The Nine Great Realms

Two youths.

One was skinny with short hair and looked capable and vigorous. The other one had the back of a tiger and the waist of a bear. He looked like a considerate, yet simple and honest person.

Both of them were inner sect disciples, who were looking at Chen Yu with smiles on their faces.

"Master? Dare I ask who the two of you are?"

Chen Yu's heart was stirred.

Could it be that some higher-up in the sect was prepared to take him in as their disciple?

"My name is Wu Yu, while he is Li Dakui. We're Martial Brothers under the same master in the future."

The youth with the short hair smiled amiably as he replied.

The other simple and honest lunkhead grinned as he said, "I'm your Second Martial Brother, Li Dahui!"

"Greetings, fellow Senior Martial Brothers."

Chen Yu didn't dare to be negligent.

Among the two of them, Li Dahui was slightly older and was at the mid-Visceral Tempering stage. He called himself Second Martial Brother.

Wu Yu, the youth with the short hair, was at the pre-Visceral Tempering stage and considered himself as the Third Martial Brother.

"Dare I ask the Senior Martial Brothers who the Master you speak of is?" asked Chen Yu.

"You'll know who he is when you see him later."

Wu Yu mysteriously smiled as he kept Chen Yu in suspense.

Chen Yu followed the duo and walked behind them.

These two youths asked Chen Yu many questions along the way as they considered themselves to be his Senior Martial Brothers.

The two of them were on the subject of the Great Outer Sect Tournament.

"Younger Martial Brother is seriously extraordinary to be able to seize the first place. Tsk, tsk. Even we inner sect disciples have heard about that Nangong Li and Duan Xiaolong," Wu Yu repeatedly praised him.

"I was just a little lucky," Chen Yu responded with a smile.

"I heard the reward for placing first in the Great Tournament was extremely generous this time. It seems like there's a Profound Qi Pill amongst them," Li Dahui enviously said.

The duo's eyes shone when he mentioned the Profound Qi Pill.

"There is such a matter." Chen Yu nodded.

"Younger Martial Brother Chen."

There was a straightforward and look of admiration on Li Dahui's face. "Can you take that Profound Qi Pill out so I can experience it for myself?"

This?

Chen Yu was startled. He never thought that the other party would bring up such a request.

However, he didn't think more about it when he saw how straightforward and honest the other party was, as well as how he appeared to want to increase his knowledge.

Chen Yu took out the jade bottle that held the Profound Qi Pill.

"Tsk, tsk."

Li Dahui and Wu Yu moved their heads very close together. The former snatched the medicine bottle and studied it carefully.

There was a sparkling and translucent pill in the jade bottle. The flickering light green ripples on it were mysteriously captivating.

A hint of a greedy and a longing look flashed in the eyes of Li Dahui and Wu Yu.

"Haha! Younger Martial Brother Chen, you're still at the middle Connective Meridian stage right now, right? The Profound Qi Pill doesn't hold that much significance or importance to you. Why don't I, your Senior Martial Brother, make a deal with you and exchange 1,000 Substandard Metastones for it? I'll even add in an extra Profound Body Pill."

Li Dahui clutched the jade bottle and seemed to love it too much to part ways with it.

Chen Yu's heart sank when he heard this.

Seeing the look on Li Dahui's face, he seemed to not want to give the Profound Qi Pill back to him.

1,000 Substandard Metastones? And an extra Profound Body Pill that might even be a low-grade one—he wanted to make a deal like that for a precious Profound Qi Pill?

No matter how stupid Chen Yu was, he could also understand that the other party wanted to force a covert transaction.

"This. 1,000 Substandard Metastones seems to be lacking a little. I might be able to consider it if you add a few hundred more."

Chen Yu looked a little embarrassed.

When he heard this, Li Dahui was ecstatic in his heart. He was willing to even if Chen Yu added several thousands of Substandard Metastones on top of it.

"Huh?! Why is there a hint of mottle on this pill? It can't be that there's a problem with its quality, right?"

Chen Yu suddenly stared at the medicine pill in the bottle.

As Li Dahui was puzzling over it, Chen Yu took the jade bottle back in fright.

"Is there a problem?"

"Oh. It might be a problem with the angle I was looking from. There's no problem with this medicine pill."

Chen Yu glanced at it before storing the jade bottle away properly. Li Dahui and Wu Yu looked regretful and remorseful when Chen Yu kept his mouth shut and did not bring up the matter of making a deal anymore.

