Chapter 748: Divine Martial Guard (II)
A young martial artist looked pleadingly at Lin Zheyu and Ji Haozhong. "Senior, can we really not get reimbursed for this?"
Lin Zheyu shook his head while Ji Haozhong shrugged. Neither of them said a word, but their meaning could not have been clearer. Of course they could not.
The young martial artist sighed repeatedly. "No wonder the others weren't interested in the Ascension Assembly. I thought I'd gotten lucky when I was given the chance to come. I was too naive, sigh... If I'd known accommodation wasn't covered and the inns here were this expensive, I wouldn't have come."
The other young martial artists who had also recently joined the Martial Alliance nodded in helpless agreement.
"Ahem... The Ascension Assembly is such a rare grand event. You'll have the chance to encounter powerful cultivators you would never normally meet, and all kinds of opportunities can be found here. Compared to those opportunities, what are a few spirit stones? You should make the most of such a valuable chance." Lin Zheyu coughed lightly twice, offering grand-sounding words of consolation that even he did not particularly believe.
Martial artists were fringe figures in the cultivation world. What opportunities could they possibly find by attending the Ascension Assembly? They were here for little more than to make up the numbers.
"Fellow Xiao is right. You should make the most of this opportunity." Ji Haozhong waved a hand and smiled. "All right, the Ascension Assembly won't begin for another three days. You can look around in the meantime, familiarize yourselves with the assembly, and get acquainted with cultivators from other sects and esteemed families."
The young martial artists had only grumbled inwardly for a moment. They quickly adjusted their moods, and looks of anticipation appeared on their faces.
"Remember, whatever you do, don't cause trouble, and don't underestimate any cultivator. Whether you want to participate in the arena matches or any other events is entirely up to you. But no matter what you decide to do, keep a low profile and stay out of trouble. Otherwise, even I won't be able to help you," Lin Zheyu added.
They were only attending the Ascension Assembly to make up the numbers. All they really needed to do was show their faces at the opening and closing ceremonies. At most, they could join a few events they were eligible for simply for the sake of participating.
"Yes, Senior!" the six young martial artists replied in unison.
When Lin Zheyu waved them off, delight appeared on all their faces. They could hardly wait to see the legendary Ascension Assembly for themselves.
"Want to go together?" Ji Haozhong looked at Lin Zheyu and invited him with a smile.
Lin Zheyu nodded and replied, "Sure, let's go together."
Ji Haozhong had attended the Ascension Assembly several times before, so walking around with him would also help Lin Zheyu gain a better understanding of the event. The two left the inn and headed toward the central district.
"There are several interesting places at the Ascension Assembly. One of them is Qionghua Garden, which is overseen by experts from Pure Heart Palace. Now that's a good place, hehe. Every disciple of Pure Heart Palace is a female cultivator, and each one possesses an extraordinary, otherworldly bearing. The technique they cultivate is somewhat unusual. They seek to experience both immersion in the mortal world and detachment from it, to know love and then transcend attachment, tempering themselves through the affairs of the mortal world until they attain a pure and unclouded heart. Qionghua Garden exists precisely for that purpose.
"It's a place that practically every talented young man attending the Ascension Assembly has to visit. If you can win the heart of a female disciple from Pure Heart Palace in Qionghua Garden, you can begin a beautiful and unforgettable romance." Ji Haozhong chuckled, a complicated trace of regret flashing through his eyes. "Most importantly, there's a pretty good chance you won't have to take responsibility for it in the end."
He had almost succeeded once before. Unfortunately, just as he was on the verge of success, someone else had swooped in and stolen the opportunity from him. It was a lifelong regret!
"Interesting. What else is there?" Lin Zheyu replied with a smile before continuing to ask.
It sounded like a decent place. Unfortunately, he was not particularly interested. Lin Zheyu cultivated Martial Dao and possessed the same emotions and desires as any other human. However, having cultivated to his current level, he found cultivation and comprehending the profound truths of the Heavenly Dao far more interesting than ordinary romantic and physical desires.
There was another reason as well. Lin Zheyu's physique was simply too powerful, to an almost inconceivable degree. Cultivators at the same realm could not compare to him at all. Even martial artists at the same realm were no match for his physique. With a body this powerful, unless he encountered a female cultivator whose physique was comparable to his own, he would hardly be able to experience any physical pleasure. A purely romantic relationship would be possible, of course. Unfortunately, given Lin Zheyu's current age and strength, it was already difficult for him to meet a woman who could truly stir his heart.
Ji Haozhong looked at Lin Zheyu in surprise. "You're not interested in Qionghua Garden? You're not married yet, are you?"
Lin Zheyu merely smiled at him without answering.
"How boring. You're just as dull as that fellow, Bai Lin. It's much more fun hanging out with Fellow Qiu or Senior Wang," Ji Haozhong said speechlessly. "If you're not interested in Qionghua Garden, then there's another place that should interest you. Not every cultivator in Great Wei who follows the path of martial cultivation belongs to the Martial Realm. Almost every faction and family has cultivators like that. However, most of them switch to cultivating the Immortal Dao after breaking through the Martial Innate realm. The Black Tortoise Realm is different.
