In the Great Heaven World, Martial Dao Cultivation permeated every aspect of life. Almost everyone knew some martial arts, but only a handful ever achieved anything of note. Ultimately, it all came down to one thing: aptitude.
Most people lacked the aptitude for cultivation. They couldn't sense the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth, which meant they could never cultivate Internal Energy. All they could do was practice external techniques, and it was difficult for them to achieve anything real.
Those unable to sense spiritual energy were said to have a Mortal Body—the kind of body that meant they could only ever be ordinary people.
Those who could sense spiritual energy, on the other hand, had a Spirit Body. Spirit Bodies varied in strength.
Based on how quickly they absorbed spiritual energy and their ability to comprehend Heaven and Earth, Spirit Bodies were divided into four grades: low, intermediate, high, and peak. He Heng had originally been considered high-grade. After the Myriad Heavens Treasure Mirror had infused him with its origin, his aptitude had barely reached the peak level of Spirit Bodies. Even at the Flying Immortal Academy, he now qualified as a bona fide genius.
Generally speaking, even the prodigies of the Great Mystic Sects were merely exceptional among peak Spirit Bodies. After all, even among peak Spirit Bodies, there were enormous differences.
It was like how both 60 and 100 were passing grades, yet there was still a vast difference between them.
But no matter how great the gap, all of them were still ordinary Spirit Bodies. Above even the peak Spirit Bodies, however, there was a kind of constitution that could overwhelm any Spirit Body. It was called a Dao Body.
A Dao Body was essentially a kind of Spirit Body, but one that had undergone a mutation. It was innately attuned to every aspect of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, giving its owner a cultivation talent beyond that of any peak Spirit Body.
Among the famous Dao Bodies were the Glazed Dao Body, Panwu Immortal Body, Primordial Dao Body, and Sword Embryo Dao Body.
Those with Dao Bodies were naturally close to the Dao. Their cultivation went smoothly, and they found it easier to comprehend the Origin of Heaven and Earth and see through reality. Generally speaking, as long as they didn't die prematurely, they were sure to reach the Cave True Realm—the level of a Great Mystic Sect's Sect Leader Supreme.
That was why, whenever a Dao Body appeared, the various sects fought over it, raising its owner as a future sect leader.
The most famous Dao Body of the current era was the Primordial Dao Body. The reason was simple: the expert ranked second on the Pure Yang Ranking had that constitution. He was also hailed as the only person capable of challenging the Number One on the Pure Yang Ranking—and he was one of the youngest Pure Yang experts.
Of course, attaining Pure Yang required aptitude, comprehension, perseverance, fortune, resources, and many other things. It couldn't be achieved through aptitude alone.
Based on what he knew, He Heng felt that Wang Bi's constitution was somewhat like one of the legendary Dao Bodies: the Sword Embryo Dao Body, hailed as the foremost Sacred Body among sword cultivators.
Still, he wasn't entirely convinced. At the very least, Wang Bi's talent hadn't been as astonishing as that of the legendary Dao Body bearers. She was one of the Flying Immortal Academy's top students, but not its strongest; several other geniuses could match her.
Besides, she was merely expected to reach the Three Peng Realm before turning twenty. That was certainly outstanding, but nothing extraordinary.
And if she really had one of the legendary Dao Bodies, Wang Panlong would have noticed. There would have been no need to send her to the Flying Immortal Academy; she could have gone straight to a Great Mystic Sect as a direct disciple of its sect leader.
"Could I be overthinking this?" He Heng furrowed his brow.
A moment later, He Heng shook his head. "Forget it. Why should I care what kind of aptitude Wang Bi has? Even if she really does have a Dao Body, so what? With the Myriad Heavens Treasure Mirror in my hands, I refuse to believe I can't surpass her. As for her trying to find evidence against me—ha! Wang Yu's affairs had nothing to do with me. Where would she find evidence? And that demoness is dead, not even a scrap of her remains. What can Wang Bi do about that? Let her waste her time."
He Heng chuckled. It had nothing to do with him, and he didn't believe Wang Bi could pin anything on him. In truth, if not for the unexplainable leap in his strength and the matter of the True Man's Hidden Treasure, he wouldn't have needed to conceal the demoness's death at all.
The Mystic Dao was flourishing now, and everyone was duty-bound to hunt down heretics and demons. Killing a disciple of the Crimson Fire Demonic Sect would have been a great merit. It was a pity he couldn't claim the reward.
He Heng carried on with his life. The next few days passed peacefully, and things returned to how they had been before.
