Chapter 300: No Longer a Rising Talent
Chapter 300: No Longer a Rising Talent
"Is this the ultimate Heaven-Earth Martial Body?"
Chen Mu slowly stood up in the mountain cave.
The cave he had created was just large enough to accommodate his body, but after his skin, muscles, tendons, and bones underwent complete transformation and metamorphosis, thoroughly becoming the Heaven-Earth Martial Body, his physique became even more robust. His head now just barely touched the rock ceiling.
Chen Mu clenched his fist.
He felt the surging Primordial Energy coursing through his entire body.
When he was at the Six Viscera Realm, he had to rely on the circulation of internal energy within the Five Viscera and Six Bowels to mobilize the Primordial Energy. But now, his entire body was filled with Essence Energy, and every movement he made carried immense power.
If he were to go all out, the vast Primordial Energy he could harness and control would be at least 120 'portions' or more!
Such a level of Primordial Energy was indeed terrifying.
His master, Qin Meng Jun, had once mentioned when assessing his Grandmaster-level strength, that even a top-tier Grandmaster like her, when combining her Martial Body and its corresponding domain, could only harness power equivalent to 120 portions.
In other words,
Chen Mu's current Heaven-Earth Martial Body alone was already on par with the strength of a top-tier Grandmaster!
To be more precise, if he were to spar with Qin Meng Jun again, his newly formed Heaven-Earth Martial Body would be sufficient to forcefully suppress her, and he might not even need to utilize the Heaven-Earth Concept.
The reason is simple. The 120 portions of power achievable solely through the Martial Body is fundamentally different from the 120 portions achievable through the combination of the Martial Body and its domain. It's like one person being able to shatter rocks with their bare fists, while another needs to wield a heavy hammer to achieve the same result. Even if the outcome is the same, the person who can shatter rocks with their fists could easily overpower the one holding the hammer.
Martial artists start their journey by toughening their skin and flesh, then gradually sensing the Heaven-Earth in their Five Viscera and Six Bowels, breaking through the Mysterious Gate to merge with Heaven-Earth, and finally reaching Blood Transformation. They return everything to their body, concentrating power within themselves. This is the path of the Martial Dao.
Although Chen Mu's Heaven-Earth Martial Body is only in its initial stages, his Five Viscera and Six Bowels have been thoroughly refined, making his Inner Heaven-Earth nearly flawless. The condensed Heaven-Earth Martial Body already hints at the ability to embrace all things and assimilate myriad techniques, a level usually only achieved in the Blood Transformation Realm.
Chen Mu feels an indescribable sense of liberation in his heart.
Finally,
He has reached this step.
"With the power of my current Heaven-Earth Concept, even if my Heaven-Earth Martial Body is only in its initial stages, it should still far surpass those top-tier Grandmasters and approach the level of a World-Class Grandmaster."
World-Class Grandmaster.
There is no such existence in the eleven states of the Cold Northern Path at present.
Even the abbot of Lifeless Temple, the top-ranked Grandmaster in the Cold Northern Path, Dharmahong, doesn't qualify as a World-Class Grandmaster. Only those who cultivate the Yin-Yang Martial Body or other supreme Martial Bodies and comprehend their corresponding domains can be considered for this title.
Currently, in the entire Great Proclamation, spanning ninety-nine states, there are only ten such individuals, occupying the top ten spots on the Great Proclamation Grandmaster Rankings. Interestingly, none of them are from the eleven states of the Cold Northern Path.
This doesn't mean that the Cold Northern Path's overall strength is inferior to the other paths. In fact, apart from the Central Plains where the capital is located, which stands in a league of its own, the other eight paths are relatively balanced in terms of overall power. The numbers of Blood Transformation and Bone Marrow Washing experts are quite similar, and the rarity of World-Class Grandmasters is understandable, as there might be periods when none exist.
In the Cold Northern Path at present, aside from Chen Mu, the only one with the potential to become a World-Class Grandmaster is Zuo Qianqiu, the once-in-a-century heir of the Heavenly Sword. If he can cultivate the Heavenly Sword domain and integrate it into his path, he will undoubtedly approach the World-Class Grandmaster level.
Chen Mu isn't sure how strong a World-Class Grandmaster is.
After all, he currently has no reference points, and Qin Meng Jun is only a top-tier Grandmaster.
