Martial Arts: Starting with Creating a Genius Persona

Chapter 44 Entering the sect

Seeing that Lu Yuan still had that look on his face, as if he was determined to get to the bottom of things.

Old Huang remained silent for a long time.

With his eyes fixed on Lu Yuan, he finally spoke slowly.

"Young Master Yuan, your parents are indeed not ordinary people."

Old Huang finally spoke, his voice a few decibels slower than usual.

"They used to belong to a very large organization, an organization with a significant presence in the underworld."

"It's roughly equivalent to the Iron Bone Sect's status in Qingzhou... no, it's much higher than that."

"With your current cultivation level, you wouldn't even be able to get close to anyone in that organization."

He paused.

"But this old servant cannot tell you any more."

"Why?" Lu Yuan asked, puzzled.

"Because the less you know, the safer you are."

"Your parents entrusted you to me, hoping only that you will live a peaceful and smooth life."

Old Huang spoke with a bent back, his voice carrying a depth that Lu Yuan had never heard before.

"Young Master Yuan, this old servant promises you... that when your cultivation reaches a point where you can accept these things, this old servant will tell you everything, one by one, in detail."

"At least... his cultivation level should be as high as mine now."

Lu Yuan looked at him.

He saw that Old Huang in front of him had an extremely serious expression.

He then gave up the idea of ​​asking further questions.

"...Okay. So what is your current cultivation level?"

Old Huang did not answer directly.

He turned and walked to the water vat in the corner of the yard, bent down, scooped up a ladle of water, and slowly took a sip.

"You already know about the stages of Body Tempering, Blood Coagulation, and Meridian Opening."

"After opening the meridians, the body's meridians are opened, and the physical body and internal energy are initially united, which is the Acquired Realm. Further on, the primordial energy of heaven and earth is drawn into the body, the mysterious gate is opened, and the physical body becomes extraordinary, which is the Innate Realm."

He turned around.

"Beyond the innate realm, all laws converge, all rivers flow into the sea, and all life's learning is simplified—this step is called the Returning to Origin Realm."

A martial artist at the Returning Origin Realm is considered a significant figure in the entire Great Qian Dynasty.

As for the higher ranks of Grandmaster, Saint, and Martial God, they are extremely rare; an ordinary martial artist might never see one in their entire life.

Lu Yuan listened quietly.

This was the first time he had systematically heard about the realm divisions after the Meridian Opening Realm.

Acquired, Innate, Return to Origin, Grandmaster, Saint, Martial God—each realm is a checkpoint, and each checkpoint eliminates a group of people.

"Back then, my cultivation level was slightly higher than the Returning Origin Realm... Entering the Saint Realm."

Lu Yuan's pupils suddenly contracted.

Become a saint!

The Returning to Origin Realm already makes one a prominent figure in the Great Qian Dynasty; what does entering the Saint Realm even mean?

He recalled every day and night that Old Huang had spent serving tea, sweeping the floor, and carrying loads over the years.

A once-peerless expert in the Saint Realm had been sweeping his courtyard for three years.

"Then why..." He didn't finish his question.

"They're being hunted down."

Old Huang spoke calmly.

It's like talking about someone else's business.

"Six martial gods surrounded me. I managed to hold off three of them, but the other three attacked me from behind, and my dantian was shattered."

Later, it was your mother who saved me.

She used a very costly secret technique.

After my injuries healed, this old servant's cultivation level dropped to the Returning Origin Realm.

He paused here, looking up at the moon.

After a long pause, he finally spoke: "You weren't even born that year."

Old Huang didn't say who was chasing him, but there are probably only a handful of forces in the entire Great Qian Dynasty that could mobilize six Martial Gods at the same time.

According to Lao Huang, Lu Yuan's parents were not from the Duan family, but belonged to an organization far superior to the Iron Bone Sect.

What kind of background could make a Saint Realm expert willingly hide their identity and sweep a courtyard?

But these thoughts only flashed through my mind.

There's no point in asking about things too far in the future.

If one's cultivation level is insufficient, even if one knows who their former enemy was, it's just like planting an inescapable inner demon within oneself.

"Old Huang," Lu Yuan said.

"Return to Origin Realm... How long does it take to advance from the Blood Condensation Realm to the Return to Origin Realm?"

"If you have good talent and good fortune, you can get there in ten years. If you have poor talent, you'll never even get close to the door."

