Master Liudao Yuan’s gaze was intense as he looked at Lu Yuan and said, "You have exceptional talent and possess the unique gift of the Palace of Flesh. With my careful cultivation, within three years, you will surely be able to unify the southern Martial Arts Circle. Within five years, you will infiltrate the Sum Nation, exterminate the Snake Sect, and restoring the glory of the Heaven Water Sect will be easily achievable. Within ten years, you will penetrate Martial Saint Island. In twenty years, you will overthrow Penglai. It’s not impossible that in thirty years, you will dominate the entire Martial Arts Circle of Sum Country..."
Lu Yuan choked on his soda, staring at Master Liudao Yuan in disbelief.
What was this about the southern Martial Arts Circle? What Martial Saint Island? What Penglai? What is this about dominating the martial arts world and unifying the rivers and lakes... What did this all mean?
He suddenly felt like he was in way over his head. If Master Liudao Yuan hadn’t immediately changed the subject with his next sentence, Lu Yuan might have just stood up and run away.
"...But all these should seem far too distant to you now. You’re still just in the stage of Cultivating Bone, aren’t you?" Master Liudao Yuan glanced at him, speaking softly.
Lu Yuan nodded without denial. Having just sparred with Master Liudao Yuan, such things couldn’t be hidden; a quick test would reveal it.
"After Cultivating Bone comes PracticeOrgans. Your Vigor has already taken shape, meaning you’ve already half-stepped into the martial master realm. Once your Vigor has been cultivated throughout your entire body, and you have comprehended True Intention from my Crane Sect’s three True Skills, only then can it be considered Martial Arts Great Achievement..."
Lu Yuan had heard the term ’martial master’ before during assessments—this referred to manifesting Crane Strength, a level associated with the Crane Sect’s few direct disciples. But this was the first time he had heard of ’True Intention’.
"Is Master at the True Intention Level?" Lu Yuan asked tentatively.
"Mm," Master Liudao Yuan replied calmly. "The True Intention Level is also known as Sect Master Level, Hall Master Level... because only by comprehending True Intention does one qualify to claim the title of master of a sect or a hall. This is the division in the orthodox Martial Arts Circle, different from the self-proclaimed titles of any Tom, Dick, or Harry you might hear about."
"So, what is the realm above the Sect Master Level, for one who has comprehended True Intention?" Lu Yuan had always been rather muddled and unclear about the hierarchy in the Martial Arts Circle. Now that he had the chance, he wanted to understand it all at once.
"Above the Sect Master Level... is the Grandmaster. This requires the fusion of Vigor and intention, achieving a state of being ’the one and only’... This realm is too far from you; you might not reach it in this lifetime, so there’s no need to understand it too deeply."
Master Liudao Yuan addressed Lu Yuan seriously, "All you need to do now is diligently practice the Crane Sect’s several True Skills that I have passed down to you. Then, you must develop your Palace of Flesh talent to its utmost limit. The Palace of Flesh is a Legendary Level martial arts talent, one in a million. If used well, even if you don’t become a Grandmaster, you won’t necessarily be weaker than one."
Lu Yuan’s eyes shimmered slightly. He had been hearing Master Liudao Yuan mention the "Palace of Flesh" repeatedly and was just about to ask.
"What exactly is the Palace of Flesh?"
"It is the ability you’ve exhibited, that capacity to mobilize and control your muscles. It’s one of the five legendary talents in the Martial Arts Circle: Skin Abyss, Palace of Flesh, Bone Mountain, Five Internal Organs Fairy, and Brain Divine Power... The Palace of Flesh represents absolute, invincible Physical Strength. When developed to its extreme, it embodies a fearsome power that even Grandmasters would be wary of..."
So the effects of [Special Burst] were hyped up this much in the traditional Martial Arts Circle? Palace of Flesh! On reflection, when I activate [Special Burst], my muscles do bulge impressively, like a magnificent palace.
Lu Yuan’s eyes flashed with curiosity. He casually refilled Master Liudao Yuan’s teacup with soda and said encouragingly, "Master, please elaborate on the other four as well."
Master Liudao Yuan glanced at him, scoffed lightly, then picked up the cup before him and drained it in one gulp. Afterwards, he continued slowly.
"There’s no harm in you learning about the other four. Skin Abyss means one’s skin is like an uncrossable abyss; any attack or Vigor landing on it will be absorbed and vanish without a trace, as if sinking into the void. It represents absolute defense.
Bone Mountain means bones like a divine mountain, harder than refined steel, indestructible, yet also capable of destroying anything. A Martial Artist gifted with Bone Mountain will far surpass their peers in any hand-to-hand combat, their lethality exceeding even those wielding weapons.
Five Internal Organs Fairy means one’s five organs possess boundless vitality, like those of an immortal. Those who possess such organs have recovery rates, lifespans, and vitality many times greater than ordinary people—a talent even Grandmasters dream of.