According to various records, a World-Class Grandmaster's strength far surpasses that of a top-tier Grandmaster. Even if five or six top-tier Grandmasters like Qin Meng Jun were to join forces, they would often struggle to defeat a World-Class Grandmaster. These Grandmasters even have the ability to force Blood Transformation experts to retreat.
"I wonder how a battle between me and a World-Class Grandmaster would turn out... But as long as I don't leave the Cold Northern Path, I'm unlikely to encounter such a figure."
Chen Mu's heart momentarily swells with a sense of pride, wanting to test his strength against a World-Class Grandmaster. However, he quickly suppresses this thought, as whether he matches or falls slightly short against a World-Class Grandmaster, surpassing them is only a matter of time. After all, his Heaven-Earth Martial Body has only just been 'initially formed.'
For most Grandmasters, cultivating the Martial Body takes at least two to three decades, a lengthy process. Therefore, they have loosely defined progress stages as 'Initial,' 'Minor,' 'Major,' and 'Complete.'
The gaps between these stages aren't significant, but when accumulated, the overall strength at the 'Complete' stage is at least twice as powerful as the 'Initial' stage, which is just after Bone Marrow Washing.
While Heaven-Earth Grandmasters are known as 'invincible among Grandmasters,' throughout history, they have often achieved this status by first refining their Martial Body to completion and then cultivating the Heaven-Earth Domain.
However, Chen Mu doesn't need to follow this path.
His foundation and roots are incredibly robust and solid. Once he comprehends the Heaven-Earth Domain, he will be able to reach that level, or even by advancing his Heaven-Earth Martial Body a few more steps, he might surpass the historical Heaven-Earth Grandmasters.
Chen Mu remains calm about these prospects, as he has been aware since stepping onto the path of Heaven-Earth that he would be the strongest in its history. Not only would he surpass the historical Heaven-Earth Grandmasters, but even the founding emperor of the Great Proclamation would be no match for him in a direct confrontation.
He stands at a height unattainable by ordinary mortals.
Chen Mu's thoughts stir, and he summons the system panel.
[Martial Path: Heaven-Earth Concept (Step 2)]
[Experience: 9724 points]
[Available Simulations: 0 times]
As he expected, during the previous breakthrough of the Mysterious Gate, when he briefly comprehended the merging of Heaven-Earth, he gained over 6,000 experience points. Combined with his previous accumulation, he is now very close to having enough for another simulation.
Chen Mu continues to scroll down the system panel, past the Six Viscera line that has reached its limit, and finally sees the newly appeared black text, displayed before his eyes.
Martial Body: Heaven-Earth (Initial Stage)
Experience: 17 points
"The cultivation of the Martial Body and the Five Viscera and Six Bowels is finally different."
Chen Mu looked at the description on the system panel, feeling quite clear about it. He had prior knowledge of Martial Body cultivation and knew it was a process of accumulation. However, since he had already cultivated the 'Impermeable Body', the Essence Energy accumulated from absorbing and expelling Heavenly Primordial Energy would not be lost or leaked, but stored within his flesh. Once it reached a certain level, it would lead to a transformation.
However, the cultivation of the Martial Body was even more time-consuming than the combined years required for the Five Viscera and Six Bowels realms. For ordinary Grandmasters, it would take two to three decades to reach perfection, and that was with the assistance of spirit materials or special environmental conditions. If one relied solely on absorbing and expelling Heavenly Primordial Energy in seclusion, it would take much longer.
This also involved the depth of a sect's foundation.
Before reaching perfection in Martial Body cultivation, Martial Grandmasters would either cultivate within their sect or venture to the outer seas and the Great Wilderness to seek resources for their own use. As a result, they often remained elusive in the secular world.
Chen Mu tested the cost of advancing his Heaven-Earth Martial Body.
The system panel indicated a requirement of 3,000 experience points.
Not too much, not too little.
According to his estimation, if he secluded himself in this mountain for a year or two, it would probably take more than a year to accumulate these 3,000 experience points, which was a bit lengthy, especially with many small stages ahead.
If he returned to the Seven Mysteries Sect and utilized the Heaven-Earth Dragon Lock Array to temper his Martial Body, the efficiency would undoubtedly be much faster. However, currently, compared to Martial Body cultivation, his Heaven-Earth Concept was also very close to the limit of the second step.
Chapter 69 End
"It's time to go back."
Chen Mu took a light breath.
