Wu Yuan descended from the Cloud Hall and found Sect Elder Huan patiently awaiting him outside. They exchanged a few words before the sect elder dismissed him, allowing him to return to the Cloud Martial Hall.
The sect elder was a man who knew the rules. When the Rain Hierarch didn't invite him to listen in, he didn't pry.
Returning to his dwelling at the Cloud Martial Hall, Wu Yuan settled into a lotus position and fell into deep contemplation.
So it turns out, it was all because of spiritual qi. Perceive the enormity of heaven and earth and absorb its spiritual qi to strengthen one’s physical constitution. The Heavenly Rankers were qi refiners all along.
Qi refiners scarcely feared old age, easily living for hundreds of years.
From an ordinary human, to a martial artist, and then to Grandmaster, there's no essential change.Only when advancing to the Heavenly Rankings does one truly transform, experiencing an evolution of life! There was a hint of longing in Wu Yuan's eyes.
And unbelievably, I’ve already met two of the three prerequisites to enter the Heavenly Rankings? Wu Yuan shook his head.
It was simply inconceivable. The only condition he lacked was physical constitution, but that could be easily fulfilled in time.
The Martial King defined the first-grade cultivation level as the possession of 200,000 catties of strength. I suspect this is the minimum requirement for entering the Heavenly Rankings.
Lacking complete information, all he could do was ponder and make conjectures.
But even though my soul and skill level have met the requirements for the Heavenly Rankings, I can't afford to slack off.
Among the Heavenly Rankers, there were both the mighty and the meek. As The Rain Hierarch had mentioned, some Heavenly Rankers attained the Unity stage, achieving true Harmony of Man and Nature. There were even Heavenly Rankers who could wield their weapons with their minds alone, slaying their enemies from great distances. Compared to these Heavenly Rankers, Wu Yuan was far behind.
My advantage is my physical constitution. When an ordinary Grandmaster enters the Heavenly Rankings, their physical constitution will probably just be over 200,000 catties. But after I reach the human limit, my physical constitution will eventually skyrocket to a truly astonishing degree.
Wu Yuan firmly believed that a strong body, advanced martial skills, and a powerful soul, were all products of accumulation. Once he truly stepped into the Heavenly Rankings, he would be stronger than the average Heavenly Ranker.
The Hierarch wants me to challenge the second level of the Skystride Pavilion after the annual competition, and also participate in a field trial? A glimmer of confusion flickered in Wu Yuan's eyes.
He hadn't forgotten The Rain Hierarch's words - she would stake her life to lend him her assistance. But cultivation was an individual endeavor. How could she assist him?
Could it be that The Rain Hierarch plans to venture into the Chu-Jiang Immortal Realm to seek treasures that can aid me?
The more he pondered, the more plausible it seemed.
For now, I can only proceed one step at a time. I must strive for greater strength!
The Starcom Consortium placed me in the 180s on the Land Rankings. With my current strength, I wonder where I would stand.
A little over a month ago, the new rankings by the Starcom Consortium were released. Wu Yuan still ranked first in the Jiang Continent Genius Rankings. At the same time, Shadow Blade was ranked 183rd in the Land Rankings out of fewer than 250 Land Rankers.
Evidently, to the Starcom Consortium, Shadow Blade's overall combat power was among the lower rungs of the Land Rankings. The reason he was not the lowest was mainly due to his formidable endurance. Otherwise, if the Starcom Consortium based the ranking solely on physical strength, then Wu Yuan would be at the bottom, as most Grandmasters were physically stronger than him.
Combining the two Grandmaster's Insights I've read, the 'World Land Rankings', and the explanation from The Rain Hierarch, Grandmasters can be roughly divided into four tiers. The weakest should be those Grandmasters whose skills have yet to reach the Harmony of Man and Nature. But they should be few in number.
The reason was simple. Unlike his previous life, it was extremely difficult to reach the human limit in the world of the Middle Land, and achieving a breakthrough in martial arts skills was even more difficult. It was almost impossible for one to become a Grandmaster at a very young age.
Therefore, those who did become Grandmasters tended to possess high levels of martial skill, and a majority of them were at the Perception level of the Harmony of Man and Nature stage, such as Grandmaster Chen Luo.
Above these two tiers were relatively strong Grandmasters. Their martial skills either reached the Integration stage, or they possessed a first-grade divine weapon, or both. Hence, their strength surpassed ordinary Grandmasters.
Currently, there might only be 20-30 such Grandmasters throughout the world, and all had the qualifications to compete for the title of Great Grandmaster. They were generally referred to as Peak Grandmasters.
As for those in the top tier? A good example was Emperor Jin Cang, who was widely recognized as the top Land Ranker. His physical constitution was astonishing, with his single-armed punch surpassing 250,000 catties of force!
He wielded multiple first-grade divine weapons, among which was the universally renowned Sword of Emperor Jin. He also reached a high level of martial skill, and most crucially, he cultivated immortal arts granted to him by Heavenly Rankers. He had virtually no weakness.
Immortal arts are, in essence, the art of manipulating spiritual qi. However, Land Rankers can only consume qi but are unable to refine it. Therefore, employing such immortal arts comes with a massive cost and the chances of successful cultivation are extremely low.
But once successfully cultivated, the power gained would be immense.
At this moment, comparing myself to Heavenly Rankers is futile. Even among the countless Land Rankers, I have yet to reach the pinnacle! I must continue my cultivation.
The Rain Hierarch has allowed me to read the insights of sixteen Grandmasters for free, I can't waste it. Reading is the accumulation of wisdom.
This book 'Majestic Earth and Oceans' teaches a method of qi consumption. I must also make time to cultivate it. A flicker of anticipation crossed Wu Yuan's eyes.
Previously, he wasn't aware of qi consumption methods, yet he had managed to absorb the barely perceptible spiritual qi. Now that he obtained a cultivation method, how far would his cultivation go?
After meeting the Rain Hierarch, Wu Yuan's life resumed its routine. Each day, in addition to his usual body tempering and skill cultivation, he would visit the library to read the Grandmasters' Insights. Every night, he set about practicing 'Majestic Earth and Oceans'.
Wu Yuan had initially thought he would have no trouble mastering the qi consumption method. It was only after trying it firsthand that he understood what made 'Majestic Earth and Oceans' so powerful.
The key to this qi consumption method is perceiving every single acupoint with absolute clarity. Only by circulating qi and nurturing the body with qi, can one gradually absorb it.
Thankfully, his soul was sufficiently powerful, such that even without the qi consumption method, he could vaguely sense the existence of his acupoints. With a method to reference, sensing the circulation of qi through his acupoints only became easier.
Time was of the essence.
Autumn turned to winter. It was another cold year, and the annual competition was approaching.
On the first floor of Wu Yuan's courtyard house.
I can finally perceive all 108 acupoints. Wu Yuan's consciousness coursed through the circuit of qi.
Boom! An overwhelming surge of spiritual qi inundated his body.