Realms

His understanding of the Martial Way stopped at the Body Tempering realm. As for the Muscle Forging and Blood Circulation realms beyond it, he knew very little, especially the third realm, the Blood Circulation realm—he only knew its name.

Seeing Lin Sheng press for answers, Zhang Ding had no intention of hiding anything. With the easy familiarity of an old friend, he patted Lin Sheng on the shoulder and continued with a chuckle.

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

He was not showing kindness for no reason. Lin Sheng had displayed considerable strength earlier, which was why Zhang Ding had developed some intention of befriending him.

The two talked as they walked.

"Brother Lin has already stepped onto the Martial Way, so you should know a little about its realms. The first realm, Body Tempering, is very simple. It means honing and tempering the physique, strengthening one's own blood and qi. As long as one has a cultivation method, anyone can eventually step into it with enough time."

"Put simply, the Body Tempering realm does not place many demands on a cultivator's aptitude. Unless one was born physically deficient or was already too old, even an ordinary person could cross this threshold. The only difference is how long it takes."

"I know that."

Lin Sheng nodded. Wang Dehai had explained it to him briefly before, and the meaning had been more or less the same.

"But the Muscle Forging realm above it is different. At this stage, there are requirements for a cultivator's bone structure and comprehension. To enter the Muscle Forging realm, one's physique and blood and qi must first accumulate to a certain level. One then uses blood and qi to replenish one's muscles and bones, strengthening and nourishing them."

"Once you enter the Muscle Forging realm, the strength of your muscles and bones will soar. Compared to the Body Tempering realm, both your strength and speed will be far greater. Of course, the main improvement depends on the focus of the cultivation method you practice. Take the Raging Bull Fist we practice—it focuses on strength, especially the strength of both hands. Captain Wang has cultivated the Raging Bull Fist to great mastery and successfully entered the Muscle Forging realm. When he unleashes his full strength, his palms can produce nearly two thousand pounds of force."

As he said this, a trace of envy appeared on Zhang Ding's face.

"Moreover, his arms are hard as boulders. Even if they clash head-on with ordinary blades and swords, they will not suffer the slightest damage. That is why Muscle Forging realm martial artists are far stronger than Body Tempering martial artists. In Lin'an County City, they can already be considered formidable experts."

"The Muscle Forging realm, two thousand pounds of force!?"

Hearing Zhang Ding's words, Lin Sheng revealed a trace of surprise.

As for his own strength, even going all out, it was probably only around a thousand pounds. Of course, this did not simply mean lifting a thousand-pound stone lock. It meant being able to execute a fist stance while holding a thousand-pound stone lock.

The increase in strength from minor mastery of the Raging Bull Fist was around four to five hundred pounds. He had not expected that once it reached great mastery and entered the Muscle Forging realm, it would multiply several times over. Such an increase was truly terrifying.

"Brother Lin, do you know that someone like Captain Wang is merely ordinary in the Muscle Forging realm? It would not even be wrong to call him among the weakest tier..."

A look of emotion surfaced on Zhang Ding's face as he spoke slowly.

"Merely ordinary... among the weakest tier!?"

Lin Sheng raised his brows, though he had already formed a guess in his heart.

"Brother Zhang, are you referring to cultivation methods?"

"That's right. The root of it lies in the cultivation method. The Muscle Forging realm differs from the Body Tempering realm in that it is divided into the early and late stages. Only after crossing these two minor realms can one attempt to break through into the Blood Circulation realm."

Zhang Ding cast Lin Sheng an approving glance.

"The Raging Bull Fist is, when all is said and done, merely an ordinary third-rate martial art. Its limit is barely allowing someone to enter the Muscle Forging realm, so it can only be cultivated to the early Muscle Forging stage at most."

"To cultivate to the late Muscle Forging stage afterward, or even reach the Blood Circulation realm, one needs a higher-grade martial art, such as a second-rate or even first-rate martial art."

"The higher the grade of the martial art, the higher its ceiling. Besides that, between two people of the same realm, the one practicing a higher-grade martial art will certainly be stronger. After all, higher-grade martial arts are much more effective at refining one's blood and qi. Naturally, this manifests as greater improvements to one's physical qualities."

At this point, Zhang Ding paused, his gaze falling on Lin Sheng.

"Brother Lin, your talent can be considered quite good, but you are somewhat too old. You have long passed the best age to practice martial arts.

"If you were two or three years younger, then after cultivating the Raging Bull Fist to great mastery, you could switch to one of the second-rate martial arts in the Tower. Perhaps you might have had the faintest sliver of a chance to glimpse the Blood Circulation realm. But it is a pity that it is too late now. Even if you were given a second-rate martial art now, you might not be able to cultivate to late Muscle Forging before the age of thirty-five."

"Does that mean that after thirty-five, one cannot enter the Blood Circulation realm?"

Lin Sheng frowned as he asked. From Zhang Ding's words, he could tell that thirty-five seemed to be a hurdle for martial artists.

"That is not absolute. However, thirty-five is the point when a martial artist's blood and qi turns from flourishing to declining. If you cannot break through before thirty-five, when your body is at its most vigorous and robust, then once your body begins going downhill after thirty-five, your chances of breaking through will naturally become even slimmer. Look at Captain Wang—he is nearly forty now. Even though he has already cultivated one of the Tower's second-rate martial arts, he has still been stuck at minor mastery of the Muscle Forging realm for more than three years."

Zhang Ding shook his head as he spoke.

Perhaps afraid of discouraging Lin Sheng, he patted him on the shoulder again and comforted him.

"Brother Lin, there is no need to be disheartened. In my opinion, entering the Muscle Forging realm should not be a problem for you. If you can cultivate to late Muscle Forging in the future, you will be able to lord it over others in Lin'an County City. Unlike your older brother here—I am almost thirty already, yet I remain stuck in the Body Tempering realm. I do not know when I will be able to enter early Muscle Forging, much less late Muscle Forging."

That was right. Zhang Ding was one of the Body Tempering martial artists under Wang Sanyang, and he could be considered an old hand in Town Mountain Tower. That was why he knew so much about the Martial Way.

For the rest of the time, Zhang Ding did not continue talking much about the realms of the Martial Way. Instead, he changed the subject and told Lin Sheng about the Beast Hunter Hall and their daily work.

"All right, Brother Lin. Since you plan to live outside, this courtyard just happened to become vacant some time ago. Take a look and see whether it suits your liking. If it does not, Old Man Sun can take you to look at others."

Zhang Ding brought Lin Sheng to a residence not far from the squad dormitories. Its owner was a thin, shriveled old man surnamed Sun, who warmly showed Lin Sheng around the courtyard.

"This one will do. I'll rent it for a month first."

Although this residence was not particularly large and its furnishings were somewhat simple, it was fairly clean, and the courtyard was quite level. Lin Sheng had no intention of being any pickier and settled on it directly.

To him, where he lived was not important. As long as he had his own space and could cultivate in peace, that was enough.