All of It

Jianghu

What is Jianghu?

The Human Dao is a martial arts world. The cultivation world is also a martial arts world. The mortal world is a martial arts world.

Everyone in the martial world is just a fish swimming in the water.

Big fish eat little fish, little fish eat shrimp.

As long as you're born into this world, where is there any room for you to easily transcend it and live a carefree life away from the world?

The cultivator was merely one of the few koi carp among these fry with a modicum of ambition.

At least they still wanted to see the real scenery beyond the water.

At least they still had the courage to take that desperate leap.

Either they achieve nothing and fall heavily back into the swamp.

Either it will transform into a dragon when it encounters favorable winds and clouds, completely breaking free from this confined space.

But is jumping out of the pool always a good thing?

How could you possibly know if the outside world is an even bigger and more chaotic place?

Or perhaps, it's actually a frying pan?

It really takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone or tendon; that's no exaggeration.

After more than three months of recuperation, Li Fan's legs finally grew back.

He had suffered several serious injuries and broken arms before, but at least he could retrieve his limbs, sew them back up with ink thread, and heal them after a week of soaking in medicine. But this time, his legs were smashed to pieces by the old demon Qingyang, and there was no way to retrieve the flesh and sew them back up.

Of course, using the Daoist transformation method, or learning Qin Jianshi's method to quickly grow a physical body using magic, is also an option. However, such a transformed body requires constant and strenuous maintenance, and if it is used for too long without treatment, the body may become disabled, resulting in acquired defects in the Daoist body.

Fortunately, the Xuanmen sect missed their chance and didn't cause any more trouble, so the situation didn't escalate to the point of life-or-death confrontation. Later, Li Fan and his group successfully returned to Ink Bamboo Mountain, where they were able to recuperate peacefully under the protection of their sect.

Therefore, in order to ensure that his body was solid and his foundation was stable, Li Fan followed the advice of several masters, took the Bone-Growing Pill and applied the Jade Muscle Cream, slowly guiding and smoothing his meridians, waiting for his bones and flesh to grow on their own. He even stopped circulating his qi for a while, so as not to affect the effect of the pills in repairing his meridians and damage his foundation.

Wangshu Residence for three months to cultivate one's Qi in tranquility and not being able to go out and cause trouble was simply torture. Of course, it wasn't that Li Fan really liked going out and causing trouble; it was mainly the other aspects of the 'torture'.

For example, during the first month, Real Person Wanshu personally came to change his dressings. Her slender, jade-like hands gently stroked his inner thighs with a bone-healing ointment, and she would occasionally lean in and exhale a Dao Breath of Daoist energy to aid in the growth of his meridians and muscles. Because Li Fan was unable to move easily, she would also use spiritual marrow liquid to wipe his body and regulate his disordered internal energy.

Each time, it would take one or two hours of careful work, leaving Li Fan drenched in sweat and feeling extremely uncomfortable. It took a great deal of willpower for him to hold back his moans.

That Profound Heaven Sword Intent is really annoying, constantly whispering this and that in my ear. One minute it's saying, "Host, you're seriously injured right now, you must hold on and not lose your vital energy!" The next minute it's saying, "Host, you must be resolute! Women are just deadly skeletons!" The next minute it's saying, "Host, you must calm down! If you ejaculate too quickly in this improper dual cultivation, all your cultivation will be absorbed by the one with higher power! They're already at the Transformation Stage, they can just sit there and absorb the dust, and you'll be gone in an instant!"

This kind of reminder didn't help at all! It just made him even more eager to do it!

Fairy Wangshu found Li Fan's internal struggle amusing, but later worried that his constant blood rushing to his head might affect the treatment, she surprisingly remembered to dress at home before coming to heal Li Fan...

Well, now everyone can understand the torment Li Fan suffered... and to be honest, wearing those clothes actually made it even harder to bear, cough cough!

In short, during the first month of treatment, Fairy Wangshu did almost nothing of particular effect except for providing Li Fan with a lot of "mood boosts"...

