Disciple Mortal Vassal Scholar Master, Innate Colonel General Spirit Baron. A simple phrase containing the ten major realms of the martial path.
A Martial Disciple must first absorb aether and fill all ten of their vital points, each corresponding to a single level. Once the Martial Disciple has reached tenth-level, they will combine their aether with their mental energy, giving rise to soul energy and ascending to Martial Mortal realm.
A Martial Mortal must excavate their Three-Yin Hand Meridians, their Three-Yang Hand Meridians, their Three-Yin Leg Meridians and their Three-Yang Leg Meridians with their soul energy. In doing so, they ascend to Martial Vassal realm. The twelve meridians correspond to the four minor realms of a Martial Mortal: novice, intermediate, advanced and peak.
Once the Three-Yang Leg Meridians are filled with soul energy, the martial artist will ascend to the next realm: Martial Vassal realm!
The Martial Vassal realm is a rebirth of sorts, where even the bone itself is reforged!
The Martial Vassal realm is far more complicated compared to the Martial Mortal realm. The martial artist must direct soul energy to their bone marrow, filling up all the tiny holes in their bones and forcing out the impurities. The four minor realms of a Martial Vassal correspond to the progress of refining the bones. Four major sections had to be refined: the spine, the legs, the arms and the joints.
Why were these four sections so important?
A novice Martial Vassal must first infuse their spine with soul energy. This allows their breathing to be linked to the circulation of their soul energy, and creates a direct connection to the brain stem. An intermediate Martial Vassal must then turn their focus to the leg bones, strengthening the core and allowing soul energy to flow along the back.
An advanced Martial Vassal must then refine their arm bones. By purifying the arm bones, soul energy will be able to flow freely through them, allowing it to surge readily to the hands and fingers. Lastly, as circulation is everything to soul energy, a peak Martial Vassal has to refine the sesamoid bones at the joint, connecting the entire body’s strength into a single system.
This entire process is known as ‘bone-changing’, but the martial artists preferred to call it ‘bone purification’. By getting rid of the impurities, their body becomes stronger.
In summary, by refining their bones with soul energy, a martial artist is able to amplify their power. Strength comes from below, starting at the feet, running up the thighs, turning at the hips, unleashed from the spine, channelled through the arms, guided through the elbows and released through the hands.
In other words, a Martial Vassal is able to use their body like a bow. By breathing in, they draw the bow to its fullest extent. By breathing out, they release the bow and all the energy charged within. That is why the Martial Mortal and Martial Vassal realms are considered the foundations of a martial artist.145Please respect copyright.PENANAOBDcEjhFpe
In truth, Wun Fan’s ascension to Martial Vassal had always been a matter of time. After all, with something as ridiculously powerful as the Spiritstartler Ring and the Sword Mantra of the Endless Crimson Dust, Wun Fan had nothing to worry about.
However, Wun Fan wanted to grow stronger even faster than this. He wanted to reach the peak of the martial path as quickly as possible.
It was only then that he could have true autonomy in this world. It was only then that he could guarantee the safety of his family.
Old Lei could see Wun Fan’s potential as well. He didn’t mind helping him out once in a while. Moreover, a juicy prey was right in front of them right now. It would be a waste to let him escape like this.
To waste is to sin.
“Alright, kid, let me handle this,” said Old Lei.
“Okay!” said Wun Fan, who eagerly handed over control of his body to Old Lei. It had only been a few weeks since he met Old Lei, but the contract with the Spiritstartler Ring allowed him to trust Old Lei completely.
Moreover, he also wanted to see Old Lei’s strength for himself. He had been too busy surviving the tribulations on that night to pay attention to Old Lei. He asked Old Lei about what happened that night, so he knew Old Lei had fought with his father and the great elder, but Wun Fan wanted to see it for himself.
The moment Wun Fan said okay, an overwhelming mental energy surged out of his right thumb and engulfed his entire body. The next second, a blue and light-red fire ignited all over him. It was a warm and comfortable feeling.
‘Wun Fan’ leaped down from the tree. He landed on the ground with a heavy thud, leaving a small hole in the ground from the impact. His aura flared and the temperature of his surroundings went up drastically, instantly catching the attention of the Green Wolf Gang. Wun Fan’s left eye turned blue, and his right eye turned red. He laughed boldly and said, “Don’t fault me for punching down. This is for my disciple, after all.”
