I bear witness to immortality in the human world.

Chapter 189 Threshold of the Transformation Realm
"Having mastered the four supreme secret techniques of Lin, Bing, Dou, and Zhe, I am now fearless against any expert at the fifth level of refinement and blood. Once I cultivate two more Dharma forms to the fourth level... I wonder if I will be able to fight against an expert at the sixth level of refinement."

A glint flashed in Wu Ming's eyes, and then he slowly stood up.

Leaving his meditation room, Wu Ming walked down the outer staircase of the Thunder Tower. Once he reached the bottom of the tower, he leaped out of its confinement and headed towards his own courtyard.

Unlike the Shenxing Division, the Qianlong Academy did not have a separate dining hall. All the food could be ordered from the servants in the mansion, who would then notify the servants in the Qianlong Academy to prepare it and deliver it to the residence. This included all kinds of necessary tonics, medicinal dishes, and so on. It was all just a matter of giving a word.

In the Hidden Dragon Academy, basic medicinal meals and food are free of charge and do not require the consumption of spiritual points. They are all made with the finest spiritual rice and special meats that are most suitable for the digestion and absorption of warriors with four or five blood levels.

Back in the courtyard,

As usual, Wu Ming instructed his servants to prepare a meal, and after the food was delivered, he ate in the house.

After using it, he stepped out of the courtyard and walked towards the martial arts academy on the other side of the Hidden Dragon Academy.

In the year or so since he came to Qianlong Academy, although he has spent most of his time cultivating Taoist arts, he has not neglected martial arts. He sets aside at least an hour each day to practice spear fighting, so as not to delay his Taoist cultivation time too much.

In martial arts, the transition from the fourth to the fifth stage of blood clotting is a significant hurdle. According to Wu Ming's assessment, it would take him at least three years to accumulate sufficient blood energy to break through to the fifth stage of blood clotting, and only a little over a year has passed since then.

Now that his primordial spirit has entered the fifth level of refinement, it is not worthwhile to consume blood energy to nourish his primordial spirit. On the one hand, it consumes a lot of blood energy, but the effect on nourishing the primordial spirit is only so-so, not as good as some spiritual objects in the Hidden Dragon Academy that nourish the soul. On the other hand, it would be more appropriate to wait until his body completes the fifth blood coagulation before nourishing his primordial spirit.

soon.

Wu Ming arrived at a special location within the martial arts academy.

This is a rugged rocky hill, a special terrain constructed with an array. It is not particularly unusual in itself, but there are many gunshot marks on the hill, one after another.

These gun marks were mostly left by master spearmen who had coagulated blood seven times. They contain profound mysteries of spear techniques. Wu Ming would take some time every day to come here to practice his spear and try to understand the secrets hidden in these gun marks.

but,

A year ago, he had already mastered the Thunderclap Spear Technique to the twelfth move. He was just one step away from achieving mastery, but that final step has been the one that has kept him trapped until now, and he has not yet been able to fully comprehend the profound mysteries of the ultimate realm.

"The realm of perfection, the realm of perfection..."

Wu Ming, carrying the crimson-black gold spear, stood between the rocky hills, his gaze sweeping over the spear marks, revealing deep thought.

Even among martial arts masters who have achieved five blood coagulations, few can cultivate their spear techniques to a state of perfection. For someone who has only achieved four blood coagulations to reach such a level of mastery is naturally extremely difficult. However, recently he has gradually been able to grasp a glimmer of inspiration.

Wu Ming had already realized that his skill and talent were quite extraordinary. If he had devoted himself to practicing spear techniques for the past year and used all the resources of the Hidden Dragon Academy for martial arts, it would have been possible for him to master spear techniques to the highest level. However, compared to martial arts, divine abilities and techniques were indeed more effective in improving his strength, so he did not have as much time and energy to devote to martial arts.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Wu Ming pondered and practiced for a while, then picked up his spear and practiced for some time.

After an unknown amount of time, he felt a flash of inspiration in his mind, as if he was about to grasp the glimmer of enlightenment that led to the pinnacle of understanding. He stood frozen in place, constantly recalling the feeling from before.

However, that feeling was like a wisp of dust; you reach out to grasp it, but can only watch it slip through your fingers.

"……Or not."

Wu Ming failed to grasp that fleeting inspiration and finally shook his head helplessly, letting out a soft sigh.

Mastering a skill at the Transcendent Realm is not easy. For someone like him whose energy is not focused on martial arts, it is naturally even more difficult. However, if he can truly master a skill at the Transcendent Realm, then when he practices spear fighting, he will be able to better suit his physique, allowing his body to better temper his blood and qi, greatly increasing the efficiency of accumulating blood and qi, and bringing the opportunity to break through to the fifth stage of blood condensation sooner.

