Da Xuan Martial Saint

In the mountains, time does not exist.

The coming and going of spring and autumn, the rush of cold and heat, all swiftly pass, marking another year.

On the second month after Chen Mu joined the Sect, Zhou Hao from the Great Profound Peak comprehended the second step of the Kun Earth Artistic Conception, left the mountain to roam outside, and fought a fierce battle against Jiang Yifei, the first true disciple of Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion. Zhou emerged slightly victorious, astonishing all sides.

By the fourth month, Zuo Qianqiu of the Heavenly Sword Sect encountered an ambush set by the Heavenly Corpse Sect and the Sky Demon Sect. He killed six Mysterious Corpses and two Sixth Rank Demon Men, carving a bloody path for himself, and stirring astonishment across several states.

In the seventh month, the Huns of the Foreign Race stirred up trouble beyond the border. Yuan Yingsong of the North Garrison Government fought a bloody battle with two prodigies of the Five Viscera Realm from the Foreign Race at the 'Northern Heavenly Pass.' He defeated two of them and killed one, shaking the border regions.

...

Throughout the year, many promising newcomers made their names known on The Talent Ranking, especially those ranked in the top ten pages. In the past, they were the prodigies closely watched by various states and sects. Now with the 'Cold North Path Talent Ranking' from the End of the World Sea Pavilion, every move they made caught the attention of the whole Martial World of the Cold North Path.

Only Chen Mu, after joining the Spirit Profound Peak, seemed to disappear like a stone sinking into the ocean, leaving no trace behind.

Ten months after Chen Mu joined the Sect, Meng Danyun, the current true disciple of Spirit Profound Peak, stepped into the Six Viscera Realm and became the 'Protector' of the Spirit Profound Peak. And Chen Mu took over his position to become the current true disciple of the Spirit Profound Peak.

Normally, the replacement of a true disciple would stir some commotion, involving the Peak Master personally taking in a disciple and conducting ceremonies, and even facing challenges from other Inner Sect Disciples. However, since Spirit Profound Peak's Peak Master Qin Mengjun was in a unique situation and Chen Mu had already been taken in directly as a disciple by Qin Mengjun upon joining the Sect, being the designated successor as the true disciple of Spirit Profound, the change in the Spirit Profound Peak's true disciple took place without causing much of a ripple within the Seven Profound Sect.

However.

News of Chen Mu becoming the true disciple of the Spirit Profound Peak of the Seven Profound Sect still spread in the Martial World, yet it received little attention. After all, given Chen Mu's previously revealed talent, his succession as a true disciple was just a matter of course.

By comparison, some were more curious whether Chen Mu had made any progress in the Martial Arts during the year since he joined the Seven Profound Sect, seeing that he was one of the rare individuals on The Talent Ranking with both talent and comprehension rated as 'top notch.' His ranking in the twenty-seventh position was only because of his late start and background.

But.

Besides the news of Chen Mu becoming the true disciple of Spirit Profound Peak, there was no other sign of activity.

Just like that, another two months flashed by. While other prodigies on The Talent Ranking were making a name for themselves in all directions, Chen Mu, the new true disciple of Spirit Profound Peak, remained unnoticed and was gradually forgotten by people.

...

Spirit Profound Peak.

Located on an open platform at the middle peak.

More than a dozen young disciples were sitting apart from each other, all dressed in the Sect's attire that signified Inner Sect Disciples, as they were the newest Inner Sect Disciples from this generation of the Spirit Profound Peak.

Some had been promoted from the Outer Sect, while others, due to their extraordinary talents, were directly admitted to the Inner Sect.

At this moment.

All eyes were focused on the person in front.

There, standing before the crowd, was a man in a simple Taoist robe, completely undistinguished and with no aura about him whatsoever, who was speaking to the new Inner Sect Disciples about something.

"...Before the ancient times, when Martial Arts had yet to emerge, there were ancestors of the Human Race who, by observing the rising and setting of the sun and moon, comprehended the way and understood the rotation of Yin and Yang. From then on, the world saw the beginnings of Martial Arts and the first Artistic Conceptions."

"As the world turned, there were ancestors who observed the transformation of the Five Elements and gained enlightenment, grasping the true essence of the Five Elements. There were also those who contemplated the heavens' thunder and the myriad winds of the earth and gained insights, giving rise to various Artistic Conceptions."

"Later on, some extended these fundamental Artistic Conceptions to create various intersecting aspects, like the 'Blood Fiend' Artistic Conception, which sounds extremely fierce, but in essence, it's just a fusion of some parts of 'Earth Fiend' and 'Lesser Yin'."

"Similarly, the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion's Artistic Conceptions of the Four Seasons—Warm Spring, High Summer, Late Autumn, Hardcore Winter—their essence is the same, either blending the original aspects such as Kan Water and Xun Wind or deriving from a part of the Yin Yang rotation interplay and the mutual birth among the Five Elements."

Chen Mu stood quietly there, speaking in a calm tone.

Each year, every peak would have a batch of disciples newly admitted to the Inner Sect. Inner Sect Disciples are not qualified to become direct disciples of a Peak Master, so it's the true disciples of each peak who represent them in conducting the ceremonies. In the past few years, it had been Meng Danyun, but now it was his turn.

"Why is the Qiankun Eight Phases considered the essence of today's world's Martial Arts?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Because the origin of the Qiankun Eight Phases is based on the insights of various predecessor Martial Saints who pushed the changes of Yin Yang, Five Elements, wind and thunder, and all other transformations of the heavens and the earth, to their limits and derived them together."

"At the Kunlun Mountains summit, they discussed the Dao for decades, integrating Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, and all cosmic and earthly transformations. Finally, they produced the 'Original Eight Phases Diagram,' which later generations referred to as 'Kunlun's Questions of the Dao.'

