National Division

Chapter 102 Shen Xian: Peak Grandmaster...

The Evergreen Tower, six stories high, the Chamber of Time—

Shen Xian took out the pill and swallowed it, absorbing its essence to expand his meridians.

As the medicinal power circulates along the path of the martial arts technique "Yi Mu Geng Jin Bi Shui Sheng Lian Gong", the internal energy gathers and forms vortexes in the lower dantian, gradually taking on a pure white appearance; this is acquired true energy.

At this point, Shen Xian entered the eighth level of the Acquired Realm.

He could be considered a third-rate master in the martial arts world.

Starting from the eighth level of the day after tomorrow, the acquired true qi will further transform the muscles and bones while strengthening Shen Xian's internal organs.

After that, whether it's defensive capabilities in combat or the ability to break boulders with the Innocent Qi Palm, the internal organs, having been strengthened, will not be injured by the recoil.

The years pass in the cultivation process, and before you know it, twenty days have passed in the pagoda.

When Shen Xian was hungry or thirsty, he would take Bigu Pills. The power of the pills supplied Shen Xian's daily life needs, and then he would expel the impurities with his breathing.

On this day, Shen Xian's eyes gleamed with a sharp light. His acquired true energy seemed to have undergone a qualitative change, as if it were condensing in his lower dantian, and then...

"boom!"

Shen Xian felt an indescribable pain mixed with a kind of soul-stirring comfort that swept over his body and mind.

Meanwhile, the acquired true qi in the dantian rapidly transformed into innate true qi. If Shen Xian could introspect, he would see that the innate true qi in the dantian had changed from the pure white mist of the acquired true qi to a golden hue.

Shen Xian mobilized his innate true energy and clearly felt that the meridians that had been expanded were still expanding flexibly, while impurities in his bones and skin were quickly expelled from his body. A feeling of lightness or the complete removal of chronic illness washed over Shen Xian's heart.

"Innate Realm, Cleansing the Marrow and Refining the Body!"

Shen Xian raised an eyebrow, his gaze deep, his heart trembling.

At this moment, he felt like he could smash his former self to pieces with just one hand.

"After reaching the Innate Realm, one uses Innate True Qi to temper one's muscles and bones, silently causing the blood to contain golden light. When one reaches the Grandmaster Realm, the golden light in the blood becomes even more intense, and the True Qi liquefies and flows through the meridians." Shen Xian murmured the words from the Shen Clan Martial Arts Notes in his heart.

My father is at the peak of the Innate Realm, and has already touched the threshold of the Grandmaster Realm.

Shen Xian glanced at the dozens of pill bottles lying beside him and thought to himself, "The poor are good at literature, the rich are good at martial arts."

At this moment, take out another, larger medicine bottle and take out the pills from it.

This is no longer a small elixir bottle containing five or six pills.

It was the Great Rejuvenation Pill, each pill the size of a red date, and there were only two in the pill bottle.

It was blood-red and had a wonderful aroma. Just a slight whiff of the fragrance made one's newly calmed innate true energy start to stir restlessly, like a glutton smelling delicious food.

"The Great Rejuvenation Pill is a daily cultivation pill for innate martial artists." Shen Xian looked at the pill and thought to himself, if his father could eat this pill like candy, he wouldn't have needed several years to go from innate to peak.

At this age, he is probably already at the peak of the Grandmaster level, and it is not impossible for him to become a Great Grandmaster.

Thinking of this, Shen Xian felt a deep sense of the enormous class divide.

On the mountain path, those noble sons, not yet thirty years old, already appeared to be at the fourth level of martial arts, the Grandmaster.

His father, in his thirties, was fighting his way up from the bottom and was only at the peak of the Innate Realm.

Shen Xian calmed himself down, opened his mouth, and swallowed the pill.

Before long, as Shen Xian circulated the Innate Realm technique "Yi Mu Geng Jin Bi Shui Sheng Lian Gong", the medicinal power of the pill quickly dissolved and entered his internal organs.

Shen Xian's eyes were closed, her cheeks were flushed like a sunset, and beads of sweat glistened on her forehead. A misty vapor could be seen rising from the Baihui acupoint on the top of her head.

After taking a pill, Shen Xian felt his newly broken-in-the-innate realm cultivation stabilize.

"The cultivation speed of the Innate Realm technique is not very fast. Would it be faster if the technique were advanced to the Grandmaster Realm?"

