Cultivation Divine Art

"Wait a minute, this isn't going to happen! Where did the promised Shan Gu go?"

Chapter 790 Immortal Cultivation Divine Skill

On the arena, Drunken Steps Across the Nine Provinces Xiang Donglai, a core member of the Heavenly Black Martial Arts Club, was dominating an unknown contestant from the Earth Emperor Martial Arts Club.

As can be seen from his title, Xiang Donglai's forte is leg techniques, but they are completely different from Jin Fengjing's leg techniques, which pursue speed. His leg techniques emphasize "power" and "stability". Every time he kicks, the ring shakes, and a hidden force will penetrate the ground to attack the opponent, causing the opponent's feet to go numb and the lower body to lose balance.

If it were only leg techniques, Xiang Donglai wouldn't be enough to be considered a core member alongside Dong Hanwen; at most, he'd be on the same level as Jin Fengjing. But besides leg techniques, he also possesses a powerful set of Mad Lion Fist and the indestructible Iron Head Skill. In particular, his Iron Head Skill has been mastered to an extraordinary level, capable of punching a five-centimeter-thick bronze bell and creating a large hole in it. Not to mention ordinary martial artists, even experts in external martial arts wouldn't dare to take a headbutt from him head-on.

Although the Earth Emperor Martial Arts Club's athletes are struggling to hold on, trying to stall for time and wait for a chance to turn the tide, it's clear to everyone that the outcome of this battle is already decided. Xiang Donglai's offensive is aimed at winning steadily rather than taking risks, so it's difficult for him to find any weaknesses. Moreover, his Internal Cultivation is profound, having reached level thirteen, and his stamina is long-lasting, so he is not afraid of being worn down. If they keep dragging it out, the only ones who will give up will be their opponents.

It's safe to say that unless a miracle occurs or there's some behind-the-scenes manipulation, Heavenly Black University can celebrate ahead of schedule. As a result, some people have already left, including Si Ming.

Players' lounge.

"Single! Lonely! What are you doing? Why aren't you fighting?"

Si Ming kicked the door open and stormed in aggressively.

He initially thought it was the Captain or instructor of the Earth Emperor Martial Arts Club who was deliberately excluding Shan Gu, who had joined midway. However, after asking around, he learned that Shan Gu himself refused to participate in the battle, and no amount of pleading from the instructor could change his mind. So, he went to Shan Gu's house in person to interrogate him.

Looking around, Si Ming quickly found the person. He discovered that Shan Gu was standing on the balcony, his hands on the railing, gazing at the clouds in the sky, lost in thought. Beside him was a bonsai pine tree, which gave off a sense of tranquility. The combination of the person and the object created a feeling of "a mayfly in the vastness of the universe, a grain of millet in the boundless ocean".

Si Ming was taken aback and said, "You're not going to do something drastic that you're thinking of committing suicide, are you? No way, even if you're going to commit suicide, finish this fight with me first."

"Sigh," Shan Gu sighed, turning around and saying, "It's not that I'm being unreasonable; quite the opposite, I've completely come to terms with it."

Si Ming stared intently, and good heavens, what kind of look was that?

This is the gaze of a highly enlightened monk after achieving complete enlightenment!

"The four directions and the space above and below are called the universe, and the past and present are called the cosmos. Compared with this vast universe, humans are but dust and ants. Even if we do something extraordinary, what significance does it have for the entire universe?"

Shan Gu reached out and picked up a falling leaf, continuing in a tone full of vicissitudes, "Scholars always like to use 'earth-shattering,' 'world-shaking,' to describe the shock of something, but the world is so vast, how can a mere human being possibly disturb or overturn it? In the end, it's nothing more than sitting in a well and looking at the sky, or a summer insect talking about ice."

At this moment, his gaze was profound, the air he breathed was melancholic, the temperature of his skin was serene, and he seemed to have merged with heaven and earth, becoming a perpetually rotating star, where a single thought spanned tens of thousands of years. In his eyes, the history of mankind was so insignificant and not worth mentioning.

Si Ming wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said, "This... we've raised the topic too high all of a sudden. We should be more grounded and not aim too high. Always looking up at the stars in the sky can easily lead to a misstep and a fall into a pit."

Shan Gu shook his head and said, "Compared to the eternity of heaven and earth, human life is but a fleeting moment, like a dream or an illusion. What does it matter if one is ambitious and unrealistic, or if one falls into a pit? Of those who are born, how can one escape death? Heaven and earth regard man as man regards ants. The great achievements that people see are nothing more than fighting over a tiny speck of dust. It is truly pathetic and lamentable."

"Human actions may have no meaning to the universe, but they have meaning to ourselves. Therefore, we should cherish ourselves and the present moment. Otherwise, why live at all? Wouldn't it be simpler to just slit our throats and commit suicide?"

"He Huan in living, what fear is there in dying? Living is just sleeping soundly, and dying is just waking up from a dream. It doesn't matter whether it has meaning or not, nor whether it's simple or complex."

Si Ming said impatiently, "Then what's the point of living? You might as well just kill yourself."

"Living is meaningless, and so is seeking death. Zhuang Zhou dreamt he was a butterfly, or the butterfly dreamt Zhuang Zhou —which is real and which is not?" Shan Gu countered. "But if my death brings you joy, Si Ming might as well do it."

