Martial Road

In the world of martial artists, there was no one who didn’t practice martial arts. This was the absolute competition that everyone shared between them. The road of martial arts was everything to a martial artist.

## Introduction

The martial road or the martial path is how martial artists' refer to to their life of martial arts, their battle against heaven's will.

The road of martial arts was not a blind road. Gaining experience, knowledge, and expanding one’s field of vision could allow a martial artist to suddenly break through bottlenecks that had stopped them previously, having them realize the principles of the heavens and earth.

When one had many experiences and combined that with one’s own martial arts cultivation, they could then verify these truths and enter a state of sudden enlightenment!

A martial artist had to pursue lucky chances, even risking their life to do so.

Since ancient time, if a genius didn’t experience lucky chances, they would never have great achievements. But all lucky chances came from betting one’s life and struggling until the end. Only by betting one's life for a chance to become greater would one truly become a martial genius!

The life of a martial artist was filled with difficult choices. If he had the chance to choose, he would always choose to blaze forward.

Then, they could ascend to the heavens and become king of heaven!

### **Martial Arts**

Martial arts are divided into two major parts. First cultivate the martial path, and then grasp the principles to attain enlightenment. To cultivate the martial path is to cultivate the body. To enlighten oneself is to cultivate the soul.

If one does not cultivate the body, then the boat would not be steady or strong; a storm would easily capsize it. If one does not cultivate the soul, then their motivation and will would not be enough, and even if their predestined death was near, they would be unable to arrive at the distant shores.

But the cultivation of the body and the cultivation of the soul is the difference in transition from the houtian to the xiantian stage. Before houtian, the martial artist will cultivate the body, after xiantian, the martial artist will cultivate the soul.

But in its true essence, the transition is the difference between cultivating the body and the dantian.

For there are many other ways of practicing martial arts divided into three parts: the cultivation of the body, essence and soul.

### **Longevity**

Martial artists had the most potential when they were young, and this was also the most important time in their cultivation. If they didn’t seize every second possible then once they exhausted their potential in the future, it would be very difficult to advance any further.

On the other hand, if they could rush up to the Divine Sea realm in a single go then their lifespan would increase by at least 10,000 years. At this time, even if they were a thousand years old, that would still be considered young and they could also maintain their youthful appearance.

The sooner one entered the Divine Sea, the more potential they had remaining in their lives, and the greater their future advantages would be.

## **The Path of a Martial Artist**

For a martial artist that walked down the road of martial arts, they had to encounter all sorts of dangers, slaughtering, arduous and high-intensity training, risking their lives, playing the games of intrigue and betrayal, every martial artist lived under a tremendous pressure. They needed a way to vent!

The life of a martial artist was to struggle and fight. Theoretically speaking, if a martial artist had enough pills, top grade spirit essence stones, a solid enough cultivation foundation, no bottlenecks, and even the guidance of famed masters, then they could always continue training.

But even in the Divine Realm’s super Holy Lands, there had never been a genius who had gone into seclusion during the Xiantian realm or Revolving Core realm and had closed up and trained straight to the Divine Sea in a single go.

If martial artists were compared to the generals and commanders of the mortal world, then Laws, comprehensions, and training were just like military tactics and true battle was actual battlefield combat. If one never engaged in a true battle in real life then all they would be was an armchair general. No matter how much they comprehended or how great their teachers were, all of that would be useless. That was because they would overthink the situation, thinking themselves infallible and invincible, straying off of the correct path and falling into disaster.

There were many armchair generals that wouldn’t lose in debates, but would be defeated on the battlefield. Those that cultivated the martial path were the same.

### **Dangers**

Those that walked the path of martial arts were doomed to face countless perils and dangers. An ordinary genius from a fourth-grade sect could challenge those with a higher cultivation than them, eventually they could become an extreme Xiantian Master.

This was the road that martial artists had to take. Although it couldn’t be said to be taking the entire world as an enemy, a martial artist would inevitably run into increasingly formidable adversaries. One had to step on their corpses to walk forwards, or otherwise be stepped on by them instead, dying and paving the road for them.

The Great Dao was like a vast moat; only the brave would find victory!

But how about higher? Could this ordinary genius ever compare to the mighty elders of the Realm of the Gods?

In the Sky Spill Continent alone, geniuses were as numerous as the clouds. But in this universe, there were many worlds that were just like Sky Spill Continent; the number of talents could not be estimated simply.

