Martial Arts Master

Lou Cheng was surprised and elated. He blurted out, “Really?”

Yan Zheke was very satisfied with his reaction. Her lips arc upwards, tilted her head and questioned, “Are you doubting me?”

“No I… I thought you will need at least six to seven more days of polishing.” Lou Cheng didn’t hide his surprise and joy at all.

“Hehe, you have underestimated me~” laughed Yan Zheke. After which, she thought about it before explaining, “At the moment of life and death, my body and soul seem to have connected and become one… However, I still prefer to lead a safe and peaceful life!”

“Me too! We aren’t afraid of accidents but still wouldn’t wish to encounter an accident.” Lou Cheng added.

Yan Zheke hid in the shadows of the sand dunes. She took a glance at the scorching sun hanging high above the sky and was eager to give it a try.

“Let me show you now. Or should we wait till we enter the city?”

Lou Cheng thought before answering. “Let’s do it now.”

Due to the breakdown in communication, Lou Cheng wasn’t aware of the situation at the port city, Fartouat. He had to rest well and recover his strength in order to deal with any potential accidents. If that was the case, understanding the changes Ke had when she achieved balance and formed Dan for the first time, and searching for the crux of combining the path of martial arts with the Cultivation might just give him a surprise!

“Yeah!” Yan Zheke nodded her head seriously. After drinking the last mouthful of water, she threw the bottle to the side.

She got into her stance, visualized the “Confrontation” Formula, collected her thoughts and regulated her mind.

Following which, Yan Zheke retracted her breathing, blood flow, body strength and the strength of the “Earth” suddenly, gathered them together and started spinning them rapidly.

The will of Yan Zheke was like a grinder and constantly squeezed this “small ball”, rapidly shrinking it to its limits.

At this moment, with her mind as guidance, her “inner core” collapsed rapidly and formed a balance. “Earth” was used as the “Star” while her Force was used as the “Darkness”!

Lou Cheng had long formed his Ice Mirror and pressed his palm onto the shoulders of Yan Zheke. Suddenly, he felt that Yan Zheke had achieved balance and formed her own “inner core”. At the same time, he was leading minor changes at the top. In that instant, there was a mysterious resonance with the surrounding environment and the skies above her head.

Resonance… Various thoughts appeared in the mind of Lou Cheng. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flashed past and lit up gloominess and uncertainties. He had found the “commonality” between the various paths of practicing and understood the point that he could combine the Cultivation with the path of martial arts!

Yes, it’s resonance!

The resonance of the body and the natural world!

Just like at the ordinary Dan stage, where the effects of the Force relied on the body generating special waves and forming different impacts, physical invulnerability was about combining one’s body, heart and mind into one and achieving resonance with the external world and the Heaven and Earth to create a direct connection.

No matter if it was seeking developments in miseries in the Mission Sect, or the depraving actions of Spirit Cultivation, they were all about removing the shell of one’s spirit, leading to changes in the mind, creating special frequencies that made you gradually stronger while receiving feedback!

Using the words of the different schools of thoughts, it would be to achieve connection and establish channels with the “Lord”, with the “Devil” or with one’s “Own Spirit”.

Judging from Ke’s developments, this type of resonance wasn’t just related to achieving balance and forming Dan. It also involved the abstract mind and the brain which generate these type of special waves. Even with the advanced technology of today, mankind still couldn’t understand ten percent of the mysterious brain!

He had similar experiences in the past. It was just that he was too in the moment at the time and couldn’t understand the process. Therefore, he did not have a deep impression of it!

Lou Cheng retracted his right hand and had a new understanding of the similarities and differences between Cultivation and the path of martial arts at this stage.

Cultivators could naturally connect with the Heaven and Earth once they formed their Jindan because their Jindan was a product of highly concentrated mind and will power. The Jindan in itself had balance like the “Heaven and Earth”. With a corresponding “Prototype”, they could achieve resonance. Moreover, their completely merged into it and was able to easily and smoothly guide the specific changes to the different positions of the brain.

Martial artists on the other hand used their will to reign in their mind. Using visualization, one changed and polished it while it guided the changes of the organs and muscles. At the most micro-level, it induced genetic mutation. Through Force Concentration, this whole process gradually formed a single entity. When one’s root pulps, mind and the external world achieved resonance and reached a certain level of intensity, one would be able to break through the barrier and achieve connection!

Looking from this perspective, when I achieved balance and formed Dan at my current level, I can actually achieve resonance with Heaven and Earth. This makes me a quasi-physical invulnerability expert. However, this state couldn’t be maintained for a long time. Once I release them, I immediately regress back to the inhuman stage level… Many thoughts flashed past Lou Cheng’s mind. He stared at Yan Zheke, who had opened her eyes, and sincerely complimented, “You are a Dan stage expert now! And the kind that has a supernatural ability!”

The gloominess that had gathered from travelling through the desert seemed to have dissipated instantly as she regained her vitality. She lifted her eyebrows and said with deep dimples on her face,

“What about you? Did you get any new understanding?”

“I’ve almost gotten it.” Lou Cheng pretended to be calm as he answered.

He had some clues about his subsequent training now and finally understood why he wasn’t able to make the great leap in one fell swoop when he disintegrated the Jindan previously!

To put it simply, it as because he wasn’t coordinated! The root pulps of his mind weren’t coordinated with his actual condition!

He had achieved balance to form Dan and had used the “Cosmic Universe” to achieve resonance with the external world. However, when he did his visualization, he had practiced “Emperor Yan” and “Ice Spirit”. The two of them were used interchangeably and each had their own Force which mutated accordingly. At the very end, he would then use Force Concentration to rotate and maintain them, forcefully combining them into one. Therefore, there was some separation between them.

