Idealist Martial Dao, Knowledge Is Poison

"As long as my will is firm enough, the whole world will clear a path for me?" Fang Can did not know what to make of Yang Lie's words.

Yang Lie nodded seriously. "That's right. Outstanding talent isn't just physical talent—it also means unwavering will."

"Legend has it that the founding monarch of the Great Yan Dynasty was deceived in his youth and mistook the so-called Iron Thread Fist for the Maha Great Sun Divine Fist."

"Yet he still painstakingly practiced ten thousand punches every day. Fifty years later, his punches truly carried the aura of the blazing sun. With one punch, everything within ten miles was scorched black as charcoal."

"It was precisely with this Maha Great Sun Divine Fist that he carved out the Great Yan Dynasty's vast lands."

"Conversely, if your thoughts are divided, the weakness of your mind will affect your body. Even a single intimidating glance from an enemy may cause your body to burst apart into bloody water."

"For example, in the founding legends, the greatest enemy of the first Monarch of Great Yan was the Overlord of Great Chu. His might overshadowed the world; wherever he went, he slaughtered cities and razed strongholds. Everyone trembled at the mere mention of him."

"But such an Overlord was defeated seven times in a row by the Maha Great Sun Divine Fist when facing the Divine Monarch of Great Yan. He was instead subdued by the Monarch of Great Yan's domineering presence, and then..."

Yang Lie paused there. Something about his expression seemed off, making Fang Can unable to resist asking, "And then?"

"And then..." Yang Lie said in a complicated tone.

"After being defeated by the Divine Monarch of Great Yan for the seventh time, the once peerlessly mighty Overlord suffered a qi deviation, awakened the feminine within his heart, and his thoughts acted upon his body in reverse. He underwent a Heavenly Human transformation, changing from male to female, and was taken into the Divine Monarch of Great Yan's harem."

Fang Can: Hmm... huh? Hiss!!! No, wait...!

By the time Fang Can processed it, it was already too late. The eager expression on his face gradually turned into shock.

Just hearing this martial world legend made Fang Can's spine turn cold. Countless complaints rose to his throat, nearly bursting out.

Seeing Fang Can's shock, Yang Lie finally said leisurely,

"So, the most important thing for a martial artist is unity of thought—walking one path all the way into darkness."

"If you change your mind halfway through, at best you'll lose all your cultivation and explode to death. At worst, you'll bear children and be toyed with by others as they please."

"That really is terrifying." Fang Can nodded in agreement.

He had not expected defeat in this world's battles to lead to an adult game defeat CG. Though for certain M types, it might even count as a reward.

"Therefore, while physical aptitude is certainly important on the path of cultivation, carrying through with your will is equally vital. The more clear and unblocked your thoughts are, the more they can nourish your spirit in return."

Yang Lie said solemnly, "If you want your thoughts to flow freely, you must cultivate an invincible state of mind in every moment of walking, sitting, lying down, and standing."

"Whenever you fight, you must strive to win. Everything you eat, wear, and use must be the very best. Only then can you silently strengthen your conviction and nourish your body in return."

Seeing Fang Can lower his head in thought, Yang Lie stressed, "Do you understand?"

"I understand." Fang Can nodded seriously.

"You mean that, in order to keep my thoughts unimpeded, as long as anyone dares defy me, I must leave none of their entire family alive. Even if it's my own father, I absolutely cannot show mercy. If I want something, I buy it; if I can't afford it, I steal it; if I can't steal it, I swindle and deceive; if I can't do that, I drug them and arrange an assassination. The key is to be completely lawless."

Listening to Fang Can's lengthy explanation, Yang Lie felt somewhat embarrassed. After all, Fang Can was not wrong. If someone went through all that and did not get focused down and beaten to death by the entire world, becoming number one under heaven would be just around the corner.

"You don't need to be quite that extreme." Yang Lie soothed him. "Martial arts are not only about killing, killing, killing. You must also find your own Dao."

"You can seek the Dao in every moment of walking, sitting, lying down, and standing—persistence, brilliance, love, immortality, Lust, Sloth, Greed... As long as you keep walking in one direction and never lose heart, the martial path before you will be smooth and open."

Listening to Yang Lie's explanation, Fang Can felt something was off. Why did this Idealist Martial Dao seem full of lunatics?

Could anyone who stayed obsessed with one thing for their entire life possibly be normal? And if a lunatic possessed immense destructive power, it would be stranger if this world were not in chaos.

Ignoring Fang Can's thoughts, Yang Lie continued, "Next, I'll teach you to recognize acupoints."

As he spoke, Yang Lie pointed into the distance. "Look over there."

Following Yang Lie's fingertip, Fang Can saw a pitch-black life-sized Iron Dummy standing nearby, about six feet tall. Dozens of indentations were evenly distributed across its body, each connected by lines.

Yang Lie said, "Do you see those indented acupoints? Those are the acupoints of the human meridians. There are eight-eight, eighty-eight of them in total."

"Isn't eight times eight sixty-four?" Fang Can blurted out.

"See? You've already begun doubting me. That proves your heart for martial arts isn't firm enough."

Yang Lie said sternly, "Cultivation means letting your own heart replace the principles of heaven and earth. If you rigidly follow the rules over something as trivial as arithmetic, it only proves that your heart isn't firm enough and that you don't believe in yourself enough."

"No, Instructor Yang, you're wrong. Eight times eight is sixty-four."

Fang Can stubbornly insisted,

"If I let you lead me astray with just two sentences, it means my will and spirit are inferior even to yours, let alone heaven and earth."

Fang Can's response caught the instructor off guard. Then he beamed with delight.

"Good, good, good! You're beginning to understand what martial arts are. Perhaps your talent for martial arts really is quite good."

"In any case, these Eighty-Eight Acupoints are all the acupoints in the human body. You must firmly memorize their locations and depths."

"Then, while practicing martial arts, follow the routes shown above and steadfastly believe that inner force is flowing through the major acupoints within your body."

"When you can truly sense airflow circulating between the various acupoints and completing one full cycle, you will have officially entered the first realm of martial arts: the Mortal Shedding Body."

"Remember this: on the path of martial arts, the most important thing is the word 'heart.'"

"The Monarch of Great Yan once said that as long as one has heart, anyone can become a Martial God."

After saying that, Yang Lie tossed an ancient little booklet into Fang Can's hands. "This is the Tiger Fiend Sect's introductory martial art, the Thirty-Six Tiger Devour Fist Techniques."

"Visualize the flow of inner force according to the movements described in the manual. If you can develop a sense of qi within a month, your aptitude is considered excellent. Otherwise, get lost and sleep in the same room as the menial servants."

Fang Can took the manual. Its cover was still covered in eight unfamiliar square characters. He casually flipped through it and found meridian diagrams on every page; clearly, even an illiterate person could learn from it.

Raising his head, Fang Can asked, "Instructor Yang, where can I learn to read? I don't recognize a single character. How am I supposed to understand martial arts manuals in the future?"

"You want to study?" Yang Lie froze for a moment, then said firmly, "I advise you not to."

"That knowledge is highly poisonous. It will only affect your heart. The more you learn, the weaker your conviction becomes instead."

He gave an example. "The seventh disciple of the Great Profound Sect's sect master was once an unparalleled genius. He developed a sense of qi in merely half a day and crossed the Mortal Shedding Body within months. But because he read too much, guess what happened to him in the end?"

"What happened?"

Yang Lie slowly spat out two words. "He went mad."