"I'm not a psychopath, what's the point of killing you?" Si Ming realized he'd been led astray and quickly steered the conversation back to the point. "I don't care if you want to live or not, and I don't care if you're obsessed with the universe. I just want to witness your Super Martial Dao and test whether my new move can break through your 'Extremely High Potential Barrier.' Hurry up and fight me."

"If that's all there is to it, Si Ming, there's no need to fight me. I've already written down the entire content of the Cultivation Method; you can examine it yourself."

Shan Gu spoke, he took out a secret manual with the words "Great Beginning Transition True Scripture" written on it. It was clear at a glance that it was Cultivation Method of the same level as "Supreme Plain Decay True Scripture Primordial Non-Empty True Scripture".

Si Ming pondered that, according to the classification of the Five Primordial Elements, there should also be two other parts: Taiyi and Taiji. Once all of them were collected, they might trigger a set effect and deduce a supreme scripture.

However, he didn't want that at all. Seeing Shan Gu's current state, who would dare to imitate him? What if they ended up with depression like him?

However, on the other hand, Shan Gu's current state seems to be somewhat different from depression. Nine out of ten people with severe depression will commit suicide, but Shan Gu does not want to commit suicide. He just wants to be depressed quietly by himself, like a stone by the roadside or a blade of grass in the field, not wanting to bother others.

Having seen through the illusions of the world and being free from desires, this is Shan Gu's current State of Mind. In Si Ming's view, this is more terrifying than the "Supreme Plain Decay True Scripture" which makes people irritable and easily angered, or the "Heat Death Tome" which makes people believe in the Principle of the jungle.

Unless one is Daoist School who seeks a state of tranquility, non-action, and natural harmony, and State of Mind aligns with this, one can achieve "non-action yet accomplish everything," allowing one's cultivation to grow rapidly without conscious effort. For martial artists from other schools, being without desires and ambitions means losing their drive and settling for mediocrity. Si Ming has no intention of giving up his love for martial arts.

"What would I do with your Cultivation Method? I just want to fight you... Alright, judging from your current state, there's no point in winning. I'll compromise then. Quickly unleash your 'Extremely High Potential Barrier' so I can test if my ultimate move can break through it."

"I see. Then it's even simpler. I'll just promise Si Ming that I will never teach this Cultivation Method to anyone else. Since I'm the only one in the world who knows 'Extremely High Potential Barrier,' and I'm not going against Si Ming, then whether or not I can break through 'Extremely High Potential Barrier' is meaningless. Let's just assume that I can." Shan Gu rubbed his hands together, crushing the manual into pieces.

"This is so annoying! If reasoning won't work, let's just use our fists!"

Si Ming grew impatient and threw a punch straight at Shan Gu's face, filled with boundless killing intent, aiming to smash the other's head with a single blow.

However, Shan Gu stood motionless, his eyes clear as a lake, showing neither fear nor anger, as if he truly did not care about his own life and could easily give it up.

Finally, Si Ming's fist stopped at the tip of Shan Gu's nose, and a violent gust of wind howled out, blowing Shan Gu's hair back like a hedgehog, with the residual force extending for a hundred meters.

"It seems you've truly become indifferent to everything. That doesn't make sense. The last time I saw you, you clearly had a lot of fighting spirit, and I heard you fought for the Earth Emperor University a few times. How did you suddenly become so enlightened?"

Si Ming felt suspicious. His gaze fell on the scattered fragments on the ground, and he suddenly guessed, "You haven't been practicing this Cultivation Method these past few days, have you?"

Shan Gu nodded and sighed, "Thanks to these past few days of cultivation, the confusion that has been troubling me has finally been dispelled. I've discovered how vast the world is, how insignificant human beings are, and how ridiculous the struggles between people are."

He gave a smile, but to Si Ming, it was uglier than a cry; it was merely a gesture of moving the muscles around his mouth to resemble a smile.

Si Ming was utterly speechless. This guy had diligently cultivated the "Great Beginning Transition True Scripture" in order to duel him, but when he broke through the bottleneck, the side effects of the Cultivation Method intensified, thus extinguishing his desire to fight—what kind of tragic plot was this!

As a School of Fiction, Si Ming recalled many similar plots, such as male protagonists who, in order to protect the woman they love, do not hesitate to cultivate Devil Cultivation Method, but end up losing their memories and forgetting who they should be protecting; and the main villains in some games who originally pursued great power to protect their families, but ended up losing themselves, forgetting their past, and becoming slaves to power.

"This is so melodramatic!"

Si Ming sighed, knowing that further pressure was futile. The other party seemed to have ascended to immortality and would no longer care about the struggles of mortals. He could only place his hopes on the future and said, "How about this? I have an Internal Cultivation method called 'Blazing Yang Battle Art.' I'll recite it to you now. Remember it and practice it slowly when you get back. Whenever you want to spar with me, you can come find me."

Shan Gu shook his head and said, "I know Si Ming means well, but it's not necessary. Perhaps you think I'm currently Qi Deviation, terminally ill, and my mind is clouded by the Cultivation Method, but in my opinion, it's you who can't see through the illusions of the mortal world and are trapped in them, unable to extricate yourselves. You are the ones who truly need to be saved."

Since breaking through that bottleneck that day, my mind has been at unprecedented peace. I feel liberated and my spirit has been elevated. I understand what it means to be "not elated by external gains nor saddened by personal losses." Isn't this the magnanimous spirit that the ancients admired?