.

Among the other disciples recruited, quite a few had reached the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, numbering over twenty.

Most of them were promising talents recruited by the Xu family in their early years.

Back then, the Xu family had all their resources readily available.

It wasn't until several years after Xu Chuan and his group went to Tiannan that they changed their strategy.

But this is also an inevitable trend in the development of a family.

Then, we also include the early Foundation Establishment cultivators from before, and those who broke through to the early Foundation Establishment stage in the last six months.

The number of Foundation Establishment cultivators within the cave has already exceeded the total number of Foundation Establishment cultivators from all the families within the Immortal Martial Alliance.

The four families of Qin, Zhao, Li, and Wang had slightly different mindsets from the three families of Zhou, Chen, and Bai.

They only recently learned of their vassal status.

Previously, only the Foundation Establishment elders in the family knew about it.

Therefore, this was their first time participating in the Xu clan competition.

However, among the branches that migrated to Dongxi, there were many geniuses with earth spirit roots in their clans, and some of them had even reached the Foundation Establishment stage.

In the past six months, these Foundation Establishment geniuses have all broken through at least one level.

They were all very confident about making it to the top 32 in the "Youth Competition".

Their respective clan leaders also placed their hopes on them, hoping they could achieve good results in the Xu clan competition, which would surely bring them a lot of resources.

In particular, some members of the Zhao family have contracted with quite a few spirit beasts.

A cultivator's combination with a spirit beast is far superior to that of other cultivators at the same cultivation level.

As for the disciples recruited in the early years...

Now they either serve as guards or have joined the War Hall, Mission Hall, or other similar departments.

This time, many people who were stuck at the Qi Refining Perfection stage also took advantage of the earth-shaking changes in the concentration of spiritual energy to enter the Foundation Establishment stage.

They were all eager to try.

Moreover, they all knew that only those who showed enough brilliance within the cave could be given special attention and training.

As for those over 60 years old who had never participated in previous years, they were all very enthusiastic this time, eager to compete with others.

This includes more than ten martial artists who have entered the Yuanwu realm.

The Lei, Lin, and Jiang families are considered quite unique within Dongxi.

"Brother Xiaoyun, shall we participate in the Xu Clan Competition?" Lin Qianfeng asked.

The three leading figures gathered in Lei Xiaoyun's room.

Lei Xiaoyun picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and then looked at Lin Qianfeng, "Why not?"

“That’s right, they didn’t forbid the three of us from participating,” Jiang Wusheng said. “I, Jiang, want to see just how capable the Xu family members are!”
Moreover, I've heard that the changes in the spiritual energy of Dongxi only occurred within the last six months.

In other words, the cultivation environment of the Xu family members was not better than that of our three families before, and may even have been slightly worse.

As if he had thought of something interesting, Jiang Wusheng raised the corners of his mouth and said, "What do you think would happen if the three of us swept the top three spots in the 'Qingxiu Competition' and the 'Jiazi Competition'?"

What will the Xu family's expressions be?

Lei Xiaoyun shook his head and chuckled, "Brother Jiang, you're being a bit delusional."

"The Xu family's foundation is ultimately superior to ours. Their core members are definitely not weak. Not to mention the second generation, they are all at least at the Foundation Establishment stage."

The most famous one, Xu Mingwei, has long been a golden elixir.

My father guessed that the three instances of the Xu family achieving the Golden Core stage were all likely second-generation members of the Xu family.

As for the three generations of the Xu family, several of them have also reached the peak of Foundation Establishment.

They are about the same age as us, or even younger.

Among the four generations, Xu Chonghui, the head of the Xu family, seems to have also reached the peak of Foundation Establishment. Several members of the Chong generation in the Xu family are also at a level no lower than ours.

They would naturally not lack magical artifacts or talismans.

Even better than ours.

Lin Qianfeng asked in surprise, "Brother Xiaoyun, how do you know so much? It's all from what my Lei family collected before, and what my father found after visiting Dongxi many times."

Last time, Old Ancestor Xu came out of seclusion.

All of Xu's sons, guards, and disciples were present.

He had roughly figured out the Xu family's background.

However, that's probably no longer applicable.

Lei Xiaoyun continued with a sigh, "In the past six months, the concentration of spiritual energy has undergone earth-shattering changes. I've heard that dozens of cultivators have successfully broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage."

Those members of the Xu family must have all made great progress in their cultivation.

We haven't been here long."

Upon hearing this, the other two remained silent.

After a moment, Jiang Wusheng said blankly, "According to what you're saying, Brother Lei, doesn't that mean the three of us don't even have much hope of making it into the top ten?"

"There is hope, of course, but it also depends on luck. If we encounter a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Xu family beforehand, it will be too difficult to win."

After all, whether it's cultivation techniques, spells, secret arts, or magical artifacts, the Xu family is only superior to the three of us.

