Fantasy: Immortality Begins with Absorbing Demons

Chapter 305 Yunzhou (Part 3)

“I remember it was something like this…” Wang Yunkai recalled, “My master once said that qi and blood, like a person, are also divided into levels. The most basic qi and blood is the innate primordial blood, but this state only appears in the body of an infant in swaddling clothes…”

As an infant breathes and eats, this innate vital blood will quickly lose its effectiveness and turn into the blood flowing in an ordinary person's body... Therefore, to see if a person has enough martial arts talent, one mostly looks at the amount of innate vital blood remaining in their body.

Later, as martial artists cultivate and learn martial arts, and after achieving mastery and opening of their meridians, this innate vital blood will differentiate into turbid blood with different martial arts effects…”

"Turbid blood?" Han Yi frowned, looking puzzled.

"That's right. Acquired blood with various special effects of strength is also known as turbid blood. It will grow and strengthen naturally and unconsciously with the body. It can also be consciously consumed by monsters or increased through exercise."

Different martial arts techniques produce entirely different effects on the blood, and therefore the resulting energy will have yin and yang characteristics. Some energies complement each other, while others conflict with each other.

Hearing this, Han Yi asked in confusion, "Elder Wang, I know that different martial arts have complementary and conflicting forces. I just need to choose martial arts that complement each other. So why do you say that it will cause trouble? Does the term 'one-force martial artist,' 'two-force martial artist,' or 'three-force martial artist' simply refer to the number of complementary martial arts that a person practices?"

“Cultivating three kinds of martial arts?” Wang Yunkai chuckled and shook his head. “A Three-Strength Martial Master doesn’t mean that at all… A Three-Strength Martial Master simply refers to the body’s innate primordial blood being differentiated into turbid blood to strengthen its strength three times.”

As for why they are called Three-Strength Martial Masters, it's simply because most people's natural talents are actually quite similar. Their body's vital blood is only enough to differentiate into three types of turbid blood, which means strengthening their strength three times.

Even those with abundant innate vital energy can only strengthen themselves once or twice more, hence they are collectively referred to as Three-Strength Martial Masters.

But regardless of the circumstances, the most important criterion for any major power in the world when recruiting disciples is……pure, pure blood!

“Take me for example…” he gave an example, “The martial art I practice, which is called ‘Entering the Core’, is not the most advanced technique, but it includes all aspects of movement, footwork, and weapon usage. Therefore, when practicing, you only need to focus on strengthening your internal energy three times. Once you reach the extreme and your internal energy is extremely pure, you will have a high chance of reaching the Grandmaster level.”

"Only through purity can one reach the pinnacle..." Han Yi mused. Old Wang's statement was completely different from his previous views; in fact, it could be said that they were fundamentally different.

His understanding of the Three Strengths was that one should cultivate three complementary martial arts techniques to achieve mastery of the three strengths simultaneously, and then the three strengths would merge, allowing one to reach the Grandmaster level...

According to Elder Wang, the martial arts master realm only requires one to cultivate one martial art from beginning to end, and to strengthen that martial art to its extreme.

The two are like two seeds buried in the soil. One seed chooses to grow wider, flourishing and extending its branches outwards. The other, however, grows straight, choosing its height.

"That's right. Think about it, if we both had the same total amount of vital energy and cultivated the same techniques..."

However, I focused on one technique, transforming all my vital energy into this turbid blood, which in turn generated immense power.

"You've been practicing different martial arts, and your vital energy has been divided into several parts. Although the largest part belongs to your primary martial arts, your vital energy is limited. Practicing other martial arts will deplete it. Think about it, even if we're both three-strength martial artists, how could your strength possibly match my profound and powerful strength?"

Wang Yunkai gave a brief explanation.

Han Yi understood the reasoning behind it, and he frowned slightly: "Is it really so bad to practice multiple martial arts at the same time?"

“Actually, the original meaning of the Three Strengths Martial Master is similar to what you understand: to gain powerful combat strength and break through to the Grandmaster level by cultivating various martial arts that do not conflict with each other. But…” Wang Yunkai shook his head, “Although this method allows for the cultivation of multiple martial arts, resulting in slightly stronger combat power, and the ability to choose different martial arts to cultivate for different environments and opponents, in the later stages, the advantages brought by multiple cultivations are completely inferior to those of martial artists who choose to cultivate a single strength.”

