Chapter 179: Martial Dao, Dao Comprehension, Enlightenment
In Wubu City and the surrounding dozen cities, undercurrents were stirring. Martial arts manuals defying the ones issued by the Heavenly Kings were circulating through the darker corners of society. In the black market, people were desperately searching for the vendor who sold virility tonics, hoping to ask if he had other martial arts techniques, or the origin of these manuals.
Some discovered that cultivating the black market techniques actually had better longevity effects than the current ones.
Were these martial arts truly never-before-seen techniques, or were they the very ones the Heavenly Kings had destroyed? People wanted answers.
But the vendors seemed to have appeared from thin air—and vanished the same way. No one could find any trace of them.
“Why did we stop selling?” Abu didn’t understand.
“If something is unobtainable, people desire it even more. Let it ferment for a few days first,” Jiang Li explained, then turned toward the training ground and shouted, “Old Bai, go easy! The old man’s not young anymore!”
In the Bu Clan’s training ground, two figures moved with lightning speed—Abu couldn’t even follow their exchanges.
“Old man? He’s three hundred-plus, I’m over five hundred—who’s older?” Bai Hongtu said while fighting, and hit even harder.
To Bu Jing, facing Bai Hongtu felt like facing a legendary ancient beast—immense pressure.
Bai Hongtu had suppressed his cultivation to the Nascent Soul Stage to spar with Bu Jing, but even so, Bu Jing could only fight while retreating, unable to match him head-on.
Both of them kept their strength tightly contained, focusing only on each other. Otherwise, a battle between a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator and someone at Human Sovereign Peak would be far too much for a small training ground to withstand.
Back in the Nascent Soul Stage, Bai Hongtu had fought against the top seed disciples of various major forces—ten battles, ten victories, no rest, no injuries, shocking all of the Nine Provinces.
“Sect Master Bai, are all Nascent Soul cultivators in the Nine Provinces this strong?” Bu Jing fought with intense pressure. His opponent’s techniques were endless; he could only defend, never finding an opening to counter. After three centuries without fighting, his body had grown stiff. But after today’s battle, he felt himself slowly waking up, growing stronger. Even so, there was always a clear, tangible gap between him and Bai Hongtu—visible, touchable, yet unbridgeable.
Wasn’t Human Sovereign Peak supposed to correspond to the Nascent Soul Stage? Why was the difference so huge?
Bai Hongtu laughed heartily, “Hahaha! Strong, right? That’s right! I, Bai Hongtu, dare say that if I’m second at the Nascent Soul Stage, no one dares claim first—”
“I’m first.”
“I’m first.”
Two ill-timed voices rang out at the same time. Jiang Li and Yu Yin were reclining on lounge chairs, drinking Lightning Tribulation Syrup like they were on vacation.
They clinked their bowls together to show agreement.
Jiang Li and Yu Yin didn’t have as flashy a record at the Nascent Soul Stage as Bai Hongtu.
Their only claim to fame was that they had both defeated Bai Hongtu while he was in the Nascent Soul Stage.
“……”
Bai Hongtu pretended he hadn’t said anything.
“Internal and external energy merging at the dantian, essence, qi, and spirit united—so that’s the martial philosophy of this world.” Bai Hongtu commented with mock seriousness, as if he hadn’t just been embarrassed.
“You two practice the Four Pillars Holding Up the Heavens Technique, right? I assume it means the limbs serve as pillars of the sky. When the limbs shake, heaven and earth tremble. Bit exaggerated, but harmless. Not bad.”
Bu Jing and Bu Dong looked a little embarrassed—the family technique really did mean that.
Most martial techniques in Huan Yu World had names that pushed creativity to the limit. According to Abu, there were even ones called Primordial Chaos Genesis Technique and Samsara World-Destroying Art.
By comparison, their family’s martial art name was actually modest.
People gave flashy names to martial techniques just for fun—no one seriously thought they could shake the heavens or destroy the world.
Who would’ve thought they’d actually run into people who could shake the world—and not just one, but three.
“You’re already doing great. Within the Nascent Soul Stage, few have lasted over a hundred moves against me…” Bai Hongtu glared at Jiang Li and Yu Yin, warning them, “I’m begging you, please save me some face! Don’t make me get on my knees!”
“Of course, I held back a little, but this also proves that your world’s martial arts have immense potential. And you, standing at the peak of the old martial way, even more so.”
“But I’ve already reached the end of the martial path—internal and external energy convert freely, essence, qi, and spirit woven into a single thread, organs and meridians in perfect harmony. I can’t move forward even half a step,” Bu Jing said, dejected. He’d been pondering how to break through Human Sovereign Peak but had found no way. In his impatience, he even forced a breakthrough attempt once and nearly died.
Even though the three mighty ones would help them deal with the Twelve Heavenly Kings, he still wanted to personally kill at least one—to avenge his parents.
But in his current state, what right did he have to strike at a Heavenly King?
“The end of the martial path?” Yu Yin smiled for once. “Even the founding emperor of the Martial Kingdom, a Martial Immortal who broke through space with martial force, didn’t dare claim he reached the end of the path—and you say there’s no road ahead?”
Jiang Li smiled too. “The internal organs and viscera can be called the inner realm. If there’s an inner realm, then where is the outer realm? If the body has already been pushed to its limit, why not look up at the sky?”
Bu Jing looked up at the sky—his mind struck like lightning. He murmured, “The sky… inner and outer realms merging… star acupoints…”
Seeing Bu Jing entering a state of enlightenment, Bai Hongtu walked over to Jiang Li and Yu Yin, grumbling, “I’ve been feeding Bu Jing moves all day. I was just about to wrap up and drop some profound wisdom—play the high-and-mighty master. You two had to open your mouths first.”
“Sorry,” Jiang Li apologized insincerely.
“What’s going on with my brother…”
“He’s enlightened—or you could say, he’s comprehended the Dao.”
“Comprehended it?” Abu was puzzled.
Jiang Li laughed, “Yes, you’re right. Your brother comprehended it.”
Concepts of martial arts, the thoughts of the ancients, countless martial manuals flashed through Bu Jing’s mind.
Were those technique names really just randomly made up? Didn’t they carry the creator’s imagination?
And the way Abu described the powerful cultivators of the Nine Provinces…
So humans could become that powerful. The stars weren’t out of reach. Plucking stars like flowers was within human grasp…
These ideas churned in Bu Jing’s mind, over and over.
By the next morning, dawn broke across the land—and it also lit up every connection in Bu Jing’s thoughts.
He cheered and jumped like a child. He had figured out what the next realm was. He understood.
He grabbed brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and poured out all he had pondered through the night.
“Inspired by the Lord Lao, a seven-character verse: It describes the body and all divine points. Above lies the Yellow Court, below the Guanyuan, behind the Youque, before the Life Gate…”
Line after line of poetic scripture appeared on the rice paper. Barely over a hundred words—but they were the key to bridging Human Sovereign Peak and the next realm.
Once the scripture was done, Bu Jing struggled with what to name it.
“I was enlightened by these mighty ones and inspired by the starry sky. The starry sky is my teacher, and their kindness is greater than the heavens. But ‘heaven’ doesn’t rhyme. Heaven is also called Shangqing, the dantian is the core of the inner realm, known as the Yellow Court. Above Human Sovereign Peak lies the outer realm. This scripture connects what came before and what comes after… let’s call it The Shangqing Yellow Court Outer Realm Scripture!”
“Yes! The Shangqing Yellow Court Outer Realm Scripture!“
Bu Jing laughed heartily.