Chapter 267 - 265: Secrets of True Gang
The breakthrough of three disciples to the Innate realm was a joyous occasion for the Yang Family.
It marked another step up in their overall strength.
Although three Innate Martial Artists were nothing much on the beleaguered Cyan Blue planet, the strength of their core members still had its own significance.
As for exploring the very limits of Martial Arts, or even the peak of the Immortal Path...
That was Yang Shen’s mission. He was the tip of the Yang Family’s spear and the mountain at their back.
However, during a lively lunch, Tian Zihan seemed rather absent-minded, even anxious and insecure.
After the meal, Tian Zihan furtively sought out Yang Shen, showing none of the joy of breaking through to the Innate realm, only panic about the future.
"Master... I..."
Inside the room, Yang Shen was organizing something. He looked up at what seemed like a wall standing before him.
’You’re so tall... Taller than even Liu Yuankui and Deng Ming.’
’He has to bend down just to get through the door. Most doorframes aren’t taller than two-point-three meters. Visually, it’s like an elephant trying to enter a mouse hole...’
"Speak. What is it? Are you hoping for a grand gift from your master? I was planning to wait until all eight of you reached the Innate realm before passing it on."
Tian Zihan shook his head, wringing his hands and pressing his legs together, looking terribly awkward. "Master, I remember you mentioning a long time ago... you have a Cultivation Technique called... the Zongjiao Stake, right?"
Yang Shen froze.
Yang Shen had mentioned it in passing while teaching them the Vomiting Valley Qi technique.
But it was just an offhand comment. The Zongjiao Stake was a rather useless Cultivation Technique, and its training method was a bit absurd.
He hadn’t expected anyone to remember it. The others had heard it and forgotten, full of the vigor of their late teens; no one had paid it any mind.
Only Tian Zihan had taken it to heart...
Seeing his master’s strange gaze, Tian Zihan quickly said, "It’s not for me, I just have this friend..."
’That’s not right. The Yang Family’s Cultivation Techniques aren’t taught to outsiders. This excuse won’t work.’
But Tian Zihan still bit the bullet and said, "This friend of mine... is also a True Disciple of the Yang Family, uh... and just broke through to the Innate realm..."
Yang Shen said, "And let me guess... this friend also follows the Horizontal Training Route, right?"
Tian Zihan looked as if he’d been granted a pardon. "Yes, yes, yes! That’s him..."
Yang Shen sighed, not having the heart to press him further. Everyone had their secrets.
He just silently opened his system and glanced at the awakening progress of Tian Zihan’s "Quenching Body." What should have been a joyous occasion for breaking through to the Innate realm had instead caused it to silently surge by 15%, reaching 42%...
’So he’s discovered his ’Heirless’ Life Chart, has he?’
"Alright, I’ll teach it to you. But this Cultivation Technique is rather... useless. Don’t waste too much time on it."
’Although the Quenching Body is profound, I don’t know if it can help Tian Zihan change his fate...’
"It’s for a friend... a friend... I’m not going to practice it. No respectable person would practice this, right?"
"Mm..."
...
As a "Pile Skill," the Zongjiao Stake wasn’t complex, at least not at the entry-level. It all depended on slow, patient accumulation over time.
And so, an hour later, everyone in the Yang Residence’s front courtyard saw... Tian Zihan, a two-point-three-meter-tall mountain of muscle who looked like a thug, standing in a bizarre posture.
His legs were crossed as if on a catwalk, his entire body twisted like the gnarled roots of a muscular old tree. His right hand was held out in the "Immortal Points the Way" pose, while his left hand was propped under his chin. His waist was bent back like a great bow, his face angled 45 degrees toward the sky.
Wang Yang, who was passing by, stared for a long moment. "Zihan... Are you... having a cramp?"
Tian Zihan said with great difficulty, "Not yet."
’This Zongjiao Stake is harder than I imagined... It requires a lot of flexibility, which really isn’t friendly to Martial Artists on the Horizontal Training Route...’
’But for the sake of my little guy, he would overcome any difficulty!!’
’If Innate isn’t enough, I’ll reach True Gang! If True Gang isn’t enough, I’ll reach Jade Viscera! Even if I have to reach the Extreme Martial Arts Realm!’
’I will definitely get you back!’
——————
After sending Tian Zihan off, Yang Shen returned to his room and sat at his desk, writing.
He had been back for over half a month, and Yang Shen had already sorted out the path for the family’s development.
