Chapter 2

In order to better observe the changes in martial arts in this text, after the "The Divine Carving" volume, the concepts of "Heavenly Man" and "Super First-Class" are introduced. Super First-Class refers to surpassing the top level of the current world, and like the first-class level, it is divided into four stages: Near Super First-Class, Weak Super First-Class, Middle Super First-Class, and Strong Super First-Class.

First, let's talk about the first-class level characters:

Weak First-Class: Yin Zhiping, Zhen Zhibing, Zhao Zhijin, etc. The outstanding disciples under the Seven Masters generally reached this level after the start of the "The Divine Carving" plot. With the cooperation of Zhu Ziliu, they could use the Tian Gang Bei Dou Array to resist characters like Xiaoxiangzi, Darba, and Huo Du. During the later Battle of Xiangyang, they supported seven of the twenty-eight constellations. Others include Sun Bu'er, Yelü Qi (at the time of his appearance), Ke Zhen'e, etc.

Middle First-Class: Liu Chuxuan, Hao Datong (in the original book); Diancang Fisher, Wu Santong; Huo Du (at the Great Victory Pass Conference), Darba (at the Great Victory Pass Conference), etc.

Strong First-Class: Qiu Chuji, Wang Chuyi, Ma Yu, Yelü Qi (at the Battle of Xiangyang); Zhu Ziliu (at the Great Victory Pass, where he easily controlled Huo Du, clearly surpassing him); Huo Du (at the Xiangyang Conference sixteen years later), Darba (at the Xiangyang Conference sixteen years later); the four Mongolian masters Xiaoxiangzi, Yin Kexi, Nimo Xing, Ma Guangzuo; Li Mochou (in the original book); among them, Gong Sunzhi, Xiaoxiangzi, and Li Mochou can be considered the peak of this level, as they could fight with Jinlun for hundreds of rounds.

Super First-Class level characters:

Near Super First-Class: Extremely deep in power, close to breaking through, and not easily defeated when facing Super First-Class. This realm is more about combat ability; many people do not necessarily go through this stage, directly advancing from the peak of the first-class level to Super First-Class.

Huang Rong (not fully dedicated to practice, and weakened by childbirth, she likely never broke through, but with the Beggar's Stick Technique, her combat ability is not weak. At the beginning, her power was not weak, but after childbirth, her power was damaged and not fully restored sixteen years later. Facing Jinlun, she could not even get close. Her power is considered to be at the Strong First-Class level, but with the Beggar's Stick Technique, her peak combat ability is considered Near Super First-Class), Master Cien (when his heart knot was unresolved, he could not fully exert his strength, and his skills were inconsistent), Yang Guo (after consuming snake gall and practicing the heavy sword), Guo Jing (at the second Huashan Conference)

Weak Super First-Class: The defining feature is the completion of the Small Circulation, which means the unblocking of the Ren and Du meridians. After the Small Circulation, the acquired essence and qi are replenished and gradually transformed into innate qi. Even without specific cultivation methods for innate qi, the qi will gradually transform into innate qi, so it is also called the innate stage. This step begins the formal transformation of essence into qi and involves "spirit." The spirit and qi combine, and the Nine Yin General Guidelines also record this point. Before and after this breakthrough, mental barriers may occur, such as the entanglements between Yideng, Old Naughty, and Yinggu (Yideng becoming a monk, Old Naughty being afraid, Yinggu becoming a monk and going mad), the madness of the Western Poison (due to meridian disorders affecting the mind), the Eastern Evil's anger (expelling disciples and then feeling guilty), and a high-level monk encountering a mental demon. After reaching the Super First-Class realm, those with a strong "spirit" will have a significant increase in combat ability, such as the righteous Hong Qigong, the despondent Yang Guo, the war god Xiao Feng in "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber," and the killer Xiao Yuanzhan at Yanmen Pass, all of which are related to this.

Wang Chongyang (at the first Huashan Conference), the Four Greats (at the second Huashan Conference, with perfected skills and the assistance of the Nine Yin, they entered the Super First-Class realm. At the first conference, they were clearly inferior to Wang Chongyang, who had convinced them with his skills), Guo Jing (at the beginning of "The Divine Carving"), Master Cien (after resolving his heart knot), Old Naughty (after mastering the Nine Yin), Jinlun (practicing the Dragon Elephant Power, unblocking the central meridian, equivalent to the Daoist Small Circulation)

Middle Super First-Class: The defining feature is the completion of the Great Circulation, which means unblocking the twelve regular meridians and the Ren and Du meridians as a whole (different schools may have other meridians, but these fourteen are the most basic). At this stage, the qi is generally fully transformed into innate qi, and the spirit and qi are closely combined, extending life. The Great Circulation is the practice of transforming qi into spirit.

