Shen Changqing sat down before the desk, a scroll in his hands, completely captivated by its contents. After a long while, he finally put the scroll down, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Heaven and Earth are ever-present, but to connect them to the Martial Dao True Intent... I must say, the person who first conceived of this truly had an imaginative mind. It’s a pity that an idea is ultimately just an idea, lacking definite confirmation. While ancient records might offer some clues, there’s no real basis to speak of. Legends! They aren’t necessarily wrong, but they aren’t necessarily right either. Relying on legends to determine the existence of Heaven and Earth’s True Intent is ultimately unconvincing. Unless—unless a truly powerful expert has actually comprehended it. Otherwise, all such conjectures are mere empty talk.
If one wishes to comprehend the True Intent of Heaven and Earth, one must perceive the desired insights directly from Heaven and Earth. However, while comprehending it from Martial Arts offers traceable paths, perceiving it from Heaven and Earth seems rather illusory.
Shen Changqing couldn’t help but shake his head. The vastness of Heaven and Earth is immeasurable. Even if one were to attempt comprehension, where would one even begin? However, since Martial Arts possess True Intent, the phenomena of Heaven and Earth, in his view, very likely represent a form of True Intent as well. It’s just that comprehending it would be many times more difficult than comprehending the True Intent within Martial Arts.
After finishing the scroll, Shen Changqing stood up, returned it to its place, and then began to browse other scrolls.
The third floor didn’t seem very large, yet the number of scrolls stored there was far from small. Even with them categorized, finding a specific one still required considerable time. Shen Changqing spent a good while—over an hour—before he finally located the scroll he was looking for. It contained records regarding several True Intents.
Seated before the desk again, he meticulously flipped through the scroll, silently reading and attempting to commit every word to memory. Perhaps an hour passed, or maybe even two. Eventually, Shen Changqing set the scroll down and let out a long breath.
WHEW! The scrolls in the Martial Hall truly contain a vast repository of knowledge. Countless Grandmasters have left their insights here. Even someone with no foundation at all, if left in the Martial Hall, would likely have a chance to become a Grandmaster. He was once again struck by the sheer breadth of knowledge contained within the Martial Hall.
Although talent is crucial for a Martial Artist, a reserve of knowledge is equally important. The more one knows, the more pitfalls one can avoid in the future. Moreover, the records here were the insights of various Grandmasters, equivalent to receiving personal instruction from Grandmasters at every level. This approach was undoubtedly far more effective.
According to the scroll, different True Intents are, to some extent, compatible. The more True Intents one comprehends, the stronger their Spiritual Power becomes. However, the Spiritual Power gained from combining two True Intents isn’t as great as the boost from cultivating a single True Intent to its fullest extent. Furthermore, Martial Artists have limited energy and usually focus on a single True Intent. Only if they reach an impasse with that True Intent might they consider comprehending a second one.
Reflecting on the scroll’s contents, Shen Changqing gained a clear understanding of the concept of multiple True Intents.
Simply put, the Spiritual Power boost from two True Intents at the first level of comprehension, when combined, is less than that from a single True Intent at the second level of comprehension. Even though one plus one equals two, in reality, a single True Intent at the second level of comprehension results in purer Spiritual Power and is incomparable to two True Intents at the first level.
So, it seems a Martial Artist can indeed comprehend multiple True Intents, but few choose to do so. The difficulty of discerning True Intent from a Martial Art is extraordinary. With that kind of time, it’s better to diligently cultivate a single True Intent. Achieving a breakthrough with one is undoubtedly more beneficial than obtaining an entirely new True Intent.
Having found his answer in the scrolls, Shen Changqing knew how to proceed. Right now, he should definitely focus on the True Intent of Hundred Battles. The True Intents of Iron Sand Palm and other Martial Arts were, by comparison, dispensable. At least, they weren’t something he needed to comprehend immediately. Only if the True Intent of Hundred Battles reached its peak could he consider comprehending a second one.
As these thoughts occupied his mind, Shen Changqing soon considered another point. Since a Martial Artist can comprehend a second True Intent, it implies that experts who have reached the pinnacle of the Spiritual System might not be limited to just one. Perhaps they possess a second True Intent; that’s certainly possible.
However... Shen Changqing recalled other information from the scrolls. According to the records, a Martial Artist’s Spiritual Power cannot be enhanced indefinitely. Just as the pinnacle of the Physical System is the Great Sun Furnace—not because reaching the Great Sun Furnace state with one’s qi and blood *is* the peak, but because the human body’s limit allows cultivation only to that extent. It’s like a bottle filled to the brim with water; under normal circumstances, it’s nearly impossible to add more without it overflowing, unless some other factor comes into play. Similarly, although the spirit is more mysterious than qi and blood, the human body has limits, meaning Spiritual Power also cannot be enhanced without restraint.
