Aksai aimed to achieve mastery level in all the martial arts he practiced within a few years.
This was because only the martial arts at the mastery level held value for him.
After all, a Spirit cultivator using the [Light Steps] Spirit spell could easily generate around 1400 pounds of impact force even without any foundation in body cultivation.
The impact force generated by this most common Spirit spell on a needlepoint-like surface was the very reason the Spirit cultivators could run like a wind.
As such, for a Spirit cultivator like Aksai, the Mastery level wasn’t that impressive. At least not as impressive as it was in the eyes of the most martial artists in Sharang.
A Spirit cultivator employing a destructive-type Spirit spell could surpass the threshold of Mastery-level martial arts as well, leaving even mastery-level martial artists in the dust.
For Aksai, the beauty of martial arts lay in their prolonged use.
Unlike Spirit spells that could only be unleashed for a short time, attacks launched by martial arts could be maintained for longer periods. Plus, it was easier to replenish one’s qi than Spirit essence.
As long as Aksai attained mastery level in all the martial arts, his attacks would be akin to Spirit spells launched by most Spirit cultivators. He could then spam these attacks on his enemies until their defenses broke and they finally succumbed to his barrage.
Furthermore, unlike Spirit spells that were complicated to cast and took time, martial arts could be unleashed at a moment’s notice. It was akin to instinctive reactions taken to extreme levels while empowered with qi.
Martial arts practically had no lag time compared to Spirit spells.
***
A few hours later.
The afternoon sun reached its peak, casting sweltering heat over the landscape.
Surrounded by lush trees, the Everwood palace remained cool despite the hot summer afternoon.
By this point, Jin Jolan had imparted the basics of Qi Flow Arts to Aksai.
Aksai was out of breath and drenched in sweat, having pushed himself to replicate Jin Jolan’s moves to the best of his ability.
His face flushed red, and his legs felt unsteady, as if they might give out at any moment. He feared that once he sat down, getting back up would be a challenge.
A maid standing in the shade quickly approached Aksai, offering him a towel when he paused to catch his breath. Aksai used the towel to wipe away the sweat before turning to Jin Jolan with a serious expression.
“Master Jin Jolan, how long do you think it will take for me to achieve the foundation level in Qi Flow Arts?” Aksai asked as he sought shade under a lush tree, settling against its roots.
Jin Jolan paused, considering his response before replying honestly. “Young man, your talent in martial arts has truly surprised me,” Jin said, looking at Aksai with a hint of envy. “If I didn’t know any better, I might suspect that you have at least five Gates open in your body to progress so quickly in Qi Flow Arts.”
Aksai smiled at Jin Jolan but remained silent, knowing that sometimes silence conveyed the best response.
Jin waited for Aksai to speak. However, upon receiving silent treatment, he couldn’t help shaking his head before putting forward his guess.
“Since you have already attained the late-stage body cultivation, you should be able to enter the foundation level of the Qi Flow Arts within two to three months. The intermediate level would take around six months.
As for the advanced and even mastery levels, those will depend upon your efforts, luck, and many other factors,” Jin spoke as he sat beside Aksai and enjoyed the shade offered by the tree with a serene face.
‘Two months, huh? I should try to enter the foundation level in all the martial arts within these two months. After achieving this level of expertise in the martial arts, I can go back to Dadangar and start trading between the two worlds,’ Aksai thought to himself, making future plans.
In a short while, Aksai and Jin Jolan had a hearty lunch where they sat. Aksai’s chefs and kitchen staff served the two martial artists with all kinds of nourishing foods and soups. The two took a small break after lunch before resuming Aksai’s training and tutoring sessions.
***
Nobody knew what measures Aksai took to recover from the fatigue he had accumulated by practicing the Qi Flow Arts from morning to evening. However, by the start of the next day, he was as fresh as a daisy with no physical stress from the previous day’s harsh labor.
This day, Aksai welcomed Lin Sahu from the Temple of the Guardian. She was here to teach him about Guardian’s Qi martial arts.
Guardian’s Qi martial arts was renowned for its emphasis on balance, agility, and defensive techniques.
Practitioners engaged in exercises such as meditation and visualization to channel qi energy effectively. The martial art employed qi as a first layer of defense to fight off most blunt impacts and even some sharp attacks.
Structured into levels of progression including foundation, intermediate, advanced, and mastery, practitioners advanced through consistent practice and refinement of technique.
The qi barrier around one’s body would appear invisible at the foundation level. At the intermediate level, a faint snake-skin-like translucent barrier would form around the practitioner. The advanced and mastery levels would add to the defensive properties of the barrier in an increasing scale, allowing Master level Guardian’s Qi martial artists to not get affected by even some sharp weapon-based attacks.
At each level, practitioners developed skills in fundamental techniques, defensive maneuvers, and the harnessing of qi energy, ultimately reaching a pinnacle of proficiency. Since Guardian’s Qi martial arts revolved around defensive skills, Aksai didn’t have to sweat as much as he did the last day while practicing the Qi Flow Arts. However, he had to admit that Guardian’s Qi came with its own set of difficulties, especially when it came to maintaining the snake-skin-like layer around one’s body without hurting one’s own flesh.
**
The third day.
The martial arts tutor who came to the Everwood Palace was none other than Wen Wei from School of Rising Sun. He came to teach Aksai about the ways of the Sword Qi Arts.
The Qi Sword Arts was an intricate martial discipline renowned for its fusion of sword mastery and the manipulation of qi energy.
This martial art emphasized not only the technical proficiency of swordplay but also the integration of qi to enhance combat effectiveness.
