Martial Saint!
Chapter 414 - 0269 An Immortal touches my crown, conferring Divine Skill (3k, seeking double monthly tickets at mid-month)

Chapter 414: 0269 An Immortal touches my crown, conferring Divine Skill (3k, seeking double monthly tickets at mid-month)

Om!

In an instant, Lu Chenzhou’s mind was stirred by an overwhelming surge, like a gravely ill man jolted awake, as if lightning had struck his very soul!

He had always been composed, with a firm Daoist heart.

Yet at this moment, his heart couldn’t help but tremble faintly.

Because he felt that Zhang Zu was speaking to him...

But this was merely an illusion, a Martial Arts Imprint left by a deceased Martial Arts strong, how could a conversation take place with him? Such a scene was too astonishing to fathom.

In the illusion, Lu Chenzhou looked back.

The valley was serene, empty of others.

"Young friend?"

The Sloppy Taoist’s voice resonated once again.

Lu Chenzhou stiffly turned his head and tried to ask,

"Senior? Are you talking to me?"

The Sloppy Taoist was lying on his side, propped up on his elbow, and laughed,

"I was thinking... there aren’t any other people around here."

Could it be that I am too immersed in the Dao Yun, unable to distinguish reality?

What’s going on, Zhang Zu is a person from the Great Capital Dynasty.

How is he in conversation with the ancients?

Has Zhang Zu died?

Could it really be as the folk rumors say, that he ascended to Immortality?

Is this a dream, or is this reality?

Eventually, Lu Chenzhou simply went with the flow and chuckled,

"The junior was frightened, after all, Senior is a person who has passed away."

The Sloppy Taoist laughed heartily and said,

"Have I died?"

"What else then? Even those at the Absolute Peak can die."

"Absolute Peak?"

"The junior refers to those who have Broken through Seven Shackles."

"Oh, so it’s already the Seventh Realm, the old Taoist here is still troubled by the Sixth Shackles, young friend, you haven’t answered my question just now?"

Lu Chenzhou mused, I am just an ordinary Martial Artist.

How could I understand something that even a great Daoist ancestor like you doesn’t grasp?

But after all, I did score full marks in "Da Xia Martial Arts History." Just then, an inspiration flashed, and he recalled a phrase Zhang Zu said after failing to break through the shackles.

Lu Chenzhou said,

"Senior, the junior is of low cultivation and has shallow knowledge. I happened to hear a phrase from an enlightened master, not sure if I should say it..."

The Sloppy Taoist blew his beard,

"Why are you beating around the bush? Out with it."

Lu Chenzhou took a deep breath and said,

"To trust in the Dao is to understand the subtle, only then does one know that the whole of life and fate requires cultivation."

"Oh, this high person... is actually talking about me."

After Zhang Zu failed his breakthrough and ascended as an Immortal, he seemed to have an epiphany and uttered this enigmatic saying. Sadly, this phrase’s philosophy was too advanced, far beyond the comprehension of the current era. Hence, for a thousand years afterwards, as dynasties changed and the world evolved, with many brilliant individuals emerging in Da Xia, no one was able to solve the mystery within.

In the history books, it was called: "A Phrase That Silenced a Millennium."

Throughout these thousand years, countless prodigies were born:

Elder Leisure from Carefree Palace, Fang Qian the Penglai Island Master, the White Dragon Lord from Great Snow Mountain, Sky-climbing Dharma King from the Western Regions, Divine Monk Kongwen from Shaolin Temple, Pudu Divine Nun from South Sea, Taosword Immortal from Shushan, the Mad Dragon King from the Demon Path, and later the grand monk Master Wen De from Gold Mountain Monastery...

The Daoist paths these individuals created, shook the future generations.

The Cultivation Methods they pioneered evolved into Supreme Divine Skills.

Any one of these individuals was the pinnacle of their era, a God among men!

Yet, no one could unravel the mystery of this phrase. Many came extremely close and tried to interpret and break through the shackles with their methods, but still failed.

Thus, the ultimate peak of Martial Arts had been Great Grandmaster for a millennium.

