Translator: CinderTL
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"Got it."
Li Chunjun calmly opened the first file, The Chiyang Body Refining Art, and carefully examined its contents.
Cultivation is divided into four major realms: Body Refining, Qi Refining, Spirit Refining, and Void Refining.
However, for true cultivators, the Body Refining Realm doesn't officially exist—their path begins with Qi Refining.
Body Refining was only developed as an alternative path for those without innate spiritual roots, who are extremely rare. It was a martial discipline passed down out of necessity.
Even so, high-level Body Refining techniques remain extremely valuable.
For instance, many martial academies in Guangzhou City have masters whose strength barely reaches the Inner Strength stage. The techniques they teach focus only on fortifying the internal organs and lack the key secrets of achieving harmony between internal and external cultivation.
Yet, despite these limitations, learning from them can cost tens of thousands per month.
"Scholarship is for the poor, martial arts are for the rich."
This saying from ancient times rings even truer in the modern era.
But this manual, The Chiyang Body Refining Art, not only details the process of tempering the muscles and bones externally, but also describes internal organ fortification and the unification of internal and external cultivation in remarkable depth.
Every step is broken down and explained so thoroughly that anyone willing to put in enough effort could reach the Internal-External Unity stage.
According to the manual, this process takes as little as three to five years, or at most, a little over a decade.
This claim made Li Chunjun pause.
"Three to five years?"
Three to five years to produce a martial master at the Integration Realm?
In this world, everyone dreams of becoming an immortal cultivator.
But spiritual roots are extraordinarily rare, appearing in only one out of ten thousand people.
Even with the Great Shang Empire testing every citizen starting at age nine—conducting three rounds of screening every three years—each city only produces a handful of cultivators.
At least, that was the case for Guangzhou City.
- The last round produced two cultivators.
- The round before that produced three.
- The one before that, two again…
With such slim chances, many people—especially those from wealthy families—pursue martial arts after failing to qualify for cultivation.
Even those who don't train in martial arts are well-versed in its concepts.
It's common knowledge that an Integration Realm martial artist holds immense influence.
In a place like Guangzhou City, the Integration Realm is already the pinnacle of the martial world.
Every individual at that level is revered as a pillar of the community, their words capable of deciding the wealth and fate of thousands—if not tens of thousands—of families.
Yet now, this manual claims that such masters could be cultivated in just over a decade?
And possibly even in three to five years?
Li Chunjun continued reading, deep in thought.
Eventually, he came across a crucial material—
Chiyang Pill.
A required alchemy pill for practicing The Chiyang Body Refining Art.
Without it, forcing oneself through this brutal body refinement technique from a high-level immortal sect would lead to dire consequences—
- At best, severe qi and blood depletion, permanent vitality damage.
- At worst, complete collapse of body and spirit, resulting in instant death.
"Alchemy pills..."
Li Chunjun carefully re-read the technique.
Rather than a body-refining art designed to achieve Unity, it seemed more like a technique developed specifically to rely on the Chiyang Pill.
If the Chiyang Sword Sect monopolized the pill, then all practitioners of this art would be completely under their control.
"Qi and blood depletion..."
A sharp glint flickered in Li Chunjun's eyes.
This technique was incredibly ruthless, demanding reliance on the Chiyang Pill to avoid its deadly side effects.
However…
What if a practitioner's physical body was already as strong as an Integration Realm martial artist?
Or even stronger?
"I'll train."
Li Chunjun made his decision and opened the file containing The Martial Dao Innate True Explanation.
The document detailed the path of martial cultivation:
External Training - Strengthening the muscles and bones. Inner Strength - Strengthening the internal organs. Unity of Internal and External - The fusion of both. Hundred Meridians Flowing Freely - Unblocking the body's energy pathways. Energy Circulation Throughout the Body - Achieving full-body energy rotation.
After these stages, one could shatter the bridge between Heaven and Earth, using the small energy cycle of the body to connect with the great energy cycle of the universe, thus stepping into the Innate Realm.
At this point, using immortal formations to reverse channel the world's spiritual energy into the body would complete the first step of Qi cultivation.
However, since martial artists lack spiritual roots, they cannot harmonize the yin-yang and five elements in spiritual energy to refine it into true Qi.
Thus, for them, absorbing raw spiritual energy is extremely dangerous, often leading to death.
Furthermore, without spiritual roots, they cannot transform spiritual energy into true Qi, meaning the only way forward is to continue refining their physical bodies.
Thus, they must follow the Path of the Body Cultivator—
In the world of cultivation, they have another name—Warriors.
Innately, they are slightly weaker than Qi Refinement cultivators, who wield numerous profound mystical techniques.
