Chapter 259: Chapter 183: Crystal Meditation Method! The Invitation from Xia Country, Jiang Shu’s Path!_2
The path of Martial Arts becomes increasingly arduous as one advances.
The progression from the initial stages of developing inner power, through its refinement, up to the Divine Realm, and then the Vigorous Realm, still largely falls within the scope of human capability, all revolving around the application of energy. Among these steps, the transition from refined energy to the Divine Realm presents a somewhat higher threshold.
But advancing from the Vigorous Realm to breaking through the void and achieving an imperishable state—this is no longer a mere threshold. It is a vast chasm.
This is the evolution of species, the leap from human to divine.
Once reaching the Vigorous Realm, there are no specific Martial Arts practices to follow; one must rely solely on enlightenment.
On one side is the lofty sky; on the other, the road that pierces the heavens. Any Martial Artist will have to choose.
The Divine Realm Great Grandmasters before me will, without exception, choose to join Xia Country, follow orders, and serve the state. Perhaps they will serve as instructors in the military, teaching Martial Arts. Perhaps they will become imperial bodyguards, always on call. Perhaps they will join soldiers to explore Heaven and Earth Secret Realms, unlocking ancient relics. Or perhaps, like Wang Yan, they will engage in deciphering Spiritual Cultivation methods, living a life in Shengjing dedicated to practice, research, further practice, and more research.
"I have transmitted the ’Crystal Meditation Method’ to you; you must see its profundity. Once small success is attained, you can enter Meditation. However, this ’Crystal Meditation Method’ is fundamentally limited and cannot break through to the Fetal Breathing Realm. Without reaching Fetal Breathing, you also cannot access the Sincere Path of foresight."
Wang Yan spoke again, truly hoping from the bottom of his heart that Jiang Shu would agree. Firstly, he saw Jiang Shu as an elder would a junior, naturally feeling a sense of responsibility, believing that in the current era, joining was the only path for a Martial Artist. Secondly, his own power was ultimately limited. The research institute’s personnel could only decode texts; the understanding of cultivation methods still depended on him. Ordinary Divine Realm Great Grandmasters possessed poor innate talent for Spiritual Cultivation and likely couldn’t offer much help.
But Jiang Shu was different. In less than three years, he had progressed from initial power development to the Vigorous Realm, and his Spiritual Cultivation had reached Meditation. He was a natural-born Spiritual Practitioner! With his help, perhaps in less than two years, we both could step into the Fetal Breathing Realm! Breaking through the void, achieving an imperishable state. The Sincere Path, with foresight. To forge a true golden age of Martial Arts!
"Thank you, senior," Jiang Shu said, his voice steady and his gaze clear as he met Wang Yan’s eyes. "But I’ve grown accustomed to a more carefree life and feel more at ease alone."
He certainly knew how generous the terms offered by Xia Country were. If he agreed, he would hold the same status as Wang Yan, gaining the highest level of clearance and access to all information about the Fetal Breathing Realm. With his talent, coupled with the existence of the interface, he would quickly become the foremost Martial Artist on Xuanxing. His status would see an unprecedented rise, allowing him to single-handedly represent Xia Country’s Martial Arts. Almost no Martial Artist could remain indifferent to such an offer. After all, compared to what was gained, what was lost might only be a little freedom.
But for Jiang Shu, the most important thing was freedom.
Only with freedom could he use the Two Realms Shuttle!
Only with the ability to shuttle between Two Realms would he have a chance to attain the highest path.
While Spiritual Cultivation was indeed rare and certainly a grand path, Xia Country had only researched a very small part of it. Perhaps the path would end upon reaching Fetal Breathing. But the other world possessed a mature Martial Arts system. After the Hundred Dynasties War, joining a Sect would open up an even broader world. As for Spiritual Cultivation methods, the "Crystal Meditation Method" was sufficient for now.
Unable to advance to Fetal Breathing? I’ll just Break the Limit!
As Jiang Shu’s words landed, his thoughts became clear and resolute. He would not give up the vast world to become the so-called number one on Xuanxing, confining himself to a corner. Nor would he feign allegiance to Xia Country, obtain their cultivation methods, and then betray their trust. He only wished to be himself.
"No matter. The doors of Xia Country are always open for Martial Saint Jiang," Wang Yan said with a smile, his voice open and warm, seeing Jiang Shu’s clear eyes and his bearing, which was akin to a pine tree standing firm in the snow.
He hadn’t expected Jiang Shu to refuse so decisively. It must be his youth, he thought. He’s encountered too few setbacks and overestimates his own talent. Perhaps in a few more years, he’ll understand that choice outweighs all effort. By then, still stuck in the Vigorous Realm, he would surely choose the same path as me. He’s a citizen of Xia Country anyway; what harm is there in joining?
