Chapter 76: True Martial Arts and False Martial Arts?

Chapter 76: True Martial Arts and False Martial Arts? (End of Chapter)

"Master, I understand!"

Xu Yan's face lit up with enlightenment. "As long as someone is an enemy, crush them to dust and destroy their soul. We must never show mercy! If they have connections and backers, then after we destroy them, we erase all traces and disassociate ourselves from them. As long as no one knows, we have nothing to worry about!"

This was the experience of wandering through the martial arts world.

Although Master was unfathomable, he obviously couldn't protect his disciples at all times. True strength came from one's own power, and one must be able to deal with all enemies and troubles alone.

Li Xuan nodded silently. His first disciple always seemed to understand the deeper meaning behind his words, and he was very pleased with this.

"Master, I understand too!"

Meng Chong also looked enlightened.

He felt that he had gained some insight as well. Combining his own experiences in the martial world, he now knew how to deal with such enemies.

If he couldn't handle it himself, he would find someone else to take the fall.

As long as the enemy was crushed and their soul destroyed, that was all that mattered.

Just like when he took revenge with Wu Huang, it was clean and decisive, and everyone involved was executed!

Li Xuan was relieved that his second disciple had also understood.

Both disciples were gifted, and he, as their master, was truly proud.

"Master, Xue Wuxin mentioned that the Internal Martial Arts have nine levels of cultivation, with the first level being the Qi Refining Grandmaster, cultivating internal martial arts Qi. But above the Grandmaster level, there is also the Grand Grandmaster level. Why is that different from what you taught us?"

Xu Yan asked, confusion evident on his face.

The martial arts taught by the Master focused on refining the skin, bones, and organs, which belonged to the basic foundation of martial arts and couldn't even be considered the beginning stage. The entry-level of martial arts was the Qi and Blood Realm.

Above the Qi and Blood Realm was the Innate Realm.

The Grandmaster Realm of Internal Martial Arts was similar to the Innate Realm, as practitioners could also fly by riding the Qi. However, instead of cultivating Innate True Qi, they cultivated Internal Martial Arts Qi.

"Master, we are in a remote borderland where the heavenly essence is diminished, and it is said that we cannot cultivate martial artists here. Why is that?"

According to Xue Wuxin, in the borderlands, the heavenly essence was diminished, and the spiritual Qi was violent. The creatures in the borderlands, due to living in an environment devoid of heavenly essence, were unable to sense the existence of spiritual Qi.

As a result, they couldn't rely on spiritual Qi to cultivate martial arts.

The spiritual Qi between heaven and earth had become violent due to the loss of heavenly essence, and it was impossible to introduce this violent Qi into one's body for cultivation.

This was quite different from the martial arts taught by the Master.

Meng Chong nodded in agreement, his face filled with curiosity as well.

Li Xuan sat in his chair, his gaze profound, and instead of answering directly, he asked, "Disciple, how do you think Xue Wuxin fares in terms of strength?"

"He's quite powerful. I almost lost to him, but that was due to my lack of experience. However, he was injured as well."

Xu Yan thought for a moment, assessing Xue Wuxin's strength, and then added, "If I had perfected my Qi and Blood Realm and Xue Wuxin wasn't injured, I believe I wouldn't lose to him, and I might even defeat him."

Li Xuan smiled and said, "You're only at the entry-level of martial arts, the Qi and Blood Realm, while he is already a Grandmaster."

Xu Yan was stunned. Indeed, Xue Wuxin was a Grandmaster of Internal Martial Arts, and he was considered a strong practitioner in the Internal World. In contrast, Xu Yan had just begun his journey in martial arts and was only at the Qi and Blood Realm.

The fact that a beginner in martial arts could rival a Grandmaster made it clear which martial art was truly superior!

In that instant, Xu Yan understood!

The nine levels, eight levels, five levels, three levels, and one level all sounded rather unconvincing.

However, what he cultivated was refining the skin, refining the bones, and refining the organs, causing the tendons and bones to thunder and the Qi and blood to surge powerfully. This sounded far more formidable than the first, third, or even ninth level!

"Master, I understand now. They are cultivating a false martial art!"

Xu Yan exclaimed, enlightened.

"So that's how it is!"

Meng Chong also understood, and his face lit up as he realized, "So it's a false martial art. In that case, the so-called Grandmaster is actually a false Innate Realm practitioner, and their strength is far inferior to a true Innate Realm expert. No wonder he couldn't kill me in one strike!"

Everything made sense now.

Xue Wuxin wasn't cultivating a true martial art, which was why his strength was lacking, and that was why he hadn't been able to kill Meng Chong in one move.

Li Xuan smiled but remained silent. It was his disciples who had come to these realizations on their own, and he certainly hadn't told them that it was a false martial art!

Of course, the martial art he had fabricated had to be superior to the fake and false ones. Whoever was stronger determined the true martial art!

For now, it seemed that the martial art he had created was indeed more powerful.

As for whether it would spark a debate between true and false martial arts in the future, that wasn't something Li Xuan concerned himself with.