"The imperial family of Great Wei possesses the entire Great Wei Empire and controls the whole of the Black Tortoise Realm. Their power is beyond imagination, and the cultivation resources at their disposal are equally staggering. With such vast resources to lavish as they please, the Wei Family has cultivated a group of extremely powerful martial artists. Unlike traditional martial artists, however, they do not follow a path of pure martial cultivation. Instead, they combine the Divine Dao with the Martial Dao. They are known as the Divine Martial Guard!" Ji Haozhong explained slowly.
Almost no information about the Divine Martial Guard could be found in the outside world. Even the Martial Alliance had no records of them, and very few people knew they existed. They were a powerful force belonging exclusively to the Hall of the Gods. They were rarely deployed, answered only to the imperial family of Great Wei, and were shrouded in mystery.
"The Divine Martial Guard! There are actually cultivators like that?" Lin Zheyu exclaimed in surprise.
When Lin Zheyu saw so many ordinary people practicing Martial Dao in Black Tortoise City, he wondered whether the Black Tortoise Realm might contain an organization similar to the Martial Alliance. Even so, he had never imagined something like the Divine Martial Guard, which fused Martial Dao with the Divine Dao. It was truly astonishing. Because of the unique nature of the Divine Dao, cultivating it required gathering faith, spreading incense worship, and attracting followers.
When Lin Zheyu had been condensing and refining his divine patterns, he had quickly ruled out that path. Yet here he was hearing of the Divine Martial Guard, which had successfully combined Martial Dao with the Divine Dao.
Ji Haozhong chuckled. "Hehe, surprised, aren't you? I was shocked too when I first heard about them, but there's something even more surprising."
Curiosity appeared on Lin Zheyu's face as he waited for Ji Haozhong to continue.
"According to rumors, and mind you, they're only rumors, so I can't vouch for their authenticity since the Divine Martial Guard is far too mysterious, those who combine Martial Dao with the Divine Dao can supposedly cultivate to a level equivalent to the Dao Converging realm. This is a great path that truly reaches the heavens!" Ji Haozhong said solemnly, a trace of yearning and envy flickering in his eyes.
He soon sighed wistfully. "Unfortunately, the Divine Martial Guard doesn't recruit outsiders. They only accept martial artists born into the Wei Family."
"A great path that reaches the heavens..." Lin Zheyu pondered for a moment. "So martial cultivation isn't actually a dead end. It can lead all the way to the highest realms. It's just that a select few control this path?"
Ji Haozhong's brief explanation was nowhere near enough for Lin Zheyu to understand the Divine Martial Guard in full, but it gave rise to many conjectures in his mind. He suspected that the true core of the so-called Divine Martial Guard was not Martial Dao, but the Divine Dao. That was likely why their path could extend to such lofty heights. Sure enough, Ji Haozhong's next words confirmed his suspicions.
"Senior Wang once said that the path followed by the Divine Martial Guard is both martial cultivation and not martial cultivation. Only the first half of their path is truly martial cultivation. For the latter half, they use methods from the Divine Dao to continue the broken path forcibly. Fortunately for them, they succeeded," Ji Haozhong continued.
He slowly shook his head and tilted it upward, assuming an inscrutably profound air. "I don't entirely agree with Senior Wang. Martial cultivation is an incomplete path. If you use methods from the Divine Dao to extend it forcibly, then that's still an extension of martial cultivation, which means it is still martial cultivation. What we're trying to do now is absorb and learn from other cultivation systems, forge our own paths of martial cultivation, and continue the path where it was broken. How is that any different from what the Divine Martial Guard has done?" Ji Haozhong shrugged.
"You don't understand." Lin Zheyu glanced at Ji Haozhong. "How could you question Senior Wang's judgment? If he says the Divine Martial Guard isn't truly following martial cultivation, then it isn't. Once you truly forge your own path of martial cultivation, you'll understand the difference."
While in the demon cave, Lin Zheyu had discussed the Dao with Wang Zhengtian many times. Through those discussions, he had gained a deeper understanding of what it meant to forge one's own path of martial cultivation. What made martial cultivation martial cultivation rather than something else lay in the fundamental nature of its practice. The Immortal Dao, for example, was fundamentally centered on cultivating and strengthening the soul.
Even immortal cultivators who followed the path of body refinement were no exception. Their so-called body refinement was more like artifact refinement, treating the physical body as a dharma artifact or dharma treasure to be forged and strengthened. At the same time, the divine soul remained the true focus of cultivation.
Pure martial cultivation should likewise possess its own fundamental essence. The core of martial cultivation lay in the physical body and in the transformation and elevation of life itself. Only by cultivating Martial Dao into one's very bones, integrating it completely into the flesh, and using it as the foundation through which one's life underwent true transformation and elevation could it truly be called martial cultivation.
This was precisely the direction Lin Zheyu had been pursuing as he continuously refined his divine patterns, making them purer and integrating them completely into martial cultivation. Beyond the physical body, martial will was the other most crucial element.
In Lin Zheyu's view, however, even his own martial cultivation was not entirely pure. His path differed somewhat from traditional martial cultivation. Although his spirit and spiritual soul were extremely powerful, he placed little emphasis on tempering and strengthening his martial cultivation will.
"Heh, maybe you're right." Ji Haozhong shrugged, conceding the point.