Houtian Peak, Three Sayings on Cultivation Methods

With a clear understanding in mind, Ye Wudao opened his system panel.

[Host: Ye Wudao]

[Realm: Houtian Realm Minor Success (870/200,000)]

[Cultivation Art: Primordial Art, Northern Dark Infinite Art (Entry) (7,200/100,000), Sea-Gathering Art (Entry) (800/10,000)]

[Martial Arts: Eight Extremes Fist (Perfect), Life-Taking Four Blades (Perfect), Meteor Fist (Perfect), Four Seasons Blade Technique (Perfect), Lost Trace Steps (Perfect)...]

Looking at the dense list of martial arts on the system panel, he wondered if there was any way to fuse them together.

However, it seemed the Primordial Art could only fuse cultivation arts; there was no [+] sign appearing behind the martial arts status bar.

After some research, he realized the martial arts could not be fused. He looked at Qin Tianlong and asked, "Grandmaster, I have a question. Why do I feel that the cultivation arts we practice are all incomplete, yet the martial arts seem to be complete?"

"What is the reason for this?"

Qin Tianlong glanced at Ye Wudao and smiled. "So, you've noticed it too!"

"I was actually wondering, since you practice the Primordial Art, you would surely know about this. Why didn't you ask me?"

"In fact, there are currently three theories regarding this phenomenon."

"The first theory is that the current martial arts heritage stems from the ancient martial arts of the Dragon Kingdom before the establishment of the Blue Star Federation, which is why all the major families today are former ancient martial arts families of the Dragon Kingdom."

"This is also why the geniuses in the martial arts world today are of Dragon Kingdom descent, as there are some physiological differences between people of the Dragon Kingdom and those of other countries."

"Research has found that the muscle density of Dragon Kingdom people is higher, and they lack two useless bones, making them more suitable for practicing martial arts."

"Throughout the five thousand years of the Dragon Kingdom's history, there have been many upheavals. In order to consolidate their imperial power, the ancient emperors weakened martial arts, leaving only the techniques but not the cultivation methods."

"If they hadn't weakened martial arts, the imperial power they established could very likely have been overthrown quickly."

Ye Wudao pursed his lips and asked in a deep voice, "Leave the techniques but not the methods? What is the point of doing that?"

Qin Tianlong replied, "The so-called 'leaving the techniques but not the methods' means keeping only the martial arts skills without the corresponding cultivation methods."

"Even if an ordinary person masters a martial art, without the corresponding cultivation base, their combat effectiveness remains limited."

"As for why it wasn't a 'total ban on techniques,' it was because in ancient times, soldiers needed to kill enemies on the battlefield and master combat skills for cold weapons."

"Therefore, banning only the cultivation arts while allowing the martial arts could better consolidate imperial power."

Ye Wudao nodded; he hadn't expected such a theory to exist.

Qin Tianlong continued, "The second theory is that martial arts were lost."

"In ancient times, for some unknown reason, there was a break in the martial arts lineage, and only some superficial knowledge was passed down."

"This theory actually has some support. Some people have studied martial arts and found that no matter the technique, one can only utilize True Qi; the spiritual power cultivated by a Grandmaster cannot be imbued into weapons."

"In other words, the highest level of martial arts we can practice now is the Xiantian martial art."

"Cultivation arts can only reach the Grandmaster Realm, and martial arts are limited to Xiantian level; this is clearly a break in the lineage."

He paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, "As for the third theory, I used to be half-skeptical, but after you fused the Northern Dark Infinite Art, I stopped believing it entirely."

"This third theory suggests that martial arts have only ever developed up to the Grandmaster Realm from ancient times to the present, and any realms beyond that are merely the conjectures of the ancients."

"This theory was proposed by those in the West, but it doesn't really hold water."

"They ignore the fact that in the historical records of the Dragon Kingdom over the last few hundred years, there have been individuals who achieved the status of 'Land Immortal' through martial arts."

"Not just in these few hundred years, but throughout the entire history of the Dragon Kingdom, such a figure has appeared every few centuries."

"If anything beyond the Grandmaster Realm were merely a conjecture of the ancients, it would be impossible for these 'Land Immortals' to appear throughout the entire history of the Dragon Kingdom."

"Some speculate that these people were either monstrously talented and researched new martial arts methods themselves."

"Or, they obtained cultivation arts capable of reaching higher realms."

"However, without exception, after these people achieved the status of 'Land Immortal,' they all disappeared inexplicably—or more accurately, they 'ascended.' Therefore, the authenticity cannot be verified."

"But in the five thousand years of the Dragon Kingdom's history, such people have appeared occasionally; this is definitely not something imagined out of thin air."

"A mere imagination could not be passed down for thousands of years. In fact, even the official historical records of the Dragon Kingdom contain explicit accounts of these people."

Ye Wudao nodded. This third theory indeed did not hold much water.

Because he could now confirm that there were realms beyond the Grandmaster Realm.

