Chapter 299: Becoming a Grandmaster

Chapter 299: Becoming a Grandmaster

At this moment, Chen Mu felt a warm current emanating from his Mysterious Gate, spreading throughout his entire body. In an instant, he experienced an indescribable sensation, as if his mind and flesh had completely merged, no longer distinguishing between the two.

Chen Mu understood that this was the unification of spirit and body. After breaking through the Heart Gate and Body Gate, there were no more barriers between his spirit and flesh. In the past, concepts were just concepts, and Essence Energy was just Essence Energy. Concepts relied on the mind and spirit to harness the power of heaven and earth, while Essence Energy was the true energy cultivated by the flesh. But now, with the unification of spirit and body, these two aspects would merge into one, becoming indistinguishable.

Controlling the power of heaven and earth would become an innate ability. With every movement, the power of heaven and earth would follow naturally, without the need to consciously exert effort. This would greatly enhance his control over technique and strength!

Generally speaking, only upon reaching this realm and after a period of refinement, when the martial body is cultivated to perfection, even without comprehending a Martial Domain, one can still rely on their peak control to cultivate the 'Three-Foot Forbidden Realm'.

Chen Mu had already brought his martial cultivation to this peak level during the Six Organs Realm, and now, with the unification of spirit and body, his control over technique had advanced even further. He didn't know what it would be like to have the mighty power of the Blood Transformation Realm within himself, but at least with his current control over his flesh and Essence Energy, there were few in the Bone Marrow Washing Grandmaster stage who could compare to him.

Although the quantity of Essence Energy and the power of heaven and earth he could harness hadn't increased significantly, in this state of spirit-body unity, dealing with his previous two selves would be effortless. The more condensed his strength, the greater its power.

"It's not over yet..."

Chen Mu's thoughts didn't linger on the changes in his strength.

He knew that breaking through the Heart Gate and Body Gate seemed to have completed the breakthrough of the Mysterious Gate, achieving spirit-body unity. But in reality, this was only a superficial phenomenon. There was still the final 'Heaven Earth Gate' to surpass; otherwise, this state wouldn't last, and as time passed, the broken Mysterious Gate would gradually close again, causing him to fall from the realm of spirit-body unity.

Only by breaking through the final Heaven Earth Gate, infusing the power of heaven and earth into the body, and undergoing the initial cultivation of a true martial body, could one truly enter the Grandmaster realm and solidify their cultivation.

For Chen Mu, breaking through the Heart Gate and Body Gate was effortless, and the final Heaven Earth Gate couldn't stop him either.

For most in the Six Organs Realm, breaking through the Heart Gate would nearly exhaust their mental energy, and breaking through the Body Gate would almost deplete their Essence Energy. By the time they reached the Heaven Earth Gate, they would be at their limit, making it impossible to surpass. But for Chen Mu, it was as smooth as sailing with the current.

With his martial will honed through countless trials, and having cultivated the Heaven-Earth Martial Dao, breaking through the Heart Gate was effortless. With his Five Viscera and Six Bowels refined to the extreme, breaking through the Body Gate was like pushing a boat downstream. At this moment, his mental energy and Essence Energy were at their peak, and after condensing them at the Mysterious Gate, he didn't hesitate and pushed outward.

This time, the sensation was completely different.

The condensed Essence Energy and mental energy seemed to pierce through a layer of extremely dense barrier, formed by the fusion of the Eight Trigrams of Heaven and Earth. It was as if he was trying to tear through the very fabric of heaven and earth.

Even though this was the path of heaven and earth, known as the most challenging path in martial cultivation, in the thousand years since the establishment of the Great Proclamation Calendar, only nine had achieved the Bone Marrow Washing Grandmaster stage, and none had reached the Blood Transformation Realm. But even this formidable martial path couldn't stop Chen Mu's progress.

With his Essence Energy condensed to a terrifying degree, and his mind and spirit unified, he didn't need a second attempt. With just this one push, he tore through the barrier of the Heaven Earth Gate, allowing his mental energy and Essence Energy to break through the Mysterious Gate.

