The Mystery of Physiques

Speaking of physiques, one had to mention the history and background of this world.

From what Meng Zhao had learned from that mysterious man, the land he now stood upon was called the Red County Divine Continent, vast and boundless. Though the Great Yong Dynasty was immense, it occupied only a portion of the central region.

In the distant ancient era, Gods and Devils had existed upon the Red County Divine Continent.

Back then, countless great powers filled heaven and earth. The strong could burn the skies and boil the seas; plucking stars and seizing the moon was no difficult feat.

The Hundred Clans stood between heaven and earth, while demons, fiends, ghosts, and monsters ran rampant. The human race had been no more than a minor clan.

Then, for reasons unknown, a tribulation descended upon heaven and earth. Gods and Devils vanished, demons and ghosts disappeared without a trace, and the world entered the ancient tribal age.

The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, along with mighty figures of Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, Legalism, and other paths, comprehended peerless martial arts from the remnants left behind by the ancient Gods and Devils, attaining the supreme Mythic Realm.

From then on, they hacked through brambles and thorns, tempered themselves as they pressed forward, swept aside the Hundred Clans, and led humanity from one peak to another. In the end, humanity became the master of the land and ruled supreme beneath heaven.

During the medieval era, imperial dynasties and sects flourished side by side. Xia, Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han, Tang, Song, Yuan, and Ming—the nine supreme dynasties—suppressed the Red County Divine Continent, while great schools and sects emerged from their mountains in droves, taking in disciples far and wide to strengthen themselves. It was an age when ten thousand sects sang in unison.

Countless conflicts arose during that time, setting off one calamity after another across the Divine Continent.

It was not until the Great Ming Dynasty, the final afterglow of the medieval era, perished that history entered the Near Ancient Times.

The Red County Divine Continent fell into chaos without a master. The hegemony of heroes lasted for more than a century before it was finally ended atop Mount Tai, at the Supreme Alliance Assembly, by the founding Great Ancestor of Great Yong, Beitang Gong.

Back to the point: although those mighty Gods and Devils of the ancient era had vanished, the vast power they possessed had not perished.

Certain exceptionally powerful individuals left behind their bloodlines among the Hundred Clans, passing on special powers. That was the origin of the earliest Special Physiques.

The Chaos Body, said to contain all laws; the Fighting Saint Body, unmatched in battle intent and peerless in offense; the Star Body, which communicated with the stars; the Golden Glass Saint Body, whose golden body could not be destroyed—each possessed unfathomable, ghost-and-god-defying might. They were truly blessed by heaven.

Then there were peerless figures such as the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, the Dao Ancestor, and the Buddha Ancestor, who could pass their own power down to descendants and disciples through special means. This, too, gave rise to certain physiques, such as the Nine-Nine Ascending Dragon Body, the Taishang Dao Body, the Tathagata Saint Body, and so on.

From this alone, those powerful figures were no different from the ancient Gods and Devils.

After countless millennia of reproduction, the human population exploded. There would always be fortunate individuals born with extraordinary gifts, inheriting Special Physiques and cultivating supremely powerful martial arts that shocked the world and further magnified the might of their physiques.

That was why Meng Zhao held such great expectations that he might possess some kind of Special Physique.

If the Sky-Illuminating Mirror was a cheat acquired after birth, one that might be lost—

Then a Special Physique was an inborn cheat, the kind no one could ever take away.

"But is this really true? If I really do have a physique, then which one is it?"

Meng Zhao sank into vexed contemplation. He did not know much about physiques, but he understood that they were extraordinary, and that different physiques could display vastly different traits.

Take the Chaos Body, for instance. It was close to all paths and contained all laws. Perhaps one would not appear even once in ten thousand years, but whenever one did, they were certain to be a Peerless Prodigy.

So long as they cultivated, they would directly enter the Innate Realm. Provided they did not die young, they would surely become a figure of the Mythic Realm in the future.

Of the only two recorded possessors of the Chaos Body, the first had been Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, who suppressed the four extremities and eight wastelands, sweeping across the world without equal.

No matter how stunning a powerful figure might be, before Liu Che of the Chaos Body, they would all pale into insignificance.

The second had been Emperor Taizong Li Shimin of Tang. He too possessed the Chaos Body, and because he was so heaven-defying, he had once overshadowed even his father, Li Yuan, Founder of Tang Dynasty, becoming a legendary streak of brilliance shining upon the world.

Then there were the Star Bodies, including the Solar Body, Lunar Body, Ziwei Treasure Body, Army Breaker Body, and more.

Not only were they numerous, their displayed differences were enormous.

At the Acquired Realm, their possessors were no different from ordinary people. There were no abnormalities, and they could not be identified.

Only upon reaching the Innate Realm and breathing in Heaven and Earth Vital Energy would the corresponding Star Power descend upon them. This was known as the awakening of one's star fate.

Whether in combat or cultivation progress, they stood head and shoulders above other martial artists, with an extremely high upper limit.

