Chapter 347: Chapter 183: Half-step Grandmaster
He had only ever felt this way before when facing his master, Mr. Zheng.
Unlike Mr. Zheng, whose outward Qi Blood Power fluctuated in intensity, the man before him, Shen Zhaoyi, was much more stable.
His entire being seemed perfectly integrated, blending seamlessly with the bitter cold of Ice Castle.
Chen Cheng felt that if he weren’t looking right at Shen Zhaoyi, he could be standing right in front of him, and he still might not be able to detect his presence with Perception alone.
This Shen Family Ancestor was simply standing before him casually, doing nothing. His attitude was even kind and filled with goodwill.
But the pressure he exerted on Chen Cheng was far greater than that of Patriarch Shen, Shen Mingyuan, even when the latter had fully unleashed his Qi Blood Power.
’I never thought the gap between an Organ Refining Realm Martial Artist and a Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm Martial Artist could be so immense!’ Chen Cheng thought to himself.
In terms of sheer physical enhancement, probably even ten Shen Mingyuans combined would be no match for the Shen Zhaoyi before him.
Martial Artists revered strength above all. Although Shen Zhaoyi had expressed his admiration, Chen Cheng didn’t dare act presumptuously. He bowed solemnly once more and said:
"In Elder Shen’s presence, Chen Cheng is not worthy of being called ’young friend’."
"My young friend, you are far too modest." Shen Zhaoyi waved his hand, his smile growing even warmer. He said,
"Before meeting you, this old man was quite curious what kind of person that boy Zheng Hun had taken as his Closed-door Disciple.
I wondered if he would be Linji City’s second Zheng Hun.
But after meeting you, I realized I was wrong. Grievously wrong.
That boy Zheng Hun also earned the title ’young friend’ from me back in the day, but at that time, he was already nearly thirty and had stabilized his strength at Bone Forging Realm Perfection.
You are only nineteen, yet you possess the strength of the Muscle Strengthening Realm Perfection. Your future Martial Arts Achievements will far surpass that boy Zheng Hun’s and my own. It is perfectly appropriate for me to call you ’young friend’."
Chen Cheng was slightly startled. When a Martial Artist didn’t actively channel their Qi Blood Power, the depth of their qi and blood was mainly expressed through their breathing.
As one’s Martial Arts Realm advanced and their physique grew stronger, their breathing would naturally change.
For example, a Perfect Martial Artist of the Skin Grinding Realm would often exhibit steady and long breaths.
As for a Martial Artist of the Muscle Strengthening Realm, their breathing would be not only steady and long but also powerful.
Some cultivation techniques for concealing one’s aura could effectively adjust the rhythm of one’s breath, but they could never hide it completely.
After all, the body was constantly consuming Qi Blood Power. The stronger the physique, the more Qi Blood Power was needed to maintain its functions.
And the process of consuming Qi Blood Power was inseparable from breathing.
The Iron Armor Skill he cultivated was an Inner Breath Technique. To a large extent, Inner Breath Techniques could also be called Breathing Techniques; they focused more on circulating the inhaled breath within the body, resulting in much less aura being exposed.
He had previously met two experts of the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm: one was City Guard Director Mao Yong, and the other was Patriarch Shen, Shen Mingyuan.
Neither of them had been able to perceive his true Martial Arts Power.
But Shen Zhaoyi, who stood before him now, though still unable to see that he was at Small Success in the Bone Forging Realm, could tell that he had the strength of the Muscle Strengthening Realm Perfection.
’Such keen Perception. He truly is an expert of the Organ Refining Realm!’
However, the fact that even Shen Zhaoyi couldn’t tell he was a Martial Artist at Small Success in the Bone Forging Realm brought Chen Cheng a huge sense of relief amidst his shock.
His sense of security had always been built upon hiding his true power.
If his true capabilities were seen through completely, it would always leave him feeling uneasy, regardless of whether the other party was friend or foe.
With this in mind, Chen Cheng’s expression remained neutral as he said, "Elder Shen, you flatter me. I am still quite a ways from Muscle Strengthening Realm Perfection."
"Oh?" Shen Zhaoyi’s gaze sharpened slightly. He studied Chen Cheng closely again, sensing his aura. After a long moment, he finally nodded and said,
"Your outward aura is indeed a bit weaker than that of an ordinary Perfect Martial Artist of the Muscle Strengthening Realm.
You must be cultivating the Dragon Eagle Muscle Strengthening Technique passed down by Zheng Hun. The effect of this Muscle Strengthening Technique on physical enhancement is extremely potent.
At the same Realm, the depth of one’s qi and blood will be greater than with other Muscle Strengthening Techniques.
What I sensed might not have been entirely accurate.
However, you are wearing only thin clothes, yet you show no reaction to a frigid environment like Ice Castle.
The depth of the Qi Blood Power circulating through your body must be no less than that of a Perfect Martial Artist of the Muscle Strengthening Realm."
The judgment of a Martial Arts Realm wasn’t actually based on sensing the depth of one’s qi and blood. Instead, it was determined by tangible displays of power, like strength and speed, combined with the unique characteristics of each Realm.
For example, a Perfect Martial Artist of the Skin Grinding Realm could often lift over a thousand pounds, and their skin would be as tough as copper and iron.
