The Creation of the Heavens and All Realms

Chapter 8: The Hardships of Cultivation

Back in his room, Zhou Tianci opened his mouth wide and devoured the rice and meat at an astonishing speed, as if a whirlwind were sweeping away the food. In fact, most martial artists eat this way. After the meal, Zhou Tianci felt a warm glow spread through his body. “In my previous life, some speculated that the path of cultivation had been cut off because the world had run out of the spiritual energy required for cultivation. This spiritual energy is unlike any substance known to humanity; it is a gift from the Creator. Now it seems this theory is likely very close to the truth.” Zhou Tianci sat in meditation to digest the food he had eaten, sensing that his body had grown even stronger. “I’ve been in this world for less than two days, and I can already sense the differences between it and the universe of my past life. Whether on a macro or micro scale, this world possesses something extra. Take this bowl of rice, for example—it may seem ordinary, but the energy it contains is incomparable even to the specially formulated genetic serums of my past life. Given my current status, the food I eat is better than that of commoners, but it certainly can’t compare to what generals and nobles eat. This rice and meat are surely nothing out of the ordinary…” Zhou Tianci shook his head, unable to help but feel a sense of sorrow for the humans of his previous life. Back then, humanity spent hundreds of thousands of years exploring the path of cultivation. Countless brilliant minds followed one after another, pouring their heart and soul into it, only to take half a step forward in the end. Looking back now, their efforts were utterly wasted—not because of a lack of wisdom, but because the heavens and earth were incomplete, making it simply impossible to force progress. “Come to think of it, the universe of my past life must have once harbored cultivation civilizations—those ancient ruins are proof of that. The reason those cultivation civilizations eventually vanished likely stems from the disappearance of spiritual energy,” Zhou Tianci concluded. As he sensed the spiritual energy permeating every corner of this world, he was deeply moved. Even the rice they ate and the wild beasts in the mountains and forests contained powerful energy—a clear sign of the abundance of spiritual energy. Only such an abundance could sustain the development of a cultivation civilization. Having come to this realization, Zhou Tianci cherished the opportunity before him all the more and devoted himself wholeheartedly to cultivation. He had just broken through to the Marrow Refining Realm, and the marrow throughout his body was currently condensing and transforming. Bones are the foundation that supports the human body; their strength greatly enhances the physical form. Marrow Refining is the process of strengthening the bones from the inside out. Cultivation is by no means a comfortable endeavor; it harbors immense risks. The slightest lapse in attention can result in self-inflicted injury, and the higher one’s cultivation level, the greater the potential harm. For ordinary practitioners, cultivation begins in the Postnatal Stage. They first strengthen their bodies; once the body reaches a certain level of strength, they condense vital energy within their bodies. Only when the vital energy throughout the body is unified—as if twisted into a single rope—can one advance to the Tendon Refining Realm. At this stage, without proper guidance, an ordinary practitioner is highly likely to have their internal energy disperse, causing it to backfire and damage their own meridians. Not only would their cultivation be completely wasted, but their body would also be left with a disability that is difficult to cure. Such situations are not uncommon in the Great State of Yu; every year, countless people suffer severe injuries at this stage, and in the most serious cases, they may even lose their lives. The higher one’s cultivation level, the greater the risk. At Zhou Tianci’s current “Marrow Refining” realm, one must be especially cautious; otherwise, the slightest lapse in attention could shatter every bone in the body—and paralysis would be the least of one’s worries. It is at this point that the cultivation experience of senior practitioners proves crucial. “Huff… huff… huff…” Zhou Tianci’s chest rose and fell rapidly, his mouth moving like a bellows; with each inhale and exhale, he stirred up a violent current of air within the room. If one listened closely, one could hear a series of crisp pops emanating from within his body, much like firecrackers. This state lasted a full half-hour. Zhou Tianci opened his eyes, and his breathing returned to normal. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead; though his overall aura seemed somewhat subdued, his eyes remained as bright as ever. “There is a terror in cultivation that rivals life and death,” Zhou Tianci mused. Moments ago, he had tapped into the deepest recesses of Zhou Shi’s memories and fused with them completely; now, he had inherited everything from Zhou Shi. It was precisely because of this that Zhou Tianci understood the hardships of cultivation even more deeply. Zhou Tianci finally understood why so many martial arts masters were willing to join the Great State of Yu’s military. By all logic, once ordinary people gained power, they would certainly be unwilling to be bound by others’ rules. Yet, nearly half of the Great State of Yu’s martial artists had once served in the military. This was not because they were patriotic or willing to risk their lives for the nation, but because they had no other choice. The Great State of Yu comprises twelve provinces, each with a population ranging from several hundred thousand to several million. Among these tens of millions of people, no more than a million have truly embarked on the path of cultivation. The vast majority of these one million martial artists began their training with the *Art of Forging the Body and Transforming the Tendons*, published by the Great State of Yu, and possessed no martial lineage. Yet the *Art of Forging the Body and Transforming the Tendons* is merely the most rudimentary cultivation technique, capable of taking practitioners only to the early stage of the Post-Heaven Realm. The Great State of Yu did this not because the royal family sought to spread martial might across the land, but because they wanted to gather cultivation prodigies to serve their own purposes. Within the Great State of Yu, aside from a very small number of martial clans and sects, anyone wishing to advance further had no choice but to join the military, as only within the military were