Chapter 566: Two Months to the Third Martial Realm, a Demon in Human Skin!

You begin practicing martial arts in the courtyard.

Though the air is freezing and snow lies thick underfoot, you strip off your outer garments, tie your black hair back, and expose your muscular torso.

The muscles on your chest and abdomen have long been honed to sharp definition.

This is thanks to Lu Hua's meticulous guidance.

If you had trained alone, you'd likely have swollen your palms, limbs, and tendons from just a few basic stance drills—making your frame bulky and misaligned with your innate constitution, only injuring yourself.

Over the past two months, your weight has increased by over ten catties, yet your physique has not changed at all.

When dressed, no outsider could guess that beneath this slender back lies such a powerful body.

In the past two months, you've undergone a complete transformation, reborn anew.

You're not worried someone might notice your bare torso—you now hear far better than before, and have ample time to pull on your clothes.

Besides, the small courtyard you inhabit lies far from the main grounds, adjacent only to a stable, and with this bitter cold, few ever come near.

Mostly, martial drills and stance work generate sweat within moments of each breath—during winter, that's a nuisance.

You begin moving through the stances one after another; each stance trains different positions and sinews.

The "Grand Ancestor Sacred Ape Stance" is divided into two scrolls: the upper scroll details twelve breathing methods—standing stance, walking stance, sleeping stance, and more—each with unique principles, and movements so precise they must be flawless.

It is precisely these twelve breathing methods that allow you to forge your meridians, recast your bones, and lay a foundation as solid as bedrock.

The lower scroll contains the complementary fist manual: the "Grand Ancestor Sacred Ape Six Forms," each form embodying the spirit of the ape, blending hardness and softness with boundless power.

You've mastered all twelve breathing methods and all six fist forms.

Martial Dao has nine realms, divided into upper, middle, and lower.

The lower three realms, also called the "Three Minor Gates," are "Tendon Forging," "Bone Casting," and "Blood-Qi."

These are the first three great gates of Martial Dao; once you cross the Tendon Forging realm, you can pound your blood-qì, refining it day by day.

You spent the longest time on the first of these three realms—full one month—to establish a solid foundation.

Yet for the next two realms, you broke through in just fifteen days, your blood-qì surging upward.

Lu Hua says your rapid progress may partly stem from visualizing the Two Master's two sword intentions.

The Two Master took up swordplay late, yet learned it swiftly—likely due to this unique visualization method.

This visualization technique can cultivate both the spirit-soul and refine the physical body of Martial Dao.

Now heat radiates from your entire body; even amid snow and ice, you feel no fear.

Your strength now lets you lift the courtyard's stone table and water vats with ease.

Strength enough to lift a cauldron!

After completing the twelve stances, you practice the six fist forms recorded in the "Grand Ancestor Sacred Ape Stance."

After mastering the six forms, you combine them—you spent a day refining, and finally learned the "Sacred Ape Smash Stone Hand," where the six forms stack to produce nearly two ox-strength.

The limit of the lower three realms is one ox-strength; combining the six forms doubles it, forcing out two ox-strength.

You tested it on a thick, half-foot-wide blue stone at the gate, took stance, and struck— the stone shattered outright.

Later, under Lu Hua's guidance, you tried again—this time, you left only a deep palm imprint on the stone slab, while the slab itself remained intact.

Yet when you turned the slab over, you found a massive hollow on its reverse side—clearly, the technique's penetration was extraordinary.

After completing the six fist forms with mastery, you exhaled, drew in breath, and stood in stillness.

You were drenched in sweat, beads of perspiration glistening on your scalp.

You'll complete the third realm, "Blood-Qi," in a few more days—but the middle three realms have no corresponding cultivation methods.

The middle three realms cannot be reached by stance drills alone; reckless cultivation risks injuring yourself.

Without the next stage's methods, this is now a problem for you.

Lu Hua naturally possesses a method reaching all nine realms—but it's the Sanzhen Sect's heritage, requiring you to join Sanzhen, which you refuse.

The Xie Fu also has methods for the middle three realms, but given the old matriarch's current attitude toward you, she'll never give them to you—and if she discovers you're secretly cultivating, the clan will hold you accountable.

Although strictly speaking this violates propriety, in practice many household illegitimate sons secretly train, and no one pursues them.

At this moment!

You sense an unhidden, long, steady breath approaching the courtyard.

After a brief thought, you already know who it is.

