Qi Refining and the Martial Way (Revised)

To begin cultivation, aside from breathing exercises, the first hurdle was to produce a wisp of qi in the dantian.

"Master, why does this cultivation of ours feel so much like the true qi used in martial arts?"

After completing his midday practice and breathing exercises, Lu Chuan slowly opened his eyes and turned to ask Shen Gongbao, puzzled.

This breathing method was indeed better suited to the morning. At noon, the yang energy between heaven and earth was simply too abundant, and he still couldn't take it. His body felt uncomfortable while cultivating.

"More or less, but there are differences!"

Shen Gongbao corrected him.

"Please enlighten me, Master."

"It's said that the martial arts method of cultivation originated from our Immortal Path's qi-refining methods. It can also produce martial true qi, but their true qi is fundamentally different from ours."

Shen Gongbao continued, "Our true qi is cultivated by absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth through Immortal Path methods. It can be used to perform Daoist arts and wield magical treasures, and is also called magic power.

"But martial artists lack the aptitude for cultivating immortality. They can't absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and convert it into true qi. Instead, they cultivate and strengthen their martial true qi within their bodies by circulating it through the Small and Large Heavenly Circuits.

"Therefore, their true qi can't be used to perform Daoist arts or wield the magical treasures of Qi Refiners."

"I see." Lu Chuan nodded.

Shen Gongbao said, "Martial artists also have four realms. The peak of the Martial Way is basically equivalent to the Dao Integration Realm."

"Huh?"

Lu Chuan was astonished. Were the martial artists of this era really so powerful?

But when he thought of how some ordinary military generals in the original Investiture of the Gods were powerful enough to fight immortals directly, he gradually came to terms with it.

To be honest, this shattered his past understanding of what it meant to be a deity or an immortal. There were even examples of immortals losing to mortal generals.

A deity who could fly through the sky and burrow underground couldn't beat an ordinary general? If you said that out loud, it would turn a person's entire worldview upside down.

If ordinary people could beat deities, why bother cultivating immortality? They might as well practice martial arts instead.

"Indeed, they're very formidable. Humans are the spiritual essence of heaven and earth, the leaders of all living things. They're blessed by the fortune of heaven and earth, with boundless wisdom and astonishing potential."

As he spoke, a note of admiration flashed in Shen Gongbao's eyes. He continued, "They can't live forever, nor can they use Daoist arts or magical treasures, so they forged another path and developed the Martial Way."

"The Martial Way—is it powerful?"

Lu Chuan asked tentatively.

It was best to get a clear answer about this. Otherwise, after cultivating immortality, he might go outside only to be flattened by a martial artist. That would be humiliating.

"Martial artists mainly cultivate their bodies, pursuing powerful combat strength and martial prowess. If they don't use Daoist arts or magical treasures, and only fight with their fists and feet..."

Shen Gongbao pondered. "Then, at the same realm, Qi Refiners aren't a match for martial artists. After all, we cultivate for longevity and excel at various Daoist arts and magical implements, not combat."

After a long while,

Lu Chuan finally understood.

Qi Refiners sought longevity, while martial artists cultivated themselves!

Each path had its strengths. Qi Refiners cultivated to become immortals and live forever, while martial artists cultivated to gain formidable martial prowess.

The Martial Way had four stages.

But even those who reached the peak of the Martial Way lived for no more than two hundred years.

Qi Refiners were different.

As long as they could cultivate true qi during the Refining Essence into Qi stage, even if they made no further progress afterward, having true qi in their bodies would still let them live to a hundred.

The corresponding first stage of the Martial Way was called the Small Heavenly Circuit.

After producing true qi in their dantian, they circulated it through the Small Heavenly Circuit to strengthen it. The Small Heavenly Circuit was the familiar cycle of circulating qi once along the Ren and Du meridians.

In addition, they repeatedly used the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to temper their sinews, bones, skin, and bodies, making their physiques exceptionally sturdy and powerful.

A saying from Lu Chuan's previous life summed up the cultivation of this first stage of the Martial Way: "Train the sinews, bones, and skin externally; cultivate a breath of qi internally."

Thus, the first stage of the Martial Way was further divided into five minor realms: Blood Tempering, Tendon Changing, Bone Forging, Skin Refining, and Marrow Cleansing.

Those who completed these five minor realms were considered to have achieved minor mastery of the Martial Way. At this point, the lifespans of both sides were still about the same.

Next came Refining Qi into Spirit, with a lifespan of three hundred years.