Wang Chongyang (after the first Huashan Conference, after comprehensively studying the Nine Yin, he advanced further, breaking through the Finger Technique to counter the Toad Technique of Ouyang Feng, but with possible internal injuries, he did not fully enter this realm and died early. However, his qi did not dissipate until after his death, indicating a very close combination of spirit and qi); Hong Qigong, Ouyang Feng (died from the depletion of qi, at least with the combination of spirit and qi); Jinlun (before and after the Battle of Xiangyang, capable of killing Master Cien, at least surpassing him by a margin); Guo Jing (possibly reached this realm at the Great Victory Pass Conference, and continued to improve, possibly touching the next realm around the Xiangyang Conference, or possibly delayed due to military affairs, but definitely deeper in power); Yideng (around the Xiangyang Conference); Huang Yaoshi (around the Xiangyang Conference); Old Naughty (around the Xiangyang Conference; possibly the highest in this realm, possibly touching the next realm, with his hair turning black after consuming nourishing substances and absorbing essence, and achieving the transformation from yin to yang without mastering the general guidelines, considered the best among the Five Greats in the original book, but due to age and mindset, his actual combat ability was not much different from others).

Strong Super First-Class: Absorbing the essence of heaven and earth to benefit oneself (such as Tian Shan Tonglao practicing the Eternal Youth Technique, using one's own essence as a guide to absorb the essence of heaven and earth). Further transforming qi into spirit and using the spirit to sense the connection between the human body and heaven and earth, unblocking the body's hidden acupoints (this step is extremely difficult, as the human body's acupoints vary slightly, and some have special constitutions, so this step requires self-exploration, generally needing to open the upper dantian, the place where the spirit resides, to practice the spirit, achieving an inner vision state, and entering a state of deep meditation). At this level, when perfected, the body's essence, qi, and spirit will reach a very high realm, and life span will continuously increase, ideally reaching the human limit (the human genetic lifespan limit is approximately 220 years, though this is the ideal state).

Heavenly Man: After opening the upper dantian, one formally begins to practice the spirit, sensing heaven and earth, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth, and ultimately merging with heaven and earth, achieving the state of "Heaven and Man as One," or practicing the spirit to return to the void. The body's true qi is exchanged with the primordial qi of heaven and earth, always remaining in an ideal state. One can also mobilize the power of heaven and earth, which is truly inexhaustible. This is initially divided into three stages: Three Flowers Gather at the Crown, Five Qi Converge at the Origin, and Golden Liquid Return to the Elixir.

Regarding the concept of the "Mysterious Gate," there are various interpretations. Wang Chongyang in "Five Chapters of Spiritual Texts" says: "The Palace of Dryness is the void of the mysterious gate." Here, the Palace of Dryness refers to the top of the head, the upper dantian. Qiu Chuji in "The Great Elixir Guide" says: "The mysterious gate is located one inch and two points inside the navel," which is the lower dantian. These two interpretations are fixed, while Zhang Boduan says: "When the utmost emptiness and stillness are achieved, there is no longer a sense of self, only a feeling of vast emptiness, merging with heaven and earth, and the spirit and qi are nurtured within, which is the most wonderful part of cultivation, hence it is called the mysterious gate." "The Golden Immortal Proof" also says: "The gate is originally formless, arising from nothingness, hence it is called the mysterious gate." This means the position is not fixed, determined by the natural flow of qi.

This book adopts Li Xiyue's interpretation in "The Daoist Gate Talk": "The mysterious gate arises from the void. It does not reside in the five organs or six viscera, and is not limited to any part of the body. Now, by its name: this gate is a mysterious mechanism, hence it is called the mysterious gate. This gate is the place where all methods converge, unique and without counterpart, hence it is called the single gate. In summary, it is called the center. The center is in the middle of the upper and lower, but also not in the middle of the upper and lower, as it can be either fixed or flexible. What is fixed? If the Yellow Court, qi point, or dantian is considered the center, it is fixed. What is flexible? If the spirit and qi are concentrated, and the center appears, it is flexible. If considered fixed, it is called the Yellow Court, qi point, or dantian. If considered flexible, it is called the mysterious gate. Hence, it is said: it arises from the void. The true mechanism is revealed. Those who understand it should keep it secret."

The function of the mysterious gate is, first, "when the mysterious gate opens, all gates open," meaning all the body's gates are opened; second, it is "the root of heaven and earth, the place where the elixir is formed." If it is impossible to open the flexible mysterious gate, then secret methods can be used to open the fixed mysterious gate, forming the elixir in one of the three dantians.