With this thought in mind, I couldn't help but open the data panel.

The "Yi Mu Geng Jin Bi Shui Sheng Lian Gong" (乙木庚金碧水生莲功) has hints that it can be deduced.

Shen Xian's heart stirred, and he communicated with the Yin-Yang Millstone.

"Requires 1,000 merit points."

"So expensive?" Shen Xian thought to himself.

Even though he had a staggering 520,000 merit points on his account, he still remembered the days when he could fuse a post-natal cultivation technique with just 80 merit points.

Even though we have plenty of merit points, we can't squander them now.

Then, a message came from the millstone: because it was not fused with other Grandmaster-level techniques, it was deduced by combining Innate-level techniques with martial arts notes.

Shen Xian thought to himself, the Grandmaster-level cultivation techniques were still in the Qilin Pavilion. Later, he went through the Dali Temple imprisonment, the heated debate in the court, the trip to the Shangqing Sect, and then rushed to the Eternal Green Pagoda. He forgot to put two Grandmaster-level cultivation techniques in his Sumeru Bag.

The main issue is that he has just been promoted to the Qilin Pavilion. It's one thing for him to browse the materials, but it's unacceptable for him to smuggle out cultivation techniques.

A message came from the millstone: the Yi Wood Geng Metal Jade Water Lotus Technique has been practiced for a long time, and its cultivation path can be deduced independently without changing it.

When fusing with other Grandmaster-level techniques, the latter should be the primary focus, and the merit points will still be consumed by 500. However, when fusing with other Grandmaster-level techniques, the merit points will still be doubled to 1,000.

"Although it's five hundred more expensive, with one increase and one decrease, it's actually about the same. The main thing is that it saves time," Shen Xian thought to himself.

The main task is to familiarize oneself with the new exercises; changing the exercise route again will waste two days.

As Shen Xian focused his attention on the deduction, his merit points immediately decreased by one thousand.

The spiritual light above the Yin-Yang millstone turned faintly, while the number of characters in "Yi Wood Geng Gold Jade Water Lotus Blooming Skill" quickly disappeared.

【Azure Jade Lotus Skill】Grandmaster-level skill.

Shen Xian thought to himself, "This technique is much simpler now. Previously, it was more of a fusion of acquired and innate techniques, but it has been improved by the millstone."

Without further delay, Shen Xian began practicing the new technique anew, taking out a pill and putting it in his mouth.

The medicinal power of the elixir dissolves and enters the limbs and bones, which is undoubtedly more domineering and rapid than the innate true qi that transforms into medicine in the previous innate cultivation method.

Cultivation knows no time, until more than a dozen pill bottles appeared in front of Shen Xian.

Shen Xian opened his eyes, feeling the surging innate true energy in his dantian, and clenched his fist.

He is currently at the same cultivation level as his father, at the peak of the Innate Realm, capable of dominating a county and considered a top-tier master in the martial arts world.

"Peak of the Innate Realm..."

Shen Xian's eyes flickered, and he thought to himself.

"The Grandmaster realm is where innate true qi liquefies into true essence, the internal organs are thoroughly tempered, and the blood contains even more golden light, with even a single drop of blood as heavy as gold and stone." Shen Xian comprehended the key points recorded in the cultivation technique.

Although there are still quite a few Great Rejuvenation Pills left in the elixir bottle, taking them alone will not be enough to break through to the Grandmaster realm.

"We need to use the Qi-Nourishing Pill to liquefy our true qi into primordial essence." Shen Xian took out a new bottle, which no longer contained the red pills of the Great and Small Rejuvenation Pills, but instead a snow-white pill.

Shen Xian did not rush to take the pill, but instead put it away.

He took the Ink Rain Blade out of the Sumeru Bag.

He has mastered the Golden Saber Technique, a martial art he has "cultivated" to the point of complete mastery.

The blade flashed, and true energy flowed. As Shen Xian became more familiar with this sword technique, the sword energy he wielded became increasingly sharp.

"Crack!"

The blade struck the weapon rack, instantly slicing it in two, sending splinters flying.

Shen Xian's gaze was filled with shock, not at his own technique, but at the sight of real wood chips flying everywhere.

The Everlasting Pagoda's mysterious transformation from illusion to reality surpassed his understanding of the law of conservation of matter and energy.