In that instant, Chen Mu felt as if his vision had transformed. Wherever his gaze fell, the scenery changed, as if he were a newborn baby witnessing the world for the first time. Although he was deep within a mountain cave, he couldn't see any mountains; instead, he saw a dazzling radiance and strange silk threads.

This was clearly the initial comprehension of a Conceptual Realm, a vision that occurred when perceiving the essence of heaven and earth. But at this moment, as his mental energy, substantial as it was, burst through the Mysterious Gate, he actually saw these things.

"This is what the Great Proclamation Martial Canon speaks of—shattering the void to see the true form..."

Chen Mu murmured to himself.

In this world, there was also the concept of 'shattering the void', but it didn't refer to physically breaking through space. Instead, it meant using martial cultivation to perceive the essence of heaven and earth and glimpse its true form.

Martial cultivation.

'Martial' comes before 'Dao'. It is a path that uses martial arts as a means to seek the Dao of heaven and earth.

In the beginning, there was no clear path for martial cultivation. Countless wise men and women dedicated their lives, eventually forging a path that started with skin cultivation and culminated in the Blood Transformation Realm.

During this process, practitioners imitated the strength of beasts like tigers, leopards, wolves, and bears, drew inspiration from rivers, mountains, and the earth, and gradually expanded their understanding from the small to the large, from the particular to the universal, until they broke through the Mysterious Gate and attained the perception of heaven and earth, becoming Grandmasters of martial cultivation.

In the distance, the radiant heavens were captivating, as if they were the most beautiful sight in the world. At this moment, Chen Mu felt that the scenery before him was more profound and direct than any Conceptual Realm Diagram he had ever seen.

His consciousness soared, and the Primordial Energy that broke through the Mysterious Gate gradually merged with the heavens and earth, as if his awareness was about to become one with this piece of heaven and earth, controlling all things in the world, and attaining self-awareness and transcendence.

But.

Just as Chen Mu's consciousness was about to completely merge with the heavens and earth, a light sigh accompanied the scattered thoughts, which quickly converged, and the overflowing Primordial Energy returned to his body from the Mysterious Gate.

Only when the Heaven and Earth Gate was first broken, the consciousness would be drawn by the heavens and earth, and pulled out of the body, a process that was both dangerous and an opportunity. During this process, the consciousness merged with the heavens and earth, revealing the true essence of heaven and earth, and nothing could be more direct than what the consciousness felt, pointing to the ultimate pursuit of the Martial Dao.

The Conceptual Realm Diagram is insufficient, and even the Primal Diagram is not enough.

Unfortunately, this process is very brief. Once it lasts too long, he will be completely immersed in the heavens and earth, sitting in meditation within the mountain's belly. With his Martial will and the strength of his Primordial Energy, he can only maintain this state of enlightenment for a fleeting moment.

In reality, this state is actually the third step of the Conceptual Realm! At the moment of breaking through the Mysterious Gate, one can briefly experience the height of the third step, but to truly reach it, one must enter the Blood Transformation Realm. No one has achieved Bone Marrow Washing yet.

Most people dare not emulate Chen Mu's actions. After breaking through the Heaven Earth Gate, they quickly return their consciousness to their bodies to avoid being immersed in the heavens and earth. Chen Mu, however, still has the strength to do so. With his focused consciousness and undispersed Primordial Energy, he dares to remain in this state, using the merging of his consciousness with the heavens and earth to deeply comprehend their mysteries.

Chen Mu, sensing his waning strength, chose not to take further risks and returned to his body. He regretted not being able to continue the experience, feeling that the brief moment of insight he had just gained was worth more than countless moments of ordinary comprehension.

The experience gained from this moment alone, as shown on the System Panel, is at least several thousand! If he could maintain this state for a longer time, meditating for three to five days, his Heaven-Earth Concept might not only easily enter the Domain Realm but also accumulate enough experience to break through to the third step.

Unfortunately, his strength was limited.

