Having studied for a hundred years, why do you call me the Martial Saint?

"Yes, yes!" Yu Chang swallowed and began to draw on the snow with his finger.

"Sui Mountain has a total of nine mountain paths, both visible and hidden. Three of them are visible paths, which are frequently used by outsiders and are heavily guarded. The most heavily guarded path is the main road to the mountain gate, with thirteen visible sentry posts and seven hidden sentry posts..."

"There is a secret passage on the western cliff, in a treacherous location, which can only be traversed by those skilled in light-footed martial arts. Therefore, there are only three hidden sentries, and most of them are low-ranking disciples..."

"There's a granary and a stable halfway up the mountain, but they're practically deserted..."

"The sect's library is located here, but it's said that the sect's ultimate techniques aren't inside..."

As he spoke, he drew a simple map on the snow, roughly depicting the terrain of Suishan.

Gongzi Yu looked down for a moment, then turned to Xu Qishi and asked:

Is what this person said true?

Xu Qishi cupped his hands and said, "I have interrogated and checked each of these abandoned soldiers from Suishan. Their routes, sentry posts, and rotation times are basically correct."

Gongzi Yu nodded.

"In that case, at midnight tonight, the other routes will send out a large number of cannon fodder for a feigned attack. The four of you will take the elite troops and come with me from the western cliff to take Suishan Palace!"

His gaze swept over Yu Chang again.

"As for you, lead the way. If you succeed, you will receive the antidote. If you fail, you will die on the mountain."

Yu Chang trembled and dared not say another word.

Just then, a commotion arose outside the woods.

A middle-aged man stumbled over, followed by two panicked members of the Netherworld Cult.

The middle-aged man stumbled and fell onto the snow, saying urgently:

"I am the leader of the Great River Gang, and I am affiliated with the Tianshun Army..."

"Where did this Tom, Dick, and Harry come from?" Xu Qishi sneered, took a step forward, and stomped the middle-aged man's head to pieces.

He then looked coldly at the two Netherworld Cult members and said slowly and deliberately:

"What is the punishment for negligence in supervision?"

The two men gritted their teeth, then decisively drew their blades and slashed at their own left arms.

Plop, plop, two arms landed on the snow, leaving two pools of bright red blood.

Gongzi Yu didn't even glance in their direction, only looking towards Suishan.

"Yang Qingfeng, if you were dead, it would save me a lot of trouble. But if you are still alive, I will give you a show you've never seen before and see if you can show up."

The snow gradually fell heavier and heavier.

……

House No. 9, Jia.

Outside, snow was falling heavily, while inside, a candle was lit by the window.

Gu Shuxian doesn't need candles, but it would be a bit strange not to have candles, so he needs candles.

He closed the book in his hands, looking lost and silent for a long time.

After a long while, Gu Shuxian finally let out a long breath.

"So that's why it's called 'The Red Slaughter of Fangtian'..."

Fang means upright, and Tian means the way of Heaven. So, Fang Tian means to rectify the way of Heaven!

"Red" means the heart of a child, and "slaughter" means to slaughter evil. So, "Red Slaughter" means to slaughter all the evil in the world while still maintaining the heart of a child. That's all.

This concept is vividly demonstrated in the part of the book where the Divine Halberd Hero single-handedly confronts all the heroes of the world when the nine major sects besiege the Dark Abyss!

Gu Shuxian couldn't help but repeatedly savor the contents of the book, unable to calm down for a long time. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that the Divine Halberd Hero was truly an unparalleled hero.

Unfortunately, such a hero died in a place called White Gate City.

Gu Shuxian felt incredibly conflicted as he thought about the final fate of the Divine Halberd Hero.

The hero's end is a fitting conclusion, but seeing a character I've followed for so long die like this makes me want to punch the author.

What he couldn't understand even more was what the book said at the end:

Though the physical body dies, the spirit lives on. Martial arts have no limits; after cultivating Qi comes cultivating the spirit.

