Chapter 114: The Path Where Everyone Can Survive

“The Three Innate Stages: Observation of Principles, Soul Nurturing, and Seeing the Divine.”

“Observing the principles of heaven and earth, nurturing the soul of martial arts, and seeing the divine within oneself.”

“The essence of these three stages is a step-by-step progression, observing the world, imitating the world, until one becomes the world.”

“Now that I’ve taken the first step and become an Innate Martial Artist, it’s only the beginning.”

Creak—

After the breakthrough, Xu Xi pushed open the wooden door and stepped back into the snowy outside.

The sky was cold, and people were busy.

After the Demon Tide, Qingniu Town did not become quiet.

Burying the dead, treating the wounded, cutting demon flesh, clearing collapsed houses.

There was too much to do.

There was no time for sorrow, emotions were numb, they could only clean up the ghastly ruins as quickly as possible, preparing for the next wave of the Demon Tide.

The Demon Tide would last a long time, from winter until next spring.

Like an endless punishment, tormenting and whipping everyone.

“Not enough, far from enough…”

Xu Xi muttered to himself.

Clear.

Pure.

His heart felt like a furnace, with Qi and Blood burning fiercely, providing him with endless power.

The cultivation of the Observation of Principles stage.

The Gang Qi of an Innate Martial Artist.

After breaking through, Xu Xi was far stronger than his Blood Replacement Realm self.

But this was not enough, the cultivation of the Observation of Principles stage alone was far from enough.

“Although I don’t know the depth of the Great Qian Dynasty, there’s no doubt that within it exists Martial Dao Immortals, beings far superior to Innate Martial Artists.”

“Even Immortals are no match for the Ten Thousand Mountains, let alone Innate Martial Artists?”

The wind pressed against the eaves.

Snow struck the windows.

Amidst the howling wind and snow, Xu Xi recalled the terrifying scenes he had witnessed over the past few years.

A Roc with wings that blotted out the sky soared across the heavens.

A giant snake, as large as a mountain, opened its mouth to devour the stars.

Such power, as if mythological stories had come to life, was far beyond what ordinary martial artists could contend with.

“Whoosh—!!!”

The wind and snow grew fiercer.

Xu Xi raised his right hand against the flying snowflakes, fingers straight, forming a hand blade, slashing through the storm.

Sss.

Like a deflating balloon.

A faint sound lingered.

But suddenly, the faint sound turned into a deafening roar, the snowflakes flying wildly like out-of-control butterflies, crashing everywhere.

Shattered and dispersed by invisible Gang Qi.

The world suddenly cleared, whether it was the storm or the snow, all were cut down and stopped by Xu Xi.

Though after a few breaths, the familiar blizzard returned, it was enough to prove the overwhelming strength of an Innate Martial Artist compared to a Body Tempering Martial Artist.

However.

Such strength, terrifying in the eyes of mortals.

To stronger demons and Immortals, it was laughable, like an ant, not worth mentioning.

“The road ahead is long.”

…

[Simulation Year Seven, after breaking through the Blood Replacement Realm, you rapidly advanced to become an Innate Martial Artist]

[This was an unexpected promotion]

[You had calculated that, based on the time you were stuck at the Marrow Transformation stage, it would take at least five years to break through to the Innate Realm]

[But now, five years were skipped, and you directly entered the Innate Realm]

[You marveled at the uniqueness of Qi and Blood Martial Arts]

[In the Cultivation World, cultivators need to meditate and avoid creating karma]

[In the Magic World, mages need to meditate to empty their minds and communicate with the elements]

[Most of the time, intense emotions can affect cultivation, but today’s battle with demons caused your martial arts realm to break through rapidly]

[You suddenly realized that pure perseverance, pure hard work, is useful, but in the martial arts system, the belief in oneself is equally important]

[Your strength greatly increased]

[Your Qi and Blood were astonishing]

[The third wave of the Demon Tide arrived in winter, and this time, you chose to face it alone]

[You walked on air, without any master’s guidance, relying solely on your perseverance, you learned the basic use of Gang Qi, turning Qi into a blade, slaying all invading demons]

[You successfully protected Qingniu Town, people were amazed by your strength, cheering for you]

…

[You did not feel joy]

[On the contrary, your expression was extremely grave]

[In recent years, the Demon Tides in spring and winter have grown stronger, with more demons at the Blood Replacement Realm, a very dangerous sign]

[You worried that if demons comparable to Innate Martial Artists appeared, they would devastate Qingniu Town]

[You guarded against this, silently increasing your martial training]

[You were lucky]

[Everyone in Qingniu Town was lucky]

[Until spring arrived, and the last wave of the Demon Tide ended, no demons comparable to Innate Martial Artists appeared, and with your protection, Qingniu Town survived the harsh winter]

[Spring, the earth awoke from winter’s chill, plants flourished, only the blackened bloodstains on the roads marked the winter’s bloody slaughter]

[Simulation Year Eight, you are 23 years old]

[You have completely stabilized the Innate Realm, Gang Qi condensed, Qi and Blood radiant, you remain as diligent and hardworking as ever, your persistence in martial arts unwavering]

[But besides that, you also allocated some time to plan future actions]

[You knew that, based on the frequency of past Demon Tides, the next winter would inevitably bring stronger demons]

[As an Innate Martial Artist, you are strong, but you cannot protect everyone]

[You received vegetable buns from A Niu’s family]

[You received bland soup from Granny Liu]

[You received ‘candy’ from the neighborhood kids, a special kind of grass stem, chewy and sweet, a favorite among border children]

…

[You began to seek a new path, one that could protect more people, preventing them from dying tragically]

[Why do this?]

[You asked yourself in your heart]

[You ate the vegetable buns, drank the bland soup, chewed the ‘candy’ the kids gave you, and suddenly laughed, feeling that this needed no reason]

[Or perhaps, reasons were everywhere]

[You came up with a challenging plan]

[You planned to teach everyone martial arts, giving the townsfolk the power to protect themselves, but a crucial problem remained, most people lacked the talent for martial arts]

[They lacked comprehension, unable to understand the principles of the techniques]

[Their bones were weak, their Qi and Blood inherently frail]

[So, is there a technique in the world that requires neither comprehension nor strong bones, allowing ordinary mortals to become martial artists?]

[The answer is no]

[But you did not intend to give up]

[With the Martial Practice trait, you possessed endless possibilities]

[You quietly found the “Nourishing Origin Technique,” intending to use this common, widespread technique as the foundation, evolving a martial arts technique that even ordinary people could use to become stronger]

[You continued to cultivate the “Nourishing Origin Technique”…]

[You continued to refine your Innate Gang Qi…]