Yet for that very reason, Star Bodies could remain buried beneath dust.

Thus, Meng Zhao could not find a physique among that bewildering variety that matched his own.

After all, he currently had no abnormalities whatsoever and was no different from an ordinary person.

If not for a treasure like the Sky-Illuminating Mirror revealing that something was unusual about his physique, Meng Zhao himself likely would not have entertained such hopes.

After pondering bitterly for quite some time, Meng Zhao finally understood that if he wanted to uncover the truth of his physique, it ultimately had to come down to the divine Sky-Illuminating Mirror.

The reason the Sky-Illuminating Mirror could not clearly reveal the secret of his physique now was perhaps still because it lacked sufficient energy.

So long as he absorbed enough energy points, he should be able to lift this veil of mist.

As for martial arts, his energy points were limited at present, so Meng Zhao did not intend to use them lightly.

Once Meng Jizu returned, he would surely pass down the Meng Family's divine arts to him. At that time, using energy points to improve them would presumably be of great help.

As for the three martial arts he currently possessed, he would wait and see. If he could obtain more energy points tomorrow, he could try improving them.

Inside an elegant chamber in the North Garden of the Meng Mansion, a young man wearing a golden crown reclined sideways on a soft couch covered in tiger skin, holding a scroll and reading aloud. His voice was low and husky, yet carried a deep, solid quality.

He resembled Meng Wen by five or six parts, though the lines of his face were harder, and there was a small black mole at the corner of his right eyebrow.

He could not be called handsome, but he was at least imposing in appearance and possessed a touch of commanding dignity.

At that moment, a Servant Boy in blue hurried in from beyond the screen. Bent at the waist, he approached the couch where the young man lay, dropped to his knees with a thump, and said softly,

"Eldest Young Master, news has just arrived. Meng Zhao accepted an invitation to a banquet and went to see the Second Young Master.

"At the feast, the Second Young Master tried every possible means to win him over, gifting him the beauty Chu Yao and a string of Buddhist beads made from Mystic Jade.

"Meng Zhao refused the beauty but accepted the Buddhist beads. How should we respond?"

Meng Xi's gaze sharpened. He shifted his eyes away from the scroll, and a grim, icy gleam shot toward the Servant Boy like a cold arrow. He gave an oh and sneered.

"Fourth Sister spent ten years in a monk's temple. She must have been made stupid by all that scripture chanting, unable to distinguish rank and station.

"After returning, instead of first paying respects to me, her Elder Brother, she went and mixed with Second Brother. What is she trying to do?"

Meng Xi considered for a moment, suppressed the displeasure in his heart, and ordered,

"Do this. Have the people planted in the second branch's businesses lie low for now. Do not let them show themselves.

"Watch what Fourth Sister does first, then make plans accordingly.

"However, the Red Leaf Ginseng and Wolfsbane Grass business brings in too much profit. I am determined to have it.

"Find an opportunity to notify Fourth Sister. Tell her that I want to buy that portion from her.

"As for the price, I, her Elder Brother, will not treat her unfairly."

The blue-clad Servant Boy, Lu Shun, trembled inwardly. Having served his master for many years, he understood him well.

His master possessed a domineering nature nurtured since childhood, and he was also sensitive and suspicious.

Meng Zhao's visit to Second Young Master Meng Wen tonight, along with his acceptance of the gift, had likely already touched Eldest Young Master's bottom line.

But such matters were not for a servant like him to worry about. After committing everything to memory, he bowed once more before withdrawing to carry out his task.

After the Servant Boy left, Meng Xi viciously hurled the scroll in his hand to the ground, his expression exceedingly ugly.

Meng Zhao had been away from home for ten years, with only that old fellow Lü Zhong holding things together. Meng Xi had long set his sights on the fat morsel that was the second branch.

Over the years, he had also squeezed quite a bit of silver from the second branch, using it to cultivate his own power and saving himself considerable effort and trouble.

Now that Meng Zhao had returned, such things could not continue forever. He could only stop.

But he absolutely could not tolerate the second branch's power being used by Meng Wen. That would be a tremendous blow to him.

Under the dim lamplight, Meng Xi's face remained expressionless, while a cold, sinister gleam lingered in his eyes.

"The position of family head is mine, and it can only be mine. Fourth Sister, I hope you know how to read the times. Otherwise..."

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Also, regarding imperial dynasties and great emperors, most of them will have their ancient history mythologized.

For example, Emperor Wu of Han Liu Che and Emperor Taizong Li Shimin of Tang have been set as possessors of the Chaos Body. There is no need to discuss their strategy or talent; in terms of martial arts, they were definitely the greatest in the world during their respective eras.

Please do not compare who was stronger, because I do not know either.

Also, emperors who have not appeared, such as the highly popular First Emperor and common-born sovereigns like Emperor Hongwu, are not weak. They simply have not been involved, or have not yet been mentioned. Please understand, and do not flame me.