Chapter 52

In the commercial building, Shang Quan was conversing with a red-faced, bearded man.

The red-faced, bearded man seemed quite excited, speaking loudly and gesturing wildly when he got particularly enthusiastic.

Shang Quan, while nodding and smiling in response, gestured for the man to sit down and calm down, urging him to take it easy.

The red-faced man seemed to realize he was overly excited and appeared somewhat embarrassed, but his naturally red face made it hard to discern his expression.

However, just thinking about the three sets of four sharp weapons Shang Quan had entrusted him to repair and modify, he found it hard to suppress his excitement.

After conducting an initial inspection and estimation according to Shang Quan's requirements, he eagerly came to request extraordinary materials from Shang Quan.

Shang Quan finally managed to calm down the overly excited man, and just as he instructed a servant to bring tea, he suddenly noticed something unusual about the elemental energy surrounding the commercial building.

Not only Shang Quan, but the red-faced man also cast a suspicious glance around.

Then, both of them changed their expressions. The elemental energy that had been abundant around them suddenly surged towards a quiet room on the top floor of the commercial building, as if there was a bottomless pit there, voraciously devouring all the surrounding elemental energy.

Elemental energy is inherently a very sluggish form of energy. With the surrounding elemental energy completely devoured, even the distant elemental energy had not yet replenished, causing the entire commercial building to become a vacuum of elemental energy in an instant.

This was only possible because the protective array of Tongyou Peak had the function of balancing elemental energy, and the distant elemental energy was slowly flowing in to replenish.

Otherwise, if this happened elsewhere, the almost predatory act of devouring elemental energy could have turned the area into a lifeless wasteland.

"What happened?"

The red-faced warrior asked Shang Quan, looking as if he was facing a great enemy.

Shang Quan suppressed his shock and forced a smile, "It's nothing, it must just be an accident."

The red-faced warrior still had doubts and was about to ask more, but Shang Quan interrupted him, "I will quickly prepare the materials you need. The notch on the willow leaf saber, the ribs of the ivory fan, and the mark of the Hundred Arts Pavilion on this dagger, as well as its shape. If you can perfect them, I will stake my reputation to vouch for you to Xi's sister and mobilize the entire family's resources to help you forge a sharp weapon!"

At this, Shang Quan sighed slightly, with a hint of melancholy, "Our family truly needs a master craftsman who can forge sharp weapons!"

The red-faced warrior, who had been excited, became more solemn upon hearing Shang Quan's sigh.

After seeing off the red-faced warrior, who was full of ambition, Shang Quan went to the top floor and lingered outside the quiet room where Shang Xia was in seclusion for a moment before quietly leaving.

...

In the quiet room, Shang Xia had no idea that after completing the first cycle of the "Three Mysteries and Two Extremes Technique," he would cause such a commotion.

"I was too careless. I didn't expect that after integrating the cultivation method of the 'Three Mysteries and Two Extremes Technique' with my Taiji Yin-Yang concept, it would undergo such a qualitative change. Now, my cultivation method in the Wuji Realm will have to be completely different."

The conventional cultivation method for the Wuji Realm usually involves focusing on one of the two extremes under the assistance of a cultivation technique until it reaches perfection.

This is considered the first level of the Wuji Realm.

Then, one must fully cultivate the other extreme to achieve balance between the two extremes.

This completes the second level of the Wuji Realm.

At this point, the practitioner has a glimpse of the threshold of the third level of the Wu Dao, the Wu Yi Realm, and has the qualifications to challenge this threshold.

During this process, if one wants to cross the threshold of the Wu Yi Realm more smoothly, they can achieve the state of great perfection by comprehending supernatural abilities on the basis of the perfection of the two extremes.

This is equivalent to standing at the threshold of the Wu Yi Realm, making the advancement to the Wu Yi Realm more certain.

Of course, this does not mean that one cannot cultivate the other extreme while cultivating one extreme, but it must be completely halted.

However, cultivating both extremes simultaneously requires maintaining a balance between the two extremes at all times. Otherwise, once the balance is lost, it is very easy for the elemental energy of the two extremes to go out of control.

This is almost an impossible task for a practitioner.

Because during the cultivation process, one will always encounter various problems or opportunities.

One extreme may grow by three points due to a sudden enlightenment today, and the other extreme may grow by one inch due to an opportunity tomorrow.

The practitioner's energy must always be focused on balancing the fluctuations of the elemental energy within the body, leaving no energy for other tasks.

It is better to cultivate one extreme first and then return to cultivate the other extreme, ultimately achieving balance between the two extremes.

Some extreme practitioners even seal the other extreme to avoid being distracted during cultivation.

However, Shang Xia's cultivation method is entirely different from the conventional path.

