"When I first heard this, I was even more shocked and excited than you are now. I was even determined to reach the realm of Shattering Wushang Emptiness."
Of course, Dongfang Ting didn't know that Ling Yun was excited because he heard that Ling Yun was a "kindred spirit". He thought that it was the first time Ling Yun had heard of cultivators. Thus, he shook his head and smiled. His face revealed a dejected expression that said, "The Shu Dao is difficult, it's even more difficult than ascending to the heavens.
"Now that I think about it, it was really a childish thought of mine. Even I feel like I'm being ridiculous. It can't even be considered a dream. At most, it's just a fantasy …"
Ling Yun asked curiously, "Why? Is it so difficult to reach the realm of Shattering Wushang Emptiness? "
Dongfang Ting smiled bitterly. "It's not just difficult. We all know that the path of martial arts starts with strengthening the body. Then, it starts with cultivating inner energy according to the martial arts mantra. Cultivating essence into energy, cultivating qi into spirit, cultivating spirit into emptiness, cultivating emptiness into the path …"
This process of cultivation was the same everywhere. Ling Yun nodded seriously and gestured for Dongfang Ting to continue.
"But there are so many ancient martial arts families and secret sects in Huaxia. How many of them can break through to Houtian Realm Level Seven? Even if they manage to break through to Houtian Realm Level Seven, how many of them can break through to the Xiantian Realm? "
Ling Yun quickly stopped Dongfang Ting. He interrupted and asked, "Is it difficult to break through to the Xiantian Realm?" He pointed at Dongfang Ting and Dugu Mo, who were still immersed in cultivation, and continued, "Aren't the two of you about to reach the Xiantian Realm?"
Ling Yun continued to point at the corpses of Ximen Gang and Shangguan Jue in front of the stone door. He asked, "Aren't they all above Houtian Realm Level Eight?"
Dongfang Ting smiled and nodded. "Good question!" Then, he smiled and explained, "Those who can't reach Houtian Realm Level One don't even have inner energy. Let's not talk about this."
"From Houtian Realm Level One to Houtian Realm Level Three, one just has inner energy. These people only know how to increase their inner energy and how to circulate it. Usually, as long as they can cultivate inner energy, they can easily reach Houtian Realm Level Three in a short time."
"Houtian Realm Level Four is a critical juncture. Once you break through Houtian Realm Level Four, you'll naturally know how to use your Inner Qi to strengthen your meridians and energy center. All cultivators start to differentiate from Houtian Realm Level Four …"
"You know, because everyone's physique is different, everyone's dantian and meridians are different!"
"The development and expansion of everyone's Dantian and meridians differ greatly in the same way. This is the problem of aptitude."
"What's more, cultivation also involves everyone's IQ, perception, character, willpower, and so on. All of these are actually a person's aptitude …"
At this point, Dongfang Ting stared at Ling Yun with an envious gaze and said excitedly, "For example, Ling Yun, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe your aptitude as heaven-defying …"
Ling Yun chuckled. "Big Brother Dongfang, you flatter me. I can't accept it …"
Dongfang Ting smiled noncommittally and continued, "Cultivation is about cultivating oneself. The quality of one's aptitude determines and limits the realm one can reach in the future."
"Aptitude is the deciding factor in cultivation, but it's not the only factor. Everyone's encounters are different as they cultivate. Aptitude can depend on various kinds of spirit herbs, elixirs, and treasures …"
At this point, Dongfang Ting raised his hand and pointed to the dragon saliva in the nearby stone pond. He smiled and said, "For example, the dragon saliva here …"
"Also, it can be directly opened up with the help of others or directly swallowed pills that increase one's internal energy … Wait, aptitude can be changed through these things!"
"Then, it's everyone's cultivation technique. The reason there are so many secret sects and ancient martial arts families is because everyone's cultivation technique is different. Even though it's said that all roads lead to the same destination, the process is difficult, easy, fast, and slow. With different cultivation techniques, the speed at which one's strength increases is naturally different as well …"
"After reaching Houtian Realm Level Four, everyone starts to cultivate their energy center and meridians. At this time, due to the differences in aptitude, encounters, and cultivation techniques, the speed at which one's strength increases and the difference in strength between people of the same realm will all start to show …"
"Some people may reach Houtian Realm Level Seven at the age of forty or fifty, or even in their entire lives."
Ling Yun couldn't help but laugh in his heart when he thought of Assassin Deepa, Priest Compassionless, and Taoist Priest Liu Deming.
"As for us …" Dongfang Ting glanced at Du Gumo and pointed at himself. "We were all born in ancient martial arts families, so our aptitude is definitely stronger than that of ordinary people. Also, because of our living environment, it's not too far off to say that we started practicing martial arts in our mother's womb. In addition, our families have all kinds of elixirs that aid in cultivation. The elders in our families will personally guide our cultivation, and the cultivation techniques are also suitable for our family's bloodline …"
"With all these factors added together, our cultivation speed is naturally much faster than that of ordinary people. As for the rest, it's just a competition of everyone's diligence …"
"Therefore, as long as our aptitude isn't too bad, the direct descendants of ancient martial arts families like us can usually break through to Houtian Realm Level Seven before the age of twenty!"
"However, from Houtian Realm Level Seven to the pinnacle of Houtian Realm Level Nine is the final stage of transforming energy into Qi. That's when a larger disparity will appear. To be able to reach the pinnacle of Houtian Realm Level Nine before the age of twenty is already considered a genius among geniuses."
