Chapter 24 of 100
Chapter 24
7 min read1,628 words
In Wang Yuyan's boudoir, Li She was intently reading the *Dòu Zhuǎn Xīng Yí* (Pole Star Shift) that he had obtained from the Murong family.
"Madam is born of the primordial chaos, from which qi (vital energy) arises, and from qi, essence, and from essence, spirit, and from spirit, clarity. Originating from the yin and yang qi, qi transforms into essence, essence transforms into spirit, and spirit transforms into clarity. By maintaining qi and harmonizing with spirit, essence will not leave its form. Contemplating these three as one, one can achieve the principles over time, not through physical strength but naturally. Madam, who is born between heaven and earth, is called life; the form is the dwelling of life, qi is the origin of life, and spirit is the controller of life. The form is filled with qi, and when qi is light, the form is sick; the spirit depends on qi, and when qi is retained, the spirit remains. Those who cultivate the truth follow the principles of yin and yang, harmonize with techniques and numbers, hold the fullness of heaven and earth, focus on qi and embrace oneness, use the spirit as the chariot, and qi as the horse. When spirit and qi are harmonized, success can be achieved. Therefore, it is said: essence has a master, qi has an origin, breathe the primordial qi, and harmonize with nature..."
The hundred or so characters of the scripture summarized the entire content of the *Dòu Zhuǎn Xīng Yí*. Following that were some techniques and explanations.
According to the *Dòu Zhuǎn Xīng Yí*, this martial art is divided into four realms: *Dòu Zhuǎn Chén* (Pole Star Shift), *Gū Mèng Xīng Hún* (Lonely Dream Star Soul), *Yuǎn Shí Xīng Làng* (Falling Star Wave), and *Tiān Huàn Xīng Chén* (Heavenly Illusion Star).
According to the book, even the creator of this extraordinary skill, Murong Longcheng, only reached the *Yuǎn Shí Xīng Làng* (Falling Star Wave) realm. In the early Song Dynasty, Murong Longcheng, with this skill, was invincible. However, tragically, he encountered the emperor Zhao Kuangyin. In the end, his country was destroyed and his mountains and rivers shattered. The final layer, *Tiān Huàn Xīng Chén* (Heavenly Illusion Star), was likely not achieved by Murong Longcheng himself but was merely deduced based on *Yuǎn Shí Xīng Làng*.
Murong Bo had only reached the *Gū Mèng Xīng Hún* (Lonely Dream Star Soul) realm, and Murong Fu was even worse, only reaching the *Dòu Zhuǎn Chén* (Pole Star Shift) realm at its peak. The book also recorded that those with superior talent could reach the *Dòu Zhuǎn Chén* realm within ten years, while those of average or lower talent would take twenty years.
For the *Gū Mèng Xīng Hún* (Lonely Dream Star Soul) realm, those with superior talent could expect to reach it in twenty years, while those of average or lower talent would need forty years. If they did not reach it within forty years, they should avoid forced cultivation to prevent going astray.
For the *Yuǎn Shí Xīng Làng* (Falling Star Wave) realm, those with superior talent could expect to reach it in forty years, while those of lower talent should not continue cultivation after sixty years, as it could lead to reversed meridians and death.
For the *Tiān Huàn Xīng Chén* (Heavenly Illusion Star) realm, those with superior talent could expect to reach it in sixty years. At this point, one would achieve the realm of heaven and man.
No wonder Murong Bo and Murong Fu went to great lengths to steal martial arts from various sects. After reading the *Dòu Zhuǎn Xīng Yí* manual, Li She also felt a headache. This martial art had already transcended the realm of martial arts in the *Tianlong* world, having a flavor of cultivation, making it extremely difficult to practice, and quite frustrating. Murong Fu, at twenty-six years old, had only just reached the *Dòu Zhuǎn Chén* realm. His father, who was probably around sixty, had only reached the *Gū Mèng Xīng Hún* realm. Moreover, no one had such a long lifespan to reach the *Tiān Huàn Xīng Chén* realm.
Li She was not alone in his thoughts; Murong Bo and Murong Fu also shared similar views. They believed that their talent was above average, and the difficulty of advancing in *Dòu Zhuǎn Xīng Yí* made them think that no one in the world could master it, even the ancestor who created it, Murong Longcheng, only reached the *Yuǎn Shí Xīng Làng* realm.
Just as Li She thought *Dòu Zhuǎn Xīng Yí* was a frustrating skill, the spirit of the artifact suddenly said, "Damn, this martial arts world actually has such a high-level skill?"
