Heart-Mind Unity! Surpassing All Past Ancestors!

"As expected of a top-tier secret medicine known as a heaven-sent treasure, the medicinal potency is truly formidable!"

After consuming the Crimson Refining Paste, Huo Yuanhong could clearly feel waves of warmth rising from his abdomen. Following the rhythm of his heartbeat, the energy flowed through his blood circulation to every corner of his body.

The hidden ailments caused by training too quickly without adequate nourishment were all being mended by the medicinal power of the Crimson Refining Paste. It was like spring rain nourishing parched soil, causing his body to radiate with vibrant vitality.

Just like his martial arts training, his speed at absorbing supplements was also amplified by three hundred and sixty-five times. In just two hours, he had fully digested a terrifying amount of medicinal power that would take an ordinary person two or three months to process.

"Crack, crack, crack..."

As he clenched his palm, it emitted a series of popping sounds like roasting beans.

"Strong! Very strong!"

"Right now, my body is brimming with essence and energy. My stamina and potential are more than twice what they were before!"

Huo Yuanhong carefully sensed his state, and joy immediately appeared in his eyes.

Previously, his physical fitness had improved, but his nourishment hadn't kept pace. His essence and energy were depleted, much like a person who exercises frantically to build muscle but fails to provide the necessary nutrition—a severe illness would be the least of his worries.

With the Martial Path to Divinity talent, while he wouldn't train himself into sickness, the physical deficit was real; he was strong enough, but he couldn't sustain a long battle.

Defeating ten practitioners of Manifest Strength had already exhausted most of his stamina, and that was while finishing them off instantly in quick succession.

But now, having replenished his deficit in just two hours, he was full of essence and energy. Even if he had to fight thirty more practitioners of Manifest Strength, it would be more than enough!

This Crimson Refining Paste was worth it—incredibly worth it!

Especially with the Martial Path to Divinity talent, he would always move in the most correct direction. This meant that the ultimate Manifest Strength he cultivated was the most correct and extreme version possible. After replenishing his essence and energy, it was as powerful as it could possibly be! It was perfect to the point of flawlessness!

At this very moment, he was the most perfect pinnacle of Manifest Strength. Whether in physical fitness, internal force mastery, or potential, he had reached an unimaginable level! One could say he was a young Martial Immortal living in the present age!

Even True Man Zhang, the last Martial Immortal from three hundred years ago, would not dare claim to be stronger than him at the Manifest Strength stage!

"There are twenty-two days left until the Jinmen Grand Competition that will decide the fate of the Commoner Faction!"

Huo Yuanhong calculated the time.

Now, he was getting closer and closer to killing the Gentleman Sword, who was at the entry level of Dark Force—to completing this initial obsession of his!

"I wonder how the Gentleman Sword is doing. After this incident, there's no way that guy can suppress the scandalous news of a discarded student from the Sword Inquiry Martial Hall being scouted by the Divine Spear and then crushing all the elites of the Sword Inquiry..."

If he wasn't mistaken, the Gentleman Sword must be furious and terrified right now, wondering how to face the enraged Hall Master of the Sword Inquiry Martial Hall.

A martial artist must have a clear and unobstructed mind! Kindness must be repaid, and grudges must be avenged!

And this...

Was only the beginning!

"My essence and energy are replenished. Next, I can safely proceed to Heart-Mind Unity."

"I'll first ask Master for the training method for the Heart-Mind Unity stage. Since there is ready-made experience from predecessors to learn from, why waste time deducing it myself..."

Study room.

Li Shuxing was intently observing a scroll. On it was a terrifying mountain that seemed to prop up the blue sky, of unknown height. Just looking at it gave one a sense of oppression and shock that seemed to emanate from the paper itself.

"This Buzhou Mountain Fundamental Diagram passed down by our founder is truly difficult to comprehend. Among the many Great Grandmasters throughout history, those who could grasp even a shred of its essence can be counted on one hand..."

Li Shuxing sighed with genuine emotion.

This Buzhou Mountain Diagram was said to have been accidentally obtained by the founding master from a blessed land when he was still a woodcutter, and it contained the secrets of Martial Immortals and Human Immortals.

But even a figure as brilliant as the founding master, who was hailed as one of the Three Sages of the Martial World in that era, had pondered it for most of his life, only grasping its true meaning when he was near the realm of immortals.

The succeeding generations of masters, even with the founder's experience, mostly had to wait until they were old and decrepit to visualize anything at all.

Even he, Li Shuxing, could only begin to comprehend this Buzhou Mountain Fundamental Diagram after stepping beyond the Transformation Strength stage.

In the judgment of all the past masters, including himself, this fundamental diagram was not meant for Martial Persons or Martial Masters at all!

It was meant for those at the later stages, such as Great Grandmasters and Martial Saints, who were touching upon the path of the Martial Immortal!

"Oh? Ah Hong is coming."

From a long distance away, Li Shuxing felt a premonition. He put away the Buzhou Mountain Fundamental Diagram and placed it in the cabinet beside his desk.

He then immediately took out the fundamental diagrams prepared for Huo Yuanhong's Heart-Mind Unity stage and laid them out on the long table.