He paused for a moment, then added, "Anyway, let's do our best."

"This is also a good opportunity for us to understand the Xu family's background; we might be able to use it in the future."

"That's true."

This time, the Xu clan held a competition based on established rules.

Those who contract with spirit beasts can allow the spirit beasts to fight alongside them. They can use four paths: alchemy, weaponry, array formation, and talisman. The weaponry path and the talisman path are also available.

However, the Dao of Weapons prohibits the use of magical artifacts above the highest tier.

If the talisman is not drawn by oneself, a maximum of five talismans can be used.

The arts of alchemy and array formation must not be used unless one has refined them oneself.

This means that if someone is an alchemist, they can refine poison pills, bewitching pills, and other similar elixirs as supplementary tools.

"Although there are still some restrictions in this competition, it is much better than in previous years. It is more friendly to cultivators who practice immortal arts. In the past, clan competitions could only use magic weapons."

"Perhaps it's because Elder Xu himself was a grandmaster of alchemy."

"Wait, aren't you curious about why the competition rules prohibit magical artifacts above the top tier?"

Above top-tier magical artifacts are magical treasures.

However, even cultivators who have reached the Foundation Establishment stage are generally unable to control magical artifacts.

Could this be a typo?

“Don’t talk nonsense. How could such a mistake be made within the clan? It’s just that you are too ignorant to know.” Someone retorted, “I heard it from my cousin who works in the Weapon Hall.”

Master Wu is currently studying higher-level magical artifacts.

Unfortunately, they have never been able to successfully refine it.

"Is there still this?"

"There are many things you don't know. Don't talk nonsense in the future. Just listen to the family's arrangements."

"Thank you for the reminder, Brother Zhou." This was after the news of the clan competition was released.

Almost everyone is practicing diligently in seclusion.

Even those guards with official positions would use their time for cultivation during their rest or free time.

Bihan Pool.

A masked figure in a black robe arrived.

He walked up to Xu Chuan, bowed, and said, "Ancestor."

"coming."

"What are your instructions, Ancestor?"

Are you planning to participate in the clan competition?

The man in black robes was slightly taken aback and asked, "Does the Ancestor wish me to participate?"

"Among the younger generation under the age of thirty, you, Chongfei, and Chongjian are the most outstanding, especially Chongfei, who was born in Tiannan and received the best training from birth."

I have also seen many geniuses from the outside world.

Some people are very arrogant.

Chongjian should be able to rival him in the future, but he is still a bit immature now.

I hope you can put pressure on him.

"If that grandson makes an appearance."

"You are only at the 'Yuan' level right now." Xu Chuan said with a faint smile, "My vast Dongxi, with the foundation of several Golden Core cultivators, can't even cultivate a martial arts expert?"
As for your identity, you are an unparalleled genius recruited by my Xu family and have been secretly nurtured.

Who would doubt it?
Moreover, the cave is sealed off, so no one will leak it out.

As for your identity as "Yuan", it has long been recognized by many people in Dongxi.

At most, they'll be surprised that you usually hide your talents.

Xu Jingwu had no way to refute it, and immediately clasped his hands and said, "Grandson understands, Grandson will listen to Grandfather."

Xu Chuan nodded slightly. "Your potential is currently the highest in the Xu family. However, martial arts is an imperfect path. I'm very curious about what level you've reached now?"

“When cultivating Yuan power in the Yuanwu realm, I didn’t know how to proceed at first, but now I have figured out the path.”

"Oh? Tell me about it." Xu Chuan became interested.

"In the early stage of the Yuanwu Realm, Yuan Power is a combination of one strand of true Qi and one strand of blood Qi. In the middle stage of the Yuanwu Realm, it is necessary to combine three strands of true Qi and one strand of blood Qi."

In the later stages, it involves the combination of three strands of true qi and three strands of blood qi.

The Yuanwu Perfection should be the combination of five strands of true qi and five strands of qi and blood.

With each advancement in realm, the explosive power of Yuan Qi increases significantly, equivalent to a transformation in the quality of a cultivator's magical power.

The difference is that for cultivators, it is a natural transformation after breaking through the bottleneck of their cultivation realm.

Martial artists, on the other hand, need to accomplish this on their own.

In his grandson's opinion, the difficulty of breaking through a minor realm in the Yuanwu realm is even greater than that of a cultivator.

Similarly, martial artists of the same cultivation level are generally stronger than cultivators.

"The power of Qi and blood comes from the physical body, and Yuan power can strengthen the physical body and bones. The cultivation of martial artists is similar to the dual cultivation of body and spirit of immortal cultivators."

Moreover, it consumes far fewer resources than those who cultivate both body and spirit.

After all, from the moment they embarked on their cultivation journey, they had been constantly tempering their physical bodies.

