Chapter 17: The Realm of Divine Will

  What is it that you have been searching for with such difficulty? Is it not just like the present, free and easy, with a bright future ahead, a life of comfort and tranquility, with hope for change?

  "Martial arts cultivate the body, the Way illuminates one's nature. Martial arts, the Way - this is what martial arts are all about! Amidst a myriad of thorns and brambles, burst forth and cut through, eliminating all obstacles and delusions! If I possess such power, then what do these present difficulties amount to?"

  Lü Yang also sensed the divine intention that burst forth from the depths of his mind, and his heart was filled with joy, wildly shouting, violently circulating the qi and blood throughout his body, fiercely impacting.

  In the midst of darkness, there seems to be a surging and turbulent power that wants to burst forth.

  "Martial arts, power, I want power!"

  "But merely cultivating one's body is not enough, I must have even greater power!"

  A warm and gentle current appeared in the air sea, swirling and circulating.

  Take a deep breath!

  The day after tomorrow, the fourfold, divine intention realm's inner breath that only those who possess it can have, began to appear on him.

  The tenth day after tomorrow, the ten major realms:

  First layer, practicing skin;

  Second layer, practicing tendons;

  Third layer, practicing bones;

  Fourth layer, cultivating divine intention;

  Fifth layer, harmonizing the three;

  Sixth layer, penetrating and communicating;

  Seventh layer, embracing the origin;

  Eighth layer, guarding against deficiency;

  Ninth layer, returning to simplicity and reverting to truth;

  Tenth layer, achieving perfection.

  Lü Yang had long known that the first three realms were the lower levels of martial arts, using brute force that ordinary people possessed. Anyone with a strong physique could reach it after bitter practice, and some talented individuals were born with this realm. This was also why he directly reached the postnatal third realm of practicing bones after cultivating "Bǔ Tiān Jué".

  But from the fourth heavy day onwards, martial arts strength can no longer be measured by simple brute force or physical techniques. Only those who possess a martial spirit can merge their strength and spirit into one entity, using it skillfully.

  This is the middle stage of martial arts. In addition to physical strength, more emphasis is placed on mental power and skill, focusing on control over one's own body and the circulation of qi and blood.

  At this stage, most warriors are proficient in the use of internal energy and hidden strength. The stronger their heart is, the stronger their power will be.

  This boundary is the first hurdle on the long road of martial arts. If you can't get past this point, you'll never make any progress in your lifetime. From ancient times to the present, countless people have been blocked outside the gates of the martial arts hall, with no chance of encountering a master.

  Now, Lü Yang finally opened this big door and stepped in with one foot. From then on, he finally had the qualification to pursue martial arts.

  "One morning's enlightenment, finally achieves breakthrough!"

  "My hard work over the past few years has finally paid off, and I've achieved a divine state!"

  Lü Yang's heart surged with excitement, completely unexpected that he had reached the Fourth Heaven of the Acquired Realm so quickly.

  His spirit was suddenly invigorated, as if he had gone through a baptism, becoming even more pure and resolute.

  "You've actually reached the realm of divine intent!" Just then, a voice full of surprise came from in front of the courtyard gate.

  Lü Yuèyáo appeared quietly, still dressed in white, with an ethereal and fairy-like appearance. In the past few days, she had not come to visit Lü Yáng, and unexpectedly, he had already reached the realm of Later Heaven's Fourth Layer of Divine Intent within a short period of time.

  "Your martial arts..."

  Lü Yu's eyebrows furrowed slightly, as if she felt that Lü Yang was somewhat different from the past few days.

  This is a change in spiritual temperament after a firm belief, the martial artist who cultivates to the realm of divine intention has an unshakeable faith in his own will. The martial artist at this level, regardless of whether their skills are strong or weak, their abilities large or small, their status noble or humble, and their personality gentle or tough, all have one thing in common: they have their own individuality and stance, and are absolutely not mediocre people who muddle along.

  The spirit of martial arts is born naturally.

  This spirit, combined with human emotions and desires, joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure, is called mental power when utilized. External family masters use physical strength to hit people, while internal family masters use mental power to hit people, the principles of boxing are vastly different.

  It really proved that old saying, "after three days, people will look at each other with new eyes." After a moment of silence, Lü Yuexiang's expression finally relaxed. "However, this is also to be expected. Since I was able to recruit you under my banner and arrange an identity for you, creating conditions for you, it means I knew you had the potential to become a high-ranking martial artist. If you still haven't reached the Divine Intent realm after cultivating for so long, I would have to question my own judgment."

  She was initially surprised, but quickly accepted the fact that Lü Yang had cultivated to the Divine Intent Realm. After all, she herself was a renowned genius in the ancient land of Zhongzhou, with high aspirations and an even higher vision. Ordinary geniuses were no different from ordinary people in her eyes, while Lü Yang was someone she highly favored, and naturally should have shown extraordinary talent that set him apart from others.