If his Heaven-Earth Concept was at the second step or had already reached the Domain Realm, he would have had an easier time breaking through the gate by threefold. With more strength after the breakthrough, he could have gained more insights. However, Chen Mu didn't regret anything, as it didn't affect his spirit-body unity, and at most, he would just gain a little less experience.

Gaining less experience to quickly enter the Grandmaster Realm is a worthwhile trade-off. Reaching the Grandmaster level reduces the number of people who can threaten him in this world, giving him a true sense of freedom.

"Huff."

Chen Mu's consciousness returned to his body, and in an instant, his spirit and body became one again.

At the same time, the changes brought about by breaking through the Mysterious Gate quietly arrived. The drawn-in heavenly and earthly power surged from all directions, pouring into his body through the opened Crown Mystic Gate!

If the circulation of internal energy in the Five Viscera Realm is like a stream, and the absorption of heavenly and earthly power in the Six Bowels Realm is a meager river, then the heavenly and earthly power flooding into his body at this moment is a mighty river!

Skin, flesh, tendons, and bones...

Every part of his body endured the impact of heavenly and earthly power, which penetrated deep into his bone marrow.

An indescribable pain spread from his limbs and bones, as if every inch of his body was being gnawed by ants. But even this pain couldn't change Chen Mu's calm demeanor, and his focus remained unwavering.

"The Martial Dao Body-Cultivation Path summarized by our predecessors is indeed unalterable. From skin toughening to muscle training, tendon strengthening to bone forging, and then drawing in heavenly and earthly power to wash the marrow and penetrate the body, every step is indispensable."

Chen Mu felt the changes in his body and whispered to himself.

The heavenly and earthly power, introduced through the Mysterious Gate, flowed through his body. If any part of the Skin-Muscle-Tendon-Bone training was insufficient, it would be damaged or even destroyed by the impact of the heavenly and earthly power. Only by perfecting all four stages could one bear the force and complete the Bone Marrow Washing step.

The Five Viscera and Six Bowels are even more fragile. If they don't undergo tempering beforehand and directly endure the impact of the heavenly and earthly power, they might shatter instantly, leading to certain death.

In a 1619 book, there is no error!

Only by perfecting the Skin-Muscle-Tendon-Bone training and tempering the Five Viscera and Six Bowels can one bear this heavenly and earthly power, gradually deepening the Bone Marrow Washing.

"No wonder the Heaven-Earth Martial Dao is the most difficult path. Many martial classics mention that only nine people have broken through to the Grandmaster level in a thousand years... In my opinion, some of them might not have failed to break through the gate, but after doing so, they couldn't bear the heavenly and earthly power. They couldn't endure the tempering of the Heaven and Earth Martial Body, and they died at this step.

The Martial Body of Heaven and Earth!

As the most powerful martial body of this era, encompassing the Eight Trigrams of Heaven and Earth, the Mystic Gate is broken, and the result is the infusion of the power of the entire heaven and earth. This includes the forces of wind, thunder, mountains, marshes, water, and fire. Such a surging and mighty power is several times more terrifying than the common 'Wind-Water Martial Body' or 'Thunder-Fire Martial Body'.

At this moment, Chen Mu can clearly sense that if his skin, muscles, tendons, and bones are not tempered to their limits, it is unlikely that he can withstand this level of heavenly-earth body penetration. Any defects might lead to a direct collapse!

If one were to solely rely on the Wind-Water or Thunder-Fire realms to cultivate the martial body, the requirements for the physical body would be much lower. Perhaps only ordinary tempering would be sufficient, but it's different for the Heaven-Earth Martial Body.

He had never heard of the dangers of cultivating the martial body.

Qin Meng Jun didn't tell him about it, perhaps because he didn't ask, or maybe Qin Meng Jun thought he was still far from that stage. Or it could be that even Qin Meng Jun didn't know.

After all, in the entire Great Proclamation Calendar, there are only a few people who are qualified to use the Heaven-Earth Martial Dao to break through the Mystic Gate at the Six Organs Realm. In the Cold Northern Dao, there may not be more than ten.

It's just too rare.