From establishing the Blood Contract and the disciple system to expanding their businesses, even his disciples were now breaking through to the Innate realm one after another, like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
As for getting on the Qilin List, that had been a purely unexpected bonus.
From this day forward, he had only two items left on his to-do list.
First: increase his strength to the True Gang Realm by the end of the year...
Second: continue investigating the Dragonification Experiment and find an opportunity to go to the Si Realm...
Regarding the first task, breaking through to the True Gang Realm, he had already made some preparations recently.
As the Fifth Martial Arts Realm, knowledge related to the True Gang Realm was no longer something that could be found in bulk on the internet.
In other words, high-level knowledge in any field could not be fully grasped simply through the internet or hearsay.
Ultimately, he had to learn and understand it himself to feel truly confident.
In the simplest terms: after the three initial realms comes the Innate realm, and at Innate Perfection, one can generate "True Gang."
But there were many intricacies involved.
When a Martial Artist’s Qi and Blood Value reached a certain level—that is, when the "Source" accumulated in their body surpassed a certain threshold—they could attempt "Life True Gang."
In the modern Martial Arts system, which uses quantified Qi and Blood Value data as benchmarks, this threshold happened to be exactly 3,000 points.
𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦
However, simply reaching 3,000 points didn’t guarantee promotion. The ticket to the next realm was gated by talent.
The Innate realm was the last stage that could, in theory, be reached simply through "Source Supplement."
The reason 3,000 points was the critical point for "Life True Gang" was that only a physical body of this level could withstand the bare minimum requirements of "exploring True Gang."
The Martial Artist had to begin attempting to sense something they had always been using but had never truly felt, something ethereal and illusory: the Source.
It was like a person living half their life without ever feeling the oxygen circulating within their body.
This step alone was a dead end for countless people. It was considered a great terror in realm progression and was known by Martial Artists as "Source Perception."
Many people got stuck at the gateway to "Source Perception" for years, or even longer. Even many "early-stage geniuses" became ordinary at this step.
Yang Shen paused slightly as he wrote this...
’Right, I’m past this one. Next.’
But even obtaining "Source Sense" didn’t mean all was well, because the essence of True Gang was the External Output of Source.
Achieving External Output of the "Source" within one’s body was far more difficult than just "feeling the Source’s existence." It was like trying to train a nonexistent organ or activate a nonexistent region of the brain.
This step was called "Source Control" by Martial Artists. It required constant, careful practice, as the slightest mistake could lead to injury. It was another great terror on the path to the True Gang Realm!
Writing this, Yang Shen paused again.
’Hmm... I’m past this one too. Next.’
Only by finally mastering "Source Perception" and "Source Control" could one use the power of their physical body to release Gang Qi that affects the outside world, turning it into a Martial Artist’s third hand, or even a Divine Weapon.
Depending on one’s lineage and specialization, it had all sorts of wondrous applications, including but not limited to: enhancing killing power, increasing range, strengthening defense, low-altitude levitation, mid-air propulsion, and retrieving objects within a certain range.
Without getting into more specifics, Yang Shen had seen many True Gang experts, and the legacies of various nations differed. For example, the Temple Warriors of Europe gave up the convenience of levitation in order to wear heavy armor, focusing their power completely on lethality.
Anyway, it was a very useful skill.
The early, middle, and late stages of the True Gang Realm were differentiated by assessments of True Gang Strength, on top of the prerequisite of accumulating Qi and Blood Value.
Different specializations also had different criteria for judging True Gang Strength. For example, the Medical School focused more on precision, with the ultimate goal of becoming a humanoid tentacle monster, able to single-handedly perform extremely complex surgeries.
And completely sterile, too!
Aside from orthopedic surgeons, most doctors had little need for True Gang Strength; they only required precision.
Well... this also meant that orthopedics produced a great number of experts in the medical field. After all, the bones of Martial Arts patients were also extremely hard.
As for Qiangwu Academy, they mostly used range or power as their standard.
Having written up to this point, Yang Shen finally nodded.
’It seems there is a bottleneck after all... Otherwise, things have been going too smoothly. I was afraid I might end up with a false breakthrough.’
Yang Shen raised his hand. The Spiritual Qi in his palm flowed out with the ease of a limb, constantly shifting into various forms. As a cultivator at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, he was becoming increasingly proficient at this.
In his hands, Spiritual Qi—or Source, for that matter—was as obedient as his own son.
The question, then, was this: why was the "External Spiritual Qi" ability he had already obtained not considered True Gang?