After careful consideration, he decided that for the time being, he would primarily focus on comprehending the Heaven-Earth Concept, while also tending to his Martial Body cultivation. On the one hand, his Martial Body had already formed, and a small stage transformation couldn't be considered a qualitative change. Only by entering the domain level in the Heaven-Earth Concept would there be a significant transformation.
On the other hand, he didn't feel that the Seven Mysteries Sect was entirely safe. Using the Heaven-Earth Dragon Lock Array to assist in body tempering had its advantages and disadvantages. Qin Meng Jun's encounter still lingered in his mind, and he believed that cultivation should prioritize stability. After all, he had already achieved the Grandmaster realm.
Additionally,
The Heaven-Earth environment in Ice Prefecture held many profound mysteries for him to comprehend, which could aid in his cultivation of the Heaven-Earth Concept.
After settling on his plans, Chen Mu didn't rush back. Instead, he stayed in the mountain cave to consolidate his progress and calm his aura. Only when his aura became completely tranquil and returned to normal, without any fluctuations, did he finally rise.
He took a step towards the rock wall, and his body silently merged into the rock layer, as if walking through soft mud. In a moment, he had returned outside the mountain.
The snowy mountain was blanketed in frost.
A woodcutter was carrying an axe and a bamboo basket, chopping firewood from scattered trees.
Suddenly, he paused, seeing Chen Mu emerge silently from the mountain wall not far away. Chen Mu took a few steps and completely disappeared, leaving no trace on the snowy ground.
"Huh?"
The woodcutter was stunned, blinking in disbelief. He rubbed his eyes, but only saw the snowy landscape, and Chen Mu was nowhere to be found.
He was taken aback and subconsciously walked towards the rock wall. When he touched it, he felt the cold, solid surface of the thick rock wall, with no openings.
"I must be seeing ghosts."
The woodcutter looked at the ground, seeing only his own footprints. He felt a chill down his spine, remembering the village rumors about the widespread presence of demonic beings and disasters in Frost County. He became fearful and dared not continue chopping firewood, instead fleeing in a panic.
...
Unknowingly, Chen Mu had inadvertently sparked another 'Mountain Ghost' story. After leaving the mountain forest, he made his way back to Frost Northern County.
From the time he left Frost Northern County to cultivating the Six Internal Organs, breaking through the Mystic Gate, and tempering his Martial Body, the entire process took about ten days. During these ten days, the formation chess pieces he carried with him hadn't signaled any emergencies, which was probably the best outcome.
Not long after.
Chen Mu appeared outside the county government of Cold Northern County. He approached the city step by step, his gaze falling on a corner of the city wall where many people were working in the cold to repair the damaged section.
He remembered that this damage was caused when he knocked the White Feather Demon Sovereign Xian Yu Chen down from the clouds.
The repairs were almost complete, and Chen Mu looked up for a while before quietly entering the city. He walked silently along the streets, each step covering dozens of zhang without making a sound, while the passersby seemed unable to perceive his presence.
He continued like this until he entered the inner city of the county government. Only then did Chen Mu slow his steps, and his gaze shifted slightly to a side street where there was a beautifully decorated bookstore. He saw a new notice posted outside the bookstore.
"Gale Wind Rankings Redefined?"
A faint light flashed in Chen Mu's eyes because, according to the timing, it shouldn't be the right time to redefine the Gale Wind Rankings.
In truth, Chen Mu no longer cared about his ranking on the Gale Wind Rankings. However, he guessed that the Horizon Pavilion had redefined the rankings ahead of schedule due to his involvement. So, he entered the bookstore and picked up a scroll of the new Gale Wind Rankings.
Chen Mu entered the bookstore boldly and took a scroll from the bookshelf, but the bookstore owner seemed completely unaware of his presence, even yawning.
"Third place..."
Chen Mu flipped through a couple of pages and found his name, then shook his head slightly, feeling a bit sentimental.
When he first learned about the Gale Wind Rankings, he only knew that Yan Jing Qing was a high-ranking expert, a grand figure as the Jade Province's Inspector General. For the Chen Mu of those days, he was someone to look up to, and it had only been a few years since then.
Now, as he looked at the Gale Wind Rankings again, his mindset and perspective had changed significantly. Although his name was still on the Gale Wind Rankings, he had already transcended the Gale Wind Rankings after taking the step of Marrow Washing.
Perhaps, in the outside world, many people were still wondering when he would reach the top of the Gale Wind Rankings.
(End of Chapter)
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