After the time it took to boil a pot of tea.

"We're here."

Li Dahui and Wu Yu brought Chen Yu into a mansion.

This mansion occupied 10 to 20 fields. There was a garden, a small medicine garden, and even a stream passing through the middle of the residence.

"Master is inside."

Li Dahui and Wu Yu took Chen Yu into a side hall.

After entering the mansion, these two became well-behaved and abnormally honest.

When they walked into the side hall.

"Hehe, we meet again, boy."

An old man with a reddened face who wore long loose green robes was sitting on the chair directly in front of him. He was currently drinking tea with his legs crossed.

There were two young and pretty female attendants respectfully waiting upon him by his side.

"It's you…"

Chen Yu recognized who he was in a single glance. The other party was that old Sect Elder who recommended the [Bronze Statue Technique] to him.

But he was immensely astonished by the current scene where the old man with the reddened face was indulging in pleasure.

"Boy, you need not find it strange. Even an Elder at the Qi Transformation stage like me only has a short life span of 150 years. If I don't enjoy life now, when will I get to do so?"

The old man with the reddened face sighed as he spoke.

He waved his hand to indicate that Chen Yu didn't need to make his salutation and he could sit wherever he pleased.

Chen Yu felt apprehensive as he sat on the chair. He didn't understand what the flushed-faced old man's intentions were.

Chen Yu was speechless at the complaints the old man with the reddened face made. He seriously complained that a life span of 150 years was short. One had to know that Emperors in the secular world couldn't even live past 100 years old.

At this moment, these two maids bowed and withdrew.

"I'll cut to the chase. Chen Yu, I intend to take you in as a Nominal Disciple. Are you willing to accept it?" asked the old man with the reddened face formally.

Nominal Disciple?

Chen Yu went blank for a moment as he didn't truly understand what his intentions were.

Generally speaking, teachings weren't genuinely imparted onto Nominal Disciples. It was possibly just a title.

"I'll tell it to you straight. It is difficult to find a suitable Master for you with your gift in physical cultivation in the entire state of Chu, much less this Yunyue Sect," said the old man with the reddened face casually.

"Physical cultivation?"

Chen Yu grabbed ahold of this key term.

"At your level, you probably think that the 'path of martial arts' is the only cultivation path in this world. But in reality, there are many great cultivation paths in this world. There used to be various styles in ancient times. Other than the path of martial arts, there's the path of the demon, shaman, immortal, and so forth. The [Bronze Statue Technique' you're cultivating is also a kind of lost physical cultivation…"

The old face with the reddened face had a hint of yearning and reverence as he gave his narration.

The [Bronze Statue Technique] stood side by side with the path of martial arts? And it was another technique from a great cultivation path?

Chen Yu's mind shuddered.

"Naturally."

The old man with the reddened face changed the topic under discussion again. "Following the gradual thinning of the world's vital qi, natural resources became deficient as well. There were paths of immortals, shamans, and so forth during ancient times that possessed the power to destroy the heavens and exterminate the earth. Unfortunately, they have already waned and there are only a quaint few people cultivating the path of the sword in this life. Now, the orthodox cultivation path is the path of martial arts."

The path of martial arts was the orthodox cultivation path!

Chen Yu could sense the flushed-faced old man's pride in raising this matter.

"Why can the path of martial arts become the orthodox path? What happened with the path of physical cultivation?" Chen Yu couldn't help but ask.

"The path of martial arts prospered because it has the lowest requirements for one's aptitude amongst the various great paths. Its requirements toward the World Vital Spirit Qi is also the lowest. It is the most comprehensive and even blends the development of every style as one. It can adapt to the times and the environment. It occupied an acknowledged place even in ancient times."

The old man with the reddened face paused for a moment.

"As for the path of physical cultivation that you are a good fit with, it wasn't considered to be a mainstream path in ancient times and was only glorious for some time. Now, it is more or less extinct. It's too difficult to find a Master that is truly suitable for you if you wanted to do so," explained the old man with the reddened face.

After a round of detailed explanations, Chen Yu had a new understanding of the system in this world.

In ancient times, the path of martial arts was only one out of many great paths.

But now, it became the mainstream and orthodox path. The other great cultivation paths had already declined and waned.

"Then Elder, why do you still want to take me in as your disciple?" Chen Yu asked properly.

He realized that the old man with the reddened face was very patient with him and didn't put on the airs of an Elder.

How did a Sect Elder have so much free time to have a heart-to-heart chat with a disciple?