No matter how strong one is in Manifest Strength, they are still an ordinary person. But starting from the Heart-Mind Unity stage, a martial artist truly begins to differ from ordinary people, touching upon the mysterious and profound concept of Fist Intent.

To achieve the transformation from an ordinary person to a Martial Master or an extraordinary being, the efficiency of using ordinary training methods is very low; one must use special techniques!

The method used by their lineage is to borrow from the fundamental diagrams of the Esoteric Sect, the Taoist School, and the Alchemy Path!

In the practice of the Esoteric Sect and the Alchemy Path, fundamental diagrams are bridges to cultivate truth through illusion. For example, visualizing the images of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas or visualizing internal scenes ultimately achieves the effect of creating a realm with the mind and refining the mind with the realm!

Some internal martial arts practices actually have similar methods. For instance, a certain branch of Xingyi, during Crushing Fist practice, will visualize the fist tip as an awl piercing through a water membrane.

Or, for example, visualizing the "Jade Tree Hanging Precious Garment," imagining the bones as the branches of a jade tree and the muscles as soft, hanging silk garments to eliminate muscle tension.

Martial arts and the Alchemy Path are inseparable; many of the world's peak experts today are also masters of the Alchemy Path! Li Shuxing was one of them!

Of course, the essential pursuits of the two still differ.

The Esoteric Sect and Alchemy Path use fundamental diagrams to pursue "communing with the divine and merging with the Tao," while martial artists use fundamental diagrams essentially to strike faster, harder, and more accurately!

The goal is to "guide form with intent, allowing form and intent to generate each other," discarding the rigidity of movement!

At the peak of Manifest Strength, including the extreme, one trains their kung fu into their muscles. When fighting, one relies on muscular instinct and reflexes to execute moves; only in this way can one keep up with the lightning-fast changes of a life-or-death struggle!

But when reaching the stage of Heart-Mind Unity, the reliance shifts from muscular instinct to consciousness-led movement!

This requires one's thoughts to be incredibly agile and one's will to be immensely powerful, so that one can clearly perceive the overall situation, analyze and judge the next move, and respond with flexibility! This discards the stiffness and obsession of fixed movements!

Therefore, the first step is to create a mental realm with the heart, and refine the heart through that realm, sharpening one's thoughts and will!

Ultimately, when the thoughts and will are strong enough, and one gains enlightenment of their true heart, they can cultivate Fist Intent!

"Six fundamental diagrams should be enough for A-Hong to choose from."

Li Shuxing nodded slightly.

Given his disciple's attainments at the Manifest Strength stage, he was only a hair's breadth away from the extreme. However, that hair's breadth was fundamentally impossible to cross; human effort has its limits, and perfection is impossible. Even the legendary True Man Zhang had not actually achieved perfection in his time.

This was a secret he had learned from the Founder's Notes and verified himself; that tiny flaw truly could not be mended.

Even if one were to return to it after reaching a realm beyond Transformation Strength, it would still be impossible.

Once one reaches the point of being a hair's breadth from the extreme, unless one uses special external forces to forcibly mask the flaw like Wu Yuanchu did to become a Pseudo-Peak, there is simply no further room for progress!

Unfortunately, such external forces were too hard to find, and he did not have a suitable one for the time being.

Therefore, he decided not to dwell on the extreme for now. In any case, with his methods, he had ways to supplement it with external forces later.

He would let his disciple achieve Heart-Mind Unity first, so as not to delay the improvement of his strength and affect the Jinmen Grand Competition.

Once he found a suitable external force, he would tell his disciple the good news, allowing him to become a Pseudo-Peak no less capable than Wu Yuanchu!

"At that time, A-Hong will surely be very happy."

Li Shuxing smiled and continued flipping through the fundamental diagrams. Only after confirming that each one was flawless did he nod with peace of mind.

The fundamental diagrams here were the accumulation of generations of their lineage. Some came from the long-standing Esoteric Sect, some from famous Taoist mountains, and others were gifts from friendly Alchemy Grandmasters.

Any single one of these, if taken outside, would be enough to serve as a sect's ultimate trump card, yet Li Shuxing had prepared a full six for Huo Yuanhong to choose from at will!

Before long, he saw Huo Yuanhong walk in and salute, "Master."

"You're here. Sit."

Li Shuxing looked Huo Yuanhong up and down, feeling more pleased the more he looked.

He knew that if it weren't for Huo Yuanhong this time, the other Manifest Strength disciples outside wouldn't just lose first place; they wouldn't even be able to hold onto second or third.

"Come, take this Spirit Nourishing Secret Medicine for the Heart-Mind Unity stage. It will last you a while. If it's not enough, go 'borrow' some from the Fang Family again..."

"I expect the Fang Family will invite you to their social ball in a few days; it's the usual routine. Just spend a little time there to show face. After all, the secret medicine for nourishment and supplementation will have to come out of the Fang Family's pockets..."

