Chapter 27: Introduction to Martial Arts, Called the Realm of Qi and Blood

"The Flame-Mane Wolf is, after all, somewhat powerful for you. If you were to give up, I wouldn’t blame you. To remain single-hearted, to break through the barriers and refine your jade bones, I am very comforted,” Li Xuan expressed his approval of his disciple. "But, my disciple, remember, taking on challenges is commendable, yet cultivators of martial arts are not reckless fighters and are not brainless. Reckless fighters only know reckless, and they cannot last long in the end,” Li Xuan deliberated and said. He had to give his disciple a warning – don’t do anything too dangerous! Otherwise, his silly disciple might take his words out of context and fearlessly do dangerous things and lose his life because of it, leaving him to weep sorrowfully. Whether he can be invincible depends on his silly disciple! He can’t afford to lose him halfway! Given Xu Yan’s characteristics of self-interpretation and his against-the-heavens self-enlightenment comprehension capability, words need not be spoken expressly. Space has to be left for him to comprehend it in his way. Xu Yan respectfully said, “Master, your disciple will keep your teaching in mind!” Li Xuan quickly contemplated and continued, “We cultivators emphasize comprehension and discernment of blessings and disasters. We advance when we should advance and retreat when we should retreat. We need to have flexible minds and a keen sense of crisis… "We must make good use of wisdom, seize opportunities… Those who only think of fleeting wins and losses in their minds are reckless, and those without courage and determination are mediocre. "In short, don’t be rigid. Understand?” Xu Yan respectfully responded, “Master, I understand!” He was marveling in his heart. “Master’s words have profound meaning. It’s fascinating. This is the way of martial arts. I just comprehend the superficial meaning to tackle enemies flexibly and be courageous in making decisions. "My martial arts realm is ultimately a bit too low. I have too few experiences. But I will always remember Master’s words, to adapt and not to be rigid; I understand!” Li Xuan glanced at his disciple and muttered to himself, wondering if his silly disciple had comprehended and understood his meaning. Probably he did? After all, this kid was flexible-minded and not a rigid person. What should he do next? Should he continue teaching Xu Yan cultivation techniques? He hasn’t made up all the details! Since Xu Yan could cultivate successfully, and he could also get feedback, he needed to have some order and make it sound mysterious and powerful. He had not thought about the martial arts realm yet. As for the martial arts introductory realm, let’s call it the Qi-blood Realm. Whatever, it’s his invention anyway; he could randomly give names to the realm levels. What should come next in the cultivation method? What realm? Li Xuan needed to spend some time contemplating. It had to be distinct and sound reasonable and theoretically robust. Luckily, he was a web novel creator in his previous life, so making up the setting of cultivation was not hard for him. It’s just a matter of time. Thus, Li Xuan said, “You have just made a breakthrough; take some time to consolidate.” "Yes, Master!” "The Martial Path is endless. You need to remember, entering the door is merely the start of the martial journey.” With an image of a strict master, Li Xuan continued, “The entry-level martial arts, named the Qi-blood Realm, you are now just at the starting stage of the Qi-blood Realm. Once you cultivate to the fullest extent of Qi-blood state like mine, it means you have completely mastered the Qi-blood Realm.” Hearing these words, Xu Yan felt tremendously excited. "So, the martial arts entry level is called the Qi-blood Realm! "And I have just entered the Qi-blood Realm. Master Qi’s blood power was so formidable earlier. Such terrifying strength belongs to the completely mastered Qi-blood Realm.” Recalling his power, Li Xuan thought about how his power is a hundred times that of the same realm. Even if Xu Yan mastered the Qi-blood Realm, he would still be far behind Li Xuan himself. However, if the Qi and blood can reach the sky, it signifies the consummation of Qi and blood. He continued, “As for my power, it’s rather high. Even though you’ve reached consummation in Qi and Blood, you’re still unable to achieve what I have. When your Qi and blood can reach the sky, burning fiercely, driving away all dark energy, that’s when you’ve truly achieved consummation.” Xu Yan respectfully replied, “Disciple understands!” Reaching the sky with Qi and blood is the consummation of the Qi and Blood Realm! Defeating enemies from a distance! What an incredible strength that would be. Considering the strength of martial artists in Qi Country’s world of martial arts, Xu Yan was confident he could sweep the entire martial arts world. Even the legendary top masters wouldn’t be a match for him. He felt that his current strength was enough to disregard the emperor of Qi Country. However, he needed to keep a low profile. Who knew whether there were other strong martial artists like his master? Therefore, Xu Yan asked, “Master, how strong is the power of the Martial Arts world? The power level in Qi Country is rather low. Even the most skilled fighters seem weak compared to me!” Li Xuan was surprised. Was the strength of Qi Country really that low? Could a single breath of his Qi kill the top martial artists? However, judging by the power of the Firemane Wolf in the Evil Forest, the worldly strength shouldn’t be this low. As for whether there was a Martial Arts world or not, Li Xuan naturally didn’t know. Looking at Xu Yan’s expectant gaze, he replied, “Once your strength has improved enough, you will naturally get in touch with it. Don’t be too ambitious. If your strength isn’t there yet, you’ll only be cannon fodder in a place where there are stronger people.” Xu Yan thoughtfully nodded, “Master is right!” Then, he curiously asked, “Master, what is your realm?” Li Xuan smiled mysteriously, slightly raising his head towards the sky, and said in a deep voice, “Realm? That seems to be a distant subject…” Xu Yan was confused. Was the realm a distant subject? "Master said, ‘The Martial Path is endless.’ Does that mean Master has surpassed all known realms?” Having such thoughts, Xu Yan was shocked. No wonder his master is hidden as a recluse. He has already transcended the Martial Arts world. "Master, I understand now!” Xu Yan said solemnly. Li Xuan was a bit confused inside, “What on earth did this silly disciple understand this time?” Standing up, with his hands behind his back, he leisurely walked towards his house, saying, “Disciple, you need to consolidate your strength.” "Yes, Master!” Back in his house, Li Xuan began to contemplate how to fabricate a cultivation technique. "The entry level for Martial Arts is to cultivate Qi and blood. The stronger the Qi and Blood, the stronger the physical body, which leads to a stronger strength. So, what should be the cultivation path after reaching the Qi and Blood Realm? "Even if I’m fabricating, there has to be a framework, a present theory that would allow the disciple to self-enlighten on their own.” "Got it! "Above the Qi and Blood Realm lies the Innate Realm, where the Qi and Blood are refined into Innate True Qi.” "Those in the Innate Realm control the Qi to fly in the sky, move hundreds of miles in an instant…” "How can one cultivate to reach the Innate Realm?” After contemplating for a while, Li Xuan had defined the realm following the Qi and Blood Realm—the Innate Realm! But how can one break through to the Innate Realm? The conclusion that Li Xuan came to was that one has to condense Qi and blood into True Qi, and for that, one first needs to establish the Dantian Qi Sea… "Establishing the Dantian Qi Sea, condensing True Qi, turning acquired Qi into congenital Qi… But how to establish the Dantian? "Never mind. Just create a theory and let the disciple comprehend it on their own. There should be no major issue, right? "Ren Meridian, Du Meridian… Unblocking these two meridians… It doesn’t sound quite profound enough. How about calling it the Bridge of Heaven and Earth? "Right, call it Bridge of Heaven and Earth.. Establishing the Bridge of Heaven and Earth lays the foundation to control the Great Power of Heaven and Earth…”