Martial Dao Myth

As they spoke, they had no idea where the horses had taken them.

Yan Nu didn't know how to ride a horse at all; the warhorse had been leading the way the entire time.

They just kept running until the sun hung high overhead, and a village appeared ahead.

This was a real village, not a powerful clan's fortified manor. Villages like this, with neat farmsteads, were rare these days, most having been ravaged by chaos and forced to depend on local strongmen.

"Tea Mountain Village used to be like this..." Yan Nu looked at the village, a nostalgic smile on his face.

However, such a village was clearly not peaceful. Defensive structures had been built around it, the entire village enclosed by a fence, and peachwood talismans for blessings and warding off evil hung on each house.

"Excuse me, uncle, where is this... Hey, don't run away!"

Yan Nu let the horse take him to the village entrance. He saw a middle-aged farmer carrying a hoe and was about to ask a question when the man, startled, turned and fled.

As he ran, he shouted, "Bandits are coming! Bandits are coming!"

Yan Nu looked around. Where were the bandits?

Shen Leling chuckled, "She's talking about you!"

"Look at yourself, bare-chested, covered in scars, your pants full of blood. You really do look like a bandit or a robber."

Yan Nu said innocently, "I don't even have shoes. Anyone can see I'm a commoner."

"Hmph, you are quite down on your luck, but you're riding a fine horse with an exquisitely crafted saddle, and you have me, a great beauty, on your back, like a noble lady captured by bandits." Shen Leling said, striking a delicate and reserved pose, teasing him.

Seeing her soft demeanor, Yan Nu asked with concern, "Are your injuries worse? You look so weak."

"..." Shen Leling was speechless.

Just then, a group of farmers carrying hoes and rakes ran out from the village. Most of them were elderly.

"Is it bandits? Doesn't look like it..."

The village elder quickly realized Yan Nu wasn't a bandit. He was covered in wounds, looking utterly pathetic, without any weapons, just riding a horse with a beautiful woman.

However, the horse tack was too valuable. Perhaps he was an escaped slave who had abducted a noble lady and stolen a horse from a powerful clan's fortified manor?

"Villagers, I'm not a bandit! I'm leaving now!" Yan Nu saw them hesitating and pulled on the reins, intending to leave.

He and Shen Leling were being pursued and should find a secluded place to heal their wounds quickly.

However, Yan Nu truly didn't know how to ride a horse. When he pulled the reins, the horse just spun in place.

"You sit behind, I'll do it!" Shen Leling couldn't stand it anymore. She had Yan Nu dismount and then nudged herself forward.

At this moment, an elder from the crowd stepped forward, trembling, "Young man, you... are you from Tea Mountain Fort?"

Yan Nu never lied, "Yes, yes! The Zhang family of Hua County is looking everywhere for me, trying to kill me."

The farmers looked horrified. Did he have to say it so righteously that he was being hunted by local strongmen?

"Forget it, forget it... Village chief, tell them to leave quickly."

Upon hearing that he was being chased by the Zhang family, the farmers were afraid of getting involved. Who knew what was going on? What if they were killed too?

Most of the farmers wanted to send them away quickly, but the village chief gathered his courage and asked, "May this old man ask, do you two know the battle situation by the Ji River?"

"All the young men from our village went to join the army. We haven't heard any news for a long time... Do you have any news from Tea Mountain Fort?"

The young men from these natural villages were required to serve in the military.

After the disastrous defeat at the Ji River, the entire northern part of Qingzhou was in chaos, and no one from the officialdom was transmitting news to the villages.

Since there were no passing travelers in these secluded villages, information was naturally scarce.

The village chief, seeing Shen Leling's stunning beauty and extraordinary bearing, thought she must be the young lady from Tea Mountain Fort. Powerful clans had their own information channels, so she would surely know the battle situation. That's why he tried so hard to inquire.

For a moment, other villagers also looked at the two expectantly. They all wanted to know what had happened to their children.

