The Glory of the Tribe

"Three Realms of the Art of Unity."

"First, the unity of man and sword is the beginning of a cultivator's merging with an external object, and the weapon, the sword, is the object the cultivator is most familiar with. This 'unity' is a feeling, a state, a condition, where one merges with the external object, making it part of the body..."

"Second, the momentum of heaven and man is the use of the force of the heavens and earth, the unity between heaven and man. However, the power of the heavens and earth is vast and endless, and the power of man is minuscule, like dust. Even gods and demons cannot truly achieve the unity of heaven and man. It is always a crude borrowing of a tiny fraction of the heavenly power, and it requires the strength cultivated by the unity of man and sword, which is far more powerful than the cultivator's own strength..."

"Third, the divine might of heaven and earth!"

"In essence, it is still borrowing the momentum of heaven and earth, but unlike the second realm, the divine might of heaven and earth is derived from the technique itself. It can transcend the technique and no longer be confined to the form of a sword move. It is present all around the body, no matter where you are, even without a sword in hand, the mind alone can invoke the momentum..."

Jiang Xuan sat motionless, contemplating.

The method of understanding the "Divine Might of Heaven and Earth" was completely different from the "unity of man and sword" and the "momentum of heaven and man." The first two realms required practicing the sword and seeking breakthroughs in moves, which required "movement." However, the Divine Might of Heaven and Earth required stillness.

The key was to "have a sword in the heart"!

This was exceedingly difficult!

Jiang Xuan was unsure how long it would take to comprehend this—perhaps several hours, or even several days, maybe weeks, or even a month! And he wasn’t confident he would even succeed in comprehending the Divine Might of Heaven and Earth on his first attempt!

This was his first time attempting to comprehend it.

He chose to close himself off for contemplation on the eighth of the month because he had publicly appeared in the martial arts arena in Earth City the day before, watching a death battle, letting the Shentu Clan know he was there. With that, the Shentu Clan would have no intentions of testing him these next two days, only sending Acquired Realm cultivators to die, and Jiang Xuan wouldn't need to take action himself.

The two sides had already formed an unspoken understanding.

Jiang Xuan had a full month for this attempt.

For an Innate Full Stage cultivator, a month without eating or drinking wouldn’t have a significant impact.

Outside the cave, on the cliff.

"If my husband can break through this time, then perhaps I won’t have to leave," Chen Yuanxuan thought to herself. "Since marrying him, I’ve been using dual cultivation to restore my damaged innate foundation, and now, I have fully recovered. In less than a year, I will enter the Tribulation Realm. Though entering it at twenty-eight is a bit delayed, the God Demon Physique has been restored, and with my formidable heart power, I will rise rapidly! If I manage to reach the Middle Tribulation Realm before Lord Lei Hong leaves, perhaps I can go with him to the military city."

Chen Yuanxuan had been married to Jiang Xuan for more than half a year now.

At first, she simply wanted to complete her life, and Jiang Xuan was a good choice. But now, her feelings for him had deepened beyond what she had expected.

He was truly her lover.

So Jiang Xuan’s ability to break through this time was crucial for her!

If Jiang Xuan could break through successfully, it would mean that the Divine Might of Heaven and Earth was not a bottleneck for him, and there would be a real possibility of him surpassing the Innate Realm at eighteen. His trip to the military city would almost be a certainty. But if he failed to break through... If a bottleneck appeared, it could take him years to break through!

This was the special nature of the Divine Might of Heaven and Earth.

This realm was one that required time and accumulation to break through! Comprehending it had to be a continuous process! It couldn’t stop! It was more like a sudden breakthrough to a "higher realm"!

In fact, it was indeed the threshold for mastering the power of heaven and earth, a true beginning for a cultivator’s use of the power of heaven and earth!

And if the continuous attempt failed, the entire process would have to be repeated. This was very different from practicing sword techniques. When improving in swordsmanship, progress is progress; you can continue practicing the next time. Both the unity of man and sword and the momentum of heaven and man can be improved bit by bit until the final breakthrough is reached!

But to comprehend the Divine Might of Heaven and Earth, it had to be an all-at-once realization!

Jiang Xuan needed to have the sword in his heart, fully, or not at all!

There was no middle ground.

For geniuses, comprehending the Divine Might of Heaven and Earth often took longer than surpassing the Innate Realm itself. For example, Chen Yuanxuan, who grasped the momentum of heaven and man at twenty, took three whole years before she could "have the sword in her heart," thus comprehending the Divine Might of Heaven and Earth. Her family predicted that she would surpass the Innate Realm at twenty-five, two years after comprehending the Divine Might of Heaven and Earth.

That’s how special the Divine Might of Heaven and Earth was!

Therefore, once Jiang Xuan faced a bottleneck in the Divine Might of Heaven and Earth, even with his vast technical talent, whether he could eventually go to the military city would become uncertain, and Chen Yuanxuan would have to stick to the original plan to leave. Otherwise, the Chen family might pose a danger to Jiang Xuan.