Chapter 114: A Path for Everyone to Survive

"The three Realms of Xiantian: Observing Principles, Nurturing the Soul, and Seeing the Spirit."

"Observing the principles of heaven and earth, Nurturing the Soul of the Martial Dao, and Seeing the Spirit of the true self."

"The essence of these three Realms is a step-by-step progression: observing the world, imitating the world, until one becomes the world."

"Now that I have taken the first step and become a Xiantian Martial Artist, it can only be considered the beginning."

Creak—

After the Breakthrough ended, Xu Xi pushed open the wooden door and returned to the snowy world outside once more.

The weather was cold, and the people were busy.

After the Demon Tide ended, Qingniu Town did not become quiet.

Burying the dead, treating the injured, butchering demon flesh, and clearing collapsed houses.

People had too much to do.

There was no time for sorrow, and their emotions were numb; they could only clear the hideous ruins as quickly as possible to prepare for the next wave of the Demon Tide.

The Demon Tide would last a long time, from winter until the following spring.

Like an endless punishment, it tortured and lashed everyone.

"It's not enough, still far from enough…"

Xu Xi murmured to himself.

Clear.

Limpid.

His heart chamber seemed to have truly turned into a furnace, with blood-qi burning fiercely, providing Xu Xi with a continuous stream of power.

Cultivation at the Guan Li Realm.

The Protective Aura of a Xiantian Martial Artist.

After the Realm Breakthrough, Xu Xi was far stronger than he had been in the Blood Exchange Realm.

But this was not enough; cultivation at only the Guan Li Realm was far from enough.

"Although I don't know the full extent of Great Qian's foundations, there is no doubt that there are Martial Dao Human Immortals within Great Qian, existences that completely transcend Xiantian Martial Artists."

"Even a Human Immortal is no match for the Hundred Thousand Mountains, let alone a Xiantian Martial Artist?"

Snow weighed down the eaves.

Wind battered the windows.

Amidst the constant howling of the wind and snow, Xu Xi recalled the terrifying sights he had witnessed over the past few years.

There were Peng birds whose wings covered the sky as they streaked across the firmament.

There were giant serpents as massive as mountains, opening their mouths to swallow the starlight.

Such great power, as if mythological stories had entered reality, was far beyond what an ordinary Martial Artist could withstand.

"Whoosh—!!!"

The sound of the wind and snow grew even more intense.

Facing the fluttering snowflakes, Xu Xi slowly raised his right hand, straightened his fingers into a hand-blade, and slashed horizontally at the blizzard before him.

Psh.

Like a balloon deflating.

A series of faint humming sounds.

But suddenly, the faint humming turned into a thunderous roar, and the snowflakes dancing in the air were like butterflies out of control, wildly crashing everywhere.

They were all shattered and dispersed by the invisible Protective Aura.

The world suddenly cleared; whether it was the storm or the falling snow, everything was cut down and halted by Xu Xi.

Although the familiar blizzard returned after a few breaths, it was enough to prove that a Xiantian Martial Artist's strength far surpassed that of a Body Tempering Martial Artist.

However.

This kind of strength, which seemed terrifying in the eyes of Mortals.

In the eyes of stronger demons and Human Immortals, it was as laughable as an ant, not worth mentioning at all.

"The road ahead is very long."

…

[In the seventh year of the simulation, after breaking through to the Blood Exchange Realm, you advanced to the rank of Xiantian Martial Artist at an extremely fast speed.]

[This was an unexpected promotion.]

[You had calculated that based on the time you were stuck in the Marrow Cleansing Realm, it would take you at least five years to break through to the Xiantian Realm.]

[But now, five years have been leaped over out of nowhere, and you have stepped directly into the Xiantian Realm.]

[You marvel at the uniqueness of Blood-Qi Martial Arts.]

[In the Cultivation World, Cultivators need to Cultivate with a calm mind and try to avoid the creation of Karma.]

[In the Magic World, mages need to meditate to clear their minds and communicate with the elements.]

[Most of the time, intense emotional fluctuations will affect the cultivation of Immortality and Magic, but today's battle with the demons has caused your martial dao Realm to break through rapidly.]

[You suddenly realize that while pure Persistence and bitter cultivation are useful, in the system of martial dao, carrying out one's own beliefs is equally important.]

[Your strength has increased greatly.]

[Your blood-qi is astonishing.]

[The third wave of the winter Demon Tide arrives; this time, you choose to face it alone.]

[You walk on air; without any master or heritage, relying solely on your own Persistence, you have learned the basic use of Protective Aura, transforming it into a blade to slay all invading demons.]

[You successfully protected Qingniu Town; the people are amazed by your strength and cheer for you.]

…

[You do not feel joy.]

[On the contrary, your expression is incredibly grave.]

[In recent years, the Demon Tides in spring and winter have become stronger and stronger, and there are more and more demons in the Blood Exchange Realm; this is an extremely dangerous signal.]

[You worry that if a demon comparable to a Xiantian Martial Artist appears, it will surely cause heavy damage to Qingniu Town.]

[Guarding against this, you silently increase the intensity of your martial arts training.]

[You are lucky.]

[All the people of Qingniu Town are lucky.]

[Until spring arrived and the last wave of the Demon Tide ended, no demon comparable to a Xiantian Martial Artist appeared; with your protection, Qingniu Town successfully survived the difficult winter.]

[In spring, the earth awakens from the winter cold, and the plants and trees are flourishing; only the blackened bloodstains on the road record the bloody slaughter of winter.]

[In the eighth year of the simulation, you are 23 years old.]

[You have completely stabilized your Xiantian Realm; your Protective Aura is refined, and your blood-qi is like a rainbow. You are as diligent and hardworking as ever, never letting go of your Persistence in martial arts.]

[But besides that, you also set aside some time to plan your future actions.]

[You know well that according to the frequency of the Demon Tides in previous years, stronger demons will surely appear when the next winter arrives.]

[Even as a Xiantian Martial Artist, you are powerful, but you cannot protect everyone.]

[You received vegetable buns from A-Niu's family.]

[You received some bland soup from Granny Liu.]

[You received 'candy' from the neighborhood children; it was a special kind of grass spike that tasted sweet when chewed, a favorite of children on the border.]

…

[You begin to look for a new way out, a path that can protect more people so they don't die tragic deaths.]

[Why do this?]

[You ask yourself in your heart.]

[Eating the vegetable buns, drinking the bland soup, and chewing the 'candy' sent by the children, you suddenly chuckle, feeling that this doesn't need a reason at all.]

[Or rather, there are reasons everywhere.]

[You come up with a rather difficult method.]

[You plan to have everyone practice martial arts so the townsfolk can have the power to protect themselves, but there is a key problem: most people have no talent for martial arts.]

[They lack Comprehension Ability and cannot understand the principles of Cultivation Techniques.]

[Their skeletal structure is poor, and their blood-qi is innately weak.]

[So, is there a Cultivation Technique in the world that requires neither Comprehension Ability nor good skeletal structure, allowing ordinary Mortals to become Martial Artists as well?]

[The answer is no.]

[But you don't intend to give up.]

[With the Martial Arts Evolution trait, you possess countless possibilities.]

[You silently fetch the "Yangyuan Technique," intending to use this common Cultivation Technique that everyone knows as the foundation of your martial arts to evolve a martial dao technique that ordinary people can also use to become stronger.]

[You continue to practice the "Yangyuan Technique"…]

[You continue to temper your Xiantian Astral Qi…]