“I know a little about it.”
Shen Xiuhan replied honestly, “I once read some brief records in a remnant book. Rumor has it that ‘Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands’ are realms created by ancient mighty figures in the primordial void, where they split heaven and earth and gathered the sun, moon, and weather.”
“However, as time passed and the world changed, such places that seize the natural creations of heaven and earth have become extremely rare. Ordinary martial artists can search their entire lives without ever catching a glimpse of one.”
“Indeed...”
Ji Shuying's phoenix eyes flashed with approval, and she nodded with a soft laugh. “Such stories are widely circulated among the common people, and the storytellers in the streets add their own embellishments, turning them into all kinds of bizarre and fascinating tales. But the finer details of those accounts are not entirely correct.”
“The reason is... most of the ancient books you have read were whitewashed, expurgated, and recompiled by the royal family on imperial orders after the founding of Great Qi...”
Shen Xiuhan could not help but be stunned upon hearing this.
A thousand years had passed since the founding of the Great Qi State.
Its national fortune was at its peak, and its powerful military shook all directions.
With the celestial might of a single nation, it suppressed the neighboring states of Wu and Yue to the point where they could barely breathe. The two nations had no choice but to form an alliance and marry into each other's royal families to barely withstand Great Qi's sharp edge.
Yet, the “ancient books” currently in circulation in the world were mostly versions that the Great Qi royal family had ordered to be expurgated and reprinted after the fall of the former Dayang Dynasty.
In the process, how many ancient secrets had been deliberately erased, altered, or fabricated? Ordinary people had absolutely no way of knowing.
They could only be like blind men touching an elephant, trying to deduce the truth that had long been buried in the sands of time based on a few scattered words.
Seeing him lost in thought, Ji Shuying slowly stood up, her gold-woven cloud-and-crane brocade robe dragging slightly behind her.
She stood by the carved wooden window with her hands behind her back, her gaze passing through the rockeries and flowing water of the courtyard to look up at the boundless sky.
“The path of martial arts is like sailing against the current; if you do not advance, you will retreat. There is no end to cultivation.”
“Mingjin breaks the three barriers, Anjin opens the nine apertures, Huajin endures the three temperings, and Gangjin condenses the nine seals!”
“Once one reaches the Great Perfection of the Gangjin Rank, they can condense a seed of divine abilities and attain the ‘Xiantian’ Rank.”
“Attaining the Xiantian Rank also grants an honorary title; they can be called a Daoist Master!”
“Above the Daoist Master Rank, once one gathers and fully cultivates five divine abilities, they can take a step further and attain the rank of ‘Daoist Monarch’!”
“The Grotto-Heavens you mentioned just now were indeed opened up by ancient mighty figures.”
“In ancient times, Daoist sects flourished, and Daoist Monarchs emerged one after another. As for Grotto-Heavens, only those at the Daoist Monarch Rank could open them in the primordial void based on their own status and level of attainment!”
“As for Blessed Lands, they are a step below.”
“Most are created by those in the Divine Elixir Rank, or those among the Xiantian Daoist Masters with profound cultivation and deep divine abilities, using the mountains, rivers, earth, and stones of the mortal world.”
“Though they lack the mystical wonders of Grotto-Heavens, they are still rare and precious lands for cultivation...”
Ji Shuying turned around and looked at Shen Xiuhan, her tone shifting. “As for the Longxiang Army's Dragon Blood Essence-Infusing Pool... it is far inferior to these two types of Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands.”
“In essence, it is merely a clever creation of later generations, a Sumeru secret realm opened up using spiritual treasures or spiritual artifacts as a foundation.”
“Whether in size or the concentration of blood qi, it is far inferior to a true Grotto-Heaven or Blessed Land.”
“Therefore, such secret realms are usually called ‘caves,’ ‘halls,’ or ‘pools’ to distinguish them.”
“The Dragon Blood Essence-Infusing Pool was opened up by Zhendong General Wang Zhifan in his early years, using the spiritual artifact, the 『Taidi Dragon-Binding Lock』, which he obtained from a Blessed Land!”
“Rumor has it that this treasure's origin is the condensed essence blood of an ancient true dragon. Of course, this is mostly street gossip, because according to those who have entered the pool, there are no hidden dragon phenomena inside, let alone a true dragon manifesting... though it is indeed of immense benefit to martial artists.”
