There are Gods Three Feet Above Your Head

"Houtian Martial Artists are divided into nine stages because there are nine key acupoints in the body that obstruct the flow of meridians."

"As one's vital energy grows, each time an acupoint barrier is broken, a meridian is opened, strength increases by one stage, and power rises by a hundred jin."

"Once all nine barriers are breached and the nine meridians are connected, forming a full circulation cycle, one reaches the peak of the Houtian realm. Then, by comprehending the Power of Heaven and Earth and converting vital energy into Xiantian True Qi, one steps into the Xiantian Martial Artist realm."

Shen Zhui pondered this as he began to circulate the "Bloodburn" technique he had cultivated for three years.

The "Bloodburn" technique was bestowed by the imperial court. It earned its name because, during circulation, the blood and qi within the body seethed, making the cultivator feel as though their blood was ablaze.

The first three chapters corresponded to the early, middle, and late stages of the Houtian realm.

When all three chapters were mastered, one would reach the peak of Houtian, comprehend the Power of Heaven and Earth, and become a Xiantian Martial Artist.

The first three chapters of "Bloodburn" were the most basic techniques issued by the court, designed to cultivate grassroots martial strength. Its greatest advantage was rapid progress!

When the first acupoint barrier was broken, the vital energy within would simultaneously force open the surrounding minor meridians, effectively widening the meridian capacity to store a greater volume of vital energy. Layer upon layer of additional energy would accumulate, charging toward the next acupoint with a domineering and fierce momentum.

"Compared to the secret techniques of noble clans and aristocratic families, 'Bloodburn' advances extremely quickly in the early stages of cultivation, even potentially allowing one to break through innate talent limitations. But its drawback is equally clear—the further one goes, the greater the power, yet the more minor meridians are damaged."

Thus, breaking through to the Xiantian realm was far more difficult for him than for the average disciple of a noble house.

However, the pros and cons of this technique had been clearly explained three years ago when Shen Zhui entered the Martial Arts Department, so he had no reason to complain.

The art could not be lightly passed down. Back then, he had nothing—lowly and destitute. If he hadn't cultivated "Bloodburn," he would never have set foot on the martial path and might still be an ordinary pauper.

"Now that I've begun the third chapter of 'Bloodburn' and broken through the seventh acupoint barrier, if I can reach the Eighth Stage of Acquired Realm, I can take on higher-grade cases and accumulate more Merit Points."

Shen Zhui pulled a small bottle containing Lesser Vitality Pills from his bosom, tipped out one pill, swallowed it, and began circulating the technique.

Thump-thump! Thump-thump!

All around was silent. As Shen Zhui focused entirely on the technique, the only sound he could hear was the beating of his own heart.

Vital energy flowed slowly through the first seven acupoints, gathering and condensing.

Under Shen Zhui's mental control, it surged toward the eighth acupoint!

"Break!"

Rumble~

All the vital energy slammed into the eighth barrier, yet it met an unyielding, invisible shackle.

"As expected, I still need pills to get through." Shen Zhui smiled faintly.

He picked up Lesser Vitality Pills one by one and sent them into his mouth, bolstering his vital energy.

Boom, boom, boom~!

Within his mind, it was like waves crashing against stone, striking the invisible barrier again and again.

But no matter how many times Shen Zhui assaulted it, the eighth barrier remained as firm as a rock, blocking his breakthrough.

"This eighth acupoint is really tough to open." Shen Zhui was secretly alarmed.

He had already struck it over a hundred times and consumed twenty Lesser Vitality Pills!

He could even feel faint pain, yet he still hadn't broken through!

Whoosh~

A pill appeared in his hand—smooth, round, and dark green in color.

A Great Return Pill!

Refined from dozens of precious Medicinal Herbs, worth five hundred taels! Shen Zhui had originally planned to save it for the ninth barrier, but with the eighth refusing to yield, he could no longer hold back.

He swallowed it in one gulp. A vast surge of vital energy instantly flooded into his body, flowing mightily through the seven acupoints and merging with the energy already gathered before the eighth barrier.

Boom, boom~

Amid excruciating pain, Shen Zhui controlled this torrent of vital energy and slammed it violently against the barrier...

Crack, crack~

Finally, a fissure appeared in the eighth barrier.

Once there was a crack, the rest became easier.

Shen Zhui repeatedly channeled the vital energy to strike the barrier...

At last!

"The eighth barrier is broken! Eighth Stage of Acquired Realm... one step closer to being a Xiantian Martial Artist!"

Shen Zhui sighed deeply. The "Bloodburn" technique wasn't hard to cultivate—the difficulty lay in the pain endured when breaking through the acupoint barriers.

And the further one went, the pain multiplied exponentially.

For instance, during this breakthrough of the eighth barrier, he had nearly passed out from the agony the moment it shattered.

"If the eighth barrier hurts this much, the ninth and the breakthrough to Xiantian are simply unimaginable."

