Chapter 348: Chapter 184: Innate Origin
The Great Yu was vast. The territory of Linji Prefecture alone spanned thousands of miles and was home to tens of millions of people.
Under the jurisdiction of Su State, there were five Prefecture Cities like Linji’s. The State City itself was equivalent to two Prefecture Cities.
The entire Su State spanned tens of thousands of miles and had a population in the hundreds of millions.
And among the Five Northern States, Su State was not the largest in either area or population.
The entire Land of the North probably covered hundreds of thousands of miles and had billions of people.
Among these billions of people, there wasn’t even a single Martial Arts Grandmaster.
This showed just how difficult it was to cultivate to the level of a Martial Arts Grandmaster!
What Shen Zhaoyi had said seemed to indicate that even a Martial Arts Grandmaster was still a long way from becoming a Martial Saint.
’Then what kind of figure would a Martial Saint be, a being who appears only once in a millennium?’
Chen Cheng couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. The path of the Martial Dao was clearly far more difficult than he had ever imagined.
’But whether it’s a Martial Arts Grandmaster or a Martial Saint, they’re both too far away. Thinking too much about it is pointless.’
’After all, my Martial Arts Power is currently only at Small Success in the Bone Forging Realm. The most important thing is to take it one step at a time, cultivate diligently, and first reach Perfection in the Acquired Body Refining Realm.’
’Still, since the top experts in the State City’s Major Sects are Half-step Grandmasters, I should at least learn a little about them.’
At this thought, Chen Cheng asked, "How does one qualify as a Half-step Grandmaster?"
Shen Zhaoyi didn’t answer right away. Instead, he gave Chen Cheng a meaningful look before speaking slowly:
"Young friend, you are now a Martial Artist of the Muscle Strengthening Realm. You must have some understanding of Martial Arts Cultivation. You should know that it emphasizes not only talent, but also potential.
When cultivating the Martial Dao, one must start not too early, nor too late. Before the age of fourteen, the body and bones are not fully developed, making it unsuitable for cultivation.
After fourteen is the best age to begin cultivating the Martial Dao.
But one cannot start too late either. Starting late means squandering one’s potential for Martial Arts Cultivation.
Therefore, the Major Sects in the State City often have age restrictions when recruiting disciples.
If you wish to enter a Major Sect like the Great Dao Sect, you must have your Martial Arts Talent assessed by a dedicated Steward before you turn sixteen.
If you are past that age, the required Martial Arts Talent to enter a Major Sect is often much higher.
If someone has not yet started cultivating the Martial Dao by the age of twenty, it would be very difficult for them to enter a Major Sect, even if they possess Innate Divine Power or Innate Copper Skin and Iron Bone.
After all, such a person is a full four years behind other Martial Artists in their cultivation. They’ve squandered four years of potential, so their future Martial Arts Achievements will be far lower, and they basically have no chance of ever becoming a True Disciple of the Sect."
At this point, Shen Zhaoyi paused for a moment before asking, "Young friend, do you know why the Major Sects place so much emphasis on potential?"
Chen Cheng had long been aware of this information. In fact, almost everyone who practiced martial arts knew it to some extent.
Chen Cheng asked in surprise, "Senior, do you mean to say that the Major Sects’ emphasis on potential isn’t because they fear a Martial Artist’s Qi Blood will begin to decline after a certain age?"
Shen Zhaoyi chuckled. "That is certainly one reason, but it is not the true reason.
For ordinary Martial Artists with their limited Martial Arts Talent, there is a natural concern that their Qi Blood will decline with age.
Take the Muscle Strengthening Realm, for example. If one hasn’t reached Muscle Strengthening Realm Perfection by the age of forty, they will face the problem of their Qi Blood declining year by year, making further cultivation extremely difficult.
As for the Bone Forging Realm, if one cannot reach Perfection by the age of fifty, they will face the same problem.
But those geniuses with exceptional Martial Arts Talent will never encounter such a problem.
Just as I said before, those with Innate Divine Power or Copper Skin and Iron Bone often have a much faster Cultivation Progress than others.
Even if they only start cultivating the Martial Dao at the age of twenty, they have no need to worry about their Qi Blood declining due to age.
The potential I speak of concerns the difference between cultivation in the Acquired Body Refining Realm and the Innate Realm."
As he spoke, Shen Zhaoyi looked up at the sky outside the pavilion and sighed softly.
"There is a vast chasm between cultivation in the Innate Realm and the Acquired Realm. For many people, this is a chasm they can never cross.
Their lifelong Martial Arts Achievement will end at the Acquired Body Refining Realm, unable to step into the Innate Realm.
After cultivating through the Five Acquired Body Refining Realms to reach Organ Refining Realm Perfection, one’s physique is greatly strengthened, their lifespan can reach a hundred years, and their Qi Blood Power only begins to decline in their nineties.
These are the benefits of breaking through the body’s limits through Acquired Body Refining.
And many genius Martial Artists can cultivate to Organ Refining Realm Perfection before they even turn seventy, reaching the peak of the Acquired Body Refining Realm.
Logically, they would still have twenty years to continue cultivating and attempt to open their body’s acupoints to advance into the Innate Realm.
But in reality, that is not the case. By the age of seventy, their potential to advance into the Innate Realm is almost completely depleted.
When a Martial Artist cultivates to Organ Refining Realm Perfection, if they wish to strengthen their physique further, they must open their body’s acupoints to absorb the Heaven and Earth Primordial Breath.
If they can successfully open all the acupoints throughout their body, forming a new, self-sustaining Circulation of the Celestial Cycle on top of the Inner Breath Circulation from the Inner Strength Level, they are considered to have reached Acupoint Opening Realm Perfection and have truly stepped into the Innate Realm.
But to open the body’s acupoints, one must use their body’s Innate Origin as a foundation. The more abundant one’s Innate Origin, the easier it is to open the acupoints.
This Innate Origin is a natural endowment. From the moment a person is born and gains Spiritual Wisdom until their body is fully developed, their Innate Origin is at its peak.
After that, as one ages, their body’s Innate Origin is gradually consumed. When the Origin is completely exhausted, that is when their life ends.
Cultivation in the Acquired Body Refining Realm primarily relies on absorbing and refining medicinal power to strengthen oneself, which is an inherently flawed method.
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