Chapter 479: The Martial Arts Grandmaster
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The Martial Arts Grandmaster was an honor for the ancient martial arts practitioners. Specifically, it was a title that differentiated the ancient martial art practitioners of all of the realms from one another.
Every Martial Arts Grandmaster represented the pinnacle of all of the ancient martial art practitioners. If they could improve further, they would no longer be ancient martial art practitioners, but immortal cultivators, who would then begin their immortal cultivation by practicing martial arts.
“Young man, you have guts. I really admire this characteristic.” The elder in sackcloth nodded his head.
Not only did this youth not show any signs of fear in the presence of his pressure, he even seemed to have the intention of challenging him! Although being so sharp may not always be a good thing, if young people did not have at least some edge about them, they never be able to stand out from the crowd.
“Senior, you know that rabbits will not work with tigers. Similarly, you and I have such a large difference between our cultivations, so can that really be called cooperation? Also, I am not interested in your affairs,” Mo Wen said nonchalantly.
After all, he did not really know what matter the elder in sackcloth was referring to. But, no matter what it was, Mo Wen knew that he did not want to work with this elder in sackcloth. At least for now, he definitely would not.
“You sure are clear-headed. However, you are failing to see that you and I working together is a win-win situation. Besides, there is no conflict of interest, so what are you afraid of? Furthermore, you can’t do anything right now. I hope that, in the future, when your cultivation breaks through to the later stage of the Golden Elixir realm, you will work with me again. When that time comes, you shouldn’t need to be so wary of me, right?” the elder in sackcloth asked lightheartedly.
He naturally knew why Mo Wen was wary. After all, anyone that heard about the matter knew that it was not a simple thing.
But there would certainly be huge benefits, yet this youth had actually straightaway declined to work with him! Although it was a bit off-putting, he had to really admire such determination.
“A win-win situation?” Mo Wen asked plainly after he hesitated for a bit. He was curious now.
What the elder in sackcloth said was true. If he waited until his cultivation reached the later stage of the Golden Elixir realm, he indeed would not need to be wary of anything. In fact, even at the beginning stage of the Golden Elixir realm he would be able to defend himself against the elder.
Of course, Mo Wen was not conceited. Deep down, he knew how frightening someone who could become a Martial Arts Grandmaster was.
“With your talent and ability, you should know all about becoming immortal, right? If I said that this matter can make it possible for both of us to become immortal at the same time, would you be moved to cooperate with me?” The elder in sackcloth looked at Mo Wen with an expression that was hard to read.
After all, becoming immortal was a temptation that was irresistible for any ancient martial art practitioner. In fact, the final goal of almost every ancient martial art practitioner in the Inner World was to one day be able to transcend mortality and become immortal.
“Becoming immortal?” Mo Wen’s wide eyes showed his surprise.
After experiencing so much, he naturally knew the significance of these two words. At the same time, he knew even more the difficulties that accompanied becoming immortal. He had learned about these after having lived in an Immortal Cultivation world sect.
In his past life, he did not manage to grasp the opportunity of transcending mortality as an ancient martial art practitioner. This was because the process of becoming immortal was just too difficult.
According to what Mo Wen knew, for ancient martial art practitioners, the only way to become immortal was by beginning one’s immortal cultivation by practicing martial arts and becoming the Martial Arts God of legends. But, a Martial Arts God in the Immortal Cultivation world was a rare existence.
As such, Mo Wen naturally felt touched to have the good fortune of beginning one’s immortal cultivation by practicing martial arts. In fact, he was very moved by it. After all, this had been his goal all along.
“Senior, is what you are saying really true?” Mo Wen asked with a serious expression.
“Of course. A hundred years ago, I became a Martial Arts Grandmaster. I had already walked the normal path of martial arts to its limit. Thus, if I wanted to improve, I could only do so by walking the path of Immortal Cultivation.” The elder in sackcloth sighed.
He then said, “But, sadly, the path of Immortal Cultivation requires talent and the good fortune of opportunity. My talent was limited and my good fortune of opportunity was no better than anyone else’s. So, even after one hundred years, I still have not been able to break through to that stage.”
