Chapter 4

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

A blue entry!

This was the highest-level entry that Li Ming had obtained in the past three years.

A blue entry provided extraordinary effects on specific aspects.

At the same time, it came with skills and special abilities!

After combining all of those entries, he synthesized [Unobstructed Hundred Meridians (Blue)].

Its effect was to increase the efficiency of learning any body tempering cultivation technique by 100%. The effect was very powerful.

If everything went as expected, he would be able to speed his way through the path of body refinement as much as he wanted.

Furthermore, this entry also came with a skill.

[Martial Arts Fanatic]!

“This skill increases the power of any martial arts technique by 50%. This is a ridiculously powerful skill.”

Li Ming was exhilarated.

He had only now learned of how amazing blue entries were.

He could not even imagine just how much more amazing the higher-leveled terms would be.

He returned to his courtyard.

He did not even need to circulate his qi to directly use his body tempering technique [Hundred Refinement Diamond Body].

His body was filled with qi and blood, and they flowed smoothly through his meridians.

He felt his own strength and sensed that his body had become as hard as steel.

When he carried out a set of exercises, he discovered that his efficiency had suddenly increased. The cells in his body seemed to have been tempered and reorganized, becoming extremely tough.

No matter if it was his strength or qi and blood, none of them experienced any stagnation at all as they coursed through his body.

“Phew, it seems that the Unobstructed Hundred Meridians has really made it so that it is much easier for me to refine my body.”

Li Ming was pleasantly surprised.

The path of body refinement that he had been treading seemed to have become much easier with the introduction of the Unobstructed Hundred Meridians entry.

When he used the [Hundred Refinement Diamond Body], he realized that he had already mastered this basic body tempering technique.

Li Ming knew that with the improvement of his body refinement, ordinary cultivation techniques were no longer enough.

He needed to find a cultivation technique that was more suitable for him.

Similar to qi refinement techniques, martial dao cultivation techniques had their own various aspects that they lay greater emphasis on. In addition, just as there were different levels of power, there were different-leveled techniques.

For example, the [Hundred Refinement Diamond Body] mainly focused on refining a person’s skin and bones.

“It’s getting late. I’ll go to the scripture depository tomorrow to find another cultivation technique.”

After Li Ming obtained the Unobstructed Hundred Meridians, he began practicing another set of fist techniques in a refreshed manner. He was now looking forward to profound martial dao cultivation techniques more and more.

…

On the next day, he did not carry out his morning routine as he usually did.

Instead, he put on a green daoist robe and headed to the scripture depository of the Divine Will Sect.

As he was making his way over to the depository, many disiciples recognized him.

After all, as a genius brought back by an elder of the sect three years ago and then became obsessed with body cultivation, he had become rather well-known throughout the sect.

Li Ming’s expression did not change even though so many people looked at him with strange gazes as he walked.

Three years had already passed. If he did not have a firm dao heart, how could he even speak about achieving great things on the immortal path?

Soon enough, not too far away from him, a pagoda-like building came into view. The scripture depository was grandly located in the middle of the mountain, and there were usually not many people coming and going.

Li Ming soon arrived at the scripture depository. After showing his token to the senior brother who was guarding the depository, he strode in.

“Junior Brother Li, all of the qi refinement cultivation techniques are on the first floor.”

The senior brother who was guarding the depository reminded him out of good will.

“Thank you, Senior Brother Huang,” Li Ming said with a gentle smile.

He walked into the pagoda-like building. There were many disciples selecting cultivation techniques on the first floor.

He took a quick look around. Just as the senior brother had said, the cultivation techniques here were all immortal cultivation techniques.

He remembered many of them to the letter.

However, he did not have the aptitude for such immortal cultivation and could not comprehend such techniques.

He could tell just by looking at the progress bar of the entry for his immortal cultivation just how bad his talent for it was.

Li Ming headed to the second floor calmly.

There were not many people on the second floor of the scripture depository.

As he strolled around the second floor, he scanned the bookshelves.

Most of the books placed in the bookshelves here were martial arts cultivation techniques, but because it had been too long since anyone had read them, they had already become covered in dust.