"Don't be embarrassed. Being able to borrow medicine is your own ability. Like me, your master—after I reached the Peak Expert level, I only focused on martial arts and never managed any businesses. When I lacked money, I borrowed it. The debts I owe are so vast they could never be repaid in several lifetimes. Even this Martial Arts Hall was bought for me by the Fang Family..."

"In any case, as long as I have this kung fu, no matter how unhappy those old fogies in the Fang Family are, they still have to grit their teeth and pay up to keep this Martial Arts Hall running!"

Li Shuxing laughed.

"This disciple understands."

Huo Yuanhong realized that his master was indeed penniless, and if he wanted to get nourishing medicinal materials, he would have to start with the Fang Family.

"You have practiced Manifest Strength enough now; you can begin Heart-Mind Unity. This is the foundation for practicing Dark Force. You must use your intent to guide the flow of your Internal Force and use mental techniques to control the subtle movements of your body, ultimately reaching the level of 'Form-Spirit Unity, where intent arrives, force follows'..."

"This stage is primarily about training Mental Strength and will. First, you must choose the most suitable fundamental diagram to sharpen your will..."

As he was speaking, Li Shuxing suddenly frowned and stood up to look outside, as if he had sensed something.

"A troublesome old fellow has arrived. I have to go deal with him. The fundamental diagrams are all here; you pick one and try it out first. I probably won't have time to teach you today."

Li Shuxing pondered for a moment before saying this.

In any case, practicing these fundamental diagrams wouldn't lead to any mishaps; at most, it would just be ineffective, so he wasn't too worried.

With a flicker of his figure, he vanished from where he stood.

"What fast movement technique."

Huo Yuanhong exclaimed in admiration and began flipping through the fundamental diagrams laid out on the desk.

After looking at a few, he couldn't make heads or tails of them and didn't know which one was suitable, so he simply decided to try visualizing them all.

Following the method his master gave him, he imagined a bowl of murky water in his heart, where every wisp of murkiness represented the distracting thoughts in his mind.

By picking out the wisps of murkiness one by one, he gradually emptied his mind of distractions, reaching a state of near-perfect clarity.

This was the Bowl of Water Meditation Method, aimed at keeping the mind as clear as an infant's, making it easier to connect with the artistic conception of the fundamental diagrams.

Next, Huo Yuanhong picked up the fundamental diagram on the far left. He saw it depicted a Hungry Tiger Biting Knife Diagram, vivid and lifelike, with a majestic aura.

At first, Huo Yuanhong felt nothing at all, but gradually, as the words <strong>[Heart-Mind Unity]</strong> appeared on his panel, a strange sensation emerged.

It was as if the fierce tiger in the diagram had come to life, and the aura of the king of the mountains rushed toward him!

Ultimately, as he imagined and constructed the imagery and scene of the fundamental diagram in his heart, he closed his eyes and felt as if he were truly in the jungle, with a vicious tiger pouncing toward him!

The rolling baleful aura and the stimulation of being on the verge of a life-or-death crisis...

Allowed his will to be sharpened, as if it were being hammered by a steel-forging mallet, becoming increasingly pure and refined.

It was just like those veteran soldiers tempered by a hundred battles; through repeated trials of life and death, their will grew stronger and stronger, eventually becoming as hard as steel and iron!

[Baji Quan (Manifest Strength (600/600) → Heart-Intent Harmony (1/600)]

So this is the effect of the Fundamental Diagram: using the heart to create a realm, and using the realm to temper the heart!

Just as punching sandbags or piercing paper can train the physique and Internal Force, by imagining and constructing the scene of the Fundamental Diagram within one's heart, and then using special methods to hypnotize oneself into truly being there, one can experience the stimulation of life and death or comprehend the grandeur of nature, thereby achieving highly efficient training of Mental Strength and will!

Compared to actually fighting a vicious tiger to the death or engaging in a bloody battle on the battlefield, this is far safer!

Let me try another one!

Huo Yuanhong picked up another Old Ape Meditation Diagram, and after trying to practice with it for a while, he felt the effect was better than the Hungry Tiger Biting Knife Diagram.

Let me try another!

And so, Huo Yuanhong tried them one by one.

It wasn't until he had finished testing the first six that he noticed another one placed on the cabinet to the side, depicting a giant mountain propping up the blue sky, with the inscription "Buzhou Mountain" beside it.

It looked like a Fundamental Diagram as well, so he picked it up and started practicing.

Huh? This one is good!

Although constructing the scene was extremely difficult, by relying on the Guaranteed Insight to constantly correct and perfect it, he managed to force it into existence.

Huo Yuanhong closed his eyes, imagining himself standing at the foot of the mountain, looking up, witnessing this heaven-propping giant mountain—of unknown height—collapsing and grinding down upon him!

That immense terror and shock caused his thoughts and will to condense at an astonishingly rapid speed.

In terms of efficiency, it was at least several times that of the previous six, and in terms of quality, it far exceeded them by an unknown margin!

This is the one! Master singled this one out and placed it separately from the other six; he must have been hinting for me to choose this one. As expected of the number one in Jin Gate, his judgment is truly sharp!

Huo Yuanhong nodded with satisfaction, holding the Buzhou Mountain Fundamental Diagram as he focused on his practice.