"At this time, aptitude becomes the most important factor. The better the aptitude, the faster the speed of reaching the pinnacle of Houtian Realm Level Nine. The faster the speed, the more advantageous it is, because this will attract the attention and nurture of the family!"
"Of course, as long as we can break through to Houtian Realm Level Seven, it's just a matter of time before we can reach the pinnacle of Houtian Realm Level Nine. The only difference is the strength of our abilities …"
"Next, it's our initial problem. Breaking through from the pinnacle of Houtian Realm Level Nine to the Xiantian Realm is the most difficult. This is because this is the transition from the stage of transforming energy into Qi to the stage of transforming energy into spirit. What you need is comprehension!"
"Aptitude can change, and the cultivation techniques can change, but comprehension is your own! This is something that no one can help with! "
"We all know that cultivation is going against the heavens. Once you break through to the Xiantian Realm, you can start to breathe internally, which is the embryonic state. Moreover, you will also have a certain level of divine sense. Isn't Qi into spirit the beginning of cultivating divine sense?"
"Countless practitioners have painstakingly cultivated to the pinnacle of Houtian Realm Level Nine. However, they are blocked by an invisible door here, unable to break through to the Xiantian Realm their entire lives. This ratio is pitifully low. Out of ten practitioners at the pinnacle of Houtian Realm Level Nine, at most two will be able to break through to the Xiantian Realm!"
"Like our ancient martial arts families, after thousands of years of development, there are at least a thousand direct descendants in each big family. There are countless who have reached the pinnacle of Houtian Realm Level Nine. Of course, there are different ages … However, there are only a pitiful few dozen Xiantian Realm experts. Some families only have a dozen …"
Dongfang Ting laughed bitterly. Ling Yun thought to himself that the spiritual energy on Earth was so thin and the cultivation environment was so cruel that it was already very powerful for an ancient martial arts family to have such strength.
"So that's how it is …" Ling Yun understood now. After reaching the Xiantian Realm, without the help of the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth, it was incomparably difficult to advance a small realm, let alone a big realm.
"Then how many of those who have reached the Xiantian Realm have reached the pinnacle of Xiantian Realm Level Nine?"
Dongfang Ting laughed bitterly and shook his head. "The pinnacle of Xiantian Realm Level Nine? Every family having one who has broken through to Xiantian Realm Level Seven is already a treasure of the family. If any family has more than two, they can practically do whatever they want! "
"I haven't even heard of Xiantian Realm Level Nine, let alone the pinnacle of Xiantian Realm Level Nine …"
"No one has even reached the pinnacle of Xiantian Realm Level Nine, so there's no need to mention Shattering the Void. It's even harder than ascending to the heavens, so it's only a legend …"
Ling Yun couldn't help but be disappointed. Then, wouldn't cultivators still exist in legends? He had once reached Qi Cultivation Level Nine. Wouldn't he be invincible then?
"Then, has there been anyone who has reached the realm of Spirit Cultivation and Shattering the Void?" Ling Yun asked, unwilling to give up.
"Yes! Tai Chi Grandmaster Zhang Sanfeng! "
The two of them were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't notice that Du Gumo had already finished his cultivation. However, he didn't stand up. Instead, he was still sitting cross-legged on the spot to consolidate his realm.
"Senior Zhang Sanfeng has reached the realm of Shattering the Void, or even higher …"
Dongfang Ting nodded his head as well. "That's right, Zhang Sanfeng has indeed reached the realm of Shattering the Void. This is something that is publicly acknowledged by the ancient martial arts families and secret sects."
"Finally, there's one more …" Ling Yun nodded his head in relief. "Then, are cultivators really just legends?"
Du Gumo was much more talkative than Dongfang Ting. Once he opened his mouth, he wouldn't stop talking. "Hehe, strictly speaking, cultivators are indeed just legends! However, there are some cultivators who have reached the Xiantian Realm and above. They also know some seemingly mystical Daoist techniques, and they all call themselves cultivators. This is very difficult to define … "
This was indeed very difficult to define. There were also high and low realms of cultivators. For example, Ling Yun was still at Physique Tempering Stage Level Three. He was a real cultivator, but he was just a cultivator who had just started cultivating.
"Congratulations, Brother Du Gumo. I didn't expect you to reach the pinnacle of Houtian Realm Level Nine after drinking a bottle of dragon saliva. It's really … really shameful!"
Dongfang Ting carefully sized up Du Gumo and realized that he had already reached the pinnacle of Houtian Realm Level Nine. He was very shocked.
Du Gumo stood up, frowned, and touched the back of his head. He said strangely, "It's very strange … A few days ago, I was in a daze for no reason. When I woke up, I found myself in a strange place. That night, when I went back to meditate and cultivate, I realized that there was a very strong aura in my body. In an instant, I broke through from the pinnacle of Houtian Realm Level Eight to Houtian Realm Level Nine. At that time, I realized that my cultivation was much faster. This time, the effect of that aura was even stronger than the dragon saliva …
"At that time, I clearly remembered that I was on Dragon Mountain's Tiger Cliff. How did I end up there? Oh, that's right, Ling Yun, I saw that beauty who was dancing with you that night … "
— — — —
Recommending a friend's new book, "The Wine Sword Fairy of Huadu", book number 2720593. The Wine Sword Fairy appears here, welcome to watch. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for me at Qidian (). Your support is my greatest motivation.) (To be continued.)
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