With so many talents, some were born into fourth-grade sects, fifth-grade sects, sixth-grade sects,  or even Realm of the God’s sects or Holy Lands. They had unimaginable resources and materials to cultivate with. They were probably thrown into a miracle medicine jar after being born too. Growing up like this, they also had access to the best cultivation methods, and in the Holy Lands of the Realm of the Gods, the cultivation methods they studied weren’t any different to his own!

In addition to these geniuses that were born into unfathomable backgrounds, there were many talents that underwent all sorts of adventures and had experienced all kinds of fortuitous encounters. In the world they lived in, they were the main characters!

With so many people, how many had truly reached the **peak of martial arts**?

### **Life and Death**

> *"Martial arts cultivators must struggle with the heavens every day of our lives.*
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> *Although we have power to control the world, we cannot resist the passing of time. Once our time is over, we too will turn to ashes and all of our life’s cultivation will turn to nothing.*
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> *No one is willing to accept this, but this is the choice that we made during our youth. We risk our lives, blazing our trail on the road of martial arts, uncovering new mysteries and new worlds – this is what drives us! Life or death closed door seclusion is also a good choice.*
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> *If you wholeheartedly devote your life to your cultivation then you might be able to make another breakthrough.”*
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## **A Will that Transcends the Heavens**

A martial artist that wanted to reach greater heights would first have to have a firm heart of martial arts. If they were someone who trembled and faltered when facing a powerful match, then they could simply forget about ever reaching a higher boundary. Even if someone’s talent surpassed that of the other, if they feared imminent death then when they attempted to break into higher realms, they would encounter a heart demon that was birthed from their innermost fear. A heart demon that was shaped like one's greatest opponent would have unbelievable power and control. It was likely that a weakling would be defeated by this heart demon and fall into obsession.

In order to step onto the peak of martial arts, one had to strengthen their determination and their own beliefs. This was because when climbing upwards to the peak of martial arts, they would have to encounter endless difficulties to begin with.

#### **Lucky Chances**

There were many lucky opportunities that could be found within the Martial World. However, these lucky opportunities were often fraught with peril. There was fortune that just lay there for one to pick up. However, if one wished to obtain it, one had to have the courage while also putting in 120% of their effort.

These opportunities were fleeting; only those martial artists that were prepared could reach for them.

### **A True Master's Attitude Towards Death**

When a cultivator reached their final boundary, they would usually regress and eventually reach the end of their natural lifespan. But, many martial artists were unwilling to die. Thus, they would usually do everything in their power in order to extend their fires of life. These included the use of life-extending heavenly treasures, searching for lucky chances, and even using Time Laws; to change the flow of time so that they could skip intervals and live to atleast reach the next era, such as with Three Lives Old Man.

To change the flow of time, that couldn’t be regarded as extending his life. One would still have the same lifespan they always had, it was just that he had pushed it back.

As for truly defying the will of the heavens, the only true means was to cultivate the martial path. All other methods were simply meandering roads that led to nowhere.

Life had always been reluctant to part with life. Whether it was intelligent creatures or non-intelligent life, this instinct was engraved into the very core of their beings. And for a martial artist, this was doubly so. They hadn’t even reached the end of their martial arts road, so how could they be willing to drop off halfway?

## Highs and Lows

The boundless universe was endless and infinite, there was no limit in the universe. There was always a higher mountain and a stronger person, but it was not eternal. This was the law of the Heavenly Dao.

A martial artist that chased after the peak of martial arts and wanted to live on forever in the world was defying the will of the heavens!

To step on this road meant to encounter countless dangers. Without a great destiny and valorous perseverance, one would never succeed.

In order to step onto the peak of martial arts, one had to strengthen their determination and their own beliefs. This was because when climbing upwards to the peak of martial arts, they would have to encounter endless difficulties to begin with.

The road of martial artists was exorbitantly dangerous. A single wrong step could lead one beyond any hope of redemption.

### **Resources**

In order for a common martial artist to earn a few resources, they had to venture through lands filled with vicious beasts and risk their lives to hunt for precious materials. These materials were also what young and beautiful girls sought from the Seven Profound Valleys’ Acacia Faction. In order to reach the Pulse Condensation period and extend their lives, they would exchange their own virginity for the longer-lasting youth. These sect talents were the envy of countless others, in order to search for lucky opportunities, they would enter into dangerous lands and possibly die…

The road of martial artists seemed bright and attractive, but once one stepped onto it, it was full of thorns and perils. If one fell off for any reason, there was no more hope for them.