Sima Pan!

A servant from Sima Ting's household, he previously delivered the "Grand Ancestor Sacred Ape Stance" to you, and also brought the invitation to the Qunfang Banquet.

Facing this… you decide.

1. Hide your progress through the three martial realms. (Hint: May hinder future martial cultivation.)

2. Reveal your progress through the three martial realms. (Hint: May benefit future martial cultivation.)

3. Participate personally. (0/3)

The great bronze bell rings, spewing ten thousand rays of radiant light; the characters upon it slowly settle.

Yu Ke looks at the three options; from the hints, only one is "beneficial."

Choose directly!

2. Reveal your progress through the three martial realms. (Hint: May benefit future martial cultivation.)

You do not put on your top; in the snow, bare-chested, you move your stances with agile grace.

You stand like a monkey, arms naturally hanging, your body swaying gently.

In your chest, a translucent energy mass slowly circulates.

From the taut sinews along your spine, a faintly luminous "great dragon"—your vertebral column—rises slowly from the tailbone, pushing upward to the shoulder blades.

Thick blood-qì surges relentlessly within bone and flesh!

Hot sweat steams, muscles swell, your entire form resembles a divine monkey rooted to earth—your aura heavy, your blood-qì roaring like thunder.

A heavy snowstorm sweeps in as the year draws near.

Perhaps this year's snow came over a month later than last year's, falling in a flurry.

Open the door, and heaven and earth are white.

Sima Pan walks along, carrying a yellow wooden gift box containing an expensive goose-feather pen.

Amid such bitter cold, Sima Pan wears only a summer-weight robe.

A true man fears no such winter.

Of course, this is because he has already entered the sixth realm of Martial Dao, "Rouge Finger," the final realm of the middle three—his blood-qì like a furnace, impervious to wind, frost, snow, and blade.

He has begun cultivating the "Golden Body," the secret of the sixth realm.

The Golden Body!

Like donning a "Celestial Robe of Water and Fire," water cannot penetrate, fire cannot burn, and ordinary weapons cannot harm.

With his martial talent, he could have long since left his master's household and become his own lord.

In the Great Qi, martial registers are kept; once one reaches the fifth realm, "Spring Thunder," and has a sponsor, one may shed slave status.

But because the Sima household took him in as a child and bestowed great kindness, he chose to remain and serve them.

With his deep cultivation, even across the vast thirteen provinces of Great Qi, he could become a regional strongman or open a martial school, seated firmly as chief instructor.

Of course, without the drive to pursue Martial Dao, the remaining years of a martial man's life could be spent as a comfortable wealthy man, a carefree hermit—pleasant enough.

But!

"The Ninety-Year Lifespan of the Martial Man" drives all martial artists forward, including him.

He too yearns to climb the path of Martial Dao, to see the view from above.

The middle three realms are easy to reach; the upper three are exceedingly difficult.

Master Sima Ting has only just broken into the upper three realms—he can't even withstand ten strikes from the master's single hand.

The upper three realms are a great chasm, a dividing line.

He has been stuck in the sixth realm, "Rouge Finger," for over three years—if he lingers much longer, he may die without ever breaking through.

With his current status in the Sima household, he is treated with great respect, never lacking food or drink.

Elixirs and secret manuals for martial cultivation are never in short supply.

Today!

Sima Pan, under the master's orders, comes to visit Lord Xie Guan of the Xie Fu, bearing New Year's gifts.

The master also tasked him with assessing this young lord's martial progress.

Martial cultivation must not be taken lightly—do not take wrong paths.

The master told him that if Lord Guan has any questions or errors, he should kindly correct them.

Sima Pan holds a very favorable impression of Lord Guan—he admires how, despite his hardships, the young lord never laments.

What further impresses him is:

Xie Guan possesses great talent yet remains humble and courteous; such young men are rare.

Sima Pan arrives at the courtyard gate, knocks—no answer.

He is not in a hurry!

He stands at the gate, thinking inwardly: Lord Guan's scholarship and virtue are exceptional, but martial cultivation depends on innate constitution, and the crucial factor is "childhood training."

Only by starting young can one build a solid foundation.

He began rigorous training at age four, under the household instructor, training through the coldest three nine-day periods and hottest three fu days—every day, his bones felt as if they would shatter.

Yet Lord Guan is already thirteen—by martial standards, this age is already "late."

Moreover!

