Chapter 298: The Pure Body
Chapter 298: The Pure Body
Chen Mu, with his Six Viscera tempered to 99%, was just a step away from the limit. His control and mastery over the Essence Energy had reached an impressive fifty portions, a level that many grandmasters with a perfect Martial Body rarely attained. This was all thanks to the powerful foundation laid by the extreme tempering of his Five Viscera.
Normally, without the support of the system panel, even if Chen Mu had gathered ten times more Nourishing Spirit Materials, it would have been difficult to temper the Six Viscera to this extent, let alone challenge the ultimate limit. This was the limitation of the realm he inhabited.
In the current heavenly realm, or more precisely, under the current concentration of Heavenly Primordial Energy, the extreme tempering of the Five Viscera and the Six Viscera were levels that should not exist, heights that a martial artist could not reach.
But.
Chen Mu defied common sense. After tempering the Five Viscera to the extreme, he launched an assault on the limit of the Six Viscera Realm. With the system panel's experience consumption, a surge of spiritual power rose within him, flowing into the Six Viscera.
Given his current progress in tempering the Six Viscera, the spiritual power brought by these two portions of Nourishing Spirit Materials should have been like water pouring into a leaky sieve, impossible to retain. The Six Viscera were not capable of absorbing it. However, the system panel, through an incomprehensible force, infused this spiritual power into the Six Viscera, evenly injecting it into every cell, forcing them to absorb it.
Finally.
The quantitative change led to a qualitative transformation.
If one were to observe his Six Viscera, they would see that they had been tempered to the point of near crystallization. But in reality, they were still a hair's breadth away from true transformation. Now, finally, they had crossed that boundary, undergoing a metamorphosis similar to the Five Viscera.
Without any effort from Chen Mu, the Heavenly Primordial Energy from the outside world was naturally absorbed by his Six Viscera. With each breath, this energy was swallowed and tempered within his organs.
Stomach, gallbladder, small intestine, large intestine, bladder... all the way to the Triple Burner! His Six Viscera began to glow, becoming increasingly translucent and crystalline, gradually connecting with the Five Viscera—heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. They ultimately transformed into a different substance, and the usually inactive Six Viscera now seemed to be in a state of song, with each organ vibrating and resonating, producing a dull, drum-like sound, as if beating a ritual drum.
Finally, his Six Viscera transformed into a translucent crystalline structure, as if condensed from heavenly spiritual power, connecting and harmonizing with the Five Viscera. His fleshly body had truly reached the pinnacle of perfection.
The augmentation of Essence Energy was secondary.
The key was that Chen Mu could feel that with the Six Viscera reaching their limit, his blood and energy became even closer to the essence of heavenly spiritual power. This made his fleshly body even more resistant to decay. Even if his martial cultivation stopped at this level, he could easily live beyond two hundred years, achieving the longevity of Blood Transformation Realm beings. Furthermore, until his physical death, his strength would not decline due to age.
This was because his Five Viscera and Six Viscera were no longer based on blood and energy but had transformed into another product constructed from heavenly spiritual power, which, unlike blood, never decayed. They were like the heavens themselves, eternally unending.
"Finally, I've reached this step."
Chen Mu exhaled slowly, and the breath he released from his fleshly body was now completely free of any acquired impurities, resembling the pure spiritual energy between heaven and earth. Even his saliva was like jade liquid.
While those at the Six Viscera Realm could go without food or drink for long periods, they still needed to consume some meat from time to time to maintain their vitality. However, Chen Mu no longer had this need. With his Six Viscera at their limit and the perfection of his internal world, the energy he absorbed with each breath far surpassed the vitality gained from consuming meat.
The Pure Body!
This phrase emerged in Chen Mu's mind.
From the moment a person is born and comes into contact with the heavens, they transition from the innate to the acquired, constantly absorbing impurities from the heavens and expelling them from their bodies.
But when the Five Viscera and Six Viscera are tempered to the extreme, they finally break free from this shackle, as if returning from the acquired to the innate. From then on, the impurities of the heavens can no longer invade the body, and the body will no longer produce its own impurities.
Even the exhaled breath is akin to Heavenly Primordial Energy.
Even the saliva in the mouth is like the morning dew.
Chen Mu felt that if there was a small step between the Six Viscera Realm and Bone Marrow Washing, then the height he stood at now, though not truly entering Bone Marrow Washing, had already achieved a purer body than that of grandmasters.
"The limit of the Five Viscera Realm is Five Qi Ascending to the Center."
"The limit of the Six Viscera Realm is the Pure Body."
A faint light flickered in Chen Mu's eyes.
Copper Skin, Iron Flesh, Dragon Sinews, Tiger-Leopard Thunder Voice, Jade Bone Body—with this, Chen Mu had thoroughly trained the first six realms of the Martial Body Tempering Technique, laying a solid foundation. Each step had been a challenging journey, and he had endured great hardships along the way.