The corresponding second stage of the Martial Way was called the Large Heavenly Circuit. Cultivation involved circulating true qi along the Large Heavenly Circuit, through the whole body and the acupoints in all four limbs.

At this stage, Qi Refiners strengthened their essence, qi, and spirit before cultivating their primordial spirits. Martial artists, meanwhile, tempered their internal organs. Therefore, the second stage of the Martial Way was further divided into two minor realms, the Five Extremes and the Six Harmonies, each granting the strength of five to six ding.

Those who completed the Five Extremes and Six Harmonies achieved great mastery of the Martial Way.

In this era, ding came in different sizes. A small ding weighed around five hundred catties, while a large one weighed around a thousand.

The five to six ding referred to large dings, meaning a strength of five to six thousand catties. Who could withstand a punch like that?

Yet their lifespans were still only about a hundred and twenty years. The difference between their cultivation paths caused their lifespans to diverge by more than a factor of two at this stage.

The third stage for Qi Refiners was Refining Spirit to Return to Void, with a lifespan of six hundred years.

The third stage of the Martial Way was called the Xiantian Realm. Since martial artists also had to reverse to innate and cultivate innate true qi, their lifespans reached a hundred and eighty years.

The fourth stage for Qi Refiners was Dao Integration, with a lifespan of a thousand years.

The corresponding realm of the Martial Way was called the peak of the Martial Way.

They had to condense their innate true qi into purer and more powerful innate true essence. Martial artists who could condense innate true essence had already broken through the third realm, the Xiantian Realm.

They were known as experts at the peak of the Martial Way.

By then, they had reached the utmost limit of the Martial Way, with no road forward. Martial artists at this stage could also be called the strongest humans.

Unfortunately, there were countless martial artists in the world, but only a handful of experts ever reached the peak.

The entire body of a peak martial artist had been tempered to a terrifying degree. With their pure innate true essence within, they were like human weapons made of metal, almost entirely without weaknesses.

The protective true qi surrounding them could stop even sharp arrows. Even if an arrow pierced through, it might still fail to harm their bodies.

Their true essence was vast, their qi and blood surged like dragons, and their bodies were mighty. They could cleave rivers with their palms and split the earth with their feet...

These were the experts at the peak of the Martial Way, yet their lifespans were only a brief two hundred years.

Under normal circumstances, a Qi Refiner of the same realm lived five times as long as a martial artist.

That was the Martial Way.

For all their mighty strength and formidable bodies, martial artists could not ultimately overcome the passing years. Even those who sought immortality and eternal youth would, many years later, become nothing but a mound of yellow earth.

Qi Refiners were different. Compared to martial artists, who devoted themselves solely to pursuing martial prowess, Qi Refiners did indeed live longer, but they also had much more to do.

They had to cultivate true qi, nurture their primordial spirits, study Daoist arts, practice martial skills, draw talismans, refine pills, tell fortunes, read feng shui, subdue demons, and exorcise fiends...

A Qi Refiner also needed to know some martial skills for self-defense. Otherwise, how could they subdue demons and exorcise fiends?

But those were martial skills, not the Martial Way.

Martial skills and the Martial Way differed by only one character, but what they represented was worlds apart.

Qi Refiners placed more emphasis on cultivating their primordial spirits and spiritual souls. If they cultivated a Yang Spirit, they could remain undying even after abandoning their physical bodies.

"But, Master, I've heard that many military generals also know some unusual arts," Lu Chuan suddenly said. "Should they be considered martial artists or Qi Refiners?"

He remembered that some military generals in Investiture of the Gods possessed unusual arts.

Since they were military generals, they shouldn't be Qi Refiners. But calling them martial artists didn't seem right either, since they possessed unusual arts and could use magical implements. It was rather confusing.

"That brings us to the last and most unusual kind of martial artist I wanted to tell you about."

Shen Gongbao spoke gravely. "Some people have immortal roots and can cultivate magic power through Immortal Path methods, using unusual arts and magical treasures. But their aptitude is limited, and they can make little further progress on the Immortal Path.

"The threshold for the Martial Way is very low, so they can switch to cultivating the Martial Way. That lets them use unusual arts while also gaining the combat strength of martial artists. If you encounter one in the future, be sure to exercise caution."

"So that's how it is. I understand!"

After listening, Lu Chuan suddenly understood. He paused, then raised his head to look at Shen Gongbao, his eyes shining brightly. "Then, Master, take a careful look at me. Don't I seem like one of those exceptionally gifted geniuses with an extraordinary physique?"