Limit

Limit of the Martial Dao Eight Realms—if one spoke of the great names of each realm, everyone present knew them. But when it came to the fine distinctions between them, what one could touch and understand rose and fell according to the differences in family background.

"In the first four realms, each realm has ten levels. Depending on the cultivation method practiced, the gap between the top geniuses of each realm and ordinary martial artists is also as far apart as heaven and earth."

Su Yehua spoke unhurriedly, beginning to explain the differences between the Four Realms:

"...After the Circulation Realm comes Soul Succession. What is practiced in the Soul Succession Realm is the 'Soul Condensation Method'!"

"Soul Condensation Methods of different levels allow for different numbers of soul condensations. A top-level Soul Condensation Method can at least condense the soul more than fifty times."

"But compared with the Soul Condensation Method, the most crucial thing in the Soul Succession Realm is still the level of the soul thought inherited."

"That determines the upper limit of how many times the Soul Avatar can be refined!"

Su Yehua's eyes swept over everyone below the platform as she said, "If what is inherited is the soul thought of a Four Establishments Realm powerhouse, the soul can be condensed eighty times!"

"If what is inherited is a Demon Soul, then it varies from thirty to sixty times, depending on the Demon Soul's race."

"If what is inherited is only some mountain spirit or ghostly creature, then at most there is only an upper limit of twenty times. Practicing a mid-grade soul condensation method would be enough to satisfy it."

At this point, Su Yehua's voice paused, and her gaze skimmed over two youths among the disciples who wore luxurious brocade robes, python patterns on their cuffs. "If what is inherited is the soul thought of a powerhouse beyond the Four Establishments Realm, then as far as I know, it can reach as high as one hundred and eighty soul condensations. This should be close to the limit of the Soul Succession Realm!"

As soon as these words came out, quite a few disciples from aristocratic families showed shock on their faces.

The gap between a top Soul Succession Realm and an ordinary Soul Succession Realm was actually close to tenfold! As for the two youths Su Yehua had glanced over, their expressions were different. One looked slightly unnatural, while the other showed a look of pride. Especially after hearing the clamor and restlessness around him, he merely cast a faint glance over, a few traces of contempt and disdain showing in the depths of his eyes.

One hundred and eighty times isn't the limit... Li Hao glanced at this beautiful teacher and secretly shook his head.

The highest limit was three hundred and sixty soul condensations.

...Probably.

Li Hao added two more words in his heart. After all, just because he could not do it did not mean others could not reach an even higher degree...

He had succeeded to his soul through heaven and earth, practiced four top-tier Soul Condensation Methods and five high-grade Soul Condensation Methods, and only then reached this kind of limit.

Even if he continued to practice other Soul Condensation Methods, he still could not break the restriction of three hundred and sixty times or make even an inch of further progress. This... was his limit.

When he reached three hundred and sixty soul successions, Li Hao also comprehended another kind of Soul Avatar power.

He called it... the Heaven and Earth Dharma Form.

At this moment, Su Yehua above continued speaking. "If you undergo Soul Succession in our Tan Palace Academy and meet the qualifications, you may enter the Black White Hall to cultivate and inherit the soul thoughts of the Four Establishments Realm. Apart from the imperial family, this is a first-rate choice for Soul Succession!"

"Of course, some disciples present have illustrious family backgrounds and Four Establishments Realm ancestors as well, so they do not lack such treatment. But the others may consider it."

Quite a few people present immediately had eyes that shone. They were not like Li Hao and the other marquis-house aristocratic families, nor like those two youths with python patterns on their cuffs, whose family backgrounds were illustrious and noble.

Heroic souls of the Four Establishments Realm were top-tier even in the Martial Temple, extremely rare. Unless one's aptitude was extremely high, or one caught their eye, it was simply impossible to win their favor.

And Tan Palace was worthy of being the first-class academy of the Nineteen Provinces. Such top-tier resource treatment was actually directly opened to them.

"After the Soul Succession Realm comes the Spirit Wandering Realm."

Su Yehua said softly, "The Spirit Wandering Realm can already be considered a military commandant, a famed wandering hero-level martial artist. It is extremely formidable. In our Tan Palace Academy, they can all serve as instructors of the Class B Institute."

Quite a few people nodded slightly.

Spirit Wandering... for some of them, it was even already the level of their family head.

In many cities and towns, one could dominate a region.

"In the Spirit Wandering Realm, the divine soul can leave the body, range freely over several li, and perceive every movement within several li around oneself."

"When facing the sorcery and illusions of demons, one can also use the divine soul to break them."

"And what the Spirit Wandering Realm practices is the spirit refining method!"

Su Yehua said, "The grades of spirit refining methods are high and low. An ordinary spirit refining method, cultivated to its peak, can only leave the body a little over three li."

"A high-grade spirit refining method can increase that by more than double, reaching beyond seven li."

"A supreme spirit refining method is even more exaggerated, capable of reaching at most eighteen li!"

Her gaze swept around the room. Seeing the shocked yet complicated expressions of the disciples below the platform, she said calmly, "Eighteen li is not the limit of the Spirit Wandering Realm, but supreme spirit refining methods are already exceedingly rare. Apart from the top famous sects and clans, only a very small number of forces can possess them."

