“To advance to the Mortal Realm, what exactly is needed?”
Ling Xiao asked.
“Comprehension, body, true essence—any one of these will do!”
Lin Ze replied, “Of course, if all three are present, the chances of advancing are greatest! Your comprehension is certainly not an issue, so in your future training, focus on strengthening either your body or true essence. If you have the capacity, it’s best to enhance both as much as possible.”
“This junior understands!”
From Lin Ze’s words, Ling Xiao picked up a deeper meaning.
Below the Mortal Realm, it’s essentially a process of tempering the martial artist themselves.
What’s called comprehension is really the effect produced when the soul is strong enough—in other words, soul power!
Soul, body, true essence!
These could be said to be the three core paths of a martial artist’s cultivation from beginning to end.
Breaking the limit in any one of them could lead to the Mortal Realm.
And from Martial Vein First Stage to Ninth Stage, it’s all about improving and refining the soul, body, and true essence!
Techniques, by contrast, aren’t as critical.
At this stage, techniques mainly serve to protect oneself, ensuring a smooth path to the Mortal Realm.
“General, there’s a situation!”
Suddenly, Lin Chen’s voice came from outside the carriage.
“Speak!”
“A giant beast is blocking the road!”
“What level of giant beast?”
“An eighth-stage peak beast, but it seems to carry a trace of ancient bloodline. Its combat power might not be less than an early ninth-stage monster!”
Though Lin Chen’s strength hadn’t reached the Martial Master level, his incomplete martial soul was unique, able to analyze basic information about an opponent.
This ability was similar to the first function of Ling Xiao’s Mountain River Martial Soul, but clearly a weaker version.
Still, among incomplete martial souls, it was quite impressive.
Why could Lin Chen, not yet a Martial Master, stay by Lin Ze’s side?
Not because of his surname, but because of this incomplete martial soul.
“You two want to take a look?”
Lin Ze suddenly smiled and asked Ling Xiao and Ling Yixue inside the carriage.
“Of course.”
Ling Xiao felt a surge of excitement.
Back when he trained in the Fulong Mountains, he’d encountered an eighth-stage peak monster, the Mighty Divine Ape, and was chased off in a panic.
But later, a blue-clad woman killed the eighth-stage peak beast with a single finger, saving him.
And when the Ling Clan was besieged, that beast’s corpse played a key role.
Even now, the Mighty Divine Ape’s body remained stored in Ling Xiao’s Mountain River World, where nothing seemed to decay.
It was one of Ling Xiao’s trump cards—enough to give him a fighting chance against a Martial Vein Seventh Stage Martial Master.
Sadly, using it drained his soul power far too much. He wouldn’t dare deploy it unless absolutely necessary.
Ling Yixue joined Ling Xiao as they leaped out of the carriage, looking at the giant beast blocking the road.
It was a massive bull.
Its two horns stretched nearly into the clouds, its body towering over ten meters high—a fearsome sight.
When it snorted, the sound was like thunder, ringing in their ears with a constant “buzz buzz buzz,” unbearably loud.
“There’s a mark on its forehead. It’s likely a tamed beast. Hmph, some coward hiding in the shadows wants to use this animal to test my strength?”
Lin Ze stood there, observing for a moment before sneering and waving his hand.
A long blade appeared in his grip.
The weapon was over three meters long, its handle adorned with a coiling tiger, the blade razor-sharp.
This was no ordinary weapon—at the very least, far superior to Ling Xiao’s Ice Glass Sword and Breeze Sword.
“That’s the Flying Tiger Crescent Blade, a divine-grade treasure!”
Lin Chen proudly explained to Ling Xiao and Ling Yixue.
“Divine-grade treasure!”
Ling Xiao was indeed shocked. His Ice Glass Sword was merely a common-grade treasure, yet it already satisfied him greatly. Truly, the weapons of a Martial Vein Ninth Stage Peak expert were extraordinary.
“Beast, taste my blade!”
Lin Ze’s speed wasn’t particularly fast.
At least, that’s how it appeared to everyone.
But strangely, though his strike seemed plain and slow, the giant bull couldn’t dodge it!
The bull tried to evade, but no matter how it moved, the blade seemed locked onto it.
“Crack!”
A loud snap rang out.
The bull’s head was sliced clean off, as effortlessly as cutting tofu.
“Terrifying! That’s an eighth-stage peak beast, on par with the Mighty Divine Ape, and it was killed just like that!”
Ling Xiao couldn’t help but think of the blue-clad woman from the Fulong Mountains.
“Hm, that woman’s strength might be greater than General Lin Ze’s.”
The thought sent a shiver through him.
Lin Ze was already at Martial Vein Ninth Stage Peak. Could that blue-clad woman have reached the Mortal Realm?
“Hahaha, satisfying! Boys, this bull’s a rare treat. Let’s camp ahead tonight and roast some giant bull meat!”
Lin Ze sheathed his blade, laughing heartily.
Ling Xiao, however, didn’t laugh or respond.
His mind was entirely focused on cultivation.
Martial Vein Ninth Stage Peak!
The Mortal Realm!
And here he was, not even a Martial Master yet. It sparked a sense of urgency in him!
A fierce urgency!
As night deepened, Ling Xiao got his share of the bull meat.
With its faint ancient bloodline, though diluted, it was a potent boost for martial artists.
Training through the night, Ling Xiao absorbed most of the meat in a single evening, pushing his cultivation from Martial Vein Sixth Stage Mid to Late.
But he adjusted his template to show Martial Vein Sixth Stage Early—not too low, not too high, to avoid unwanted attention.
Beyond that, he used the surge of energy to refine the Ghost Ship Residual Soul he’d obtained from the Ten Thousand Man King, bringing it to thirty percent completion.
A thirty percent residual martial soul was incredibly rare among human martial artists.
“It’s time to advance the ‘Nine-Turn Golden Body Art’!”
With ample gold in his Mountain River World, he planned to focus on upgrading the “Nine-Turn Golden Body Art” next. Its defensive enhancements to the body were phenomenal.
Lin Ze had said that to break into the Mortal Realm, ideally, soul, body, and true essence should all rise together.
That was Ling Xiao’s plan too.
Though excelling in just one could work, it wouldn’t be as solid or effective as balancing all three.
He figured that upon reaching the Mortal Realm, whichever aspect broke through would determine the type of Mortal Martial Art he could cultivate.
There were Mortal Martial Arts focused on the soul, others on the body, and some on true essence.
If he didn’t advance all three, he’d miss out on many Mortal Martial Arts he might otherwise be unable to practice.
“Lin Chen, see that? A genius isn’t just about talent—it’s about enduring hardship too!”
From a distance, Lin Ze watched Ling Xiao train so diligently and nodded with satisfaction.
“General, when we return to Baiyun Prefecture, can I start secluded training?” Lin Chen suddenly asked.
“Hahaha, of course! Competition drives progress, after all.”
Lin Ze burst into laughter.