He continued, "After all, think about it. The amount of primordial blood in the human body is limited. At most, you can cultivate three different martial arts when it differentiates into turbid blood. By the time you have mastered the power of the three martial arts, the time and resources spent will far exceed the time spent strengthening one power three times."

"Of course, there have also been those with extraordinary talent, whose bodies were rich in vital energy, enabling them to cultivate seven or eight martial arts simultaneously. They cultivated at a rapid pace, becoming invincible among martial artists. However, they soon failed to break through to the Grandmaster level due to the inability to integrate their internal energy, and their bodies exploded, leading to their deaths..."

“From then on, this path was gradually eliminated by the world…” Wang Yunkai said earnestly, “Brother Han, you must know that we martial artists cultivate in order to advance further. If we only cultivate one kind of force, there is no risk of additional force fusion, nor is there difficulty in finding complementary martial arts. Even if our combat power is slightly weaker, it is acceptable.”

Therefore, with the development of martial arts, the concept of practicing multiple martial arts simultaneously has long been outdated and abandoned.

Han Yi was silent for a moment. No wonder he felt something was strange when he encountered those two Wan Hua Palace disciples before. Their auras were almost the same and their strength was quite strong, but their strength effects were only a few.

Practicing multiple martial arts simultaneously involves the dangerous fusion of internal forces and the troublesome process of finding complementary martial arts techniques, making it clearly less straightforward than the other path. It's obvious he suffered from a lack of information; neither Bai Sanren nor Huang Ze had mentioned these things to him.

It's certainly not that Bai Sanren and the others are unwilling to talk about it; more likely, they simply don't know these things themselves.

He sighed inwardly, realizing that An'yan City was too remote and far from the martial arts center.

"May I ask Elder Wang, can turbid blood be restored to primordial blood?" he thought for a moment and asked again.

“Difficult, difficult, difficult…” Wang Yunkai shook his head repeatedly. “My Dongyang Academy is considered a first-class power in Yunzhou, and even we don’t have this method. Perhaps it exists in a few other top powers.”

"I'd like to hear the details!" Han Yi's eyes lit up, and he bowed respectfully.

At this moment, not only him, but even Fatty Zheng, who had been lying to the side yawning, gradually moved over. Perhaps seeing a large audience made him more enthusiastic, or perhaps it was just that old people like to ramble on.

As Wang Yunkai got into the conversation, he picked up a water pouch, tilted his head back, took a sip, and cleared his throat.

"When talking about the major forces in Yunzhou... we can't avoid mentioning a true behemoth—the Daoist sect!"

"Taoist sect?" Han Yi muttered to himself, savoring the term.

Such a being, which can be considered a nation's faith, is definitely not a name that can be used casually by ordinary people, regardless of its past or present life.

“We all know that there are two officially recognized positive sects in this world: Taoism and Buddhism…” Wang Yunkai looked somewhat dazed, as if recalling many things he had experienced in his youth.

"Now, in our great Xuanwu world, Taoism is flourishing, there are many believers, and Taoist temples and monasteries are highly respected. Every few dozen miles, you will always encounter one. They seem numerous and different... But in reality, there are three major branches of Taoism in the world... One is Xuanqing, one is Xiaoyao, and one is Shuiyue."

All Taoist priests under heaven can be divided into these three categories; of course, those unorthodox Taoist priests in rural shrines certainly don't count.

"Xuanqing, Xiaoyao, Shuiyue?" Han Yi memorized these three names.

"Yunzhou... is one of the territories of the Daoist sect Xiaoyao Dao. One of the three strongest forces of the Daxuan Daoist sect, Yuanmiao Sect, is located there! Perhaps a way to cleanse oneself of impurities and return to one's original blood can be found here."

"Yuanmiao Sect?!" Han Yi was also startled.

In the twelve states of Da Xuan, a single sect was able to control the territory of an entire state... Its strength and influence were unimaginable.

Look at An'yan City, located in a remote area, the smallest town on the edge of Pingzhou, yet it has a martial arts master as powerful as Ao Yang.

But Pingzhou is also located in a corner far from the Central Plains.

Yunzhou, located in the Central Plains, is many times larger than Pingzhou. Based on this, it can be inferred that the experts within the Yuanmiao Sect are unimaginably powerful.

It's no wonder that Wang Yunkai and Tantai Xunzhen chose to go to Yunzhou. With such a powerful force suppressing an entire prefecture, everyone would keep a low profile.

