novelnext Chapter 738 : Chapter 738
Chapter 738 : Chapter 738
Chapter 738: The Nine Physical Arts Techniques of the Secret Manual of Body Cultivation
“Okay! Of course I have to try!”
Actually, regarding this thing called physical arts, back when I first came into contact with it, I simply believed it was a technique used purely for killing.
Later, after I obtained Self-awakened Body Cultivation, I almost forgot about the skill of physical arts.
Back when Big Sis Bai became a mentor, I actually had a plan in my heart to learn physical arts, but I got busy and didn't have the time.
The main reason was that Big Sis Bai really used and ordered me around as a Teaching Assistant way too much!
But now isn't Big Sis Bai obediently teaching me?
That Ritual Battle Dance I practiced back then could barely be counted as a physical art, but it was used to enhance one's constitution, and practicing it required the coordination of body-forging alchemical items.
However, general physical arts didn't require these things as aids.
Big Sis Bai began to explain information regarding physical arts to me.
This information belonged to the very basic but very dull content.
While Big Sis Bai spoke to me, she used the Great Seed of Knowledge to share this information with me, saving me a lot of time.
“The initial starting physical arts are merely a way of moving that purely exercises the body, used to mobilize the entire body's state to its optimal condition. The body is a very complex system. Precisely because of its complexity, it is destined that the human body is not in a state suitable for combat at every moment. A process of adaptation for physical arts is to adjust the body, making it reach a state ready to burst forth at any time...”
According to Big Sis Bai's explanation, if a person wanted to step onto the path of Body Cultivation, at the very beginning, a normal person without any transcendent means would find practicing physical arts to be the most basic way of strengthening the body and health.
There were almost no transcendent traces, which was somewhat different when compared to spell cultivation; it would be even more dull.
At the very least, after a spell cultivator meditated, they would constantly feel their mental power until they manifested it, allowing them to preliminarily interfere with the level of transcendent energy.
But Body Cultivators couldn't.
Moreover, the paths for Body Cultivation were far too numerous.
Facing different worlds, different Body Cultivation paths might be born, but there was no absolute orthodoxy for Body Cultivation.
Only the Body Cultivation that best fit a world's rules or a race's characteristics was the best way.
However, physical arts, which corresponded to something like a “Basic Attack” in spell cultivation, would definitely not be left out.
Even for the Five Senses Body Cultivation that Big Sis Bai and I chose, the path of the five senses also corresponded to a type of physical art.
Taking the “Secret Manual of Body Cultivation” as an example, the Secret Manual of Body Cultivation contained nine branches of physical arts.
The physical art corresponding to Five Senses Body Cultivation was “Five Senses Mastery,” a type of physical art corresponding to the “sensing” branch.
This was not strange, just as there would be offensive spells, defensive spells, perception spells, and so on among spells.
Physical arts similarly distinguished between physical arts of the offensive branch and physical arts of the defensive branch.
Generally speaking, however, the inherent impression physical arts gave people was probably offense and defense, but this was indeed correct.
These common physical arts were also the types of physical arts with the most variations.
After all, if there was a choice in cultivation systems, most people with brains would choose spell cultivation, leaving Body Cultivation to those with a lot of muscle.
Therefore, the derivation and development of physical arts was actually not as glorious as that of spells.
Although there were many types, most of them seemed to remain essentially the same despite all the changes.
It was somewhat like how after a Fireball spell was derived, it turned into Fire Snake, Explosion, Double-shot Fireball, and so on.
Many people would use different physical arts to distinguish different “schools,” and different schools would develop different styles.
According to Big Sis Bai's words, when these styles developed to the end, they would become cognitive limitations that imprisoned the upper limit of one's own Body Cultivation.
This was a kind of competition inevitably caused by the objective development of social reality.
Being unaffected by schools was, in the end, merely a theory.
As the saying goes, even fighting and killing required understanding worldly ways.
And my Self-awakened Body Cultivation perfectly avoided the outcome of “stepping onto the Body Cultivation path, having to practice physical arts, and ultimately being influenced by a physical arts school.”
Furthermore, the “Secret Manual of Body Cultivation” that Big Sis Bai cited belonged to a type of physical arts system without any bias.
At least currently, no one dared to say the Secret Manual of Body Cultivation was exclusive to any power.
It was like a collection of physical arts that circulated most widely in the void, without too much stylistic bias.
For instance, the most representative physical art of the offensive branch among them—Sky-Shattering Strike.
It was the effect that a person's understanding of attack hoped to reach during the development process of physical arts.
The most direct attack, the clearest description; breaking the shackles of heaven and earth with one punch was probably the meaning this physical art wanted to express.
The other physical arts in this Secret Manual of Body Cultivation were also similar.
The one representing defense was “Imperial Guard Body.”
The one representing speed was “Shadow-Treading Step.”
The one representing counterattack was “Bone-Wounding Sting.”
The one representing self-healing was “Body-Healing Breath.”
