Immortality: Starting with a grave, I'm invincible when burying corpses.

For most beings in the Nine Domains, the journey from Grandmaster to Celestial Martial Saint is an insurmountable hurdle.

The Nine Realms are vast; even considering only the areas inhabited by humans, there are countless innate grandmasters.

In every major state of the Great Qi Dynasty, there are many innate grandmasters. These people either serve in important departments of the imperial court, or hold positions such as elders in various sects and factions, or live in seclusion in the mountains and rivers, or in bustling cities.

Even with such a large number of people, becoming a Celestial Martial Saint is still not an easy task, and the number of Celestial Martial Saints in each major state is extremely limited.

One in a hundred innate grandmasters might not be able to become a celestial martial saint.

Perhaps it was the convergence of fortunes, or perhaps the nascent form of the Heavenly Dao was slowly taking shape. In recent years, the concentration of primordial energy in the entire Nine Domains has increased slightly, resulting in a few more experts, but they are still very rare overall.

Take the entire Qishan Dao as an example. Even after it has subdued all the sects within its territory and recruited talents from outside, it still only has eight Celestial Martial Saints under its command.

It is not difficult to see from this that becoming a Celestial Martial Saint is truly not an easy thing.

However, if we consider Mu Ling'er alone, this is not how it should be done.

With Mu An's meticulous guidance and the consumption of countless precious natural treasures, her comprehension may not be sufficient, but her innate qualities have already undergone a qualitative change.

Logically speaking, there's no reason why Mu Ling'er should be stuck at the Celestial Martial Saint level for so long.

Mu An was puzzled by this, and Mu Ling'er herself was equally confused.

Based on historical records and information from various sources, she should have broken through to a higher level long ago.

Different people break through to the Celestial Martial Saint realm through various and bizarre methods.

Some, like Mu An, didn't feel any bottlenecks at all and broke through them as they practiced.

Some people accumulate knowledge and experience over most of their lives, and then achieve success naturally after receiving resources and guidance.

There are also those like Zhuangzi, who firmly believed in their own convictions, achieved a spiritual leap, and, with the right timing, location, and people, established a new path in one fell swoop.

Some also constantly challenge themselves between life and death, repeatedly teetering on the brink of elimination, seizing opportunities time and again when their lives hang in the balance.

Some people, even amidst repeated setbacks and failures, managed to seize a glimmer of inspiration and make the final leap.

Everyone has their own way of breaking through; there is no fixed process.

As for Mu Ling'er's breakthrough, she felt that she would never tell anyone in her life, not even Mu An. If asked, she would just say that she broke through while walking.

……

What does it feel like to be beaten up for the first time in your life?

In the past, Mu Ling'er definitely wouldn't have been able to answer this question.

After all, Mu Ling'er's life has been smooth sailing, and even among the young ladies of high society, few can compare.

From childhood to adulthood, apart from Xiaohe giving her a symbolic lesson, no one has ever actually hit her.

It was the same when she got into fights. There was always a group of henchmen who would stand in front of her, engaging in passionate brawls, going back and forth, and getting injured all over. Mu Ling'er had never truly experienced this before.

Even her martial arts training process was the same; it didn't feel like martial arts training, but more like children playing house.

When she was a child, Mu Ling'er also had doubts. After all, everyone else was very tired from practicing martial arts and inevitably bumped and bruised themselves, but she didn't have to go through that.

But Mu An told her with certainty that this was not true at all. Cultivation was simple; all you needed to do was comprehend it, and there was absolutely no need to fight with others.

That's what Mu An said, and that's what Mu Ling'er believed.

In Mu Ling'er's eyes, Mu An was the most powerful. He knew the most about cultivation and was definitely not wrong.

Naturally, none of the instructors in the Mu family dared to lay a hand on Mu Ling'er. They all transformed into warm and caring older brothers and sisters, playing house with their young lady.

Following Mu An's previous method of cultivation, Mu Ling'er forcefully turned martial arts training into immortal cultivation.

The difference is that Mu An truly possesses this aptitude, while Mu Ling'er does not.

This playful martial arts training lasted for more than ten years. After growing up, Mu Ling'er took over the Qishan Dao's business and became the de facto leader of Qishan Dao.

Compared to practicing martial arts, she cared more about political and livelihood issues, and her energy was completely focused on governing Qishan Road.

Mu Ling'er herself realized some problems at this point, but she was too busy and had been in a high position for a long time, so she had long been used to her current life.

With all these factors combined, Mu Ling'er's martial arts path has never encountered any storms, nor has she ever fought with anyone of similar skill level.

Until the autumn of the eighth year of Ningtai, in a small town called Hua'an in Qizhou.

For the first time in her life, Mu Ling'er encountered someone who dared to fight her seriously.

There are no clichéd plots, and no hero saving the damsel in distress or the damsel in distress saving the hero.

In front of a tavern, Mu Ling'er encountered a martial arts fanatic.

Wu Chi is a female swordswoman with a cold and aloof appearance named Qing Xi. She is not very old, only thirty years old this year, about the same age as Mu Ling'er.

Upon seeing the incredibly skilled Mu Ling'er in front of the tavern, the female swordsman named Qingxi went straight to her, demanding a duel.

Mu Ling'er, who has never been interested in fighting, naturally wouldn't agree. She just wanted to buy some wine, stroll around, and continue looking for the next suitable place to dig a hole and hide treasure.

Hiding the treasures was Mu Ling'er's top priority this time; whether she could break through or not was not really her concern.

Mu Ling'er wasn't particularly attached to the idea of ​​living for as long as she wanted.

When Qingxi challenged her, Mu Ling'er refused without hesitation.

Qingxi, who came from a prestigious family, did not force the issue. Although she was somewhat disappointed, she did not take any coercive measures.

Three days later, in a mountain called Qiyun Mountain, Mu Ling'er wandered around for a long time before finally finding a perfect spot to admire the sea of ​​clouds and began her treasure-burying mission.

To bury treasure, digging is an inevitable step.

Holding a shovel, Mu Ling'er dug and dug until she unearthed a small, dusty package. Inside the package was a small box with the words "My beloved dog Xiao Qi" written on it in crooked handwriting.

When Mu Ling'er dug up the package, she was dumbfounded. If there had been a tombstone on the ground, she would never have dug here, but there was nothing on the ground except for grass.

Just as she was struggling with what to do, Qingxi, who claimed to be a true disciple of the Qiyun Sect, rushed over with snot and tears streaming down her face, hugging the box and wailing.

It's hard to imagine that such a cool and aloof beauty would cry like this.

According to Qingxi, Xiaoqi was her childhood playmate and her most precious family member.

Mu Ling'er considered herself a reasonable person, even if she felt something was not quite right.

But it was indeed wrong of her to dig up someone else's beloved dog, so she sincerely apologized.

Unfortunately, Qingxi did not accept her apology and insisted that she pay the price.

Left with no other option, Mu Ling'er proposed several compensation plans, all of which were rejected by Qing Xi.

In the end, she was forced to agree to a duel with Qingxi as a condition for forgiveness.