Appendix: Comparison with "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer":

Description of Wang Chuyi and Xiang Wentian's footwork:

The Taoist (Wang Chuyi) did not answer but stepped forward with his left foot and then withdrew it. A deep imprint was left on the ground, nearly a foot deep. At that time, the snow had just started, and the snow on the ground was less than half an inch deep. He casually stepped forward, and the snow and soil were pressed into such a deep imprint, truly a shocking display of footwork. (During the martial arts competition for a bride in "The Legend of the Condor Heroes")

He (Xiang Wentian) said a few words, then moved to the side. Two blue bricks on the ground each had a footprint, two inches deep. It turned out that while he was speaking, he secretly used his internal power to press the footprints into the blue bricks. The three people, Bai Hezi, Toubi Weng, and Danqing Sheng, all cheered: "What great skills!" Seeing Xiang Wentian speak calmly while channeling his internal power to his feet, and the footprints without any broken pieces of blue brick, both footprints were equally deep and flat, as if carefully carved with a sharp knife, his internal power was truly astonishing and beyond their reach. (During the confrontation at Meizhuang)

Although the hardness of the soil and blue bricks is different, and Wang Chuyi is skilled in footwork, the difference between a foot and two inches is not significant, both can be considered Strong First-Class. After more than ten years, they may have become even stronger. Wang Chuyi's skills are slightly inferior to Qiu Chuji, being the second among the Seven Masters. Ma Yu's power is similar to or even deeper than the two, but his external skills are slightly inferior, all considered Strong First-Class.

Appendix: Fang Zhixing's Progress in Power:

1. At the age of 11.7 (birthday unknown, can be considered January 1), by the end of the year, he joined the Quanzhen Sect at 11.12, cultivated true qi around 12.5, unblocked the twelve regular meridians to reach the third-class level around 14.5, and reached the second-class level around 16.3.

2. After consuming snake gall pills, he reached the peak of the second-class level around 16.9, combining the qi sea and his own strength, not inferior to those just entering the first-class level.

3. Around 17.10, he achieved mastery in the Quanzhen Heart Method and the Twelve Muscle Changing Techniques, thoroughly reaching the first-class level, and went down the mountain for the second time in 17.12.

4. In the following year, he began practicing the Muscle Changing and Bone Strengthening Techniques in 18.1, had a major battle with Xiaoxiangzi (Strong First-Class) in late April, gained insights at Dongting Lake in May, accumulated more strength, and reached the peak of the Weak First-Class level; in late September, he exchanged a move with the heavily injured Ouyang Feng, injuring him.

5. After a year of seclusion, he switched to practicing the Purple Mist Technique, breaking through in less than three months to reach the Middle First-Class level. Due to his deep accumulation, he continued to improve over several months, reaching the peak of the Middle First-Class level, and emerged from seclusion in 19.9.

6. After emerging from seclusion, he accidentally broke through to the Strong First-Class level; after another year and a half of seclusion, he achieved mastery in the Muscle Changing and Bone Strengthening Techniques, consumed snake gall pills again, reached the peak of the Strong First-Class level, and his true qi merged with pure yang qi, significantly improving in quality, making it more skillful and efficient. Combining the qi sea and his own strength, he can be considered to have entered the Near Super First-Class level, emerging from seclusion in 21.3. In 21.7, with the help of "The Divine Carving," he used the Northern Dipper Illusion to fight Ouyang Feng for hundreds of rounds.

7. After five years of quiet cultivation, by 26.9, his power was just a step away from Super First-Class. He fought Ouyang Feng with his sword, obtained the Nine Yin General Guidelines, unblocked the Ren and Du meridians, and completed the Small Circulation, breaking through to the Weak Super First-Class level.

8. In 26.11, he fought Ouyang Feng and Hong Qigong on the peak of Huashan, understanding the principles of hardness and softness, further improving his martial skills. Except for his power, he was not inferior to the Middle Super First-Class level.

9. In 27.2, he unblocked the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and achieved the Great Circulation, practicing the Three Dantian Unification Technique, integrating the qi of the dantian and the qi sea, reaching the Middle Super First-Class level, truly on par with the old Five Greats.

10. In 27.3, he followed Zhou Botong to understand the manipulation of air currents, initially sensing the concept of "emptiness," and in 27.8, deduced the Dai Zong algorithm, obtained the complete Nine Yin, and his martial arts realm further improved, gradually approaching the realm of mastery.

11. ...

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