Chapter 232

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Chapter 232: The Truth About Entering the Dao Through Martial Arts

Verbal threats couldn’t shake the mind of a martial artist at the 3rd rank of Spiritual Refining Period, who was looked up to as a Copper Body Arhat by Qiao Canxue, a cultivator on the immortal path. With just a few words, Qiao Canxue managed to unsettle him.

It was clear that she knew more, and coupled with her identity as a cultivator, she revealed the truth about Luohan’s soon-to-be fate with his copper body, causing Luohan to lose his composure.

At that moment, as Qiao Canxue gestured a spell with her hand and softly uttered a word, it was like a sudden winter thunder, making the barely conscious Luohan’s mind tremble and his expression become confused.

"Qiao… If Elder Lao wishes to ask this person something, he can do so now," Qiao Canxue said softly.

"When his mental defenses were down, I used a soul-stunning technique on him. Now his spirit is shaken, confused, and ready to answer any questions."

Qiao Canxue’s interjection clearly aimed to assist.

However, instead of immediately inquiring about Luohan’s situation, Qiao Mu’s gaze fell upon Qiao Canxue, showing a hint of complexity.

If we count the memories spent in the dream world, the two haven’t seen each other for over a hundred years. Qiao Canxue has truly embarked on the path of immortals and become an immortal cultivator.

The magic of immortals is really convenient… Qiao Mu is a bit envious.

Under the explosion of the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method, a single strike could defeat the Copper Body Arhat, but without specific information, it was difficult to get Luohan to talk.

If we look at Qiao Mu’s past experience of playing games, it’s obvious that the path of immortals is the successor of the current version.

The path of immortals has been evolving and flourishing for many years, giving rise to a variety of magical techniques over the long years.

Spell techniques, formations, refining Taoist soldiers, crafting tools, alchemy…just like the peak professions in games, giving rise to various specialized professions.

Rather than martial artists resembling warriors in games, Qiao Mu realized they were more like assassins.

The human body has its limits. After reaching the 4th rank, martial artists embark on four paths of strengthening techniques… but the first three paths are almost dead-ends for ordinary people, with only one path leading to the 3rd rank, the Spiritual Refining Method.

The Spiritual Refining Method is the mainstream practice for martial artists today, taking a different approach by focusing on spiritual refinement rather than physical limits, honing their intuition.

Even at the 1st rank of the Spiritual Refining Period, facing the Etching Bone Li Fire Talisman of immortal cultivators in the path of immortals, one could not resist head-on, relying on sharp intuition to evade.

Either come out unscathed, or be completely destroyed.

Compared to the prosperous and flourishing immortal path, the martial path is like a stumbling baby, only at the 9th rank, not yet reaching the 3rd rank, which is like a small path called Spiritual Refining Method.

"The human body has limits. The physical bodies of martial artists are weaker compared to the immortal techniques of the immortal path, they have not surpassed the limits of the human body. Immortal cultivators always see martial artists as mundane, and it is not without reason," Qiao Mu shook his head silently.

The physical body cannot resist immortal techniques, this is common knowledge.

Even after training in martial arts for nearly two hundred years, Qiao Mu cannot possibly use his fists to combat Luohan, whose body is made of Cloud Patterns Mountain Copper.

In the end, he relies on his powerful martial internal strength under the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method, which is like a surging wave, rather than relying on the toughness of his physical body.

No matter how much one trains in martial arts, the muscles and bones of a person cannot compare to steel, let alone the immortal material Cloud Patterns Mountain Copper.

"It’s a pity, the human body ages. Hai Wuya’s Xumi Mountain King Sutra is a cultivation technique specializing in Qi and blood training, but after practicing for over a hundred years, most of my Qi and blood have been used to combat my own aging," Qiao Mu sighed.

With a thought, Qiao Mu glanced at the Ouroboros Long Life Lock in his mind.

Information appeared, showing that his Qi and blood were at 21%.

This means that Qiao Mu’s total Qi and blood volume is only about one-fifth of what it was at its peak.

Of course, this so-called peak period is a false proposition. Just like the property of a frictionless smooth incline, it only exists in theory.

When Qiao Mu was in his prime, his physical body was actually not as strong as it is now at the age of 210.

Qiao Mu has always treated his Qi and blood volume as air, because it didn’t decrease with age, but instead increased with the breakthrough of the Xumi Mountain King Sutra.

The path of immortality has been thriving for countless years, the result of generations of long-lived great cultivators, while the path of martial arts, the strength of techniques, and the power of gods are still a vast unknown territory.

Qiao Mu had originally thought that if the Martial Arts League could truly open up a path where martial arts lead to enlightenment, it would be a great deed.

But now, it all seems like an illusion.

"How did you obtain the cultivation method of Taoist soldier, and how did you cultivate this copper body that you have now?" Qiao Mu demanded from the Copper Body Arhat, who seemed dazed.

