After leaving the Feng family manor, the sun began to set, casting a crimson hue across the sky. Chen Fan headed to a nearby hotel to spend the night, planning his next steps. As he reflected on everything that had happened that day, a strange feeling washed over him, but he couldn't help but laugh at himself. A surge of satisfaction reminded him that his life had just entered an entirely new chapter. The next day, he decided to simply enjoy what this new world had to offer.
After calming his thoughts, Chen Fan turned his attention to the practice he had been following for the past decade—cultivation. When he first delved into the world of cultivation, he didn't think much of it due to his limited knowledge. But after his master explained that the outside world referred to practitioners as martial artists, and their power hierarchy was different from that of cultivators, Chen Fan began to grow curious about his master's origins. However, his master had never disclosed anything of importance.
"Beat me first, then I'll answer you," was the only response Chen Fan ever received when he asked about cultivators. This had prompted him to set aside his questions and focus on growing stronger.
From a broader perspective, martial arts can be seen as an imitation of cultivation. It's akin to someone observing a strong person consuming a vast amount of some food and attempting to copy them in hopes of achieving the same results, without understanding why the food is consumed, how it should be eaten, or the timing behind it.
The martial arts practiced today were likely created by someone who observed cultivators and attempted to develop a new cultivation method. Given enough time, martial arts might evolve to the point of producing true cultivators. However, as Chen Fan's master explained, martial arts as they currently exist have only been around for slightly more than a thousand years, making them relatively primitive and still in their infancy.
There are two primary differences between martial artists and cultivators.
The first is the speed of progress. Naturally, someone practicing cultivation techniques will advance far more rapidly than someone practicing martial arts, even with the same level of aptitude.
The second, and most significant, difference is the presence of spiritual sense. A cultivator begins to awaken their spiritual sense early in their journey, granting them three critical abilities: enhanced perception of their five primary senses, the ability to detect and interact with Qi, and a radar-like awareness of their surroundings. The absence of spiritual sense is the main reason why achieving the so-called "peak martial artist" stage is impossible under current martial arts practices.
To clarify, spiritual sense resides in the head, while spiritual pools are located within the body. Martial artists can absorb Qi into their bodies, but they cannot direct it to their heads to activate spiritual sense. This limitation prevents them from recognizing or merging the spiritual pools, which is a crucial step in advancing beyond the Qi Refining stage.
The term "peak martial artist" is more of a myth propagated by cultivators who chose to hide their identities and claimed to have reached a stage above Grandmaster. The reality is that advancing beyond the Grandmaster level requires spiritual sense, which martial artists cannot awaken.
Cultivation itself is divided into nine stages: Qi Refining, Foundation Building, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Soul Formation, Void Refinement, Body Integration, Tribulation, and Ascension. Currently, all martial artists are confined to the Qi Refining stage.
Third-rate, second-rate, and first-rate martial artists correspond to Qi Refining stages 1, 2, and 3, respectively.Masters are at Qi Refining stages 4, 5, and 6.Grandmasters align with Qi Refining stages 7, 8, and 9.The so-called "peak martial artist" would equate to someone reaching the Foundation Building stage.
The Qi Refining stage involves absorbing Qi into spiritual pools within the body. For example, in Qi Refining stage 1, a single spiritual pool is filled, progressing up to nine spiritual pools in stage 9. To transition to the Foundation Building stage, a cultivator must merge all these spiritual pools into a unified spiritual core.
The current practice of martial arts allows for the absorption of Qi into the body, but it is incapable of activating spiritual sense. Martial artists are unable to perceive or interact with something they do not know exists such as spiritual pools within their body, making it impossible for them to progress further.
Chen Fan's current cultivation stands at Foundation Building Stage 3, teetering on the verge of breaking through to Stage 4. However, his circumstances are far from ordinary. During his Qi Refining Stage, he developed an unprecedented 20 spiritual pools, granting him strength that far surpasses others at the same realm. Compared to the renowned genius Feng Xueying, who is only at Qi Refining Stage 3 at the age of 23, the difference between them is like heaven and earth. Yet, Chen Fan understands that if Feng Xueying had access to the same cultivation method he practices, it would be entirely possible for her to reach Qi Refining Stage 9 or even Foundation Building.
"It's been a month since I got stuck at this realm. It feels like I'm just a week away from breaking through," Chen Fan murmured as he opened his eyes, noticing the soft glow of the rising sun signaling the start of a new day.
"I really lose track of time when I'm practicing," he chuckled to himself.
"Hm?" Chen's gaze shifted to his phone, where a notification caught his eye—a message from Wang Yue, sent some time ago.
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After parting ways with Chen Fan, Wang Yue immediately headed home. Upon arriving at her modest house, she walked straight to her room and collapsed onto her bed, staring at the ceiling.
As she replayed the events of the morning in her mind, Wang Yue felt like she needed another brain to process everything.
"What was that voice in my head?" If there was one thing that confused her the most, it was definitely the mysterious voice.
"Is it a ghost? An alien? Or maybe I'm just going insane?" Wang Yue racked her brain, but then recalled that the voice hadn't appeared again after leaving the park. "Could it really have been a ghost?"