As for Brain Divine Power..."
Master Liudao Yuan paused for a moment, then said, "It hasn’t appeared many times in the Martial Arts Circle, and I’ve only heard whispers of it. It’s said that those with Brain Divine Power have exceptional comprehension and can make astounding progress in their techniques in a single day. Moreover, they can simulate battles in their mind, anticipate their enemy’s moves, and rarely meet their match. Breaking through to the True Intention Realm is as easy as eating and drinking for them; as long as their physical talent isn’t excessively poor, becoming a Grandmaster is readily attainable..."
Simulate battles... exceptional comprehension... Read complete version only at novel⁂fire.net
Lu Yuan felt something was a bit odd as he heard this.
Aren’t those just the effects of [Imaginary Enemy] and [Flash of Insight]? By that logic, does that mean I also have Brain Divine Power?
Of course, he couldn’t possibly say these things to Master Liudao Yuan.
Lu Yuan pondered for a moment, then couldn’t resist asking, "Master, can those at the True Intention Level, or even the higher Grandmaster Realm, defeat those Modified Humans? Can they withstand an Energy Cannon blast?"
Master Liudao Yuan fell silent, only glancing at him oddly. "Why do you ask this?"
"Just curious, asking casually," Lu Yuan replied.
Master Liudao Yuan thought for a moment, then replied, "A top martial master whose Vigor permeates their entire body would be very difficult to injure with ordinary firearms..."
Lu Yuan’s spirits lifted.
But then he heard Master Liudao Yuan continue, "However, against large-caliber firearms, it’s still very difficult to withstand. Let alone high-intensity energy weapon attacks. Perhaps those in the Grandmaster Realm can, but those in the True Intention Realm cannot. Unless they kill the enemy before the enemy can act..."
"Even Skin Abyss can’t block it?" Lu Yuan frowned.
"The absolute defense of Skin Abyss is primarily against human-level power. Anything significantly exceeding that... is beyond its scope. Perhaps..." Master Liudao Yuan pondered, "someone who possesses all five talents—Palace of Flesh, Skin Abyss, Bone Mountain, Five Internal Organs Fairy, and Brain Divine Power—could withstand high-tech weaponry. There’s a legend in the Martial Arts Circle that if someone appears with all five talents combined, traditional martial arts will undergo an earth-shattering transformation... But that’s just a legend; it’s fundamentally impossible for such a person to be born..."
Only after losing my limbs and both eyes did I realize that the decline of Ancient Martial Arts is the irresistible torrent of the times... You may not believe it looking at me now, but my strength is actually greater by several degrees than when I had all my limbs and my sight. If I were to go back and seek revenge, slaughtering my past enemies would be no issue. But doing so would feel like borrowing external power, relying on the hands of others. Even if revenge was exacted, it would lose its meaning...
Master Liudao Yuan sighed with emotion, drinking the fruit-flavored soda in his hand as if it were strong white liquor.
Listening to this, Lu Yuan couldn’t help but sneer internally.
Yeah, seeking revenge with high-tech prosthetics is considered relying on others, devoid of true satisfaction. But if *I* avenge you, then it’s not relying on others. You’re really something else, Master Liudao Yuan!
After his emotional outburst, Master Liudao Yuan regained his composure, and the topic returned to Lu Yuan.
"Your development of the Palace of Flesh is still quite rudimentary. But this is also my first time encountering someone with the Palace of Flesh, so I can’t guide you. However... the previous owner of the Palace of Flesh talent was from the Hundred Refinements Sect. The Hundred Refinements Sect might have some of his cultivation insights or notes left behind, which should be helpful to you. I’ll pay a visit to the Hundred Refinements Sect tomorrow and try to borrow them for you."
Even though his so-called "Palace of Flesh" came from [Special Burst] and only needed points for upgrades, the experiences of others might not necessarily be useful to him.
But hearing Master Liudao Yuan say this, Lu Yuan still felt a little touched.
"Thank you, Master. Are you well acquainted with the Hundred Refinements Sect, Master?"
"Reasonably so. I fought alongside their former Sect Master a few times. But that person was too high-profile and unrestrained, eventually provoking the authorities. As a result, his ’Palace of Flesh,’ for all its muscular glory, was utterly obliterated by a dozen heavy Mecha..."
After speaking, Master Liudao Yuan looked at Lu Yuan again and sighed softly, "It’s a pity that our Crane Sect’s body tempering method is only average and not perfectly suited for you. If you could obtain the Heavenly Domination Extravagant Body, the body tempering method from the former Holy Fist Sect... Only then could the peerless might of this great muscular power of yours be pushed to its absolute limit..."
Heavenly Domination... Extravagant Body?!
Hearing this name, Lu Yuan blinked.