Fortunately, Fuling emerged from seclusion in the second month. It took her a month to stabilize her Golden Core Dao Body. Her crane wings were hidden in her shoulder blades and were usually completely invisible.

She's still the same as before. It seems that in the past month, her Dao heart has become more stable. Although she lost Zhang Jiugao, a close elder who was both a teacher and a father figure to her, she still has Miss, many other like-minded friends, and Kun is waiting for her, isn't he?

If one had to point out any change, it would only be in her clothing. Fuling started wearing backless dresses, probably to avoid accidentally tearing them open when her body was exposed. She's quite thoughtful about these details...

Li Fan breathed a sigh of relief when Fuling returned, but Kun was the happiest, finally able to eat some proper tofu...

Under the care and medicinal diet provided by Fuling, Li Fan finally recovered and was able to resume his cultivation normally.

To avoid frequently using his true qi and affecting the efficacy of the Bone-Growing Pill, Li Fan didn't practice breathing exercises for the past three months, but he didn't waste any time either. After all, according to the custom of the Ink Bamboo Mountain sect, their Cultivation Method were taught very late. Lou Guan's sect required disciples to pass the Tribulation of Death and achieve the Golden Core stage, while the Mountain Lord's lineage even required them to achieve the Nascent Soul Stage before being considered as an entry-level disciple, which shows how different they were.

Now that Li Fan has survived two life-threatening tribulations, achieved the Golden Core stage twice, and made great contributions to his sect, he is now a true disciple. As a result, a whole host of divine skills and secret techniques from Ink Bamboo Mountain have opened their doors to him.

During the three months of recuperation, Master Yao and Real Person Liang visited Li Fan one after another, each giving him a Daoist book.

The four old men who had taken the sword furnace with him probably thought he was a teachable talent, or perhaps they thought his personality was too reckless, so each of them passed on one of their signature supernatural abilities to him for self-defense.

Fairy Wangshu finally remembered to preach on behalf of the mountain master. Starting from the third month, she came to Li Fan's meditation room every night to preach the scriptures and carefully taught him a Cultivation Method from Golden Core to Nascent Soul Stage.

How meticulous was she? She personally guided Li Fan's meridians and guided his Dao Breath, ensuring his understanding wasn't insufficient and he wouldn't experience any mishaps. Well, she'd already thoroughly examined him from top to bottom...

To be honest, with Li Fan's comprehension, he would have understood it simply by her explaining the flow of qi through his meridians. However, he deliberately pretended to be stupid, and being instructed so closely almost caused him to suffer a qi deviation twice. He deserved it...

In short, even though Li Fan has a photographic memory, receiving so many Daoist teachings all at once is a bit overwhelming. He can only force himself to memorize them first, then carefully study and organize them, and start cultivating again after his injuries have healed.

First of all, the supernatural powers given by the four old men were relatively simple.

These are Qin Jianshi's "Motian Huasheng Dafa," which allows him to replenish limbs and eyeballs at any time; Liu Zhens's "Disha Shiliu Zhentu Jie"; Chen Fushi's "Dishui Huofeng Sixiang Qifu Dunjia Jingjiang"; and Du Gongshi's "A Collection of 1,600 Four Elements Calculation Rules and Exercises"...

These four magical arts, formations, and talismans are all geared towards combat. The Transformation Technique is for battlefield first aid, the Calculation Sutra assists in setting up formations, and includes some basic calculation formulas. They can also be used to deduce many basic escape techniques and ghost gates, so as not to fall into the illusions and traps of others. They are all very practical and widely applicable magical techniques, and all of them can be evolved using the Dao Qi of Heaven and Earth.

It can be said that the four masters were specially chosen based on Li Fan's Daoist methods, temperament, and fighting style, so that they could cooperate with each other, multiplying the effects and effectively enhancing Li Fan's combat power.

