Chapter 261 - 187: Guidance

Chapter 261: Chapter 187: Guidance

"That’s not right. In our Yu Kingdom, Third Realm Martial Artists are the most numerous, followed by those in the Second Realm, and then the Inner Qi Realm. The numbers in these three realms are the highest..."

Yu Fei was baffled. "Shouldn’t the cultivation realms follow the pyramid principle? Logically, the First Realm should have the most people."

Ye Shuping explained with a smile, "In principle, that’s correct. To be precise, for the long history of martial arts up until five hundred years ago, that principle always held true: the First Realm had the most Martial Artists, and the higher the realm, the fewer their numbers.

But things are different in the Yu Kingdom now. After we occupied a large number of borderlands, basic resources are no longer so scarce. With the development of related industries, many resources for the Second, Third, and Fourth Realms can be mass-produced on an industrial scale. Once a Second Realm Martial Artist joins the army, as long as they survive, they can quickly get their hands on advancement potions."

"Through years of research, we’ve discovered that as long as someone is capable of cultivation, they have a very high chance of reaching the Second Realm within about ten years. It’s achievable even just through diligent daily training. In truth, we are now deliberately controlling the number of First Realm Martial Artists."

"If a Martial Artist hasn’t broken through to the Second Realm after ten years of cultivation, their potential is considered too low. The future investment wouldn’t be worth the return. That’s why cultivation resources for the First Realm are extremely rare on the market, only becoming more plentiful starting from the Second Realm."

Yu Fei thought of Gao Yunxiang, the many Second Realm martial arts teachers at his school in their thirties and forties, and the weathered-looking officials at the Martial Arts Administration Bureau.

’Clearly, they are the ones Ye Shuping was talking about—those who failed to break through to the Second Realm within ten years and were subsequently abandoned by the Martial Arts Extraordinary World, left to maintain order in the mundane world.’

"Alright, that’s all beside the point. The red fruit is a Vermilion Fruit, which serves to strengthen and purify Qi Blood. It has some use for you at your current stage. What’s in the bottle is Ice Spirit Flame. It can improve your aptitude with Yang-attribute energy and will help you when you cultivate a Magic Body Skill in the future."

"Your foundation is already solid, so these little things are merely icing on the cake—better than nothing, I suppose."

Yu Fei could feel his body’s craving for them. ’This is hardly just icing on the cake.’ Even without Ye Shuping saying a word, he could sense that these items were priceless.

He gave Ye Shuping a deep, solemn bow, expressing his gratitude with the utmost respect.

’Based on what he said, he must have prepared a lot for me. It’s just that my talent improved so suddenly that many of those resources became unnecessary. Regardless, I owe him for this kindness.’

Ye Shuping nodded in satisfaction. The Vermilion Fruit was one thing; any Martial Saint with the means would prepare one for his own children or nephews. But the one he’d provided was a full thousand years old, not like those worthless one- or two-hundred-year-old specimens. The real prize was the Ice Spirit Flame. That item was a rarity even for Martial Saints; giving it to a Third Realm cultivator was an extravagant waste.

’But since I intend to cultivate a peerless fighter, such a small investment is hardly worth mentioning.’

Sensing the sincerity in Yu Fei’s intent, Ye Shuping was greatly comforted.

’Now this is more like it,’ Ye Shuping thought. ’I’m putting my heart into helping you. If you were still ungrateful, what would be the point of raising a thankless brat?’

With that thought, he helped Yu Fei to his feet and said kindly, "Since I’ve accepted you as my student, and I left in such a hurry last time, just consider these two little trinkets a welcome gift from your teacher. Don’t give it a second thought."

Whatever Yu Fei might be thinking, Ye Shuping had put down some serious bait. The Vermilion Fruit and Ice Spirit Flame were clearly extraordinary items, a far cry from "mere icing on the cake."

’Since this is how it is,’ Yu Fei sighed internally, ’then until I find any reason to believe he means me harm, I’ll just have to be a true disciple of a Martial Saint.’

"So, this sword is called Name-Slayer? Passable, I suppose."

Seeing Ye Shuping’s interest, he unslung Name-Slayer and handed it over for inspection.

"Teacher, Lord Honglian gifted me this sword during the placement tournament. Only recently, after my Pure Yang True Body reached completion and my strength greatly increased, have I been able to wield it. Name-Slayer is a heavy sword. Do you have any Swordsmanship techniques you would recommend?"

Ye Shuping picked up Name-Slayer and examined it for a moment before saying with a smile, "Your senior sister’s craftsmanship is decent. She hasn’t brought shame on us. This sword will do for now."

"Senior sister?" Yu Fei froze. ’Could it be...?’

"That’s right. Zhuo Feiming is also my student. She’s a cycle older than you. Haven’t I mentioned that?"

Yu Fei shook his head. "A cycle older than me?"

’Where does that measurement come from?’ he wondered. ’This world doesn’t have the twelve zodiacs.’

"Oh, it just means she’s 100 years older than you. For a Martial Saint, Xiaoming’s age is still considered relatively young."

"The Pure Yang True Body is an excellent Magic Body Skill. The fact that you’ve cultivated it to completion proves your constitution and aptitude are a good match for it. The Ice Spirit Flame can further improve your Yang-attribute aptitude, which will save you some effort in your future cultivation."

"However, its advanced version, the Melt Gold Jade Body Skill, can only be practiced at the Inner Qi Realm. You need to be prepared; it’s going to cost you a lot!"

"Cost me a lot?"

Yu Fei’s heart sank. ’If even Ye Shuping thinks it’s expensive, just how many resources will it take?’

Ye Shuping gave him an odd look. "When you were cultivating the Pure Yang True Body, didn’t you read the description for its advanced technique?"

Yu Fei gave a wry smile. "I only remember that before you master the Melt Gold Jade Body Skill, you can’t lose your virginity. You have to maintain a core of Pure Yang Qi. To this day, I still don’t get what’s so special about this Pure Yang Qi, or if things like... masturbation or wet dreams count..."

"Ah, Pure Yang Qi... Men and women are different from birth. Pure Yang Qi is a type of Innate Qi. As long as you haven’t had intercourse with a woman and achieved Yin-Yang Harmony, there’s no problem. As for those... ah, other things you mentioned... they have no effect."

Not wanting to dwell on the topic, he quickly steered the conversation back to the cultivation technique.

"The ’Melt Gold Jade Body’ is to be taken literally. This Cultivation Technique requires you to melt and fuse the properties of gold and jade into your body to forge an indestructible form. The cultivation process consumes vast amounts of precious metals and jades. You have to temper your body repeatedly with four types of materials—hardened gold, pliant jade, flexible gold, and rigid jade—until your martial body achieves a state of perfect unity. Only then is it considered mastered."