She sighed, frustrated by her inability to understand the source of the voice. But then, recalling the content of the voice and remembering how enjoyable her time with Chen Fan had been, she blushed.
"Is... is he my fated one?" The thought made her imagine all sorts of things, like something out of the novels she read in her free time. As her imagination ran wild, it only grew wilder with each passing moment.
Suddenly sitting up in bed, Wang Yue shook her head.
"No, no, no. That voice must have been a trick from Chen Fan. Yes, that's it. He must have fallen for me and decided to trick me with that voice." She repeated the words to herself as if trying to convince herself.
"Hmph, stinky man. Fated one, my foot. I'm not falling for that. I know all your tricks." Wang Yue thought to herself while hugging a large teddy bear, her emotions fluctuating rapidly as she reflected on the events of the day.
Unbeknownst to her, a pair of eyes had been watching her from the doorway.
"Mom, I think sister's gone crazy."
Startled by the sudden voice, Wang Yue's face flushed, but she quickly calmed down upon hearing the words.
"What did you say?" she lowered her voice, trying to assert her authority as the older sister and intimidate the younger one.
"Hmph, who's scared of a crazy woman?"
"You little brat!" Wang Yue jumped off her bed and chased after the voice.
"AAHH, mom! A crazy woman is chasing me!" The voice's owner dashed toward the kitchen on little feet. It was a six-year-old girl with short blonde hair.
Due to the difference in stature, Wang Yue quickly caught up to her and scooped the little girl up into her arms, tickling her mercilessly.
"Who are you calling a crazy woman?"
"Hahahahaha, st... stop it, you crazy woman! Hahahahaha!" The little girl, unable to stop laughing, squirmed in Wang Yue's arms.
Hearing the laughter, the mature woman with short blonde hair walked in with a tray of food and couldn't help but smile.
"Alright, that's enough, the two of you. The food is ready."
The little girl, worn out from laughing, silently laid her head on Wang Yue's arm before standing up. She seemed to want to say something but flinched upon seeing Wang Yue's gaze, recalling her previous punishment. She walked meekly like a defeated dog toward her chair.
Soon, the three of them sat down at the table to eat. However, Ye Lan, the mother, noticed the red mark on Wang Yue's hand and inquired, her voice tinged with concern.
"What happened to your hand?"
Seeing her mother's concern and noticing the red mark on her hand, Wang Yue knew it was from the man who had tried to harm her. For a moment, she was at a loss for how to explain.
"Tell me, did something happen earlier?" Ye Lan asked again, worry evident on her face. Realizing she couldn't avoid the conversation, Wang Yue decided to tell her mother the story of what happened earlier, omitting the voice in her head and some details about Chen Fan.
Upon hearing the story, Ye Lan's face paled for a moment.
"Thank goodness you're okay," Ye Lan said, a hint of worry in her voice as she looked at her daughter. "Don't go to that place again, okay?"
"I know, Mom," Wang Yue obediently agreed, the terror from that moment still fresh in her mind. If Chen Fan hadn't saved her, she didn't know how bad things could have gotten.
"So that's why you were laughing and acting like a crazy woman earlier?" the little girl, Wang Mei, piped up from the side while chewing her food.
"You..." Wang Yue glared at her, threatening to scold her once again.
Upon hearing this, Ye Lan's eyes flickered with sudden realization. Wang Yue had mentioned a young man saving her, and after hearing Wang Mei's words, Ye Lan looked at her daughter with a knowing, playful smile. It seemed there was more to the story than she was letting on, and her curiosity about this young man grew.
"So, can you give me his number?" Ye Lan asked with a teasing expression.
"Eh? Did I tell you we exchanged numbers?" Wang Yue was taken aback.
"You just did," Ye Lan said, still smiling playfully.
Wang Yue was stunned at the realization, realizing she had just been teased.
"So, is he so handsome and charming that you keep thinking about him?" Ye Lan asked, her smile widening.
"Mom!" Wang Yue shouted, trying to prove her innocence. "We're just friends."
"Sure, sure," Ye Lan nodded, confirming her own suspicions with a smile.
"You should bring him here," Ye Lan said, eager to meet the young man who had made her daughter act like this.
"Mom," Wang Yue grumbled, feeling embarrassed.
"I just want to thank him for saving you. We can't appear ungrateful," Ye Lan said seriously.
Seeing her mother's determined expression, Wang Yue knew she would never hear the end of it unless she agreed.
"But..."
"No buts. You should call him. I want to thank him personally, okay?"
"Okay, I'll ask him later," Wang Yue conceded in defeat.
"So, is he handsome?" Ye Lan pressed, clearly curious.
"Yes," Wang Yue answered subconsciously, recalling Chen Fan's appearance before realizing what she'd said.
"MOM!" Wang Yue glared resentfully at her mother before storming out of the room, leaving Ye Lan in a cheerful mood, and the little girl happily savoring her favorite food.
Back in her room, Wang Yue dove onto her bed, burying her face in the pillow to hide her embarrassment. After a moment, she picked up her phone and scrolled through her less than ten contacts, finally spotting Chen Fan's name. After an unknown period of inner struggle, she steeled herself and sent him a message.