cultivation methods openly available. Of course, it was possible to join a martial clan or one of the extremely rare sects, but the restrictions there were far greater than in the military—for while the military allowed for retirement, martial clans and sects did not permit withdrawal at all. “The founding ruler of the Great State of Yu was truly shrewd. This was a bold and open strategy—through this move, the royal family won over martial artists across the land, while the military grew ever stronger.” Zhou Tianci was deeply impressed by the architect of this policy; once those martial artists joined the military and received benefits from the royal family, they would remain indebted to the royal family even after retiring. Zhou Tianci also learned that this was the reason Zhou Shi had joined the military. Zhou Shi had originally been a fisherman from a small fishing village in the southern part of the Great State of Yu. After cultivating the *Body Forging and Tendon Transforming Manual* and reaching the Post-Heaven realm, he—like most others—chose to join the Great State of Yu’s military and was subsequently transferred to the City of Tears and Blood. Zhou Shi was naturally gifted, down-to-earth, and willing to fight hard. During his five years in the City of Tears and Blood, he not only advanced his cultivation to the mid-Post-Heaven realm but also rose to the rank of squad leader. Deep within Zhou Shi’s memories, he could still sense the other person’s longing for his family. According to the regulations of the Great State of Yu, one could only voluntarily apply for discharge after breaking through to the Innate Realm; otherwise, one was required to serve for twenty years. Given Zhou Shi’s circumstances, the likelihood of him breaking through to the Innate Realm was slim. If he wanted to return home, unless he were promoted to general through exceptional merit, he would have to wait another fifteen years. “Family, huh…” A look of confusion flashed across Zhou Tianci’s eyes. He, too, had a family, though he assumed they had perished in the cosmic cataclysm. “I’ve inherited your body, memories, and cultivation—though it wasn’t by your own choice, I’ve still received your kindness. I’ll make sure your family is taken care of.” Having sorted all this out, Zhou Tianci felt a sense of peace unlike any he’d ever known. He knew he was no longer just a fleeting visitor in this world, but was now deeply and inextricably bound to it. Zhou Tianci spent the entire afternoon immersed in cultivation. As a squad leader of the Blood Battle Legion, Zhou Shi had access to cultivation materials for the Post-Heaven Realm and possessed secret techniques for the Marrow Refinement Realm. Even so, refining the marrow throughout his entire body was no easy task for Zhou Tianci. In half a day, he had managed to refine only the marrow in his arms; the rest was still a long way off. “According to the Blood Battle Legion’s records, Post-Heaven cultivators, because their minds are not yet at peace, are unable to perceive the meridians and acupoints within their bodies or control spiritual energy, and thus cannot cultivate for extended periods. Generally speaking, cultivators in the early Post-Heaven stage can only circulate the energy through three Zhou Tian cycles, those in the middle stage through six Zhou Tian cycles, and those in the late stage through twelve Zhou Tian cycles… After that, Post-Heaven cultivators will inevitably be mentally and physically exhausted, requiring rest and recuperation before they can cultivate again.” Zhou Tianci recalled the memories of cultivation stored in his mind and muttered to himself, both astonished and delighted: “But even though I’m in the late stage of the Posthuman Realm, I can effortlessly circulate spiritual energy through 72 cycles—six times that of an ordinary Marrow Refining Realm expert! Plus, since my true qi doesn’t dissipate, this cultivation efficiency is likely dozens of times greater than that of practitioners at the same level!” Zhou Tianci understood that this was due to the power of his “Divine Spirit.” In other words, he was now a cultivation prodigy. In fact, this situation was not uncommon. This world was full of prodigies who, by the time they were in their twenties or thirties, had already reached the Pre-Heaven Realm, far surpassing their peers. Aside from possessing more powerful cultivation techniques and greater resources, it was because these prodigies’ “Divine Spirits” were stronger, allowing them to cultivate far more efficiently than ordinary people. In addition to cultivating the Secret Art of Marrow Refining, Zhou Tianci was also familiarizing himself with the *Seven Forms of the Blood Blade*. The *Seven Forms of the Blood Blade* was a technique of slaughter mastered by Zhou Shi and one of the signature techniques of the Blood Battle Legion. It complemented the *Blood Battle Formula*; while not particularly profound, its lethality was extraordinary. The “Seven Styles of the Blood Blade” consists of only seven moves, which are very simple. It does not rely on intricate techniques and is not difficult to practice. However, while the “Seven Styles of the Blood Blade” is easy to learn, it is difficult to master. To truly unleash its power, one must grasp the spirit of the Blood Battle. As the saying goes, “When one man fights with all his might, ten thousand cannot stand against him”—this is precisely the spirit required by the “Seven Styles of the Blood Blade.” “True to its military origins, it emphasizes direct, straightforward attacks—one strike, one kill.” Zhou Tianci briefly reviewed Zhou Shi’s recollection of the *Seven Styles of the Blood Blade* and gained some insight. The first move of the *Seven Styles of the Blood Blade* is “Decapitation,” which aims directly for the enemy’s head. The subsequent moves—“Soul Pursuit” and “Spirit Intimidation”—are all designed to intimidate the enemy with an unyielding, all-out fighting spirit, thereby defeating them. Although Zhou Tianci felt that the “Seven Styles of the Blood Blade” were not particularly advanced, he had no choice but to cultivate them for now. Fortunately, Zhou Shi had already laid the groundwork for him; Zhou Tianci simply needed to rediscover his previous feel for the art. “Are you saying that Zhou Shi, who managed to escape, has reached the late Post-Heaven Realm?” In the General’s Mansion, Liu Yuntao asked with some surprise. Zhang Kai replied respectfully, “I have verified this, General. It is indeed true. He must have achieved a breakthrough during the last battle. General, Zhou Shi has only been in the army for five years and has already reached the Marrow Refining Realm—he shows remarkable talent. Should we consider recruiting him?”