"Ji..." Yan Nu's eyes reddened. Seeing that the villagers, like him before, were desperately concerned about the battle at the Ji River, he wanted to tell them the truth.

However, Shen Leling frowned and said, "I don't know!"

Then she pulled Yan Nu behind her and rode away.

On the road, Yan Nu remained silent.

Shen Leling spoke first, "You don't want them to be sad either... They'll find out eventually. When the Hu barbarians push south, more and more refugees will flee here."

"Let's not waste time here."

Yan Nu said in a low voice, "I know... I'm thinking about how to stop the Hu barbarians."

"Ah?" Shen Leling rolled her eyes. "What's it to you! The priority now is to deal with the Zhang family!"

"Listen, without enough strength, you have no right to think about so much."

"Understood..." Yan Nu nodded heavily. "Please teach me how to become stronger, sister."

"Of course!" Shen Leling pondered. "You have a special physique. Although you can't cultivate immortality, you can become strong quickly by continuously consuming grass and refining qi... Hmm, but that's on the premise that you undergo Body Tempering."

Along the way, Shen Leling explained some basic principles of martial arts to Yan Nu and broke down the Body Tempering methods of the Great Emperor White Jade Scripture for him.

"You're always circulating qi to refine essence, it's such a waste! This is mainly a method others use for healing. Although it can also strengthen the physique, it only increases strength, and there's a limit to how much human strength can increase. This path has long been proven to be a dead end."

"This scripture has specific Body Tempering methods. As long as you learn them, with your current profound cultivation and your physique that can waste true qi at will, you'll quickly achieve Primordial Body Tempering!"

Shen Leling was filled with emotion. Yan Nu's special physique was like having an endless supply of True Qi. Given time, he would undoubtedly become the most powerful being in the world in terms of True Qi.

After she finished explaining the Body Tempering techniques, Yan Nu still didn't understand large portions of it. "I'm so confused. What is the Vermilion Palace? What is the Violet Mansion? What does it mean to 'penetrate the mud pill internally, and illuminate the five organs below, feeling a complete awareness both inside and out, causing the bones and blood of the entire body to transform'?"

"Isn't it enough to just have True Qi? Why is Body Tempering necessary?"

Shen Leling explained, "Body Tempering is Body Tempering, and True Qi is True Qi."

"The Six Essences Body Tempering is to help you better use True Qi, use more True Qi, and even change the form in which True Qi is displayed. It is a path to transformation and the sublimation of life, turning the rotten into the miraculous."

"For example, 'Strengthened Bones and Plump Muscles' doesn't just mean enhancing the strength of bones and muscles as the words suggest. It means enhancing the bones' and muscles' capacity to hold energy, refining it into a mysterious substance. This allows for high-intensity infusion of one's own energy, which can then be manipulated in various ways."

"Therefore, Body Tempering is not limited to the human body. My Clear Spring Physique can also undergo Body Tempering, can't it?"

"True Qi and Magic Power are like water in a bucket, while Body Tempering is about changing the quality of the water and increasing the efficiency with which it flows out."

"Without Body Tempering, the more True Qi or Magic Power you have, the more likely you are to harm yourself! At most, you could only unleash twenty years' worth of True Qi in an instant. Any more would be equivalent to self-detonation."

"So, without Body Tempering, even if you have five hundred years' worth of True Qi, it would only mean strong endurance."

Yan Nu listened, very confused. True Qi could harm oneself? Could it?

He had hit his own head with full force and was fine. Even when others infused their True Qi into him, he accepted it.

Yan Nu secretly thought that perhaps it was just that he wasn't afraid of palm strikes, so he didn't ask further.

Shen Leling continued, "At the same time, this is also why Immortals need 'Strengthened Bones and Plump Muscles.' It's to increase our casting speed and power, so we don't rely excessively on Magic Artifacts or Magic Treasures."

"By continuously tempering, the output limit will only increase! One Yuan, Second Cycle, One Yuan, Third Cycle, One Yuan, Fourth Cycle. Each additional cycle doubles the efficiency of the previous one. Theoretically, there seems to be no limit."

