Cultivation in the Grandmaster Realm

Lin Heng had no objections to the proposal for a Grandmaster Ceremony.

Just like the Master Acknowledgment Ceremony when he was seven, this Grandmaster Ceremony was mainly meant to provide the Sect's people with Emotional Value.

It would let them clearly see that the vast Cultivation Resources the Sect had spent on Lin Heng had produced the unprecedented result of him reaching the Grandmaster Realm at ten years old.

Such an achievement would make everyone willingly support and uphold Lin Heng, providing him with the Cultivation Resources he needed going forward and elevating him to a high position.

Living longer and living better—this was precisely what Lin Heng wished to pursue in this simulated life.

At that moment, Xiao Rang said with a smile, "Disciple, let us set the Grandmaster Ceremony for October Third, four months from now. That day is your tenth birthday, so we can celebrate your attainment of the Grandmaster Realm alongside it—two happy occasions arriving at one door."

Lin Heng nodded in agreement.

After that, Lin Heng was dragged off to have a late-night meal with the many Elders.

Although the Grandmaster Ceremony had been set for four months later, today was still a day worth celebrating. The many Cloud Sword Palace disciples stationed at the Mountain Gate had all received the news that Lin Heng had become a Grandmaster.

All sorts of delicacies were brought out for celebration, and because of Lin Heng's breakthrough, the entire Sect became a sea of joy.

A Grandmaster at ten years old—this allowed all the Sect Members and Disciples of Cloud Sword Palace to see that their Sect was flourishing, a safeguard for themselves and their descendants for many years to come.

Lin Heng's unparalleled talent filled everyone with delight.

The next day, the entire Sect became busy with preparations for the Grandmaster Ceremony.

Making preparations, sending invitations, preparing wine and food, arranging security.

Naturally, none of these trivial matters had anything to do with Lin Heng. After a brief celebration the previous night, he threw himself into a brand-new round of cultivation.

Breaking through Xiantian and becoming a Grandmaster was merely a small, stage-by-stage achievement. His next goal was to become a Great Grandmaster.

The Grandmaster Realm had two cultivation objectives. The first was to forge a sufficiently powerful Physique, while the second was to accumulate sufficiently profound Internal Breath.

Because of these two objectives, the entire Grandmaster Realm was divided into Twenty-Seventh Heaven.

The first Ninth Heaven involved continuously transforming the body. Each Transformation counted as one Heaven.

Once one cultivated to the Grandmaster Ninth Heaven, one could achieve Bronze Head Iron Arms and an Indestructible Vajra Body. Relying on the flesh alone, one would possess formidable defenses—difficult to harm even with Divine Weapons and sharp weapons, impervious to water and fire.

After these nine Transformations, aside from the Physique, a Martial Artist's Meridians and Acupoints would also be strengthened and expanded to the Peak, allowing them to bear an Internal Breath as vast as a sea.

The following eighteen levels of Grandmaster Realm cultivation focused on accumulating power. They corresponded to the Acupoints opened in the Xiantian Eighteenth Heaven Realm, which, like the Dantian Qi Sea, could store great quantities of Internal Breath.

Every time seventy-two Acupoints were filled with accumulated Internal Breath, one would rise by a single Heaven.

Lin Heng, who had only just entered the Grandmaster Realm, had merely filled his Dantian Qi Sea with Internal Breath. The more than one thousand other Acupoints he had already opened had only undergone preliminary cultivation; their Internal Breath had not yet accumulated to the overflowing fullness of the Dantian Qi Sea.

In theory, a Martial Artist who reached the Twenty-Seventh Heaven of the Grandmaster Realm would possess over a thousand times more internal power than when first entering the Grandmaster Realm.

Only such vast internal power could support a Martial Artist in attaining the Combat Power of a One Man Army.

"Disciple, now that you have reached the Grandmaster Realm, you are qualified to cultivate this Body Protection Divine Art."

At that moment, Xiao Rang came to find Lin Heng, intending to teach him an entirely new martial art.