But compared to the somewhat ethereal realm of spear techniques, the cultivation of Taoist arts is more stable. It's a steady, step-by-step process, with each step forward representing a step up, resulting in a gradual increase in strength.

They practiced for a while longer.

Wu Ming finally put away his spear, glanced around at the surrounding rocky hills, and walked outside.

"Wu Ming!"

Just as Wu Ming left Yanqiu and was heading back towards the Taoist temple, a familiar voice suddenly rang out.

Wu Ming's expression shifted slightly, and he glanced to the side, only to see a figure rushing towards them.

"Hey, it's been a long time since I've seen you practice shooting. I thought you were focusing all your energy on Taoist cultivation."

Yan Chuyu, dressed in a gray training robe and carrying a horizontal sword, approached Wu Ming. Because she was running very fast and her robe was loose, the hem swayed slightly, creating ripples.

Wu Ming slowed his pace and shook his head, saying, "Although Taoist cultivation is more important to me, I can't completely neglect martial arts. I still need to come and practice every day."

"I see."

Yan Chuyu winked at Wu Ming: "Are you also stuck at the threshold of the Transcendent Realm? How about we have a spar? Maybe you can gain some insights."

"……Row."

After a moment's thought, Wu Ming did not refuse and followed Yan Chuyu for a while until they reached an open area.

The Qianlong Academy covers a large area with open spaces everywhere, making it possible to spar almost anywhere.

"Let's get this straight, don't use Taoist magic, I don't want to get hit by your lightning spells."

With a gentle flick of her small hand, Yan Chuyu drew her sword.

Wu Ming chuckled, raised his spear, and said, "Today's sparring is limited to martial arts." "Mm."

Seeing this, Yan Chuyu nodded in satisfaction, then her gaze suddenly sharpened as she said, "I'm going to go."

Swish!
As soon as she finished speaking, Yan Chuyu suddenly drew her sword and charged towards Wu Ming.

She has been in the fourth stage of blood clotting for nearly two years, and has also cultivated in the Hidden Dragon Academy for more than a year. Although she has not yet mastered the unity of spirit and body, nor the skills of the Transcendent Realm, she has still reached the pinnacle below the Transcendent Realm.

This slash was delivered without wind or trace, yet it possessed immense power, causing Wu Ming to look solemn. He raised his spear and unleashed a Thunderclap Spear Technique, colliding with Yan Chuyu in mid-air.

Yan Chuyu's strength is very close to that of Han Cheng back then. After four blood coagulations, he is already second only to the top level. In terms of martial arts alone, he is not much stronger than Yan Chuyu now. They can be said to be evenly matched.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The light of spears and blades clashed and sparked, and the fight was already incredibly intense from the very first exchange, reaching a fever pitch.

Wu Ming wielded his spear continuously, clashing with Yan Chuyu. The two were just like when they first sparred in the border stronghold back then, only now it was much more intense, and their moves were ten times more fierce than before.

"Chu Yu, don't hold back, go all out and attack. I can handle it."

After fighting Yan Chuyu for dozens of rounds, Wu Ming felt that although he had been tempered a little, he still felt that he was not quite there yet. He knew that it was just a friendly sparring match and that both of them were holding back and not really fighting to the death. So, he changed his mind and spoke to Yan Chuyu seriously, his voice going straight into Yan Chuyu's ears.

Sparring and fighting to the death are often two different things. When it comes to a real fight to the death, many people disregard injury and death, and there are many techniques that are used to exchange injury for life, or even life for life. Yan Chuyu and Wu Ming were just sparring, so they naturally did not have the feeling of a real fight.

But Wu Ming's current level of Taoist cultivation is high enough that even in a life-or-death struggle in martial arts, he is fully confident that he can control the situation. Therefore, there is no need for him to hold back against Yan Chuyu.

"it is good!"

Upon hearing Wu Ming's words, Yan Chuyu immediately raised her voice in response.

She didn't question Wu Ming's words at all. Or rather, she was already quite unhappy about this sparring, since there were no vice-principal level martial artists nearby to look after her, so she had to be careful and couldn't really fight. But now that she heard Wu Ming say this, she immediately changed her mind and threw all her concerns to the back of her mind.

With a swift swing of his sword, he leaped into the air, unleashing three powerful strikes at Wu Ming, aiming straight for his vital points!
Wu Ming's eyes flashed, and he also abandoned all restraint with his spear, which, like a bolt of lightning, instantly pierced the sky and collided with Yan Chuyu's horizontal blade.