"After the Original Eight Phases Diagram emerged, countless years passed before there was the first person who mastered the Qiankun Artistic Conception and reached the pinnacle. He was the one who founded the Da Xuan Dynasty a thousand years ago after sweeping through the Six Harmonies."

Chen Mu continued to tell the new Inner Sect Disciples.

These details were not completely clear to him either, back when he was in Yu County. He had made some inferences from the numerous classics he had read, but only after arriving at the Seven Profound Sect, with access to more ancient historical books and the opportunity to ask questions of his fellow disciples like Meng Danyun and Chu Jingsui, as well as the Grandmaster Qin Mengjun, did he finally gain a clear understanding of the Qiankun Eight Phases, from its origins to its development.

"Therefore, if someone can master the Qiankun Eight Phases and cultivate the Qiankun Artistic Conception, they will have grasped the essence of the Martial Arts of the world. All the Artistic Conception Techniques, secret techniques, and methods of the world can be cultivated, and they will encounter no obstacles..."

Chen Mu paused briefly at this point, glancing at the group of young Inner Sect disciples with gleaming eyes before continuing,

"But the precondition is that you must be able to do it."

"If you spend your entire life only able to bring the Qiankun Artistic Conception to the first step, it would be far worse than if you were to bring several other Artistic Conceptions to the second step. If you could only bring the Qiankun Artistic Conception to the second step, it would still not compare to mastering a single Artistic Conception to the third step."

"Therefore, if you wish to practice martial arts, you must first understand your heart. Do not aim too high and be unsuited. Often what suits you best is actually the best. Those of you who came up from the Outer Sect should understand the path that suits you best. As for the new disciples who entered directly into the Inner Sect...well, later you can go find Protector Meng, and have her discern for you one by one."

"The path of cultivation eventually comes down to the individual."

Having said this, Chen Mu finally came to a slow stop, looking over the ten or so Inner Sect disciples still sitting quietly, he calmly said, "Alright, you may all leave now."

Upon hearing these words, the ten or so Inner Sect disciples finally came back to their senses and stood up one by one to bow to Chen Mu.

"Thank you, Senior Brother, for your teaching."

After they had finished their salutations,

they glanced at each other, then quietly left the platform along the mountain path.

"So, mastering the Qiankun Artistic Conception allows one to grasp all the techniques in the world of martial arts..."

"You're not thinking of practicing Qiankun, are you? Don't be silly. Not to mention whether you can master it, even if you did, how many arms and legs do you have to practice so many techniques? You'd still only master the ones that suit you best."

"That's true."

"Hey, what realm do you think Brother Chen's martial arts have reached? It seemed like he had already brought the Wind, Thunder, and Fire to the second step when he joined the sect. Do you think he will practice Qian Heaven?"

"Probably, I wonder how far Brother Chen has cultivated the Qian Heaven Artistic Conception. It's been almost a year now, and I reckon the first step shouldn't be too difficult for Brother Chen; he must have mastered it by now."

"Hard to say, I heard that Brother Zhou from the Great Profound Peak took a year just to get a basic grasp of Kun Earth Artistic Conception."

A few new disciples discussed in low voices as they disappeared along the mountain path.

Meanwhile,

Chen Mu left the platform with a serene expression, walking up a different mountain path toward Upper Peak, soon arriving in front of a simple bamboo house. He entered the bamboo house, and suddenly, as if remembering something, he pulled out a blade from under the bed.

It was his Flowing Fire Blade, with the scabbard covered in dust, indicating that it had not been used for quite some time, always kept under the bed. Now, Chen Mu blew a breath of air gently, and the dust on the scabbard quietly whirled up, spinning out the window.

"It's been a long time since I've used a blade; it feels somewhat unfamiliar. However, this 'Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal' is indeed very difficult to practice."

He summoned the system panel.

On his current system panel, all those complicated Artistic Conceptions had disappeared, replaced by only one entry.

[Martial Arts: Qiankun Artistic Conception (Second Step)]

[Experience Points: 341]

[Deductions Available: 0]

After nearly a year's time, sleeping only an hour or two each day and spending the rest pondering over Artistic Conceptions through the cold and heat, he finally did not let the hardships go to waste and mastered the Qiankun Artistic Conception.

Even for Chen Mu, he couldn't help but marvel at the difficulty of the Qiankun Artistic Conception, one with no equal, for he found it extremely obscure to comprehend, often spending twenty or thirty days immersed in thought without a clue to the right approach.

Fortunately,

the system panel never disappointed him.

Even for Qian Heaven and Kun Earth Artistic Conceptions, there was no difference on the system panel compared to Xun Wind, Thunderbolt, and other Artistic Conceptions- all had the same rate of earning experience points, all taking three months to reach the second step.

However, in order to practice the Kun Earth Artistic Conception, he was forced to also bring the Kan Water to the second step, and additionally, there was one more: Dui Ze. After bringing together Six Phases in total, he finally managed to bring the Kun Earth Artistic Conception to the second step as well.

And just when Qian Heaven, Kun Earth, Xun Wind, Thunderbolt, Separating Fire, Kan Water, Gen Mountain, and Dui Ze- all Eight Phases were gathered and stepped into the second stage, the system panel underwent a change, where all the entries of Artistic Conceptions vanished, replaced by a single entry that represented the culmination of the Eight Phases— the Qiankun Artistic Conception!

It took nearly a year for him, with his abilities, to master the Qiankun Artistic Conception.

This showed its difficulty.

Furthermore, the Artistic Conception Technique corresponding to the Qiankun Artistic Conception, 'Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal,' was quite challenging. It took almost half a month's worth of accumulated experience for him to laboriously master the first level of this technique. Continue your journey on empire