The one representing sensing was “Five Senses Mastery.”
The one representing transcendent resistance was “Soul-Severing Purity.”
The one representing transcendent energy was “Heaven-Shattering Force.”
And the one representing meditation was “Realm-Heart Insight.”
If Big Sis Bai hadn't introduced it, I wouldn't even have known there were actually so many branches among physical arts.
Among them, there were many concepts that I cared about.
For example, “Five Senses Mastery” was the most basic five senses perception, and there was actually meditation among Body Cultivation, which I hadn't expected either.
However, after seeing the name was “Realm-Heart Insight,” I probably guessed that it might represent the sixth sense above the five senses.
As for why there were no corresponding Body Cultivations for the seventh and eighth senses... perhaps the threshold was simply too high.
Or perhaps Realm-Heart Insight itself represented the perception after the sixth sense?
After all, the sixth sense was the “understanding” constructed upon the five senses perception, while the seventh sense was the control constructed upon the understanding of heart sense perception.
As for the physical art representing transcendent energy, “Heaven-Shattering Force,” Big Sis Bai spoke with me about it emphatically.
Because this branch of physical arts was also known as the “spell” among Body Cultivation.
This was as heterodox as “constitution-enhancing spells” among spell cultivators being spells that increased close-combat strength.
But in my view, this “Heaven-Shattering Force” was somewhat like another concept, which was “Body Cultivation Energy.”
This physical art seemed to be a technique that constantly developed Body Cultivation Energy.
It had to be said that these nine physical arts techniques were all very characteristic.
This sense of novelty they gave me was no less than when I first came into contact with spells.
But this sense of novelty soon vanished.
Because physical arts was a process of dull, repeated training and a process of constantly torturing the torso to let the torso adapt.
This kind of learning continued for several days.
But even though it continued for so many days, I was still practicing “Sky-Shattering Strike,” this first physical art technique of the offensive branch.
The difficulty of practicing physical arts far exceeded my expectations, especially this kind that started from the basics, which required a long time.
And this was still my major.
I also minored in the meditation “Realm-Heart Insight,” practicing it together with the daily routine of the Witch Meditation Method.
“Xiao Han, can you still hold on?”
Big Sis Bai supported me, as I was already panting for breath, and asked with concern.
“It's... it's fine... Huff Huff.”
I stood up with a delicate gasp.
Relying on the self-healing physical art's Body-Healing Breath, I began to adjust my breathing, repairing the damage to my body caused by the intense practice of physical arts.
“It's... much better... I didn't expect the practice of physical arts... to be so physically exhausting...”
“This is natural. Different levels of physical strength must be matched with a corresponding intensity of practice; otherwise, there will be no effect. Xiao Han really still needs to practice more.”
“I know.”
After Body-Healing Breath adjusted my state, I also began to replenish fluids.
Furthermore, relying on Self-awakened Body Cultivation, I began to reverse-adjust my torso to adapt to physical arts.
Self-awakened Body Cultivation was where my advantage lay.
All Body Cultivation experts could only rely on physical arts to influence the torso, and then rely on the torso to passively influence their own life essence.
But from the very beginning, I could self-control my life essence to fit the state of physical arts.
Therefore, in just these few days, I had already reached a level that others could only reach after several years or even decades!
However, if one were to talk about the understanding of physical arts, this kind of sediment of understanding might be somewhat inferior to those pure Body Cultivators.
Big Sis Bai, however, comforted me and told me not to worry.
Because those long-term accumulations would form inherent fixed mindsets.
Although these deposited experiences indeed made a person stronger at this level, these solidified thoughts would also form shackles to breaking through again.
It was still that sentence Big Sis Bai said: physical arts were the path or rather the tool to exert the strength of Body Cultivation, rather than the only thing in a person's life-long path.
However, Big Sis Bai and I shared the same thought.
We would still admire those masters who practiced a physical art to become the only thing on their life path, but I would absolutely not step onto this path.
The life of a short-lived species was very short.
This was their only choice to realize their life-path goals and also the monument erected for their brief lives, but long-lived species didn't need to be so.
Although it was realistic, lifespan truly affected a person's cognitive outlook.
Big Sis Bai was also working on transforming my and her own cognitive outlooks.
This was something that every witch who became a Transcendent Witch through promotion had to go through.
During a gap in practice, I took out a fruit from my storage equipment and then took a bite.
Plentiful juice flowed down from the corner of my mouth.
This fruit was called the Elf Sacred Fruit.
One could tell just by hearing it that it was a good item from the Aphrodite Academy.
Although it wasn't a fruit from their World Tree offshoot, it was similarly a very precious and good item.
In short, it enhanced the constitution.
Among the good items Academy Head Mei Linde allocated to me, many were items related to Body Cultivation, items that assisted practice, fruits that enhanced constitution, and so on.
It wasn't just from the Aphrodite Academy.
For example, the Abyssal Demon Academy had good items like Blood Refining Essence used to strengthen the flesh and blood torso, and increase flesh and blood activity and self-healing ability.