He then added, “In this life, I desired nothing else but the path of Immortal Cultivation. Young man, your talent is astonishing, far greater than mine was when I was your age. As such, the chances of your walking the path of Immortal Cultivation far exceeds mine. Such a path has been laid out clearly before you, what you choose now will depend on you alone.”
The elder in sackcloth looked at Mo Wen with shining eyes. His gaze was very peaceful, as he knew that no ancient martial arts practitioner could resist the temptation of becoming immortal.
“Senior, the path to becoming immortal, how does one walk it?” Mo Wen asked plainly.
Although the words of the elder in sackcloth had really moved him, he was not a mere child. As such, he would not believe things to be true just from hearing a few words from someone’s mouth. Instead, he would decide on his own whether something was true or false after further questioning and investigation.
“As you still do not have the ability, I cannot tell you now.” The elder in sackcloth shook his head.
He then said plainly, “However, rest assured that, once you have the ability, I will tell you. When the time comes, you will know for sure whether it is true or false. I only have one condition, which is that, once your cultivation has reached the later stage of the Golden Elixir realm, you will come here once again.”
“The later stage of the Golden Elixir realm? Could it be that senior is not afraid that, by the time I reach that realm, you will already have…You also know how difficult the practice of the ancient martial arts practitioners is. Some people may not even break through to the Golden Elixir realm in their entire lives, yet alone make it to the later stage of the Golden Elixir realm,” Mo Wen said as a look that was hard to read spread across his face.
No matter how great a genius one was, one could not guarantee that they would surely break through to the Golden Elixir realm. Also, once one broke through to the Golden Elixir realm, every step after that would get more and more difficult. In fact, the difficulty of practicing to the later stage of the Golden Elixir realm was no lower than that of practicing from the Body Consolidation realm to the Golden Elixir realm all over again!
Even if his cultivation now was at the intermediate stage of the Embryonic Breathing realm, if he wanted to practice to make it to the later stage of the Golden Elixir realm, he would need to practice for decades, even centuries! At least, under normal circumstances, this was the standard for geniuses. As such, even if one was an ordinary ancient martial arts practitioner, breaking through to the Golden Elixir realm was a tough task!
“Rest assured. Although I have aged, living another fifty to sixty years should be no problem for me. If you have not broken through to the later stage of the Golden Elixir realm in fifty to sixty years, that means that your talent and ability is insufficient to work with me. After all, the only people who can work with me are geniuses and strong practitioners,” the elder in sackcloth said.
“Senior, I am most likely not your only partner, right? Also, you have tried this before, right?” Mo Wen asked the questions as he laughed playfully.
This was because he did not believe that the elder was willing to wait for him for fifty years. Hence, maybe he only thought of Mo Wen as a spare partner, a second option of some sort.
“As expected, you are really intelligent. What you said is true. Many have worked with me, but without exception, all of them have failed. You are not the only person that I am preparing to work together with next. As such, I can only say that there is a possibility for you in the future,” the elder in sackcloth explained.
He spoke plainly, as did not have any intention of hiding this. After all, this youth was no ordinary person. Even if he did not say everything out loud, Mo Wen would mostly probably know it in his heart.
“However, it is difficult to become immortal. As such, even in another fifty years, I might still not be able to do it.” As he spoke, the elder in sackcloth looked at Mo Wen.
The reason that he had found this youth was because, in Mo Wen, he saw a glimpse of hope. He had said the same words many times, as he had chosen many partners to work with before. However, none of those previous partners had the proper abilities.
The reason why he chose Mo Wen was mainly because this youth had a very frightening potential, as well as an almost peerless ability that people of the same realm simply could not match.
As such, he was very likely to become a future Martial Arts Grandmaster. If he could grow up properly and tap into his potential completely, he should absolutely be able to become his most compatible partner!
“Senior, you are sure calm. However, I am very curious about those who worked with you and failed. What happened to them?” Mo Wen curled his lips into a faint smile and his eyes were crystal clear.
The elder in sackcloth merely glanced at Mo Wen, but he did not say anything. Instead, he slowly closed his eyes and seemed to fall into a deep slumber.