If we force an explanation based on his understanding, then the power of time has rewritten the rules here on a small scale. The weapon rack or anything else is real, possibly existing in the past or possibly in the future.

Shen Xian's mind stirred, and sure enough, two cyan testing stones appeared as he wished. Shen Xian then unleashed another set of sword techniques, "Iron Chain Sword." These two martial arts skills were clearly sufficient for someone at the Acquired Realm.

However, it takes time to reach a state of mastery and cultivate one's martial will.

This undoubtedly consumes a martial artist's time. Therefore, mastering a martial art to the point of being "divine" is enough to break through to the Grandmaster level and lay the foundation for becoming a Grandmaster in the future.

Shen Xian used his swordsmanship and felt that his innate true energy had become slightly more solidified.

Returning to the bed, I crossed my knees, closed my eyes, adjusted my breathing, and focused on my lower abdomen, bringing my body and mind to their best state.

He's currently on a drug spree, and he can feel his martial arts level is becoming unstable.

But that's alright. He'll break through to the Grandmaster realm first, then return to the Qilin Pavilion to integrate his martial arts skills and martial arts techniques. After honing his martial arts will, he'll use the Eternal Evergreen Tower to break through to the Great Grandmaster realm.

As Murong Yue previously stated, time can be accumulated, which was probably to prevent the Taoist from having any unexpected matters.

Shen Xian put the Peiyuan Pill into his mouth and began to rapidly advance on the path of liquefying true qi into primordial essence at the Grandmaster level.

……

……

Leaving aside how Shen Xian cultivated martial arts in the Everlasting Green Pagoda, let's talk about the time when the two parted ways. Xue Zhihua was waiting in the Everlasting Green Pagoda, feeling somewhat bored.

He took out a book from his storage bracelet and sat down on a bench not far away to read it.

The Taoist priest continued to sleep.

Just then, footsteps came from the stairwell, and a smile appeared on Xiao Yun's handsome face. He said, "Zhihua, what are you doing here? I've been looking for you for ages."

Xue Zhihua turned her gaze and saw that it was Xiao Yun. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and she asked, "Young Master Xiao, what brings you here?"

Xiao Yun smiled and said, "Zhihua, it's been a while since we last met. How have you been lately?"

The old man opened his droopy eyelids and said calmly, "If you two fellow Daoists want to chat, you can go down the tower to talk."

Xue Zhihua's voice was cold: "I still need to read. If Young Master Xiao has nothing else to do, you may go back first."

As he spoke, he picked up a book and began reading it by himself.

Xiao Yun frowned and said, "Zhihua, I just wanted to catch up with you."

"No noise is allowed here. This is the last time I'll say this," the old man said lazily.

Xiao Yun was displeased and said impatiently, "Where did this come from..."

"boom……"

Before Xiao Yun could finish speaking, he felt a tremendous force strike him. He instinctively tried to use his spiritual power to resist, but his spiritual power felt stagnant, as if he were trapped in a quagmire.

Then the world spun around, and the person was thrown out of the pagoda window out of control.

He landed on a tree trunk in the distance, but Xiao Yun, being a talented immortal, did not fall to the ground. After recovering his spiritual power, he landed on the ground in a disheveled state, his brocade robe torn to shreds.

Or perhaps the old man in the tower was merely giving a minor punishment as a warning, and had no intention of harming anyone's life.

"Third brother, are you alright?" At this moment, Qin Shuo was in the outer room. Upon seeing this scene, he quickly went over to check on the situation.

Xiao Yun's face was ashen, and he waved his hand, saying, "I'm fine."

I wanted to curse, but I swallowed it back down.

This is the Xuanzhen Temple, which is under the jurisdiction of the Taiqing Bajing Palace and is in charge of the records. Who knows which powerful person might overhear this and he'll be in deep trouble.

"What happened?" Qin Shuo asked.

Xiao Yun said, "It's nothing, don't tell Brother Gao about this."

Upon hearing this, Qin Shuo paused for a moment, then nodded.

Xiao Yun took a deep breath and looked at the Everlasting Tower, feeling an overwhelming sense of anger.

On the other side, Gao Qiong and Luo Xin were reading Taoist scriptures on the second floor of the Eternal Green Pagoda.

Time flies, and three days have passed in the blink of an eye.

Shen Xian has been cultivating in the Time Chamber on the sixth floor of the tower for three months.

