Chapter 577: Chapter 183: Dao Sect
"Your body has been horizontally trained, with inner strength fortifying your viscera. After stepping into Entry Level Third Grade, you need to cultivate your qi and blood and excel in Sword Dao."
Chen Tang said, "The only one who could guide you might be Emperor Wu."
Upon mentioning Emperor Wu, Chen Tang’s expression remained unchanged, pretending not to have heard.
Whether Chen Tang was unintentional or intentional, he couldn’t reveal anything about Emperor Wu.
"I can only point you towards a few directions that might be useful to you."
Chen Tang pondered, saying, "Your greatest reliance is Entering the Divine State, which involves the Power of the Divine Soul. To maintain this advantage, find ways to strengthen your Divine Soul, always stay ahead, and you might gain certain advantages against a Grandmaster."
In fact, Chen Tang mastered a method to strengthen the Divine Soul through visualization.
However, reaching a Divine Soul stronger than a Grandmaster would take an indefinite amount of time.
Chen Tang continued, "Secondly, in terms of strength, find a way to be on par with a Grandmaster."
"How is that possible?"
Ye Xuan frowned, somewhat perplexed.
Although Chen Tang’s foundation was solid, reaching perfection in every realm, and practicing the finest cultivation techniques such as the Kun Breathing Technique and Vajra Unbreakable Technique, for horizontal body training and inner strengthening of the viscera.
Yet, there are natural chasms between major realms.
The greater the difference, the more disparity in strength.
That is, if he steps into Entry Level Third Grade, he might contend with Second Grade, but cannot withstand the Grandmaster’s Power.
"For others, impossible; for him, perhaps."
Chen Tang glanced at Chen Tang’s dantian and said, "Sealed within your dantian is a Vajra Relic, an artifact from the Outer Realm. If you could find a way to extract it, with your Divine Soul in the Mud Ball Palace as the anchor, free from concerns of qi deviation, you might experiment with practicing two Cultivation Techniques concurrently."
Emperor Wu had indeed mentioned this to Chen Tang.
One method is the normal cultivation technique, a Fifth Grade Inner Core, storing Inner Qi within the dantian, unlocking the Nine Apertures, connecting the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, and cultivating Inner Power.
The other method is akin to Emperor Wu and Chen Tang, using the viscera as the core, the Five Qi Chaoyuan, connecting the Twelve Meridians of the body, and cultivating qi and blood.
Chen Tang shook his head, "This Vajra Relic has already fused with my dantian, Zen Sect elder once said that if I were to extract it, my dantian would be completely ruined."
"Indeed."
Chen Tang nodded, "This time, as you return to Northern Divine Continent, you must seek out Emperor Wu quickly. Perhaps, only he holds the solution in the entire world."
Ye Xuan exclaimed, "Is Emperor Wu truly not dead?"
He previously had some suspicions but wasn’t certain.
Chen Tang remained impassive, a myriad of doubts rising in his heart.
From Chen Tang’s words, it seemed he knew Emperor Wu hadn’t died.
From a normal perspective, even if one discerned the origin of his martial arts, it might be speculated that it wasn’t directly from Emperor Wu.
Ye Xuan’s reaction was more aligned with reality.
After all, the world knew that Emperor Wu had been long dead for decades.
Was he probing him?
Probably not.
With Chen Tang’s status, there’s absolutely no need for that.
But why did Chen Tang urge him to seek out Emperor Wu swiftly?
Logically, Chen Tang and Emperor Wu, having battled over Xiajiang, should be sworn enemies.
Yet, Chen Tang’s tone bore no animosity towards Emperor Wu.
Seeing Chen Tang’s doubts, Chen Tang chuckled, saying, "Having acquired Emperor Wu’s true teachings, Emperor Wu must surely be alive."
Chen Tang neither admitted nor denied this, only asking, "Senior, you seem to have no animosity towards Emperor Wu?"
"Our differences stem from divergent philosophies, leading to the Battle of Xiajiang, but there was no deep-seated enmity. If not for him being conspired against back then, I alone could never hold him off."
As Chen Tang reminisced about those days, his expression turned wistful, murmuring, "Emperor Wu, Emperor Wu, truly, decades ago, was undefeated in this world!"