If not for his pursuit of the ultimate and final stage of body cultivation, perhaps he would have already entered the Marrow Washing Realm by now.
However, it's not too late.
Reaching the peak of the Six Viscera Realm, with a perfected Inner Heaven-Earth and a martial will surpassing that of a Grandmaster, even without reaching the second stage of the Conceptual Realm, the Heavenly Earth Mystic Gate no longer poses a significant obstacle for him.
Advancing further from the Pure Body, he would achieve the Impermeable Body.
Although his body is now free of impurities and turbid energy, his cultivation has only reached the Five Viscera and Six Bowels, and his pores are still constantly releasing Heavenly Primordial Energy. Despite being able to compensate through breathing and absorption, it's a cycle of loss and replenishment, causing a gradual depletion of Essence within the blood and energy.
That's why martial practitioners who don't enter the Marrow Washing Realm before fifty years old will find it difficult to do so for the rest of their lives, even if they are as powerful as the top-ranked Free Wanderer Hua Yun Sheng on the Gale Wind Rankings, who commands the Five Elements Domain and possesses an incredibly strong martial will. The reason is that before achieving the Impermeable Body, there's a leakage of the body's Essence and energy.
Even with the cultivation of the Five Viscera and Six Bowels to strengthen the Inner Heaven-Earth and compensate for some of the losses, the damage is still irreversible.
Those Six Viscera Realm experts in their sixties and seventies may appear youthful, not looking much different from Meng Danyun and others in their thirties. Their Essence Energy shows little depletion, but their fundamental Essence and energy have already diminished significantly, no longer vibrant, and have become sluggish. These changes aren't apparent on the surface, but internally, they are in decline.
It's similar to ordinary people without martial arts, some of whom may have naturally robust bodies, remaining vigorous even in their sixties and seventies, able to compete with men in their twenties and thirties. However, if they suffer from injuries like falls or illnesses, they may never recover.
This is the internal depletion of Essence.
Martial body cultivation progresses step by step, from the outside in. After perfecting the Five Viscera and Six Bowels, one significantly strengthens their blood, energy, and foundation, achieving the ability to go without food or drink for extended periods, greatly reducing the loss of Essence.
The final step is entering the Marrow Washing Realm, further purifying the body of impurities, cultivating the Martial Body, and sealing the White Tiger. All connections between the body and the external Heaven-Earth are closed, leaving only the Mystic Gate, thus forming the Impermeable Martial Body.
With the Impermeable Martial Body achieved.
Grandmasters can easily live beyond 150 years, and even as they approach the end of their lifespan, they won't experience decay.
This is why Grandmasters are in a completely different league compared to the Six Viscera Realm experts. Even many top-ranked experts on the Gale Wind Rankings can match some newly-advanced weaker Grandmasters, but in terms of actual status, they are not on the same level.
After all, even the weakest Grandmasters break through to the Marrow Washing Realm before fifty years old. By the time they reach a hundred years old, they can easily cultivate a perfect Martial Body, establish a Martial Domain, and attain the level of Fu Jingyuan and Feng Hongsheng. Moreover, they won't weaken with age.
Perhaps.
The top three on the Gale Wind Rankings, such as Xia Yu Eo and Hua Yun Sheng, have strength comparable to Fu Jingyuan and others. However, their peak condition doesn't last as long, as they are already relatively old when they reach that stage, especially Hua Yun Sheng, who is nearly a hundred years old and doesn't have much time left at his peak. He will gradually weaken over time.
Many experts in the Five Viscera and Six Bowels Realm, upon realizing they have no further hope of advancement, choose to retire to smaller places, tirelessly establishing their clans, primarily to ensure a peaceful old age.
But Grandmasters don't need to worry about that.
They can live as they please until the end of their lifespan, when they will finally decay.
"I haven't broken through the Mystic Gate and achieved the Impermeable Body, but even with my extended lifespan, I can already rival those in the Blood Transformation Realm. I wonder how long I could live if I reach the Marrow Washing Realm, seal my Essence, and prevent its loss?"
Chen Mu looked up, seeing only the bare rock wall, but his gaze seemed to penetrate the mountains and reach the sky.
Although he was only in his thirties, he had lived two lifetimes. He couldn't accept the idea of becoming a demon like those in the Celestial Demon Sect, who transformed to prolong their lives. Who wouldn't want to live longer?
Moreover, even ten-thousand-year-old demons eventually turn to dust, and thousand-year-old dynasties crumble into the earth.
If martial cultivation can truly reach its pinnacle and touch upon immortality, he will stand tall and proud, holding his sword, and walk the path of the supreme martial way without relying on external means.
"Hmm."
Chen Mu slowly regulated his breathing.
In this sealed cave, he wasn't inhaling and exhaling air but the Heavenly Primordial Energy.
In the 1619 version of the book, there's not a single error!
