Chapter 48: Limit

The eight realms of martial cultivation are well known to all here by name, but the subtle differences between them vary greatly depending on one’s family background and the depth of knowledge one has accessed.

“In the first four realms, each has ten levels; depending on the cultivation art practiced, the gap between the top geniuses and ordinary martial artists within each realm is as vast as heaven and earth.”

Su Ye Hua spoke slowly, explaining the distinctions among the four realms:

“...After the Zhou Tian Realm comes the Soul Inheritance Realm, which cultivates the ‘Soul Condensation Art’!”

“Different tiers of the Soul Condensation Art allow for varying numbers of soul condensations; the highest-tier versions can achieve at least fifty condensations.”

“But compared to the Soul Condensation Art, the most critical factor in the Soul Inheritance Realm is the tier of the inherited soul Nian .”

“It determines the upper limit of how many times the soul form can be condensed!”

Su Ye Hua’s gaze swept across the students below and said, “If you inherit the soul Nian of a Four Standing Realm cultivator, you can condense your soul eighty times!”

“If you inherit a demonic soul, the number ranges from thirty to sixty, depending on the demonic species.”

“If you inherit only the soul Nian of mountain spirits or ghosts, the upper limit is at most twenty condensations—enough to satisfy a mid-tier Soul Condensation Art.”

Here, Su Ye Hua paused, her eyes flickering over two boys among the disciples wearing luxurious brocade robes with python patterns on their cuffs: “If you inherit a soul Nian surpassing that of a Four Standing Realm cultivator, as far as I know, the highest recorded is one hundred and eighty condensations—that should be close to the absolute limit of the Soul Inheritance Realm!”

Upon hearing this, many aristocratic youths showed expressions of shock.

The gap between a top-tier Soul Inheritance cultivator and an ordinary one was nearly tenfold! The two boys Su Ye Hua had glanced at reacted differently—one appeared slightly uneasy, the other wore a smug smile, especially as he heard the murmurs around him, casting a cool, disdainful glance with clear contempt in his eyes.

One hundred and eighty condensations? That’s not the limit… Li Hao glanced at the beautiful teacher and silently shook his head.

The true upper limit is three hundred and sixty condensations.

...Probably.

Li Hao silently added two words in his mind—he couldn’t achieve it, but that didn’t mean others couldn’t reach even higher.

He achieved this limit by inheriting heaven and earth, practicing four top-tier Soul Condensation Arts and five upper-tier ones.

Even if he continued to cultivate other Soul Condensation Arts, he could not break past the three hundred and sixty limit—any further progress… was his absolute limit.

When he reached three hundred and sixty soul inheritances, Li Hao also unlocked another form of soul form power.

He called it… the Heaven-Earth Soul Form.

…

At this point, Su Ye Hua continued: “If you inherit in the Tan Palace Academy and qualify, you may enter the Black-and-White Hall to cultivate the soul Nian of a Four Standing Realm cultivator—outside the imperial family, this is the finest inheritance option available!”

“Of course, some students here come from illustrious families with Four Standing Realm ancestors, so you may not lack such advantages—but others should consider it.”

Many in the audience immediately lit up—they were not like Li Hao or the two boys with python-patterned cuffs, whose families were noble and powerful.

The heroic soul Nian of a Four Standing Realm cultivator is top-tier even in the Martial Temple, extremely rare; unless one has exceptional talent or a rare personal affinity, one cannot even hope to gain such favor.

The Tan Palace Academy, as the premier school of the nineteen provinces, openly offered such top-tier resources.

“After the Soul Inheritance Realm comes the Spirit Travel Realm.”

Su Ye Hua said softly: “A Spirit Travel cultivator is already equivalent to a captain in the military or a famed martial hero—extremely powerful; even within the Tan Palace Academy, one can serve as an instructor in the Yi Courtyard.”

Many nodded slightly.

Spirit Travel… some of them were already at the level of their own family heads.

In many cities, such cultivators could dominate entire regions.

“In the Spirit Travel Realm, one’s spiritual essence can leave the body and roam several miles, perceiving all movements within a radius of several miles.”

“It can also shatter demonic illusions and sorcery with pure spiritual force.”

“And what is cultivated in the Spirit Travel Realm is the Spirit Refinement Art!”

Su Ye Hua said: “The tiers of the Spirit Refinement Art vary; ordinary versions, even when perfected, barely extend beyond three miles.”

“Upper-tier versions can double that, reaching beyond seven miles.”

“The supreme versions are even more extraordinary, reaching up to eighteen miles!”

