Chapter Forty: Three Origins (Happy New Year)
“...”
Chai Sen shook his head at the words.
“Do you think those two elders from the Seventy-Three Sect are truly powerful?” Chai Sen posed the question to his disciple.
“As seasoned masters of internal martial arts, they are indeed formidable, but at best, they match me—no more.”
Before the young man could respond, Chai Sen continued, speaking as if to himself.
“Yet, I couldn’t withstand even a single move from the Poison Vajra.”
“Even the Four Malefic Demons of the Demonic Sect couldn’t achieve such dominance.”
Chai Sen recalled his battle with Li Ju. As an internal martial artist, he had been powerless before Li Ju, defeated as easily as a child unable to resist. The overwhelming force emanating from Li Ju remained vivid in his memory.
“The Seventy-Three Sect may be the foremost righteous faction, but when faced with someone like the Poison Vajra...”
“In any case, don’t seek out the Seventy-Three Sect. We’ll act as if the Poison Vajra isn’t within their ranks.”
Chai Sen shook his head, fell silent, and strode off into the distance.
The young man watched his master’s departing figure, gritted his teeth, stamped his foot, and left in the opposite direction.
...
“In the path of martial arts, it is believed that the human body is sustained by three fundamental forces: blood, strength, and mind. Blood refers to the flesh, bones, and physical form; strength is the capacity for movement derived from that flesh; and mind is the thoughts and consciousness within.”
“For each person, these three are indispensable. Lacking blood means losing the foundation of bodily existence; lacking strength renders one inert, a heap of useless flesh; lacking mind leaves one a shell, devoid of self-awareness.”
“The earliest methods of martial cultivation were built upon this theory of the three fundamentals, and even today, this remains the bedrock of all martial arts techniques.”
---
Li Ju held a classic treatise on the principles of martial arts, reading it closely.
“The cultivation of a martial artist begins at the basic practitioner level. The external path focuses on strengthening the blood aspect, enhancing the flesh and physical resilience. The internal path develops strength, giving rise to extraordinary inner power.”
“At the Minor Trinity stage, one must reinforce the mind aspect, cultivating personal willpower and using thoughts to influence reality.”
“A martial artist at the Minor Trinity stage surpasses those below due to the mastery of personal willpower.”
Swish.
Li Ju turned a page.
“Though martial artists at the Minor Trinity stage are already exceptionally formidable—capable of facing tens of thousands alone—their three fundamentals remain unintegrated. Only at the Major Trinity stage are the three aspects fully unified, granting unimaginable power.”
Snap.
Li Ju closed the book; he had reached the end. While the treatise described the Minor Trinity in detail, its account of the Major Trinity was limited to that single sentence.
In truth, the Pine Forest Sect’s secret manuals could elaborate on the Minor Trinity only because a past ancestor had achieved that stage.
“According to the theory of the three fundamentals, my true level is still that of the external path, the blood phase. It’s only due to the enhancement of the Hundred Poisons Vajra Body that my blood aspect is overwhelmingly strong, allowing me to easily defeat internal masters at the strength stage.”
“But this power is precarious—my blood aspect far exceeds my strength and mind, leaving my fundamentals in a state of severe imbalance. In the short term, this poses no issue, but over time, the imbalance will steadily shorten my lifespan.”
“With my current imbalance, if I don’t find a solution, my body may only last another five years.”
He could only live five more years...
Upon learning this, Li Ju felt a profound sense of relief.
“Fortunately, I still have five years left.”
After all, this scenario would end in a year, so his five-year lifespan wouldn't affect him.
---
“Still, if I were to cultivate the Hundred Poisons Vajra Body in reality, I’d need to heed this problem,” Li Ju thought.
In this world, he had only traversed with his soul; no matter what happened to this body, it wouldn’t affect his true self. Reality, however, was different.
“External cultivation is focused on the blood aspect, and mine has already surpassed the requirements, even exceeded them. To seek further advancement, I must begin training the strength aspect and break through to the internal stage.”
“As for methods to initiate strength cultivation, each technique varies. Ghost Bat Skill’s breakthrough relies on repeatedly using the blood aspect to impact the body, shaking the strength aspect until the practitioner grasps its resonance and thus cultivates inner power.”
Thinking of the Ghost Bat Skill’s breakthrough method, Li Ju felt a headache.
Though the method—known as the Blood Resonance Technique—was common and easy to understand, it demanded continual consumption of blood energy. Failure to master the resonance could result in depletion and death.
Yet his circumstances were different; compared to others, his blood energy was excessively abundant. While others feared depletion, he had to worry about whether his immense blood energy might tear his body apart during resonance.
He might explode before even mastering the resonance.
“To complete my mission and defeat three Minor Trinity masters, I must advance. To advance, I must break through to the internal stage, which requires the Blood Resonance Technique...”
“But for me, this method is far too dangerous; I could die instantly.”
Li Ju’s fingers unconsciously tapped the table.
“The Ghost Bat Skill and Flowing Water Blade, both employ the Blood Resonance path for internal breakthroughs...”
“Unfortunately, I promised not to touch the Pine Forest Sect’s legacy techniques; otherwise, I might have found alternative methods for breaking through.”
Though the breakthrough was crucial, Li Ju would not break his word. Call it stubborn, but he believed one must have principles to live by.