"Are you kidding, Spirit, this frustrating thing is called a high-level skill? If someone with superior talent needs at least 130 years to reach the peak, do they even have such a long lifespan?"
"Go, you little brat, what do you know? Ordinary people don't have such a long lifespan, but cultivators do. A hundred years is nothing to a cultivator. However, this skill can only be practiced up to the enlightenment stage." The spirit laughed.
"So, you mean it's not that the Murong family is too stupid, but that this is actually a cultivation skill? Does that mean Murong Longcheng was just spreading a big lie, and this skill wasn't created by him? If I practice it, can I reach the *Tiān Huàn Xīng Chén* realm?" Li She asked.
"That's a bit difficult. Although you have the Divine Thief Order, which allows you to traverse countless worlds, if you can't absorb spiritual energy, you won't reach the *Tiān Huàn Xīng Chén* realm. How could a mortal like Murong Longcheng create a cultivation skill? It must have been left by some unfortunate cultivator who failed to transcend. Although your body has been tempered by the barriers of different worlds, surpassing the people in the *Tianlong* world, you can only reach the *Yuǎn Shí Xīng Làng* realm of Murong Longcheng. Because this world has no spiritual energy, it's impossible to reach the *Tiān Huàn Xīng Chén* realm in the *Tianlong* world." The spirit explained with an authoritative tone.
"Ah, it turns out I got a useless thing." Li She said helplessly.
If Murong Bo and Murong Fu heard this, they would probably be furious.
In the following days, Li She began to study the *Dòu Zhuǎn Xīng Yí* and waited for Duan Yu, Ah Zhu, and Ah Bi to arrive.
After crossing the barriers of two worlds and with the double boost from Li She's mutated *Cold Fire Technique*, his talent and bone quality were far superior to Murong Longcheng. In just a few days, Li She, with his deep internal energy, had already reached the peak of the *Gū Mèng Xīng Hún* realm.
However, the power of the *Gū Mèng Xīng Hún* realm, in Li She's view, was quite useless. Not only was there a noticeable pause when countering, but it could only counter those with similar cultivation, making Li She think that Murong Fu was just pretending to be a top expert. When facing Duan Yu, Qiao Feng, and Xuzhu, he would be in trouble.
However, the only benefit was that Li She used the *Dòu Zhuǎn Xīng Yí* to further refine his *Cold Fire Technique*, making the transformation between yin and yang energy more fluid.
A few days later, Xu Muma came in to report, "Reporting to Master, Ah Zhu and Ah Bi from Yanziwu have brought a young man to the manor. These two ignorant girls have擅自闯入 our Manhua Manor. Should we punish them?"
Li She nodded and said, "Forget it, they are family after all. They must have encountered some trouble and came here for refuge. Let them in. I'll go out and see them in a moment."
"Yes, Master, you are merciful. If it were the Lady, these two girls, relying on Murong Fu's favor, bringing strangers to the manor, would have their hands chopped off to be used as fertilizer for the flowers," Xu Muma said.
With Li She's permission, Ah Zhu and Ah Bi were not tied up. Li She got up and slowly walked to the hall.
As he approached the hall, Li She heard Ah Bi ask, "Xu Muma, where is Miss Wang?"
Xu Muma, impatient with the little girl, said, "Miss is not in the manor."
"Where did Miss go?" Ah Bi asked innocently.
"Hmph! Is it your place to ask about Miss's whereabouts?" Xu Muma said coldly.
"Ah, Xu Muma, our young master and your Miss Wang are a perfect match, and since they are already related, they will eventually become one family. If our young master returns and can't see Miss Wang, he will be anxious," Ah Bi said without thinking.
Xu Muma's face turned darker, and Ah Zhu seemed to notice something was wrong, pulling Ah Bi's sleeve.
With a 'snap', Xu Muma, unable to bear it, drew her waist knife and shouted, "You insolent girl, I'll cut out your tongue. My Miss is pure and chaste, when did she have anything to do with your Murong Fu?" Wang Yuyan was raised by Xu Muma, who loved her from a young age. Now, after marrying Li She, she was even happier. If the Master heard such words, he would doubt Miss's chastity. She raised her knife to cut Ah Bi.
Duan Yu's *Six Pulse Sword* technique, which was sometimes effective, shot a *Zhong Chong* sword at Xu Muma's knife. With a 'clank', Xu Muma's knife was knocked out of her hand.
Li She, watching from outside the hall, thought, "Duan Yu's internal energy is still not strong enough. If his internal energy were more advanced, this *Zhong Chong* sword would have broken the knife."
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