Chapter 52: Isn't It Natural for the Protagonist to Cultivate Both Martial and Xuan Arts?

Probably to avoid trouble, the owner, upon realizing Feng Xue had no intention of taking change, added two more food-based medicinal recipes said to strengthen the foundation and nourish the origin.

Feng Xue naturally accepted this unexpected windfall; considering their value was only a few dozen copper coins, he simply opened the basic overview titled “General Outline” on the way home and read as he walked.

How to put it…

It was plain and unadorned.

Wu Xiu, as the name suggests, train in martial arts, seemingly following an external-to-internal path, with no concept of internal energy; at first glance, it looked like military physical training.

But when compared to the foundational methods of Xuan Xiu, corresponding relationships become clear.

Xuan Xiu emphasizes Jian, Ning, Yang; so too does body cultivation, though the process differs slightly.

If the human body is likened to land, both Xuan Xiu and body cultivation begin with “Jian” (strengthening the physique)—improving the land to make the soil fertile.

But at the second step, “Ning” (consolidating the harvest), a distinction emerges: if Xuan Xiu plants grass in the field (Qi), which drains the land’s vitality, body cultivation plants grain (Blood and Qi), which satisfies hunger.

At the “Yang” (enjoying the harvest) stage, Xuan Xiu feeds the grass to livestock (Spirit Soul) to gain greater returns, while body cultivation eats the grain directly.

In terms of yield, Xuan Xiu’s livestock are nutritionally superior and more valuable than grain, but grain excels in volume and satiety, offering risk resistance: it can feed oneself and occasionally be sold to buy more arable land; even if yields drop unexpectedly, one won’t lose everything.

Livestock, however, are far less resilient: even if more valuable, one must wait until they are ready for slaughter before gaining funds to buy grain or land, and any misstep along the way may break the cycle—leading to starvation before slaughter (Spirit Soul unformed, lifespan exhausted) or outright slaughtering the livestock for meat (Ghost Xiu).

This is also why Xuan Xiu and body cultivation cannot be practiced simultaneously.

After all, the body is a finite field.

To practice both, one must choose how much land to devote to grain and how much to grass.

Too much grass means insufficient grain for oneself, let alone buying new land; too much grain means insufficient grass to feed livestock, and the grass may even steal nutrients from the grain, reducing yields—ultimately yielding less than practicing just one path.

Yet in this logic, Feng Xue noticed a problem—

That body cultivation can seamlessly transition into Xuan Xiu.

In other words, one could first cultivate body cultivation, grow ample grain while expanding the land’s size, then plant grass and raise livestock: sufficient grain would sustain one during the livestock’s growth, and larger, richer land would produce more grass.

But this idea had barely surfaced when Feng Xue discarded it himself.

Such an obvious principle—could the world’s masters really not see it?

Perhaps this world’s original cultivation path was to first train in martial arts, then switch to Xuan Xiu?

Why did it become this way?

Because body cultivation is too slow!

Growing grain can earn land (lifespan) by selling surplus, but progress is excruciatingly slow—even a Grandmaster-level Wu Xiu gains only sixty years of Yang life, and by that age, their un-nourished Spirit Soul inevitably decays; even with more land and more grass, they struggle to raise qualified livestock.

Perhaps in ancient times of this world, rare treasures were everywhere, and people could easily reach Grandmaster level by simply eating a few, then directly enter Xuan Xiu.

But later, as rare treasures dwindled, body cultivation slowed, forcing practitioners to switch to Xuan Xiu earlier; how much earlier became a problem, and as returns diminished, eventually skipping body cultivation entirely and practicing Xuan Xiu alone maximized gains—thus severing the link between the two systems.

But Feng Xue was focused on another issue—

His grass (Qi) was free!

It consumed no vitality (lifespan) and did not compete with grain for nutrients (Essence); thus, couldn’t he practice body cultivation and Xuan Xiu simultaneously?

He’d merely wanted to accumulate more techniques, yet stumbled upon a bug only he could exploit (ah, no—it was a game mechanic!), and his mood instantly lifted, even making him want to sing aloud.

