Chapter 53

Slowly treading the endless path of martial arts, one mountain and one pass after another. Refining essence into energy to spur the growth of the primordial spirit, returning to the essence and entering the mortal world.

With a touch of reluctance, Jiang Chen bid farewell to Ye Wen, Huang Liang, and the others, and left Hong Kong. It was only at this moment that he truly embarked on his own path of cultivation.

Moving forward, Jiang Chen first traversed the vast lands of his homeland, meeting martial arts masters from all directions. Despite the decline of martial arts after a century of turmoil, there were still some true masters in the vast expanse of China. Perhaps they were unknown, but they had already cultivated internal and external martial arts to the realm of Dan Qi, becoming true martial arts grandmasters.

If following Ye Wen allowed Jiang Chen to glimpse the mysteries of internal martial arts, then encountering these true martial arts grandmasters made him fully understand the breadth of internal martial arts.

Before the Dan Qi realm, the so-called Ming Qi, An Qi, and Hua Qi of martial arts, even when cultivated to their peak, could not compete with the second or third-tier ancient martial arts experts in the world of Divine Carving.

Even grandmasters like Hong Zhenan and Ye Wen, though exceptionally powerful, were only so in comparison to ordinary people. If placed in the world of Divine Carving, they might not even be able to defeat the likes of the Wu brothers or Yelü Qi. This was the harsh reality.

This was because ancient martial arts cultivated true energy and internal power, which, once achieved, could greatly enhance one's strength, granting powers beyond those of ordinary people, such as leaping over eaves and walls, splitting stones and breaking steles, all of which were easily accomplished.

However, martial arts were different. They cultivated force, the extreme application of the body's own power. Although cultivation could improve physical attributes, it was far from the exaggerated level of ancient martial arts. Therefore, in the early stages, martial arts were far less powerful than ancient martial arts.

But this did not mean that martial arts were inferior to ancient martial arts. In fact, after ancient martial arts faded into the annals of time, the emergence of martial arts opened a new chapter in the inheritance of Chinese martial arts.

Before the Dan Qi realm, the power might not be evident, but after the Dan Qi realm, after the body was refined and transformed, it would be strengthened to a terrifying degree. The internal force would surge like a dragon, condensing into a powerful force. Even a fourth-tier grandmaster of ancient martial arts like Jiang Chen would not dare to underestimate it.

Accumulating strength and then bursting forth, leaping to the heavens!

This was the terrifying aspect of martial arts. After the initial cultivation of Ming Qi, An Qi, and Hua Qi, practitioners of internal and external martial arts had gained the most subtle control over their bodies. Once they broke through the limits and entered the Dan Qi realm, they would experience a transformative change.

This change was unimaginable unless experienced firsthand. Although Jiang Chen had some understanding from inheriting the legacies of Wing Chun and Bagua Palm, it was only when he encountered his first Dan Qi internal martial arts expert that he truly understood the terrifying nature of this change!

It was the most intense battle he had in this cycle of reincarnation. The opponent's strength was no less than that of the Dharma King of the Sun in the world of Divine Carving. Each punch and kick, with the force condensed into a tangible force, could sweep across several yards, shatter rocks, and break trees, with truly astonishing power!

Relying solely on his martial arts, Jiang Chen could not defeat the opponent. Reluctantly, he had to use his ancient martial arts skills, and only after more than ten rounds of intense combat did he defeat the opponent with the Great Demon Subduing Fist.

After this battle, he finally touched the core level of martial arts and began to encounter the supreme masters of the Chinese mainland one after another.

One intense battle after another pushed Jiang Chen's cultivation to new heights. External cultivation strengthened the body, transforming blood into essence; martial arts cultivated force, transforming force into energy; ancient martial arts cultivated energy, transforming energy into spirit. Essence, energy, and spirit were the three treasures of a person. In battle, Jiang Chen comprehended the unity of the three elements, finally breaking through the limits and no longer being bound by this cycle of reincarnation.

