Promise!

Chapter 159, Innate

After the General Affairs Department was promoted to the rank of Imperial Attendant, Mu Mingxi sent someone to ask for instructions. He then told Zhuang Jin that after some preparations, the head of the family would receive him at the Plum Garden in half an hour.

It's the end of the month now, and with the events in the east of the city, Shen Xianhong, as the head of the family, is extremely busy. Under these circumstances, he still managed to squeeze out time after reporting to the authorities, which shows how much he values ​​Zhuang Jin.

During this interval, Zhuang Jin went to see Chen Yun and they went together to the small courtyard assigned to them by the headquarters to settle in. They changed into their official blue robes, and there was nothing else to prepare. After thinking for a moment, he went to the Transmission Department first.

When he was in the seventh meridian, he received the meditation techniques for the seventh to twelfth meridians, which was just enough to break through to the meridian opening realm. At this time, he needed to receive the meditation techniques again.

……

Upon arriving at the Transmission of Skills Department, the person who greeted them this time was not You Peng, who had reached the Eighth Principle Realm last time, but Shen Xianji, the Deputy Director of the Transmission of Skills Department. This man was wearing a blue robe, with a line on his shoulder, graying temples, white hair and a youthful face, looking like he was over seventy years old.

'The Shen family's "Xian" generation, is he of the same generation as the Shen family head? He's also a martial artist from the same lineage as me.' Zhuang Jin thought to himself, then stepped forward and bowed: 'Greetings, Elder Shen!'

Shen Xianji returned the greeting and said warmly, "A talent like Venerable Zhuang, who has the potential to achieve fetal breathing, should, in principle, be received by the Director of the Transmission Department in person. However, the Director of the Transmission Department was not present this morning, so I had to come forward myself. Venerable Zhuang, please do not take offense!"

He was a member of the Shen family and had received an education from a young age. He had a strong sense of family honor and always put the interests of the Shen family first. He was also aware of the Shen family's corruption and long-standing problems, but he was powerless to change them. The emergence of new blood like Zhuang Jin was beneficial to the Shen family, so he naturally had goodwill towards Zhuang Jin.

"What are you saying, Elder Shen? I am terrified." Zhuang Jin said, his face showing a questioning look: "Is the fetal breathing that Elder Shen mentioned the realm after opening the meridians?"

"Exactly."

Shen Xianji looked at Zhuang Jin and smiled, "It's time for Elder Zhuang to know this level of information. I'll just give a brief overview. After the Twelve Regular Meridians comes the cultivation of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians. Each of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians has its own function, either to govern the Twelve Regular Meridians and strengthen their connection, or to restrain the various elements, or to maintain the balance of Yin and Yang..."

"Apart from the Ren and Du meridians, the first to sixth meridians are the realm of meridian opening. The Ren and Du meridians are separated as a realm, which is the realm of embryonic breathing."

Zhuang Jin nodded upon hearing this, but also felt puzzled: The Ren and Du meridians are also within the eight extraordinary meridians, so why go through the trouble of separating them separately?

Looking at Zhuang Jin's expression, Shen Xianji could roughly guess what he was thinking, and laughed, "When I first learned about this kind of realm division, I felt like I was taking off my pants to fart, but later I realized there was a reason for it."

"The Ren and Du meridians are extremely special... Before a fetus is born, it is conceived in the mother's body. After birth, it is polluted by turbid qi... As the sea of ​​yin and yang meridians in the human body and the root of the human body's microcosm, opening up the Ren and Du meridians is like connecting the bridge between heaven and earth, reversing the innate from the acquired, and leaping to a higher level of life... until finally breaking through the innate realm!"

"In comparison, opening up the Ren and Du meridians brings a much greater change in strength than opening up only one meridian before, so it is a minor detail."

As Shen Xianji spoke, he sighed, “The six meridians are: Chong Meridian, Dai Meridian, Yang Wei Meridian, Yin Wei Meridian, Yang Qiao Meridian, and Yin Qiao Meridian. Each meridian is more difficult than the last. These six meridians are already so difficult, and the Ren and Du meridians are even more difficult.”

Therefore, his previous statement that Zhuang Jin's fetal breathing was promising was already a very high evaluation.

"I see." Zhuang Jin suddenly understood and murmured, "Condensing Qi in the twelve regular meridians, opening the six meridians, fetal breathing in the Ren and Du meridians, and then comes the Innate Realm?"

"Gathering Qi, opening the meridians, and fetal breathing are actually the first major realm—the accumulation of Qi. Then comes the innate realm... The innate realm connects to the Xuan Guan acupoint, awakens the innate spiritual light, and draws in the primordial energy of heaven and earth, transforming internal energy into true Qi. At this level, even flying flowers and plucked leaves can injure people, and ordinary iron in hand becomes a divine weapon. Every move creates a three-foot-high Qi wall... In the face of such extraordinary beings, before their true Qi is exhausted, numbers have already become meaningless."

