Chapter 47

Upon hearing this, Xu Jianxing had a slight epiphany in his heart, but his mouth did not pause for a moment, quickly and softly saying, "Little Master, I really am not lying to you. Not only have I cultivated true qi, but I can also jump over five meters high using this true qi."

With Xu Jianxing's rapid speech, Tang Xiaoqing had no extra space to think, and without hesitation, she said, "You are simply spouting nonsense. This is absolutely impossible, unless you..."

"Unless I..." When Tang Xiaoqing said this, she suddenly felt something was off. After a brief moment of thought, she realized the truth and angrily said, "You tricked me!"

Xu Jianxing secretly smiled and then feigned ignorance, saying, "Little Master, what did I trick you about? I really have cultivated true qi."

"You've cultivated nothing but hot air." Tang Xiaoqing couldn't help but curse.

"Hehe." Xu Jianxing laughed, "How do you know I haven't cultivated it?"

"Because the breathing technique you learned from me is impossible to cultivate true qi with." By now, Tang Xiaoqing didn't bother to hide anything and said straightforwardly.

Xu Jianxing laughed again, "It seems, Little Master, that you are admitting the existence of experts who can cultivate true qi in this world?"

"You've already figured it out, so why are you still asking?" Tang Xiaoqing said irritably, "I warn you, try not to spread this information. Otherwise, it won't do you any good."

"Oh." Xu Jianxing asked curiously, "Is there some kind of rule?"

"There are no official records, but there are many unwritten rules. Not just the state, but even the major families have their own rules. For example, in my family, there is a rule that we cannot easily use internal martial arts on ordinary people. This is because the major families all understand that as more people learn internal martial arts, the resources will not be sufficient, especially various medicinal herbs."

Tang Xiaoqing paused slightly and continued, "You should also understand that high-quality medicinal herbs are becoming increasingly scarce. If more people start cultivating, these herbs will be even more unevenly distributed, greatly affecting the strength and influence of the major families. For the state, the old saying goes, 'Martial artists use their skills to break the law.' In today's times, the state is not overly worried about this. After all, with the over-exploitation and scarcity of resources, the strength of each family is gradually declining. Moreover, no matter how powerful an individual is, can they be more powerful than rockets and artillery?"

"Even a few years ago, there were high-level officials who wanted to openly disseminate various cultivation techniques to the public, mainly to improve the overall quality of the people. However, this was rejected by the major families, as they couldn't imagine the impact on their power if the state did so. The state still has some reservations about the major families, so the matter was dropped."

After listening, Xu Jianxing let out a bitter laugh. At this moment, he realized how ridiculous his thoughts from a few days ago were. According to his previous idea, he planned to recruit many disciples and spread cultivation throughout the country once he reached a certain level, contributing to the nation. However, after hearing Tang Xiaoqing's words, he clearly understood that even if his abilities were high, he could not hide the fact of resource scarcity.

Moreover, his method of obtaining things through sacrifice was also consuming the planet's resources. As his cultivation increased, the consumption would also increase. Unless one day he could cross the stars and obtain vast resources from other planets, but that was too far from his current reality.

His thoughts quickly turned, and Xu Jianxing laughed, "By the way, Little Master, how are the cultivation realms divided in the martial arts world? What is the highest level of cultivation now?"

"The highest level of cultivation, I still need to find someone to ask about it."

Tang Xiaoqing said irritably, "And I've already told you enough today. Knowing these things won't do you any good, so why ask so much?"

"Master, good master, please tell me. I really want to know." Xu Jianxing said in a fawning manner.

"Hmm." Tang Xiaoqing shivered, thought for a moment, and decided there was no need to keep it a secret. After all, he already knew a lot, and even if he told ordinary people, they wouldn't believe him. She then said, "The division of cultivation realms, even if I don't tell you, you can probably imagine a bit. After all, there are many similar depictions in various TV shows. The current cultivation realms can be explained in 12 words: 'Refining essence into qi, refining qi into spirit, refining spirit into void.'"

"Refining essence into qi includes two major realms. The first is refining essence, which mainly involves body cultivation. This is further divided into three minor levels: refining skin, refining tendons, and refining bones. This is now called the Three Levels of Hundred Refinements. In ancient times, it was said to be relatively easy to cultivate, as the earth's qi was more abundant. Through a breathing and absorption technique, one could easily pass through it. Of course, this 'easy' is relative to the present. It's not possible to reach the peak of this level in just three to five years."