"That's right. Even a martial artist with ordinary talent, once he reaches the Yuanwu Realm, his physical body will reach the level of a late-stage first-order demon beast."

Those with the resources or great perseverance to specifically hone their physical body should be able to reach the peak of the first-tier physical body.

A second-tier physical body is a huge hurdle.

Only those with exceptional talent or those who have received special medicinal enhancements can enter this realm.

If not, it's estimated that only upon reaching the peak of the Yuanwu Realm, with the gradual strengthening of Yuan Power, will one naturally advance to the second-tier physical body.

"So what level is your physical body at now? Judging from your extremely high physical density, you should have entered the second stage, right?" Xu Chuan asked with a smile.

Xu Jingwu nodded, not hiding anything, "It's about the mid-stage of the second rank, which is one level lower than the previous realm."

"Without the family's training, you were able to reach the mid-stage of the second tier of physical strength on your own. You are indeed exceptionally talented."

Your father, Wenjing, has now begun practicing both physical and spiritual cultivation, but he hasn't been as successful as you.

The Xu family also possessed few precious elixirs for tempering the physical body.

"Although I have several usable pill formulas, the materials are extremely rare. Even for a second-tier physical body pill formula, I'm still missing one key ingredient."

"So difficult?"

"This pill is called the 'Precious Body Pill,' a top-tier second-order pill. Its main ingredient is the rare third-order spiritual herb, the Precious Body Fruit, which grows from the Precious Body Tree."

As for the precious tree, I have never heard of it in Tiannan, so it must have already disappeared.

They can only be found in some ancient, secret realms.

If we could transplant one of them into the "Xu Family Grotto-Heaven," then our Xu family would produce at least several geniuses who cultivate both physical and magical powers in each generation.

However, dual cultivation of body and spirit at the Golden Core level is difficult.

The "Precious Body Pill" has lost much of its effectiveness.

It requires other elixirs in combination, and is equally rare.

Moreover, each of these methods involves extreme physical torment, unlike the near-perfect "Precious Body Pill."

After a pause, Xu Chuan smiled and said, "You don't need to worry about this matter. We will take care of it. However, if you travel in the future, I will give you a copy of the Complete Book of Spiritual Herbs."

If you encounter any rare or exotic plants, you may collect them and bring them back to enrich your tribe's heritage.

"Grandson understands."

"By the way, from what you just said, the Yuanwu Realm Perfection is the combination of five strands of true qi and five strands of blood qi, but according to the common sense of cultivators, nine is the ultimate."

"This shouldn't be the true limit of the Yuanwu Realm, right?"

Xu Jingwu's heart stirred, and he thought to himself: Our ancestor is indeed no ordinary person!
"Indeed, I reckon there are a few more levels to go, and reaching each one should increase the chances of forming a core."

These are seven strands of true qi and five strands of qi and blood, seven strands of true qi and seven strands of qi and blood, nine strands of true qi and five strands of qi and blood, nine strands of true qi and seven strands of qi and blood, and finally the ultimate number of nine-nine.

These grandchildren also failed to find a way, so their conclusions are merely inferences. We hope our ancestor will correct us.

Upon hearing this, Xu Chuan pondered for a moment before saying, "There are profound truths in the world, such as the supreme authority of the emperor, who is usually called the Supreme Ruler."

This already represents a kind of perfection.

If my guess is correct, the path to the Yuanwu Realm, reaching the ninth level, is the true perfection, enabling one to form a golden core.

Five times five means one can form a core, which should be the so-called red core. Seven times five can increase the chance of red core condensation, and seven times seven can form a purple core.

"Nine-seven may not exist, but the final nine-nine should be the breaking of the limit."

"Breaking the limit?" Xu Jingwu looked at him in confusion.

"Among cultivators, there are occasionally those who break through limits, such as those whose physical body breaks through to the second level during the Qi Refining stage, and whose divine sense transforms into divine consciousness."

The spiritual sense of those in the Foundation Establishment stage breaks through to the Golden Core stage; this is the case for most of the Golden Core stage cultivators in my Xu family today.

My eldest disciple, Ye Fan, broke through to the third level of physical cultivation during the Foundation Establishment stage, and his divine sense also transformed into the Golden Core level.

Therefore, his foundation is the most solid in the Xu family at present.

If you can reach the extreme number of nine, your spiritual consciousness and physical body should both reach the second-order limit.

And they all have a chance to transform into the Golden Core level.

"If my Xu family were to find precious medicines and pills to aid me, I might be able to break through to the third level of physical body."

Xu Jingwu listened to what Xu Chuan said and also felt that it made a lot of sense.

"No wonder my great-grandfather once said that we should consult our ancestors more often. Although he followed the path of alchemy, he had a very high vision and all methods have the same origin, so he could also guide other paths."

"Thank you for your guidance, Grandfather. I understand now."

(End of this chapter)