Not wanting to press the issue further, Wang Yan said no more. Jiang Shu, after expressing his thanks, walked over to the Crystal Fragments and began to examine the information within them, piece by piece.
These Crystal Fragments contained only some images and cosmic script. However, by comparing the cosmic script from the "Crystal Meditation Method" with Xia Country’s characters, Jiang Shu quickly recognized a few scattered words and began to guess their meanings. His understanding of the "Crystal Meditation Method" deepened.
Xia Country, as a major power, naturally possessed profound heritage and magnanimity. Although he hadn’t agreed to join, as long as he remained a citizen of Xia Country, this information was not restricted from him.
Deep sleep, Meditation, Fetal Breathing. In cosmic cultivation, Spiritual Cultivation is crucial; it is the foundation. Spiritual Cultivation, in turn, enhances life force, which is its application. Martial Artists in the first stage of deep sleep, over time, naturally strengthen their vital organs and can live up to 120 years, even if they can’t generate powerful energy.
These fragments record that on various planets in the universe, Hypnotists exist who guide ordinary people into deep sleep. These Hypnotists are at least at the Meditation Realm. It seems Wang Yan, the Martial Saint, besides deciphering information on the Fetal Breathing Realm, also hypnotizes the leaders. Or perhaps, there are other Vigorous Martial Saints in Xia Country specifically responsible for this.
No wonder, with the development of Martial Arts up to this point, not a single leader has studied Martial Arts; they have better options. Jiang Shu’s mind raced with these thoughts.
Martial Arts cultivation in Xia Country integrates essence, energy, and spirit at the stage of the Divine Realm. It then progresses to the Vigorous Realm, breaking the void, achieving an imperishable state, and the Sincere Path of foresight. This is actually about returning to oneself; one could say, "I am the universe."
The Martial Arts of the Da Jing Dynasty involve Body Refinement, Qi Refinement, and Spirit Refinement. After these three stages, one steps into the Furnace Fire Realm. Although he didn’t know how powerful the Furnace Fire Realm was, according to fragmented records, its definition was: "The universe is the furnace, I am the fire within." It followed a path of merging with the universe; Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi would condense into liquid within the body, and with every move, Divine Skills would manifest. Compared to Xia Country’s Martial Arts, this placed more emphasis on controlling primordial qi and understanding the universe.
Spiritual Cultivation, however, was a completely different path. Developing the brain’s potential, awakening the entire body—even with Jiang Shu’s current superficial understanding, it was evident that this type of cultivation was the one that could truly be followed to the very end.
Because if ’I am the universe,’ then the upper limit is predetermined. The highest realm is merely breaking the void and achieving an imperishable state. Though it sounds mystical, it’s essentially a supreme version of an Acupoint Passage Realm expert who has fully opened all 365 acupoints. And ’I merge with the universe,’ while seemingly allowing for rapid advancement, means one will decay if the universe decays, and crumble if the universe crumbles. Only Spiritual Cultivation is truly limitless. An infinite mind means infinite realms; it is, one might say, endless.
Unfortunately, even after Xia Country exhausted three years of time and effort, they had only managed to organize information pertaining to the Meditation Realm. At this stage, only the Fetal Breathing Realm, and realms beyond it, would be of significant help to me. Fetal Breathing Realm...
Jiang Shu couldn’t help but recall the heart-palpitating sensation he felt when the Liang Family ancestor had pursued him.
The Detachment Realm for Spirit Refinement. That must be equivalent to the Fetal Breathing Realm!
Having mulled over the three types of Martial Arts, Jiang Shu finally touched the complete crystal. This was the original "Crystal Meditation Method." As he placed his hand on the crystal, familiar characters flooded into his mind. Without having reached the Meditation Realm, anyone who didn’t retreat in time would almost certainly be overwhelmed by the dense volume of information, suffering mental collapse. This was the fundamental reason why all Divine Realm Great Grandmasters only dared to touch the Crystal Fragments and not the complete crystal. If they wished to practice the "Crystal Meditation Method," they could only do so through instruction from Martial Saints like Wang Yan.
The two methods of learning seemed similar, but in reality, there were differences. It was like comparing movie resolutions: the former was 8K, while the latter was only 1080p.
On the interface, his proficiency slowly increased.
At this moment, Minister Xiao, seeing Jiang Shu had closed his eyes, couldn’t help but glance at Martial Saint Wang Yan, his look conveying inquiry and expectation.
Soon, Wang Yan’s voice echoed in his mind. He didn’t agree.
What a pity, Minister Xiao thought, involuntarily shaking his head and sighing internally.
Xia Country and Jiang Shu would certainly maintain a delicate balance. But going forward, the sequence of appearances at the conference, the standing positions... these initial plans and arrangements, with Jiang Shu’s refusal... would need to be changed.