As for entering the Saintly Realm, it's not just about cultivation... it requires enlightenment and a fortuitous opportunity.

Lu Yuan remained silent for a moment.

"You're currently in the Returning Origin Realm. So, when I reach the Returning Origin Realm, will you tell me?"

Old Huang's eyes curved slightly.

"Yes."

Lu Yuan did not ask any further questions.

He glanced down at the jade tablet on the stone table and put it into his pocket.

Although the Duan family lineage is fake, the quality and authority of this jade pendant may be useful elsewhere.

He then carefully put the jade pendant close to his body.

......

On the day they entered the sect, Tie Heng's carriage carried a group of people out of Qingzhou City.

We traveled along the official road toward the Iron Bone Mountain Range.

Qingzhou City is located at the southwestern end of the Daqian Dynasty, surrounded by mountains and hills.

Once outside Qingzhou City, the mountain road became bumpy.

The carriage was packed to the brim.

A female disciple from a small family sat at the very back, excitedly lifting the carriage curtain to look out, constantly asking, "How much further?" and "Are we there yet?"

Lu Chuan leaned against the opposite corner and closed his eyes to rest.

The others were rogue cultivators, looking reserved and unsure of what to do with their hands and feet. They would occasionally exchange a few words in hushed tones before quickly falling silent again.

Lu Yuan glanced around.

Seven people.

Including him, there are exactly seven people.

Adding him is not right.

The top eight in the finals were Lu Yuan, Zhao Li, Lu Chuan, that girl, and three rogue cultivators.

After Zhao Li was knocked unconscious by his palm strike on the arena yesterday, he was carried back to the Zhao family. Tie Heng said that his spot was reserved by the sect leader and that he would depart directly from the Zhao family today.

But what about Chen Dagou?

He thought that no matter what, the top eight would all have odd jobs, and even if Chen Dagou was too injured to come, someone should still send a message.

"Iron Deacon," Lu Yuan couldn't help but ask, "Where's Chen Dagou?"

Tie Heng was resting with his eyes closed.

Upon hearing Lu Yuan's words, he opened his eyes, his expression unchanged.

"His spot has been removed. It was the sect leader's decision."

Lu Yuan did not press further.

One of the eight people was eliminated, and the sect leader didn't even offer an explanation... He vaguely understood that Tie Qianshan had watched the entire arena from beginning to end, and Chen Dagou's blatant cheating was so obvious that he could fool others but not him.

The fact that the person who leaked the water is being criticized is itself a kind of attitude.

He didn't say anything more, and leaned against the carriage wall, closing his eyes.

The carriage traveled for more than an hour, and the terrain gradually rose.

The Ironbone Mountains stretched out in front of them, with seven iron-gray peaks rising abruptly from the ground like seven giant swords plunged into the earth.

Above the mountainside, clouds and mist shrouded the rugged plank road.

At the end of the official road, a white marble gate rises abruptly from the ground, with three large silver characters on the gate: Iron Bone Sect.

Behind the mountain gate, layers of palaces and pavilions spiral upwards along the mountainside, with gray tiles and green eaves, and hanging covered bridges, stretching all the way into the depths of the clouds and mist.

"We've arrived, get off!"

Tie Heng jumped off the carriage and straightened his clothes.

The group disembarked from the carriage along with Tie Heng.

"Our Iron Bone Sect has been established in the Iron Bone Mountains for four hundred years."

Tie Heng spoke as he walked, his tone revealing an undisguised pride.

"There are three thousand outer disciples and three hundred inner disciples. There are five deacons, three of whom are at the Meridian Opening Realm and two at the peak of Blood Condensation Realm. Many elders, such as the Transmission Elder, Enforcement Elder, and Miscellaneous Elder... are all at least at the late Meridian Opening Realm. As for the sect leader," he paused, "he is at the peak of the Acquired Realm, just one step away from entering the Innate Realm."

Several independent cultivators gasped in shock.

Peak of the Acquired Realm.

In a remote border town like Qingzhou City, those at the Blood Condensation Realm can do whatever they want, so they can't even imagine what the peak of the Acquired Realm is like.

Only Lu Yuan remained remarkably calm.

What's the point of reaching the peak the day after tomorrow?

After all, Old Huang, who was by his side day and night, was a powerful expert at the Returning Origin Realm.