Chapter 123: The Innate Realm
New Year's Eve, on the rooftop.
Fang Yue sat atop the ridge, gazing blankly at the brilliant fireworks blooming on the distant horizon.
He had just enjoyed a joyful New Year's Eve dinner with everyone at the martial arts school.
Afterwards, with nothing else to do, Fang Yue had come up to the rooftop.
Seated high above, a cold wind occasionally swept past.
However, the winters in Yunzhou did not freeze over; the temperature was not too harsh.
At Fang Yue’s current level of martial cultivation, such a chill was insignificant.
“I wonder how things are over at Fishhead Town now?”
Sitting alone on such a night meant for family reunions, one’s thoughts inevitably wandered.
The experiences of his past life, separated by another world, were too painful to dwell upon.
In just a few months in this world, he had been through much and met many people.
A red figure lightly leapt onto the rooftop, standing beside Fang Yue.
Without turning his head, Fang Yue said, “Why aren’t you keeping watch with your father?”
The newcomer was Qiu Shiyan, dressed in a flowing red silk gown, quite different from her usual crisp, agile attire.
The cold wind stirred her skirt, which clung to her tall, slender frame, revealing her graceful curves.
Qiu Shiyan replied, “Uncle Fu is with my father. I saw you alone up here, so I came to check on you.”
They said no more, one sitting, one standing, both gazing up at the fireworks blooming in the distant sky, listening to the crackling of firecrackers.
Another year had passed.
Year after year, age after age.
After a while, Qiu Shiyan said, “I’m going back down.”
Fang Yue nodded. She glanced at him once more, then gracefully leapt down to the ground.
…
Fang Yue didn’t stay long on the rooftop either. He soon returned to his room.
Lighting an oil lamp, he kept watch through the night while studying the “Long Wind Technique” manual.
Though life was peaceful now, unease lingered in his heart.
No matter what, true strength was fundamental.
“In a while, I should be able to fully comprehend the innate part of this ‘Long Wind Technique’ manual, then I can deduce the fifth stage of the Enlightenment Technique and enter the Innate Grandmaster realm.”
Fang Yue set the manual down, massaged his temples, and pondered quietly before summoning the Merit System to check his status.
Fang Yue—
Merit: 51,563 points
Divine abilities: Deduction, Clairvoyance, Soul Capture
Mystic arts: Dragon Turtle Concealment Technique (Level 2)
Martial skills: Enlightenment Technique (Level 4), Iron Fire Body (Level 2), Flame Palm (Level 2), Long Wind Fist (Level 2), Long Wind Swordplay (Level 2), Chasing Wind Moon (Level 1), Basic Saber Technique (Level 1)
Besides the constant merit points coming in from Fishhead Town, the largest gain recently came from the night he slew the spirit controllers—the ghost handler and the shadow puppeteer.
These two practitioners of forbidden arts, along with their several underlings, brought Fang Yue over eight thousand merit points.
After deducting the various expenses from deducing martial arts and using divine abilities, Fang Yue still had more than fifty thousand merit points left.
…
The New Year had passed, and in the blink of an eye, it was the tenth day of the first lunar month.
Walking through the streets, Fang Yue noticed significantly fewer martial artists carrying weapons, both from other provinces and local.
A few days earlier, news had spread that a small county near Yan Nan Prefecture had unearthed the tomb of a Martial Saint from centuries ago.
Rumor had it the tomb contained the Martial Saint’s secret manual.
Martial artists wandering across Yunzhou had swarmed to Yan Nan Prefecture in droves.
Fang Yue had long wondered why these outsiders believed so firmly in such rumors, convinced the Martial Saint’s manual existed, and went to such lengths to travel from other provinces to Yunzhou.
After all, the Da Qi Empire’s twenty-seven provinces each covered vast territories; traveling from one to another was a long and arduous journey.
Especially some martial artists came from provinces not even bordering Yunzhou, making the trip even more grueling.
After making inquiries, Fang Yue finally learned some secrets from those outsiders.
It turned out the news of the Martial Saint’s manual came from a figure known as the “Mud Buddha” in Huozhou.
But who was this “Mud Buddha”? Why did so many martial artists believe his words without doubt?
According to what Fang Yue learned from those outsiders, this “Mud Buddha” was a master of calculating celestial secrets—a living Buddha in the mortal realm.
A “living Buddha” was akin to a terrestrial immortal.
In other words, this “Mud Buddha” was an existence on par with the national teacher of the Da Qi Empire.
Such a figure, adept at divine calculations, naturally commanded the trust of all martial artists in the land.
Even Fang Yue, after understanding the background, began to suspect that the Martial Saint’s manual might indeed exist.
However, his current goal was to reach the Innate Grandmaster realm.
Even if the manual truly existed, there was no rush to get involved.
Moreover, the whole affair surrounding the Martial Saint’s manual carried a strong scent of conspiracy.
The widespread rumors seemed somewhat bizarre.
Still, many local and outsider martial artists leaving Longchong Prefecture’s capital was a relief for the Fengyang Martial School.
It spared them the annoyance of people constantly watching and pestering the school over such rumors.
…
Back at the martial school, Fang Yue carried a pile of medicinal herbs into his room.
“Ginseng, deer antler, goji berries, he shou wu…”
He counted the herbs on the table—these were all purchased at great expense from an herbal shop in Longchong Prefecture.
“Although reaching the Innate realm and opening the Upper Dantian’s Purple Mansion allows one to breathe in the world’s spiritual energy naturally, replenishing innate true qi continuously without fear of depletion, it’s still best to be prepared.”
Fang Yue gazed at the herbs that would supplement his qi and blood, thinking to himself.
After nearly twenty days of study and research, Fang Yue had almost completely mastered the contents of the “Long Wind Technique” manual and was ready to proceed with deduction.
These herbs were prepared to counter possible qi and blood exhaustion when the Merit System transmitted power and he entered the Innate realm.
With everything ready, Fang Yue summoned the Merit System.
“Deduce!”
…
Fang Yue—
Merit: 39,856 points
Divine abilities: Deduction, Clairvoyance, Soul Capture
Mystic arts: Dragon Turtle Concealment Technique (Level 2)
Martial skills: Enlightenment Technique (Level 5), Iron Fire Body (Level 2), Flame Palm (Level 2), Long Wind Fist (Level 2), Long Wind Swordplay (Level 2), Chasing Wind Moon (Level 1), Basic Saber Technique (Level 1)
“Is this the Innate Grandmaster realm?”
Fang Yue walked to the window and opened it, looking outside.
It was an afternoon in winter, warm and gentle.
The trees in the courtyard gently swayed in the breeze.
Everything seemed as usual.
Yet to Fang Yue, everything was vastly different.
The trees remained trees, the stones remained stones; all were as before.
But the observer’s realm had changed, so naturally, what he saw was entirely different.
It was a strange, profound sensation—mysterious beyond words.
…
Fang Yue activated the fifth stage of the Enlightenment Technique, and the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged toward him, absorbed through his mouth, nose, and skin.
It circulated through the extraordinary meridians, entering the Purple Mansion in his Dantian.
One major difference between the Innate and Acquired realms was that the Innate realm could directly absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and convert it into innate true qi.
As long as the surrounding area contained spiritual energy, an Innate Grandmaster’s recovery was extremely rapid, with unending internal breath, allowing for prolonged combat.
Of course, the changes and benefits from breaking through to the Innate realm were far more comprehensive.
It was a qualitative, all-encompassing elevation.