Chapter 278 - 195: [All Things Return to Origin Scripture]

Chapter 278: Chapter 195: [All Things Return to Origin Scripture]

"So, a Martial Artist is typically categorized based on the types of Cultivation Techniques they have a talent for, but that’s not an absolute rule. Our requirement for S-rank prodigies is... to be an all-around specialist!"

Yu Fei was taken aback. "An all-around... specialist?"

Ye Shuping nodded. "That’s right. ’All-around’ means you must cultivate every type of technique and excel in all of them. ’Specialist’ means that within your areas of strength, you must be able to utterly crush other S-rank prodigies!"

After a brief pause, Ye Shuping continued, "Yu Fei, my expectations for you are even higher than that. I hope you can crush all other Martial Artists of your generation in every single category. To that end, of the merit points you spend on your cultivation, the school will cover ten percent, and I, your teacher, will cover another twenty percent. Understand?"

Yu Fei’s heart filled with joy. With a grand gesture, Ye Shuping had essentially offered to cover thirty percent of his resource expenses.

"Teacher, I’m so moved! I..."

Ye Shuping waved a hand, cutting off his flattery. "I’ve given you the benefits, but I have requirements, too. When fighting an opponent one realm above you, you are forbidden to lose. If you lose, all the subsidies I mentioned will be revoked, and I’ll consider it a debt you owe me!"

"Huh?"

Yu Fei was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "What if there are multiple opponents?"

"The number of enemies doesn’t matter. As long as they aren’t more than two realms above you, you are forbidden to lose. And this applies regardless of their realm!"

"Aren’t those requirements a bit too harsh? Surely no one can do that, right?"

Ye Shuping chuckled. "Oh, but someone could. The Grand Ancestor was just like that. Kid, as long as you can pull it off, I will pour all my resources into training you. Otherwise..."

Yu Fei swallowed hard. The old man’s demands were truly absurd; he had no idea how long he could meet them.

"I’ll do my best..."

...

"Alright, that’s all the important business. I’ve already sent you the list of Cultivation Techniques. Go back and study them on your own. With your aptitude, you shouldn’t have any problems."

As Yu Fei was about to leave, Ye Shuping added, "You asked me a few questions yesterday. Let me explain them to you."

"The person following you during the vacation was sent by your classmate, Xiaoming, to protect you. I didn’t expect you to actually notice them. Ever since you were designated S-rank, your parents, family, and close friends have all had Martial Artists secretly protecting them."

It all clicked for Yu Fei. "So that’s how it was! That Senior Sister is actually pretty nice!"

Ye Shuping just smiled and didn’t comment, guessing that Yu Fei had already figured it out and was merely seeking confirmation.

"Also, this Gui Zhen Dojo was my own training ground in the past. Later, I gave it to your Senior Brother, Tang Lihui! Got it? You’ll meet him when the time is right."

At this, Ye Shuping reached out and rapped Yu Fei on the head. The old man’s hand moved with extreme slowness, yet Yu Fei’s fifteen-fold neural reaction speed was utterly useless. He could only stand there, dazed, as he received two sharp knocks. A teasing laugh echoed in his ear.

"Before your Melt Gold Jade Body Skill reaches Major Completion, you are forbidden from bringing that little girlfriend of yours to the dorms. After you’ve mastered it, I don’t care what you do. If you’ve got the stamina, you can bring a hundred of them for all I care!"

Utterly mortified, Yu Fei fled from the Gui Zhen Dojo.

Back in the Geometric Pyramid Realm, the first thing Yu Fei did was search for "Long Lake Forgetfulness Tea" on the [Ping Tianxia] network.

This meeting with Ye Shuping only reinforced his feeling that the old man was difficult to get close to. ’Who drugs their own student? If my spiritual soul weren’t so strong, I would’ve fallen right into his trap again.’

’There’s the late Sima Hong, and then there’s the cunning old fox Ye Shuping. Neither of them is a good person. Based on my probing yesterday, there’s a high probability that the more powerful Ye Shuping was the one who got Sima Hong killed.’

’When I said I would avenge Sima Hong, I felt Ye Shuping’s killing intent flare up seven or eight times in an instant. From that, I can conclude the old man is definitely the mastermind behind it all.’

As he mulled this over, the description for [Long Lake Forgetfulness Tea] appeared.

[Long Lake Forgetfulness Tea]

Description: Its leaves are white and pure, a naturally sacred item.

Origin: A chance to be found in the core treasured lands of border regions with an energy concentration of Level 15 or higher.

Effects: Nourishes the spiritual soul, shatters obsessions, and dispels inner demons. An essential item for Gang Qi Realm Martial Artists seeking a Perfect Mental Realm.

Supplemental Note 1: The density of Long Lake Forgetfulness Tea far exceeds that of metal. The larger the leaf, the higher its density and the more potent its effects.

Supplemental Note 2: If conditions allow, consuming it during the Inner Qi Realm produces even better results.

Precautions...

The sample image showed a standard-sized leaf with a diameter of 2cm, weighing approximately 50g.

He tried searching the platform for sale listings but found none. There were only purchase requests, with the highest offer reaching fifty million merit points for 50g.

