Chapter 202 – What Suits Others May Not Suit You—Under Heaven, All…

While Lu Chen was secretly observing the hidden Immortal Fiends among the crowd, Yi Hanqing and Wu Xiao from Martial God Mountain had already arrived at the arena.

Due to his frequent travels, Yi Hanqing was quite well-known among disciples of other sects. In comparison, Wu Xiao appeared much more low-profile. Many sect disciples hadn’t even known Martial God Mountain had such a figure.

But just from appearance alone, it was clear Wu Xiao was no ordinary person. Whether it was his nearly 2.5-meter height or his astonishingly large skeleton and muscles, everything indicated this person was completely different from typical Central Province cultivators.

Yi Hanqing looked at him without rushing to act, instead asking: “Are all people from your Northern Divine Continent as tall as you?”

Wu Xiao thought for a moment before replying: “No, most people there are similar to Central Province residents. Only I, for some reason, kept growing taller and taller.”

“Understood.”

Yi Hanqing nodded, then drew a spirit sword from his storage bag. It was a special spirit sword engraved with peach blossom patterns. After the sword appeared, the entire arena began to fill with a faint floral fragrance. In a daze, the crowd seemed to see a peach tree materialize behind Yi Hanqing.

Standing beneath the tree’s shadow, Yi Hanqing smiled faintly: “Although this is our first duel, I can sense the terrifying power contained within your body. More importantly, I detect no emotional fluctuations from you – you appear remarkably calm, which is quite rare among your fellow disciples. If not for your exaggerated physique, I might even suspect I’m facing an elderly master with exceptional mental cultivation.”

“Come, let me experience the capabilities of Martial God Mountain.”

Hearing Yi Hanqing’s words, Wu Xiao nodded.

“Good.”

The next moment, vast amounts of blood and Qi energy began emanating from his body. This energy condensed around him, ultimately forming into special armor.

This was Martial God Mountain’s immortal technique – the Heaven-Human Martial Scripture.

The principle of the Heaven-Human Martial Scripture involves integrating one’s spiritual power entirely into the blood, using spiritual power to replace blood circulation. Thus, the scripture’s realms are divided into ‘Skin Refining’, ‘Flesh Refining’, ‘Bone Refining’, ‘Organ Refining’, ‘Soul Refining’, and finally ‘Dao Refining’, corresponding respectively to the cultivator’s Qi Condensation Stage, Foundation Establishment Stage, Golden Core Stage, Nascent Soul Stage, Transformation Soul Stage, and Great Vehicle Stage.

The reason the Heaven-Human Martial Scripture only reaches Soul Refining at the stage equivalent to Transformation Soul is because body cultivators who practice this scripture differ from ordinary body cultivators. While other body refining manuals also focus on physical cultivation, they don’t abandon soul tempering.

After all, a cultivator’s lifespan relates not only to their physical body but also to their divine soul strength. The core reason Nascent Soul stage cultivators can live for thousands of years is that their soul strength far exceeds ordinary people. Even if their physical bodies are destroyed, they can achieve rebirth through possession as long as their souls remain intact.

Therefore, even body cultivators will supplement with some soul cultivation methods after reaching a certain level to enhance their lifespan.Although this approach would slow down the physical cultivator’s cultivation speed,

the slight reduction in cultivation speed could be compensated by the extended lifespan granted by a strengthened divine soul.

This was the path recognized by most physical cultivators.

But the Heaven-Human Martial Scripture was different.

The Heaven-Human Martial Scripture advocated “breaking through the Dao with pure strength, defying heaven through martial practice.”

It discarded spiritual power, focusing entirely on tempering blood and qi.

As a result, practitioners of this method had significantly shorter lifespans than other cultivators at the same level.

However, their physical bodies would be far stronger than ordinary physical cultivators.

And once they reached major achievement—the stage of soul refining—

physical cultivators who practiced the Heaven-Human Martial Scripture would completely achieve the realm of “spirit and flesh united as one.”

This meant their physical body became their soul; as long as their flesh remained undestroyed, their divine soul would never perish.

Although Martial God Mountain was the only sect among the Central Province’s top ten schools confirmed to lack Great Vehicle Stage cultivators,

they firmly maintained their position among the Central Province’s Top Five Sects.

This was because whenever one of their members reached the Deity Transformation Stage—the soul refining phase—

a single Martial God Mountain physical cultivator could simultaneously confront several Deity Transformation Stage opponents.