"Ethereal True Aura."

Lin Heng read out the name on the cover of the manual Xiao Rang handed him.

"Yes. Grandmaster Realm cultivation begins with the Physique. If you train it through conventional methods, your progress will undoubtedly be slow. Even with your talent, it may take you a year to raise your cultivation by one Heaven."

"However, when paired with the Cloud Sword True Art, this Body Protection Divine Art is the body-tempering technique best suited for you at your current stage. Not only can it rapidly strengthen your Physique, but once you reach Great Completion, you can also cultivate Ethereal True Aura, this kind of Body Protection Aura."

"Not only is Body Protection Aura immensely defensive, it can also turn an enemy's qi-force attacks to your own use. Any qi-force attack that fails to break through your aura's defenses can become an aid, conserving your own internal power. It is truly a weapon for fighting groups."

As Xiao Rang introduced the effects of Ethereal True Aura, Lin Heng was greatly tempted.

He carefully read through this Body Protection Divine Art and discovered that it recorded nine methods for transforming the Physique, corresponding to the first nine levels of Grandmaster Realm cultivation, as well as various techniques for circulating qi, deflecting force, and borrowing force.

Just as Xiao Rang had said, once cultivated, it would not only rapidly improve his Physique, but also allow him to forge an exceptionally powerful Body Protection Aura.

After Lin Heng finished reading "Ethereal True Aura," his years of cultivation experience made it easy for him to understand the technique. After raising several points he was uncertain about and asking Xiao Rang, he prepared to begin cultivating.

"Disciple, you may cultivate in the Back Mountain Cold Pond. Also, you may treat the fruit growing on that grove of Yin Plum Trees beside the Cold Pool as snacks during breaks in your cultivation."

Finally, Xiao Rang gave him this advice.

"Thank you for your guidance, Master."

Lin Heng nodded, then carried the Clear Cloud Sword straight toward the Back Mountain Cold Pond.

Before long, an icy blue pool appeared before Lin Heng. Many plum trees exuding a cold, yin aura grew around it.

When Lin Heng had first arrived at the Cloud Sword Palace Mountain Gate, he had been physically frail and weak. A place like the Cold Pool would have done him more harm than good, so Xiao Rang had only brought him to view it from afar; he had never come here himself.

But now that Lin Heng had reached the Grandmaster Realm, this Cold Pool had become an excellent place to aid his cultivation.

Following Xiao Rang's instructions, Lin Heng first picked two plums. After eating them, he found that although they tasted rather good, they felt exceedingly cold upon entering his mouth. An ordinary person would surely fall gravely ill after eating one, but for him now, they had the effect of tempering his Physique.

"This truly is a fine place for cultivation."

Lin Heng smiled and picked several more plums to eat.

He then took off his clothes, wearing only a pair of shorts as he entered the Cold Pool.

In an instant, Lin Heng felt an extreme cold envelop his body.

To resist this cold, his body's qi and blood had to circulate faster to contend against it. Invisibly, this forcibly pushed Lin Heng's bodily functions to their Peak, compelling his body to evolve and adapt to the frigid environment.

"Time to train."

After taking some time to adapt, Lin Heng gripped the Clear Cloud Sword and, following the qi circulation and exertion methods recorded in Ethereal True Aura, linked it with the Ethereal Immeasurable Sword Technique and the internal cultivation method of the Cloud Sword True Art, beginning his body-tempering cultivation.

Qi and blood surged through his body, resisting the icy cold outside as they began to scour his Physique.

At the same time, Internal Breath flowed through his Meridians and Acupoints, continuously Refining the Heaven and Earth Origin Energy from the outside world, increasing his own power while replenishing his body's expenditure of qi and blood.

Through this cultivation, Lin Heng's bodily strength continued to increase, and his Internal Breath steadily grew deeper.

Lin Heng estimated his cultivation progress. If he continued accumulating at this rate, he could likely complete his next Transformation and break through to the Second Heaven of the Grandmaster Realm in roughly half a year.