"When using the Heaven-Earth Martial Dao, all the skin, muscles, tendons, and bones must be tempered to their limits. For the Five Viscera, nine temperings are not enough, and ten temperings are required as a foundation. Even eleven temperings might be necessary. For the Six Organs, at least 85% tempering is needed..."

Chen Mu, based on the impact he is currently enduring, assesses the fundamental requirements for cultivating the Heaven-Earth Martial Body.

Indeed, these requirements are somewhat high.

The tempering of skin and muscles is manageable, as most true transmissions from sects can achieve the limit in the first three realms. However, achieving a Jade Bone is rare; in the entire young generation of rising talents, there are only a handful who have accomplished this.

Ten temperings of the Five Viscera are not considered very difficult, but eleven temperings... without a special opportunity, it's almost impossible to achieve.

Finally, tempering the Six Organs to 85% or higher is equally challenging for ordinary people. After reaching 70%, it's almost impossible to temper further through regular cultivation. One can only rely on various nourishing spirit materials to accumulate and hope for a favorable opportunity.

Too difficult!

After a rough assessment, Chen Mu can't help but sigh.

It's worth noting that he has achieved far beyond this standard with the help of the system panel. However, for ordinary people, reaching this threshold requires not only innate talent but also what is known as 'Heavenly Mandate'. Otherwise, even with exceptional comprehension and the ability to comprehend the Heaven-Earth Concept, one might still collapse at the stage of heavenly-earth body penetration, even if they manage to break through the Mystic Gate.

No wonder those who cultivate the complete 'Yin-Yang' or 'Five Elements' to the Grandmaster level are considered 'World-Class Grandmasters' in the Great Proclamation Territory, with nearly ten or more occupying the top ten spots on the Grandmaster Rankings in any given period.

As for the universally recognized number one, once they appear, they are undisputed Grandmasters among Grandmasters—the 'Heaven-Earth Grandmaster'. Such a figure is encountered once in a century, and in the history of the nation, only nine have been born, and currently, none of them remain in the world.

The surging power of heaven and earth continues to pour in.

However, under Chen Mu's perfectly tempered physical body from the previous six realms, he can easily withstand it.

Although there are no further significant changes in the five viscera and six bowels, the skin, muscles, tendons, and bones are all undergoing a transformation.

Martial Body!

This is the physical body cultivated by a Bone Marrow Washing Grandmaster. The difference from the Six Organs Realm is that in the Six Organs Realm, only the 'Five Viscera and Six Bowels' can cultivate Essence Energy. But with the Martial Body, once formed, the skin, muscles, tendons, and bones are all connected, and they can all cultivate Essence Energy. This is why, once the Six Organs Realm breaks through to Bone Marrow Washing, even if it's just the initial cultivation of the Martial Body, the Essence Energy it possesses is at least doubled, reaching a height that can easily overwhelm ordinary Six Organs Realm cultivators.

The Essence Energy, which was originally stored only in the five viscera and six bowels, is now stored in the skin, muscles, tendons, and bones.

The entire body has become an 'Essence Energy Body', and with the enhanced control brought by the Spirit-Body Unity, even at the initial cultivation stage, it surpasses the Six Organs Realm. Only the top experts on the Gale Wind Rankings can barely contend with one or two moves.

"My five viscera and six bowels are all tempered to their limits, and the Essence Energy I possess already surpasses that of many Grandmasters' cultivated Martial Bodies. I wonder what level of Essence Energy my cultivated Heaven-Earth Martial Body can achieve."

Chen Mu's eyes gleamed with anticipation.

Now that he can withstand the heavenly-earth body penetration, cultivating the Martial Body is just a matter of time. Once he has initially cultivated it, he will truly surpass the Bone Marrow Washing realm, entering the seventh realm and becoming a Grandmaster in his own right!

One day,

Two days,

Three days,

...

Time flew by like this until the fourth day, when the heavenly power pouring into his body finally eased. Chen Mu, who had been meditating deep in the mountain cave with his eyes tightly shut, suddenly opened them.

Heaven-Earth Martial Body,

Cultivated!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end