Chapter 6: The Foundation of Martial Arts

Chapter 6: The Foundation of Martial Arts

Yang Yan opened his eyes, his gaze filled with suspicion as he surveyed the disciples before him.

He had just used his spiritual power to scan his surroundings, only to find that someone had disappeared into thin air.

This meant that someone had evaded his spiritual probing.

Either the other person's spiritual realm was not inferior to his own, or they had retreated into the spiritual ocean.

The former was almost impossible, but the latter...

Could it be that Yang Yao had broken through?

The spiritual ocean, also known as the spiritual wilderness or the spiritual network, was the ultimate destination of martial arts, hailed as the second world of martial cultivators.

Yang Yan's gaze finally settled on Ji Jingqiu.

Ji Jingqiu seemed to be in a state between sleep and wakefulness, his breathing slow and steady.

Yang Yan's spiritual probe reached out, and in the spiritual resonance, he found nothing where Ji Jingqiu was sitting.

At this moment, what he saw before him and what he sensed through his spirit formed a stark contrast.

His expression gradually turned solemn.

This was not something that could be explained by mere meditation...

Could this boy be the one rumored to possess extraordinary talent?

He stared at Ji Jingqiu for a long time, as if sensing something, his eyes deepening, and a hint of concern appeared in his gaze.

...

The hands on the wall moved in unison.

Zhang Xingshan was the first to awaken among those present.

The first thing he did upon opening his eyes was to look at the clock on the wall.

"One hour and forty minutes. Your blood energy is weak, and this is the time you've been in meditation. In the future, I'll guide you a few more times, and you'll master meditation, focusing on the duration," Yang Yan's voice entered his ears, filled with the kindness and expectation of an elder.

Zhang Xingshan's face lit up with joy. Meditation was the first threshold in martial arts.

But he soon noticed that among those present, he was the first to awaken!

Even Luo Xi and the other disciple of the same age had awakened later than him!

The joy in his heart diminished, and he took a deep breath to suppress his emotions.

This wasn't an exam, but it might as well have been.

In this situation, the later one awakened, the deeper their initial meditation, and the higher the likelihood of future independent meditation!

And in this session, he had already lost to Ji Jingqiu and Luo Xi.

Time passed slowly.

One by one, the disciples in the martial arts academy awakened.

Luo Xi was the fourth to awaken, which surprised Yang Yan.

From their previous reactions, this girl's spiritual strength seemed to be on par with Zhang Xingshan's, but on her first meditation, she had surpassed his two disciples.

In the past, this would have been a pleasant surprise.

But today...

At Yang Yan's silent signal, everyone stood up, tiptoeing in the darkness, and left the room.

Along the way, everyone was in tacit agreement, turning back every few steps, their gazes falling on the 【Tiger Devouring Saber Diagram】 bathed in a sliver of sunlight, as if pondering something, yet feeling like they hadn't grasped anything, an itch in their hearts.

Zhang Xingshan and Luo Xi's gazes, however, kept unconsciously shifting away.

Looking into the darkness, their backs to the 【Tiger Devouring Saber Diagram】.

It was as if the Middle Rank Visualization Diagram on the wall had lost its fragrance.

Currently, the only one still in a meditative state was Ji Jingqiu, who had entered seclusion alongside Yang Yao and Yang Yan.

...

The twilight seeped through the window's cracks, falling onto the wooden floor.

The purifying incense had long since burned out, leaving only a few wisps of lingering fragrance in the room.

After Yang Yao left, Yang Yan stared at the clock on the wall, lost in thought.

It had been over four hours, and this boy still showed no signs of emerging from meditation.

How long would they have to wait...

Yang Yan coughed softly, his spiritual disturbance awakening Ji Jingqiu.

A moment later, Ji Jingqiu emerged from his meditation, slowly opening his eyes.

Yang Laoguanzhu sat before him, while the other disciples had already left, leaving only the two of them.

In Yang Yan's sunken eyes, a deep and wise light shone, and he spoke directly:

"Jingqiu, let me call you that for now—"

"Before coming here today, you've already mastered a visualization method and entered meditation, right?"

Ji Jingqiu paused, opting for limited concealment: "Yes, I was fortunate enough to master a visualization method not long ago, but I have no concept of martial arts cultivation, so I came to the martial arts academy to seek guidance on the specific cultivation method for this visualization."

He didn't hide the fact that he had mastered a visualization method, but he didn't reveal which method it was.

He had already sensed that the visualization diagram seemed to be an extremely precious thing.

Fortunate...

Yang Yan silently chewed on these three words in his heart.

It was a bit embarrassing to say.

He hinted to Zhang Xingshan and Luo Xi to bring the purifying incense earlier, just a casual suggestion.

His true intention was to use this first meditation experience to impress upon Ji Jingqiu the difficulty of spiritual cultivation, to warn him against being overly ambitious, and to focus on the basics, emphasizing that practicing martial arts was the right path.

But now, he still needed to convey these words, just in a different way, and the reason for doing so was completely opposite to his initial intention.