Although one could probably tell just by the name how bloody the production of this thing was... this thing was not taken from human flesh and blood essence.
This was the information I obtained through the Earth Vein Appraisal Spell.
Otherwise, if it were really as I thought, I certainly wouldn't want this thing... Mainly, it was off-putting.
I clearly had better ones, so why should I use this thing that put me off?
Fortunately, however, it wasn't.
This was blood-refined using life forms that themselves possessed powerful transcendent power, belonging to a kind of flesh-and-blood creature specifically raised by Abyssal Demons.
Well... although it still sounded a bit disgusting, I planned to use this for last.
I would use the good stuff first and talk later.
“Eat slower. Look, the juice is even flowing from the corner of your mouth.”
Big Sis Bai reached out and wiped the corner of my mouth, removing the fruit juice that flowed down, and finally, Big Sis Bai put her finger back into her own mouth and gave it a light suck.
“The taste is indeed not bad. One can feel a strong aura of life. If others knew you were wasting heavenly gifts like this, they would start cursing.”
“Even if they start cursing, it would just be the impotent rage of the incompetent.”
I said indifferently.
“Does Big Sis Bai want to eat? I have a whole basket of fruits like this here!”
“You should just keep it and eat it slowly.”
“Eh? You really won't eat? You know my physical constitution. After eating about half of the total number of these fruits, they will basically have no great effect on me. Later on, they will really just become fruits that taste pretty good.”
I explained again.
Although I clearly understood Big Sis Bai's mood of wanting to leave all the good things for me, some things were truly not necessary.
“Okay, then I'll have half.”
Big Sis Bai was finally persuaded.
As long as it wouldn't affect Xiao Han, then anything was fine.
“Half? What kind of request is that?”
I shook the fruit in my hand that I had bitten halfway, and soon realized Big Sis Bai's true purpose.
“Ehehe Big Sis Bai wouldn't want... this, right.”
I shook the fruit in my hand.
On it were still the marks from where I had bitten it, and the broken opening glistened with fruit juice, perhaps even mixed with my salivary amylase or something...
“Will you give it?”
Big Sis Bai asked very directly.
“I'll give it. I'll feed you.”
I handed the fruit I had eaten from Big Sis Bai's lips, and Big Sis Bai was not polite at all, taking a bite that finished more than half of what was left, leaving only a tiny bit.
“Eh? If you bite it like that, it'll be hard for me to hold!”
I said, pinching what was left of the fruit from Big Sis Bai's mouth.
But in the next moment, Big Sis Bai took another bite, taking the fruit core, the fruit flesh, and my finger all into her mouth.
Those soft lips, with a hint of coolness, carried a fruity fragrance and moisture, wetting my fingertip.
Big Sis Bai was as if tasting some worldly delicacy, her flexible tongue seemingly brushing across my finger inadvertently.
“Eh?”
My eyes widened in slight disbelief.
By the time I reacted, Big Sis Bai's lips had already pressed down firmly.
As if she wanted to suck* dry even the last trace of juice stained on my finger pad!
“Big Sis Bai, what are you doing! Are you trying to take advantage of me?”
I hurriedly pulled back my hand and scolded.
“The taste is really not bad.”
Big Sis Bai had a look of reminiscing, and it was unclear exactly what the “taste” referred to.
Then, Big Sis Bai spat out a fruit core.
“I've just finished the physical arts exercise this time and have no energy to argue with you, humph.”
“Then that means you won't argue, right?”
Big Sis Bai suddenly sat down next to me and said with a smile.
“Pretty much.”
My gaze was placed on the fruit core Big Sis Bai was playing with.
“By the way, Big Sis Bai, do you think we can grow this seed? After all, we still have a World Fragment lying waste there. It should be fine to just plant a tree.”
“Xiao Han wants to grow this?”
Big Sis Bai asked with a smile while playing with the seed.
“I can't?”
“It's probably not very possible. I have also come into contact with some knowledge about transcendent plants. The higher the level of the transcendent plant, the more it has undergone transcendent inducement techniques. They themselves almost lose the ability for natural seed condensation.”
Big Sis Bai explained.
“Then... what about this seed?”
I pointed at the one in Big Sis Bai's hand.
“This can only be considered the original fruit structure of this fruit. After transcendent inducement, it still retains its appearance, but it cannot grow to become this kind of transcendent plant.”
“Eh? So cunning?”
“This is natural, to prevent the spread of the fruit. Only after undergoing special techniques for seed condensation can they be planted. Xiao Han, you still need to accumulate more common sense.”
“What kind of common sense is this!”
I grumbled.
However, I carefully searched the Great Tree of Knowledge and ultimately found that among my knowledge reserves, there really was a mention of this saying... but if one didn't care, they really wouldn't know there was such an operation.
It's very counter-intuitive, okay?
No wonder there were so few transcendent plants in nature, and the higher the level, the fewer there were.