Of course, the price paid was worth it.

For every stage a Houtian Martial Artist advanced, their physical strength increased by a hundred jin.

By the Ninth Stage of Acquired Realm, one could reach a maximum force of nine hundred and ninety-nine jin.

At the same time, with each rank increase, one could condense an Essence of Vital Energy. This essence could be attached to a weapon or used to strengthen limb power, unleashing extra force in a short burst.

As for the "Blood Burning Art," assuming one cultivated the third chapter fully, the force would also be nine hundred ninety-nine jin—this was the ultimate limit for a Houtian Martial Artist.

But when impacting acupoints, the Blood Burning Art would forcibly open some tiny meridians.

This allowed martial artists practicing the Blood Burning Art to possess greater combat power, enabling them to condense eighteen Essences of Vital Energy!

"Now that I'm at the Eighth Stage of Acquired Realm, I'll probably soon be able to condense sixteen Sword Qi. Though my force is a bit weaker than a Ninth Stage Houtian Martial Artist, I've also cultivated the Ruler Technique to the Great Accomplishment Realm. Killing a Ninth Stage Houtian Martial Artist shouldn't be hard. As for a Peak Houtian, that might be tough."

"Still, I can try taking on a Ninth Stage Houtian murder case."

Shen Zhui thought carefully.

The weapon techniques Houtian Martial Artists learned, like saber arts and sword arts, were generally divided into four realms: Entry, Minor Accomplishment, Great Accomplishment, and Perfection.

First realm: If the weapon doesn't harm the user, you can enter.

For example, using a whip technique against an enemy—if you hit yourself instead of them, you'd be better off unarmed. The basic condition for Entry is that the weapon isn't a burden.

Except for rare weapons like whips or flying hammers, Entry could be achieved in days or months at most.

Second realm: Using it like an arm—that's Minor Accomplishment.

When using a weapon feels as natural as swinging your arm, the power of your moves counts as a small achievement.

Reaching this realm usually takes years of hard practice, and those with poor comprehension might spend over a decade just at Minor Accomplishment.

Third realm: Unity of Man and Weapon, momentum is formed!

When weapon and person achieve heart-to-heart connection, and both physical force and technique reach a profound, refined state as if one entity, a 'momentum' emerges.

For example, in sword arts, 'watertight'—where even water can't penetrate the space around you.

In whip arts, a curtain of whip shadows; in saber arts, overlapping saber glints.

All of these give a powerful sense of pressure!

This is Sword Momentum, Blade Momentum—unreachable without Great Accomplishment.

To reach this realm, hard practice is secondary; comprehension matters more.

Fourth realm: Unity of Heaven and Man, technique perfected.

This realm first requires a martial artist to have perfect control over their own force.

A hundred punches thrown must each have identical force, with no deviation. Then, a saber swing must land on the exact same spot every time, with no deviation.

Finally and most importantly, force and technique must align with the cycle of heaven's way. This realm is already technique approaching the Dao.

For Houtian Martial Artists, perfect force control is hard enough, let alone Unity of Heaven and Man. So only technique creators or exceptionally gifted geniuses among Houtian Martial Artists can reach this realm.

"Unity of Man and Weapon, forming an aura. With the system's Enlightenment Time, one day equals a year of someone else's hard practice, and I've trained for three years."

"I wonder how to actually achieve Unity of Heaven and Man..."

The next day, at the county office.

In a quiet secret chamber, Shen Zhui inserted his waist token into a groove carved with mysterious patterns. Before him, images appeared like a water curtain.

The text was clearly visible, even accompanied by portraits of criminals for each case.

"Establish Dao Laws to Oversee the Realm, Abolish Heretical Sacrifices to Seal All Gods. This world's divine laws are miraculous—I wonder how it's done..."

Even after seeing it many times, Shen Zhui couldn't help but marvel.

How did the Martial Arts Department always accurately catch people, and always outside the city?

Because there are Gods Three Feet Above Your Head!

Every city had a formation array, and each city enshrined a deity.

Any crime committed within the city couldn't escape the Divine Law's surveillance!

Even outside the city, beyond the Divine Law's coverage, sacrifices were held every few years to summon the deity to expand its monitoring and patrol range.

Whenever something violated heaven's principles or the Zhou Dynasty Law, no matter how long ago, the criminal's information would be clearly presented.

Truly, there are Gods Three Feet Above Your Head! It made people afraid to lightly break the law!

Of course, the longer the time gap, the greater the cost of such presentation, and it couldn't be flawless.

"Though they say there are Gods Three Feet Above Your Head, those clan nobles probably have ways to evade this surveillance. When these methods fail, you have to rely on people to investigate. And where people investigate, there's room for exploitation."

After a moment of reflection, Shen Zhui shook his head and began browsing.

"Let's look at the files on Ninth Stage Houtian Martial Artists."

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