Of course, this didn’t mean Martial God Mountain’s Deity Transformation Stage physical cultivators possessed exaggerated combat power enabling them to fight multiple foes.

Rather, at their level, killing them became extremely difficult.

Unless they were ground to dust and annihilated down to the last drop of blood,

these individuals could resurrect indefinitely.

One could say the Heaven-Human Martial Scripture was a unique cultivation manual that excelled in early and late stages while being average in the middle stage.

Few could cultivate it to major achievement.

The Foundation Establishment Stage represented the final peak of this manual’s early-stage dominance.

Wu Xiao had currently reached Foundation Establishment Perfection—the peak of flesh tempering in the Heaven-Human Martial Scripture.

However, the same cultivation manual often produced different effects in different practitioners.

Though both practiced the Heaven-Human Martial Scripture, Wu Xiao’s blood and qi concentration far surpassed Song Tianhong’s previous level.

It was worth noting that Song Tianhong couldn’t achieve external blood qi release,

yet Wu Xiao could.

Wu Xiao’s blood qi armor clung to his body like form-fitting soft armor,

its appearance remarkably similar to Cloud Feather Owl’s,

making Wu Xiao resemble a human-shaped version of the creature.

“Be careful,”

Wu Xiao said calmly before charging violently toward Yi Hanqing.

There were no flashy techniques or divine abilities,

nor any special secret method enhancements.

At this moment, Wu Xiao relied solely on his thoroughly tempered body and substantial, terrifying blood qi for combat.

Even his simple charge projected overwhelming pressure.

The deck beneath his feet dented into a crater.

Planks designed to withstand Golden Core Stage attacks

now cracked extensively under Wu Xiao’s charge,

demonstrating how terrifying he was in this state.

Witnessing this, Yi Hanqing showed no fear but instead revealed excited eyes.

Wu Xiao’s strength had exceeded his expectations.

This tribal youth from the Northern Divine Continent had given him a rare surprise.

Thinking this, Yi Hanqing prepared to get serious.

After all, responding with genuine combat was the best respect for an opponent.

“Rise,”

Yi Hanqing lifted his Peach Blossom Sword.The Spirit Sword in his hand transformed into countless petals, swirling around him.

Immediately after, these petals flowed in a swirling motion, flying toward Wu Xiao.

Watching the beautiful yet perilous Sword Qi petals, Wu Xiao raised his fist and threw a punch.

Bang!

His punch was terrifying.

The astonishing force on his fist compressed the surrounding air to a certain extent, creating a deafening roar and shockwave akin to an airburst.

After this punch, the Sword Qi petals that had been rushing toward him were temporarily scattered.

Then, Wu Xiao’s figure appeared before Yi Hanqing.

Facing this powerful Sword Cultivator from the Azure Cloud Sect, Wu Xiao had no intention of holding back.

He threw another punch directly at Yi Hanqing.

Yes, not a strike, but a smash.

Due to Wu Xiao’s massive size, every move he made was overwhelmingly oppressive.

He was like a Vicious Beast emerging from the wilderness.

His attacks lacked any discernible technique, relying entirely on instinct.

Bang!

Accompanied by a deafening roar, a shockwave even more terrifying than the one from Meow King and Song Tianhong’s earlier sparring instantly spread across the entire area.

The Cultivators watching from the sidelines had no choice but to retreat further.

Even Lu Chen and the others in the distance had to stand up and step back.

Because the battle between Yi Hanqing and Wu Xiao was no longer something a small Arena could contain.

They needed a larger space to fully display their abilities.

As the shockwave subsided, Yi Hanqing recondensed his Peach Blossom Sword and began to engage Wu Xiao in continuous combat.

For some unknown reason, Yi Hanqing did not choose to create distance between himself and Wu Xiao.

Instead, he opted for close-quarters combat.

This was undoubtedly a disadvantage for Yi Hanqing.

After all, fighting a Body Cultivator at close range meant using one’s own weaknesses to attack the enemy’s strengths.

As a result, Yi Hanqing was even suppressed by Wu Xiao for a short time.

Seeing this, Meow King couldn’t help but say, “What is Yi Hanqing doing? He excels in Sword Control Technique, not conventional Swordsmanship.”

“Not creating distance and competing in close combat with that big guy—isn’t he just asking for trouble?”

