Chapter 6: The Realm of Martial Arts

  He passed the test safely and soundly, but Lv Yang didn't feel lucky, instead he had a kind of inexplicable fear.

  However, he was also clear in his heart that the more such situations arose, the calmer he had to be, and he absolutely could not let panic get the better of him, or else it would be too late for regrets. So he collected his emotions and gradually pushed this matter to the back of his mind.

  A few more days passed and Lü Yang had nothing to do, so he came to the martial arts training ground in the front yard of the Lü Mansion.

  The disciples of the Wu Tang were in the midst of their training, engaging in paired combat and sparring on the large campus grounds. Each one's movements were agile and spirited, with every move and gesture showcasing their mastery, revealing the profound heritage of the Lü family as a martial arts clan.

  The corner of the school field, the sound of military drums came faintly, adding a few more exciting intentions to this Lv family martial arts holy land, making people listen with blood boiling, and can't help but throw off their clothes and join them in a big fight.

  A scene of bustling activity with people coming and going in all directions.

  There were over 8,000 people in this large arena, all of whom were disciples of the three major martial halls of Nanling Lü's "Xiu Shen", "Jing Wu" and "Tian Ren".

  Eight thousand white robes, eight thousand disciples, direct descendants, collateral branches, main family, servants, private army, affiliated people, outsiders, all the descendants of the families who are suitable for martial arts training were selected and entered the martial hall for further study. After many years of training, they have become a crack troop.

  The Lu family's prestige is renowned, with a profound foundation. In the mansion, there are three grand martial halls: "Cultivating One's Character", "Refining Martial Arts" and "Heavenly Unity". These three halls occupy more than 60% of the Lu estate's land, covering an area of over a thousand mu. The buildings are majestic and imposing, with towering pavilions and grandeur that is unmatched.

  In the family, children of suitable age who practice martial arts are selected to be trained in the Cultivation Hall. After several years, the outstanding ones will be left behind and enter the Jingwu Hall for further study. After a few more years, the elites will be selected to enter the Tianren Hall, where they can not only obtain wealth, beautiful women, land, titles, martial arts skills, spiritual elixirs, divine weapons, and other coveted rewards, but also become the family's key cultivated elite, even if they are just a collateral branch. At this time, their status will greatly increase, with inheritance rights equivalent to those of the main line, completely changing their fate.

  What's even more enviable is that all the descendants of the Lyu family who have cultivated to the level of "Hugging Yuan" have the opportunity to meet the legendary old ancestor and receive guidance on their martial arts. Those with a predestined affinity can even enter the immortal gate and enjoy a life of longevity, so the vast majority of the Lyu family's descendants, as long as they have ambition, regard practicing martial arts and cultivating themselves as extremely important.

  When these people were practicing martial arts, a middle-aged instructor wearing dark golden armor and holding a mysterious iron halberd appeared on the school field. He was the chief instructor of the three halls of the Lyu family, the inner hall's manager elder of the Tianren Hall, named Lyu Zhenwei.

  Lü Zhenwei was a master of the ninth rank, who had followed the Lü family's elite to fight on the battlefield, killing countless enemies and achieving great military merit. In the family, his status was extremely high, even if he received ordinary treatment, it was not inferior to some true direct descendants in the school field, and even surpassed them. According to the family rules, as a collateral relative, he enjoyed the "guest minister" treatment, all juniors who saw him had to pay their respects, respectfully calling him "General Instructor" or "Uncle Zhenwei".

  The day after tomorrow, ninefold, looking at the entire Central State, is also a top-notch master.

  Lü Zhenwei supervised the crowd practicing martial arts on the side, and when the scene became hot, he suddenly activated his Xuan Gong and let out a loud lion's roar.

  "Mortals who practice martial arts are divided into ten great realms. When cultivated to the extreme, it becomes the realm of perfection, and one can enter the pre-heavenly realm with martial arts as a means to attain the Tao!"

  Lv Zhenwei let out a loud roar, and all the disciples stopped in their tracks, listening quietly. The large martial arts training ground was suddenly transformed from a bustling scene to a deathly silence, revealing the extraordinary temperament of these young disciples.

  "Great, just in time for the grandmaster's transmission of skills."

  Lyu Yang also crouched behind the school playground, on a low hillside, hiding and eavesdropping.

  In the midst of thousands of people, it was difficult to find him even for someone with profound abilities like Lü Zhenwei, so he had not been discovered all along.

  Sneakily reading books and recognizing characters, even secretly learning martial arts, are all manifestations of being uncontent. If discovered, one would be severely punished, possibly even beaten to death with a stick.

  This is a rule of the Lv family and many other aristocratic families, which was established to prevent servants from taking advantage.

  The master is no longer the master, and the servant is no longer the servant. The power of the underling has surpassed that of the master, and with one leap, he becomes the honored guest at the table. No aristocratic family can tolerate such a thing happening.

