Chapter 227: Chapter 169: Four Symbols Internal Energy, Breaking Limits! Qilin True Strength, Key to Longevity!
The path of Martial Arts encompasses Body Refinement, Qi Refinement, and Spirit Refinement. For Martial Artists in the first Four Realms—Abrading the Skin, Forging the Bones, Training the Organs, and Exchanging the Blood—they are all considered to be at essentially the same level in the eyes of Acupoint Passage Realm and Detachment Realm powerhouses.
The Detachment Realm means shedding the mortal coil. Even if their Spirit is damaged and their Realm declines, a Detachment Realm powerhouse could kill us with a mere thought. The pressure of their spiritual power alone is enough to render us immobile.
As for the great families in the state city, what defines them? Only a clan with a Detachment Realm powerhouse can be called a great family. The Detachment Realm represents the pinnacle of combat power in our Da Jing Dynasty.
When Chu Xisheng reached this point, a trace of undeniable envy appeared in his eyes.
The first Four Realms of Martial Arts can be advanced very quickly: the early stages through consuming meat, and the later stages through Elixirs. Even those with mediocre Talent can rely on resources to reach the Blood Exchange Realm.
However, when it comes to the Acupoint Passage and Detachment Realms, if one wishes to rely on resource accumulation, the amount required can only be described as colossal.
Take the Acupoint Passage Realm, for instance. The human body has 365 acupoints. If every acupoint were to be refined using top-grade Qi Boosting Pills, even the entire heritage of a century-old great family couldn’t support the Cultivation of a single Acupoint Passage Realm Martial Artist!
Martial Artists wishing to advance in these two Realms, Acupoint Passage and Detachment, can only rely on their own Talent! Elixirs can only serve as an aid to increase the speed of Cultivation.
"The current Liang Family Head, Liang Tingwen, has opened 300 acupoints in his body. He is one of the strongest individuals in our state city. However, he is getting older, making further advancement difficult, so he spends most of his time presiding over the Liang Family."
"Compared to other great families, the Liang Family is somewhat different. While other great families strive to build relationships with top-grade Alchemists, the Liang Family produced its own alchemy genius, Liang Tingbo. Although he isn’t skilled in combat, his Alchemy Realm is incredibly high; he can even perform the Refining of Qi Boosting Pills. This has helped the Liang Family accumulate significant connections among the other great families. However, this individual hasn’t appeared in the state city for a long time. The Liang Family only says he has gone to the Royal City seeking an opportunity for a breakthrough."
Chu Xisheng paused again. In recent days, Jiang Shu’s identity had been a hot topic in the state city. No matter the speculation, everyone tacitly agreed that a top-grade Alchemist must be backing Jiang Shu. This very point was what made all the great families so interested. If Chu Xisheng hadn’t known Jiang Shu already, he would have been unable to resist trying to recruit him again at this moment. A top-grade Alchemist could not only add the combat power equivalent to another Acupoint Passage Realm powerhouse to a great family but also help them accumulate more Elixir resources for the further advancement of their Acupoint Passage Realm powerhouses!
Jiang Shu, without showing any outward emotion, sighed and shook his head. "Breaking through... is difficult..." he said. "Thank you, Brother Chu, for clearing my doubts. Some time ago, while in the Prefecture City, I had a minor feud with a scion of the Liang Family. At the time, I thought that once I reached the state city, I would certainly pay them a personal visit. Now, it seems I was too narrow-minded. Before the Liang Family, even if I were on the Little Dragon Tiger List, I would be nothing more than a slightly larger ant."
"Luckily, at that time I had changed my appearance and used a pseudonym, so the Liang Family scion surely won’t be able to recognize me. Let’s just pretend that incident never happened," he self-deprecatingly explained as he resumed drinking and toasting.
This was Tai He Restaurant. They used a batch of exceptionally high-quality polished rice and a Fourth Rank Heaven and Earth Treasure Medicine to brew their alcohol, which was quite beneficial for Martial Artists.
As his True Strength circulated within his body, once the alcohol entered his abdomen, its medicinal properties were absorbed, while the alcoholic essence was almost instantly expelled through his fingertips.
But Chu Xisheng on the other side, after drinking for a while, was already showing some signs of intoxication.
"The disparity between ordinary Martial Artists and the great families isn’t just in the strength of their members, but also in the depth of their heritage. Ordinary Martial Artists struggle to obtain even a single Essence Yuan Great Pill, yet these great families can perform Refining for countless such Elixirs every year."
"You might laugh, Brother Chu, but everyone knows I came from Pingling County. In fact, even when I reached Yongning County, I didn’t know what a Treasure was. It wasn’t until I left Yongning County that I gradually learned more."
"Although my Martial Arts Realm has advanced, my understanding of such matters is still vastly insufficient."
Jiang Shu and Chu Xisheng grew more engrossed in their conversation. They discussed everything from the heritage of great families to the Refining of Elixirs, the preparations needed to break through from the Blood Exchange Realm to the Acupoint Passage Realm, the strength of the top ten on the state city’s Little Dragon Tiger List, other formidable competitors in the state city, the prestige of the Dragon Tiger List in the Royal City, and the potential geniuses who might ultimately triumph in the current Hundred Dynasties War.
Their conversation drifted to broader topics, continuing until the dishes on the table were nearly cleared. Then, Jiang Shu asked naturally, as if a thought had just struck him, "Considering the resources of the great families in the state city, one can only imagine how profound the heritage of the nobles in the Royal City must be."
"I’m quite curious about one thing, Brother Chu. You mentioned earlier that Treasures are extremely rare. Take Storage Bags, for example. Although they don’t possess any Power of Destruction, they are still a type of Treasure. Suppose in that previous life-and-death duel, Zhao Zhongming had been a scion of a great family and owned a Storage Bag. If I had defeated him, I could have taken his Storage Bag. In that case, how would I open it?"
"PFFT. Brother Jiang, aren’t you overthinking this? Life-and-death duels aren’t about taking all the loser’s possessions just because you win; they’re about wagering lives. The reason no one objected to you taking Zhao Zhongming’s spear is that his backer was the Danxia chamber of commerce. Since you’re also associated with them, they naturally didn’t pursue the matter further. It’s a case of ’keeping benefits within the fold,’ so to speak. If it had been anyone else in your shoes, that spear would definitely have been reclaimed."