"And within our Tan Palace Academy, there is one."

Hearing this, quite a few aristocratic disciples' eyes lit up.

"As long as you cultivate diligently and study hard within the academy, and remain in Class A Institute throughout, you will naturally all have a chance to come into contact with it in the future," Su Yehua said with a smile.

"Really?"

"You're even willing to teach something like that?"

"The spirit refining method our family head cultivates, I heard, is only mid-grade."

Some people were already secretly clenching their fists in excitement.

By cultivating bitterly in this Tan Palace Academy, they would have a chance to go back and surpass their family head in the future!

Just imagining that scene made one excited...

"Heh..."

The python-cuffed youth seated in the front row let out a soft sneer, the disdain in his eyes overflowing without concealment.

A supreme spirit refining method was only eighteen li, that was all.

Compared with the imperial family's Great Yu First Spirit Refining Method, it was still far off. When that First Spirit Refining Method was cultivated to its pinnacle, one could spirit-wander twenty-five li!

This was equivalent to the distance of half a city!

Against an ordinary Spirit Wandering Realm, it was practically an easy crushing.

The farther the distance of spirit wandering, the stronger the divine soul. The demonic arts of demons that one could break through would also be stronger, and one could even fortunately escape from the hands of some great demons.

Su Yehua noticed the disdain in this imperial youth's eyes, but her expression revealed nothing. She naturally knew of the imperial clan's Great Yu First Spirit Refining Method, but did not mention it. After all, this involved matters of the Son of Heaven's household.

Any words discussing the Son of Heaven's household had to be spoken with utmost caution.

"Teacher, what is the limit of the Spirit Wandering Realm? Is it twenty li?"

At this moment, someone asked curiously.

Su Yehua glanced at the youth asking the question and noticed that quite a few others also had curiosity on their faces.

She shook her head slightly. "Twenty li is not the limit either. The highest limit should be twenty-five li, or perhaps Thirty Li..."

"Thirty Li!"

After everyone heard this, they were all shocked. This was a tenfold gap from ordinary spirit refining methods.

The gap between the limit of each realm and the ordinary seemed to be almost tenfold!

It was hard to imagine what kind of terrifying power it would be if one reached the limit in every realm.

After hearing Su Yehua's words, that imperial youth immediately revealed contempt in the depths of his eyes.

What Thirty Li? My imperial family's First Spirit Refining Method is only twenty-five li. This Tan Palace Academy teacher makes wild guesses on her own and misleads students, and she isn't afraid of making herself a laughingstock! His heart stirred, and he wanted to show off, expose the other party's words, and mock her, but then he thought of his mother's earnest instructions before he left, telling him that he absolutely had to keep a low profile in Tan Palace Academy...

Forget it. As long as I know what's what in my heart, that's enough. I'll just let you fool these idiots.

Thinking this, he restrained his impulse and leaned back comfortably in his chair again, though the corners of his mouth carried a faint sneer of mocking disdain.

Thirty li, huh... Li Hao secretly shook his head again.

The things this beautiful instructor said differed quite a bit from his own experience.

Just cultivating the three supreme spirit refining methods within the Listening Rain Pavilion had allowed his spirit wandering to reach thirty-five li.

Later, Old Feng had helped him sneak into the imperial secret vault and steal out a copied edition of that Great Yu First Spirit Refining Method for him to cultivate. It had allowed his spirit wandering distance to reach fifty li!

It could cover an entire city, his divine soul reaching any place in an instant.

But this was still not the limit. Li Hao felt that he could still go a step further. If he could find more supreme spirit refining methods and cross-verify them with one another, he could refine his divine soul to an even stronger degree again.

"If you can reach the Spirit Wandering Realm before the age of twenty, then no matter where you go, you will be considered geniuses."

Su Yehua smiled as she spoke to everyone.

"But I heard that someone can reach the Spirit Wandering Realm at sixteen," an aristocratic youth said.

"I heard my father say that the Yanbei Sword Saint reached perfection in the Spirit Wandering Realm when he was fifteen!"

The other disciples were also discussing it. In the past, they had only felt amazed. Now, after understanding it, they felt more and more just how terrifying a thing this was.

At first glimpse, it was like looking at the moon from the bottom of a well; only after stepping over this threshold did one know it was a mayfly gazing at the sky!

"That is something only the top monsters with Ninth Grade Battle Bodies can accomplish."

Su Yehua said, "But everyone need not be discouraged. Reaching the Spirit Wandering Realm earlier is naturally better, but in the latter four realms, relying solely on the talent of Bone Measurement will produce weaker and weaker effects."

"In the Fifteen Li Realm, one can still barely rely on talent to pull apart the distance, but by the time one reaches the Heaven and Human Grandmaster Realm, what matters are acquired factors like temperament, comprehension, and opportunities. Therefore, if one can touch the threshold of heaven and humanity, anyone has hope of stepping through heaven's gate and entering the land of grandmasters!"

"Teacher, what are the latter four realms like?" someone asked curiously.