"I was among the first to join the Martial Arts League as a Spirit Refining martial artist, and also one of the first to cultivate the Golden Body Technique…"

Copper Body Arhat was lost in memories…

He was actually over seventy years old, experiencing a decline in his energy just like many martial artists in their later years.

Even though he had reached the 3rd rank of Spiritual Refining Period, breaking through seemed distant, and he had once been hunted by assassins from the Wuji Association, becoming food for Martial Saints.

In such a difficult situation, he made a decisive choice and became one of the earliest members of the Martial Arts League.

"The Golden Body Technique… is a martial art skill bestowed by the elders of the Great Dao Sect. It is divided into three levels: Copper Skin, Iron Bones, and Golden Body, corresponding to the 3rd rank, 2nd rank, and 1st rank of Spiritual Refining Period."

"As someone at the 3rd rank of Spiritual Refining Period, I can only reach the level of Copper Skin. Once achieved, I will be stuck at that level for life, unable to break through to a higher level."

"To master the Golden Body Technique… most Spirit Refining martial artists find it hard to achieve alone. Just having the skill is not enough; you also need the pills provided by the Martial Arts League… trying to practice alone, although not impossible, is very challenging."

The pills he mentioned were probably specially processed Cloud Patterns Mountain Copper… Qiao Mu thought to himself as he glanced at the shattered chest of the Luohan.

This Luohan still had some flesh and organs intact in his body, not purely human, nor purely Cloud Patterns Mountain Copper.

He encountered a Taoist soldier in the Hundred-mile Desert who was different from Qiao Mu, Hai Siyuan, and others.

The paper men, bean soldiers, and bean generals were not intelligent, but this Copper Body Arhat still had consciousness, with little difference from ordinary people apart from his physical body.

Without revealing his true appearance by taking off his clothes, Luohan looked more like a tall and strong martial artist.

"Who is the leader of the Martial Arts League?" Qiao Mu asked again.

"It’s…" Luohan started to speak but stopped abruptly, his voice disappearing, his previously dazed eyes suddenly freezing.

At the same time, Qiao Canxue opened her eyes again, a faint light appearing in her pure white eyes, enveloping Luohan’s whole body.

"There is a restriction from a Taoist cultivator… but it’s temporarily suppressed," she chanted a spell in her hand, a talisman appearing without wind, forming a blue ghostly flame that surrounded Luohan.

As the flame appeared, Luohan’s eyes, which were previously frozen, moved again, and he continued speaking:

"It’s King Qin."

"King Qin?" Hai Siyuan, who had been quietly listening beside, suddenly turned pale:

"Are you talking about the King Qin recently honored by the Great Yan Imperial Court? The King Qin from Great Qin Prefecture?"

"Yes, it’s King Qin. I was also sent by King Qin to meet with a member of the Qiao family in the Imperial Capital." Luohan, with a blank expression, continued:

"Before mastering the ‘Golden Body Technique’, King Qin was already at the 1st rank of the Spiritual Refining Period. His original name was Qin Shiqing, and he died at the hands of Qiao Shuangsen from the Qiao family."

"During his life and death crisis, his soul underwent a transformation. So, after being captured by the Immortal Dao Zhen of the Great Dao Sect, Qin Shiqing became the first warrior to achieve the level of a golden body cultivator."

"The Elder of the Great Dao Sect said that he survived a great calamity perhaps due to his extraordinary martial fate, and his heart was firm, so they put all their effort into cultivating him…"

After saying this, the clear light surrounding Luohan suddenly shattered, the surrounding symbols extinguished, and Luohan slumped, bleeding from seven orifices, and died.

Qiao Canxue opened her eyes, then closed them again, but now her face was as white as paper, clearly indicating that resisting the recent divine prohibition was also a significant drain on her.

Meanwhile, Qiao Mu, Hai Siyuan, and the others were already engrossed in the final message revealed by Luohan before his death.

King Qin, whose real name is Qin Shiqing.

He was once a top martial artist who was supposedly killed by Qiao Mu.

The way he was brought back to life, along with using special medicine to strengthen his body, seemed different from others.

Despite losing his physical body and experiencing strange changes in his soul, he managed to survive and become the legendary "King Qin."

Hai Siyuan looked sad and troubled.

He had been silent until now, but couldn’t hold back anymore.

"Elder Lao, do you remember the royal rewards my father Hai Wuya received after he honored the spirits at Anxi Pass?"

The Great Yan Imperial Court was quite generous with their rewards at that time.

Although the rewards didn’t come with real power, the three hundred soldiers were each given gold and silver, and their ranks were raised by three to five levels. The lowest rank among the three hundred was a fifth-rank martial officer.