But that good mood vanished the moment he returned home and saw the soldier waiting at his door, seemingly for some time.

“Could the Port Gang still be colluding with Lu Cheng’s authorities?”

It wasn’t unreasonable for Feng Xue to immediately suspect the Port Gang—he’d only been in this world nine days, and they were the only ones he had a grudge against.

He brushed his fingertips against Liu Yunxi, prepared for the Road Roller Iaijutsu, and gripped a jade tablet in his pocket, ready to launch a Spirit-Controlling Spell.

But just as Feng Xue prepared to kill and flee, the soldier spoke politely:

“Are you Mr. Feng? The County Magistrate requests your presence.”

“???” Feng Xue was suspicious of the soldier’s courtesy; while a “first polite, then forceful” trap couldn’t be ruled out, some caution was still warranted—yet this man carried a gun yet showed zero vigilance…

Could the higher-ups not have notified him? But if so, why send a soldier? And only one? Why not send a secretary—or better yet, have him not wear military uniform to lower his guard?

Feng Xue’s mind raced with thoughts; after hesitation, he asked:

“I’ve never met the County Magistrate. How does he know of me? And why does he want me?”

The soldier, sharp as they come, immediately sensed Feng Xue’s suspicion and explained:

“The Magistrate didn’t invite only you—in fact, all the top experts in Lu Cheng were invited, because recent strange events have occurred in the county, and they wish to consult everyone. The location is Wangxian Tower.”

“All of them?” Feng Xue, seeing the soldier’s words held no deception, remained wary—but if this were a trap, there must be other ambushes beyond this soldier; even if he killed him instantly, escaping Lu Cheng would be nearly impossible, especially since the last train had left at noon—ramming a train to cross over wasn’t feasible…

“Then lead the way.”

Seeing Feng Xue agree, the soldier sighed in relief, smiled and stepped forward two paces, yet kept sufficient distance:

“Mr. Feng, do you need to bring anything?”

“No.” Feng Xue had always carried all his belongings on his person before acquiring the Pot Heaven Bag; since acquiring it, even more so—so he could flee at any moment.

In terms of Yin and Yang, Wu Xiu who cultivate Yang Qi belong to Old Yang.

They continuously enhance their Yang Qi, strengthening life force until Yang reaches its peak and generates Yin, nourishing the Spirit Soul—that is, Old Yang generates Young Yin.

Xuan Xiu cultivates Young Yin, consuming Yang to cultivate Yin, perfectly succeeding Wu Xiu; at its peak, one either dies and becomes a Ghost Xiu—that is, Young Yin generates Old Yin—or achieves balance through the union of Yin and Yang.

Ghost Xiu, as previously mentioned, as their cultivation advances, reach Yin’s peak and generate Yang—Old Yin generates Young Yang—forming a ghostly body no longer reliant on incense or Qi, or they reincarnate, becoming human again; reincarnation can also be seen as Old Yin generating Young Yang, aided by the ultimate Yin entity: the underworld’s cycle of rebirth.

In summary: the complete human system is a Yin-Yang cycle—

Body cultivation cultivates Old Yang; ultimate goal: Old Yang generates Young Yin

Xuan Xiu cultivates Young Yin; ultimate goal: Young Yin generates Old Yin

Ghost Xiu cultivates Old Yin; ultimate goal: Old Yin generates Young Yang

Ghost Xiu who reach Yin’s peak gain physical form, indistinguishable from the living; if they still cannot achieve perfect integrity, they repeat the body cultivation path, turning Yin into Yang via Young Yang generating Old Yang.

Any stage in between can be cultivated alone; the ultimate goal is achieving Yin-Yang harmony and self-sustaining circulation. Switching paths is merely a reluctant choice due to talent, lifespan, or other limitations.

Conversely, if body cultivation achieves Yang’s peak generating Yin, and Xuan Xiu’s Yin Spirit returns to Yang, one enters the True Immortal realm (not the transcendent immortals of cultivation novels who ascend to heaven, but the traditional concept of immortals who live long and endure).

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(End of Chapter)