Top-Tier Perception Starts From Basic Fist Techniques

A black-and-red radiance gradually appeared over Lu Changsheng's body. Strands of light continued flowing toward him from every direction, converging and strengthening endlessly. There was no way to tell how long it would take for that radiance to accumulate sufficiently, but there could be no doubt about its nature. This was the momentum of the masses!

More precisely, it was the momentum gathered from those who recognized Lu Changsheng as the founding ancestor of the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect. However, the momentum that surrounded him did not come from the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect alone. It also came from the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect and the Northern Region Heavenly Sect. Lu Changsheng's prestige had reached its height across all three Heavenly Sects. As a result, he was drawing the momentum of the masses from all three Heavenly Sects at once.

The momentum surrounding him was already no weaker than Li Zhenggang's. In fact, it was even greater. The Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect had only recently been established and was still rising rapidly. Its members were filled with confidence in both the sect and its founder, so the momentum they produced was naturally vigorous and abundant.

The Li Clan Merchant Association was in a very different position. It had recently been affected by the conflict with the Black Light Merchant Association, so their momentum had suffered greatly. Under such circumstances, the momentum of the Li Clan simply could not compare to that of the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect.

Lu Changsheng focused his thoughts on the momentum he had gathered around him.

"Refine."

It was not much, but he could still sense a subtle change taking place within his Saint Body. The improvement was so faint that it was almost imperceptible, but the Saint Body was undoubtedly developing in the right direction.

However, after examining the process more carefully, Lu Changsheng frowned. The wisp of momentum he had absorbed was consumed almost immediately, yet it produced barely any improvement. Had his senses been any less acute, he might not have detected the change at all. At this rate, the process felt painfully inefficient.

"Fellow Daoist Li, elevating the Saint Body though the momentum of the masses seems... very slow," Lu Changsheng remarked. "At this rate, I'm worried my progress would be very limited even after decades of accumulation. Becoming an Earthly Saint with this method seems doubly difficult."

Lu Changsheng had already identified the greatest difficulty in cultivating as a Human Saint. Progress was painfully slow, and the efficiency with which the momentum of the masses strengthened the Saint Body was appalling.

Li Zhenggang smiled faintly. "I am relieved to hear that even you, Fellow Daoist Lu, find cultivation slow at the Human Saint stage... Just kidding![1]

"Given your extraordinary talent, the fact that you face the same difficulty confirms the rumors. Cultivation at the Human Saint stage has little to do with talent or Perception. What matters is the amount and strength of the people under one's command.

"This means there are two main ways to increase the momentum. The first is to expand your influence and territory. The more people you govern, the more momentum you can gather. This approach relies on quantity.

"The second is to govern your people well, promote the Martial Dao, and encourage them to practice martial arts. The momentum provided by a powerful martial artist may be ten or even a hundred times greater than that of an ordinary person. This means even without greatly increasing the population under your rule, raising the strength of each individual can still produce an immense amount of momentum. This is about quality.

"To sum up, quantity is about expanding your area of influence, and quality is about elevating the martial strength of your people. You may pursue both paths at once or concentrate on one of them."

Lu Changsheng turned the words over in his mind and understanding finally settled into place.

This is why sacred lands exist. A sacred land is, in its own way, a source for the momentum of the masses too—and one built entirely on quality. Every disciple and martial artist within a sacred land stood among the elite, and a single one of them may contribute ten times, a hundred times, or even more momentum than an ordinary person.

As generations of powerful disciples gather and flourish within a sacred land, the momentum they provide keeps growing. Naturally, the Human Saints who govern such sacred lands can cultivate far more smoothly than those attached to ordinary forces.

Unaffiliated Martial Saints face the greatest difficulty. Joining an established organization would grant them only a limited share of its momentum, while founding your own meant starting from scratch—no territory, no followers, and no prestige. They would have to build everything from the ground up, a task almost as difficult as ascending to the heavens.

Lu Changsheng had grasped the basic method of cultivation at the Human Stage. Ultimately, everything revolved around gathering and refining the momentum of the masses.