He slowly recovered from his injuries, soon full of vigor again. He consolidated his newly attained Great Perfection in the Hundred Bones Realm and reviewed the lessons he had neglected for more than thirty years. The Flying Immortal Academy required more than just sufficient Martial Dao Cultivation; its students also had to study things like pharmacology, Talisman Script, and formations. To enter a Great Mystic Sect, one had to be well-rounded in every respect!
Early one morning, He Heng left for the academy. His injuries had completely healed, and it was time for him to resume classes.
To make up for his ten-plus days of missed classes, He Heng made a point of arriving very early. The academy was still quiet, with hardly anyone around.
As He Heng walked toward his classroom, he suddenly saw a solemn, dignified middle-aged man coming toward him.
"Good morning, Instructor Dong!" He Heng stepped forward to greet him. The man was one of his instructors, Dong Hui, who had visited him when he fainted.
"He Heng, how's your health?" Dong Hui asked with a smile.
He Heng answered respectfully, "You can rest assured, Instructor. I've fully recovered and feel great. Thank you for coming to see me back then."
Instructor Dong seemed rather kindly. He patted He Heng on the shoulder and joked, "Good, I'm glad you've recovered. You're still young; there's no need to rush. I'd planned to let you rest a little longer before coming back to the academy, but you're quite diligent—you're already back today."
"Time flows like water and never returns. Though I'm young, I dare not slack off," He Heng replied, determination showing on his slightly youthful face.
"Mm, good. It's well to strive while you're young. Otherwise, when you're my age, you won't get the chance." Dong Hui looked at He Heng with some approval, though his gaze seemed distant.
He Heng noticed his expression and asked in confusion, "Instructor, you're only in your forties or fifties. With your cultivation at the Yang God Realm, you're still in your prime. How can you say you're old?"
"Forget it. Let's not talk about that. We'd better get to the classroom." Dong Hui let out a long sigh. His mood seemed rather heavy, and he clearly didn't want to continue.
He Heng nodded and said nothing more. He knew that instructors at Flying Immortal Academies throughout the Nine Provinces were usually disciples who hadn't fared well in the Great Mystic Sects. The true elite disciples would never casually venture into the mortal world and Bitter Sea.
Instructor Dong was clearly one of those who hadn't done well in his sect. With no other choice, he'd left those Cave Heaven Blessed Lands and returned to the secular world. Just now, it seemed he had been remembering something from his past.
I must never end up like them, He Heng thought, clenching his fists.
The two of them moved quickly and soon reached the classroom. He Heng's class was still mostly empty. Only one or two particularly diligent students had arrived early and taken their seats. When they saw Dong Hui, they immediately stood and saluted. Dong Hui nodded, then left when he saw how few people were there.
He Heng found a good seat, opened a book, and began reading quietly.
Before long, people started filing in until the classroom was full. Everyone sat down quietly without making much noise.
As He Heng immersed himself in his books, he suddenly felt someone come up behind him and tap him on the shoulder.
He Heng turned around. It was Wang Bian, grinning at him. "I heard you'd recovered, He Heng, so I came to see how you were doing."
He Heng looked up at Wang Bian and gave him a seemingly mocking smile. "Since when are you so kind that you'd come all this way to see me? Have you been skipping too many classes again, and did City Lord Wang kick you out?"
"Ha, you know me too well, He Heng." Exposed, Wang Bian awkwardly scratched his head. "You know my mother died young. My father was heartbroken and never remarried. There are only three of us brothers. Then my eldest brother got into trouble recently. My second sister may be outstanding, but she's still not a son, so lately my father's been focusing all his attention on me. It's nonstop. It's enough to drive a person crazy."
"Hmph. You don't know how lucky you are. If my father cared about me as much as yours cares about you, I'd be at the peak of the One Yang Realm by now. Meanwhile, you haven't even reached the Great Perfection of the Hundred Bones Realm." He Heng grumbled. He couldn't help feeling jealous of Wang Bian.
"Heh." Wang Bian grinned, his face reddening a little, then changed the subject. "My second sister hasn't come looking for trouble with you these past few days, has she? My father found out about what happened earlier and gave her a stern talking-to, but she still doesn't seem willing to let it go. She's been investigating you."
He Heng furrowed his brow. "She hasn't come after me lately. As for her investigation, let her investigate. I have a clear conscience, so I'm not afraid of being framed."
"He Heng, my second sister's just stubborn like that. She's like that with everyone. She doesn't have anything against you; she just can't let go of what happened to our eldest brother. Don't hold it against her," Wang Bian said with a sigh.
He Heng shook his head. "I wouldn't dare hold it against Second Miss Wang. Besides, I can't beat her, and I'm worried she might suddenly lose her temper and cut me down with one stroke."
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