All realms have enabled me to achieve the Great Dao.

"Immortals are just people who are more powerful and cultivate themselves. What is the difference between cultivating martial arts to the extreme and becoming an immortal?"

Modern society lacks the cultivation environment of ancient times. If modern society had that kind of environment, martial arts practitioners would find it relatively easier to cultivate.

A good cultivation environment leads to rapid advancement in one's cultivation level. However, the modern cultivation environment is poor, and the tradition has been severed, so martial artists cannot cultivate to a very high level.

In modern times, reaching the Grandmaster realm of Martial Arts (Second Realm) is already considered extraordinary talent; the Divine Intent realm (Third Realm) is simply unthinkable.

Yang Xiuchang nodded in agreement with Zhou Yongcheng's statement. He was often invited by friends to assist in archaeological work, so he knew a little more about ancient information.

Information gleaned from ancient tombs of various dynasties suggests that before the Ming Dynasty, those at the Inner Qi Realm were merely ordinary martial artists, those at the Grandmaster Realm were only considered average experts, and only those at the Divine Intent Realm were considered powerful figures.

He couldn't imagine how strong martial artists from even earlier eras must have been; those martial artists would be comparable to immortals in modern times.

Yang Xiuchang sometimes wondered if the so-called immortals were just more powerful martial artists.

Now, hearing Zhou Yongcheng say this, he agrees with him.

In scientific terms, cultivation is actually a process of transformation in one's level of life.

Each time a martial artist advances to a higher realm, their life level undergoes a transformation. As their life level rises, they acquire skills that are difficult for ordinary people to master, thus becoming what is known as an immortal.

"Is the energy we martial artists absorb during cultivation the same as the primordial energy mentioned in Taoist classics?" Yang Xiuchang asked.

"Pretty much. The primordial energy mentioned by Taoists is a bit more advanced than the energy absorbed by martial artists."

The primordial energy mentioned by Taoism is the transformation of the chaotic energy at the beginning of the creation of heaven and earth.

The energy absorbed by martial artists is energy derived from the world itself, just like the various energies existing in the universe—it is generated by the universe itself.

Yang Xiuchang didn't know why Zhou Yongcheng knew these things. Since Zhou Yongcheng was a Taoist, he must know some secrets that they didn't.

"I see. So, in ancient times, the energy between heaven and earth was abundant, which could create very powerful martial artists. In modern times, the energy between heaven and earth is scarce, so it is not possible to create powerful martial artists. Have we entered the Dharma-ending Age that Buddha spoke of?"

"Of course."

"I was born at the wrong time. If only I had lived in ancient times, or even the prehistoric era, the energy of heaven and earth would have been abundant. I could have continuously improved my cultivation and become a legendary immortal without any problem."

"Hehe, you think ancient times were better? You're wrong. The more abundant the energy of heaven and earth, the more dangerous it is. The energy between heaven and earth is not only something that martial artists can absorb, but all things in heaven and earth can absorb energy to improve themselves."

Ordinary animals absorb energy and transform into ferocious beasts, while plants absorb energy and transform into powerful demonic plants.

Humans can absorb energy from the universe much slower than plants and animals, which is why plants and animals metamorphose much faster than humans.

"Tell me, living in that era, could you possibly cultivate in peace amidst those ferocious beasts and demonic plants?"

"this.."

Yang Xiuchang hadn't thought about this question. Although the energy of heaven and earth is scarce in modern times, there are still powerful ferocious beasts and demonic plants in those deep mountains and forests.

Even in modern times there are ferocious beasts and demonic plants, let alone in ancient times.

"Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages to living in every era. There are gains and losses, which is normal."

"Indeed, with the living conditions in ancient times, ordinary families would have trouble making a living, let alone cultivating."

The saying "the poor study literature, the rich study martial arts" is no joke.

In ancient times, those who could cultivate were basically people with power, influence, and wealth. Ordinary people who wanted to cultivate had to rely on their own aptitude and opportunities.

If you have good aptitude and are noticed by a powerful person by chance, then you can transcend social classes.

Even with good talent, without the right opportunities, one can still toil away their entire life just to make a living.

This applies not only to ancient times but also to modern times.

After chatting for a while, Yang Xiuchang asked about his own cultivation.

"Master, I have been practicing this cultivation method for so long, and I always feel that I am about to break through, but why can't I break through?"

Following Zhou Yongcheng's advice, Yang Xiuchang switched to a cultivation method that suited him. Although the method was incomplete, he finally felt his own progress.

Although there has been progress, new problems have arisen. After cultivating for so long, he always felt that he was about to break through to the Grandmaster level, but he just couldn't.

"You're getting anxious again. Cultivation is about going with the flow. When you reach a certain level, you'll naturally break through. Although you feel that you're about to break through, that's just a feeling, a process of physical transformation. Judging from your situation, you should be able to break through in about ten days."

It's best not to force a breakthrough in cultivation level. Sometimes, forcing a breakthrough can be detrimental to future cultivation. Breaking through naturally accumulates foundational energy, which is beneficial for future cultivation.

Yang Xiuchang stood up and bowed to Zhou Yongcheng, who told him that these were already secrets of cultivation that were not passed on to others.

Ordinary friends would never tell him these things, and other people would never tell you these things.

"Thank you for clearing up my doubts, Daoist Master."

"We're all friends, no need to be so polite."

Yang Xiuchang sat down, took a sip of tea, and started chatting about other things, including solving problems related to cultivation. Yang Xiuchang felt much more relaxed while chatting.

During the Ming Dynasty, Liu Bowen led the Imperial Observatory to search for auspicious burial sites throughout the country. Soon, he found two sites with excellent feng shui.

Having found the treasure land, he returned to the capital to report back.

This trip to find an auspicious burial site left Liu Bowen bewildered.

What puzzled him even more was the fate of Zhu Yuanzhang and the Ming Dynasty.

After helping Zhu Yuanzhang establish the Ming Dynasty, Liu Bowen wanted to retire because he knew that Zhu Yuanzhang could only share hardship, not wealth.

He also observed that most of the ministers who followed Zhu Yuanzhang in conquering the country met with tragic ends.

What puzzled him was that soon afterward, the fate of the Ming Dynasty could not be predicted, and Zhu Yuanzhang was more than twenty years younger, which he found unbelievable.

Moreover, the fates of those ministers who originally met tragic ends have also changed.

Many others changed as well, not knowing why the Ming Dynasty had changed, nor the source of the change.

Now that the fate of the Ming Dynasty had changed, he was not in a hurry to retire. He wanted to see how the Ming Dynasty would develop after the change in fate.

As time went by, the Ming Dynasty underwent reforms, which led to its rapid development, making it even more incomprehensible to Liu Bowen.

Upon returning to Kyoto, Liu Bowen reported back to Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yuanzhang entrusted Liu Bowen with full authority over the construction of the two royal tombs.

The construction of the royal tombs was carried out entirely in accordance with the requirements put forward by Zhou Yongcheng.

Meanwhile, the Song Dynasty was also building two royal tombs, which were constructed according to Zhou Yongcheng's requirements.

In modern times, Yang Xiuchang left Zhou Yongcheng's Taoist temple.

Having spent so much time with Zhou Yongcheng, he felt that Zhou Yongcheng was becoming more and more mysterious.

Because Zhou Yongcheng had such a clear understanding of cultivation, he felt that Zhou Yongcheng was not just a martial artist.

He shook his head. Regardless of Zhou Yongcheng's identity, Zhou Yongcheng was both a teacher and a friend to him.

Zhou Yongcheng's help in the martial arts training was immense, almost like a second life.