"After a while...
The aura enveloping Jiang Heng gradually calmed down.
He suddenly opened his eyes, and within his pupils, flames seemed to be burning.
"Too formidable!"
With a single breath, a mild storm brewed within the courtyard's air.
Transitioning from the Earth grade to the Heaven grade was an unprecedented transformation! It wasn't just about defense; he could even feel that all aspects of his body, such as the five senses, agility, reflexes, physical activity, and more, had undergone a comprehensive evolution! It was as if a carp had leaped over the Dragon Gate; his physique had undergone a complete metamorphosis!
Jiang Heng clenched his fist and vigorously struck forward.
"Boom!"
The air suddenly ruptured.
An air mass resembling a cannonball shot forward for dozens of meters, landing on the courtyard wall and causing dense cracks.
"At least a fifty percent increase in strength!"
He grinned, displaying an unrestrained smile.
Even the auxiliary strength had increased significantly, to the point where the core defensive capability of the 'Golden Body Technique' had reached a level he couldn't fathom.
But this wasn't the end!
"Golden Body Technique, upgrade!"
"Ding! Consuming 1,000,000 potential points, the 'Golden Body Technique' upgrades to the second level!"
Jiang Heng glanced at his remaining potential points.
He then consecutively upgraded the two major martial arts techniques, 'Mountain Breaking Fist' and 'Swift Wind Steps,' reaching the pinnacle of the Earth grade.
His attributes were now entirely rejuvenated! His strength had undergone a revolutionary transformation!
Of course, the price was the accumulated several million potential points, now reduced to only 270,000.
However, Jiang Heng paid no attention to this.
When he won the outer sect competition, he hadn't even used the 10,000 contribution points awarded as a prize.
Combined with the daily 100 potential points, he had accrued nearly 6,000 points over the past two months.
He could be deemed one of the wealthiest outer sect disciples.
After completing the upgrades, Jiang Heng tidied up slightly and then proceeded to the Fifth Peak.
The main hall where the sect master cultivated.
Bai Haocang was still seated cross-legged in the center of the hall.
"Master, did you summon me?"
Bai Haocang opened his eyes and scrutinized Jiang Heng with a single glance.
"You haven't achieved a breakthrough yet?"
"Not yet."
Bai Haocang shook his head faintly.
"You are too fixated on combat power."
"The essence of cultivation is evolution. Even if you are peerless in the realm of body refining, you are ultimately just a mortal body. After a hundred years, you will age and wither."
"But after a breakthrough in cultivation, the Sea of Spirits Realm can extend your life by two hundred years, and you can even fly with a sword. The lifespan of the Myriad Manifestations Realm can reach five hundred years."
"In the higher realms, there are also miraculous techniques, not to mention continually extending lifespan, possibly even reaching immortality!"
"Enhancing combat power is for upholding the Dao, ensuring that you can reach the ultimate goal of cultivation, the limit of evolution."
"So, cultivation is the objective, and combat power is merely a means."
"Don't invert the priorities."
Jiang Heng scratched his head.
Indeed, he hadn't thought about this aspect.
When the 'Golden Body Technique' upgraded to the Heaven grade, his physical body did undergo a transformation, but he wasn't entirely sure if it extended his lifespan.
Moreover, advancing in cultivation wasn't a challenge for him, so he hadn't paid much attention to it.
However, after consecutive upgrades, his 'Primordial Genesis Art' had now reached the Grand Completion stage. With abundant resources, he could gain more than 400,000 potential points in a day.
Winning 10,000 potential points by surpassing a higher-level Qi Realm opponent was no longer appealing to him. It might indeed be a good idea to allocate some time for cultivation.
"Alright, I'll seek a breakthrough as soon as possible," Jiang Heng agreed readily.
Bai Haocang continued with a calm tone:
"It's not just about cultivation; you also need to retrain your martial arts techniques."
"Martial arts for body refining primarily enhance physical explosiveness."
"Martial arts for Qi cultivation, on the other hand, focus on circulating true Qi. These two are entirely different."
"When you first advanced, relying on your powerful physical explosiveness, you might have had some advantages even in the early stages of Qi cultivation."
"But as your realm deepens, the proportion of true Qi's combat power becomes increasingly significant, and physical explosiveness ceases to be important."
"At that point, your advantage in the body refining realm will vanish."
Jiang Heng furrowed his brow, finding it somewhat hard to comprehend.