In the Martial Saint Realm, one could not skip hard work and take shortcuts—especially not a Human Saint. To continue advancing, Lu Changsheng would need to build a force meant to last a thousand years, ten thousand if he could manage it, and the larger it was, the better. Normal forces would not be enough to support his cultivation as a Human Saint, much less help him become an Earthly Saint.

Having learned everything he wanted to, Lu Changsheng thanked Li Zhenggang and made his way back to the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect.

***

After Lu Changsheng arrived at the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect, he carefully considered everything he had learned.

The Ancient Region and the Northern Region are both vast and densely populated, but most of their inhabitants are just common people, not martial artists. Although their enormous populations can provide me with considerable momentum, the contribution of each individual is extremely limited. Even when combined, the momentum they give me won't match what the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect gives me on its own.

Lu Changsheng understood now why every Martial Saint chose to remain in the Sacred Earth. It was not simply because the Sacred Earth sat at the center of the Martial Dao. It was because almost nowhere else could the momentum of the masses run deep enough to sustain a Human Saint's cultivation.

At the Human Saint stage, a martial artist had to live by contention. Otherwise, they could not advance further. In that sense, every other Human Saint was a rival.

Regardless, what Lu Changsheng needed at the moment was more momentum, but he knew that relying solely on the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect would not be enough. The sect had only recently been established, and its influence would take a great deal of time to grow. If he merely waited for it to expand little by little, he might spend his entire three-thousand-year lifespan without progressing very far in the Human Saint stage.

Lu Changsheng needed access to a far greater source of momentum, and the most direct solution was to join a major power and rise high enough within its ranks to wield genuine authority. Only then would he be able to draw upon the immense momentum gathered by such an organization and use it to refine his Saint Body.

As he considered the strongest forces with the most momentum in the Sacred Earth, his thoughts naturally turned to the sacred lands. Entering one, however, was exceptionally difficult. As far as he knew, not a single martial artist from Heavenly Light City or Heavenly Sacred City had ever succeeded in joining a sacred land.

Lu Changsheng did not rush to act. For the time being, he remained within the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect, consolidating his new cultivation and waiting for an opportunity.

***

A month soon passed, and the day of the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect's Martial Saint Banquet finally arrived.

"Saint Lu, the auspicious hour has finally arrived. It's time for you to make your appearance," Lu Tong called from outside the door.

"Very well," Lu Changsheng replied calmly.

Over the past month, he had done nothing but refine the momentum of the masses into his Primordial Chaos Saint Body. Before leaving, he summoned the Status Panel to examine his progress.

[Status Panel]

Host: Lu Changsheng

Perception: 441,400 (Praised for a Hundred Generations)

Primordial Chaos Saint Body: Momentum of the Masses (1%)

Despite refining the momentum of the masses for an entire month, Lu Changsheng had only progressed to one percent. Of course, that number was merely an approximation. Whether he absorbed a single wisp of momentum or continued cultivating for months, the Status Panel would still display one percent until he accumulated enough to cross the next threshold.

Lu Changsheng could already sense where this was heading. If he kept refining the momentum at this pace, even after years, the number would likely never move past where it stood now. The process was simply too slow, which confirmed to him that the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect simply did not carry enough influence to carry a Human Saint's cultivation forward.

Creak...

Lu Changsheng pushed open the door and stepped outside, where Lu Tong was waiting for him.

"How many Martial Saints have arrived?" Lu Changsheng asked.

"Three have come from Heavenly Sacred City, two from Heavenly Light City, and another three from the surrounding forces," replied Lu Tong respectfully. "There are eight Martial Saints in total."

Eight Martial Saints was already an impressive gathering. Together, they represented nearly every major force within a radius of ten thousand li. Their willingness to attend Lu Changsheng's Martial Saint Banquet in person clearly demonstrated their recognition of both him and the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect.

Even the forces that could not send their Martial Saints in person had made their position clear in other ways, dispatching important representatives bearing gifts substantial enough to leave no doubt of where their alliances leaned.

"Let's go."

Lu Changsheng took a single step forward, and in an instant, he stood within the great hall of the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect.

1. I don't get the joke, do you? ☜