He wasn't in a hurry. Closing his eyes, he slowly adjusted his state and calmed his mind. Just as cultivating the Jade Bone Body allows effortless advancement to the Five Viscera Realm, and achieving the Pure Body should make entering the Marrow Washing Realm effortless. However, while the Jade Bone Body is attainable by many, the Pure Body is a conceptual realm that exists only in theory and isn't mentioned in any books.
Chen Mu had already transformed this idea into reality.
With this, Chen Mu closed his eyes and calmed his breath, allowing the energy within his body to circulate and converge, and as his mind and body seemed to merge completely, his vision suddenly cleared, and he found himself leaping into another world.
As far as his eyes could see, the heavens and earth were dimly lit, with only a slanted staircase leading upwards appearing in his line of sight. At the top of the staircase, there was a mysterious light that was difficult to describe with words.
It seemed like a door, or perhaps a checkpoint, or even the very essence of this world condensed into a single point.
Break through it.
Rush out.
Beyond lies another realm.
"This is the Heavenly Earth Mystic Gate..."
Chen Mu gazed at the mysterious light at the top of the staircase, and without needing to think, his mind naturally became clear.
The Mystic Gate exists both in the physical body and in the spirit, serving as the intersection point between the body, the spirit, and the 'Outer Heaven and Earth'. What he saw before him was the 'Heart Gate' within the Mystic Gate.
To completely break through the Mystic Gate, one must simultaneously shatter the 'Heart Gate', the 'Body Gate', and the 'Heaven Earth Gate'. No matter which point one starts from, it's all the same; only by breaking through all three gates in one go can one finally achieve the status of a Grandmaster.
Chen Mu had originally thought he would start from the Body Gate, but unexpectedly, by merely adjusting his mental state, he had already taken the first step and witnessed the Heart Gate.
"Starting from the Heart Gate is also possible."
Chen Mu's mind and spirit were calm, and at this moment, there was naturally no trace of hesitation or self-doubt. He took a step forward and ascended the staircase, one step at a time, heading towards the mysterious light at the top.
Each step on the staircase seemed like a platform, but in reality, it was built upon all the Martial Arts he had cultivated up to this point.
Step, step, step,
With each step, Chen Mu witnessed countless scenes from his memories. There was the 'Skin Tempering' he had endured, the 'Muscular Body Training' he had persevered through, the Tiger Demon Bone Forging Fist he had practiced, and the Jade Skin Tempering Technique he had mastered.
With every step, it was as if a voice was questioning his heart.
Any regrets?
Any flaws?
Any regrets?
These words seemed like the Martial Arts questioning him, and at the same time, they were his inner self-interrogation. Chen Mu's answers were naturally firm and affirmative.
No regrets, no flaws, no regrets!
These questions had no impact on his will, nor did they hinder his steps, not even causing him to pause slightly. His pace remained steady and stable, ascending step by step.
Since the Skin Tempering, through Muscular Body Training, Sinew Transformation, Organ Forging, and Viscera Tempering... With each step, he had given his all, enduring hardships and toil. Every step was a platform, and every step was a mark of his progress to the limit. Naturally, he had no doubts about his Martial Arts.
Step, step, step,
Thus, Chen Mu climbed the staircase, step by step, finally reaching the top and gazing at the mysterious light, which seemed to transform into a gateway.
This gateway was composed of eight different colors of light, each with a familiar radiance and aura to Chen Mu. It was the Eight Trigrams of Heaven and Earth that he had cultivated, and the realm he had mastered.
The gateway seemed to have a voice telling him that there was no turning back once the Mystic Gate was broken.
Although Martial Artists could continuously cultivate their realms, just like Chu Jingsu and others, even after breaking through to the Grandmaster level, they could still attempt to cultivate the complete 'Heaven-Earth Concept'. However, they would never be able to achieve the 'Heaven-Earth Martial Body'.
Because the realm used to break through the Mystic Gate determines the foundation, and it cannot be changed thereafter. As the saying goes, there are no regrets in breaking through the Mystic Gate. Taking this step forward seals one's fate from then on.
Step,
Chen Mu did not hesitate at the Mystic Gate. He took a step forward and entered.
The Heaven-Earth Martial Arts was already the strongest Martial Arts in existence, and by choosing this path, he naturally had no doubts about himself. Moreover, his Martial Arts will had already reached a level comparable to that of a Grandmaster. This Heart Gate presented no difficulty for him.
After passing through the Heart Gate, Chen Mu's consciousness instantly returned to his body, and he felt his Essence Energy surging and rising along his spine, reaching the edge of the Crown Mystic Gate.
This was the Body Gate.
Chen Mu's mind remained calm, and without any hesitation, he manipulated his Essence Energy, concentrating it at a single point, and then surging upwards. A sound like shattering ice echoed in his ears, and the physical barrier of his body was as fragile as paper, easily shattered in one go.
(End of Chapter)
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