There's not much to say about these four steps of the Daoist method; it's mainly about application. Just review them occasionally, and you'll eventually master them. Of course, the <Four Elements Calculation Rules> is a complete source of Affliction...

But put these time-killing things aside for now. The real problem is the Daoist books sent by the two Lou Guan, Yao and Liang, as well as the divine skills taught by Fairy Wangshu.

These three Cultivation Method are all for cultivating to the Nascent Soul Realm! They belong to different paths and are considered divergent!

Needless to say, Xiao Yao is an old comrade and the acting abbot. Hearing that Li Fan's inner elixir was the Qi of Heaven and Earth, he brought Li Fan a secret manual of Lou Guan, "Wuji Guidao." Its purpose is to "refine essence into qi, combining three into two; refine Divine Transformation, combining two into one; refine spirit to return to emptiness, returning to the Dao." It is a secret method to fuse the Qi of Heaven and Earth to refine a higher level of Limitless True Qi, and to cultivate the Qi of Heaven and Earth into a Limitless Nascent Soul Stage that returns to the Dao.

Meanwhile, Real Person Liang heard that Li Fan had formed his Golden Core after Yuan Xuanbao came to visit him. So Xuanbao made another trip, bringing with him the benefits that Master Liang had promised before, the <Huashu>.

It is said to be an ancient Daoist method secretly passed down by Lou Guan. According to the principle of "following the natural order leads to life, while Golden Core in reverse, "transforming form into qi, Divine Transformation, spirit into emptiness, and returning to the root to restore life", thus refining the ancient Real Immortal and achieving the nascent Gui Xu Nascent Soul.

As for Fairy Wangshu taught, it didn't have a book title, and it wasn't even an ancient orthodox cultivation method. It could only be considered as the Tai Su Dao Body cultivation experience summarized and deduced by the Mountain Lord's lineage. Perhaps seeing the Lou Guan people frantically poaching her disciples, Fairy Wangshu also became a little anxious, fearing that once the Mountain Lord came out of seclusion, he would find that the disciples he had promised had gone to the Niu Bi Dao to cultivate, and blame her.

So she also privately revealed to Li Fan that the cultivation of the Mountain Lord's lineage was to achieve the Nascent Soul Stage, then learn forty-nine Dao Body Transformations, and choose one of them as their own Divine Transformation Body, also known as the <Tai Su Forty-Nine Transformations>.

However, the lineage of the mountain lord can usually start practicing the transformation techniques from the Golden Core, taking a bit of a risk. Initially, there are seven Dao bodies, then fourteen, and then twenty-one. Since the Tai Su Dao has no threshold, most cultivators can achieve the Nascent Soul Stage when they have mastered the twenty-one transformations, and then learning the <Tai Su Forty-Nine Transformations> will be a breeze.

However, those like Fairy Wangshu, who follow the Dao naturally (and are lazy and undisciplined), can quickly master even one Dao body if they focus on cultivating it, and may even directly Divine Transformation with guidance. Therefore, quantity is not the most important thing, nor is cultivation level. What matters is one's comprehension and whether one is destined for the corresponding Tai Su Dao Body.

This gave Li Fan a bit of a headache. All three Cultivation Method could lead to the Nascent Soul Stage, so which one should he cultivate?

Although he belonged to the lineage of the Mountain Lord, he still largely agreed with the Abbot's concept of cultivating a human form, and deep down he didn't want to transform into a too-plain monster, lest he accidentally lose control and become someone's drinking companion...

However, Lou Guan's two Daoist books were too old and might be outdated. The * Wuji Guidao * that Yao Xuanzhou gave him was clearly a perfect match for his Qiankun Yiqi Pill, but that inner core was a gift from the system. What if the system took it back?

The "Huashu" given by Real Person Liang is not bad, and Real Person Liang's cultivation level is officially recognized as powerful by the Profound Heaven Sword Intent, but it may not necessarily be suitable for him to cultivate...