In Qi Sword Arts, practitioners underwent comprehensive training to develop both physical and mental attributes necessary for mastery. They began by mastering fundamental sword handling techniques, such as grip, stance, and posture, ensuring precise and efficient sword movements.
Central to Qi Sword Arts was the ability to channel and focus qi energy through the sword. Practitioners learned to synchronize their breath and intention with their sword strikes, infusing them with the power of qi to enhance speed, precision, and impact.
Like most well-balanced martial arts, Qi Sword Arts also progressed through four levels of mastery: foundation, intermediate, advanced, and mastery.
At the mastery level, practitioners achieved flawless technique, profound internal strength, and unmatched proficiency in wielding their swords with speed, precision, and power.
***
Fourth day.
Lin Lan from Lotus Pavilion visited Everwood palace to teach Aksai White Golden Palm Arts. Aksai had chosen this martial art deliberately to enhance his Harmony Palm martial arts. As such, he didn’t slack off when Lin Lehan started teaching him.
The White Golden Palm Arts was a dynamic martial discipline that centered on the mastery of fist and palm strikes. It utilized the flow of qi energy to enhance the effectiveness of each blow.
This martial art emphasized speed, precision, and power, teaching practitioners to harness their inner energy to deliver devastating strikes.
***
Fifth day.
Aksai welcomed Dragon’s Roar Academy’s Zen Hao into his courtyard. The man was so impatient that he ignored all the formalities and started teaching Aksai the basics of the Qi Palm Arts.
Qi Palm Arts primarily emphasized the utilization of qi energy to enhance the power and effectiveness of fist and palm strikes. Practitioners of Qi Palm Arts underwent training to develop a strong connection to their qi energy, mastering breath control, meditation, and basic forms.
One had to note that Qi Palm Arts was a distinct martial art from White Golden Palm Arts. While both disciplines involved the manipulation of qi energy in their palms for combat purposes, Qi Palm Arts tended to be more comprehensive, incorporating a broader range of striking techniques beyond palm strikes alone.
Additionally, Qi Palm Arts placed a significant emphasis on breath control, meditation, and visualization techniques, while White Golden Palm Arts focused more narrowly on refining palm strikes and internal energy manipulation.
***
Aksai’s private chamber, Everwood Palace.
Aksai was seen sitting on a rattan mattress in a meditative position, his eyes closed, and his breath regulated.
Within a blink of an eye, three months had passed since Aksai started his private tuitions with the Master-level martial artists.
On this day, Aksai had no martial arts training scheduled. He had informed all the martial arts tutors that he would be leaving Serenity Peak for a while and that they could resume the training sessions upon his return.
[ Daily task completed. 7th layer of Basic Greenwood Tantra was executed for 11 cycles. Estimated improvement in cultivation– 0.001%.
Cultivation terminated due to diminished gains below the required criteria.
Mode optimized for inter-realm improvement. Current Spirit Essence reserves: 100%.
Runtime: 4 hours and 12 minutes.
Intra-stage Progress: 20.1%
Estimated time required to break into the 8th stage: 6 years. ]
“My Spirit cultivation has stagnated because of the sparse Spirit essence concentration in Sharang.”
Opening his eyes slowly, Aksai thought to himself. He sighed as he looked at his progress on the Spectral Screen.
Although he hadn’t stopped practicing his Spirit cultivation technique, the progress he made even with his diligent practice was subpar at best.
Compared to Cultivation World Dadangar, the martial arts world that he was currently in lacked a sufficient amount of ambient Spirit essence. It had naturally affected Aksai’s progress in Spirit cultivation.
However, Aksai didn’t stay disheartened for long. After all, he had expected this to happen and prepared himself for the same.
Plus, it was not like he had not made any progress at all.
With a smile on his face, Aksai waved his hands and made the earlier Spectral Screen disappear, replacing it with a new Spectral Screen that showed his recent progress in the martial arts.
[ Body Cultivation technique: Qi Fusion Arts
Body Cultivation realm: mid-stage Bronze Body Realm. (regressed due to Qi tempering)
Martial Arts progress:
Harmony Palm: Intermediate-level proficiency
Qi Flow Arts: Foundation-level proficiency
Guardian’s Qi: Foundation-level proficiency
Qi Sword Arts: Foundation-level proficiency
White Golden Palm Arts: Foundation-level proficiency
Qi Palm Arts: Foundation-level proficiency ]
Aksai had achieved foundation-level proficiency in all five martial arts that originated in Martial World Sharang.
His Spirit Sense, neural link fabric, and the premium-grade tonics and medicines he consumed like candies had contributed significantly to this progress. His efforts and diligence in maintaining a rigorous schedule had also played a significant role.
Moreover, thanks to the two palm-based martial arts, Aksai’s Harmony Palm had reached intermediate-level proficiency.
Aksai’s body cultivation had regressed due to the qi tempering he experienced while practicing the martial arts. However, it was not necessarily a setback.
Aksai felt as if his foundations in body cultivation had only now stabilized. The unsteady qi flow he had experienced within his body, despite his late-stage Bronze Body Realm, was nowhere to be found.
Although his qi volume had decreased, its quality had improved significantly. This qualitative change in his qi laid a firm foundation for his body cultivation path.
“Alright, it’s time to leave this world and see what’s going on in Dadangar for a while,” closing the Spectral Screen in front of him, Aksai mumbled to himself.
He then ensured that the door to his private chamber was securely shut from the inside, with no way for anyone to barge in.
Once he was confident in his arrangements, Aksai took a deep breath before sending his Spirit Sense to his natal treasure: Myriad Worlds Painting.
In the next moment, the Spirit farmer vanished from the Everwood Palace without anyone noticing and returned to his home world.