"The Qi and Blood Realm should actually correspond to the first, second, and third levels. However, in terms of strength, the Qi and Blood Realm is superior to the upper three levels of the Internal World.

"After all, Xu Yan has a Jade Bone constitution, and his strength far surpasses that of an ordinary Qi and Blood Realm practitioner. That's why he can challenge a Grandmaster from the Internal World. If he had a Golden Bone constitution, he could also rival an Internal World Grandmaster.

"On the other hand, practitioners with Copper Bone or Iron Bone constitutions in the Qi and Blood Realm wouldn't be able to compete with a Grandmaster, but they would still be stronger than the upper three levels of the Internal World."

Li Xuan assessed the strength gap between the two groups in his mind.

In the Internal World, a Qi Refining Grandmaster was undoubtedly much stronger than a first-level practitioner.

"Qi Refining Grandmasters cultivate Internal Martial Arts Qi, but it's just a different name. It can also be called True Qi. The only difference is in the method of cultivation. The True Qi they cultivate is inferior to Innate True Qi in terms of power, purity, and quality.

"Even though I've only just entered the Innate Realm, my strength is not inferior to that of a Grand Grandmaster from the Internal World."

Li Xuan made a comparison and assessment between the two martial arts systems in his mind.

The Qi and Blood Realm corresponded to the upper three levels of the Internal World, but in terms of strength, practitioners in the Qi and Blood Realm were superior.

The Innate Realm, in fact, corresponded to the Qi Refining Grandmaster of the Internal World, as both involved the cultivation of True Qi. However, the Innate True Qi of the Innate Realm was stronger than the Internal Qi of the Internal World Grandmaster, hence the superiority of the Innate Realm.

"With an Iron Bone constitution, a practitioner entering the Innate Realm would have a smaller gap in strength compared to an Internal World Grandmaster. They would be roughly 30-50% stronger than an Internal World Grandmaster.

"But if it were a Copper Bone, Golden Bone, or Jade Bone constitution, the difference would be even more significant."

Of course, there were also varying degrees of strength among Internal World Grandmasters.

However, overall, practitioners in the Innate Realm held the upper hand.

The stronger the constitution of an Innate Realm practitioner, the larger the gap in strength between the two groups.

"In the Internal World, a Grand Grandmaster is already at the peak. Is there an even higher level beyond the Grand Grandmaster?"

Xue Wuxin was a Grandmaster of the Internal Martial Arts and a powerful figure in the Internal World's demonic sect, so he should have a good understanding of the Internal Martial Arts.

"Regardless of whether there is an even higher level beyond the Grand Grandmaster, it doesn't pose a threat to me for the time being. Xu Yan is not far from perfecting his Qi and Blood Realm.

"Once Xu Yan breaks through to the Innate Realm, my strength will increase even further.

"It's about time I come up with the cultivation methods for the realms beyond the Innate Realm. I'll finalize the realms for now, and once Xu Yan breaks through to the Innate Realm, I'll teach him the cultivation methods for the realms beyond."

Li Xuan pondered, concluding that the Internal Martial Arts World didn't pose a significant threat to him.

Having already entered the path of martial arts, Xu Yan belonged to the Qi and Blood Realm of martial artists. The next step in his cultivation would involve absorbing the spiritual qi between heaven and earth to break through to the Innate Realm.

"Master, according to Xue Wuxin, without the heavenly essence to aid in absorbing spiritual qi into the body, won't I be unable to break through to the Innate Realm in the borderlands?" Xu Yan asked with a worried expression.

"That's according to Xue Wuxin and their method of martial arts cultivation. But you're not cultivating the Internal Martial Arts like they do," Li Xuan said, finding his disciple's worry amusing.

"So what if there's no heavenly essence? You use your own body as a bridge to connect with the heavens and the earth. Why would you need the assistance of heavenly essence?" Li Xuan explained.

Xu Yan's eyes lit up as a realization struck him. "I understand now! It's like building a bridge to the heavens!"

To break through to the Innate Realm, one had to connect with the heavens and the earth, using their own body as a bridge to absorb the spiritual qi.

This was the true path of martial arts.

There was no need to rely on external heavenly essence for cultivation!

So, the martial arts cultivated by the Internal Martial Artists must be a false path!

"Good, now you understand," Li Xuan nodded.

He looked up toward the endless mountains and wondered about the Internal World. It should be easier to find talented disciples there, he thought.

Since Xue Wuxin had fled to the borderlands, it wouldn't be long before the Internal World discovered his whereabouts, and perhaps they would send pursuers to the borderlands.

Although the borderlands were unique, and Xue Wuxin could recover by consuming essence blood, other Martial Artists who came here would find their recovery extremely slow if they expended too much energy.

Therefore, other Martial Artists were unlikely to pursue him rashly.

However, Li Xuan believed that there would definitely be some who would come seeking vengeance.

"Since Xue Wuxin came here from the Internal World, there will surely be others who will follow," Li Xuan said.