Because of the Taiji Yin-Yang diagram in his dantian, Shang Xia can always fuse and convert the elemental energy of the two extremes and maintain their balance.

This means that whether Shang Xia cultivates only one extreme or both extremes simultaneously, he can convert the excess elemental energy of one extreme to the other through the Taiji Yin-Yang diagram.

This implies that the old cultivation system in the Wuji Realm is no longer suitable for Shang Xia, and there is no need to deliberately divide it into the first and second levels.

Shang Xia has fewer concerns than others and can cultivate with confidence and boldness.

This is why, after the "Three Mysteries and Two Extremes Technique" successfully completed one cycle and fully integrated with the Taiji Yin-Yang diagram, Shang Xia almost became a ravenous beast, voraciously devouring the elemental energy around the commercial building.

At the beginning of cultivating the "Three Mysteries and Two Extremes Technique," Shang Xia converted the Yin-Yang elemental energy in his body into water and fire forms.

After the first cycle was completed, the water and fire elemental energy he controlled had returned to the original "Yin-Yang" form.

At this moment, Shang Xia, inspired by a sudden idea, converted the "Yin-Yang" elemental energy in his body back into "water and fire" form and then, according to the transformation method recorded in the "Three Mysteries and Two Extremes Technique," transformed the elemental energy from "water and fire" to "rigid and soft."

This is the second form of the two extremes in the "Three Mysteries and Two Extremes Technique."

In the "Three Mysteries and Two Extremes Technique," the initial form of the two extremes is "water and fire," then "rigid and soft" through "fire to rigid, water to soft," and finally "real and void" through "rigid as real, soft as void."

Water and fire, rigid and soft, real and void—these are the "three mysteries" in the inheritance of this technique!

The inheritance of the technique that Shang Xia obtained from the scripture cave only includes the first half, recording the initial operation method and the transformation from "water and fire" to "rigid and soft."

The remaining transformation methods between "rigid and soft" and "real and void," as well as the transformation between "water and fire" and "real and void," require Shang Xia to return to Tongyou Academy to study in the scripture hall.

"However, do I still need to study these transformation methods?"

Shang Xia's lips curled slightly, and the elemental energy of the two extremes in his body, which had already transformed into "rigid and soft" form, began to evolve again.

In the dantian, one half of the Taiji Yin-Yang diagram suddenly became ethereal, almost disappearing, while the other half became solid, as if it could be touched.

This is the "real and void" form of the two extremes mentioned in the "Three Mysteries and Two Extremes Technique."

It can be said that after Shang Xia learned the unique cultivation method of the "Three Mysteries and Two Extremes Technique" and integrated it into his own cultivation philosophy, the mission of this technique's inheritance was completed!

Shang Xia can easily manifest three forms of the two extremes and convert them at will.

Even after gaining a deeper understanding of other extremes, he can manifest even more forms of the two extremes.

Feeling the changes in the elemental energy of the two extremes in his body, Shang Xia suddenly had an idea:

The second level of the Wu Dao is called the "Wuji Realm," but in his view, the old name "Two Extremes Realm" is more fitting.

Although young, Shang Xia has a deep family background and a basic understanding of the evolution of the Wu Dao over several hundred years.

In fact, before the fall of Youzhou and the opening of the Two Realms War Zone, the names of the Wu Dao realms were varied and chaotic.

Warriors from different regions often had to engage in a trial of strength to determine each other's cultivation levels.

However, many warriors are proud and competitive, and such "trials of strength" could easily turn into real fights, leading to injuries or even fatalities.

After the appearance of the Two Realms War Zone, under the pressure of the invasion from the other realm, the senior experts in the Wu Dao gradually realized the importance of unifying the division of Wu Dao realms and began to implement it.

The terms "Wuyuan Realm," "Wuji Realm," "Wuyi Realm," and so on, were only promoted in the last twenty years, and even with some coercion.

"However, if I simply call my current cultivation level the 'Two Extremes Realm,' it is somewhat vivid but does not fully capture the essence of my elemental energy!"

Although this is a world of extraordinary martial arts,

Apart from this, this world, with a history of less than a thousand years, does not have much to be proud of.

As a穿越者 (穿越者 means "穿越者" in Chinese, which translates to "time traveler" or "穿越者" in English), Shang Xia still retains a sense of pride from his homeland.

"The terms 'Wuji Realm' and 'Two Extremes Realm' sound so straightforward and lack any depth."

Shang Xia, after completing his first cultivation in the Wuji Realm, was about to leave the quiet room when he muttered to himself, "Perhaps I should give my cultivation level a unique name, like 'Yin-Yang Realm'? Others might not understand it!"

"Then perhaps it should be called the 'Two Instruments Realm'..."

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