Without guidance from others, and relying solely on self-study, two months is surely not enough to even enter the door.

Reading books and training in martial arts are not the same—they require steady, step-by-step progress, with no shortcuts.

Talent cannot carve your bones and muscles like a chisel.

Sima Pan saw no one answering in the courtyard, and the gate was only slightly ajar.

He naturally pushed open the courtyard gate.

"Young Master Xie Guan, are you in?"

He had just spoken.

A pair of tiger-like eyes caught this sight, their gaze sharpening.

Within those pupils, a flash of shock blazed forth.

Inside the courtyard.

Deep snow lay piled, leaving only a few trails of footprints, and one carefully swept path.

Beneath the parasol tree stood a youth, facing away.

His upper body was bare; his skin, illuminated by the snow, appeared even paler, beads of sweat clustered densely along his back.

The youth slowly raised his hands into a lifting posture, as if bearing a thousand-jin burden.

Then, his hands descended in a smooth circular motion, radiating a fluid, powerful grace.

Accompanying his movements!

A series of popping sounds, like bursting pearls, echoed along his spine, joint by joint.

His tendons and bones tightened like a fully drawn bowstring; his breath grew heavy and forceful, as if a vast tide of blood and qi surged and gathered within him.

On this freezing winter day, wisps of steam rose from his head, like mist from a steamer.

"Tuo Yuan Zhu!"

"Zou Da Long!"

Sima Pan slowly uttered the name of this pillar exercise—the most difficult and final of the twelve breathing methods in the "Grand Ancestor Sacred Monkey Pillar."

He began martial training at age four, and only at age six did he finally master all twelve breathing methods.

"Zou Da Long" refers to the human spine.

Only those who have reached the third martial realm can manipulate the spine and forge the body's blood and qi.

Sima Pan could hardly believe it; his mouth hung open.

"Third realm—Blood and Qi Realm!"

"How little time has passed… ah!"

Recalling two months ago, when he delivered the "Grand Ancestor Sacred Monkey Scripture," that Young Master Xie Guan had weak, floating blood and qi, a frail frame, possibly even crippled by childhood chills—weaker than an ordinary person.

At that time, he could have sworn!

This Young Master Xie Guan had never trained in martial arts, let alone endured the forging of tendons and bones.

Yet the youth standing beneath the parasol tree now bore the unmistakable physique of "tiger back, wasp waist, mantis legs"—his root structure clearly solid and powerful.

Such a transformation, even for a prodigy, would require years of arduous practice to achieve.

Yet this youth had accomplished such astonishing progress in such a short time—truly unbelievable.

Sima Pan could not help but entertain a ludicrous thought: Could this Young Master Xie Guan be a demon seed wearing human skin?

Of course not!

How could there be demons in Bianjing's Xie Fu?

But what he saw before him was simply too absurd.

The youth sensed someone entering the courtyard, turned around, revealing a broad, muscular chest.

His eyes sparkled with vitality; seeing the visitor, he draped a robe over himself.

Sima Pan, seeing this, took a deep breath.

【You put on your clothes, stepped through the snow, and walked slowly toward Sima Pan, a faint smile on your face, your voice gentle: "Brother Sima, what brings you here today?"】

【Sima Pan was still dazed; only when the youth stood before him did he snap back to himself. He did not answer, but asked: "You… you've entered the Blood and Qi Realm?"】

【You nodded calmly.】

【Sima Pan finally exhaled the breath he had held; the cold air turned his exhalation into a puff of steam.】

【"Young Master Xie Guan, how did you accomplish this?"】

【"All thanks to the scriptures you delivered, General Sima. I followed every method recorded within." The youth spoke calmly, without a trace of pride or self-satisfaction.】

【"Truly unbelievable!"】

【Sima Pan stepped into the courtyard, sincerely saying: "Young Master Xie Guan, your martial talent is extraordinary—you mastered all twelve breathing methods of the 'Grand Ancestor Sacred Monkey Pillar' in two months, and ascended to the third realm."】

【Beyond astonishment, there was also a touch of envy and bitterness.】

【Sima Pan himself had taken four full years to reach this point—the gap in martial talent lay starkly before him.】

【Sima Pan and you both used the "Grand Ancestor Sacred Monkey Pillar" as the foundation of your martial cultivation.】

【He could not help but wonder: when Master Xie learns that Xie Guan has reached the third martial realm, what expression will cross his face?】

(End of Chapter)