"There are two reasons. First, I am the most appropriate person for you in this sect in terms of my understanding of physical cultivation."

The old man with the reddened face chuckled mischievously as he replied.

"The second, well...that is because I need your help someday in the future since you have a gifted level of mastery in the [Bronze Statue Technique]. I won't bring up the specific circumstances of it for now. That will have to wait until your [Bronze Skin Technique] breaks through to the 'Bronze Bone' level at the very least."

After the old man with the reddened face finished talking, he quietly waited for Chen Yu's reply.

Nominal Disciple?

Chen Yu pondered for a brief moment and soon came to a decision.

"Disciple is willing to."

Chen Yu formally saluted the old man with the red face as a disciple did to his Master.

"Nominal Disciples need not go through the formal stages of becoming a disciple to a Master. My surname is Mao and my full name is Mao Qiuyu."

The old man with the reddened face raised his hand.

In a split second, a surge of formless energy that resembled a cool breeze propped Chen Yu up.

"I pay my respects to Master."

Chen Yu still bowed and made his salutations to his Elder.

He came to this decision after going through multiple processes of careful deliberation.

There were extremely great advantages in being taught by an Elder.

First, an Elder-ranked Master was considered to be a mountain he could rely on. Hereafter, anyone in the sect who wanted to harm Chen Yu had to reconsider at the very least.

Secondly, Elder Mao was extremely knowledgeable and had profound cultivation. As such, he could assist in giving pointers in cultivation.

Naturally, Elder Mao seemed to have some kind of demand for Chen Yu. While there were benefits, there would also be obligations he had to fulfill at the same time.

It was actually some kind of transaction to say that he was taking Chen Yu in as a disciple, so they mutually got what they wanted.

"I'll give you an hour as your Master. You can put forth any doubts you have about cultivation," said the old man with the reddened face.

Chen Yu's eyes shone. The advice of a Sect Elder was an opportunity that was difficult to come by.

"Disciple wants to know. There is the Qi Transformation Realm after the Connective Meridian and Visceral Tempering stages on the path of cultivation. What kind of existence is the Qi Transformation Realm and are there any other realms above that?" Chen Yu enquired.

He wanted to step onto the peak of the sect world and look down at an even more magnificent sight from above. He was curious about the limit of cultivation.

"There are a total of Nine Great Realms on the path of cultivation. The first realm is known as the 'Introductory Realm'. Some places call it the 'Body Tempering Realm' or the 'Solid Body Realm'. It's divided into three stages, the Body Tempering stage, the Connective Meridian stage, and the Visceral Tempering stage," Elder Mao explained.

Nine Great Realms?

Chen Yu's eyes shone. What took him aback was that the Body Tempering, Connective Meridian, and Visceral Tempering stage were only the stages of the Introductory Realm.

"The Introductory realm primarily bases itself on the 'body'. Even the 'Inner Breath' you people at the Connective Meridian stage produce from cultivation is nothing more than a kind of low-end power born from gathering qi and blood together."

Low-end power? Chen Yu was stunned.

Whoosh!

Elder Mao opened up his palm as a ball of light green wind that could be seen with the naked eye abruptly sprung up. It was filled with a sense of spirituality and emitted an aura that struck Chen Yu with panic.

Puchi!

A wisp of fine green thread split apart from that light green wind and struck a piece of bronze copperware right across from a distance.

Kerchack!

The bronze copperware then split up into pieces.

Chen Yu felt shocked in his heart. A mere thread that split apart from within that wind could smash gold and metal into pieces.

"This is Innate True Qi. It can be seen with the naked eye. Any random strand from it can strangle all of the Inner Breath in your body," Elder Mao said a matter-of-factly.

"Innate True Qi! Only those at the Qi Transformation Realm possess such a power."

Chen Yu felt his blood racing.

Power at this level already exceeded the category of ordinary humans.

If he had this kind of strength, he would be a paragon in the secular world. Even Emperors had to bow down when they met such individuals and treat them with due respect.

"The Qi Transformation Realm is above the Introductory Realm. As the name implies, the Qi Transformation Realm has something to do with the refinement of qi, as well as the essence of energy in one's body. The True Qi it refines is divided into Acquired True Qi and Innate True Qi. That is because the Qi Transformation Realm is divided into two stages, the Acquired and Innate stage," Elder Mao briefly mentioned.

Without a doubt, he was an Innate Qi Transformation expert.

"Then, above the Qi Transformation Realm is…"