Bitter Realm: Have the Four Realms been united today?

Chapter 40 Martial Artists, Technique Masters, and Technique Absorption

"That gentleman just happened to be traveling through my village, and the villagers all call him Mr. Anonymous."

As Xuanming spoke, he silently repeated it in his mind.

"This isn't a lie, it's not a lie. 'Anonymous' itself means 'unknown,' I've already implied that."

"The strategy for breaking down the strokes just now must have come from this method."

"However, it seems you've applied this method incorrectly!"

Seeing that Tianji had not pursued the matter of the anonymous gentleman, Xuanming secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"I couldn't find a calligraphy brush at the time, so I used a sharpened wooden stick instead."

"The anonymous gentleman didn't stay long, and there were some things I didn't have time to ask him. I practiced haphazardly according to my own ideas!"

Perhaps because he was used to speaking this kind of "truth," Xuanming became more and more adept at it. Although he was still somewhat apprehensive, he could barely control himself from showing it.

"You've practiced for a long time, so it's probably difficult to change in a short period of time. I'll first teach you the correct way to use the Eight Principles of Yong, and you can gradually correct it later."

Yue Tianji held Xuanming's right hand as he had yesterday, guiding him to slowly write the character "永" (yong). As he wrote, he explained the principles of the eight basic strokes of the character "永" (yong).

After writing it once, Yue Tianji selected some strokes to explain again, emphasizing the mistakes Xuanming made in using them.

After that, he guided Xuanming through the process again before letting go of Xuanming's hand and allowing Xuanming to practice on his own.

Students in China generally have lingering fears about one particular event.

While the students were answering questions in the exam room, a proctor walked over and watched them work out their answers.

If the proctor happens to be the student's teacher, that would be even worse.

Basically, 80% of people, when faced with this situation, cannot ignore the teacher next to them and concentrate on answering the questions.

Xuanming is now facing this terrible situation.

With Yue Tianji watching over him, he devoted most of his energy to Yue Tianji and was very hesitant when he wrote.

Fortunately, Yue Tianji seemed to have some official business to attend to. After sitting with Xuanming for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he returned to his own desk.

Half an hour later, Xuanming felt unbearable soreness in his wrist, and even his forearm started to ache.

Knowing that further practice would only be counterproductive, he put down his brush, moved his wrists to relieve the discomfort.

Seeing that Yue Tianji was still engrossed in writing, Xuanming couldn't help but ask, "How are your injuries, sir?"

"It's nothing serious, no need to worry!"

Xuanming wanted to say something more, but seemed to be hesitant about something and only opened his mouth.

His gaze inadvertently swept across the desk, and his eyes lit up when he saw the teapot on it.

"Please have a cup of tea before you proceed! I am injured on my back and cannot attend to you. I will trouble you to do it yourself."

Yue Tianji put away the bamboo slips. He had already finished dealing with matters in the army. He had spent the whole morning perfecting the Imperial Decree, which did not take much effort.

However, he would not refuse his disciple's kindness. Although Mu Yunzhi also respected him, he was not as considerate as Xuanming.

Seeing that Tianji had risen, Xuanming picked up the teapot, filled the empty teacup in front of him to seven-tenths full, and then gently pushed it to his side.

These past few days, when he was being instructed by the Heavenly Secrets, he usually sat here.

The steaming tea leaves filled the study with the tranquil fragrance of ink.

Yue Tianji walked around from behind the desk and naturally sat down in that spot.

He picked up the teacup, feeling the warm, smooth heat emanating from the white porcelain with his fingertips.

"Is there anything you don't understand?"

"Have you finished your work, sir?"

Xuanming did not answer immediately, but instead inquired about the progress of reading the Heavenly Secrets.

He poured himself a cup of tea while discreetly observing the other person's expression.

Seeing that there was no sign of fatigue in his eyes, he felt somewhat relieved.

"With the Soul Emperor heading north, there are very few offices left here." Yue Tianji took a sip, put down his teacup, and spoke calmly.

"Moreover, most of these are time-consuming verification tasks, not urgent matters, so it's fine to put them aside for now."

Xuanming nodded, holding the slightly hot teacup in both hands, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the inside of the cup, as if he was carefully choosing his words.

"The teacher explained the Eight Principles of Yong very thoroughly, and I have no questions about it."

"However... I have some basic questions about cultivation that I would like to ask you to answer."

When the word "cultivation" was mentioned, Yue Tianji's expression turned slightly serious.

"Let me share my views on cultivation. Cultivation is different from calligraphy. If you don't understand the key points and practice haphazardly, you are very likely to go astray and become possessed by demons."

"This disciple is new to cultivation. If I have any strange thoughts, please forgive me, Master."

After giving him a heads-up, Xuanming continued:

"After consulting the classic texts, I found that the cultivation realms, from low to high, are roughly divided into several stages: Qi Refining, Spirit Condensation, Golden Core, Spiritual Tranquility, Nascent Soul, Spirit Division, and Tribulation Transcending."

"Judging from their cultivation methods, before the Spirit Quiet stage, they seem to focus more on the accumulation and condensation of true qi."

"It seems that as long as one cultivates true qi to a certain state of fullness or qualitative change, one can naturally break through the barrier of realm."

He frowned slightly, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"After the period of spiritual quiescence, the descriptions in the classics became increasingly mysterious."

"It seems to place more emphasis on the perception of heaven and earth and nature, and the understanding of a certain 'artistic conception'."

"In addition to the mainstream martial arts practitioners, there are also magic practitioners who specialize in the art of magic."

"Among martial arts practitioners, they can be further divided into sword practitioners, saber practitioners, and so on, based on the weapon they use."

"Sir, could you explain the difference between magic cultivation and martial arts cultivation?"

The cultivation books he read only recorded the key points of cultivating a certain technique, without any overall introduction.

He had tried to sort it out before, but there was too little information, and he still hadn't figured it out.

Yue Tianji listened quietly, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

Although Xuanming had no cultivation, his summary revealed the logical and sharpness of his thinking.

"The way of the martial artist emphasizes physical strength, the variation of techniques, and close combat. It is about using force to overcome skill and forging ahead relentlessly."

Yue Tianji patiently explained, his fingertips tracing lines in the air as if outlining different energy trajectories.

"The path of the sorcerer, on the other hand, focuses more on the keen perception and precise control of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and the use of incantations and talismans."

"Borrowing the power of heaven and earth for one's own use, one can create countless possibilities within a small space."

"This is due to the different focuses in the early stages of cultivation; the ultimate goal is to transcend one's own limits."

"Therefore, there is no fundamental difference in the core principles of breaking through realms."

Xuanming pondered these words carefully, lost in thought.

After a moment, as if he had thought of something, a new question appeared in his eyes: "Sir, there's one more question!"

"According to the book, most of the attack techniques will leave behind foreign true energy or residual force in the body of the person being attacked."

"The usual approach is to try to suppress, disperse, or guide this force out of the body."

He raised his head, looked at Yue Tianji with clear eyes, and put forward a rather unique idea.

"Cultivators can transfer true energy to each other, and this power is essentially true energy. Why not try to absorb it and make it your own?"