Regarding the Battle of Xiajiang, back in Mist Rain Village, the Dragon Tiger Guard Kou Zhenshan also mentioned that an unparalleled master emerged, turning vegetation into weapon-wielding soldiers, with some strong practitioners flying on cranes, controlling flying swords to kill from the air.
And from Ming Yue Wanderer, Chen Tang learned that Hidden Sect also attempted an assassination on Emperor Wu during the Battle of Xiajiang.
However, Ming Yue Wanderer was severely injured and fell into the river, leaving many events of that battle unclear to him.
Probably, no one understood the inner details of the Battle of Xiajiang better than Chen Tang.
Chen Tang couldn’t help but ask, "Who plotted against Emperor Wu back then? Was the scene of ’sounds of the wind and cries of cranes, where every bush and tree looks like an enemy soldier’ also done by this person?"
"Sounds of the wind and cries of cranes, where every bush and tree looks like an enemy soldier?"
Chen Tang found the phrase novel but quickly understood it, nodding, "Indeed, methods of that person."
"That person is the most mysterious among the Nine Great Sects, the Dao Sect!"
"Ah, it’s him!"
Chen Tang exclaimed softly.
Chen Tang said, "No one knows where Dao Sect came from, nor does anyone know his teacher. He rarely appears, and I have only seen him twice. Emperor Wu speculated he might be from the Outer Realm."
"From the Outer Realm?"
Chen Tang’s heart skipped a beat.
Chen Tang added, "In this world, there are artifacts from the Outer Realm, like the Vajra Relic within you, the East Sea Giant Demon, the Tianshan Golden Eagle, all are beings from the Outer Realm."
"This world couldn’t spawn such formidable and bizarre creatures; only the Outer Realm could harbor them."
Chen Tang mused internally, "The Mountain Lord is probably also from the Outer Realm."
How did these artifacts, these beings from the Outer Realm, arrive here?
"Why did Dao Sect plot against Emperor Wu?"
Chen Tang asked.
"Hard to say."
Chen Tang shook his head, saying, "Perhaps it relates to the Battle of Kunlun Mountain back then."
Battle of Kunlun Mountain?
What was that?
Chen Tang looked puzzled, having never heard of it.
Chen Tang suddenly said, "A century ago, the pinnacle of martial arts in this land was only First Grade Divine Illumination. No one knew what lay beyond Divine Illumination or how to continue cultivating."
Chen Tang said, "So, a century ago, the strongest were merely Grandmasters?"
"Indeed."
Chen Tang nodded affirmatively.
Chen Tang asked, "How did the Transformation Realm emerge, and what was the subsequent rise of the Nine Sects about?"
Chen Tang explained, "Later, a remarkably gifted martial arts genius emerged, achieving the rank of Grandmaster at forty. He founded a nation through martial strength, quelling nearly a century of warfare, uniting various tribes, and establishing the Great Wu Dynasty."
The martial arts genius in Chen Tang’s words was Emperor Wu.
Chen Tang had heard the old man mention this incident before.
Chen Tang said, "He personally led an army, sweeping through the Northern Divine Continent’s Jianghu sects, confiscating all kinds of secret manuals and cultivation techniques, searching for all Outer Realm artifacts. Finally, at forty-six, he deduced the realm beyond Divine Illumination, naming it ’Transformation Realm,’ becoming the first Grandmaster of Transformation Realm in the world!"
Chen Tang, Ye Yushi, and Ah Li, these three young individuals, listened in awe, their spirits stirring.
Transformation Realm, it turned out, was deduced by Emperor Wu!
Chen Tang had previously heard from the old man about Emperor Wu’s sweeping through the sects of the Northern Divine Continent, as well as from the Zen Sect about the Vajra Relic having passed through Emperor Wu’s hands.
He merely thought Emperor Wu saw the sects’ power as a threat to the Court and thus led an army to eradicate them.
He hadn’t fathomed this additional layer of reason.
Reaching Grandmaster status from a Grandmaster was already as arduous as ascending to the heavens.
Throughout these years, those who advanced to Grandmaster remained few and far between.
Especially to deduce an unprecedented realm, elevating the martial arts of this land to another height!
Such a feat is hundred or thousand times more challenging than attaining the Grandmaster status!
No wonder, Transformation doesn’t fit into Entry Levels.
Because, the martial arts originally encompassed only nine grades.
And Transformation Realm was created by Emperor Wu!
