289 - Made-Up Martial Arts, Have You Really Mastered Them, Disciple?

### Chapter 289: Above Divine Arts, Martial Dao Divine Appearance Xu Yan sought to utilize martial battles as a means to accumulate personal strength, to break through his own limits and cultivate his foundational depth through these conflicts. Li Xuan couldn't help but recall a particular concept: the path of the invincible. Xu Yan's actions bore a striking resemblance to this path. An unyielding journey, building momentum through invincible might, forging an indomitable will. Of course, Xu Yan was doing this to accumulate a foundation and enhance himself, differing in that a defeat wouldn't disrupt his accumulation of invincible momentum. "This is Xu Yan's path of invincibility!" Li Xuan mused with a sense of awe. His disciple finally broke free from the framework he set; this is a good thing. To break out of the framework signifies the disciple will become stronger, and as the disciple's martial understanding deepens, he too will become stronger! If the disciple walks the invincible path, it's as if he too treads on it. "My disciple, it's good that you have this idea!" Li Xuan nodded in recognition. Xu Yan was invigorated, "Master, I want to traverse the Spiritual Domain and challenge the prodigies of the world. I want to defeat them and use this to build myself and ascend to the pinnacle of the Spiritual Domain!" Challenging the world's prodigies, reigning supreme over a generation, and reaching the absolute summit! However, this will inevitably offend the great spiritual sects and families. How could they remain silent when their prodigies are defeated? The old rules of the prodigy battles were simply decorative. Even the once mighty Ten Thousand Stars Martial Institute was defeated in the prodigy battles and fractured with many prodigies dead or injured. Of course, only those involved know the specifics of the Ten Thousand Stars battles. And here stands one who was part of it—the former participant of the prodigy battles and one of the Thirty-Six Heroes of Ten Thousand Stars, Yue Changming! If the disciple wants to challenge prodigies, as a master, naturally, he has to support and protect the disciple. As for those who refuse to accept defeat and try to take matters into their own hands, that's courting death! "I know it would be inconvenient for Master to intervene, but I am confident I can withdraw safely. There's no need for you to worry!" Xu Yan said with seriousness. His master cannot casually intervene; he's too powerful. Even a slight suppression of power, or letting slip any real aura or strength might cause a calamity of heaven and earth. Therefore, Xu Yan had not intended to rely on his master's protection. He's confident he can retreat safely, and besides, the challenges will not be taken on recklessly. He is a martial artist, not a fool. Li Xuan chuckled to himself, this provides a perfect excuse. If he ever encounters an enemy he can't vanquish with a single strike, it won't harm his image as a peerless expert. After all, he must avoid causing a calamity of heaven and earth! Such a considerate disciple, even thinking of excuses in advance for his master. "Good, good, good. A true strongman never grows in a greenhouse, never grows under protection. With this will and confidence, I am very pleased!" Li Xuan nodded approvingly. Xu Yan was thrilled, having received his master's affirmation, indicating he was on the right path. Meng Chong also joined the conversation. "Master, I also want to follow my senior brother's example. I wish to sharpen my blade's edge and become a master of martial blades across the Spiritual Domain!" The second disciple intends to do the same. Su Lingxiu, excitedly joined, with her jade face flushed and full of enthusiasm. "Master..." Li Xuan looked at his third disciple, wondering if she too wanted to walk the invincible path. "I won't follow the ways of my senior brothers. I plan to set up a Dan Medical Pavilion to heal and treat martial artists, to accumulate my Dan Medical techniques. After all, there's no point in learning and not using them," Su Lingxiu replied with a playful smile. Li Xuan thought to himself, indeed, the third disciple doesn't have a penchant for fighting; she doesn't have the ambition to walk the invincible path. But she's right; having learned the Dan Medical Martial Path, how can it not be utilized? Nowadays, with the Spiritual Domain in turmoil, the ongoing war between Wan Shi Alliance and the spiritual sects leaves countless injured, often with severe foundational damage, presenting a perfect opportunity to accumulate experience in Dan Medical. "Very well, Lingxiu. Having your own ideas is excellent, and I am truly pleased!" Li Xuan nodded with a smile. "Hehe, Master, I've always had ideas," Su Lingxiu playfully said while massaging his shoulders. "Master, I plan to lead the Wan Shi Alliance into the Spiritual Domain battles," Fang