Shen Xianji sighed, "Taking this step has changed the level of life considerably... Life is difficult, as Zhuang Gongfeng knows. Even if a person is free from external calamities, sometimes a single illness can be..."

"Nowadays, people consider fifty or sixty years old to be long-lived, and those in their seventies or eighties are even fewer... But we martial artists, by condensing our breath and opening our meridians, can often live to eighty or ninety; those at the embryonic breathing level can often live to a hundred; and if our innate foundation is not damaged, we can live to one hundred and twenty years old without illness or pain!"

Zhuang Jin nodded slightly upon hearing this, understanding that the medical conditions in this world were incomparable to those in the previous life, and the average lifespan was only forty or fifty years... Martial artists possess extraordinary power, and their ability to resist illness far exceeds that of ordinary people. Their average lifespan is directly higher than that of people in the previous life with advanced medical conditions. At the Innate Realm, the level of life leaps, and their lifespan is something that even those billionaires in the previous life, who gathered the most cutting-edge technology, would find difficult to achieve.

"May I ask how many people with innate talents are there in our Shen family and the Medicine King Gang? If this is a presumptuous question, please consider it my..."

"It's not a secret, there's nothing that can't be said."

Shen Xianji waved his hand and said, "Our Shen family only has one patriarch, and the Medicine King Gang also only has one leader. If it weren't for this person, my Shen family would have already..."

"A martial artist of this caliber can single-handedly support an entire powerful clan and determine the rise and fall of a force. Even if they went to the capital, they would still be a top figure at the very top!"

'I knew it! The Shen family has a deeper foundation than the Medicine King Gang, with almost twice as many Qi Condensation and Meridian Opening martial artists, yet they have always been restrained, seemingly wary of something. It turns out it's because of the Medicine King Gang leader's sheer power!' Zhuang Jin thought to himself.

"Let's not even talk about that level; it's too far away."

Shen Xianji did not believe that Zhuang Jin could break through to that level, the Innate Realm, which was no longer a matter of aptitude or comprehension.

"Now that Elder Zhuang has reached the Meridian Opening Realm, he is qualified, according to the rules, to change to the Five Elements version of the cultivation technique. Each of the Five Elements version of the cultivation technique has its own advantages and disadvantages. The Metal and Fire attribute techniques are mainly for killing, the Earth attribute techniques are mainly for defense, and the Wood and Water attribute techniques are mainly for health preservation..."

"I wonder if this spot for practicing the Five Elements version of the technique could be transferred to someone else, so I can continue practicing the Black Fiend Technique myself?"

Zhuang Jin's cultivation of the Black Fiend Technique is truly able to reach the ideal level that the immortal created this technique—because there are no bottlenecks, breakthroughs are extremely fast, the speed of squeezing potential cannot keep up with the speed of accumulation, and the foundation and potential are continuously enhanced... In addition, this is the first version of the technique created by the immortal, its upper limit and accessibility are guaranteed, making it truly the most suitable technique for him.

As for Chen Yun wanting to practice martial arts, the Black Fiend Technique is obviously not an option. The Five Elements version of the technique is the best choice available at present. In any case, it's not expected that Chen Yun will reach a high level; just strengthening her body is good enough.

"Of course, they are a perfect couple, their love and affection are truly admirable."

Shen Xianji is getting old and doesn't care much for worldly wisdom and sophistication, but he appreciates loyalty and righteousness. He finds Zhuang Jin more pleasing to the eye and likes her more. People with principles and morals are more reassuring and better for the Shen family.

Worried that Zhuang Jin might misunderstand, he added, "It's not that our Shen family is stingy or unwilling to part with a cultivation technique. Elder Zhuang also knows that different cultivation techniques correspond to different cultivation resources. The cultivation resources for the Five Elements version of the technique require much more of the main materials than the Black Fiend Technique... Even our Shen family cannot supply too many people with the resources to cultivate the Five Elements version of the technique..."

“I understand, our Shen family has its own difficulties. This is for my wife… Elder Shen is very knowledgeable, I wonder if you could help me choose a book?”

"Why not? According to the needs of the Zhuang family, the most suitable one is the 'Green Wood Everlasting Spring Technique'."

Shen Xianji paused, then added, "Is Elder Zhuang sure he wants to continue cultivating the Black Fiend Technique? The Black Fiend Technique has another drawback: the higher the cultivation level, the harder it is to have offspring..."

'The Black Fiend Technique suits me best; I can't switch to it. I have no bottlenecks and won't get stuck. I'll continue refining the essence. I won't have offspring for now, so I don't mind adding a little more difficulty.'

Upon realizing this, Zhuang Jin immediately clasped his hands and said, "Elder Shen, my mind is made up. Please grant my request."

