The Five Realms of Martial Artists

"I never expected this bead to have been transformed from a goshawk's eye.

And its treasure grade had even reached the mid-grade Mortal level."

Chen Shaojun came back to his senses, astonished.

But on second thought, it was only natural.

That goshawk soared through the nine heavens. When it hunted, it was fierce and savage; with a single claw, it could crush stones to powder. It was by no means an ordinary wild beast.

Its eyeball was naturally no ordinary thing either, worthy of being called a medicinal treasure.

Afterward, Chen Shaojun also received a reward from the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror.

A spell.

Spirit Eye Technique.

All things born beneath heaven possessed spiritual energy, only stronger or weaker.

The Spirit Eye Technique could judge an object's value and level of danger through the strength of its spiritual energy, allowing one to seek fortune and avoid misfortune.

Having obtained the Spirit Eye Technique, Chen Shaojun could not wait to use it.

He possessed neither martial true qi nor Daoist true essence.

Fortunately, like the Divine Gaze Technique, the Spirit Eye Technique could be driven by spiritual power. Only the method of casting it differed slightly.

It was also worth mentioning that the Spirit Eye Technique was a support-type enhancement spell, strengthening one's eyesight. The Divine Gaze Technique, though likewise cast through the eyes, was fundamentally an offensive secret art.

Its purpose was to wear away the vicious baleful ghostly aura within an item being appraised and restore a treasure's original appearance.

The two were fundamentally different.

As the Spirit Eye Technique was cast, all manner of auras within the room became clearly visible.

The clearest of all was the Goshawk's Eye on the table, which he had appraised.

A soft white radiance gathered around it without dispersing, faintly forming strand after strand. Counting carefully, there were no fewer than four strands.

"Four strands of spiritual energy?

Could they represent the medicinal potency contained within this Goshawk's Eye?"

Chen Shaojun was somewhat puzzled.

But he merely committed it to memory.

No matter how potent the medicinal properties contained within the Goshawk's Eye were, they had nothing to do with him.

Every treasure in the pawnshop had to pass through the hands of an official appraiser before reaching him, after which it would be registered in the records.

If he dared embezzle one, he would be found out before a single night had passed.

When that happened, his fate would not be any better than entering the imperial prison. He would surely beg for life yet be unable to live, beg for death yet be unable to die.

Then Chen Shaojun turned his gaze elsewhere and found that although most objects contained greater or lesser amounts of spiritual energy, none had taken shape. Forget gathering without dispersing or condensing into strands of spiritual threads—even emitting white light was beyond them.

They were only faintly visible, drifting and uncertain.

Clearly, not every object could produce spiritual threads.

Perhaps that was the difference between treasures and mundane objects?

"The Spirit Eye Technique truly deserved the name of a spell.

It can help me peer into the depths of all things and assess the value of treasures.

If I cast it before appraising a treasure, it might even help me seek fortune and avoid misfortune, allowing me to detect the degree of danger in advance."

Chen Shaojun sighed inwardly. He had already thought of how to use the Spirit Eye Technique to its fullest effect.

The only thing that left him somewhat helpless was that using the Spirit Eye Technique also consumed a considerable amount of energy.

With the strength of his spirit, he could maintain it for at most ten seconds.

If he reserved enough energy to use the Divine Gaze Technique, then he only had five seconds.

"Five seconds.

That's enough."

Leaving Appraisal Room Number Seven, Chen Shaojun arrived at the storeroom.

At this time, an appraiser's apprentice had finished appraising his treasure before Chen Shaojun and was registering it in the records.

Chen Shaojun noticed that it was the tall youth who had mentioned yesterday that he too had suffered Baleful Intent entering his body. His name was Du Hao.

After exchanging greetings, Chen Shaojun quietly waited.

Before long, he noticed Xu Hongtao, one of the unpackers, boasting to a group of laborers about his adventures in the martial world during his younger days.

The pawnshop accepted pledged goods, appraised treasures, and exchanged them for silver. When there was nothing to do, it was actually quite leisurely.

No one bothered with the occasional idle chatter and boasting.

Chen Shaojun had been here for half a year and had already heard seventy or eighty percent of Xu Hongtao's boasts. The moment Xu Hongtao opened his mouth, Chen Shaojun knew he was once again talking about accompanying his gang chief to Lesser Camel Mountain's Celestial Master Hall for a lone-blade meeting.

He made it sound perilous.

But Chen Shaojun later concluded that it had merely been a matter of two gang leaders fearing and testing one another.

Their brief, probing exchange of blows only proved that point.

They had been able to retreat unscathed only because neither side was confident of keeping the other behind.

Later, both Lesser Camel Mountain and the Thunderclap Gang, where Xu Hongtao had belonged, were reduced to ashes beneath the iron fist of the authorities.

Clearly, in this world, the authorities were the truly powerful force.

Still, Chen Shaojun was indeed very curious about martial arts.

So he could not help asking, "Uncle Xu, what realm was your gang chief in?"

"Our chief was quite the celebrated figure back then.

A blade stirred thunder in the deep sea; a spear split mountains and cracked stone.

That blade referred to our chief, Shen Jinglei.

He was a genuine ninth-level Qi Sea realm high-grade grand martial master."

Xu Hongtao spoke with a face full of pride.

Though he could now only remain at the Lin Family Pawnshop as an unpacker, his life in the gang during his younger years was what stirred him most.

The person he had admired most in his life was also their gang chief, Shen Jinglei.

"Ninth level of the Qi Sea realm? A high-grade grand martial master?"

Chen Shaojun was shaken, and excitement rose within him.

Those realms of martial arts and titles of martial artists made him recall, in a daze, those impassioned days when he had read classic wuxia novels.

"Uncle Xu, you understand martial arts.

Could you tell us how martial arts are generally divided?"

In truth, it was not only Chen Shaojun who was curious. The others also yearned greatly for martial arts.

At this moment, Du Hao could not help asking as well.

"Since you are all interested, I'll tell you about it."

Xu Hongtao laughed heartily. "Martial arts are divided into five realms: Body Tempering, Qi Sea, Innate, Spirit Astral, and Divine Profound.

Though there are only five realms, Body Tempering alone has nine transformations.

First comes Flesh Tempering, second Sinew Tempering, third Bone Tempering, fourth Skin Tempering, fifth Marrow Tempering, sixth Blood Exchange, seventh Five Organs Tempering, eighth Six Bowels Tempering, and ninth Inner Sight. It is truly one step after another, and far from easy.

For an ordinary martial artist to cultivate from the first level of Flesh Tempering to the ninth level of Inner Sight requires at least ten years of bitter effort.

It is also worth mentioning that those in the Body Tempering realm are collectively called martial artists, those in the Qi Sea realm are martial masters, those in the Innate realm are grandmasters, those in the Spirit Astral realm are great grandmasters, and those in the Divine Profound realm are martial saints.

For instance, the current court's Marquis Wuying is a martial saint of the Divine Profound realm."

Xu Hongtao did not hide anything, speaking eloquently and opening a brand-new door for everyone.

"Body Tempering, Qi Sea, Innate, Spirit Astral, and Divine Profound—the five realms corresponding to the five titles of martial artist, martial master, grandmaster, great grandmaster, and martial saint.

Is this the world of those who practice martial arts?"

Chen Shaojun drew a deep breath, and his eyes suddenly brightened.

Deep within his heart, a powerful yearning arose.