Because body cultivators lack the profound abilities of Qi Refinement cultivators, some martial artists—gifted with exceptional talent and comprehension—refused to accept being inferior. They explored new paths, took extreme measures, and pioneered the Way of the Sword Cultivator.
A path of cultivation that may not grant longevity—but is unparalleled in slaughter.
Cultivators look down on body cultivators!
They don't necessarily respect sword cultivators either!
But when a sword cultivator draws their sword, whether others respect them or not, they must lower their proud heads.
Truth exists only at the tip of the blade.
Even Qi Refinement cultivators must avoid the sharp edge of a sword cultivator's unmatched slaughter.
Thus, if a martial artist can transition into a sword cultivator, their status in any sect will be no worse than that of a similarly ranked spirit root cultivator.
Moreover, sword cultivators often take on missions involving killing, hunting, and warfare. Those who rise above the rest earn far more rewards than spirit root cultivators of the same level.
Li Chunjun didn't care much about the earnings of sword cultivators.
But his gaze remained fixed on "The Way of the Sword Cultivator: Unmatched in Slaughter" for a long time, unable to look away.
He never intended to practice unarmed martial arts—his goal was to master weapons.
Simply because weapons are far more efficient at killing than fists and feet.
Now, seeing that sword cultivators who transition from martial artists are peerless in the art of slaughter...
Then what was he waiting for?
He skipped past the "Body Cultivation Foundation Art" section and clicked on "Sword Cultivation Foundation Art."
Body Cultivation!
Harnessing the world's spiritual energy to refine the body and strengthen oneself.
Sword Cultivation, on the other hand, channels all of the world's spiritual energy into nurturing, tempering, and refining the sword.
But the sword they cultivate is not one of metal and iron—instead, it is an intangible sword formed from refined essence and Qi.
A metal sword, sharp as it may be, is prone to breaking.
A sword of refined Qi, drawn from the heavens and earth, will never be destroyed.
A sword cultivator forges their body into a furnace, nurturing heaven and earth's refined essence within.
Only after relentless tempering, until they finally manifest their first sword Qi, can they truly step onto the path of a sword cultivator.
Unlike body cultivation—where one only needs to endure the first infusion of spiritual energy before gradually progressing—the way of the sword cultivator is filled with peril at every step.
To nurture sword Qi within, using one's refined essence as a furnace to forge it—one misstep could lead to severe injury, or even death.
It is not a path for anyone except those with extraordinary talent.
Jin Haoxuan's older sister, Jin Zhiya, had passed down the sword cultivation method to him, undoubtedly holding high hopes for his success.
Unfortunately...
She had clearly overestimated her useless younger brother.
From how easily he was crushed and slain, it was evident he hadn't even practiced the Chiyang Body Refinement Technique.
After reading the contents of "Sword Cultivation Foundation Art,"
Li Chunjun flipped forward another ten or so pages.
These pages contained three sword techniques.
Although mastering sword techniques wasn't a prerequisite for becoming a sword cultivator, once one developed sword Qi, combining it with a proper sword technique to form Sword Gang would maximize their lethality.
That's why this document included three sword techniques.
He wasn't sure about their level of refinement,
but since they originated from a prestigious sect like the Chiyang Sword Sect, they were certainly superior to what was publicly available.
Flipping through them, he quickly made his choice.
"Nine Heavens Thunder Sword Technique."
A technique emphasizing speed, force, and momentum.
It placed little emphasis on adaptability and finesse—
Perfect for his situation.
After selecting a sword technique, his gaze shifted to the Chiyang Body Refinement Technique.
He read through it again and again.
The evolution of one's life level is never just a physical enhancement—it's an all-encompassing strengthening of every aspect of oneself.
Including memory, logic, and comprehension.
After reading it four times, he had committed the entire body refinement method to memory.
Then, he stood up, walked into the bathroom, and gathered every functional electrical circuit.
He collected all the light bulbs he could find and switched them on.
Instantly, the small bathroom was flooded with bright light, as if bathed in the radiance of the Chiyang.
TL/N: Chiyang means Red Sun.
This was the prerequisite for practicing the Chiyang Body Refinement Technique.
Immersing oneself in the radiance of the Chiyang—
Letting the scorching light temper the body, stimulating the flesh—
Then, using a specialized breathing method and body techniques to push one's potential to the limits, rapidly forging inner strength.
Finally, using this inner strength to temper one's bones, muscles, and flesh under the scorching sun, quickly completing the first external training stage!
As he expected...
With a Level 7 lifeform foundation, his training in the Chiyang Body Refinement Technique advanced at breakneck speed.
One night of training—his muscles and bones strengthened.
Three days of training—his bones and muscles reached minor achievement.
Six days of training—his external refinement was completed.
The entire process—smooth and effortless.
(End of the Chapter)
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