Gu Shuxian didn't quite understand.

Qi cultivation is relatively straightforward. In the first nine realms of martial arts, apart from the first two realms which are about body training, the later realms are basically about qualitative changes in internal energy, so it's not wrong to call them Qi cultivation.

But this spiritual practice touched upon areas where my knowledge was lacking.

He felt conflicted. In the first two books, he could still mock the authors for their lack of martial arts knowledge, but now the tables had turned, and he was the one who didn't understand.

Gu Shuxian pondered.

Sudden.

[You read "The Legend of Fang Tian Chi Tu" today, the final chapter of the trilogy of extraordinary archery books. Though tragic due to the hero's downfall, his pure heart remained undying, and the flame of his spirit endures. Reward received—"Tiger Prison Skill" transformed into "White Gate Ascension Technique"!]

Gu Shuxian's pupils contracted.

Before he could react, a surge of heat erupted from his dantian, engulfing his limbs and bones.

The vital energy surged within the meridians, solidifying with each complete cycle.

His aura began to rise steadily.

True Qi Realm!

The characteristic of this realm is that it allows one to release true energy outwards, injuring enemies from a distance.

While external release of qi can be like an invisible weapon, it cannot leave the body, and is therefore inferior to true qi.

Even though he had risen to the next level, his aura was still climbing.

The flow of vital energy accelerates, constantly being compressed and purified.

True Essence Realm!

The characteristics of this realm are concentration and endurance. The difference between true essence and true qi is like wine and water. In the same cup, the former is incredibly mellow, while the latter is bland and tasteless.

Previously, although the release of true qi was strong, it could not be sustained. Now, the true qi is like a sea, flowing endlessly.

Logically speaking, each step from Gang Qi to Zhen Qi and then to Zhen Yuan Realm requires time to hone and also necessitates the use of valuable rare and precious materials.

Now, Gu Shuxian has directly stepped into the True Essence Realm, saving himself the trouble of arduous cultivation and expenses.

But that's not all.

The improvement in one's level continues.

True essence continuously condensed within the body, and then suddenly rushed into the mind!

Gu Shuxian felt a buzzing in his head, his vision suddenly brightened, and his five senses surged outwards like a tidal wave.

Even in the dimly lit room illuminated only by candlelight, it was as bright as day in his eyes, and he could clearly hear the breathing of the servant in the next room.

Moreover, he could perceive everything within three feet of himself: mosquitoes fluttering their wings, dust settling on the ground, and snowflakes gently touching the branches outside the window.

When he closed his eyes, he could see every inch of his flesh and blood, every meridian in his body…

"Internal vision, this is internal vision!"

Gu Shuxian was both surprised and delighted. Then he understood that this realm was called the Spiritual Consciousness Realm, the next level of the True Essence Realm, and also the first step in cultivating the spirit!

The Realm of Spiritual Consciousness!

Above True Essence lies the Cultivation of Divinity!

Gu Shuxian opened his eyes again, and his perception of everything around him was now much stronger than before.

"I see. No wonder the book says that though the physical body dies, the spirit lives on. I wonder if, in the end, this path of cultivating the spirit can truly achieve what is described as the spirit existing while the person remains..."

Gu Shuxian had this idea because the White Gate Ascension Technique could be further cultivated!

He took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement.

Suddenly, he remembered that he had a halberd hidden in the mountains.

Back then, because he was only at the Qi Condensation Realm, carrying the disguise around would consume too much of his inner energy, so he had to hide it.

Once you reach the True Essence Realm, this amount of consumption can't keep up with the speed of recovery, not to mention that now that I've reached the Spiritual Consciousness Realm, my True Essence is even more profound.

"It's time to take it back."

Gu Shuxian stepped outside without disturbing anyone; the snow had already reached above his calves.

He looked at the thick clouds and the heavy snow, transformed into a snowy owl, and flew into the deep mountains and forests.