As for this, Lu Chen beside him could roughly understand Yi Hanqing’s thoughts.

If Lu Chen wasn’t mistaken, Yi Hanqing likely wanted to use Wu Xiao to hone his own Swordsmanship.

As the saying goes, pressure breeds motivation.

At the moment, Wu Xiao was one of the rare individuals who could bring pressure to Yi Hanqing.

If Lu Chen were in Yi Hanqing’s position, he would probably make the same decision.

After all, the focus of sparring isn’t victory or defeat, but whether one can gain something from it.

Otherwise, even if one wins in the end, it would be a hollow victory.

However, Lu Chen was also quite surprised by Wu Xiao’s strength.

He hadn’t expected this Body Cultivator from Martial God Mountain to be capable of such feats.

Based on the strength he displayed now, he wasn’t far off from an ordinary Golden Core Stage Cultivator.

If Lu Chen were to face him himself, without using Sword Domain, he might also need to expend some effort to subdue Wu Xiao.

But if Wu Xiao was only at this level, he basically had no chance of defeating Yi Hanqing.

On the deck of the Celestial Ark, Yi Hanqing appeared to be suppressed by Wu Xiao.

Yet, in reality, he accurately blocked every one of Wu Xiao’s attacks.Even with Wu Xiao’s astonishing strength, all of his attacks were deflected by Yi Hanqing using minimal force to redirect substantial momentum.

This was precisely why the residual shockwaves from their battle were considerably more intense than those from the previous clash between Meow King and Song Tianhong.

“Your Physical Body is truly formidable, but your techniques are somewhat crude. You haven’t fully unleashed the potential of this body.”

Hearing Yi Hanqing’s words, Wu Xiao offered no response.

He had already realized that despite his frenzied assault lasting quite some time,

he had failed to even graze the hem of Yi Hanqing’s robe.

This seemingly advantageous situation was, in reality, a false prosperity.

Noticing Wu Xiao’s silence, Yi Hanqing showed no irritation.

Seizing the opportunity, he swung his Peach Blossom Sword abruptly.

Thud!

As the sword struck Wu Xiao’s chest, his body staggered backward repeatedly before finally stabilizing.

Upon regaining his footing, he stared in disbelief at his chest.

The armor covering it had partially shattered.

A distinct sword mark had cleaved through his Life Qi armor, revealing the bronzed skin beneath.

Around the breached section of the Life Qi armor, remnants of peach blossom petals lingered.

Wu Xiao reached out, grasping one of the petals in his hand.

He then clenched his fist tightly.

The beautiful petal shattered in his grasp, dissolving into specks of Spiritual Power that vanished from his palm.

Lifting his head, he looked at Yi Hanqing and asked, “How did you breach my Life Qi armor?”

Yi Hanqing replied with a smile, “It’s nothing special—just striking at its weak points.”

“I see.”

Wu Xiao nodded, reactivating his Life Qi to mend the severed section of the armor.

Yi Hanqing showed no intention of interfering.

“You mentioned earlier that my combat techniques are crude, and that’s because I haven’t yet grown accustomed to the fighting style of a normal Cultivator.”

“Compared to humans, I still prefer the owl soaring in the sky…”

As he spoke, Wu Xiao’s body curved forward, leaning into a crouch.

In that instant, the Aura around him transformed dramatically.

The Life Qi, which had taken the form of armor, began to shift continuously.

It eventually morphed from armor into layers of feathers covering Wu Xiao’s body.

In a daze, the onlookers seemed to see a massive Cloud Feather Owl materialize before them.

No, this was no illusion.

For that colossal Cloud Feather Owl was the manifestation of Wu Xiao’s Concept.

This was the combat method Wu Xiao favored and was most accustomed to—

treating himself as a genuine Cloud Feather Owl.

After all, he had been raised by a Cloud Feather Owl since childhood.

Even after returning to the human world, he retained many habits from his early life with the owl.

Sensing the stark contrast in Wu Xiao’s demeanor, Yi Hanqing couldn’t help but remark, “No wonder I found your movements so awkward earlier. So this is your true nature.”

“Though it’s not really my place to say, I feel compelled to speak my mind.”

“All paths under heaven lead to the same destination. What suits others may not suit you.”

“Rather than suppressing your nature to learn what doesn’t align with you, why not embrace your instincts and follow your innate tendencies?””Although I have never cultivated the Heaven-Human Martial Scripture, I know most of it contains the experiences of ordinary cultivators.”