"But in today's era, the earth's qi is so thin that it can be ignored. A cultivator can only rely on their own abundant essence and blood to complete this process. The difficulty and pain are at least dozens of times greater than in ancient times."

"However, this is for ordinary people. In larger ancient martial arts families, they can use medicinal baths to reduce the time and difficulty. But considering the scarcity of various precious herbs in today's society, you should understand that medicinal baths cannot be sustained for long. It's not that the major families don't have money; it's that there are no herbs. For example, I have only taken about 30 medicinal baths in my cultivation, and the cost has been beyond the imagination of ordinary people."

"Next is refining qi. This is relatively easy to explain. Once a person's body reaches a certain limit and their essence and blood are abundant, it is possible to transform into internal true qi. However, this is not certain. If someone has accumulated too many hidden injuries during the Three Levels of Hundred Refinements, they will never reach the stage of refining qi."

"Refining qi into spirit is also easy to explain. When a person's essence, spirit, and internal true qi reach a certain height, they may break through to the spirit-refining stage, which is what ordinary people understand as the innate stage. How to break through is not detailed in any records; everything depends on fate. Even if you see such a person, if they hide their aura, you would think they are an ordinary person unless your cultivation is much higher than theirs."

"The remaining stage of refining spirit into void is even more ethereal. According to the information I know, it means that a person's essence and spirit merge with the universe, which is called 'returning to the void.' It is said that reaching this stage transcends the mortal body. All worldly desires are gone, and they prefer tranquility. Their lifespan can reach 300 years, and they are called earth immortals."

As soon as Tang Xiaoqing finished, Xu Jianxing eagerly asked, "Are there earth immortals in the world today?"

"Yes." Tang Xiaoqing paused, and Xu Jianxing couldn't help but urge, "Master, please hurry up and tell me. Don't keep me in suspense."

Immediately, Tang Xiaoqing's laughter echoed through the phone, "Of course there are. Isn't your master one of them? I am the future earth immortal. Come and kowtow to your master. When I'm in a good mood, I might teach you a move or two."

"Tsk." Xu Jianxing made a derisive sound, but he also understood that there were likely no earth immortals in the world. Of course, some high-level experts might be hiding in the mountains, but they wouldn't be many. This reassured him somewhat.

Because, according to the game, an earth immortal is level 31. Although the experience required increases exponentially after level 30, with his current speed, he believed he could reach level 31 in a relatively short time, provided he had a large amount of high-value resources to sacrifice.

Thinking about it, Xu Jianxing laughed and asked, "Little Master, what is your current cultivation level?"

"Guess." Tang Xiaoqing chuckled.

Xu Jianxing laughed and said, "I think Master must have at least reached the innate stage. Please guide me in the future."

Tang Xiaoqing rolled her eyes and said irritably, "Do you think the innate stage is as common as cabbage? I know very few people who have reached the innate stage, and they are all from my great-grandfather's generation."

"Ah." Xu Jianxing feigned surprise, "Master, you haven't even reached the innate stage? Don't tell me you haven't even reached the postnatal stage, that would be too disappointing."

Hearing this, Tang Xiaoqing was almost driven to the point of spitting blood and said angrily, "Are you deliberately trying to upset me?"

"No." Xu Jianxing said in a委屈 (wronged) tone, "Master, think about it. Your disciple has already reached the innate stage, and you haven't even reached the postnatal stage. Isn't that too disappointing?"

"Disappointing, disappointing you to death. You just said you cultivated true qi, and now you're talking about the innate stage. Do you really think I'm an idiot?" Tang Xiaoqing shouted.

"But I'm telling the truth." Xu Jianxing said, considering that his cultivation progress was too fast. If someone discovered it in the future, this could be an excuse. He could say he consumed some rare herbs or mysteriously reached the innate stage. Besides, based on Tang Xiaoqing's words, those high-level experts were not easy to encounter.

Tang Xiaoqing said helplessly, "Forget it, I don't have the energy to deal with you. I'll hang up if there's nothing else."

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