The wheels of history rolled into modern times.

At this time, in the twilight years of the Feudal Dynasty, the founder of Dragon and Tiger Academy, and one of today’s Absolute Peak figures, the Dragon and Tiger Great Sky Master had finally grasped the deep meaning of Zhang Zu’s phrase. With the Golden Core Path of dual cultivation of life and fate, he broke through the Sixth Shackles and became the Heavenly Master of Kings.

This is Martial Arts, if no one creates a new path, a single Sixth Shackle can trap the world’s heroes for a thousand years, like a female fairy who has never tasted the forbidden fruit, aloof and reserved, untouched by the mortal world’s offerings. Yet, once someone leads the way in overcoming this barrier of the Dao, it transforms from an ice mountain fairy into a voracious and enchanting fox fairy, ready to be conquered by those daring enough.

Once this mystical veil is lifted, the pretense is dropped.

Thereafter, Martial Arts Kings sprouted like bamboo after the rain.

The era of "A Phrase That Silenced a Millennium" was declared over.

Human history also entered the modern era of rapid technological and Martial Arts development.

All of this is from the knowledge of "Da Xia Martial Arts History."

Before, Lu Chenzhou thought that the stuff in textbooks, especially Martial Arts History, was unlikely to be of much use. However, this journey made him realize that he was grossly mistaken.

The history of human Martial Arts was condensed within this historic site.

The Sloppy Taoist then asked,

"What is nature? What is fate?"

Lu Chenzhou thought for a moment and answered,

"To exhaustively understand principle is to reach the potential of one’s nature, thereby fulfilling one’s fate."

The Sloppy Taoist frowned,

"Although it’s reasonable, it’s too abstract," Lu Chenzhou fell silent.

The Sloppy Taoist said,

"Actually, it’s very simple; you’re overthinking it. The body and mind are life itself. If I were to punch you and you died, your life would be gone. If I punched your loved one to death, your heart would die, and your life would also be gone. Lv Zu’s inner core pathway is about keeping life itself safe, and climbing to the peak of Martial Arts is about strengthening life itself. Training spirit, essence, and energy together, forming a Golden Core within the body, cultivating life in twofold—it sounds simple, but neither Heavenly Master Zhang, Lv Zu, nor any of the ancient sages achieved this. We’re always missing something."

Lu Chenzhou seemed to grasp something but didn’t quite understand,

"Elder, what are we missing?"

The Sloppy Taoist laughed,

"If I knew, I wouldn’t have failed."

Lu Chenzhou couldn’t help but ask,

"Elder, weren’t you supposed to have ascended and died?"

"Yes, I’m dead."

"Ah... Then how can the elder speak with me?"

"Have you died? Do you know what it’s like after death?"

"...That makes sense."

"Heavenly Master Zhang, considered an ancestor of mine, once said that the Dao is endless. Before he entered the Dao, he saw the endless future of Martial Arts and hoped to meet with the true practitioners of Dragon and Tiger Mountain at the end of the Dao. Martial Arts is not just about expanding the length of knowledge for current Martial Artists; it is also about expanding the breadth for all the past and present pioneers."

Lu Chenzhou fell silent, pondering the meaning of Zhang Zu’s words.

Zhang Zu said,

"Martial Arts carries too much. Your realm is not high enough to see, which is why you’re surprised. In fact, Martial Artists of ancient and modern times, even separated by life and death, can communicate."

Lu Chenzhou seemed to understand,

"Heavenly Heart Mark?"

"It’s just one aspect; there are many others. Why does Martial Arts keep progressing, faster and faster? I stand on the shoulders of all the sages before the Dadu Dynasty, like Lv Zu and Heavenly Master Zhang, and you stand on our shoulders.

When you opened the Inner Realm, you must have seen that thousand-feet-high peak. Oh, right, by your era, it could already be a ten-thousand-feet-high peak. The peak of Martial Arts is built from the body, mind, and life of countless climbers.

