Body Refinement for Longevity: From Health Cultivation Exercises to Overcoming All Techniques

Shen Yue kept her lips tightly closed, recalling the words of the young lady from a wealthy family, and remained silent for a long time without saying a word.

"Shen Yue, what's wrong? You're usually so cheerful, why do you look so miserable now?"

Just then, Li Muyun, who happened to be passing by, saw Shen Yue looking dejected and, feeling puzzled, walked up to her and asked softly with a hint of teasing.

Li Muyun still wore her signature blue dress, looking delicate and graceful, with a beautiful face and a gentle smile that always reflected her refined upbringing. She was very recognizable.

"It's nothing."

Shen Yue looked up at the woman with the ambiguous relationship with her older brother, but her expression wasn't pleasant. She turned her pretty face away and ignored her.

If it weren't for her elder brother's request, fearing that the woman might starve to death, she wouldn't have wanted to have anything to do with her at all.

Faced with Shen Yue's dislike, Li Muyun naturally understood the reason and gave an awkward smile.

She could roughly guess that Shen Yue's family was not in a good situation. In fact, her situation was even worse than theirs. She was born into the Li family and had heard about how the Li family had taken advantage of her misfortune.

Many people in the Chen family now resent her, and even men sneak over at night with the intention of taking advantage of her. If she hadn't been quick-witted and sought the protection of the old steward, she would have been a lamb to the slaughter.

Thinking of this, her eyes darkened, and she couldn't help but think of Chen Han, the man who had saved her from danger several times.

"I wonder if something has happened to my benefactor, otherwise why haven't they come looking for me for so long?"

"Sigh, I was overthinking it. My benefactor is exceptionally skilled and calm by nature. Besides, this wilderness is so vast, how could he possibly find my trace? I just hope we can meet again soon."

At the same time, Li Muyun thought about his future plans. 'I have nowhere to go now. My benefactor can help me for a while, but not forever. Besides, I don't want to be subservient to others forever.'

Li Muyun was not just a pretty face; she managed all the family's businesses, big and small, while she was with the Li family. Her previous freeloading at the Chen family was simply to avoid revealing Chen Han's whereabouts.

Now that the matter is over, she should start planning for her future.

"Let's go, let's keep going, pack up."

Just then, someone called out, reminding everyone that it was time to set off.

Li Muyun patted Shen Yue on the shoulder and turned to leave.

The carriages moved slowly, and the long convoy once again snaked along the rugged mountain road.

In the center of the caravan, two significantly more spacious and luxurious carriages drove side by side, each pulled by four strong black horses.

Among them, the last elder, Chen Huaiyan, and the clan leader, Chen Feng, sat facing each other alone. The carriage was elegant and filled with the aroma of tea. It was clear that the two middle-aged men had just been enjoying tea, but the bumpy ride on the carriage forced them to continue, which greatly disappointed them.

The family suffered such a great calamity and fell into decline. Whenever they had nothing to do, they would inevitably think of this matter, and then feel sad and sigh endlessly.

"Chieftain, tell me the truth, did the old chieftain meet with some misfortune?"

Now, only the two of them remain as high-level martial artists in the Chen family. All the others are dead. If they are ambushed and killed by a hostile force like their enemies, the chances of them protecting their clansmen are slim, given that they are only two martial artists.

Therefore, Chen Huaiyan thought of the elusive old clan leader, the previous generation clan leader, whose strength was unfathomable and terrifying. He was only one step away from the highest level of martial arts, and was a 'Martial Master' whom he could never hope to reach in his lifetime.

In this world, ordinary people who want to learn martial arts must first consider whether they have enough money at home.

Apart from families and noble families like theirs, and even those from humble backgrounds who pool their resources to support one person in learning martial arts, the number of ordinary people who can actually practice martial arts is only about 10%.

Among this group, there are also those with poor aptitude and insufficient comprehension, who are unable to break through to the Ming Jin level, thus eliminating more than half of the candidates.

To break through from Ming Jin to An Jin, one needs red meat, that is, the meat of exotic beasts, and medicinal soup to nourish the blood and qi, warm the body, and cultivate An Jin.

A master of internal strength is someone who, anywhere, would be respectfully addressed as "Master".

Naturally, this is also a major hurdle, as it requires filtering out more than 90% of the applicants.

Breaking through from internal strength to external strength is even more difficult, requiring not only unwavering perseverance but also strong physical constitution, a certain talent for martial arts, and substantial financial support.

All conditions are indispensable.

Only in this way can one become a top-tier martial artist, one in ten thousand, who can open a martial arts school, easily obtain official titles, become an official, or even wield some military power.

Then there are martial artists like him.

The success of a martial artist requires the convergence of numerous conditions, none of which can be lacking; while the success of a martial artist is completely unpredictable and cannot be replicated.

The first challenge is to master the martial arts, which requires a deep understanding of the techniques learned. The second is to continuously temper one's physique in life-or-death battles. A slight mistake can result in severe injury, a sharp drop in qi and blood, or even death without any chance of recovery.

This is the path of a martial artist, so rugged that it cannot be replicated. It can be said that every martial artist is a lucky one who crawled out of a pile of dead bodies.

Once a martial artist enters the realm of martial arts, they can comprehend the ultimate meaning. In other words, only by comprehending the ultimate meaning can one unlock the gates of the martial arts realm.

The ultimate essence is the fundamental divinity of martial arts. Without comprehending this divinity, fists and feet are merely rigid and lifeless objects, devoid of any mystery.

In other words, the ultimate skill is the product of reaching the pinnacle of understanding this martial art.

The Martial Realm is divided into three stages: Step One, Step Two, and Step Three, which correspond to three levels of understanding of the ultimate essence of martial arts.

Although each level is not as clearly defined as the three realms of light, darkness, and transformation in martial arts, and is difficult to break through, it is still extremely difficult.

The next level, the Martial Master realm, is the highest realm in martial arts, the strongest existence he, as an elder of the Chen family, had ever encountered.

These kinds of experts, even if placed in the imperial city, would be unparalleled figures with immense power and influence, deserving of descriptions like "thunderous and unmatched in the world."

The old patriarch of the Chen family was one of them.

If the old patriarch were to appear, he would surely lead the clan to rise again and regain its former glory.

Chen Huaiyan looked expectantly at Chen Feng, the only contemporary clan leader who had interacted with the old clan leader, hoping to get the answer she was looking for from him.

"The old clan chief..."

Chen Feng's gaze was calm and still. He stopped mid-sentence, his face showing hesitation.

"Chieftain, stop keeping me in suspense."

Chen Feng sighed, drew the curtain closed, leaned forward slightly, and appeared to be whispering.

Seeing the clan leader so solemn and cautious, Chen Huaiyan couldn't help but feel a surge of curiosity and leaned her ear closer.

"Does the elder of Huaiyan know what realm lies above the supreme martial arts master?"

"Clan leader, are you talking about the legendary Martial Venerable?"

In all my years of life, I've only ever heard of the term "Martial Venerable," and nothing else related to it. I don't even know if this realm truly exists.

The Martial Master was already the most powerful and invincible person he knew, while the Martial Venerable was just a title; he had never heard of him before.