  The Daewon Dynasty also has a limited number of martial arts orders, and those who have not obtained the qualification for academic promotion, privately teach each other, and are guilty of having achieved something in learning but not participating in the imperial examination, are all unpardonable crimes of disobeying the king's transformation and disrespecting the court, punishable by military service or exile.

  Lü Yang was able to remain safe and sound for so many years, not because of luck, but because he was bold and meticulous.

  "In the past, there were predecessors who divided the achievements of post-heavenly martial arts and self-cultivation into ten major realms. These ten major realms are: first, practicing skin; second, practicing tendons; third, practicing bones; fourth, spiritual intention; fifth, three harmonies; sixth, universal penetration; seventh, embracing the origin; eighth, guarding the deficiency; ninth, returning to simplicity and truth; and tenth, the supreme realm of post-heavenly perfection. But why is this said? People only know that it is so, but do not know the reason."

  "You see that ordinary person, cultivating martial arts to success, can be considered a hero among men, is that right?" Lü Zhenwei threw out a question.

  "Yes, practicing martial arts and self-cultivation, standing out from the crowd, becoming a hero among men, is our aspiration." Many disciples deeply agree with this.

  "It's well said that a strong martial artist who has achieved great mastery, doesn't need to mention tearing tigers apart or throwing elephants across rivers, and can even reverse aging and prolong their lifespan. Such a strong martial artist, whether it's building achievements or cultivating their character, can accomplish extraordinary feats, if not a hero, then what?"

  Many of the disciples in the field showed a convinced expression. What Lv Zhenwei said were all things that someone had seen, without any doubt.

  "Cultivating martial arts, externally training skin, tendons and bones, internally cultivating essence, energy and spirit, unifying the inner and outer, indeed can possess incredible abilities." Lü Yang heard this and couldn't help but nod in agreement.

  A powerful warrior, regardless of his background, is destined to stand out from the crowd and become a superior being, and it's not an exaggeration to call him a hero.

  However, such people have always liked to commit crimes with force and are difficult to restrain with worldly etiquette and law. The court wants to restrict martial arts and strictly prohibit "private teaching" in order to guard against them.

  "Practicing martial arts and cultivating the body, the first three levels are considered lower attainments, only requiring bitter practice of strength and endurance to achieve. Many ordinary people and those born with extraordinary strength or bravery can reach this level. The middle attainment requires cultivating one's nature and training one's spirit to achieve, earning the title of 'martial artist'. As for the higher three levels, they represent the upper attainments, where one has already glimpsed the true essence of martial arts and can be called a master. Lu Zhenwei's voice continued, "The difference between these three - ordinary man, martial artist, and master - lies in the distinction between lower, middle, and upper attainments in the realm of martial arts."

  "Town Uncle, you've already mentioned the first nine boundaries of the realm after tomorrow. Then what is perfection? Is it reaching the pinnacle, the peak of human achievement?" Suddenly, a young man in brocade clothes spoke up from among the crowd.

  This person is obviously a member of the Lv family clan, with a noble status, and has the right to ask questions. As for other martial arts students, they only have the qualification to listen to the lesson, but do not have the power to ask questions.

  Everyone was quiet, including Lü Yang, who was hiding in the grass, and they all perked up their ears to listen with great interest.

  "It is a peak, but also not a peak." Lü Zhenwei had obviously anticipated that someone would ask this question.

  "It's a peak, but it's not a peak..." The young man in Chinese attire pondered for a moment, still unclear about its meaning.

  Many young men in the schoolyard also showed a puzzled expression, they were confused by Lv Zhenwei's mysterious words.

  "I said earlier that mastering martial arts is a great achievement, and it's not wrong to consider oneself a hero among men. However, in this world, above us ordinary people, there are also the Pre-Heaven True Martial Arts, and the Immortal Sect cultivators. This is what they mean by 'there are people outside of people, and heavens beyond heaven'."

  Seeing that everyone was puzzled, Lü Zhenwei explained it patiently.

  "You see those melons, they all have a handle called 'stem'. In fact, on our human body, there is also a handle called 'umbilical cord'. As the saying goes, when the melon is ripe and the stem falls off, both the melon and humans grow to a certain point and leave their mother's womb, cutting off the handle, they will lose their innate vitality, slowly decline, until withering away."

  However, when martial arts cultivation reaches a high level, one can embrace the original and guard against deficiencies, return to simplicity and revert to truth, and the essence, blood, and primordial energy converge with the heart's intention to form a perfect circle. The great achievement is accomplished, and the entire person approaches the pre-heavenly chaos, possessing various inconceivable abilities. As long as one takes it a step further, it becomes possible to enter the Tao through martial arts, borrowing the false to cultivate the true, resulting in perfection.

  "The perfect boundary is indeed the pinnacle of the mortal world, enough to be invincible in the world. But above perfection, there is still the pre-heavenly realm. After cultivating into a terrestrial immortal, with just a wave of the hand and a clap of the palm, one can make heaven and earth shake, and the winds and clouds change color!"

  "That's the real pinnacle!"