Because each Martial Artist’s physical constitution differs, their cultivation limits also vary. For some Grandmasters, after taking one True Intent to its limit, their spirit becomes completely saturated, with no possibility of further advancement. However, other Grandmasters possess the capacity to accommodate a second, or even a third, True Intent. In the words of the Grandmaster who wrote the scroll, this is the difference in talent. Those with greater talent have a higher capacity. Those with weaker talent have a lower capacity.
This disparity in talent only becomes apparent after reaching the human body’s limits. Before that point, the difference isn’t significant. But do I count as someone with good talent, or not-so-good talent?
Shen Changqing couldn’t help but doubt himself. It’s true that everyone who enters the Demon-Subduing Division is exceptionally talented. Yet, even among them, there’s a hierarchy. Any expert who breaks through to Grandmaster is considered extraordinarily talented by others, but that doesn’t mean their talent is unparalleled. As the saying goes, there’s always a heaven beyond heaven, and someone better out there. If some possess exceptional talent, others will inevitably possess even greater talent.
After much thought, Shen Changqing decided not to dwell on it for the time being. After all, he hadn’t even comprehended the second level of his Hundred Battles True Intent yet; contemplating the pinnacle of the Spiritual System was still a distant prospect.
He returned the scroll to its place, picked up another, and glanced through it. Finally, he left the third floor and headed down to the second.
According to Zhong Ning, the second floor housed many Sect-Defining Martial Arts. Of course, ’Sect-Defining Martial Arts’ was just a general term. For a sect whose strongest members were at the Innate Realm, their Sect-Defining Martial Art might simply be one that led to the Innate Realm. For a sect with a Grandmaster, their Sect-Defining Martial Art would likely point towards the Grandmaster Realm. What Shen Changqing needed now was the latter.
My Invincible Golden Body at the Perfection Realm, although not yet at the level of Tiger Leopard Thunderous Roar, still boasts robust qi and blood. If Tiger Leopard Thunderous Roar is considered the entry point to the Physical System, then the fifteen layers of Invincible Golden Body are equivalent to the Innate Limit. No, it’s not as simple as just the Innate Limit... After all, even at the threshold of the Physical System, I managed to defeat Mairba, a mid-stage Grandmaster. That means a perfected Invincible Golden Body could actually contend with an average Grandmaster. Therefore, Invincible Golden Body shouldn’t be classified as an Innate Martial Art, but rather as one leading to the Grandmaster Realm. Though it barely reaches that threshold, its growth potential is undeniable.
My Invincible Golden Body has touched the entry threshold of the Physical System. Those Grandmasters who surpassed Tiger Leopard Thunderous Roar, or even reached the Great Sun Furnace, must possess even more powerful Outer Techniques to bolster their qi and blood. Other places might lack Martial Arts of this caliber, but the Martial Hall...
Shen Changqing’s gaze swept over the vast bookshelves, a sharp glint in his eyes. The Martial Hall must have them. If even the Martial Hall doesn’t, then it’s unlikely any Jianghu Sects would possess such techniques.
Approaching a row of bookshelves, he randomly pulled out a Martial Art scroll and read the title on its cover: Heaven Divine Skill! Even the name sounds quite domineering.
Opening the first page, Shen Changqing read: "Heaven Divine Skill: Absorbs nature’s spiritual energy to nourish True Qi. Upon Great Achievement, one can contend with Grandmasters. Heaven True Qi possesses significant healing effects and can extend a Martial Artist’s lifespan..." From the description, Heaven Divine Skill seems to be merely a health-cultivating Inner Strength technique. While it allows one to contend with Grandmasters upon mastery, it’s clearly not an offensive Inner Strength technique.
After a brief look, Shen Changqing returned Heaven Divine Skill to its place.
After reaching the Grandmaster Realm, the focus shifts to qi, blood, and spirit. It would be incorrect to say that Martial Artists who focus solely on Inner Strength are insignificant. In fact, some powerful individuals, despite not having entered the Spiritual or Physical Systems, possess strength comparable to ordinary Grandmasters. Such Martial Artists rely primarily on Inner Strength. However, spiritual attacks are traceless. If one cultivates only Inner Strength, they cannot contend with truly powerful Grandmasters. Conversely, abundant qi and blood can also strengthen the spirit, making one less vulnerable to ordinary True Intent Attacks. Thus, whether one is considered a Grandmaster is primarily determined by entry into these two major systems, not by the strength of their Inner Strength or True Qi.
However, if experts are at the same level, with comparable qi, blood, and True Intent, then the deciding factor in a contest is often the strength of the True Qi within their bodies. Take Shen Changqing, for example. Without using True Qi, he can unleash a punch with ten thousand catties of force. With True Qi, however, his punch can deliver twenty thousand, or even thirty thousand, catties of force. This is the formidable amplification provided by True Qi. Of course, any amplification requires a solid foundation to be effective; amplification without a foundation is nothing but a joke. And these two major systems form that very foundation for a Grandmaster.