Xu Yan and Meng Chong were taken aback.

"I will enter the path of martial arts within a month!" Meng Chong declared, clenching his fists with determination.

He didn't want to experience again the humiliation of almost being killed by Xue Wuxin. With that, Meng Chong returned to his cultivation.

He had already broken through the Copper Bone bottleneck and could now refine his bones to Gold Bone, and after that, he would strive for the Diamond Glass Bone.

Xu Yan looked at his master, his eyes resolute. "Master, I want to learn sword techniques!"

Although the Dragon Subduing Palm was powerful, he felt it wasn't enough.

Xue Wuxin's knife skills were formidable and had posed a significant threat during their initial clash.

If he knew sword techniques, he wouldn't have been at a disadvantage.

Li Xuan was not surprised. The first time he saw Xu Yan, he noticed the sword hanging at his waist. Even after cultivating the Dragon Subduing Palm, Xu Yan often carried a sword with him.

It was clear that he favored the sword. And indeed, they had found a precious sword in the Qi Huang Treasury, but Xu Yan hadn't brought it with him on their hasty trip to the capital.

Li Xuan had already made preparations.

He had plans for the cultivation and martial arts techniques he would teach his two disciples.

For Xu Yan, it would be the path of the palm and the sword, unmatched in both!

As for Meng Chong, it would be the path of the knife and the fist, excelling in both with unmatched prowess!

As for other martial skills and techniques, Li Xuan would leave it to his disciples to discover and cultivate on their own.

He would provide them with a framework, and they could fill it with whatever they desired.

When the time came for them to venture into the Internal World, they could absorb the essence of the Internal Martial Arts and incorporate it into their own framework.

Moreover, with knowledge of the Internal Martial Arts, Li Xuan would have a reference point for creating subsequent techniques, making it relatively easier and providing some direction.

However, one thing he had to take seriously was that the cultivation realms he created from then on, no matter what, had to be stronger than the Internal Martial Arts!

Only then could he establish the superiority of the true martial arts that he taught!

"If my martial arts were to spread..." Li Xuan's heart skipped a beat as he realized the implications. It would undoubtedly replace the existing Internal Martial Arts.

This would undoubtedly spark a conflict!

"We mustn't act rashly. We need to be cautious and wait until my disciples become stronger," Li Xuan thought to himself.

Provoking a dispute between true and false martial arts would create a storm too big for him to handle with his current strength.

Moreover, his goal was to create cultivation techniques, find talented disciples, and become stronger himself—to become invincible.

He must not get entangled in disputes that would hinder his path to strength.

"We can start in the borderlands!" Li Xuan formulated a plan.

He would begin promoting his martial arts in the borderlands, and as the strength of the borderlands grew, the locals would venture into the Internal World, gradually spreading his martial arts.

Even if it sparked a dispute, he could remain behind the scenes and watch the storm from a distance.

Naturally, there would be Martial Artists from the borderlands who would defend the martial arts they practiced.

Of course, this was just a rough idea, and whether it could be implemented, and how it would be done, remained uncertain.

The most important thing now was to strengthen himself and help his disciples grow stronger quickly.

Only when his disciples became powerful and successfully cultivated the techniques he created would he reap abundant rewards.

Looking at Xu Yan's eager expression, Li Xuan nodded and said, "Very well, take today to digest your gains from the battle with Xue Wuxin, and come to me tomorrow."

"Yes, Master!" Xu Yan replied excitedly.

"Master, I'll make a trip back to Donghe County!" Xu Yan said. He had left the precious sword he found in the Qi Huang Treasury back home and hadn't brought it with him.

"Mm," Li Xuan nodded.

Xu Yan hurried off.

Li Xuan glanced at Meng Chong, who was immersed in his cultivation, and instructed Stone, who had just returned and was unaware of the recent events: "Prepare Meng Chong's meal."

"Yes, Master!" Stone replied respectfully.

Li Xuan got up from his chair, holding Xue Wuxin's long knife in one hand and the bag he had intentionally left behind in the other, and entered his room.

He set the knife aside; it wasn't an ordinary steel weapon but a treasure that could channel true qi.

Opening the bag, he found a small booklet with blood-red pages. It was clearly not a righteous artifact.

"Xue Wuxin's cultivation technique!" Li Xuan's heart leaped with joy as he discovered the treasure.

He took out the booklet and found two translucent white crystals within the bag. Sensing the spiritual qi emanating from them, he realized, "These must be the spirit stones or spirit crystals of the Internal World!"

Since the Internal World possessed heavenly essence, it stood to reason that there would be stones or crystals that contained spiritual qi.

And these spirit stones or spirit crystals were undoubtedly rare and precious. Despite Xue Wuxin being a Grandmaster Realm Martial Artist, he only had two spirit crystals with him.

He relied on consuming essence blood for healing instead of using the spirit crystals, which explained why he still had them.

Ultimately, spirit crystals were scarce, and even a Martial Artist of Xue Wuxin's caliber didn't have many.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end