"By the way, may I ask Elder Wang, since the Yuanmiao Sect is one of the Xiaoyao Dao sects, what is the difference between it and the others?" He asked, as it was rare to have such a great scholar explain it to him for free.

"The Way of Freedom advocates self-cultivation, non-action and self-transformation, and the natural order of all things, as well as the freedom of self-cultivation." Wang Yunkai explained, "Although the Yuanmiao Sect is powerful, it follows the philosophy of the Way of Freedom, focusing on self-cultivation and seclusion. As long as there is no major incident, it will not interfere much with most things in Yunzhou."

"Isn't this just governing by doing nothing..." Han Yi muttered to himself.

Yunzhou has a completely different culture and customs from Pingzhou. Unlike Pingzhou, which is mostly under the jurisdiction of the imperial court and has many rules, in Yunzhou, as long as you do your own thing, you won't encounter any other troubles.

It seems that Yunzhou is more suitable for someone like Han Yi, who wants to find a place to cultivate quietly and recuperate, than Pingzhou…

Afterwards, Han Yi inquired in detail about other aspects of Yunzhou.

Yunzhou is a place where martial spirit prevails and the people are known for their fierce nature. Although the imperial court governs the area, it is merely a figurehead under the powerful suppression of Emperor Yuanmiao.

Furthermore, under the Yuanmiao Sect's philosophy of non-interference and self-cultivation, ordinary people lived very comfortably, and martial artists also interacted frequently.

This has created a vibrant scene in Yunzhou, where all sorts of forces, schools of thought, and ideas converge, are conceived, and born.

Under the strong protection of Emperor Yuanmiaozong, different sparks of thought frequently ignited here.

The idea of ​​practicing martial arts simultaneously actually originated in Yunzhou. One evening, Wang Yunkai spoke eloquently and enthusiastically.

Han Yi kept asking questions, and Fatty Zheng joined in. In the end, Tantai Xunzhen, who had been silent, also became interested and listened carefully, and a smile gradually appeared on his face.

In fact, she had never been to Yunzhou before and was full of curiosity about this unfamiliar place.

The appearance of Yunzhou Prefecture gradually became more complete in everyone's eyes.

Stability, peace, and non-interference in governance—everything was so wonderful, with the Yuanmiao Sect high above, suppressing everything.

Numerous forces are intertwined, and various martial arts philosophies converge here. There are no strict laws prohibiting martial arts, nor are there any messy taxes.

The Yuanmiao Sect, which emphasizes tranquility and non-interference, is the supreme authority here. Anyone who dares to cause trouble in Yunzhou without cause will be punished. The Yuanmiao Sect is the most powerful force in the region, and most of the major powers within the state have intricate connections with it.

This also made Han Yi vaguely yearn for Yunzhou.

Originally, he wanted to go to Pingzhou Prefecture with Fatty Zheng... but now, considering everything, Pingzhou Prefecture is not the best choice.

Pingzhou, even the most remote city of Anyan is now ravaged by demonic calamity. There is no powerful force suppressing it; the only force is the Pingzhou Prefecture Army of the imperial court.

It is very likely that Pingzhou Prefecture will also face chaos.

According to Elder Wang Yunkai, Yunzhou, with the behemoth Yuanmiao Sect suppressing it, is located in the Central Plains. It is extremely peaceful and has a thriving martial arts culture, making it a good place for cultivation and self-cultivation.

Moreover, according to Elder Wang, if he wants to find a way to restore his primordial blood, he can only go to Yunzhou, where a solution might be found. Therefore, going to Yunzhou would allow him to see further ahead.

At that moment, Han Yi decided to change his goal and head towards Yunzhou.

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In the Central Plains, in the capital, stands a luxurious and grand mansion.

In the dead of night, the sounds of string and wind instruments drifted from the mansion with its high red-lacquered walls, and the faint sounds of men and women playing and laughing could be heard.

The mansion has everything you could want: small bridges, flowing water, and artificial hills.

The main hall in the center was brightly lit.

A handsome and dashing man with regular features sat in the main seat, enjoying the company of the beautiful female musicians dancing below.

Beside him sat a man who looked to be about twenty years old, dressed in flowing white robes and with a slender build. Although he had an ordinary appearance, his eyes were incredibly pure, like a clear spring that you could see right to the bottom, leaving a deep impression on people.