Hao stated. As the leader of the Jade Prefecture Alliance and with a background among the scattered cultivators of the Spiritual Domain, he naturally resonated with them and wished to make a name for himself in the Spiritual Domain. "You may," Li Xuan nodded. All four disciples now have their own targets. This is excellent. Xu Yan walks the path of invincibility, confident in retreating safely, but how could Li Xuan let him face danger? There must be safeguards in place. This pertains to his grand martial endeavor. Personal protection is unnecessary, but certain safeguards must not be lacking. All four disciples having their cultivation goals and directions filled Li Xuan with immense pride, especially Xu Yan and Meng Chong, who are set to embark on a path similar to the invincible path. Accumulating strength through combat, evolving and transforming to break through the Divine Essence Realm. Shi’er, Zhou Ying, and Meng Shushu, stimulated by their peers, began intense training, though they were still far from breaking through to the Divine Intent Realm. Red Cat seemed to have its own plans and commenced rigorous training; Li Xuan could sense it growing stronger continually. Xu Yan began to prepare for his journey across the Spiritual Domain, challenging its finest prodigies. Meng Chong did the same; this path was fraught with challenges but promised immense rewards if successfully navigated. Su Lingxiu busied herself with crafting pills, preparing a variety for her senior brothers. Fang Hao continued constructing his marvelous weapon caskets. Meanwhile, Yue Changming, under the influence of a silvery glow, restored his spiritual body through the cultivation of Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Energy absorbed into his divine soul, now surpassing Huang Liang in power. The trace of Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Energy Li Xuan absorbed was far superior to that which Huang Liang condensed into his divine soul, explaining Yue Changming's rapid surpassing of Huang Liang. While refining Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Energy, Yue Changming also contemplated certain law patterns. These were extracted by Li Xuan from the Heavenly Laws of the first page of the Tai-Cang Book and imprinted on paper. For the martial artists of the Spiritual Domain, these patterns were sufficient for deep reflection, while understanding the entire celestial laws was evidently impossible. They could only hope to grasp one or two among these laws. Li Xuan for a moment put down compiling the martial arts manual for divine abilities, shifting his focus to crafting martial paths beyond divine abilities, planning to pass these martial methods to Xu Yan before his journey begins. Xu Yan's path of invincibility was destined as the road leading him to the apex of the Spiritual Domain. In combat, his understanding of martial arts would continually advance. Perhaps during this period, he might unlock the mysteries of the martial paths beyond divine abilities. "Concerning the domain beyond divine abilities, dealing with celestial laws, I've formulated it. The completeness of the martial methods is suitable, and the realm connections are well-synced. "The path Taicang martial artists tread inevitably involves integrating celestial laws into themselves; even though they grasp celestial law powers, they're still bound by them. "Achieving transcendence is significantly challenging, especially lacking one's own martial laws. "My martial path naturally won't be restricted by this; it will overshadow, not abide by, celestial laws, hence, above divine abilities and grasping celestial laws for self-use. "Using celestial laws as a Martial Dao Divine Appearance: this not only enhances one's divine abilities but allows personal control, so I'll call it the Divine Appearance Realm." Li Xuan confirmed the realm above divine abilities as the Divine Appearance Realm. Transforming celestial laws into a Martial Dao Divine Appearance, wielding celestial laws as one's own, in a certain sense, suggesting superiority over these laws. Being within the heavens yet metaphorically transcending them is something scarcely achievable. Taicang martial artists, above Refining Divine Heavenly Being, must inevitably have relations with celestial laws; Li Xuan could generally deduce that it involves refining celestial law power. To some degree, they could borrow celestial law power. Similar to someone like Huang Liang, who, through integrating Heavenly Spiritual Energy, attains the ability to sense celestial laws and gather a sliver of celestial power. Though appearing to utilize celestial laws, Taicang martial artists fundamentally exist under them, exploiting power from these laws, not "controlling" them; instead, they "borrow" from them. Perhaps it takes a higher realm to truly see eye-to-eye with celestial laws and thereby wield them meaningfully. Li Xuan aimed to establish