"Alright, alright, then I won't say any more." Shen Xianji handed over all the dynamic exercises of the "Green Wood Everlasting Spring Skill," the meditation methods for the first to twelve meridians, the purchase voucher for Wood Essence Powder, and the meditation methods for the first to eight meridians of the Black Fiend Skill to Zhuang Jin.

After the cultivation method, the next step was martial arts. Zhuang Jin inquired about martial arts techniques at the Meridian Opening level.

Upon hearing this, Shen Xianji burst into laughter: "Master Zhuang is mistaken. One does not need to change martial arts techniques at the Meridian Opening Realm."

"Once you reach the Qi Condensation Twelve Meridians Realm, you may be able to perfect the martial arts techniques you previously selected. More complex martial arts techniques involve the entirety of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, which are innate level martial arts techniques. You can't cultivate them at the Meridian Opening Realm yet, so the martial arts techniques you previously selected are sufficient."

"Furthermore, didn't Elder Zhuang sense that the Black Fiend Palm and the movement techniques he chose earlier, even at their peak, can still be improved?"

"Oh?"

Zhuang Jin did indeed sense that the proficiency of Black Fiend Palm and Swift Wind Step could increase even after they were perfected. He had thought it was because he had no bottlenecks, but it turned out that wasn't the case.
"The level of perfect martial arts skills is also divided into different levels."

Shen Xianji said, "The first level of perfection is the pinnacle. You fully understand and master this martial art, and every move is as natural as your own hand, perfectly harmonious and complete. Just considering this martial art, you have already reached the peak, the point where you can't go any further. Even the founder of this martial art can no longer give you any guidance."

"The second level is the pinnacle of mastery. Based on the peak level, one refines the essence of the Black Fiend Palm and then, according to one's own physique, fuses it into a unique move or two that belongs to oneself... Such a unique skill would even amaze the founder of this martial art. This kind of unique skill can be called a finishing move. At the third or fourth meridian level, one's internal energy can support the development of the finishing move of the Black Fiend Palm; at the fifth or sixth meridian level, one can support the development of the finishing move of a movement technique."

"The third level is to carry on the past and forge ahead into the future: to completely integrate this martial art into one's own knowledge, and to carry on the past and forge ahead into the future, and to innovate and create something new."

As Shen Xianji spoke, he exclaimed, "If the level of mastery is about adapting and using this martial art as the main technique, then the level of carrying on the past and opening up the future is about using it as the main technique and completely adapting it. At this point, it has become a new martial art that is most suitable for oneself, and every move and every move is a sure-kill technique."

"This level requires the support of internal energy. At least one must enter the embryonic breathing realm and reach the seventh meridian to possibly achieve it, but even that is only a possibility... In fact, this is already a legendary level. Among ten thousand embryonic breathing martial artists, perhaps only one person can reach it. It requires extraordinary comprehension... It is said that once a martial art reaches this level, it can enter the innate level and become quite useful."

Zhuang Jin nodded upon hearing this. It was good that they didn't need to change their martial arts for the time being. They were used to the Black Fiend Palm and the Swift Wind Step, and it would be difficult to adapt to a change in a short period of time.

As for the third level of perfection?

While others face countless difficulties, he may not encounter any bottlenecks, yet it is not impossible for him.

Zhuang Jin thought for a moment, then asked again, "Elder Shen, once we reach the Meridian Opening Realm and truly develop martial intuition, we can judge our realm by sensing presence. I wonder if there are any martial arts techniques that conceal one's realm?"

"The sense of presence in martial arts intuition is closely related to realm, qi and blood, and internal energy."

Shen Xianji thought for a moment, then went to the back and searched around for a while. After a short time, he found a small booklet: "This is the Turtle Breathing Technique. This thing is not considered a martial art. If you really want to call it a secret method, it has nothing to do with realm. There is no distinction between entry, minor success, major success, and perfection. Success is success, and failure is failure."

He also felt that Zhuang Jin was pleasing to the eye, so he told him everything he knew: "Martial artists at a certain level have a certain range of presence, or rather, blood and qi fluctuations. In order for the body to function properly, there is a minimum limit. Therefore, the concealment effect of the Turtle Breathing Technique has a limit."

"For example, if you have three or two meridians, you can use the Turtle Breathing Technique to hide at the level of one meridian, but you cannot hide below the level of opening the meridians; even if you open the Ren and Du meridians and enter the realm of fetal breathing, you still cannot hide at the level of opening the meridians... The test of the 'Glassy Realm Testing Puppet' directly reflects your own meridian opening status, which cannot be hidden either."

Zhuang Jin nodded in understanding: In martial arts intuition, the Qi Condensation Realm is like a sesame seed, and the Meridian Opening Realm is like a mung bean... Even if you master the Turtle Breathing Technique, at most you will reduce your presence from a large mung bean to a small mung bean. It's impossible for you to suddenly disappear into a sesame seed.

……

(End of this chapter)