And for the people of the isolated city who were not old soldiers, the court also made proper arrangements with a wave of its hand…

"The court arranged for the people of the isolated city to go to the newly established Great Qin Prefecture!"

After Hai Siyuan said this, his eyes seemed a bit dull for a moment.

At first, they thought that once they left the isolated city, the Immortal Slaying Army would still be out there.

Later, Dao Zhen was rewarded in the imperial palace Jinluan Hall, although it was not as expected at the beginning, it was still considered a good outcome.

The old soldiers had fought their whole lives, and although they didn’t see the people from Jiu Province and Immortal Gate resist, now they could return to their fields with the rewards of gold and silver, which was not bad.

Who knew… it was all just an illusion.

The relationship between the Martial Arts League and the Immortal Gate’s Great Dao Sect is unclear, but it is clear that Qin Shiqing clearly sought help from the Great Dao Sect cultivators, transforming into a Taoist soldier with a golden body after "dying and coming back to life".

So, if the court arranges for the people of the isolated city to be resettled in the newly established Great Qin Prefecture, wouldn’t it be like leaving the wolf’s den and entering the tiger’s den?

"No wonder after the truth about the solitary city in the desert came out, the Great Dao Sect didn’t react. They were waiting here all along!"

Hai Siyuan instinctively clenched his fists, but only felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

When in the Hundred-mile Desert, the threats from the Immortal Gate cultivators were visible on the surface, no playing tricks, just direct attacks.

In the outside Jiu Province, the struggle between the Immortal Gate and the Great Yan Imperial Court was in the shadows, making even this old soldier nervous.

He had lived for over sixty years, most of his life spent trapped in the lonely city, fighting on the battlefield, but he couldn’t understand these visible and hidden conspiracies at all.

"Elder Lao…." Hai Siyuan looked up at Qiao Mu.

"Elder Lao."

"Elder Lao." The other old soldiers reacted similarly, their gazes converging on Qiao Mu.

They all had something to say, but stopped themselves before speaking, hesitating.

Qiao Shui’s actions made them unconsciously see Qiao Shui as Qiao Shuangsen and others who fought side by side with them in the lonely city.

Qiao Shuangsen may be an outsider martial artist, but he is more than just a comrade fighting side by side.

If it were their usual comrades, Hai Siyuan and the others would naturally not hesitate and would immediately speak up, saying that the elderly Qiao family member in front of them should join them to venture into the Great Qin Prefecture, where the Great Dao Sect’s den lies behind.

But Qiao Shuangsen is already dead, and before them is Qiao Shui.

So after realizing this, they all held back, not speaking, not making any demands.

After all, enough Qiao family members have already died, there is no need to bring this elderly man out again.

If Qiao Shui dies again, wouldn’t they owe the Qiao family even more?

Qiao Mu is also not a fool and understood the old soldiers’ intentions.

Honestly, he doesn’t really want to go.

It was one thing to step forward before, he wouldn’t let the old soldiers die because of him, otherwise it would be unreasonable, but now it’s another matter.

Once you go to the Great Qin Prefecture, it’s basically a dead end.

Although Qiao Mu is immortal, he doesn’t want to die for no reason now.

Dying once means you have to practice martial arts in jail like Qingzhuo Bond for decades, almost like being sentenced, which is really difficult to bear.

If you have the ability to be immortal and resurrect at full strength after sudden death… would you be willing to work as a secret agent for decades or even centuries, constantly risking sudden death, just to build yourself a luxurious mansion?

Don’t joke around, once you’ve achieved immortality, who would want to bring trouble upon themselves? Naturally, one would seek a more comfortable way of living.

Practising martial arts in prison for decades is truly dull, it will always be a difficult and arduous process.

A martial artist’s life cannot only consist of training, just like a worker’s life cannot only be about work, and an author’s life cannot only be about writing. Otherwise, it would be considered a relatively unsuccessful life.

With this in mind, Qiao Mu’s attitude was already very obvious.

"I will go to King Qin’s place in a couple of days and fire him."

Don’t be silly, even the Luohan from the Martial Arts League have shown up at our door. Thinking we can close the door and continue relaxing, playing with birds and cats in retirement?

If you want to continue living a retired life, you must have strength surpassing ordinary martial artists like the Earth Sword Immortal from forty years ago and a heart as cold as iron, watching the people in the city die one by one without mercy.

But even the powerful Earth Sword Immortal could only hide for ten years after the Inhuman War, unable to stay completely uninvolved.

After ten years, Great Dao Sect Elder Qingzhuo finally came looking for him and locked him in the Hundred-mile Desert to temper his character.

Luohan is now dead… behind him, there is not only King Qin, but also the Great Dao Sect.

Behind a Taoist soldier, there must be a cultivator of the immortal path… so the trouble that follows is inevitably caused by the Great Dao Sect.

Instead of waiting at home for death, it’s better to take the initiative and seek death.