a level directly after divine abilities allowing control over celestial laws, forming the ground for somewhat transcending them. He achieved control over celestial laws not only by utilizing personal martial laws within the Divine Arts realm but owing much to a crucial factor. Precisely, the knowledge of celestial laws contained within the Tai-Cang Book has granted Li Xuan a profound understanding of these laws. Additionally, he could straightforwardly incorporate celestial laws found in the Tai-Cang Book into the Divine Appearance Realm, gaining methods for controlling celestial laws. Mastering celestial laws to transform into a Martial Dao Divine Appearance! **New Terms List and Explanation:** 1. **Divine Appearance Realm (神相境):** Translated as the realm beyond divine abilities, where celestial laws are transformed into a martial appearance. Alternate translation could be "Divine Aspect Realm." Both capture the essence of utilizing and being above celestial laws. The term holds a sense of supremacy or transcending the conventional understanding of celestial laws, aligning with Li Xuan's objective for not being restricted by but controlling such laws. 2. **Taicang (太苍):** Recognized as the significant book containing extensive knowledge of celestial laws. Alternate simplification might be "Great Vault," reflecting the abundance of universal knowledge within. 3. **Thirty-Six Heroes of Ten Thousand Stars (萬星三十六傑):** Used to describe a group of participants once involved in prodigious battles, emphasizing legendary prowess. 4. **Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Energy (天地靈機):** Already translated as "Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy," no changes except specifying the inclusion of spiritual insight gained. Could also consider "Celestial-Spatial Energy" for its wider heavenly earth undertones which resonate with vast knowledge assumed by Yue Changming due to his spiritual ascendancy. "The Divine Appearance Realm is now defined. By using heavenly laws as martial apparitions, or even considering the heavens as the apparition itself, one must practice without being constrained by the heavens. "The Divine Appearance is the beginning of transcending the heavens. Although true transcendence requires much more, it already frees one from the constraints of heavenly laws and allows the manipulation of these laws. "Given Xu Yan's talent, I believe there should be no issue in comprehending this." Li Xuan was overwhelmingly excited. Theoretically, the Divine Appearance Realm aligns with the realm above Refining Divine Heavenly Being, yet in practice, it surpasses it. "If I break through to the Divine Appearance Realm and unleash the Martial Dao Divine Appearance, layered with the Heaven and Earth Shattering Technique, it would create the sensation that the universe is encapsulated within my technique. "This is remarkably powerful! "If I unleash the Divine Dragon Descends ability, transforming the Martial Dao Divine Appearance into a divine dragon, it would be akin to utilizing heavenly laws as the dragon's essence." The more Li Xuan thought about it, the more excited he became. He opened the Great Dao Golden Book to review the martial arts methods of the Divine Appearance Realm. **Divine Appearance Realm Martial Arts Methods:** - **Merit perfection:** Above average. - **Realm connection:** High. - **Comprehension difficulty:** High. - **Training difficulty:** Above average. Viewing the information provided by the Great Dao Golden Book, Li Xuan nodded in satisfaction. Though the merit perfection is rated above average, it is not low, and for Xu Yan's talent, fully comprehensible. The realm connection being highly rated indicates that the theoretical transition from Divine Arts to the Divine Appearance Realm is sound. The high comprehension difficulty was expected, considering the martial arts methodologies of the Divine Appearance Realm include heavenly laws from the Tai-Cang Book, offering an intuitive approach to understanding how to manipulate heavenly laws. The training difficulty being above average implies that once comprehended, practicing it won't be excessively challenging. "The Divine Appearance Realm martial arts methods are thus set." Improving the merit perfection while lowering the comprehension difficulty proves overly challenging. After all, reducing comprehension difficulty and enhancing merit perfection might inherently weaken the realm's potential. As one approaches the Divine Arts realm, merit perfection naturally elevates, while distancing from it increases the disparity in power, complicating merit enhancement. Raising the merit perfection to above average while ensuring the realm's strength remains impactful was the best Li Xuan could achieve. The more profound and sophisticated the martial arts methods, the higher the comprehension difficulty becomes. This is unavoidable. For greater strength, this approach is