The Body Refining Technique was an extremely basic cultivation art.
Yun Shu planned to gradually abandon his other techniques once he entered Qi Condensation. The Body Refining Technique, however, was one he had no intention of giving up.
Even after he mastered it completely, there would still be room to improve it further.
Martial cultivation was different from immortal cultivation. But since the Martial Path could serve as the foundation and cornerstone of the Immortal Path, there was naturally a reason for that.
His Body Tempering techniques could no longer keep up with him. Once they reached Great Accomplishment, he could discard them, but the Body Refining Technique still had room to advance.
At the very least, it was the first cultivation art Yun Shu had practiced.
He wanted to see where its limits lay.
People came and went around him, but none approached Yun Shu.
They were simply a little puzzled that he was still practicing the Body Refining Technique.
Anyone who could enter the Inner Sect had to be at least at the Third Layer of Qi Refining. Even that was an exception made to let them in.
Normally, they had to reach the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining and enter the middle stage before they could pass the assessment. Those at the Third Layer were only admitted because the sect needed fresh blood and wanted to make up the numbers.
Yun Shu had skipped that level entirely, but he was still in the Body Refining Stage.
He had spent several days hovering between Body Refining perfection and the Extreme Realm.
It wasn't that he couldn't break through. He needed to slowly find that sense of balance.
What increased was his proficiency, not his experience, so he still needed time to adjust. That was why Yun Shu hadn't been in a hurry.
Previously, he could still take on practical missions. Now that he had entered the Inner Sect, the missions there were frighteningly difficult.
It was no exaggeration to say that even a D-grade mission in the Inner Sect rivaled a B-grade one in the Outer Sect. Yun Shu was willing, but until he reached the Qi Condensation Stage, he didn't want to take any on.
He needed to leave himself some time to cultivate and shore up his weaknesses.
Over the past two days, he had learned quite a bit from the Transmission Elder. The elder's personal insights were, after all, very different from the rigid knowledge in books.
"Ding, you practiced the Body Refining Technique once. Proficiency +1."
"..."
"Ding, you practiced the Body Refining Technique once. Proficiency +1."
The notifications kept ringing in Yun Shu's mind.
His proficiency was climbing rapidly.
At the moment, Yun Shu had a little over a hundred Energy Points. He had yet to absorb and convert the hundred pills he had just obtained, so he had kept them in reserve.
He would first raise everything to perfection, making his Body Refining Realm flawless, and then use them to advance. That would yield better results.
Of course, it wouldn't take long to raise everything to perfection.
Yun Shu's foundations were already solid.
His main focus was improving the Body Refining Technique and Ghost Shadow Steps.
These were the cultivation art and martial technique he relied on to survive in the Body Refining Realm.
Now, both were steadily improving.
"Ding, you practiced the Body Refining Technique once. Proficiency +1. You have reached the Extreme Realm of Body Refining."
A notification rang in Yun Shu's mind, and he stopped moving.
He suddenly thrust a palm toward the distance.
A thunderous rumble burst through the air, like rolling thunder.
A scarlet tiger, formed from Qi and Blood Power, charged into the distance. It traveled a long way before finally fading.
"Blood Qi Manifestation?"
"Blood Qi Manifestation?"
The first voice came from the far end of the Training Ground. It belonged to the distant Transmission Elder.
The second came from the highest platform in the Menial Disciple Area, where a gaunt old man spoke hoarsely.
There was no doubt that both voices carried deep astonishment and shock.
The Transmission Elder appeared before Yun Shu in a flash. The other disciples—and even Yun Shu himself—only felt their vision blur.
"How did you manage that palm just now?" The Transmission Elder was a kindly old man, and his eyes now brimmed with delight.
"I just threw it out," Yun Shu answered honestly.
"Have you learned any Martial Techniques?"
"I have. Falling Cloud Palm," Yun Shu replied truthfully. "And a movement technique, too."
Falling Cloud Palm.
