Great Theory

At those words, everyone in the hall fell silent.

Their cultivation was too low. They had come to the Martial Arts Hall seeking nothing more than some basic "Body Tempering instruction"—which techniques would best improve their strength, which medicines could toughen their bodies, and so on. They had never considered what they should do once they reached Body Tempering Peak, or where they might find even greater strength.

Xu Yi had laid the question bare. His words were like the tolling of the evening drum and morning bell, ringing above their heads.

They were all martial artists. Who among them didn't yearn to improve? During the Body Tempering Stage, everyone knew that honing the body was the source of strength.

But what came after they reached the end of the Body Tempering Stage?

The hall fell deathly silent. Every gaze turned to Master Zhou.

Master Zhou finally cast off his dejection and stood firm on the platform. A draft swept through the hall, lifting the tattered hem of his robe and lending him an air of solemnity.

"I understand your question. You're worried that once the Body Tempering Stage ends, you won't be able to gain greater strength by training your body, correct? If that's what concerns you, there's no need to worry! I can tell you with certainty that Body Tempering has no end throughout the entire Transcendent Realm. The methods simply differ. As everyone knows, the Mortal Transformation Fourth Realm consists of Body Tempering, Qi Sea, Liquid Condensation, and Soul Sensing. These four realms are defined this way because they mark the drastic changes that occur in a martial artist's body as he cultivates through them."

"At the peak of the Body Tempering Stage, your skin is like oxhide, your bones like hardened iron, your strength equal to that of an ox, and your courage unmatched! Once you break through the Body Tempering Stage, you enter the Qi Sea Realm. As the name suggests, your dantian becomes a sea, and you begin to store True Qi. At that point, you can control objects with your mind and wound people from afar, with endless wondrous applications. This stage also involves a process of Body Tempering, but instead of training the skin, sinews, and bones, you train the bone marrow and blood. Only when your marrow is like frost and your blood like thick syrup can you be considered accomplished."

"As for what happens in the Liquid Condensation Realm and Soul Sensing Realm, I've never reached those stages, so I don't know the details. But that doesn't stop me from making some deductions based on their names. The Liquid Condensation Realm likely involves turning True Qi into liquid and transforming it into True Essence. At that stage, you temper your organs. As for the Soul Sensing Stage, perhaps the body reaches its limit and begins to commune with Heaven and Man. The saying that utmost sincerity can move the Soul and Spirit must refer to this..."

Master Zhou's explanation was detailed and rigorous. Though much of it was speculation, he had reasoned it out step by step. He spoke for half an incense stick's time, yet the words seemed to pass in an instant. To Xu Yi, they were like the Buddha expounding the wondrous Dharma, with lotus flowers blooming from his tongue and golden lotuses springing from the earth. The great mountain that had long stood before Xu Yi suddenly crumbled.

After Master Zhou finished speaking, the entire hall remained silent for a long while.

"What are you all staring at me like that for? Do you think I said something wrong?"

Master Zhou looked at the crowd's dazed expressions, baffled.

"You... you're actually in the Qi Sea Realm!"

A fat man with a round face stared with ox-like eyes and blurted out the question on everyone's mind.

If the first half of Master Zhou's speech had been a stroke of genius that made everyone listen with bated breath, then when he said, "As for what happens in the Liquid Condensation Realm and Soul Sensing Realm, I've never reached those stages," it was like a thunderclap crashing down upon the hall.

Who could have imagined that this frail, old man was actually in the legendary Qi Sea Realm? Everyone in the hall was still in the early stages of Body Tempering, with even Body Tempering Peak far beyond their reach. Now they had suddenly encountered a Qi Sea Realm expert, a master of such stature that he could have been painted on the walls of the Martial Arts Hall.

It was hard not to be shocked.

Fortunately, Xu Yi's cultivation was already advanced, and he had fought Zhou Shirong, who was in the Qi Sea Realm. He was also fully prepared for Master Zhou's abilities. So Master Zhou's realm did not surprise him, and he alone absorbed every word the man said.

"Don't be ridiculous. What's so impressive about the Qi Sea Realm?"

Master Zhou retorted irritably. "Even if you reach Soul Sensing, you're still a mortal unless you break through the Transcendent Realm. What's so remarkable about a mere Qi Sea Realm? If you don't even have the ambition to break through the Qi Sea Realm, you might as well leave this Martial Arts Hall!"

His words were impassioned, but inside, Master Zhou felt only bitterness. It was true that he had once been in the Qi Sea Realm, but that was in the past. Twenty years ago, someone had shattered his dantian with a single palm strike, severing the foundation of his Martial Arts and leaving him utterly crippled. He had managed to enter the Martial Arts Hall on the strength of his experience, becoming an instructor who taught beginners, and had thus muddled through the past twenty years in peace.

Now, with someone suddenly bringing up the realm he had once attained, it would have been self-deception to claim that he felt no longing or regret.

As everyone sat in silence, Xu Yi rose again. "Thank you for your guidance, Master. I have another question. When martial artists fight, do strength and speed hold absolute sway, with Martial Skills merely an offshoot? Should we focus solely on training our strength and speed? Also, I heard you say that at Body Tempering Peak, one's strength equals that of an ox. But I've also heard of Body Tempering Peak experts whose strikes possess the strength of three oxen. How is that possible? Could it be the wondrous power of Martial Skills?"

Xu Yi asked this because when he had fought Elder Feng, Elder Feng had unleashed the Nirvana Divine Fist, striking with the Strength of three oxen. It had left him perplexed.

He had reached Body Tempering Peak entirely through the Demonic Ox Great Strength Fist. The beauty of this fist technique lay in training the body, not in attacking.

Thus, though Xu Yi had cultivated to Body Tempering Peak, he knew no Martial Skills at all. When he fought Elder Feng, his equal in realm, he had relied on nothing but his superior strength and speed.

Elder Feng had indeed been defeated by Xu Yi's strength and speed, leading Xu Yi to nearly believe that Martial Skills were useless. But during the past few days, while recovering from his injuries, he had carefully gone over the fight with Elder Feng in his mind.

In particular, he had thought carefully about that silent strike of the Nirvana Divine Fist. If he hadn't happened to be covered in Heavy Iron, that punch would have finished him off. He wouldn't be here today.

And no matter how he looked at it, the Nirvana Divine Fist had to be a Martial Skill. So had his earlier belief—that speed and strength alone could conquer the world—been wrong?

"Study diligently, discern clearly, and think carefully. You're a promising young man!"

Master Zhou shot Xu Yi a glance, grabbed his wine gourd, and took a long swig. "Your question needs to be considered from two angles. First, when martial artists fight, strength and speed are indeed the key among keys. You could even say that before absolute strength, all fancy tricks are meaningless!"

"Second, Martial Skills are no less important than strength and speed. The reason is simple: absolute strength is often very difficult to pursue. In other words, unless you're facing an enemy a whole major realm above you, Martial Skills can hardly make up for the gap in strength. But then again, as Body Tempering martial artists, who among you has ever thought of competing on equal terms with experts in the Qi Sea Realm or even the Liquid Condensation Realm?"

"So, in my view, absolute strength is a false proposition in a certain sense. No matter how much I emphasize the importance of Martial Skills, it won't be too much. Otherwise, why would the world have so many kinds of combat techniques and cultivation methods, developed to such an extreme? You could say that Martial Skills aren't separate from strength and speed. They are strength and speed fused together, perfectly combined!"