Chapter 573: Clay Buddha Crossing the River—Su Yun Arrives! (Second Update)

You carefully flipped through the *Tai Zu Holy Ape Stance*.

Your eyes burned hotter.

The lower three realms of martial arts are vividly called the "Three Minor Gates," primarily encompassing "tendon conditioning, bone casting, and blood-qi."

Training in this stage mainly focuses on refining the limbs and internal organs, stretching the major tendons to unleash greater power.

At its core, it's simply about "strength and power," a contest of how much force each side can deliver and how much weight their physique can withstand.

Yet!

Martial artists in the Three Minor Gates, even if their strength far exceeds ordinary people, may still be killed by a child or an untrained civilian.

This is because martial artists in the Three Minor Gates still have numerous vulnerabilities: the "eyes," "mouth and nose," "genitals," "temples," "flanks near heart and liver," and so on.

If an opponent seizes these weaknesses and catches them off guard, even a martial artist of the Three Minor Gates can be felled by a pair of scissors from a woman's dressing room, pierced through a vital point, and slain by a frail woman.

Sima Pan's recent sparring with you was straightforward and honorable, involving none of the treacherous, vicious techniques of the martial underworld, such as "Black Tiger Grabs Heart," "Groin Kick," or "Double Wind Blows Ears."

Yet in street fights of the martial world, blood is always spilled—swords drawn mean blood must flow; there is no such thing as gentlemanly combat.

Brawls and alley ambushes are commonplace, nothing unusual.

But once you break through the Three Minor Gates, the situation improves.

Martial artists who enter the Middle Three Realms rarely suffer the humiliation of capsizing in a ditch.

The reason is!

From the first realm of the Middle Three Realms—"Qi Embryo"—they begin strengthening their own weaknesses.

The Lower Three Realms emphasize physical conditioning; the Middle Three Realms focus on cultivating the intangible.

In simple terms, the Lower Three Realms refine the major tendons and muscles of the limbs, a body-refining method aimed at making the meridians supple and unobstructed.

In the Qi Embryo realm, one must generate a new qi within the body, like a clay Buddha seated calmly on a divine altar, qi sinking into the dantian, unmoving as a mountain.

A new internal phenomenon emerges, beginning to nourish flesh, blood, tendons, and bones; impurities and stagnations accumulated within the body are gradually expelled.

Once the martial artist perceives this internal qi, they guide it toward the heart and brain, first nourishing these two critical points known as the "Heaven-Earth Acupoints," the body's vital hubs.

As more qi fills these two acupoints, they will eventually open fully.

Once the Heaven-Earth Acupoints open, the body's pores can breathe freely; the more qi absorbed, the more power is multiplied.

A martial artist in the Qi Embryo realm can match the strength of ten beginners in the Lower Three Realms.

After opening the Heaven-Earth Acupoints, their effects become even more miraculous.

They can even breathe underwater, remaining submerged for one or two hours without feeling suffocated.

Their senses become extraordinarily sharp, able to perceive subtle changes in atmospheric moisture, accurately predicting thunderstorms.

Only by using the qi of the Heaven-Earth Acupoints to forge the "eyes, nose, mouth, ears, genitals, and temples" can one achieve full mastery of the Qi Embryo realm.

Martial artists in the Qi Embryo realm have far fewer vulnerable acupoints on their bodies, making them nearly impervious to ordinary people.

Compared to the third realm, they have achieved a qualitative leap.

The fourth realm, "Refining the Embryo," is undoubtedly the most difficult hurdle in the Middle Three Realms.

You flipped through Sima Ting's annotations, which clearly stated that crossing from the third realm to the fourth is like spanning a chasm.

Those without talent will remain trapped in the Lower Three Realms for life.

Those who join one of the Nine Surnames as martial artists and break through the third realm receive generous treatment.

Even street thugs and gang members, once they enter the Middle Three Realms, can transform overnight into influential figures such as Incense Masters or Hall Masters.

The difficulty of this chasm is as great as ascending from the Middle Three Realms to the Upper Three Realms—both are great mountains on the martial path.

Yet, once the fourth realm is successfully broken through, the subsequent cultivation path becomes smooth as a boat carried by current, natural as water flowing downhill.

Thus, among martial artists, the breakthrough from the third to the fourth realm is vividly called "Clay Buddha Crossing the River."

You pondered briefly: the first step of Refining the Embryo is to perceive and capture the subtle qi within the body.

Sima Ting's annotations further explained that this qi is called "Primordial Qi," the innate life-source one possesses at birth.

Some have weak Primordial Qi, resulting in lifelong frailty and frequent illness.

Others have strong Primordial Qi, making martial training twice as effective.

You tried to sense that qi—but found nothing.

Since humans consume grains and miscellaneous foods, impure qi naturally accumulates deep within the body, difficult to detect.

You suddenly remembered something.

Recently, while chatting with Xie Yuan, you discussed anecdotes among the Nine Surnames of Bianjing, especially the marriage his mother had arranged for him with Li Shuwan of the Li family.

It was said that the current Li family had a son born with the rare "Primordial Body," whose Heaven-Earth Acupoints opened naturally at birth, expelling all internal impurities—truly a prodigy.

Such a person learns martial arts far faster than peers; if he survives, reaching the Upper Three Realms is assured.

But alas!

This Li family's heavenly prodigy is a simpleton; now aged fifteen or sixteen, his mind remains that of a three- or four-year-old child.

You set aside your thoughts and reread the annotations from beginning to end, committing them fully to memory.

The annotations also recorded two methods to sense Primordial Qi: one is "Guiding Qi," where a sixth-rank martial artist helps you grasp the sensation, practicing seven hours daily for eighty-one days—after familiarity, you may gain control over Qi Refining.

Not only do you have no means to find a sixth-rank "Rouzhi" martial artist willing to fully assist you for eighty-one days,

even the medicinal baths and ointments required, as listed in the recipes, contain ingredients of astronomical cost.

Indeed: the poor study literature; the rich study martial arts.

Only one method remains!

Seek it within the "Spiritual Ape Embracing Incense" described in the *Tai Zu Holy Ape Stance*.

"Spiritual Ape Embracing Incense" requires performing the stance ten times; then, at the peak of blood and qi agitation, instantly enter stillness. Next, light an incense stick, and through breath-holding and three precise inhalations and exhalations, sense the qi within the body.

Once the incense burns out, you must not continue—otherwise, it will harm the body.

The breathing must be precisely controlled: qi must sink into the dantian, and tendons and bones must exert force joint by joint.

The intricacies here are extraordinarily complex; after rereading it three times, you memorized it thoroughly.

If you relied solely on self-discovery, it would be nearly impossible—this is all hard-won wisdom accumulated over generations.

This is precisely why aristocratic clans endure across generations—they possess deep ancestral foundations.

Just as you prepared to begin practicing "Spiritual Ape Embracing Incense," your gaze suddenly shifted—movement came from outside the courtyard gate.

Footsteps crunched on snow with a "pupu" sound; at least eight or nine people, accompanied by laughter and chatter.

You stepped outside to find the courtyard gate already opened respectfully by a servant.

"Young Master Xie Guan, long time no see!"

The speaker had just reached adulthood, wearing a crimson arrow-sleeve robe embroidered with golden butterflies among flowers, stepping into green satin shoes with white soles—his entire attire radiated wealth.

His features were merely pleasant, but his ears were large and flared, with exceptionally heavy earlobes.

At this moment!

His eyes scanned the dilapidated courtyard, clearly puzzled.

You walked slowly into the courtyard and smiled: "Young Master Su Yun, how have you been?"

(End of Chapter)