### **Attitude towards death**

Sometimes, when a martial artist faced a life or death situation, their attitude might veer towards one of two extremes. One would be a desperado, not fearing death nor danger. They would mostly come from poorer backgrounds and rely on this sort of character to grasp lucky chances, finally arriving at a higher boundary.

And then there were those that treasured their own life. These types of people would often come from large sects and would have enjoyed endless resources since childhood. They had already developed an inherent sense of superiority so how would they be willing to die?

Normally, those who were too weak to seek the peak of martial arts were all daydreamers, wishing to one day do a single miracle that would shock the world. They would vow that one day they too would cause others to envy them, to glorify them, such is the martial world.

And the truth was that in the world of martial arts there were countless young martial artists that made similar pledges. But, only an extremely small proportion of them were able to succeed in their dreams. Many of them perished, their wishes and hopes unfulfilled.

The road of martial arts was incomparably brutal.

### **Seclusion**

To walk down the road of martial arts meant to live a lonely and desolate life. If one wished to look down at the heavens and earth with disdain, they would have to hold the mindset of suffering in silence.

## Martial Way

The life of a martial artist was to struggle and fight. Theoretically speaking, if a martial artist had enough pills, top grade spirit essence stones, a solid enough cultivation foundation, no bottlenecks, and even the guidance of famed masters, then they could always continue training.

But even in the Divine Realm’s super Holy Lands, there had never been a genius who had gone into seclusion during the Xiantian realm or Revolving Core realm and had closed up and trained straight to the Divine Sea in a single go.

If martial artists were compared to the generals and commanders of the mortal world, then Laws, comprehensions, and training were just like military tactics and true battle was actual battlefield combat. If one never engaged in a true battle in real life then all they would be was an armchair general. No matter how much they comprehended or how great their teachers were, all of that would be useless. That was because they would overthink the situation, thinking themselves infallible and invincible, straying off of the correct path and falling into disaster.

There were many armchair generals that wouldn’t lose in debates, but would be defeated on the battlefield. Those that cultivated the martial path were the same.

### **Peak of Martial Arts**

The so-called martial arts peak was riddled with mystery, even Lin Ming had said that he was far from it even as a Beyond Divinity.

He had experienced a great deal in his journey to the peak of martial arts so far. He was well aware that he was just a frog in a well, but the greatest difference that separated him from those other frogs was that he was aware of just how great the outside world was.

The Great Dao was boundless and limitless. According to Asura, if there was a highest martial arts peak in this world then it would likely be the fusion of the Holy Scripture and Heavenly Sutra, as well as the triumvirate of essence, energy, and divine.

If one could reach the highest boundaries of martial arts, could they break through the cycle of Samsara and live in perpetuity?

Such words were easily spoken. But, only those who stepped onto this road themselves knew how ephemeral a goal it was, just how many terrifying ordeals and trials one had to experience in order to run towards it!

There were so many peerless individuals in this world. How many things had they betrayed, how great of a price had they paid?

Countless peerless masters had searched for the peak of martial arts since ancient times.

For the peak of martial arts, Sheng Mei had done everything in her power, even giving up her body.

For the peak of martial arts, Divine Dream diligently strived and struggled.

For the peak of martial arts, the Good Fortune Saint Sovereign was willing to fuse with an abyssal without any hesitation…

But, just how far did they manage to go?

Not mentioning them, even the Asura Road Master or the creator of the Holy Scripture, the two of them… did they ever reach the peak of martial arts?

A newborn calf didn’t fear the tiger. However, the more experiences one gained, the less they had the blazing fighting spirit of their youth, that unfearing and unwavering heart that dared to defy the heavens.

When one reached old age, they would continually lose hope of reaching that great goal they once sought for...

But life is just like that. The true peak lies within oneself. For in life, a person’s greatest enemy was themselves.

Jiang Baoyun was doomed to never be able to step onto the peak of martial arts in his life, but, he still continued to seek it out, because every time he climbed a new mountain peak it would mean he had defeated his old self.

Sometimes, even if a person knew that what they were trying to do was impossible, they would still rush in without hesitation.

A moth to a flame – wasn’t this what it was?

For those who were willing to be moths that flew into the flames, the truth was that when they really did rush into that blazing inferno, they would still see a glimmer of hope within.

In the past, Lin Ming was also like this.

He said he would be a moth that flew into the flames, and he did do that, moreover, he even succeeded.

However, a real moth would not succeed.