Thus, like truth, Martial Arts is inexhaustible, because humans, like the Foolish Old Man moving the mountain, continue from generation to generation without end. With the ever-changing world, more and more Martial Artists will keep on adding bricks and tiles to the Martial Arts peak."

Lu Chenzhou’s mind recalled the words of Ling Kong Shangren when he first broke the shackles: "Li Lingkong wished to become a ’figure’ for the world, tearing mountains from their roots and slicing open the sky!"

The Sloppy Taoist suddenly asked,

"Are you ready?"

"What readiness?"

"The awareness of becoming a Path Breaker."

"Path Breaker..."

"Every martial practitioner must have the awareness to become a Path Breaker. The Human World is never tranquil, and the vast horrors of the Netherworld will one day take the stage. Martial Arts is inexhaustible, but humanity is not. If we die, Martial Arts also ends. So long as one Martial Artist remains, so long as humans exist, Martial Arts will not perish. One day, all creatures will meet at the end of Martial Arts in victory. Those who support this vast era of Martial Arts are not only those present today but also those from the past."

Lu Chenzhou was deeply moved and murmured to himself,

"Martial Arts will not perish, the will endures."

The body tempered a thousand times over, and the will that never fades!

That is a true Martial Artist!

The Sloppy Taoist laughed,

"Yes, if the body and mind are undying, then life does not die."

The Sloppy Taoist stood up, patted the dust off his bottom, and swaggered off into the distance. His back was turned to Lu Chenzhou, his back to all creatures, and he radiated an indescribable aura of clarity and detachment, yet there was a hint of lonely bleakness about him.

Only the well-known ballad of Zhang Zu came drifting over:

"A rootless tree, flowers serene, who would wish to part with splendor and sheen?

The transient world, a boat in bitter oceans, tossed about and never free.

The boundless shoreless expanse hard to tie, forever amidst the dragons and serpents we lie.

Only by looking back, do we find the shore, lest the storm destroys the boat evermore."

The Taoist stepped into thin air with his left foot, then the right, winds forming beneath his feet, as if stepping upon an invisible ladder, his figure rising endlessly, until he stood shoulder to shoulder with the sky and vanished without a trace.

"I pass onto you a Mystical Sect Body Method called ’Cloud Ascending Ladder.’ Master this technique, and you may step on the void as if climbing a ladder to heaven, rest upon white clouds, and embrace the bright moon till the end..."

Lu Chenzhou attempted to learn this movement technique.

An hour later, he shook his head in frustration.

"This must be a Divine Skill, right?"

His comprehension, although a Superior True Technique, shouldn’t leave him so utterly clueless. Lower Grade True Skills came effortlessly to him, but this ’Cloud Ascending Ladder,’ especially being a Daoist Divine Skill, felt as challenging as ascending to heaven.

"Heavenly Master Zhang thought too highly of me."

Lu Chenzhou felt guilty for not living up to the Grandmaster’s good intentions.

The illusion shattered, everything was as a dream, as fleeting as a bubble’s reflection.

This illusion had an even stronger sense of immersion than the time with Lv Zu.

Come to think of it, Lu Chenzhou suddenly woke with a start.

When observing Lv Zu, it seemed Lv Zu also glanced his way.

Could it be that Lv Zu saw him, just like Zhang Zu?

The means and powers of these Divine beings cannot be measured by Cultivation.

They were merely confined by their times and faded away in obscurity.

Lu Chenzhou pondered,

"From Zhang Zu’s tone, it seems that no one before me has communicated like this. With the talent of an Absolute Peak Strong, could they not connect with the ancient sages? Or is there another reason... like the Martial Arts Tree."

At this thought, Lu Chenzhou turned to look at the Martial Arts Tree and got a shock.

Stretching towards the heavens like a giant umbrella, it was now as tall as a five-story building.

"It was ten feet tall before, and now it has grown another seventeen feet..."

Not only that, but there was also one leaf on the Martial Arts Tree that was much larger than any other, awkwardly standing out on a branch at the top, looking quite conspicuous.

"Cloud Ascending Ladder: Beginner (1%)."