Bitter Realm: Have the Four Realms been united today?

Chapter 41 The Truth About the Inability to Cultivate

This question startled Yue Tianji slightly.

If Xuanming were a cultivator with true qi circulating within his body, he would never have asked this question.

But at this moment, he had only theory, and instead broke free from the shackles of conventional thinking, asking a question that seemed somewhat "naive" to Yue Tianji, yet touched upon the underlying logic of cultivation.

After pondering for a moment, Yue Tianji realized that relying solely on verbal explanations was ultimately insufficient for Xuanming, who had no practical experience, to truly grasp the intricacies of the matter.

Seeing Xuanming's inquisitive eyes, he rose and stood up, his snow-white robes tracing a clean arc in the candlelight. "Come with me to the martial arts arena, and you may be able to glimpse some of its secrets."

Dust and sand swirled in the training ground.

Upon receiving the order to read the heavenly secrets, the soldiers split into pairs and launched an attack as instructed.

The collision of true energy created layers of invisible ripples.

Yue Tianji and Xuanming stood on the sidelines, observing the situation.

Under Yue Tianji's special arrangement, the combination of these soldiers was quite particular: some had the same martial arts skills, some used the same moves without any difference, and some even had the same cultivation level.

Xuanming observed each exchange with rapt attention, especially the duels between soldiers who shared the same skill level, cultivation level, and techniques.

He stared intently at the point where the two forces clashed, trying to catch a trace of energy flow and fusion.

However, the result disappointed him.

No matter how similar the conditions are, the residual force that has penetrated the opponent's body is like oil and water that cannot be mixed.

He was either forced out or slowly worn down by his own true energy; he never saw it absorbed and transformed by the other side as he had expected.

Yue Tianji took in the confusion and bewilderment in Xuanming's eyes, then spoke calmly, his voice clearly reaching Xuanming's ears:

"Even if you practice the same technique and use the same moves, each person's true energy will carry their own unique 'mark' and 'will' due to subtle differences in their own talents, experiences, temperament, and even understanding of the meaning of the moves."

His gaze swept over a soldier in the arena who was knocking his opponent back, and he continued to explain: "The attack power generated by this move is more domineering and exclusive than the martial artist's own neutral and peaceful true qi. It is full of aggression and personal imprint."

Therefore, this kind of offensive power is difficult for others to absorb and use safely. Forcing an attempt is not only useless, but it is also very easy to cause one's own true energy to become disordered and damage the meridians.

The safest method is to suppress or dissipate it, or to gradually erode it with one's own true energy.

Xuanming frowned, still finding the result somewhat unbelievable.

"Since cultivators can transfer true energy among themselves, it proves that true energy can be merged and absorbed."

"The techniques are a further application of internal energy; the essence remains unchanged, and similar techniques should be able to absorb each other."

"If one side is strong and the other weak, then the weaker one should be absorbed more."

Why is this happening? Are these two moves just superficially similar...?

He was lost in his own thoughts, his face filled with struggle and stubborn refusal to give up.

Yue Tianji had anticipated this. Although the young man usually appeared timid, he possessed an extraordinary persistence when exploring certain issues, never giving up until he hit a wall.

However, he did not think it was a bad thing; on the contrary, he appreciated this desire for truth.

"Knowing what it is doesn't necessarily mean you know why it is." Yue Tianji's tone softened, carrying a guiding tone.

"Many key points cannot be understood without personal experience and tangible perception."

"Once you cultivate your own true energy and your spiritual senses become sharp, you will be able to clearly distinguish the subtle differences, as fine as a hair."

"At this moment, you only need to remember one thing—do not try to absorb the remaining power of the moves."

Xuanming nodded upon hearing this, deciding to put the matter aside for the time being.

With the Heavenly Secrets at his side, he dared not use his source power, and even if he had some guesses, he could not verify them.

Seeing that Xuanming's expression had softened, Yue Tianji said, "Let's go back to the study first! You must be hungry after watching the performance for so long."

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Xuanming's face, and he smiled somewhat awkwardly: "I'm not a cultivator, I need to eat three meals a day, I'm sorry to trouble you, sir!"

"Most of the soldiers in Huanchenbu are ordinary people, so one more person won't cause any trouble."

"Is it difficult to become a cultivator?" Xuanming couldn't help but ask. He had hardly seen any ordinary people these days and thought cultivators were as common as cabbages.

As Yue Tianji walked, he said, "If you want to achieve something in cultivation, you need good aptitude, good fortune, good character, and good comprehension; none of these can be lacking."

He turned his head slightly to look at the boy listening attentively beside him: "Most people have mediocre aptitude and will never be able to cultivate true qi or reach the Qi Refining stage in their entire lives. They can only be considered ordinary people and cannot be regarded as cultivators."

"Those who are lucky enough to enter the path of cultivation, most of them either lack the opportunity, their cultivation methods are incomplete, and they are not determined to abandon their cultivation and start over; or they are limited by their comprehension and innate talent, and are always stuck at the bottleneck, making it difficult to make any progress, and can only linger in the middle and low levels throughout their lives."

"As for high-level cultivators," Yue Tianji said in a slightly somber tone, "besides talent and opportunities, the most important thing is the tempering of their character."

"Countless brilliant talents have ultimately been trapped by their inner demons, unable to make any further progress."

"What exactly is this 'innate talent' that you mentioned, sir?" Xuanming hesitated for a moment before asking the question he cared about most. "Do you think my innate talent... gives me the aptitude for cultivation?" His tone carried a nervousness that he himself was unaware of.

If he doesn't even have the most basic talent for cultivation, then all his previous plans will lose their foundation.

"The root bone is what Zhishu mentioned earlier as the origin." Yue Tianji's gaze lingered on Xuanming for a moment, his tone calm, yet carrying a hint of barely perceptible regret.

"Your physical constitution is neither the best nor the worst. Without the right opportunity, you may only be able to reach the Qi Condensation stage for the rest of your life."

Upon hearing this, Xuanming's tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and he even let out a soft breath.

"The Concentration Stage... is not bad, it's much better than not being able to cultivate at all."

"You're quite content," Yue Tianji commented casually.

Xuanming's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately lowered his eyes, not daring to reply, afraid that the emotions in his eyes would reveal his true thoughts.

He's not content; he simply doesn't care.

When he first came into contact with cultivation texts, he had privately tried to sense the heavens and earth according to the methods described in the books.

However, no matter how focused he was, he could not perceive the spiritual energy that filled the world as described in the book.

What alarmed him even more was that all the classic texts conveniently omitted the most basic step: "how to sense and introduce spiritual energy."

It seems that for the people of this world, absorbing spiritual energy is as innate as breathing.

It was only then that he truly understood the real meaning of Xiao Hengyi's words, "Without a destiny star, one cannot cultivate."

All the power of a cultivator originates from spiritual energy, and the bridge connecting an individual with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is what Xiao Hengyi calls the "fate star".

Without this bridge, he is essentially isolated from the cultivation system of this world from the root, rendering even the best innate talent useless.