Qin Xu resumed his lecture: "The five great sects—do you know what they are?"
"Take what you've been exposed to as an example. Your father and others, when they went to the training camp, practiced one of the sects—the Military Martial Way."
"And families like mine—the children of prominent clans—generally practice the Civil-Martial Way."
The other two sects weren't mentioned since Qin Yi had yet to encounter them.
Qin Xu paused, his voice deep and measured: "Every approach has its pros and cons. As martial arts evolved, the difficulty of cultivation gradually decreased, but correspondingly, combat power became weaker."
"The Civil-Martial Way is the most recent, so its practitioners, at the same realm, are the weakest among all martial artists."
"However, it's easier to learn, faster to cultivate, with minimal side effects, and even has some health benefits. Over time, the Civil-Martial Way became a specialty of noble families."
"By contrast, the Path of Yuanwu is the purest martial path—the ultimate way. Practitioners of Yuanwu, at the same level, can dominate. Even one realm lower, they can counter opponents and sometimes fight above their level!"
Qin Xu deliberately spoke in moderation—enough to hint at its strength without revealing all.
"Da Tou, you practice the Path of Yuanwu, while Qin Wei practices the Civil-Martial Way. Understand?"
This was the first time Qin Xu explained martial arts so systematically to him, and Qin Yi listened intently.
The more Qin Yi listened, the brighter his eyes became. His yearning for the Path of Yuanwu grew.
The strongest martial path… the ultimate way… fighting above one's level!
If only I were practicing the Path of Yuanwu!
Hearing this, Qin Xu was pleasantly surprised—his student's wish had come true.
Qin Yi's eyes gleamed as he realized the implication:
"So, Master, you mean that I practice the strongest martial path, while Qin Wei practices the weakest. I, as an ordinary person, could theoretically cross realms and defeat Qin Wei, a newly minted martial artist, right?"
"Yes!" Qin Xu nodded at his excited student, granting him the answer he most desired.
"How should I proceed, then?" Qin Yi asked, eyes wide with excitement.
"No need to delay," Qin Xu replied. "You need to cultivate a secret technique—the Meditation Secret Technique. Once you perfect it, you can ignore martial aura and fight martial artists as an ordinary person."
"Secret technique? Meditation Secret Technique? Like the Rejuvenation Secret Technique?" Qin Yi asked, curiosity sparkling.
Bingo. Qin Xu smiled in approval: "Exactly. Both the Rejuvenation Secret Technique and the Meditation Secret Technique belong to the Path of Yuanwu. Because Yuanwu is so difficult to cultivate and so primitive, later generations split its methods into separate secret techniques, each compatible with different martial systems and realms, compensating for the combat gap with the Yuanwu Path."
So that's where the Rejuvenation Secret Technique comes from.
Qin Xu sighed. "Unfortunately, ideals are beautiful but reality is harsh. If you cultivate another martial system, it won't be compatible with Yuanwu. Very few can succeed—only the extraordinarily gifted. Gradually, these secret techniques became little-known and obscure."
Hidden techniques, rarely practiced… now it makes sense.
"Alright, break's over. Let's start learning the Meditation Secret Technique. Once you perfect it, you'll no longer fear martial aura and can fight Qin Wei on equal footing."
With his foundation laid, Qin Xu formally began instructing Qin Yi in the Path of Yuanwu.
"To learn the Meditation Secret Technique, you must first understand Yuanwu systematically. We'll start with realms—the simplest and most straightforward entry point."
"Since Yuanwu was the first martial path created, it's very primitive. The Yuanwu Sage explored and pioneered it from scratch."
Just one word—'explored'—captures the difficulty of creation perfectly.
"He divided martial arts into three components: Body, Mind, and Techniques."
So concise—capturing the essence of martial arts in a single line.
Basic Swordsmanship corresponds to Techniques, Rejuvenation Secret Technique corresponds to the Body, and Meditation Secret Technique corresponds to the Mind.
"Yuanwu Sage divided the body into three realms: Postnatal, Prenatal, and Spirit Body."
"Modern sects still retain much of the Yuanwu nomenclature. For example, the first realm for a novice is Postnatal Martial Artist, the second is Prenatal Martial Artist, and the third… you don't need to know yet. Too much too soon isn't helpful. Learn it when you reach the Prenatal stage."
"Techniques are also divided into three realms: Bright Realm, Dark Realm, and Transformation Realm."
"When you practiced Basic Swordsmanship to instinctual perfection, that was Bright Realm. In your recent battle, when your Basic Swordsmanship broke through instinctual limits, reaching subtle precision, that was the Dark Realm."
Qin Yi realized: 'Subtle precision… must be the Dark Realm in Yuanwu terminology.'
He finally understood: LV4 = Bright Realm, LV5 = Dark Realm.
"Finally, the Mind is divided into three realms: Determined Realm, Calm Realm, and Empty Realm. Corresponding secret techniques are Meditation, Calmness, and Emptiness."
Qin Yi internally commented: 'Yuanwu Sage really had simple names…'
Right, according to Master, the Yuanwu Sage is his ancestor. He mentally chuckled: 'Clear and easy to remember.'
"Though the Rejuvenation Secret Technique and Meditation Secret Technique target different aspects—body and mind—they share the same origin, so their cultivation is similar and mutually reinforcing."
Being created by the same person within the same system, this makes sense.
"Da Tou, don't worry. You've been practicing Rejuvenation Secret Technique daily for two years; now, learning Meditation Secret Technique will be much easier."
Just like mastering Basic Swordsmanship to instinctual level makes learning other sword styles faster.
"Alright, let's begin…"