Moreover, the current system prompts indicated that his cultivation art could be further perfected, meaning there were higher realms beyond the Grandmaster level.

What did it mean for a cultivation art to be imperfect?

It meant that perfect cultivation arts had existed in the past, but they had been tampered with!

However, he also felt a bit of admiration for the person who tampered with the arts; they had modified them in such a way that people could still practice them and reach the Grandmaster Realm.

Most importantly, it wasn't just one art that had been tampered with, but many.

This might not have been the work of one person, but the work of a group.

Therefore, regarding the three theories Qin Tianlong mentioned, he was more inclined toward the first one.

In ancient times, the emperors had tampered with the cultivation arts of the major sects to consolidate their imperial power.

Some cultivation arts were never tampered with; instead, they remained hidden and passed down among the common people, which explains why "Land Immortals" have continued to appear throughout the last few thousand years.

Ye Wudao looked at Qin Tianlong and asked in a low voice, "Grandmaster, what kind of realm is a Land Immortal?"

Qin Tianlong pondered for a moment before saying, "According to ancient records, a so-called Land Immortal is an omnipotent existence, capable of even turning stones into gold."

"Sigh! Most of the records regarding Land Immortals are actually just myths and legends."

"The closest Land Immortal to our time was named Zhang Sanfeng. It is said that he founded the 'Taiji' lineage and created his own techniques, which allowed him to ascend to the Land Immortal realm."

"The Taiji Art was passed down by him, though for some reason, it can only be cultivated to the Grandmaster Realm."

He glanced at the thoughtful Ye Wudao and said in a deep voice, "You must never dwell on such ethereal matters. The Martial Dao emphasizes being grounded, taking it one step at a time."

Ye Wudao nodded and replied, "Don't worry, I understand!"

For the next five days, the four of them adopted a routine of resting during the day and hunting demonic beasts at night.

On the second day, he advanced to the Houtian Realm Great Completion, and his strength surged, reaching thirty thousand kilograms.

By the fifth day, he advanced to the Houtian Realm Peak, and his strength skyrocketed again, reaching fifty thousand kilograms.

A single punch now carried the equivalent of fifty tons of force.

Combined with Penetrating Power, he could punch directly through five meters of reinforced concrete.

At the same time, the Sea-Gathering Art reached perfection. Now, he only needed to wait five more days for the Northern Dark Infinite Art to reach perfection before he could fuse his techniques once again.

On the evening of the fifth day, the four members of Cell No. 1 arrived at the Rift World at seven o'clock.

Tonight, the Rift World opened early, and Grandmaster Realm experts were leading teams into the desert to harvest Spirit Rhino Grass.

The Rift World outpost was exceptionally lively today.

The path between the tents at the outpost was packed with people, and even the insides of the tents were crowded.

This was the first time Ye Wudao had seen such a scene; usually, the Rift World didn't open until eight o'clock, and by the time he arrived, it was always eight-thirty.

Therefore, he had never seen so many people crowding the outpost before.

"Grandmaster, does Sea City have this many Houtian Realm cultivators?"

He looked at the sea of people and asked Qin Tianlong, who was beside him.

Qin Tianlong laughed, "If only there were that many Houtian Realm cultivators!"

"Eighty percent of the people here are just here to watch the excitement, and another ten percent are hoping to tag along to harvest Spirit Rhino Grass."

"As for the remaining ten percent, they want to go, but their cultivation level isn't high enough, so they can only stare and hope that the requirements might be relaxed."

"In the current Martial Dao world of Blue Star, the Body Forging Realm accounts for eighty percent, the Houtian Realm for fifteen percent, and the Xiantian Realm for five percent."

"There are only about twenty Grandmaster Realm experts, so their percentage is basically negligible."

Ye Wudao nodded slightly and followed in Qin Tianlong's footsteps.

It required a bit of technique to weave through the crowd to the very front.

However, Qin Tianlong didn't bother with technique; he simply released his Xiantian True Qi and pushed aside the people blocking the path.

Upon reaching the weapons storage tent at the front, Qin Tianlong rented the Meteorite Spear for Ye Wudao and then headed toward the parking area.

"Grandmaster, it's the Zhang Family!"

Ye Wudao looked at the group of people standing in front of the parking area and said softly.

Suddenly, his gaze flickered as he spotted a familiar figure.

Standing in a small group next to the Zhang Family's team was none other than Ye Mingyuan.

Qin Tianlong narrowed his eyes and said quietly, "It's not just the Zhang Family; basically every family in Sea City, large or small, has come."

Ye Wudao frowned and asked, "Grandmaster, I see Ye Mingyuan, but based on what I know of him, he shouldn't have reached the Houtian Realm yet."

"Could it be that there are no cultivation restrictions for these family disciples to harvest Spirit Rhino Grass?"

Qin Tianlong shook his head, "I don't know about that!"

"The commander of the Demon Slayer Guard who guards the Sea City space rift hasn't arrived yet, so we don't know the specific situation."

"I suspect these noble families must have some special privileges."