For them to fly into a flame, what they faced was certain death.

When one truly saw no hope, when the flames burned brightly before them, how many people would still be willing to rush in?

### **Mortality**

When martial artists cultivated the Heavenly Dao, that was a type of enlightenment.

And returning to the mortal world and feeling the soil, that was also another type of enlightenment.

Yet, there were far too many people who perceived the Heavenly Dao and far too few people who understood the toils of mortals…

A martial artist stood at too high a height. Compared to an ordinary person, there was a natural moat as great at the skies that separated them; they were naturally unable to feel the sweet, sour, spicy, and all the other tastes of a mortal’s life.

## Relationships

### **Seven Carnal Desires and Six Emotions**

To a true martial artist, unless they were a martial artist that specialized in emotions, they would cultivate martial arts wholeheartedly with no time for things like feelings or sentiment. To cultivate martial arts was the struggle against the heavens. Only when a martial artist determined that there wasn’t much hope for further advancement would they settle down, taking a wife and concubines and wildly enjoying their time. Otherwise, most of them would bitterly and diligently cultivate, chasing after the Great Dao with their complete heart and will. As for feelings and sentiments, they would become somewhat indifferent to them.

Cultivating the martial road is not always about the battles and the adventures one faces, it is also every facet of person's life. This would be cultivating one's desires and living a transient fleeting life of pleasure.

A long life, thousands of years of youth, carefree without worry, endless wealth, beautiful women that willingly ran into his arms, his every need taken care of. In this world, as long as he wished for it, it would be his. Such a life could be said to be at the highest peak.

If one didn’t experience such a free and glorious fairy-like life at least once, then their life would be lacking. While the road of martial arts was filled with long periods of cultivation, they also needed to become aware of themselves and their feelings. They needed to taste the hundreds of emotions in life; this was also part of cultivation.

But if one was only lusting for beauty then a martial artist could easily establish a harem of 3000 women. A single violet sun stone could purchase a hundred mortal women. Thus, one who only seeks pleasure in the martial road is doomed to stagnate in their boundaries.

### **Greed**

In the face of temptation, no being alive could escape its gaze. Even martial artists with tempered wills and great daring would fall in the clutches of greed, this was especially true for those insatiably greedy persons. These types of people would attempt robbery, extortion, and even murder until it became increasingly ruthless to the point of no return; depravity.

Even an experienced master, probably a Divine Sea powerhouse in the lower realms or a Holy Lord in the upper realms must have experienced many things to reach that stage, so how could they not have known of the dangers? However, with enough temptation, they could have been blinded by greed. Even though they knew it was dangerous, they still decided to take the risk. And there were two results of this, they could either rise even further down their martial road or they would becoming nothing more than ashes on the ground.

If a person being extorted pinched their nose and pretended they didn’t notice this, then that insatiably greedy person might even have the idea to make one's position increasingly dangerous. At the end, that person might have even developed thoughts of killing the victim to steal their wealth! Thus, in the martial world, greed is key to enmity and enmity leads to death as the cycle continuous. An eye for an eye makes the world go blind...

The *Martial World* was a place where both good and evil were mixed up. If others believed that they were no different from a fat lamb that was free to be butchered, their fate could be imagined. They might even be eaten up by someone without any dregs remaining!

In order to combat these types of snakes, one could only be even more ruthless and thoroughly suppress them so that all they knew was fear. Thus, creating the logic that "***strength reins supreme!***".

### **Enmity**

In this world, an infinite number of martial artists have a will that soars to the heavens, of course, they also have an equally great appetite. Because of greed and easily swayed temper, martial cultivators die for treasures, they die for enmity.

In the end, as the saying went "***There is no such thing as eternal friendships, only eternal interests!"***

Of course, this was also a completely natural matter.

To give a cup of rice was grace and to fight for a cup of rice was enmity. Once one obtained a benefit from others and was used to it, if that benefit disappeared, that kindness would turn to anger.

Thus, people of the *Martial World*, no matter where one went, people would still be thick-skinned people.

Gilthuner444 (talk) 11:58, November 26, 2017 (UTC)Dasbones

## Trivia

* Cultivation of the martial path must proceed in an orderly fashion, step-by-step. If not, then they will face a bottleneck that could hault them for days, years and even centuries.
* In the realms of martial artists, the higher one’s cultivation, the greater the disparity in between boundaries.
* With a martial artist’s ability to meditate and recover, they could restore themselves to full strength in just two to four hours.