Ding ding dong!
A life-or-death battle is completely different from an ordinary sparring match. Both of their moves have changed, becoming ten times more ferocious than before. They have both abandoned all concerns and are fighting like mortal enemies.

In just over a dozen moves, the outcome between the two was decided.

Swish!
A flash of cold light appeared in the void as Yan Chuyu's horizontal blade slashed fiercely towards Wu Ming's neck. However, Wu Ming straightened his waist and abdomen, raising himself a foot into the air, causing the blade aimed at his neck to instead strike his chest and abdomen.

At the same time, Wu Ming swung his spear horizontally, with an overwhelming force, and smashed it toward Yan Chuyu's slender waist. If this blow landed squarely, even if she was wearing inner armor, she would surely break bones and rupture internal organs!

In comparison, Wu Ming's inner armor was able to withstand Yan Chuyu's horizontal blade. Although the power of the horizontal blade at this level was also terrifying, even if the inner armor blocked the blade, the impact contained within could still injure the body. However, it was clear that the impact injury caused by the horizontal blade was incomparable to that caused by the spear.

Just when it seemed that both sides were about to suffer heavy losses, and Yan Chuyu might even be seriously injured and die, Wu Ming suddenly shone with a brilliant light, pulling his body to the side and shifting it a foot, avoiding Yan Chuyu's knife. At the same time, the spear in his hand also missed its mark.

"Huh...huh..."

Yan Chuyu's sword strike missed its mark. She flipped in mid-air and landed with a series of gasps for breath, saying, "I'm not fighting anymore! I can't beat you even using martial arts techniques alone, even though you've only been practicing martial arts for a short time!"

She spread her hands, revealing a rather helpless expression. She had clearly put all her effort into practicing the sword, while Wu Ming devoted most of his energy to cultivating Taoist arts, and his martial arts practice was sporadic. However, in a pure martial arts contest, she still couldn't beat Wu Ming. If that attack had landed, the best outcome would have been mutual injury, and it was more likely that Wu Ming would live while she would die.

Here

As Yan Chuyu spoke, Wu Ming put away his gun and stood still, remaining silent with a thoughtful expression.

Upon seeing this, Yan Chuyu's expression shifted, but she did not disturb him. Instead, she stood quietly to the side until Wu Ming came to his senses. Only then did she step forward and ask with a strange look, "Did you have another insight just now? You didn't comprehend a transcendent technique, did you?"

"It's not that easy."

Wu Ming shook his head and said, "I only have a slight understanding; I'm still far from comprehending the mysteries of the Transcendent Realm."

Seeing this, Yan Chuyu breathed a sigh of relief. If Wu Ming could just casually practice his marksmanship and spar with her to master the art, she probably wouldn't be able to sleep for days.

"You've already gained this kind of insight from just a friendly exchange, which means you're indeed not far from mastering the art. Oh, by the way... I just remembered there's a Dao discussion gathering in the academy in a couple of days. Would you like to go and check it out?"

Suddenly, Yan Chuyu thought of something and said to Wu Ming.

For more than a year, although she and Wu Ming had been cultivating in the Hidden Dragon Academy, she had only met Wu Ming a handful of times. Most of the time, Wu Ming was engaged in arduous cultivation and had not participated in any of the Hidden Dragon Academy’s competitions.

"A gathering for discussion and debate?"

Upon hearing Yan Chuyu's words, Wu Ming initially wanted to refuse, but after a moment's thought, he nodded in agreement.

Such gatherings for discussions were quite common at Qianlong Academy, but he had never been interested in them before. It wouldn't hurt to go and take a look this time, mainly because he was still a step away from mastering his skills. If he could gain some more insights, he might be able to achieve it.

It must be said that Qianlong Academy is indeed a place where the top talents of the entire Yong Kingdom gather. In Jingye City, those who can comprehend the Transcendent Realm technique after four Blood Coagulations are extremely rare, a once-in-a-century occurrence. However, in Qianlong Academy, although they are equally rare, there are always one or two in each era, so they cannot be called extremely rare.

As for the Hundred Kingdoms' Battle of Heroes, as far as Wu Ming knows, all the martial artists who participate must have mastered the art of martial arts as a basic requirement.

even,

Throughout countless years of history, there have been terrifying figures who, before the age of thirty, underwent six blood clotting processes and comprehended the ultimate meaning!
Compared to those peerless geniuses who are rare among billions, the geniuses in the Hidden Dragon Academy of Yong Kingdom are nothing special. Even his achievements in the Yuan Shen Dao Fa can only be described as rare among his peers, far from being outstanding.

(End of this chapter)