“It seems that other than me, no one else even wants to check any of these scriptures out.”

Li Ming said to himself rather self-mockingly. Nevertheless, he went to pick a martial dao cultivation technique that suited him.

As far as the Divine Will Sect was concerned, these martial dao cultivation techniques were actually quite complete.

This was because the dao of body refinement had once been popular in the past.

All kinds of schools were quite perfect, and this included both internal and external techniques.

However, after the rise of qi cultivation, body cultivation was no longer mainstream, and people began to move away from it.

“Internal strength is the most important; always consider things carefully.”

“I can choose a few more external techniques to practice.”

Li Ming went in front of a bookshelf and flipped through the books on it. The more he read, the more spirited he became.

Although his qi cultivation talent was not good, body cultivation did not really care too much about aptitude or talent.

As long as you practice, you will gain something.

Your body would not let you down.

Li Ming knew that when one’s body was refined to a certain level, one’s body could become godly.

Only those who could move mountains and fill oceans, and make the world much smaller for themselves, were truly mighty.

All in all, it was completely possible to refine one’s body to become immortal.

However, it could not be denied that with the rise of qi cultivation, body cultivation still became much less popular and fell out of grace.

The main problem with body cultivation was that it required more resources, and it required much more grinding as compared to qi cultivation.

Body cultivation required one to continuously temper their body. If one wanted to truly achieve success in this path, the time that they spent would generally be longer than those who simply opted for qi cultivation.

When comparing choices, the effort that body cultivation required was simply not proportional to its returns. As such, there were naturally fewer and fewer people that came to practice it.

At first, Li Ming also wanted to choose qi cultivation, but after accidentally refining his body, he found it truly invigorating.

Only after proper practice and training would one be able to feel the various benefits of body cultivation.

Of course…

He also experienced the torturous pain that came with body refinement.

Body cultivation was truly difficult. The difficulty here lay in how practicing martial arts was a very bitter process and had high requirements on the martial artist’s state of mind.

The demands that some practices had were simply horrific, and it was difficult to persist without a strong mind.

And once one gave up, all their previous efforts would be in vain.

As for qi cultivation, it was much easier. One simply had to breathe according to the techniques

However, the requirements for aptitude were much higher as well. For example, if one had the root of wisdom or a special physique, they could refine qi with great efficiency and make rapid progress.

This was also the reason why the elder treated Li Ming like a treasure.

Everyone loved to take shortcuts, but God still gave everyone a chance to carve out their own living.

Just as Li Ming said, there was no difference between qi cultivation and body cultivation. They both had their own advantages and disadvantages.

“I’ll choose this book for the internal strength of martial dao cultivation techniques.”

Li Ming closed took the book into his hand, and five ancient words appeared: Blazing Sun Body Tempering Art.

This body tempering technique drew in the heat of the blazing sun to temper one’s body.

It had a total of nine levels, and the seventh level was martial dao foundation establishment.

For the current Li Ming, this body tempering technique was very suitable for him in that it would aid him in breaking through to the foundation establishment realm.

With him now having cleared and linked up his meridians, he could make rapid progress in any body tempering cultivation technique.

It was not wrong to call him a genius, just that he was a genius in body cultivation.

Then, Li Ming chose a fist technique called the [Five Divine Fists].

In the past three years, he had only been practicing basic stance techniques and had not cultivated any offensive techniques.

It was because he knew that the time had not yet come.

However, for body cultivators, once they possessed offensive techniques, their destructive power would be multiplied.

He now began to wonder how many of his punches those qi refining cultivators would be able to take with their weak bodies.

As Li Ming thought about it, he picked up another book that had the words [Iron Skin] written on its cover.

This was a defensive cultivation technique. It focused on tempering the flesh until it was incredibly tough.

He now had both offense and defense.

Finally, he picked up a book that had the words [Wind Lightning Steps].

With this movement technique, he could launch assaults just as he could retreat if he so wished.

Holding four thick martial dao cultivation techniques, Li Ming went back downstairs to register and borrow the books from the senior brother who was standing guard by the entrance.

“Senior Brother Huang, I want to borrow these four books.”