"So, does this mean that all the effort put into training martial arts for body refining in the later stages becomes worthless?"
He had invested quite a lot of potential points in 'Mountain Breaking Fist' and 'Swift Wind Steps,' totaling over a million points. For his current self, it wasn't a significant concern, but he struggled to understand why all the effort in martial arts for body refining, in the later stages, would go to waste. What would that mean for ordinary people?
Bai Haocang gave him a sidelong glance.
"It's not just the body refining realm. In the future, martial arts for Qi cultivation, when practiced into the Myriad Manifestations Realm, will similarly be replaced by more powerful techniques. Will you stop learning them?"
"At every stage, there will be better choices. However, for now, you must proceed step by step."
"Do you think that just because it feels like a waste of effort, you should abandon the cultivation of all martial arts?"
"Or perhaps you want to leap directly to the highest martial path realm?"
Jiang Heng scratched his head and said, "I understand now."
"Of course, there have been pure body refining practitioners in ancient times."
"They were as strong as steel, capable of moving mountains, and their strength was not inferior to Qi cultivators."
"However, pure body refining has been completely supplanted by Qi cultivation, precisely because Qi cultivation has more advantages."
"If we use a simple analogy, body refining is like refining ordinary iron into a divine weapon, while Qi cultivation is like directly forging a divine weapon from divine materials."
"Both in terms of speed of progress and resource consumption, there's no comparison between the two."
"The current martial path of cultivation is the best summary of countless martial predecessors' experiences."
"How far to refine the body before starting Qi cultivation, and how far to cultivate Qi before starting divine refinement – these divisions in martial realms are actually the past practitioners' conclusions. There's no right or wrong, but it's definitely the optimal choice."
Jiang Heng suddenly had a moment of realization.
"This is like changing professions, right? Resetting skills and gaining additional true Qi attack attributes makes sense," Jiang Heng muttered to himself.
He also silently appreciated having a good mentor. It had given him a much deeper understanding of martial arts. Previously, he had only been focused on adding points, knowing only half of the martial path. Now, he had a broader perspective.
At this point, Bai Haocang lowered his eyelids and said calmly, "Go back and break through as soon as possible. Don't disappoint me."
Jiang Heng restrained the impulse to break through on the spot to show Bai Haocang and bowed before leaving.
However, instead of heading home directly, he went to the Elder Residential Area in the Eighth Peak. He had promised to visit Wen Qingxue's home, but he had been immersed in cultivation for the past two months. Now that he had just come out of seclusion, he decided to pay her a visit.
Additionally, he wanted to see if he could repay Elder Wen for helping him enter the sect in the first place.
The Elder Residential Area was located on the mountainside of the Eighth Peak, consisting of a cluster of luxurious courtyards. After showing his identity badge, Jiang Heng entered the area.
He walked along the winding cobblestone path, with lush green grass and dense trees on either side. The morning breeze rustled the leaves, creating a peaceful and serene atmosphere.
This area used to be Jiang Heng's residence during his childhood, so he was very familiar with the surroundings. Before long, he arrived at a large vermilion gate.
Two disciples stood solemnly on both sides of the gate. They had dignified expressions. Jiang Heng climbed the steps step by step.
"Could you please inform the resident that Outer Sect disciple Jiang Heng has come to visit?" he asked.
"Jiang Heng?" The two guards' expressions changed. Ever since Jiang Heng gained fame at the Outer Sect Grand Competition, his information had become widely known. His promotion from a Miscellaneous Servant to an Outer Sect disciple, followed by winning the Outer Sect Grand Competition within a little over a month, had made him a motivational figure and even a legend in many people's eyes, especially among the Outer Sect disciples and Miscellaneous Servants. Jiang Heng's information had become a common topic of conversation.
In the eyes of many, he had become an inspirational example, a legendary figure. This was particularly true for the Outer Sect disciples and Miscellaneous Servants. Almost all the information about Jiang Heng had become common knowledge among them.
One of the guards, his face filled with excitement, looked at Jiang Heng's youthful face and asked respectfully, "Is it Outer Sect's number one, Jiang Heng?"
Jiang Heng nodded indifferently and replied, "Please inform her."
"Jiang Heng, wait a moment. I will go and announce your arrival immediately."
With a fervent expression, the guard pushed open a small door at the side and quickly entered the courtyard.