The Profound Heaven Sword Intent seemed to say, "What's there to worry about? You already have two inner cores. The Primordial Transformation refines the Dao Body, which doesn't require Golden Core. And since your cultivation is progressing so quickly, just refine all three at once."

... No, is it really possible to just randomly say "I want them all!"?

Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, "What's the big deal? I have plenty of divine techniques for cultivating Nascent Soul Stage with Golden Core, and I also have a second Nascent Soul. I was originally thinking about which one to pass on to you so that you can make good use of the advantages of your two inner cores."

Since Lou Guan is so eager to please you, giving you two superior Daoist techniques, then practice them accordingly. Lou Guan, as a righteous figure of the ancient Daoist school, is unparalleled in the world when it comes to the transmission of internal alchemy Cultivation Method. Moreover, since they are both Lou Guan's secret methods, even if you practice both simultaneously, there will be no conflict in your Daoist mind, Dao Breath, primordial spirit, or Nascent Soul Stage. There's no need to be picky.

That... seems to make sense. So, let's use the Qiankun Yiqi Inner Core from Qi Cang to cultivate the Wuji Nascent Soul Stage of <Wuji Guidao>. And use the Taiyin Five Luo Sword Ghosts Inner Core from Shen Cang to cultivate the Gui Xu Nascent Soul of Huashu. While we're at it, let's also practice the <Tai Su Forty-Nine Transformations Pre- Golden Core Stage Version>.

After all, others take two hundred years to form their Core and five hundred to transform into a Nascent Soul, and they're lucky if they can even refine one Daoist technique. Li Fan, on the other hand, only spent three months refining his Nascent Soul Stage. Honestly, even if he refined three hundred Cultivation Method to reach the Nascent Soul stage, it would be a piece of cake for him; he could do it with ease...

The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, "Alright, alright, stop being so arrogant. But since Ink Bamboo Mountain has passed on so many Daoist techniques to you, and you don't lack any Nascent Soul cultivation methods or Nascent Soul Stage Cultivation Method, then I will only teach you one sword scripture. Remember it carefully..."

A passage of scriptures and mental techniques flashed through Li Fan's Divine Sense; it turned out that Profound Heaven Sword Intent had also imparted a mental technique and incantation to him.

The Profound Heaven Sword Intent states that this "Ruyi Sword Scripture" is the general outline of the Beichen Sword Sect's sword control techniques, and the essential principles of all Sword Control Technique of the sect. Its aim is to achieve the eight-character mantra of "as easy as using one's fingers and arms, moving at will," which is the foundation of sword control transformations.

With your high level of comprehension, I don't need to teach you all sorts of miscellaneous sword techniques. Just focus on refining this method, prioritizing practical combat. After practicing for a hundred or two hundred years and killing ten thousand or eight thousand people, you'll be pretty much a master of this sword technique.

I'm busy overseeing Xiao Yao's sword forging project lately, so I don't have time to supervise your mud-playing. Go cultivate on your own. Kun! Where did Kun go! Come here and be my mount!

Li Fan, "... Go look in the tofu bucket in the kitchen. It's living in there now. If it's not there, it's gone out to play with Fuling."

And so the Profound Heaven Sword Intent cried out, "Kun--Kun ah--", and whooshed away.

Li Fan scratched his head, his mind filled with a ton of skills he'd learned but hadn't practiced yet, with only a 1% proficiency level. It was so annoying...

The teaching method at Ink Bamboo Mountain is truly extreme. They don't teach any proper methods during the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages, but once you've reached the Golden Core stage, they throw a whole bunch at you. Who could master that without spending a hundred or two hundred years in seclusion?

Moreover, Li Fan himself possesses two Heavenly Books of the Void Star! However, he holds them in his hands but is completely baffled and cannot understand them at all. Perhaps he can only wait until the Mountain Lord emerges from seclusion and discuss them with the Enlightenment Master for guidance...

After some deliberation, Li Fan made up his mind.

Cultivation my ass! I've been cooped up at home for three months, my bones are stiff. Let's go drink with Yuan Xuanbao!