The most important thing to do now was change the visualization diagram and combine Ice and Fire into one from the source. After which, under the guidance of the mind and root pulps, he could then let them metamorphosize into the “Cosmic Universe”!

As to how should he go about changing the visualization diagram, it would obviously be based on the conditions while executing Force Concentration!

And as he achieved balance to form Dan, he could still adjust based on the resonance of his body with the external world to make his “Cosmic Universe” even more in tune!

“Have you gotten it?” Yan Zheke was surprised and instinctively asked.

Does this mean that Cheng will be making the great leap soon?

“Yeah. I can start thinking of various methods and attempt to go for the physical invulnerability stage from now on.” Lou Cheng raised his thumb and laughed. “I still have to rely on Coach Yan in the end!”

“Of course~” Yan Zheke raised her head proudly.

I’m the pillar of this house after all~!

Lou Cheng gathered his thoughts and deliberated carefully about them for some time. He soon had a clear idea of the conditions needed by a martial artist to advance to the physical invulnerability stage:

First, the strength of the body had to reach a certain level with the mutation of one’s root pulps and personal training. Achieving connection with Heaven and Earth was just like walking in the universe. It would be filled with dangers. If one didn’t have a qualified protection suit, how could one walk far in it?

Second, the mind and one’s root pulps had to achieve resonance with the external world. Moreover, the connection had to be strong. This was the basic condition for achieving the breakthrough.

Third, the realm of “All Seeing God”. Without this, one wouldn’t be able to be in control of the minor parts of the body to achieve connection with the external world. With it, the second condition would be much easier by two, three, four or even five times!

Fourth, a strong will. This was the crux to break through the final barrier the same way a ship that had been well supplied would still need someone to drive it if one wished to cross the river!

Due to his third supernatural ability awakening, the strength of his body had long exceeded the requirement. He had also fulfilled the third condition. The only thing he needed now was to change his visualization, adjust the minor parts to achieve resonance.

At this point, everything was in position and he was just lacking of one final factor!

Among these conditions, other than the “All Seeing God” realm, they were all about polishing one’s martial arts. Therefore the earlier one reached the higher tiers, the more time they had to polish them and the easier they would attain physical invulnerability.

There’s no wonder that there were many inhuman stage experts who dived deep into the war-torn zones for real practical trials. The stimulation during life and death situations could indeed effectively strengthen one’s will and help them take the final step out. Obviously, the breakthrough was a process and not just a single moment in time. Even if one might have broken through the barrier, he would still need ten to twenty days to achieve connection with the Heaven and Earth and adjust according to how his body reacted. This was also to consolidate the “connection”. When everything was complete, he would then be a real physical invulnerability stage expert… At this point, Lou Cheng smiled and Yan Zheke and continued, “Help me keep a lookout. I’ll like to give it a try.”

“Alright!” The new Dan Stage expert, Yan Zheke, was eager to prove herself as she surveyed the surroundings carefully.

Lou Cheng entered Solemn Silence, retracted his breathing and blood flow into his midsection, allowed the darkness to sink in, formed the brightly lit stars of the universe and made them rotate gradually.

This time, he didn’t trigger the Nine Words Formula. He merely increased his will to disrupt his mind and spread it throughout the Dan world within him.

The universe contracted and expanded in sequence and the stars shifted accordingly. Feeling the total silence around him, Lou Cheng truly felt as though he was standing outside the atmosphere and in the chilling and dangerous darkness. Far away, the scorching and brilliant sun was breathed at the same pace and expanded. Lou Cheng seemed to have felt a hidden connection between his body and it.

He tried to experience this type of resonance and the feelings of it. After several minutes, he finally ended his attempt and released his overflowing Force.

He activated the “Confrontation” Formula to clear his mind and body before doing the visualization again.

This time, he wasn’t tracing “Emperor Yan” or “Ice Spirit” but the combination of the two. The former appeared as Stars that were heavy and scorching hot while the latter as the space that was chilling cold and dark. They connected and guided each other, inducing changes. As they rotated and achieved balance, they became in line with the universe Lou Cheng achieved with Force Concentration.

Through attempt after attempt, Lou Cheng gradually felt the fatigue setting in. He finally completed his new visualization diagram!

Visualizations polished the mind while it led the changes in one’s root pulps. By making minor adjustments to the original balance of Ice and Fire, they rotated more in tune.

Yan Zheke, who was at his side, surveyed the surroundings from time to time and also listened for any changes. She was focused on completing the mission Lou Cheng had given her.

After an unknown amount of time, she suddenly heard dull thunder sound. Initially, it was sparse. Subsequently, it became more and more intense and gradually became one large cacophony!

Amidst the roar of the thunder, she looked back in shock at her husband. She realised the surrounding air around Lou Cheng had started rotating without any wind anywhere else. It was both chilling and scorching hot wind!

Can it be? Yan Zheke was shocked and dumbfounded.

At this moment, everything settled down. Lou Cheng opened his eyes gradually. Deep in his eyes, a small bright light was well complemented by the surrounding darkness just like the perfect night skies one would see in the high grounds.

“You have broken through?” Yan Zheke asked.

“How can it be?” Lou Cheng shook his head and laughed before continuing. “However, it might be that during the third awakening of my supernatural ability, my root pulps changed under the guidance of the Jindan. The roots of my body were already a combination of Ice and Fire and it isn’t difficult for it to achieve resonance.”

“Therefore?” asked Yan Zheke with a lost look on her face.

Lou Cheng smiled joyously and replied, “Therefore, with just two or three more adjustments, I will have fulfilled all the pre-conditions to go for the physical invulnerability stage! It might be by tonight or even tomorrow morning!