On the Self-Cultivation of Martial Artists

Practicing Internal Cultivation by looking at paintings?

Zhao Donglai had never heard of such a method, but considering the other party's unfathomable identity, it might be some kind of cultivation secret technique. After thinking about it, he still told his daughter to hide the painting well and not let others see it.

As for the nonsense about quickly developing a sense of qi, he naturally didn't take it seriously. His daughter had only been practicing for two days at most, and she wasn't some peerless genius. How could she possibly master internal Internal Cultivation so quickly?

However, there's no need to say such things and dampen enthusiasm. Back when he first started learning Internal Cultivation, he felt like he was about to develop True Qi in the first few days, and this vague feeling lasted for three months.

The next morning, Zhao Donglai had just finished washing up when he saw his daughter running towards him excitedly, saying, "Dad, I've mastered Qi!"

Zhao Donglai frowned, thought about it carefully for a moment, and said in a heavy tone, "Daughter, you may have a hernia."

Chapter 336 On the Self-Cultivation of Martial Arts Practitioners

Inside the carriage, Si Ming drank another bowl of medicinal soup. After circulating his internal energy and regulating his breathing, he frowned and said, "This isn't working. The effects of the medicine are getting worse and worse. My Cultivation Body is only a little over 10% of what it used to be. If this continues, when will I ever regain my former glory?"

Cultivation Body) is different from Internal Cultivation). Cultivation Body simply refers to Qi Essence (Qi Essence and Jing Essence (精元). As for Foundation), it is the sum of Jing, Qi, and Shen Yuan (精气神三元). However, since there are very few cultivation methods involving Spirit Essence (神元), Cultivation Body is often equivalent to Foundation.

Si Ming's current situation is that the defensive capabilities of the Jade-Clad Dharma Body are still intact, but his physical condition is still very poor, and his Internal Cultivation is all used to resist the Power of Anomalies. In other words, in online game terms, his armor is very thick, but his health and Law Power are very low.

Hongdou suggested, "Why don't you go and soak up some sun?"

Si Ming shook his head and said, "For my current cultivation level, sunbathing is too inefficient; the amount of True Qi I generate is negligible. In comparison, eliminating Anomalies is much more efficient. Logically speaking, this world should be the lair of the Anomalies army, so why can't I find out anything about Anomalies?"

Si Jingyu said, "There are three possibilities. The first is that, like in the Nation of Beauty, news of Anomalies occurrences has been blocked by the higher-ups. The second is that there aren't many Anomalies occurrences, at least not enough to affect most people's lives, so few people know about them. The third is that Sister Hongdou's spatial teleportation technique moved us to a world without Anomalies."

"If it's the third scenario, then I'll be waiting forever to recover my Cultivation Body."

Si Ming sighed and turned his gaze to his right hand, "This hand of mine contains powerful energy, but unfortunately I don't know how to activate it."

The right hand sealing powerful energy is practically a setting from a classic shonen manga. Si Ming pondered whether he should try each method one by one, just like in the manga. If he succeeded with just one, he wouldn't even need to fully unleash it; just letting a little bit leak out would immediately resolve their current predicament. He clearly remembered just how enormous the evil energy that hand had swallowed was.

The Blazing Sun True Qi is inherently capable of suppressing Power of Anomalies. It was only because of the vast difference in their cultivation levels that the situation of "fierce fire boiling water" occurred. If there were just a little more water, the fire could easily be extinguished.

Si Jingyu lazily waved her goose feather fan and said slowly, "We'll know the specifics soon enough. If I'm not mistaken, someone will come looking for you tonight."

That evening, as expected, someone came looking for Si Ming. It was Liang Zhenhuan, whom Si Jingyu had described as "shrewd but unfortunately limited by his vision, and unlikely to amount to much in the future."

"Young Master Sima, I apologize for my intrusion in visiting so late at night."

Liang Zhenhuan bowed respectfully, showing that he had received a good education in his childhood, unlike the rough men of the Origin Return Sect.

Si Ming waved his hand and said, "Let's skip the formalities. I'm not one for complicated rituals. So, what do you need me for?"

While carefully observing Si Ming's expression, Liang Zhenhuan carefully chose his words and said, "I noticed that you seem to be unwell, young master. Although I am just an unknown nobody, even petty thieves have their uses. I wonder if there is anything I can do to help you, young master."

His tone was humble, but not obsequious. Moreover, he used the terms "young master" instead of "sir" and "this humble one" instead of "this lowly one," which made him appear neither servile nor arrogant.

With Si Jingyu's reminder, Si Ming could easily guess the purpose of this guy's visit. He had seen Si Shuiyun's superb skills and noticed Zhao Xiaohui's generous spending, so he wanted to get some guidance on martial arts.

To be honest, Si Ming didn't dislike this kind of person; he even admired them somewhat. The others had also witnessed the events of the day; weren't they all tempted?

As a result, only Liang Zhenhuan took action, while others hesitated due to various concerns. The first person to dare to take the plunge always deserves praise.

