Wang Sheng had never expected to encounter another top-tier Great Grandmaster who did not follow the path of Qi Blood Martial Arts.
Everyone said that the Store Manager of Yuelai Inn was an extraordinary woman who, despite not being favored initially, had seized control of White Cloud Commerce with overwhelming strength and had drastically reformed it.
But he had never imagined that Zhu Xiao would be so “extraordinary.”
In that moment, Wang Sheng also roughly understood why Zhu Xiao wanted to meet him.
He guessed that she had heard some rumors about Qiao Nian—speculating that Qiao Nian’s path differed from that of Qi Blood Martial Arts, an understanding shared by those who follow different paths.
And he, having been the only person to have met Qiao Nian before her death, would inevitably arouse suspicion.
“Forget it, it’s not necessarily a bad thing!”
As Zhu Xiao was a cultivator, discussing cultivation with her might yield even greater insights for him.
While he thought about this, Zhu Xiao floated towards him.
It had to be said that cultivators were invariably beautiful unless their cultivation method was unusual or deliberately modified.
Zhu Xiao was undeniably of the beautiful variety.
She gently landed beside Wang Sheng, her expression cool, but for some reason, Wang Sheng always felt she was somewhat lost.
So he took the initiative and said, “I think I know why you’re here, probably for Qiao Nian’s cultivation technique. I can tell you explicitly that Qiao Nian’s path is indeed vastly different from that of Qi Blood Martial Arts.”
Hearing this, Zhu Xiao’s expression changed, and her eyes seemed to light up.
“Really?”
Her voice sounded like pearls dropping onto a jade plate, pleasant and melodious, filled with surprise.
“Of course. It’s not convenient to talk here, but we can find a place to exchange our insights. I can tell you about Qiao Nian’s method, but you’ll need to share yours as well.”
Just as Zhu Xiao wanted to learn about Qiao Nian’s methods, Wang Sheng also wanted to know about Zhu Xiao’s methods.
He couldn’t share his own Inner Core Skill due to its unique progress, but Qiao Nian’s was perfect for a trade.
It all depended on whether Zhu Xiao was willing to exchange. If not, he would leave.
He did not want to be taken advantage of.
He looked towards Zhu Xiao, wanting to know her decision.
After all, involving one’s own Foundation Method was not something that anyone could easily and boldly share.
But Zhu Xiao only said one word.
“Good!”
Wang Sheng felt as if he was seeing Qiao Nian.
Someone who, even as an enemy, desired to exchange knowledge.
Wang Sheng realized that those who embarked on new paths were truly sincere seekers of the Dao.
The two entered a private room together, and Zhu Xiao clearly had been prepared, pulling out a secret manual.
This indicated that she had come with the intention of sharing and exchanging from the start.
Wang Sheng also took out Qiao Nian’s secret manual and said, “This manual reaches only to the Grandmaster level; you can also share just the Grandmaster part.”
“No problem,” Zhu Xiao continued to be sparing with words.
This attitude, however, showed Wang Sheng her resolute nature.
Without much further conversation, they began to read each other’s manuals.
Zhu Xiao’s manual was unnamed—it was unclear if it was intentionally left without a title—but upon opening it, it contained a general outline.
“The body is boundless. By strengthening the body and developing the physique, one can attain divinity…”
Reading this sentence, Wang Sheng finally understood why under his Divine Thought, Zhu Xiao’s state seemed different from those who cultivated Qi Blood Martial Arts, and yet bore similarities.
Zhu Xiao was pursuing a path of physical development.
In her cultivation technique, the human body was deconstructed into a microscopic level, then strengthened using energy.
Firstly, the cultivation targeted the overall human body.
Then, it divided the body into limbs, torso, and head, strengthening each separately.
This was a substantial technique.
Beyond the limbs, it further detailed into skin, bones, blood, and more.
The interesting aspect of this Cultivation Technique was its intent to refine from the general to the specific, starting with the whole body, then limbs and torso, and finally skin, tendons, bones, and blood.
Once all these were refined, the process would begin anew with the entire body, aiming for Perfection, a terrifyingly boundless state.
Of course, this was merely the intent; Wang Sheng guessed that Zhu Xiao probably hadn’t finished it.
Had she completed it, her strength might have been even more fearsome than his.
Naturally, Zhu Xiao sought him out to share insights, evidently facing obstacles in her path and hoping to progress by examining other Cultivation Techniques.
Her method of refining differed initially from Qi Blood Martial Arts.
In Qi Blood Martial Arts, the first step involved amplifying Blood Qi, from which Qi Blood Power was refined, making one a Martial Artist.
But Zhu Xiao’s technique also utilized resources, albeit with a new method of harnessing the energy within them.
Zhu Xiao discovered this novel application.
It involved fortifying oneself rather than condensing Qi Blood Power.
Crucially, this method gave rise to a new kind of strength which Zhu Xiao named Qi Force.
After the body was wholly refined, Qi Force, different from Qi Blood Power, would emerge. Of course, this power wasn’t necessarily weaker than Qi Blood Power, but it was uncertain by how much it was stronger.
After all, Qi Blood Martial Arts had developed over many years; it wasn’t something Zhu Xiao could easily surpass on her own.
But Wang Sheng felt somewhat astonished internally.
A pathway found in mere decades that paralleled the Qi Blood Martial Arts suggested an anomaly.
Whether it was Zhu Xiao’s prodigious talent that matched millennia of development in just decades, or if the Qi Blood Martial Arts had stagnated after its initial development, or maybe as Qiao Nian had suggested…
Wang Sheng dismissed these thoughts from his mind.
The more he learned, the more doubts arose; much of the information didn’t align.
But he quickly recovered.
Now wasn’t the time to ponder these questions; better to resolve the current matters first.
His attention returned to the manuscript.
Undeniably, regardless of the state of Qi Blood Martial Arts, Zhu Xiao’s genius, like Qiao Nian’s, was indisputable.
She had carved her own path.
Her utilization of resources such as Spiritual Medicine, Demon Beasts, and Spirit Beasts, which could supplement Qi Blood, was also innovative.
Zhu Xiao didn’t use this energy to supplement Qi Blood Power but transformed it into new energy.
This alone proved her extraordinary talent.
Qiao Nian hadn’t considered this aspect; his Cultivation Method resembled ascetic meditation, largely resource-free, and his later rapid progress stemmed from the method of harvest.
Wang Sheng continued reading, examining the details of each progressive stage.
According to the Cultivation Technique, once the whole body was refined, Qi Force would emerge, elevating one to Grandmaster.
Initially, the strength might be less than that of a Qi Blood Martial Arts practitioner, but upon the emergence of Qi Force, one could truly match them.
Then, refining any one part among limbs, torso, or brain to completion would achieve the rank of Great Grandmaster, though due to weaknesses in other areas, the strength might still be somewhat inferior to that of a Qi Blood Martial Arts Great Grandmaster.
Once everything was refined, one could become a top-tier Great Grandmaster, even stronger than the best Great Grandmasters.
As for the journey beyond what Zhu Xiao hadn’t refined, all steps were speculative.
As time passed and he reviewed the overall technique, Wang Sheng concluded that this Cultivation Technique had immense potential.
And after completing the review, the true discussion was set to begin, evidently, Zhu Xiao thought so too.
She had already finished reading ahead of him, her eyes gleaming brightly as she looked at Wang Sheng.