Bat Yun turned around and immediately recognized Wun Fan’s face. This young boy was their target. He glared at him with overflowing anger behind his eyes and said, “This is all your fault, you little rat!”
‘Wun Fan’ sighed and shook his head. His aura flickered and turned faint. He said with a compassionate look on his face, “Surrender now and I will leave your corpses intact.”
“Spare the theatrics,” said Bat Yun as he stared at the young boy. He clearly had the aura of a Martial Mortal, but somehow, he was giving off an intensely threatening pressure. Bat Yun could no longer remain calm. He ignored the strange aura that Wun Fan was giving off and waved his arm as he shouted, “Charge!”
“Sigh, young people never listen to their elders these days,” said ‘Wun Fan’ as he looked down on the bandits. He said in a cold and emotionless tone, “There is a fire named Dragon Pheonix Dance, dragons, phoenixes and enemies felled with a single lance.”
Lethality: Flame of the Roaming Dragon and Dancing Pheonix.
The blue flame left Wun Fan’s body, turning into an ancient dragon with four legs and five claws. It circled around Wun Fan once, before letting out a devastating roar. Leaves fluttered down from the trees above. Some of the weaker Martial Vassals’ eardrums were shattered instantly. Meanwhile, a light-red phoenix spread its massive wings and took to the skies. It looked down at the ants on the ground and flapped its wings. A violent gust rushed down at the bandits, blowing dirt and snow alike into the air. There was fury in the phoenix's eyes as it prepared to kill.
The blue dragon and red phoenix stayed by Wun Fan’s side. It was an intimidating sight.
“These are…a dragon and a phoenix?” muttered the bandit who had Hung Yu Fei’s hair. His legs trembled and cold sweat ran down his forehead, only to be evaporated in a matter of seconds by the oppressive heat around him. This pair of magical beasts that only existed in myths…
These mythical beasts were right in front of him now! How could a Martial Scholar like himself hope to win?
He immediately placed all his hopes on his commander, desperately praying that he could protect them from these monsters.
“Useless tricks!” said Bat Yun. He was still shocked as he stared at the dragon and phoenix. He knew that these were not the actual magical beasts themselves, but he couldn’t help but be intimidated. Bat Yun put on a show of composure. He knew it was useless, but he tried to intimidate his opponent with the Green Wolf Gang’s reputation, “Who are you, exactly? Are you sure you want to be enemies with the Green Wolf Gang?”
“Idiot. We are already enemies,” said Wun Fan in his usual tone, “Not to mention, after all the people I’ve killed today, can you really let me go without any repercussions?”
Bat Yun was speechless. His leader was the only one who could make that decision. Even setting that aside, there was no way he personally could forgive this boy after he had killed so many of his subordinates.
“One Martial Master, six Martial Scholars and fifteen Martial Vassals. That should be a devastating loss for the Green Wolf Gang,” muttered ‘Wun Fan’ with a glance, the cold gaze returning to his eyes. There was no point in any more chatter at this point. Old Lei gave the order and the dragon and the phoenix prepared for combat with a battlecry.
The dragon roared and the phoenix cried, their voices piercing the skies. Every magical beast within several kilometers snapped out of the effect of the Beastmania Powder as their survival instincts kicked in. They clung on to what remained of their consciousness and immediately fled as far away as they could.
“Today, one of us dies here!” shouted Bat Yun. He knew that Wun Fan was intending to kill every last one of them after hearing what he said. There was no point in talking. It was better to fight, with their very lives on the line. Bat Yun shouted at his party, “Brothers, today we return our favor to the Gang!”
Bat Yun let out a battlecry, igniting the passion of the bandits, who shouted back in response.
“Haha! Good! I’ve lived long enough as it is!” shouted one of them.
“I’ve got more than what I deserved the moment the Green Wolf Gang accepted me as one of their own!” shouted another.
“The enemies of our Gang will be cut down! I await the day our leader avenges us!” yelled another bandit, seemingly certain of his demise. The Green Wolf Gang were vile and evil bandits, but it seemed like their leader was very good at rallying them and earning their loyalty.
‘Wun Fan’ was not in a hurry to attack. This last moment he gave to his enemies was his final mercy.145Please respect copyright.PENANAmJmzn6umTz