Master Yang spoke in a deep voice, "From today onwards, you need to temporarily set aside your mental cultivation and fully focus on your foundation stance. Forge your physical body and strive to open your pulse as soon as possible!"

"Please guide me, Master Yang," Ji Jingqiu replied, his face filled with confusion.

For him, mental cultivation was the key to alleviating suffering, but Master Yang was asking him to put it aside and focus on his foundation stance instead. Wasn't this putting the cart before the horse?

Master Yang sighed, "Rootless tree, lone flower, solitary meditation, breath turns dry."

"In today's martial cultivation, both physical and spiritual cultivation are essential. But your spiritual cultivation has far surpassed your physical body, which is incredibly weak. This is a dangerous sign."

"Throughout history, there have been many geniuses like you who have had smooth progress in mental cultivation. They see a falling leaf and know that the year is about to end, but they become obsessed and sit in meditation, attempting to comprehend the great Dao of heaven and earth. However, most end up losing themselves in the vast world, meditating until death."

Ji Jingqiu felt a bit ashamed. Could he really be considered a genius? He just happened to have an unexpected affinity with the mental cultivation method.

"Master Yang, when you say 'set aside,' do you mean to stop all activities related to mental cultivation?" Ji Jingqiu asked after some thought.

Yang Yan pondered for a moment and replied gently, "Can you tell me why you are so attached to mental cultivation? In martial cultivation, while mental cultivation is undoubtedly important, it is just one aspect. The foundation lies in our physical bodies, which are the true vessels for crossing the sea of life."

"I have a disease," Ji Jingqiu said.

"..." Yang Yan was rarely at a loss.

If it weren't for Ji Jingqiu's sincere tone, he would have suspected the young man was making fun of him.

"I'm a patient of Nete Poison Syndrome, and I recently discovered that mental cultivation can alleviate the pain during an episode," Ji Jingqiu explained.

Yang Yan's eyebrows twitched. "You have Nete Poison Syndrome?!" He grabbed Ji Jingqiu's arm, disbelief in his voice, "How have you managed to survive until now?"

With the gene-editing craze 120 years ago, Yang Yan was well aware of what the term "Nete Poison Syndrome" represented.

"I guess I just didn't want to die," Ji Jingqiu replied with a smile, his tone light as if he were joking.

He didn't take this opportunity to share his hardships or the struggles he had endured over the years.

Some hardships were best left unspoken.

Yang Yan fell silent for a moment, his gaze fixed on the young man before him.

The young man's face showed no signs of deep resentment or self-pity. He sat there calmly, his expression serene and his eyes clear.

As Yang Yan took in the young man's smile, he released his hand, feeling a strange sense of emotion.

"I see," he said softly.

It seemed he had found the answer to some questions, but he was still shocked and confused.

Suffering could indeed temper a person and strengthen their spirit, but this was not a reason for Ji Jingqiu to easily enter concentration and ignite his heart flame.

Mental cultivation was not just about enduring hardships but also about "guarding one's true nature" and "seeing through suffering."

The latter two were the keys to spiritual transformation.

Throughout history, disasters have been countless, and during times of calamity, countless humans have been displaced and faced life-threatening situations. Yet, how many have truly understood the mysteries of life and achieved sudden enlightenment? In the annals of history, those who have achieved such feats are few and far between.

Take Yang Yan himself, who had practiced martial arts for over a hundred years, and all he had achieved was the ability to sit in firm meditation. He wasn't sure if he would ever reach the realm of firm meditation in this lifetime.

After a long silence, Yang Yan suddenly spoke, "Since you've made it this far, it seems that heaven has not abandoned you. I will show you two paths, and you can completely free yourself from the shackles of Nete Poison Syndrome!"

Ji Jingqiu immediately sat up straight, his face turning solemn.

Yang Yan raised his first finger and spoke sternly, "The path of martial cultivation is like a river. Ordinary people flow downstream, while geniuses soar upstream.

In the Body Forging Realm, if you can open the Heavenly-Human Gate and break through the Five Heavenly-Human Limits, you will be qualified to challenge the reversal of the innate!"

An ancient saying goes, 'My fate is not determined by heaven but by myself.' The reversal of the innate is a fundamental transformation of the innate constitution, and even Nete Poison Syndrome can be eliminated in an instant.

"How difficult is this path?" Ji Jingqiu asked, his eyes burning with determination.

"As difficult as ascending to heaven!" Yang Yan replied without hesitation.

"The Five Heavenly-Human Limits are the ultimate challenge in the Body Forging Realm, as well as the current limit of martial theory!"

"And the reversal of the innate is the ultimate foundation in the True Seed Realm!"

"Only martial geniuses can break through these two barriers!"

Ji Jingqiu fell silent for a moment before asking, "What about the second path?"

"Embryonic Breathing! Above firm meditation lies Embryonic Breathing!"

"This step can also bring about a fundamental transformation from the innate. But it is only achievable by those with heaven-endowed talent, who have the hope of reaching it!"

"Jingqiu, these two paths do not conflict. You've endured the hell of your birth, so why settle for a mediocre life? You have talent, so why not explore the vast and lofty realms above?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end