"I am already at One Yuan, Ninth Cycle, and I've heard of some great cultivators reaching One Yuan, Eighty Cycles. After all, for us, only One Yuan Body Tempering is truly useful; the others are optional."

"If one breaks through to the 'Dao Attainment Realm,' Body Tempering is no longer necessary. The Heavenly Dao will temper a 'Golden Body Jade Physique,' allowing one to instantly release even world-destroying energy without any limitations."

"Of course, these things are meaningless to Martial Artists. Mortals have limited lifespans and find it difficult to accumulate more than sixty years' worth of True Qi, so One Yuan, First Cycle is more than enough."

Yan Nu suddenly realized, "But I should be different, right? I can cultivate a lot of True Qi!"

"Yes, which is why One Yuan Body Tempering is extremely important for you. It determines your output limit," Shen Leling sighed. "Many Martial Artists don't understand the Body Tempering techniques, and thus remain third-rate until they die."

"After One Yuan Body Tempering, breaking the limit, the burst limit is forty years' worth of True Qi, which counts as a second-rate expert. Of course... usually, one doesn't have that much True Qi, so in reality, it's about the same as you now. And there are now so many such experts that they could form an army, as many noble families have taken out Body Tempering techniques to train their subordinate troops."

"Second Stage Body Tempering, with power reaching all parts of the body, allows one to concentrate all their strength into a single point. Even plucking a flower or scattering leaves can have immense power. Even a tongue can kill! This qualifies as first-rate."

"To enter the top ranks, one needs Three Essences Body Tempering. True Qi can be projected outwards like Magic Power, forming Qi fields. Sword qi can travel several dozen feet. This is the peak that can be learned."

"In short, remember the techniques well. I will explain anything you don't understand later. Once you build a solid foundation, your future will be boundless. The first three Essences Body Tempering will be no difficulty for you."

Seeing that she had stopped speaking, Yan Nu quickly pressed, "What about the latter three Essences?"

Shen Leling sounded a bit unsure. "Uh... I'm not a Martial Artist, and I'm only at One Yuan Body Tempering myself. As for the more profound martial arts realms, I don't really understand them very well."

"The first three Essences only require sufficient True Qi and corresponding techniques to achieve. It's merely a matter of time... The Great Emperor White Jade Scripture has ample explanations for this."

"However, the latter three Essences require the union of Qi and Intent, and the union of Intent and Spirit. It is a dual sublimation of both state of mind and physique."

"'Intent Piercing the Celestial Spirit,' 'Presence Like Dragon and Tiger,' 'Water and Fire Harmonized' – these are like realms of cultivation, even more difficult. Because in cultivation, one can comprehend the Heavenly Will daily and accumulate Dao cultivation. As long as there is enough Dao cultivation, even with poor comprehension, one can break through! This is the Heavenly Dao rewarding diligence!"

"But your martial path... it relies purely on individual talent. From the Fourth Essence onwards, even with the guidance of a master, breakthroughs are not guaranteed. However, once a breakthrough occurs, one becomes a World-Shocking Martial Artist, capable of fighting cultivators."

"That's why all Martial Artists admire the Hegemon King. He, through his own efforts, developed the martial path to a level comparable to the Calamity Tribulation Stage."

Yan Nu listened with great interest. "You've mentioned the Hegemon King several times. Who exactly is he?"

Shen Leling was surprised. "You don't know the Hegemon King?"

"Do you remember I mentioned that in the era over five hundred years ago, the highest level was at most Three Essences Body Tempering, until the Hegemon King appeared?"

"He was a born general. At the age of twenty-four, he raised an army and went to war. Until he took his own life at the age of thirty-one, he had never lost a single battle!"

"He once broke the cauldrons and sank the boats, cutting off his own retreat, and with fifty thousand men, he defeated five hundred thousand. Amidst the clash of swords and armor, he comprehended the Fourth Essence, his battle intent soaring and piercing the celestial spirit."