Three years later, after defeating all the martial arts masters in China, Jiang Chen left the mainland. At this point, his martial arts cultivation had entered a new realm: the Buddha's Elephant Throwing Skill had been perfected and integrated into the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill, which had advanced to the twelfth level. He had also gained insights into the Nine Yin Manual, the Quanzhen Sect's martial arts, the Peach Blossom Island's martial arts, the White Camel Mountain's martial arts, and the Duan family's martial arts. At this point, he could truly be considered a fourth-tier grandmaster of ancient martial arts!

Similarly, the martial arts he cultivated in this cycle had also reached the Dan Qi realm, where force condensed into a powerful force. After killing a malicious Xingyi Quan Dan Qi grandmaster and a malicious Bajiquan Dan Qi grandmaster, he used his cycle talent to gain their abilities, completing the refinement and transformation of his body.

At this point, with a golden pill swallowed, his life was no longer bound by fate. Jiang Chen's martial arts were just one step away from breaking through the void and achieving immortality. It was only then that he suddenly understood the wonders of this world:

Where there is yin, there is yang; where there is the sun, there is the moon. All plants worship the sun; the rings of a tree resemble the sun, and flowers always face the sun. All animals follow the moon, preferring to be active at night, and they become joyful when the moon is full.

Humans are also animals, and the only trace of the sun on their bodies is their eyes. Through these eyes, humans can discern yin and yang, pursuing the eternal power of heaven and earth. Cultivation is the method through which all living beings, by observing the movements of heaven and earth, seek to attain power, leading to the path of infinite eternity.

He would never forget the moment when he completed the refinement and transformation of his body. In a state between life and death, in a daze, the wind outside sounded like the earth playing a flute, and the thunder and lightning were the union of yin and yang in heaven and earth. He could hear the sound of grass growing, flowers blooming, and snow falling. In that moment of near-death, he understood the true essence of cultivation:

Humans follow the earth, the earth follows the sky, the sky follows nature. The unity of heaven and man that cultivators seek is actually in their words and actions. The great path is no more than the natural cycle. Born between heaven and earth, humans are great, and their hearts are vast, capable of containing all things, the mountains and rivers, and the stars of eternity.

After this enlightenment, Jiang Chen did not stop. He resolutely set out on his journey again, traveling from the East to the West, from the South Pole to the North Pole. This journey lasted nearly six years. He traveled the world, fought the world, and pushed his cultivation to its limits.

During these six years, he entered the deep sea to battle massive sea beasts, ventured into the jungle to fight giant pythons, and engaged in battles with the fiercest beasts and the peak martial arts masters.

Just like the land of China, which harbors hidden dragons and tigers, the world was never short of true masters. He had encountered underground boxing kings with god-like talents, the fiercest Muay Thai masters, and the first Karate master of Japan, Masutatsu Oyama...

These were all true masters, whose strength was not inferior to the Dan Qi martial arts masters Jiang Chen had previously encountered. Therefore, they were worthy opponents for Jiang Chen.

Over nearly a decade, Jiang Chen used victory after victory to forge his reputation, becoming the undisputed strongest in the world.

"Congratulations to the reincarnated Jiang Chen for completing the附属 task four: Within ten years, challenge the world's masters and maintain a hundred consecutive victories. You have received a pair of gravity leg rings, which have been sent to your wristwatch space and can be claimed at any time..."

"The gravity leg rings, when equipped, can adjust the gravity according to the wearer's will, with a minimum of one times and a maximum of ten thousand times."

The task of a hundred consecutive victories had been completed long ago. This was the task that took Jiang Chen the most time to complete, from start to finish, nearly nine years!

At the beginning, Jiang Chen had also thought of taking shortcuts, but after testing, he found that the "masters" had a certain standard of strength. Even if he won ten thousand consecutive victories against subpar opponents, it would not count towards the task.

With no choice, Jiang Chen had to honestly challenge the world's masters. Fortunately, this was what he wanted to do. However, in the entire world, the number of qualified masters was extremely rare, and it took him a lot of time just to find opponents.

Fortunately, where there is a will, there is a way. Jiang Chen ultimately succeeded in completing the task. The gravity leg rings he received were exquisitely crafted, hidden in his pants without being noticed, and did not affect any of his subtle movements. They could also adjust gravity according to his will, aiding his cultivation, truly a supreme tool for cultivation...