Seeing this, Mo Wen saluted him and did not say anything else, but turned around and left after bidding him a silent farewell. Besides, the answer to his question was obvious. The people who had failed had all perished!
Maybe they died in the incident, or maybe they had died at the hands of the elder in sackcloth. Regardless, none of them had survived. This was because, before becoming immortal, that secret could only be known by one person, as only then was it a secret!
Chen Zi quietly stood at the entrance to the village, watching a group of children playing. The few powerful monstrous beasts were like the children’s playthings, well-behaved and cute. The children loved them.
“What did you all talk about?” Seeing Mo Wen coming out, Chen Zi asked him curiously. She felt that this village was too bizarre, and that elder seemed to be especially so.
“We were just making small talk.” Mo Wen shook his head.
“Well, we better be on our way. Yesterday, we spent a whole night travelling, but as it turns out, we were heading in the opposite direction!”
Chen Zi quickly changed the subject, deciding that if Mo Wen did not say anything, she would not pry. Then, she stubbornly dragged Mo Wen out of the village.
If they had not happened across this village, they would most likely have still kept travelling in vain for a few more days, going in the wrong direction. Moreover, in a situation where they had no landmarks or references, the chances of them having gotten even more lost was very high!
“In the Green Ancient Mystery Dimension, what cultivation does the strongest person have?” Only after they were quite far away from the village did Mo Wen ask this question with a serious expression.
He couldn’t believe that he had actually met a Martial Arts Grandmaster! He had only met this type of person twice in his entire life! Once was in the Divine Pill Sect, and the man was an old odd-jobs servant.
He was not an immortal cultivator, but an ancient martial art practitioner. However, he had practiced until he had reached the realm of the Martial Arts Grandmaster. However, he was still living the life of an odd-jobs servant. He truly was a hidden dragon!
But, at least in this world, this was his first time encountering a Martial Arts Grandmaster!
“The strongest person?” Chen Zi contemplated his questions for a while, then said, “There once existed a few strong practitioners of the later stage of the Golden Elixir realm in the Green Ancient Mystery Dimension. But, they have not appeared for many years, so no one knows whether these people are even still alive.”
She then added, “The currently known strongest are at the intermediate stage of the Golden Elixir realm. Among the Eight Major Influences, all of them have intermediate stage of the Golden Elixir realm strong practitioners holding the forts down. Also among the Eight Major Influences, there may be secret existences, who are hiding away ancient martial art practitioners of the later stage of the Golden Elixir realm.”
Chen Zi was also not certain of such things. Before this, rumors had spread throughout the Green Ancient Mystery Dimension, speaking of the presence a few later stage Golden Elixir realm ancient martial art practitioners.
However, these rumors were decades old. As such, it remained unknown whether these few strong practitioners were even still alive.
“Could it be that there are no pinnacle of Golden Elixir realm ancient martial arts practitioners?” Mo Wen asked.
“Pinnacle of Golden Elixir realm? Maybe centuries ago there might have been, but definitely not in recent years. After all, the Green Ancient Mystery Dimension is just a very small Inner World, and it is not very powerful. As such, it cannot be compared to the bigger Inner Worlds.” Chen Zi shook her head.
Once an ancient martial art practitioner reached the Golden Elixir realm, improving any further was too difficult. For this reason, many people had practiced to the beginning stage of the Golden Elixir realm and had remained there for the rest of their lives.
In the Green Ancient Mystery Dimension, there were quite a few Golden Elixir realm ancient martial arts practitioners, but there were only a very few intermediate stage Golden Elixir realm ancient martial art practitioners. As for later stage Golden Elixir realm, Chen Zi did not know if there were any at all, and even if there were, they were rare existences, appearing at one moment and disappearing the next!
“Every world has its mysteries.” Mo Wen smiled plainly.
Maybe the Green Ancient Mystery Dimension did not have an existence at the pinnacle of the Golden Elixir realm, but it had a legendary Martial Arts Grandmaster, which was an existence that surpassed even the pinnacle of the Golden Elixir realm!
Chen Zi did not know why Mo Wen had just said this nonsense about mysteries and such, but she did not think too much into it at the moment. Instead, she just nodded her head and continued on her way. Right now, she really wanted to return to Intentionless City!