Spirituality

"Spirituality? What is Spirituality?"

"It's said that in martial cultivation, the Innate Realm is the limit of ordinary people. Only those with Spirituality can refine True Qi from their inner energy and step into the Transcendent Realm."

"True Qi is the very source of all transcendent power."

"Until one reaches the Grandmaster Realm, whether a Houtian warrior or an Innate Expert, one remains trapped within a mortal shell."

"Only when Spirituality awakens and the mind resonates with heaven and earth can inner energy be purified and transformed into True Qi."

"Once True Qi emerges, the divide between mortal and transcendent is crossed. Only then can one be called beyond the masses and qualify to touch the realm of Grandmasters."

Su Qingyang turned the page of the ancient book in his hands. As he studied the lines of information recorded inside, his brow furrowed slightly and he fell into thought.

His original path of cultivation had been that of Internal Forging: "cultivating a single breath within."

His original body's talent and aptitude had indeed been ordinary. He had also suffered from a lingering ailment and been sickly, so he had died of typhoid at the age of five.

However, ever since Su Qingyang had crossed into this world, everything had changed drastically.

He wasn't sure whether it was because his soul had mutated or because he had picked up some peculiar trait while crossing worlds.

But he had discovered that he possessed an astonishing level of comprehension in martial arts.

Martial techniques that took ordinary people years to learn, he could memorize at a glance and master thoroughly with a single look.

Back then, Su Qingyang had done everything he could to join a martial arts school. In just a few days, he had mastered every technique it taught.

But those techniques were ultimately crude, and with his astonishing comprehension, he wasn't about to be satisfied with them.

Yet Su Qingyang lacked the means to obtain more powerful martial arts manuals.

So, on a whim, he decided to start with the most basic techniques and deduce a more powerful form of martial arts of his own.

And in the end, he succeeded.

The Azure Wood Art, whose limits had originally stopped at the level of a First-Rate Expert, had been developed and perfected through layer upon layer of deduction by him.

In the end, the Azure Wood Art had been transformed beyond recognition and renamed the Azure-Heaven Wood Transformation Art, forcibly broadening its limits all the way to the Martial Dao Grandmaster Realm.

The facts proved that the technique he had deduced was viable.

Back then, relying on the Azure-Heaven Wood Transformation Art he had developed, he had cultivated without a hitch, smoothly reaching Innate Peak.

But when he tried to go further, break through the limits of the Innate Realm, and truly become a Martial Dao Grandmaster...

An accident had struck.

No matter how he meditated, sought insight, or circulated his inner energy, he couldn't refine True Qi...

Even with his heaven-defying comprehension, he had forced himself into unity with heaven and man and barely drawn out a thread of thin True Qi.

But that thread of True Qi was like duckweed with no roots, without any foundation.

Moreover, the Grandmaster Realm he had barely achieved this way could not last. Once his True Qi was exhausted, his cultivation would fall.

At the time, Su Qingyang had vaguely sensed that he was probably missing some crucial trait.

Over the next few years, he searched far and wide for ancient texts and strange accounts, gathering all kinds of secret records from the martial world. At last, he found the answer—

What he lacked was the Spirituality indispensable to advancing from Internal Forging into the Transcendent Realm.

But new questions followed one after another...

What exactly was Spirituality?

And without Spirituality, how was he supposed to break through to become a Martial Dao Grandmaster?

Su Qingyang didn't know, so he turned his attention to another martial path: becoming a Blood Refining Grandmaster through the Blood and Qi Martial Path.

The Blood and Qi Martial Path focused on refining the body from the outside in!

It did not cultivate inner energy, but instead focused solely on building up immense blood and qi, tempering the skin, flesh, sinews, bones, blood, and marrow to their limits until the body formed its own cycle and blood and qi flowed without end.

The First Qi-Blood Breakthrough was comparable to a First-Rate Expert.

The Second Qi-Blood Breakthrough surpassed even a Houtian expert.

The Third Qi-Blood Breakthrough had already surpassed an Innate Expert, though it still fell far short of a Martial Dao Grandmaster.

As for the Fourth Qi-Blood Breakthrough...

Su Qingyang closed the book and looked at the hundred-forged iron saber on the table.

A large hand wreathed in Blood Flame reached for the weapon. In an instant, the hundred-forged saber melted into molten iron.

The extremely hot, blood-colored flames surged past, and even the molten iron was burned away, leaving not a speck of dust behind.

He didn't even know how strong he was now.

After all...

Within the borders of Great Jin, Martial Dao Grandmasters were few and far between. Each was a pillar of support, anchoring a great sect or noble clan in its domain. Ordinary people might never see one in their entire lives.