’It’s that expensive?’

He recalled the two palm-sized, snow-white leaves steeping in Ye Shuping’s teapot and couldn’t help but wonder just how much they were worth.

*Sigh...*

After carefully reading all the related information, Yu Fei understood.

Cultivation, starting from the Inner Qi Realm, brings one into contact with Spiritual Power. Unless one possesses the pure heart of a child, it is nearly impossible to live a life of perfect joy with a clear conscience. There are always dissatisfactions, especially from the first sixteen years of life as an ordinary person. These minor regrets gradually magnify throughout the Inner Qi, Divine Intent, and Gang Qi realms, eventually forming deep-seated obsessions. 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

The deeper these obsessions, the easier it is to become paranoid and fall to one’s inner demons. A flawed mental realm makes it impossible to advance to the rank of Grandmaster.

Therefore, the best solution is to cleanse the spiritual soul during the Inner Qi Realm, eliminating past obsessions. This allows one to get a step ahead in cultivation. If maintained properly, one’s mental realm can remain pure and flawless even upon reaching the Gang Qi Realm.

It’s equivalent to disinfecting and sterilizing oneself ahead of time, reducing the future obstacles to breaking through to the Grandmaster realm.

Of course, this wasn’t an absolute rule. For example, Yan Sea and Su Yue both had obsessions that were deeply rooted.

At the same time, Yu Fei also read about the side effects of consumption. No wonder he’d felt such a strong urge to speak his mind in front of Ye Shuping yesterday.

’That was a close call...’

Yu Fei shook his head. There was nothing he could say about the matter.

He then opened the list of Cultivation Techniques that Ye Shuping had sent him.

For his primary Cultivation Technique, Ye Shuping recommended Yu Fei prioritize the [All Things Return to Origin Scripture]. This was an unmodified, ancient Daoist true technique that encompassed the Inner Qi, Divine Intent, and Gang Qi realms.

Ye Shuping had stated that for Cultivation Techniques preceding the Inner Qi Realm, modern martial arts research completely dominated ancient methods. In other words, modern research had thoroughly deciphered every transformation within the three Qi Blood realms, allowing for constant innovation that raised the upper limits for Martial Artists. The [Ox Subduing Pile Skill], [Taiwei Profound Origin Pillar], and [Circulation Divine Vein Scripture] were prime examples. Across all of history, no Cultivation Techniques for the three Qi Blood realms could surpass these.

As for the Inner Qi, Divine Intent, and Gang Qi realms, conventional modern techniques were still superior to their ancient counterparts, especially with the endless emergence of various Secret Techniques that ancient Martial Artists never had.

It was only in the case of certain special Cultivation Techniques that modern research had not yet achieved full comprehension, due to a lack of test subjects and exceedingly high cultivation difficulty.

The [All Things Return to Origin Scripture] was one such technique. It demanded that a Cultivator possess the ability to perceive all elemental energies, as well as have vast meridian circuits. These prerequisites meant that only the most elite prodigies could even attempt to practice it.

The trouble was that the [All Things Return to Origin Scripture] had four distinct realms, known as Gathering Qi into a Pool, Fu Liu Ruo Lake, Vast as the Sea, and Infinite Ruins.

The results of cultivating these four realms depended on the depth of a Martial Artist’s Qi Sea. According to past examples, even reaching the Fu Liu Ruo Lake realm required meridian circuits solidified from roughly three times the Qi Blood of an ordinary Martial Artist.

And this was considered the bare minimum for a prodigy Martial Artist.

To achieve the Vast as the Sea realm, one would need at least six times that Qi Sea storage capacity.

In recent history, no one had ever cultivated to the level of Infinite Ruins. Prodigies with ten times the normal amount of Qi Blood might have existed, but they wouldn’t necessarily choose this particular Cultivation Technique.

According to ancient records, the boost to a Martial Artist’s strength from each of the four realms of the [All Things Return to Origin Scripture] differed exponentially.

The Gathering Qi into a Pool stage was comparable to an ordinary Inner Qi Realm, with one’s qi being clumsy, soft, and weak.

However, upon reaching Fu Liu Ruo Lake, one’s Inner Qi reserves and explosive power would already surpass most other Martial Artists.

Upon reaching the Vast as the Sea level, the power of every move became unpredictable. One’s Inner Qi was as deep and bottomless as the ocean, ranking first-class in reserves even among other prodigies.

As for Infinite Ruins, no one in the modern era had achieved it, so the descriptions in the ancient texts were considered unreliable.

The reason Ye Shuping recommended this path to Yu Fei was, first and foremost, his unparalleled foundation. His vast and pure Qi Blood from the previous three realms had allowed him to solidify all known meridians and acupoints into transcendent circuits. Yu Fei even had energy to spare for further strengthening his Qi Sea.

Any other top-tier cultivation method in the world would waste this foundation of Yu Fei’s, but the [All Things Return to Origin Scripture] was a perfect fit.

Reaching Vast as the Sea would make him no weaker than other S-rank prodigies. But what if he managed to achieve Infinite Ruins? His power would advance another step, perhaps allowing him to dominate an entire generation. This was precisely what Ye Shuping hoped for.