  "This is all Fourth Miss's doing." Lü Yang also knew this principle, but still carefully said.

  "Let's try it out and see if you've made any progress after reaching the Divine Intent realm." Lü Yuèyāo said to Lü Yáng, "Some people don't have very good innate talent, so even if their cultivation level increases, their actual strength won't grow by much. However, there are also some people with exceptionally good roots and bones, and as long as they can raise their cultivation level, their strength will rapidly increase, advancing by leaps and bounds, and they'll gain insight into an even higher level of martial arts. I'm curious to see which type of person you are."

  "How dare you lay hands on Fourth Miss?" Lü Yang's eyes darted back and forth as he hesitated to speak.

  He didn't expect Fourth Miss to actually suggest trying it out with him.

  "Don't drag it out, just make your move if you're going to." Lü Yuèyáo frowned.

  "All right, Fourth Miss, I've offended you." Lü Yang responded with a single word, took the initiative to pounce forward.

  Lü Yang was clear in his mind that even if he had reached the Divine Intent realm, compared to the Fourth Miss who had spent many years in bitter cultivation and consumed countless heavenly treasures and spiritual elixirs, he was still insignificant.

  The two people's martial arts realms are not on the same level, so it's completely safe to boldly take action.

  In addition, he also hopes to try his best and test his own strength. To say the least, this is still the first time he has had the opportunity to fight with someone since he started practicing martial arts.

  Lyu Yang suddenly made a move, and in an instant, he pounced on Lyu Yuexiao's body, his entire person like an old bear hugging a tree, heavily pressing down.

  As soon as he made his move, it contained the profound and mysterious realm of a martial arts master's fist intent, obviously having grasped the true power possessed by a warrior who has mastered this realm.

  Fist intention, martial spirit! Every move, every word and deed can exert the power of the technique, no longer just a mere formality.

  At the same time, a surging warm current suddenly emerged from Lü Yang's Qi Hai, flowing through his limbs and meridians, causing his blood to boil like a cauldron, unleashing boundless power out of thin air.

  This is the internal energy and potential of a martial artist who has reached the pinnacle of their craft.

  The existence of this force made Lü Yang's body seem to swell violently, his aura reaching an extreme in an instant, almost suffocating.

  His technique's power suddenly increased several times over at this moment.

  "Shaking Heaven Divine Fist—Opening Mountain!"

  Lü Yuèyáo's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise, completely unexpected. Lü Yáng had just entered the realm of grasping the spiritual intent of martial arts, yet he already possessed such a strong inner energy, and could even transfer this power to various parts of his body.

  "Strength and energy combined, energy and will combined, following one's heart's desire, like an arm extending to command! This is the endurance that can only be achieved in the fifth stage of 'Three Harmony Realm'. Could it be that he is truly a born martial arts prodigy, having just broken through to the Divine Intent Realm and now about to break through again?"

  At this time, she had already seen that Lv Yang's kung fu was very deep and could be considered a young master in the making.

  In an instant, Lü Yuèyáo's entire body was as if occupied by a cold and icy shadow, with a thick frosty aura that began to spread from the air. Lü Yáng had just approached when his fist movement suddenly stiffened.

  Bang!

  Lü Yang's heart thudded violently, like a drumbeat. A delicate, boneless jade hand emerged quietly, with two fingers pressed together in a sword finger seal, and pressed against his own chest. His body then flew out straight as a pen, heavily crashing into the courtyard wall.

  She pressed this time with a clever force, and did not hurt his body, but Lvyang was very clear that he had thoroughly lost, losing without any suspense.

  "It's still a bit off, but if you practice bitterly for fifty years, it should be about right." Lü Yuèyáo said lightly, having already probed the depth of Lü Yáng's abilities in their earlier exchange.

  "What! Fifty years!" Lü Yang had never expected to win a single move, but when he heard her words, he still covered his chest and jumped up in surprise.

  Lü Yang heard this sentence, thinking she was just saying something like "practice for another ten years" to scare him, but listening to her tone, it didn't sound like she was showing off, instead it sounded like she was stating an indisputable fact.

  "Your innate talent is indeed superior, and you've broken through to the Later Heaven Fourfold Divine Intent Realm in a short time after coming into contact with martial arts, possessing ten years of cultivation. However, this kind of cultivation isn't something that can be made up for by just having superior innate talent. You still lack fifty years of bitter practice to reach my satisfactory level." Lü Yuexiang looked at him and said.

  "What's going on?" Lv Yang hesitated for a moment before asking.

  He vaguely grasped a hint of the secret of martial arts.

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