"Now, I really am a Blood Refining Grandmaster," Su Qingyang murmured.

Back when he realized that the path of Internal Forging was completely closed to him for lack of Spirituality,

he had decisively abandoned his Innate cultivation and switched to the path of body-tempering through blood and qi.

The Blood and Qi Martial Path required no Spirituality. With the body's blood and qi alone, one could reach the Transcendent Realm.

However, this path was perilous in its own right.

Each breakthrough in blood and qi meant advancing through the treacherous gate of life and death. One wrong step, and the blood and qi would collapse, tearing the body apart.

The technique Su Qingyang cultivated now was called the Ten Lords Ten Emperors Blood-Tempering Art.

The basic technique once passed down in the world was the Blood-Tempering Art, which could support a martial artist through no more than two Qi-Blood Breakthroughs.

After his deductions and improvements, however, the Ten Lords Ten Emperors Blood-Tempering Art could now support thirteen Qi-Blood Breakthroughs.

A month ago, he had successfully completed his Fourth Qi-Blood Breakthrough, brought his blood and qi to fullness, and forged the body of a Blood Refining Grandmaster.

But after only a few days of stable cultivation, a new bottleneck had come knocking.

It wasn't that anything had gone wrong with the martial art. His body's own reserves had simply reached their short-term limit.

Every Qi-Blood Breakthrough consumed an enormous amount of blood and qi. He needed a great many precious medicines that replenished blood and qi to nourish his body and make up the deficit.

Previously, he had been able to force his way through breakthroughs on the strength of his abundant physical reserves. But after becoming a Blood Refining Grandmaster, he had exhausted all those reserves.

Without resources to replenish them, his body could no longer endure a Fifth Qi-Blood Breakthrough.

"The Imperial Capital... the Sixth Prince..."

Su Qingyang smiled faintly.

After living in a small county and devoting himself to quiet cultivation for so long, he too had begun to feel the urge to stir after a long spell of stillness.

Once he had dealt with the matter at hand, perhaps it would be the perfect time to go out and see the world.

"Brother Qingyang, Brother Qingyang..."

A girl's clear call drew nearer, followed by hurried footsteps and the creak of the courtyard gate.

A pretty, fresh-faced girl hurried into the courtyard with a bamboo basket over her arm.

She looked to be around thirteen or fourteen. She wore a simple, pale-colored outfit, but it did little to hide the liveliness in her little face.

Though still young, she already had delicate features. Her big eyes blinked with an adorable sparkle.

The bamboo basket over her arm held a delicious meal. Wisps of steam slipped through the gaps, and the aroma of meat filled the entire courtyard.

"Braised pork, Brother Qingyang! Mother made your favorite braised pork, so I brought some over..."

The girl smiled brightly, bouncing over to set the basket on the wooden table. Then she leaned forward to peek at Su Qingyang's desk, hoping to spot something fun.

Before she could make out the ancient book and weapon on the table, a warm hand settled gently on top of her head, rubbed it slowly, then gave it a couple of light pats.

The girl immediately furrowed her brows and pouted, complaining softly, "Mmm... You're always messing up my hair. I'll never grow up at this rate."

Su Qingyang looked at her puffed-up expression, his eyes softening as he chuckled. "Have you eaten at home? Want to join me for a little something?"

The girl was named Lin You'er, the daughter of Lin Shan, the patrol officer next door.

Her father, Lin Shan, was a patrol officer in Spirit Peak County, and the two families lived side by side.

The Lin Family's home was right beside his. Ever since he had settled in Spirit Peak County, the couple had often looked after him, living alone, and he had watched You'er grow up little by little.

"I had half a bowl at home." Lin You'er blinked her bright, watery eyes and nodded honestly. But when she caught the rich, sweet aroma of the braised pork, she gazed longingly at the basket.

"Mother said I shouldn't eat too much... But I think I can still have one more little bite."

Su Qingyang couldn't help laughing. He patted her little head. "All right, then. Have one more little bite."

"Yay! Yay!" Lin You'er cheered and leaned against his chest, rubbing against him lightly.

That was exactly what she had been waiting to hear. Whenever she brought him a meal, she always got to eat another one with Brother Qingyang.

Lin You'er moved quickly, setting out the dishes on the table, one in each hand.

The girl ate with gusto, occasionally picking up a piece of rich but not greasy braised pork and putting it in Su Qingyang's bowl.

"Mm, mm... Brother, hurry up and eat!" Lin You'er said through a mouthful of meat, her words muffled.

"Sure." Su Qingyang watched her wolf down her food, his eyes full of affection.