Chapter 270: Simple Until Everyone Dies
Mirabel smiled faintly and finally placed her teacup down. "First, King Grade arts are somewhat different from the grades below them."
Damian immediately sat straighter, his attention fully focused on her.
Mirabel continued, "From Mortal Grade all the way to Royal Grade, the divisions are usually simple. Low-Rank, Mid-Rank, High-Rank, and Top-Rank."
She casually raised one finger. "Everyone understands that system."
Her finger lightly tapped against the table. "However, once something reaches King Grade, it no longer follows that same ranking structure."
Damian nodded slowly. "Then how is King Grade divided?"
Mirabel’s eyes curved faintly. "King Grade, True King Grade, and Supreme King Grade."
Damian’s expression barely changed.
The system had already shown him something similar through Violetta’s [Heaven Burial Requiem Pipa], which had directly reached Supreme King Grade.
Mirabel seemed to notice his unusually calm reaction, but she did not question it. "Technically, all three still belong to the overall King Grade category."
She leaned back slightly. "However, the difference between them can become so ridiculously large that cultivators eventually had no choice but to separate King Grade into those three levels."
Damian rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"So an ordinary King Grade treasure and a Supreme King Grade treasure are technically still part of the same major grade..."
He raised an eyebrow. "Yet the difference in actual power can be fucking enormous?"
Mirabel lightly tapped the table in approval. "Yes, and that becomes especially important when discussing cultivation arts and martial arts."
Her expression grew slightly more serious. "Once an art reaches King Grade, cultivators rarely refer to it as some ordinary technique anymore."
Damian’s eyes sharpened.
Mirabel continued calmly, "King Grade arts are commonly called scriptures, compendiums, canons, or similar names because they normally contain far more than a single technique."
She lifted her teacup but did not drink. "A proper King Grade martial scripture might contain several combat moves, cultivation principles, secret arts, special methods for controlling Qi, and sometimes even supplementary body-tempering techniques."
Damian slowly nodded.
That matched what he already knew.
The [Sunfall Heaven Sword Scripture] Nolan had obtained was not merely some powerful sword move.
It represented an entire sword path.
The [Dying Sun Buries the World] Damian had witnessed was only its first move.
There were almost certainly far more terrifying techniques hidden deeper within that scripture.
Damian leaned forward. "Alright."
His gaze settled on Mirabel. "Then what about the King Realm itself?"
Mirabel paused slightly.
This time, the amused smile on her face gradually disappeared.
Her posture became noticeably more serious. "That is where things become far more difficult."
Damian remained quiet and waited for her to continue.
Mirabel folded her hands loosely together. "To properly step toward the King Realm, a cultivator normally requires a King Grade cultivation art."
Damian frowned.
Mirabel continued, "Without one, breaking through is not necessarily impossible... but the difficulty rises several times over, and the risks become far worse."
Damian’s eyebrows lifted. "It’s really that important?"
Mirabel gave him a look as though the answer should have been obvious. "Of course, just think about it."
She gestured toward him. "Even cultivators in the lower realms need cultivation arts, don’t they?"
Damian paused as realization appeared in his eyes. "Right."
Mirabel nodded. "A cultivation art is not merely there to help you cultivate but to simplify your own cultivation path."
She raised three fingers. "And when someone attempts to enter the King Realm, three things become especially important."
Damian’s expression sharpened.
Mirabel moved her three fingers slightly. "Qi, body, and soul... to properly enter the King Realm, all three must reach the necessary level."
She lowered her three fingers. "Basically, the process begins all the way back in the Qi Refinement Realm."
Damian blinked. "That early?"
Mirabel smiled and raised one finger. "Of course. When qi first begins circulating through the body, it gradually tempers the body itself."
She raised a second finger. "Foundation Establishment and the Golden Core Realm refine your qi foundation and dantian, essentially tempering your qi."
Then she raised her third finger. "And the Nascent Soul Realm, just as the name suggests, tempers the soul."
Damian immediately caught one detail. "Begins?"
Mirabel looked pleased. "Good catch."
She lightly tapped the side of her teacup. "I said the deeper process begins there. I didn’t say the soul only starts developing at the Nascent Soul Realm."
Damian listened carefully. "Your cultivation isn’t divided into completely separate boxes."
Mirabel gestured casually. "Your body doesn’t suddenly stop strengthening just because you’ve entered Foundation Establishment. With each higher realm, the quality of your qi improves, so the tempering never truly ends."
Damian nodded slowly. "Everything continues building on what came before."
Mirabel gave an approving nod. "Exactly. And by the time all three have reached the required threshold, you can attempt to break through into the King Realm."
Damian rubbed his chin. "And that’s where the King Grade cultivation art comes in?"
Mirabel nodded. "Yes. Once those three foundations meet the necessary requirements, a proper King-grade cultivation art provides the method needed to harmonize them and allow you to break through directly into the King Realm."
Damian blinked.
He stared at her fingers for a moment before leaning back. "That sounds... surprisingly simple."
Silence.
Mirabel stared at him, and a second later, she burst into amused laughter. "Hehehe... simple?"
Damian shrugged. "I mean, the explanation sounds simple."
Mirabel chuckled. "Of course it sounds simple."
She then shook her head. "Most disasters sound simple when you explain them in one sentence."
She leaned slightly closer. "’Just make your body, Qi, and soul powerful enough, obtain an unbelievably rare King Grade cultivation scripture, perfectly harmonize all three without damaging any of them, then break through.’"
Her eyes curved mockingly. "Very simple."
Damian’s mouth twitched. "When you say it like that, it sounds slightly worse."
Mirabel chuckled. "Slightly? You don’t even know the real problem. The first obstacle is that most cultivators never manage to bring all three foundations up to the required level."
Damian’s expression slowly turned thoughtful.
Mirabel was not finished. "And even if someone somehow satisfies all three requirements..."
She paused. "They still need a King Grade cultivation art."
Damian looked toward her.
Mirabel gave him a flat look. "Do you have any fucking idea how rare those are?"
Damian stayed silent.
Mirabel leaned back into her chair. "Royal Grade cultivation arts already cause powerful factions to fight over them."
Her fingers lightly drummed against the table. "A genuine King Grade cultivation scripture?"
She chuckled softly. "Whole factions can be exterminated over one."
Damian’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Mirabel continued, "That is why reaching the King Realm is not merely about possessing enough talent or cultivating for enough years."
Her lips curved faintly. "You need the will to survive the fucking obstacles just to meet those requirements, obtain the proper cultivation art, and that’s not even mentioning the breakthrough process itself."
Damian stared at her for several seconds before slowly releasing a breath. "So yeah... The idea is simple."
Mirabel lifted her teacup again. "Exactly."
She took a calm sip. "Actually doing it is another matter entirely."