necessary. "The Divine Appearance Realm is settled, but what lies beyond?" Li Xuan fell into contemplation. The Divine Appearance Realm already transforms heavenly laws into martial apparitions, manipulating them for one's use. What direction should martial realms take from here? How can one step by step transcend the heavens? True transcendence is not achievable in one leap; it is a series of realm advancements leading to ultimate transcendence. Therefore, what comes beyond the Divine Appearance Realm? How should one continue cultivating to advance martial arts and establish a foundation for transcending the heavens? Li Xuan's thoughts were knotted, "Crafting martial arts methods for this is too difficult. The leap is too vast without interconnected realms, making comprehension impossible—akin to overstepping boundaries, leading to issues... "Hence, progress must be gradual, one realm leap after another..." No matter Xu Yan's exceptional talent, if there's no continuity between realms, with ludicrous gaps, comprehension would be unattainable. Even if miraculously comprehended, the time spent in each realm would be exceedingly long... "The Divine Appearance Realm manipulates heavenly laws. Above it, the next realm must inherently involve breaking these laws and not being confined by them, so..." Li Xuan began to seize a thread of inspiration. Within the estate, while Li Xuan delved into martial arts methods, Xu Yan prepared for his journey to challenge the prodigies of the Spiritual Domain. Meanwhile, the external world witnessed some changes. In the Thundercloud Prefecture, the battle between supreme beings resumed. Boom! In this grand battle, from the peak of Thundercloud Manor rose a bolt of lightning, spanning across the sky in an instant and striking towards a Wan Shi Alliance supreme. Pu! The visage of the powerhouses changed dramatically; despite exerting every effort to fend it off, the lightning struck them away, leaving half their body charred, severely wounded! Boom! Another bolt of lightning spanned across, aimed at that Sea Spirit supreme being. "An artifact!" The expression of the Sea Spirit supreme being shifted drastically, as waves surged from the water in front, forming tumultuous tide. Yet, they could not withstand the lightning, prompting a nearby Wan Shi Alliance supreme being to aid. Boom! Though the alarming lightning was intercepted, the assisting fighter was severely wounded by a powerhouse from Thundercloud Manor! In this moment, the profound foundation of the exalted spiritual sects was unveiled. A silhouette wrapped in lightning emerged from Thundercloud Manor, holding an artifact. "Retreat!" From the Wan Shi Alliance, a figure appeared, their gaze exceedingly grave. The Wan Shi Alliance powerhouses collectively retreated. Boom! Thunder once more spanned across. "Hurry, Elder Yan, be cautious!" The Wan Shi Alliance powerhouses cried out. "Hmph!" Elder Yan snorted coldly, grasping a short staff and swinging it out with force. Boom! Their powerful strikes matched evenly. Even Elder Yan wielded an artifact. Boom! But at that moment, Thundercloud Manor surged with thunderclouds, rolling forth with red lightning-like flames. Thundercloud Manor summoned a second artifact! "Withdraw from Thundercloud Prefecture!" A cold, harsh voice echoed from Thundercloud Manor. "Haha, retreat it is. What difference does it make if Thundercloud Prefecture is left to Thundercloud Manor!" Elder Yan laughed heartily, leading Wan Shi Alliance powerhouses to withdraw. **New Terms List and Explanation:** 1. **Divine Appearance Realm (神相境):** This realm involves using the laws of the heavens as martial apparitions or ever using heavens itself, concentrating on manipulating these laws rather than being constrained by them. An alternative could be "Celestial Phantom Realm," focusing on appearance transcending cosmic rules. 2. **Heaven and Earth Shattering Technique (法天象地):** Although listed, its fitting within the current context implies not only breaking but encapsulating heaven and earth within one's power, aligning with the overarching martial theme of transcending typical boundaries. 3. **Sea Spirit (海靈):** A term for a supreme being within the context, possibly a member or species embodying oceanic elements—translates into "Spirit of the Sea," maintaining their elemental affinity. 4. **Artifact (神器):** The term is consistent with its definition as a powerful tool or weapon of significant power or craftsmanship, reflecting divine-like utility in battle situations. Alternative: Relic of Power, emphasizing its martial significance. Overall, any adjustments in the character or place translations have been retained due to their consistency throughout the narrative. The themes of transcending heavenly laws and martial progression parallel a deeper understanding of inner strength and outward dominance, solidifying the reader's grasp on both character and storyline development.