Grandmaster

Biodata

Definition and Requirements

Within the True Human realm, Grandmaster is a measure of achievement rather than a single uniform cultivation level. A practitioner who cultivates a Dharma Body may be called a Grandmaster; the Dharma Body represents the ultimate excavation of the self and forms a unique system that can be passed down as a true skill or used to establish a sect 420.

A Grandmaster forges a unique martial path, survives the dangers that test it, and can integrate their body’s structures, tissues, and organs into a unified whole. This removes internal conflicts between their powers and produces a major increase in practical combat ability 656 805.

• Dharma Body — A Grandmaster’s strongest genetic-evolution form, which releases bodily restraints and fully expands their potential 656 716.
• Qi Manipulation Realm — Another title associated with Grandmasters, reflecting the superior effects of Dharma Body-derived power over ordinary Returning True Force 424.
• True Blood requirement — In Great Yue’s system, a bloodline reaching the Grandmaster level is at least Dual Superior; awakening that bloodline manifests the Dharma Body and sharply raises combat power 521.
• Limit-Breaking distinction — A Limit-Breaking Bloodline can naturally mature into Grandmaster-level combat strength, but this does not necessarily grant the actual Grandmaster realm or a self-created path 609.

Great Yue Classification

Great Yue broadly divides Grandmasters according to their progress in establishing and perfecting their own paths 521.

Yuan Du Zi further distinguishes the stages of an independently forged martial path: a Grandmaster creates a unique path, a Great Grandmaster takes that path to its absolute extreme, and a Supreme Grandmaster stands unmatched within their chosen direction 805.

Power and Combat Capabilities

Dharma Body

A Dharma Body is the defining combat manifestation of a Grandmaster. Its properties differ greatly between individuals, since each is shaped by the practitioner’s own body, bloodline, cultivation, and path 420 716.

• It can unlock a practitioner’s complete bodily potential and act as their strongest combat form 656 716.
• Its special effects vary; the Thousand-Faced Demon Lord’s Mirror Demon could temporarily copy techniques, Secret Techniques, Jin Li effects, and transformation states 424.
• Grandmasters with more developed Dharma Bodies can vastly outperform ordinary Grandmasters; Yuan Du Zi and Muto are capable of defeating several ordinary Grandmasters alone 420.

Self-Created Martial Path

Grandmaster strength is not determined solely by physical power. The core requirement is the ability to establish, understand, and develop one’s own path 609 805.

• A path-based Grandmaster may continue improving beyond the initial breakthrough through further expansion and refinement 805.
• This route has a higher ceiling than mere bloodline growth, but requires the practitioner to discover each subsequent step independently 609.
• Wei He characterizes the Grandmaster state as perfect coordination of one’s physical power rather than simple increases in strength or speed 656.

Limitations and Countermeasures

Grandmasters are extraordinarily powerful, but they are not invincible 358.

• Blood Essence consumption — If incoming attacks cannot breach a Grandmaster’s defense, Blood Essence expenditure remains low; once the defense is penetrated, consumption rises drastically 523.
• Star Arrays — An army’s killing intent, willpower, and spiritual power can be condensed into a force field that suppresses hostile True Humans, including Grandmasters 358.
• Military formations — Properly designed formations, supported by Star Cores and other costly resources, can threaten or kill Grandmasters 520.
• Supreme Grandmasters — Ordinary countermeasures are insufficient against the strongest among them. Yuan Du Zi and Muto are described as requiring at least eight Grandmasters, a prepared Star Array, or a Military Formation merely to impede them 568.
• Political escalation — A Grandmaster’s involvement represents a faction deploying its highest combat power and is treated as a signal of total war 512.

Political and Military Significance

Grandmasters are figures of supreme authority who cannot be commanded casually by regional officials or ordinary military leaders 358. Their presence can determine the balance between major sects, armies, and states.

• Great Yue’s Nine Great National Marshals are each Grandmasters, while the military oversees state affairs and the Buddhist sects dominate much of the martial world 443.
• Blood Artifacts allowed many Buddha Lord-level experts to overcome their limits and become Grandmasters, contributing to the True Blood system’s rise and the True Energy system’s decline 451.
• The growth of large-scale Military Formations, particularly those supplied by Purple Snowstone, gradually reduces the independent deterrent value of individual Grandmasters 551.
• The Ju Sha Army Formation was designed to react quickly enough that ordinary Grandmasters cannot easily launch surprise attacks before its activation 547.

Notable Grandmasters

• Muto — Great Yue’s Imperial Advisor and sole Supreme Grandmaster; regarded as one of the world’s two pinnacle martial authorities alongside Yuan Du Zi 562 568.
• Yuan Du Zi — The Xuanmiao Sect’s Black Seal Kunpeng and a Supreme Grandmaster whose advance historically could not be stopped by ordinary Grandmasters, Star Arrays, or Military Formations 568.
• Xiao Fuyue — A preeminent Grandmaster of Moonlit Mist who transformed the organization into Emperor Dingyuan’s largest intelligence network 489.
• Fu Yinhai — Sect Leader of the Duanhai Sect and one of the Grandmasters of the Haining Alliance 420.
• Chan Master Kousong — Perfected Grandmaster and Abbot of Great Lingfeng Temple 556.
• Monk Haoxue — Buddhist Grandmaster whose strength is second only to Bai Shanxin and Kousong among the expedition’s Grandmasters 556.