“Techniques have form while methods are formless. Though you’ve learned the Heaven-Human Martial Scripture, that doesn’t mean you must force yourself to learn all its matching moves.”

“You can completely develop a set of moves suited to your own circumstances.”

“After all, the core of the Heaven-Human Martial Scripture lies in evolution, not its martial aspects.”

“If you cannot forge your own path, artificially constraining yourself within the experiences of predecessors…”

“Such a you would at most become someone’s replica, rather than walking your own Dao.”

Hearing Yi Hanqing’s words, Wu Xiao froze.

Because in Martial God Mountain, whether it was his master or other fellow disciples…

The concept they had always instilled in him was that he had now returned to the cultivator world.

His conduct and behavior could no longer remain as savage as before.

Certain behavioral habits and move patterns needed corresponding changes.

Only then could he better adapt to the cultivator world.

Regarding this, Wu Xiao had chosen to listen carefully and had been trying his best to integrate into the normal human world as quickly as possible.

But for someone raised by Cloud Feather Owl for twenty years…

This was undoubtedly an extremely difficult matter.

It also made Wu Xiao feel quite uncomfortable.

Yet upon hearing Yi Hanqing’s words now, Wu Xiao suddenly felt a sense of profound clarity.

His eyes became vacant, as if he had fallen into some kind of epiphany.

Slowly, the Qi and blood around him grew increasingly dense, and the owl feathers manifested became more and more realistic.

Before long, the aura surrounding him became substantial, eventually transforming into a giant Cloud Feather Owl silhouette appearing behind him.

A Martial God Mountain disciple exclaimed upon seeing this: “Entering Dao Conception! Has Senior Brother Wu entered the Dao?”

Wei Qifeng nearby said with a serious expression: “Yes, this is Entering Dao Conception.”

“Azure Cloud Sect truly lives up to its reputation. Though their disciples have varying talents, their understanding of the Dao far surpasses ordinary people.”

“Master previously always wanted to tame Junior Brother Wu’s wild nature, to make him return to the normal human world.”

“But now it appears this approach not only brought no benefit to Junior Brother Wu, but instead suppressed his innate nature, causing his Dao Heart to be clouded and wasting much time.”

“Techniques have form while methods are formless. Perhaps everything is just as Yi Hanqing said – the Heaven-Human Martial Scripture is a formless method. Rather than blindly following predecessors’ footsteps, evolving a path suitable for oneself might be the core of the Heaven-Human Martial Scripture.”

“But in this world… how many people can walk a path exclusively their own?”

Yi Hanqing wasn’t the only intelligent person in this world.

What he could see, others naturally could see too.

Regarding Wu Xiao’s training, Martial God Mountain actually had its own considerations.

After all, before Xing Li with the Ancient Desolate Body appeared…

Wu Xiao had been cultivated as Martial God Mountain’s next ‘Celestial Being’.

And what the ‘Celestial Being’ represents isn’t merely being the strongest among Martial God Mountain’s younger generation.

He also represents the face of Martial God Mountain.

If Martial God Mountain’s current Celestial Being were an uncouth individual who knew no etiquette and acted savagely…This would undoubtedly greatly affect the face of Martial God Mountain in the outside world.

Therefore, Wu Xiao’s master had tried every means to tame the wildness in Wu Xiao.

But now, they no longer needed to do so.

Because there was already a candidate more suitable than Wu Xiao to become the ‘Celestial Being’ of this generation.

On the Celestial Ark Deck, as Wu Xiao fully realized his true heart,

although his cultivation had not changed at all, the aura around him became even more dangerous than before.

He looked at Yi Hanqing and said seriously, “Although I am very grateful to you for pointing me in the right direction, I cannot admit defeat because of this.”

“After all, in our Northern Divine Continent, if we do not act, we must gain something when we do.”

“Otherwise, it would be difficult for us to have enough prey to survive the northern winter.”

“Therefore, from now on, I will face you with the most serious attitude… be careful.”

To this, Yi Hanqing smiled and said, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

As the words fell, Wu Xiao charged at Yi Hanqing once again.

This time, although his speed was not much faster than before,

in terms of aura alone, it was more than just a step stronger than before.

More importantly, Wu Xiao’s attacks were now imbued with the Entering Dao Conception.

In this way, the original gap between him and Yi Hanqing was instantly erased…

(End of Chapter)