Upon reaching the Muscle Strengthening Realm, one’s strength grew even greater, reaching two to three thousand pounds. At the same time, the major tendons throughout the body were strengthened and could emit crisp cracking sounds. There were distinct differences in these sounds between the Small Success, Great Success, and Perfection levels.
The Bone Forging Realm allowed one to achieve a resonance of tendons and bones, and so on.
’So, Shen Zhaoyi wasn’t relying solely on sensing my outward aura; he was also judging my strength based on my performance in this cold environment.’
After all, in a cold environment, a Martial Artist would naturally circulate their Qi Blood Power to generate heat and resist the severe cold.
Chen Cheng felt another wave of relief.
At the same time, he silently reflected that he still wasn’t being careful enough.
A bit of curiosity stirred in him, and he asked, "Elder Shen, you are an Organ Refining Realm Martial Artist. Why does this junior feel that the depth of your qi and blood seems less than that of Elder Shen Mingyuan, who is in the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm?"
Shen Zhaoyi chuckled and began to explain patiently, "That naturally must be explained starting from the Body Refining Realm. What ordinary Martial Artists call the five Body Refining realms—Skin Grinding, Muscle Strengthening, Bone Forging, Marrow Cleansing, and Organ Refining—comprise the Acquired Body Refining Realm.
Reaching Organ Refining Realm Perfection means one has cultivated the Acquired Body Refining Realm to its absolute limit.
The skin, major tendons, bones, marrow, and internal organs have all been strengthened to a certain degree. The physique is completely developed, reaching the Inner Strength Level.
Once one reaches the Inner Strength Level, the body can generate Primordial Gang True Qi. All breathing is contained within one’s Inner Mansion, forming a complete, closed loop.
Even when one needs to circulate their aura to maintain their Qi Blood Power, much less of it will be exposed.
At the Inner Strength Level, one can even breathe not just with the internal organs but also through the skin, taking in the Heaven and Earth Primordial Breath. This breath travels through the major tendons, bones, and marrow to reach the organs, creating a self-sustaining cycle.
This is the so-called Inner Breath.
Once one achieves Great Success in Inner Breath, going two or three days without breathing is no issue. One could even stay underwater for three to five days relying on Inner Breath alone without any ill effects."
’An Organ Refining Realm Martial Artist is that powerful!’ Chen Cheng was deeply moved. He thought for a moment, then asked again:
"Elder Shen, you said the five Body Refining realms are just the Acquired Body Refining Realm. What Realm lies beyond the Acquired Body Refining Realm?"
"Beyond the Acquired Body Refining Realm? That would naturally be the Innate Realm."
Seeing the look of yearning on Chen Cheng’s face, Shen Zhaoyi paused for a moment before continuing,
"To speak of the so-called Innate Realm, we must start from Body Refining. Once you cultivate to the Organ Refining Realm and your physique reaches the Inner Strength Level, it becomes very difficult to strengthen it further.
To advance, you must find another path.
Countless Martial Arts Ancestors of the Human Race thus created cultivation techniques for the Innate Realm.
As for the Innate Realm, it has many branches. But in the Great Yu, the orthodox path of Innate Realm cultivation is to become a Grandmaster.
Therefore, the Innate Realm is also known as the Grandmaster Realm.
The Grandmaster Realm is further divided into three major realms: Opening Acupoints, Blood Transformation, and Qi Meridian Fusion.
Reaching Qi Meridian Fusion Perfection makes one a Grandmaster. With that power, you can go anywhere in the world!"
At this point, a look of longing appeared on Shen Zhaoyi’s ruddy face, and he sighed with some emotion,
"But in this world, how many people can actually cultivate to the Grandmaster Realm? The vast majority reach Half-step Grandmaster at best!"
Shen Zhaoyi’s words undoubtedly refreshed Chen Cheng’s understanding of Martial Arts Cultivation.
Until now, all Chen Cheng had been exposed to was the Great Yu Martial Canon.
But the Great Yu Martial Canon’s records on Martial Arts Cultivation were limited to the five Body Refining realms. It barely mentioned the realms that followed, only speaking of the Martial Saint.
After all, the Great Yu’s Founding Saint Emperor was a powerful existence who had cultivated to the level of a Martial Saint.
"Elder Shen, is the Martial Saint realm above the Grandmaster Realm?" Chen Cheng asked.
Shen Zhaoyi shook his head and sighed, "A Martial Saint... That’s an existence that might not appear even once in a thousand years. How could it be so simple!
Above the Grandmaster Realm..."
Shen Zhaoyi’s face suddenly flushed red, and he muttered, "I’ve lived for nearly a hundred years and have never even seen a Grandmaster. How could I possibly know so much?"
Chen Cheng never expected that he would stump a great expert like Shen Zhaoyi. He immediately felt a bit embarrassed.
’That was rather impolite!’
"Don’t major sects like the Great Dao Sect have any Grandmaster experts?" Chen Cheng quickly changed the subject.
Shen Zhaoyi let out a long sigh and said, "According to legend, the founding Ancestor of the Great Dao Sect was a Martial Arts Grandmaster who had cultivated to Innate Realm Perfection.
However, that was hundreds of years ago.
Today, the Sect Leader of the Great Dao Sect is merely a Half-step Grandmaster!
Forget our Great Dao Sect; in all of the Five Northern States, I’m afraid there is no one who would dare call themselves a Grandmaster."
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