"He once led a lone army around the enemy's rear, with resolute dominance and confidence in victory. With a mere thirty thousand men, he surrounded the rear of a coalition of six hundred thousand allied troops, defeating all the feudal lords of the realm at that time, including the God of War of that era, and forcing Liu Bang, the future Emperor Gaozu of Han, into a corner where he almost committed suicide. In this battle, he broke through to the Fifth Essence, his dominance forming into a presence, dragon and tiger converging."

"Finally, in the Battle of Gaixia, he was ambushed by a million-strong army with attacks from all directions. When his beloved committed suicide in his arms, he broke through to the Sixth Essence. I don't know the specifics, only that the Great Immortal of Penglai called it 'Water and Fire Harmonized'."

"This Sixth Essence was never personally passed down by him, because shortly after, in order to prove that 'Heaven has doomed me, not my fault in battle,' he led his remaining soldiers through the encirclement. He then refused to escape, killing thousands of enemy soldiers alone before taking his own life and sending his head to an old acquaintance on the opposing side."

"In seven years of campaigning, he raised the Body Tempering Stage to Six Essences! There was no one before him, and no one after him!"

"When he took his own life, from the clouds above, all the Immortals looked down and bid him farewell. For more than five hundred years since then, the Body Tempering cycles he pioneered have not been fully explored."

As she spoke, Shen Leling saw Yan Nu merely contemplating, without a trace of surprise, and was speechless. "Aren't you surprised? Do you know how many people consider the Hegemon King a god?"

"Why did the god commit suicide?" Yan Nu asked curiously.

"..." Shen Leling was stunned for a moment and said, "Perhaps it was the will of Heaven. He was indeed 'not at fault in battle,' because he never lost a single battle on the battlefield. Even in his final desperate situation, he broke through the encirclement and could have made a comeback. He almost single-handedly routed a million-strong army, proving to people that he could actually win."

"But he gave up... Perhaps it was because his beloved died, and he lost heart. So he refused to cross the river, gave away his prized horse, and went back to face death. And because no one could kill him, he ultimately chose to take his own life."

Yan Nu felt something was amiss. "Is that so? I thought he lost heart because his friends became fewer and fewer, and his enemies became more and more."

"Huh?" Shen Leling was startled.

Yan Nu said innocently, "Look, he won every time, but his enemies were always more than ten times his number. You also said he defeated all the feudal lords of the realm, but why were there even more people trying to kill him in the end?"

"Also, you said he took his own life and sent his head to an old acquaintance. Why was his old acquaintance in the enemy camp?"

"This..." Faced with these successive questions, Shen Leling was unable to answer.

She hadn't expected to be stumped by an idiot, yet Yan Nu seemed to grasp the crucial point from just a few words, and she couldn't refute him.

She could only say, "Alright, alright, I'm not well-read. I've only heard others talk about his martial arts achievements. You'll have to ask scholars about anything else..."

"Oh..." Yan Nu nodded, then asked again, "That 'Tu Fa Yak' you mentioned last time, what level has he reached? Has he surpassed the Hegemon King?"

Shen Leling frowned. "Him? In terms of martial arts, definitely not, because he's only at Four Essences! But his sword intent is incredibly powerful, his speed and strength are terrifyingly great, unlike a mortal! He must have used other methods to enhance his combat power."

"Just talking about Body Tempering, no one has reached Six Essences since the Hegemon King died. After all, he didn't pass it down personally; only cultivators have observed and recorded some insights, but each family has their own explanations, and they're all quite mysterious."

"Right, 'Intent Piercing the Celestial Spirit' can refer to any 'intent.' Sword intent, blade intent – I can't guide you on those, but if you want to break through to Four Essences, you can emulate the Hegemon King and comprehend your own 'battle intent' from battlefield conquests."

"With the world in chaos now, this path is the simplest and most direct. Most World-Shocking Martial Artists are generals."