Shen Xiuhan listened with rapt attention, his mind filled with excitement. It took him a long while to calm his emotions before he spoke.
“Aunt Ji, there is one thing I do not understand. I would like to ask for your guidance.”
“Speak.”
Ji Shuying lightly brushed her sleeves, sat down again, and took a gentle sip from her teacup.
“I once read in a fragment of a technique manual that the realm of condensing divine abilities seemed to be called ‘Divine Descent’ by the ancients. Yet, Aunt Ji, you call it ‘Xiantian.’ Is there a reason for this?”
“So it is that.”
Ji Shuying let out a soft laugh, set down her teacup, and patiently explained, “Divine Descent... is a very old, ancient term that can be traced back to the primordial eras of antiquity.”
“Today's martial artists rely on the legacy left by our predecessors. We know that by unlocking Huajin, one's lifespan can reach a hundred and twenty years; breaking through to Gangjin grants two cycles of sixty years, allowing one to live to over two hundred years. Once one further attains a divine ability, their lifespan doubles again, reaching five hundred years.”
“But in the ancient era, when the Martial Dao was just beginning to rise, our predecessors had to grope their way forward step by step.”
“When the world's first expert of the Divine Ability Rank was born, his lifespan far exceeded that of a Gangjin martial artist. He experienced rejuvenation—his white hair turned back to black, and his body became as vigorous as a dragon or tiger, showing no signs of aging for several centuries.”
“At that time, all living beings in the world believed this realm was the end of the Martial Dao, the ‘descent of a true god,’ possessing a lifespan equal to heaven and achieving immortality!”
“Thus, the masses worshipped him, burning incense and praying, calling this realm ‘Divine Descent’!”
Ji Shuying's tone gradually turned solemn, her eyes reflecting the weight of history.
“However, when that expert—whose identity is now lost to history—lived to his five hundredth year, his Shengyang Mansion dimmed, his four divine abilities collapsed and dispersed, his appearance rapidly aged, his black hair turned to snow, his skin withered like dry tree bark, and he passed away right where he sat...”
“Only then did the world wake up as if from a dream... The so-called Divine Descent Rank was far from the end of the Martial Dao!”
“Above it... there were even higher realms and a broader world!”
“But by then, the name ‘Divine Descent’ had already taken deep root in people's minds and spread throughout the world. Unofficial histories and sect records all continued to use this term, so the mistake was carried on, persisting for thousands of years.”
Ji Shuying paused for a moment before continuing, “It was not until later, when an exceptionally brilliant ancient mighty figure appeared, whose Daoist title was ‘Sea-Overturning Daoist Monarch’!”
“The Sea-Overturning Daoist Monarch believed that a martial artist cultivating divine abilities was merely returning to their true nature and reconstructing an embryonic breathing body. Since this was only the beginning of using martial arts to evolve the Dao, it did not deserve the name ‘Divine Descent.’”
“Thus, he changed the name of ‘Divine Descent’ to ‘Xiantian’!”
“This action was recognized by the world's Daoist Monarchs... and only then did the name ‘Xiantian’ come into use, continuing to this day.”
“So that is how it is...”
Shen Xiuhan muttered softly, unable to snap out of his daze for a long time.
Such historical origins of the realms involving ancient secrets were, at most, briefly and often erroneously mentioned in the books and ordinary ancient scrolls available on the market.
For a martial artist of humble origins to catch a glimpse of such secrets, they either had to become a guest elder or subordinate to a great family or influential power, or...
They had to meet a noble person who would pass down the knowledge by word of mouth and guide them!
With this thought, Shen Xiuhan clasped his hands and bowed deeply.
“I, Xiuhan, come from humble origins. If not for Aunt Ji's selfless guidance, I would probably still be like a frog at the bottom of a well. Thank you, Aunt Ji, for clearing my doubts. I will engrave this in my heart!”
“Rise quickly, there is no need to be so polite with me.”
Ji Shuying raised her delicate hand, a smile playing in her phoenix eyes. “As for you...”
“In a few days, the Longxiang envoy will bring the 『Taidi Dragon-Binding Lock』 back to the Wang family of Changyun. Once the ‘Longxiang Martial Feast’ is over, those qualified can enter the pool to cultivate. Now that you know the origin of this matter, do you have the heart to compete for the top three?”
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