Top-Tier Perception Starts From Basic Fist Techniques

The day for Void Spirit Mountain to open soon arrived.

True One Xuan Hu summoned a flying boat, an enchanted treasure, and turned to Lu Changsheng and the others with a smile. "Everyone, let's set off for Void Spirit Mountain. The journey there shall take some time."

Lu Changsheng, Venerable Huo Yun, and the other martial artists climbed aboard, and the boat surged forward, folding into a streak of light as it left the Gourd Immortal Sect behind.

On board the boat, Lu Changsheng and Venerable Huo Yun discussed the Martial Dao as if they were old friends rather than men who had only recently met.

They had grown quite close over the past few days, but the true turning point came when Lu Changsheng agreed to a private spar with him. Since arriving at the Gourd Immortal Sect, Lu Changsheng had kept his immeasurable divine ability hidden. No one there had seen it, not even True One Xuan Hu. Venerable Huo Yun was the first.

The result of the spar left no room for doubt about the difference in their strength. Venerable Huo Yun possessed three supreme major divine abilities, each powerful enough to make him nearly invincible among Divine Ability martial artists, yet Lu Changsheng defeated him in a single move. The moment Lu Changsheng unleashed the immeasurable divine ability, the outcome was already settled.

Venerable Huo Yun accepted his defeat wholeheartedly, and in that moment, his view of Lu Changsheng had changed completely. He no longer saw him as just another outstanding genius, but rather as a true kindred spirit, someone who stood above ordinary talent and might one day become a Martial Saint.

As such, whenever Lu Changsheng had any questions about the Martial Dao, Venerable Huo Yun answered without the slightest reservation.

"Fellow Daoist Huo Yun, I hear you've joined us on our journey to Void Spirit Mountain this time because you want to gather materials to forge a Saint Body," Lu Changsheng remarked. "What does that actually involve? I've only just condensed the immeasurable divine ability, and becoming a Martial Saint is still a mystery to me. Would you enlighten me?"

"Good question, Fellow Daoist Lu," Venerable Huo Yun replied. "As you already know, a Saint Body is what you must forge in order to become a Martial Saint. And to forge one, you have to use external materials to temper your physical body until it can finally match the power of your divine abilities, and then fusing the two together.

"Once that happens, all that power becomes a part of you. Every movement you make will carry the full weight of your divine ability, enough to shake heaven and earth. That is when the Martial Dao truly becomes divine.

"Take me, for example. I should say I'm rather ambitious. You see, I want to forge a Saint Body capable of accommodating three major divine abilities, so the materials I need are especially precious. This time, the Gourd Immortal Sect agreed to give me one jin of Fire Pattern Sand for a single drop of Core Dissolution Liquid."

Lu Changsheng listened intently and nodded at Venerable Huo Yun, digesting all the information inwardly.

The power of divine abilities becoming a part of a martial artist is the foundation of the Martial Dao. That makes sense. Past the Dao Foundation, martial artists rarely worked to strengthen their bodies further. Instead they turned inward, studying principles, shaping divine techniques, and devising divine abilities. However, the body never stopped mattering. After all, the body is the foundation of a martial artist. How could it ever not matter?

Becoming a Martial Saint requires the body and divine abilities to become one, and to do that, I have to first hone my physique until it's strong enough to contain and merge with the divine abilities I've condensed. At that point, I'll be an embodiment of the divine abilities.

The strength of a Saint Body depends on which divine abilities I've condensed, and how many. Some choose a Saint Body shaped around a single divine ability, while others like Venerable Huo Yun, want a body that can contain three supreme major divine abilities. If he succeeds, not only will he stand among the strongest Martial Saints, but his potential would be limitless!

After gathering what he had just learned, Lu Changsheng bowed. "Thank you, Fellow Daoist Huo Yun, for your guidance."

"Haha, not a problem!" Venerable Huo Yun studied Lu Changsheng, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes. "I'd wager you're not limited to just one immeasurable divine ability. Am I right, Fellow Daoist Lu?"

"I see that nothing escapes your discerning eyes, Fellow Daoist." Lu Changsheng smiled faintly. "You are correct. I still have two Divine Ability Dao Fruits that have yet to transform into divine abilities. That's the real reason I came to the Gourd Immortal Sect this time, to earn spirit stones for Heavenly Spirit Water and complete their transformation."

Venerable Huo Yun drew in a sharp breath. "Two more Divine Ability Dao Fruits? Well, given your talent and ambition, those two Dao Fruits must be extraordinary. Could they also become immeasurable divine abilities?"

Lu Changsheng said nothing and simply nodded. He no longer feared what that admission might cost him. He stood at the Divine Ability Realm now, and he was a supreme Martial Venerable. As long as he wasn't up against a Martial Saint, there was little that could threaten him. Even if others learned that he possessed three immeasurable divine abilities, what of it? At most, they would be shocked by his talent.

Venerable Huo Yun said nothing at all, his expression caught somewhere between disbelief and awe. Three immeasurable divine abilities... that's absurd!

Venerable Huo Yun himself had forged three supreme major divine abilities, and he knew better than anyone how much hardship and luck it had taken to reach where he was now. Yet here was Lu Changsheng, already past him, holding not one but three immeasurable divine abilities.

Simply astounding. Venerable Huo Yun let out a long sigh. The Sacred Earth is vast indeed, you never know who you're going to meet. I thought I was strong, but there's always someone even more impressive. It seems I have been nothing more than a frog at the bottom of a well.

Just as Venerable Huo Yun was reflecting on his conversation with Lu Changsheng, the flying boat suddenly trembled with a low buzz.

"We've arrived at Void Spirit Mountain!" True One Xuan Hu announced.

Lu Changsheng and Venerable Huo Yun rose at once and looked down. Below them, an enormous mountain range stretched so far across the land that it seemed never ending.

Many martial artists and True Ones from other sects had already gathered there. And as the flying boat landed on an open space at the foot of the mountain, countless eyes turned toward it.

"Oh? It's the Gourd Immortal Sect."

"Isn't that Venerable Huo Yun from the Flame Palace?"

"That's right. Venerable Huo Yun, a supreme Martial Venerable. The Gourd Immortal Sect walked away from Void Spirit Mountain empty-handed last time, so they must be desperate now. I can't believe they actually talked him into coming though."

"Well, it makes sense. The Gourd Immortal Sect has several True Ones with their golden cores already at Perfection, all of them waiting on Core Dissolution Liquid to dissolve their cores and form Nascent Souls. Of course they're sparing no expense this time."

"Still, can Venerable Huo Yun alone really obtain much Core Dissolution Liquid alone?"

"He's strong, sure, but there are more than a few supreme Martial Venerables who are just as strong. Some may even be stronger."

"Wait, who's that standing beside him? Venerable Huo Yun is a proud man, rather aloof. He doesn't befriend just anyone. And look how True One Xuan Hu treats that martial artist, with real courtesy. Whoever he is, he's not a nobody, that's for sure."

"I don't recognize him either, but judging from his life force, he seems quite young."

While the crowd tried to figure out who Lu Changsheng was, True One Xuan Hu spoke to the martial artists on the flying boat through a voice transmission.

"Void Spirit Mountain is huge, so you shouldn't often run into others. But stay alert regardless. If a martial artist comes up short on Core Dissolution Liquid, some won't think twice about turning on their own kind, intercepting others, even killing for what they need."

In truth, such incidents were relatively rare. After all, everyone who could enter Void Spirit Mountain was strong, and each person had their own means of survival. Killing another martial artist inside the mountain was no easy matter. Still, caution cost nothing, and it was always better to be safe than sorry.