The Transmission Elder murmured the name, seemingly having forgotten what sort of technique Falling Cloud Palm was.
But he soon remembered.
"Can you do it again?" the Transmission Elder asked.
His voice sounded rather urgent.
"Sure." Yun Shu nodded and glanced around.
Then he struck out with another palm, once more unleashing his Qi and Blood Power. This time, it took the shape of a scarlet dragon.
It traveled farther than the tiger had before fading away.
Yet the awe-inspiring force it carried still drove the surrounding disciples back a few steps.
A crowd of disciples had gathered after hearing the commotion.
They didn't know why the Transmission Elder was so excited.
But now that they had seen Yun Shu's Qi and Blood Power, shock filled their eyes.
Was that Qi and Blood?
Blood Qi Manifestation?
Wasn't that something seen only in legends?
"That's it. Blood Qi Manifestation, the Human Body Limit!" The Transmission Elder couldn't help laughing. "I never thought I'd live to see someone cultivate the Body Refining Technique to such a level."
The disciples were confused. Yun Shu's eyes flickered slightly, but he said nothing.
The Transmission Elder explained, "The human body has its limits, and that limit is the highest level the ancient ancestors' body cultivation techniques could reach."
"Those ancient ancestors were said to have cultivated only their bodies. Legends even say that, at the peak of their strength, they could subdue dragons and tame tigers."
"The tiger is the king of beasts, and the dragon is the Overlord of the Sea Domain. After the age of the ancient ancestors, anyone capable of manifesting tigers and dragons from their Qi and Blood had naturally reached the Human Body Limit."
"The Martial Path calls this the Extreme Realm. But the Extreme Realm you've reached is only the limit of the Body Refining Technique. Its upper limit is fixed, while you've already developed your body beyond the peak it can reach. So if you cultivate other body techniques from now on, you may find them even easier to master."
The Transmission Elder gave Yun Shu an approving look. "The path of the Body Cultivator is full of hardship. I hope you can go far. But may I ask about your talent in the Immortal Path?"
"Triple Spiritual Root, all low-grade..." Yun Shu blinked, then answered.
The Transmission Elder: "..."
The disciples who had gathered to watch: "..." All right, let's go.
After a long while, the Transmission Elder looked at him with a complicated expression and managed only a dry, "Don't lose heart. There are plenty of powerful figures who've attained godlike mastery of the Martial Path. Uh, I haven't heard of any myself, but the ancient texts are full of them..."
Regardless, the Transmission Elder had witnessed a piece of history. He lightly patted Yun Shu on the shoulder, then returned to his seat.
The disciples had also committed Yun Shu's face to memory. They gave him sympathetic looks before dispersing.
Yun Shu rubbed his chin. Should he say something like, "Never look down on a poor young man?"
After the crowd dispersed, Yun Shu continued practicing Ghost Shadow Steps, Falling Cloud Palm, and Thunderclap Fist as usual.
Once his Qi and Blood could manifest, Ghost Shadow Steps became even more terrifying.
His whole body was almost shrouded in a layer of Blood Mist, making the technique seem extraordinarily eerie.
It also seemed a little more overbearing—and a little more sinister.
At the very least, it made him move much faster.
The sound of his movements had also grown fainter.
And it carried a unique killing force.
It looked just like the Blood Escape Technique of a Heretic Cultivator.
The more Yun Shu looked at it, the more similar it seemed. Even the principles behind them were nearly the same.
Both used Qi and Blood Power to escape. The only difference was that the Blood Escape Technique burned one's vital essence—in other words, one's Heart Blood—while his technique merely consumed Qi and Blood Power. The method was the same; only the power differed.
As Yun Shu used his Martial Techniques, they developed more variations. Since he had already pushed them to Great Accomplishment, he could naturally adapt to and integrate these changes quickly.
Yun Shu practiced as if no one else were around.
Even when the disciples passed by, they only shook their heads. They had never seen anyone who specialized in the Body Refining Realm.
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