Realm

His understanding of the Martial Way only went as far as the Body Tempering realm. As for the higher realms of Muscle Forging and Blood Circulation, he didn't know much. Especially for the third realm, Blood Circulation, he only knew its name.

Seeing Lin Sheng's inquiry, Zhang Ding didn't hide anything. With a familiar air, he patted Lin Sheng's shoulder and continued with a chuckle.

"Don't rush, Brother Lin. I'll show you around the surroundings first. We can talk as we walk."

He wasn't showing goodwill for no reason. Lin Sheng's previous display of strength had made him more inclined to befriend him.

The two walked and talked.

"Brother Lin has already stepped into the Martial Way, so you should have some understanding of its realms. The first realm, Body Tempering, is very simple. It's about refining and tempering the physique, strengthening one's Blood Essence. As long as one has a cultivation technique, they can succeed in entering this stage with enough time."

"Simply put, for the Body Tempering realm, there aren't really high demands on a cultivator's aptitude. Unless there are congenital defects or one is too old, even ordinary people can pass through it. It's just a matter of time."

"I know that."

Lin Sheng nodded. Wang Dehai had briefly explained it to him before, and the general meaning was the same.

"But it's different for the Muscle Forging realm above that. At this stage, it starts to require the cultivator's bone structure and comprehension. To enter the Muscle Forging realm, one's physique and Blood Essence must accumulate to a certain level. Then, Blood Essence is used to fill and strengthen the tendons and bones."

"Upon entering the Muscle Forging realm, one's tendon and bone strength will surge. Compared to the improvement in the Body Tempering realm, both strength and speed will be much greater. Of course, this depends on the focus of one's cultivation technique. For example, the Raging Bull Fist we cultivate focuses on strength, especially in the hands. Take Captain Wang, for instance. He has cultivated the Raging Bull Fist to great accomplishment and successfully entered the Muscle Forging realm. With his palms, he can unleash nearly two thousand jin of force at full power."

Zhang Ding's face showed a hint of envy as he spoke.

"Furthermore, his forearms are as hard as rock, and they won't be damaged even if they clash directly with ordinary swords. Therefore, cultivators in the Muscle Forging realm are far stronger than those in the Body Tempering realm. In our Lin'an County City, they can be considered quite skilled."

"Muscle Forging realm, 2000 jin of strength!?"

Lin Sheng's face showed a hint of surprise upon hearing Zhang Ding's words.

His current strength, at full power, was probably around 1000 jin. Of course, the strength mentioned here wasn't just about being able to lift a 1000-jin stone lock, but about being able to throw a punch while holding a 1000-jin stone lock.

The Raging Bull Fist at minor accomplishment increased strength by about four to five hundred jin. He hadn't expected that upon reaching great accomplishment and entering the Muscle Forging realm, it would increase by several times. Such an improvement was truly terrifying.

"Brother Lin, do you know that even someone like Captain Wang, in the Muscle Forging realm, is considered mediocre, or even the worst of the lot..."

Zhang Ding said with a hint of emotion.

"Mediocre... the worst of the lot!?"

Lin Sheng raised an eyebrow, but he had some guesses in his mind.

"Brother Zhang, are you referring to the cultivation technique?"

"Exactly. The fundamental reason lies in the cultivation technique. The Muscle Forging realm, unlike the Body Tempering realm, is divided into early and late stages. Only after passing through these two minor stages can one attempt to break through to the Blood Circulation realm."

Zhang Ding looked at Lin Sheng with a look of approval.

"The Raging Bull Fist, after all, is just an ordinary third-rate martial art. Being able to barely help someone enter the Muscle Forging realm is already the limit of the technique, so it can only be cultivated to the early stage of Muscle Forging at most."

"As for cultivating to the late stage of Muscle Forging or even the Blood Circulation realm, higher-level martial arts are needed. For example, second-rate or even first-rate martial arts."

"The higher the rank of the martial art, the higher the ceiling. Besides, between two people at the same realm, the one cultivating a higher-grade martial art will definitely be stronger. This is because higher-grade martial arts have a much better effect on condensing one's Blood Essence, which naturally translates to higher enhancements in physical fitness."

Zhang Ding paused here and his gaze fell on Lin Sheng.

"Brother Lin, your talent is quite good, but you're a bit old. You've already passed the best age for martial arts practice. If you were two or three years younger, after cultivating the Raging Bull Fist to great accomplishment, and then switching to a second-rate martial art within the tower, you might have had a slim chance to glimpse the Blood Circulation realm. But unfortunately, it's too late now. Even if you were given a second-rate martial art now, you might not be able to cultivate to the late stage of Muscle Forging before the age of 35."

"Does that mean after the age of 35, one can no longer enter the Blood Circulation realm?"

Lin Sheng frowned and asked. From the other party's words, he gathered that 35 seemed to be a hurdle for martial artists.

"That's not absolute, but 35 is a turning point where a martial artist's Blood Essence begins to decline. If you couldn't break through during your most vigorous and abundant years before 35, then with your body declining after 35, the chances of breaking through become even slimmer. Take Captain Wang, for example. He's almost forty years old now, and even though he's been cultivating a second-rate martial art from the tower, he's been stuck at the minor accomplishment of Muscle Forging for over three years."

Zhang Ding shook his head and said.

Perhaps fearing he might discourage Lin Sheng, he patted his shoulder again and comforted him.

"Brother Lin, don't be discouraged. In my opinion, you won't have any problem entering the Muscle Forging realm. If you can cultivate to the late stage of Muscle Forging in the future, you'll be able to do as you please in Lin'an County City. Unlike me, who is almost thirty years old and still stuck in the Body Tempering realm, I don't know when I'll be able to enter the early stage of Muscle Forging, let alone the late stage."

That's right, Zhang Ding was one of Wang Sanyang's Body Tempering martial artists and was considered an old member of Town Mountain Tower. This was also why he had a lot of knowledge about the Martial Way.

For the rest of the time, Zhang Ding didn't say much more about martial arts realms. Instead, he changed the topic and told Lin Sheng about the Beast Hunter Hall and their daily work.

"Alright, Brother Lin, you plan to live outside. This courtyard just became vacant a while ago. You can see if it suits your fancy. If you don't think it's suitable, you can have Old Man Sun take you to see others."

Zhang Ding led Lin Sheng to a residential house not far from the team dormitory. The owner was a thin old man surnamed Sun, who enthusiastically showed Lin Sheng the courtyard.

"I'll take this one. I'll rent it for a month first."

Although the residential house wasn't large and the furnishings inside were a bit simple, it was clean, and the courtyard was quite level. Lin Sheng didn't plan to be picky anymore and directly decided.

For him, where he lived wasn't important, as long as he had his own space and could cultivate in peace, that was enough.