Martial arts training is different from other professions. It emphasizes "no second place in martial arts," courage, and continuous improvement. It requires a fighting spirit and ambition. The Confucian School "Doctrine of the Mean" is not suitable for martial arts practitioners. If you have no desire and no ambition, what's the point of practicing martial arts? Wouldn't it be better to cultivate Daoism and meditate? Wouldn't it be wonderful to generate electricity from home?

"As you can see, I am seriously injured. To escape my enemies, I fled here from a faraway place. As a result, I am unfamiliar with this place and don't know much about the situation, so I can't use my skills. If you are willing, please tell me some common sense about the martial arts world and local customs."

Liang Zhenhuan nodded. Although he had doubts about this explanation, he did not show it at all, nor did he say anything more, and began to tell what information he knew.

According to him, this world is the southern Barbarian Continent, and most of the land of the Barbarian Continent is covered with miasma, which is not suitable for human habitation. Only a small piece of land is relatively fertile, so people built their homes on this land and have multiplied to this day.

"A small piece" refers to the proportion. Since Barbarian Continent is large enough, this small piece of land is also 80 million square kilometers. Due to the backward transportation system, this land implements a feudal system, with numerous large and small vassal states, all paying homage to the nominal Xu Dynasty emperor.

Of course, these court affairs have nothing to do with martial arts practitioners. In their eyes, there is no country, only the martial arts world. After all, everyone is Huaxia, and there is no room for nationalism.

"If the ruler is not righteous, the ministers will defect to another country" is common sense here. Patriotism is not very popular. After all, there is still the Xu Dynasty above the vassal states, even if it is just a figurehead. But if we talk about patriotism, the Xu Dynasty is undoubtedly more orthodox. The vassal states are not stupid, so they will not shoot themselves in the foot.

Based on geographical location, the martial arts world of the Barbarian Continent is divided into the Eastern Martial World, the Western Martial World, Southern Martial World. As for the north, it is a desert with sparse population. Although there are also sand people living there, they have long been isolated from the Central Plains, and people do not know much about them. Therefore, they do not recognize it as part of the same system.

Each of the three major martial arts worlds has a sacred martial arts site: the Evil-Slaying Sword Sect in the Eastern Martial World, the Glazed Temple in the Southern Martial World Western Martial World, and the Six Paths Temple in the Western Martial Arts World. Si Ming and his companions are currently located in the Western Martial World.

How are the skill levels of martial arts practitioners generally classified?

Si Ming asked the most crucial question: he wanted to understand the power system of this world—was it so powerful that one had to act subservient, or so weak that one could roam freely?

Liang Zhenhuan looked visibly confused, clearly finding this to be a matter of common sense. After a moment's thought, he said, "I've never heard Master mention this before. I suppose there's no clear distinction. After all, you only know someone's skill level after a fight."

Si Ming, "There must be some conceptual distinction, right? For example, some people you can tell at a glance that you can't win. Or, how are first-rate, second-rate, and third-rate players distinguished?"

Hearing this, Liang Zhenhuan understood and said, "The worst are the little-known masters, whose names are unknown and unheard of, belonging to the third tier; next are the slightly famous masters, like my master, who are known to everyone in Pingyuan Commandery; then come the first-rate masters of the martial arts world, whose fame resounds throughout the land, and who are treated as honored guests wherever they go; above them are the supreme masters, whose names are known throughout the martial arts world, such as the leaders of major sects; the most powerful are the Grandmaster, who, even if you add up the three major martial arts worlds together, would not exceed ten people, and whose names are known from the emperor to the old farmer."

Si Ming nodded slightly; he understood what was going on.

Simply put, there are five levels: expert, renowned expert, first-rate expert, top expert, and Grandmaster. In reality, the distinctions are somewhat blurred and cannot be clearly defined, unlike some online novels that clearly categorize experts as "unranked, third-rate, second-rate, and first-rate."

If you think about it a little, it becomes clear: in the world of business, face is everything. Mutual flattery is a basic obligation; how can you openly slap someone in the face?

Just like in later generations, any woman can be called a beauty, even if she is not very good-looking, or even a little ugly. You still have to compliment her with "beauty". It is the same in the martial arts world. Anyone who is in the martial arts world has to be called a "master" and complimented with "I have heard so much about you", even if you have never heard of the other person's name.

Besides "beautiful woman," there are other compliments for women such as "goddess," "school beauty," "national goddess," and "beauty that appears once in four thousand years." Even if a woman is not truly among the top in the country, she is still quite beautiful; it's just a matter of different aesthetic standards.

The same applies to martial arts practitioners; those who can be called "top masters," even if they don't live up to the name, often have exceptional skills in some aspect.

As for the "third-rate experts, second-rate experts" ranking system that many online authors have lazily created, it's naturally a bookish view, a joke born from a lack of social experience. Can you imagine someone with normal emotional intelligence saying the following dialogue:

"Hahaha! Today, I, Guan, have mastered my divine skills and can finally call myself a third-rate master!"