Stronger by Killing

Chapter 352 - 272: Dividing the Martial World and the Secret of the Grotto Heaven (12,000-Word Mega - ) (6)

After a moment of silence, Yang Ge asked, "Master, actually, I also want to ask, is the pinnacle of Divine Thought really the end of the Martial Arts path?"

Qin You hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "I am worried about affecting Gu Zhan’s invincible mindset, so I didn’t finish speaking. Because he also belongs to those without roots in the Spirit Platform, his martial arts path is already nearing its end."

Yang Ge asked in confusion, "Master, what exactly does ’without roots in the Spirit Platform’ mean?"

Qin You pondered for a while, shook his head, and said, "I am not very sure either, but after decades of exploration and study, and consulting many ancient texts, I have some rough guesses.

The so-called ’without roots in the Spirit Platform’ should be a kind of Immortal Fate. When one’s cultivation enters the Divine Thought Third Realm, a space will appear in the Dantian where a Spirit Platform is born. This Spirit Platform is essentially what determines whether one has Immortal Fate,

Those with Immortal Fate will have something appear on the Spirit Platform, which is the so-called root. This root is essential to enter the Grotto Heaven Realm. Those with roots have Immortal Fate and the potential to progress further, while those without roots have reached the end of their martial arts path."

At this point, Qin You sighed and said, "I have always been reluctant at heart. I became a Grandmaster at twenty, a Grandmaster at twenty-five, a Supreme Grandmaster at thirty, and I possessed several Divine Techniques, claiming that my talent was among the best.

However, my martial arts path was cut short when I was thirty. How could I be content with that? Since then, I have been searching for the Secret of the Grotto Heaven. Through years of consolidation, I discovered something strange."

"What is it?" Yang Ge asked.

Qin You said, "In traces of historical records, the latest can be traced back ten thousand years. Although there are only a few words, it’s somewhat verifiable. However, in this ten-thousand-year history, I discovered a problem,

Martial Arts only began to appear three thousand years ago. Before that, there was no information about Martial Arts, nor any record of cultivation methods."

Yang Ge asked in confusion, "Isn’t that normal? According to historical records, three thousand years ago, the Martial Saint appeared suddenly and created Martial Arts. Subsequently, through thousands of years of evolution, Martial Arts gradually reached a great era. After more than eighteen hundred years of continuous transformation, it evolved into the cultivation system we practice today. So, it’s normal that there are no cultivation records before three thousand years ago!"

"It’s not normal," Qin You shook his head and said, "Because in the ten-thousand-year annals, there are many records of extraordinary events, like the stories of Shakyamuni throwing elephants, King Yu pacifying the sea, the dragon-taming clan raising dragons, White-Day Flying Mountain, etc., which are beyond ordinary human capability. Even in today’s flourishing era of Martial Arts, few can achieve these!"

Yang Ge frowned and said, "Master, those are just folk tales..."

Qin You chuckled slightly and said, "If one day, Martial Arts disappeared, and a long, long time later, people heard about summoning wind and rain, carrying mountains on one shoulder, or fighting against thousands, would they also consider it just legends?"

Yang Ge was taken aback and said, "Master, do you know something?"

Qin You nodded and said, "Twenty years ago, I excavated an ancient tomb and found some documents inside. Among them were some words like Immortal Fate and Immortals exorcising demons. What surprised me the most was that it was an ancient tomb over four thousand years ago, and it contained terms like cultivator and Qi cultivation, which only emerged after the flourishing age of Martial Arts!"

Yang Ge was shocked and said, "Master, could it be that there really was another cultivation system before Martial Arts?"

Qin You pondered and said, "I am not sure. It could be a coincidence, or it might really have existed. But if it did, how could there be no traces left? What exactly happened?"

Yang Ge solemnly said, "Those top forces in the world must know something, but they’re certainly unwilling to reveal it."

Qin You slightly shook his head and said, "This is the foundation that allows them to stand above worldly matters. How could it be passed down? Moreover, even within those forces, probably not many people know about it!"

...

In the Great Xia Capital City, after the bustling prosperity has faded,

In the depths of a small town on the outskirts, Rong Yichu and Gu Chuan were sitting in a pavilion, sipping tea and chatting leisurely.

"Lord Gu, how come you have spare time to visit me today?" Rong Yichu smiled as he poured a cup of tea for Gu Chuan and said, "If I’m not mistaken, the two countries, Beiwei and Southern Jin, are stirring restlessly recently, and the Six Ministries in court are all extremely busy. How do you, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, have any leisure time?"

Gu Chuan picked up the teacup, drank it all down like a cow chewing peony, and said, "Isn’t it because of you? I’m busy with official duties, hardly touching the ground, and yet I heard some things that kept me uneasy, so I came to ask about the situation."

Rong Yichu chuckled lightly and said, "You want to ask about the matter of Yunxi, right?"

Gu Chuan nodded and said, "It’s fine that you proposed to divide Yunxi into three to Your Majesty and Qin You, but why did you drag Gu Zhan into that vortex? He is doing well in Yunxi Land, and with his talent, given enough time, he is sure to become a major figure,

But your proposal to divide Yunxi into three came out, and you directly appointed him as the third party, instantly throwing him into the sights of many interested parties in the Capital City. You are now in the Capital City and should be well aware of how deep the waters are here. So, letting Gu Zhan enter the sights of those people so early is not a good thing!"

Rong Yichu sighed and said, "How could I not understand this rationale? Even though I have the backing of the academy’s rear mountain, I still haven’t been able to extricate myself from this vortex in the Capital City, so I naturally don’t want my lord to be dragged into it.