On this day, Shen Xian suddenly opened his eyes and felt that more than half of the innate true qi in his dantian had liquefied into true essence, flowing through the wide meridians like river water flowing through a riverbed, with surging waves and endless flow.

"At the Grandmaster level, true qi transforms into true essence, and the internal organs are further tempered. If one uses higher-level martial arts techniques, the internal organs can withstand them." Shen Xian's eyes flickered as he thought to himself.

This is why martial arts are not sustainable. The subsequent use of martial arts techniques, and even fighting with others, is essentially about using the body's potential and martial prowess to fight, and one must bear the backlash.

This kind of damage is actually very subtle and not noticeable when you are young, but when you get old, like a weak and flickering candle flame in the wind, these damages will erupt in your internal organs.

Unlike the Taoist methods, which can draw upon the power of heaven and earth and dissipate the counterforce through mysterious transformations, this method uses the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to nourish and replenish the vitality of the internal organs.

It harnesses the power of nature to prolong life.

If one cultivates both Taoist and martial arts, one should be able to nourish the internal organs and make up for any damage through spiritual energy.

Such realizations flashed through Shen Xian's mind one by one. With the added benefit of his past life's experience, he was often able to have a more fundamental understanding of the difference between the path of immortality and the path of martial arts.

"First break through to the peak of Grandmaster cultivation, then go back and hone your martial skills and refine your martial will; otherwise you'll just be a pseudo-Grandmaster."

Thinking of this, Shen Xian took out a bottle of Peiyuan Pills, took out a snow-white pill, and put it into his mouth.

A grandmaster is not only someone who has reached the level required for a grandmaster in terms of cultivation, but also a true grandmaster in terms of martial arts skills.

Time flew by, and two more months of study were completed in the tower.

On this day, Shen Xian felt all the innate true energy in his body turn into true essence. When he raised his arm slightly, he heard crackling sounds from his bones. These were the sounds made when the bones, which were like gold and jade, collided after being forged by true essence.

"At the Grandmaster level, the Great Rejuvenation Pill becomes less useful; one should mainly consume the Nourishing Essence Pill and the Consolidating Essence Pill." Shen Xian opened his Sumeru Bag and took out two bottles of pills.

The four elixir bottles were already densely packed, almost forming a small mountain.

However, there were still quite a few Lesser and Greater Rejuvenation Pills left unused in the Sumeru Bag.

Xue Zhihua obtained about two thousand pills for Shen Xian from the royal treasury in the Vermilion Bird Mansion, which could help Shen Xian cultivate until he reached the peak of the Grandmaster level.

In reality, Shen Xian has only used a total of 1,200 coins so far, so his aptitude isn't that bad, or perhaps Xue Zhihua deliberately took more.

So, nearly another month passed, and Shen Xian consumed about three hundred Qi-cultivating pills and eighty Qi-stabilizing pills. Suddenly, his dantian resounded, his eyes opened, his sleeves billowed, and he stood in mid-air.

"At the peak of the Grandmaster level, the true essence in the dantian is vast and boundless, like a surging river, flowing endlessly."

Shen Xian was in a good mood and couldn't help but mutter to himself that he had just felt a force that could make him fly, so he took off into the air at will.

He estimated that with his abundant true energy, he could fly through the air for several hours.

In fact, martial arts are also at this level. Although one cannot start to fly through the clouds like in the third level of immortal cultivation, Danxia, ​​one can fly through the air for a short time, which provides the premise for fighting immortal cultivators.

Immortal cultivators mostly rely on spiritual treasures and flying swords for ranged attacks; otherwise, once they enter the melee range of martial artists, they will be overwhelmed and unable to defend themselves.

Therefore, cultivators of the Immortal Path often supplement their cultivation with martial arts in the first, second, third, and fourth stages of cultivation to cope with unfavorable situations in the early stages of battle.

"Martial arts are unparalleled in offensive and defensive capabilities, surpassing the power of immortality. In the later stages, immortality has a long-lasting effect and its health-preserving characteristics far exceed those of the human path. The power of supernatural abilities will also begin to rise... After all, one can only output damage if one is alive."

Shen Xian thought to himself.

The human body is like a great medicine, containing countless secrets. Martial arts have only explored a small part of the human body; otherwise, they wouldn't have stopped at the realm of immortals.

……

……

(End of this chapter)