She surveyed the students below, observing their stunned and complex expressions, and said calmly: “Eighteen miles is not the limit of the Spirit Travel Realm, but supreme Spirit Refinement Arts are exceedingly rare—only the most elite clans possess them.”

“And within the Tan Palace Academy, we have one.”

Upon hearing this, many aristocratic youths’ eyes gleamed.

“As long as you study diligently here and remain in the Jia Courtyard, you will all have the chance to learn it eventually,” Su Ye Hua smiled.

“Really?”

“You’d really teach this? Our family heads only practice mid-tier Spirit Refinement Arts.”

Some had already clenched their fists in excitement.

To train hard here at the Tan Palace Academy meant one day returning home to surpass their own family heads!

Just imagining that scene was thrilling…

“Hmph…”

The boy with the python-patterned cuffs in the front row let out a faint scoff, his disdain obvious.

Supreme Spirit Refinement Art? Eighteen miles?

Compared to the imperial family’s Great Yu First Spirit Refinement Art, it’s nothing—the ultimate version reaches twenty-five miles!

That’s half the distance of an entire city!

Against ordinary Spirit Travel cultivators, it’s an effortless crush.

The farther one’s spirit can travel, the stronger one’s spiritual essence, the more potent the demonic arts one can shatter, and even the chance to escape from powerful demons.

Su Ye Hua noticed the imperial boy’s contempt, but showed no reaction—she knew well of the imperial family’s Great Yu First Spirit Refinement Art, yet chose not to mention it, for such matters involved the imperial house.

Any discussion of the imperial house must be spoken with extreme caution.

“Teacher, what is the limit of the Spirit Travel Realm? Is it twenty miles?”

At this moment, someone asked curiously.

Su Ye Hua glanced at the questioning boy and noticed others were also listening intently.

She shook her head slightly: “Twenty miles is not the limit—the highest possible limit should be twenty-five miles… or thirty miles…”

“Thirty miles!”

Everyone was stunned—this was a tenfold difference from ordinary Spirit Refinement Arts.

The gap between the limit and the ordinary in each realm seemed always to be nearly tenfold!

It was hard to imagine what kind of terrifying power one would wield if one reached the limit in every realm.

Upon hearing this, the imperial boy’s eyes darkened with contempt.

Thirty miles? My imperial family’s First Spirit Refinement Art only reaches twenty-five miles—this Tan Palace Academy teacher is speculating recklessly, misleading students, and risks making herself a laughingstock! He was tempted to expose and mock her words, but remembered his mother’s earnest advice before departure: remain humble at the Tan Palace Academy…

Forget it. As long as I know the truth, let her fool these fools.

With that thought, he restrained his impulse, leaned back calmly in his chair, yet a faint sneer lingered on his lips.

Thirty miles… Li Hao shook his head again silently.

The things this beautiful teacher said differed significantly from his own experience.

Merely practicing the three supreme Spirit Refinement Arts from the Listening Rain Pavilion had already extended his Spirit Travel to thirty-five miles.

Later, Master Feng helped him sneak into the imperial secret archives and steal a copy of the Great Yu First Spirit Refinement Art for him to cultivate—pushing his range to fifty miles!

His spiritual essence could reach any point within an entire city in an instant.

But this was still not the limit—Li Hao felt he could go further; if he could find more supreme Spirit Refinement Arts and cross-reference them, his spiritual essence could be refined even stronger.

“If you reach the Spirit Travel Realm before age twenty, you are considered a genius anywhere you go.”

Su Ye Hua smiled at the students.

“But I’ve heard some reach Spirit Travel at sixteen,” said an aristocratic youth.

“My father says the Yanbei Blade Saint reached Spirit Travel’s peak at fifteen!”

Other disciples murmured—once merely amazed, now they truly grasped how terrifying such feats were.

At first, one sees the moon through the bottom of a well; only after stepping through the threshold does one realize it’s a mayfly gazing at the heavens!

“Only the top prodigies with a ninth-grade battle body can achieve this.”

Su Ye Hua said: “But don’t be discouraged—while reaching Spirit Travel earlier is better, in the last four realms, innate bone talent matters less and less.”

“At the Fifteen Mile Realm, talent can still create distance, but by the Heavenly Sage Realm, it’s one’s character, insight, and fortune that determine success—so anyone who touches the threshold of the Heavenly Sage Realm has a chance to step through the gate and become a master!”

“Teacher, what are the last four realms like?” someone asked curiously.

(End of Chapter)