Martial Cultivator

The daoist had barely begun explaining a section of the Jade Court Scripture when the jade talisman within Chen Chao’s body began to hum. Then, wisps of the purest daoist aura began to flow out from the talisman, coursing through Chen Chao’s body. The sound of the Great Dao echoed within Chen Chao’s internal organs.

Dong...

A bell rang out within Chen Chao’s body.

From his countless apertures, meridians, and even every pore across his body, a special aura began to surge forth.

Chen Chao was not a daoist cultivator, so naturally, he had no way of understanding what this phenomenon meant.

But the daoist before him was without question a cultivator deeply versed in daoist techniques. Upon seeing this scene, he immediately thought of what daoist seniors were rumored to say about stepping into the Dao.

When a daoist cultivator begins cultivating daoist techniques, outsiders might see it as cultivating the Great Dao. But in truth, only daoist cultivators know that beginning cultivation and entering the Dao were two entirely different matters.

Cultivation was something anyone can pursue, but entering the Dao - without the favor of Heaven, without immense willpower, without extraordinary fortune - was something one could never achieve in a lifetime.

What did it mean to enter the Dao?

Daoist cultivators believed that there existed a Great Dao in the world. It could not be attained through cultivation, it was something utterly mysterious and elusive. When ordinary cultivators reach the Nepenthe realm, they would be able to begin resonating with Heaven and Earth. At the end of Nepenthe, some can even borrow the might of Heaven and Earth to strengthen their daoist attainments. This was why many cultivators from the Three Sects and beyond look down on martial artists, because even if a martial artist reached the end of Nepenthe, they still would not be able to resonate with Heaven and Earth.

But this concept of entering the Dao actually had little to do with Heaven and Earth. It was more about a fundamental exploration of the origins of daoist law, even though it was actually hard to pinpoint the specifics of it.

The idea of entering the Dao was first proposed by the Dao Ancestor, but as for what it truly entailed, later generations had never been able to fully comprehend it.

As for Chen Chao now, he was naturally still a long way from entering the Dao. Yet with the talisman supporting him, he seemed to have formed a faint connection with daoist techniques.

If he had been an ordinary daoist cultivator, the daoist might not have been so shocked. But Chen Chao was a martial artist after all, someone who in this lifetime should have had absolutely nothing to do with daoist techniques.

It was just that while the daoist was still deep in thought, he suddenly looked down again, and was even more astonished to find that the text of the Jade Court Scripture in his hand was actually becoming tangible, slowly pouring into Chen Chao’s body.

This scene dumbfounded the daoist who had cultivated in the Three Thousand Storeys for so many years.

Could it be that this young martial artist, just by walking through the Three Thousand Storeys once, was going to transform from a martial artist into a daoist cultivator?

And this kind of transformation, the daoist did not believe Chen Chao would lose his original cultivation. It might even be possible that Chen Chao might directly reach the Nepenthe Realm and become a daoist sage.

Though such a thing sounded shocking, the daoist did not feel too surprised.

After all, that old senior on the top floor could be considered the number one in daoist techniques of the Myriad Heaven Palace in recent years. If he were still alive in the world, perhaps even those old daoists of the Infatuation Daoist Temple would not be able to match him.

Chen Chao was slow to realize, but by now, he roughly understood that some change was occurring within his body. When he looked inward, he did not see his many acupoints, but instead saw a vast immortal realm. Above a sea of clouds, there was an immortal tower, and countless cranes were soaring through it.

The cries of cranes echoed through the heavens and the earth.

This scene of an immortal paradise left Chen Chao enthralled.

In this world, cultivators pursued the Dao for the sake of attaining immortality. At this moment, Chen Chao felt as if the immortal realm was already within his own body.

“What did you see?”

The daoist’s voice suddenly sounded out, gentle as ever.

“An immortal realm...”

Chen Chao muttered to himself.

The daoist was even more astonished. When daoist cultivators reached the end of Nepenthe, such a phenomenon would appear within them. Although there were subtle differences, there was no difference overall.

The way Chen Chao was now, he already showed signs of reaching the end of Nepenthe.

But the issue was, he was actually going to leap directly to the end of Nepenthe, becoming a great daoist sage?

Had such a thing ever happened in the world of cultivation?

At the very least, the daoist had never heard of it.

“Not good...”

The daoist muttered under his breath. Very quickly, he realized the crux of the matter. This fortuitous encounter might not necessarily be a good thing for the young martial artist before him.

But when he looked at Chen Chao, it was clear that Chen Chao had already fallen into an extremely mysterious state. At this moment, the daoist did not even dare to speak. If he disturbed this young martial artist now, perhaps not only would his cultivation be completely crippled, but he might even perish, body and soul.

The daoist narrowed his eyes and glanced at the top floor.

......

......

At this moment, Chen Chao stood within that immortal realm, watching those soaring cranes, looking at the immortal tower amidst the sea of clouds. His heart yearned for it.

Even though he was never a daoist cultivator, seeing this scene like a true immortal realm, any normal person would probably want to take a few more glances and stay a little longer, right?

Chen Chao could not help but walk toward that immortal tower within the sea of clouds.

But halfway there, he stopped, his expression turning heavy.

There was nothing abnormal, yet he suddenly felt that if he truly went into that immortal tower to take a look, his entire martial cultivation would cease to exist.

He was unwilling to give it up.

“To exchange the Nepenthe cultivation of an ordinary martial artist for the end of Nepenthe of a great daoist sage, and you’re still hesitating?”

A voice sounded out in his mind.

A jade talisman floated out from within the immortal tower, slowly dispersing, transforming into the figure of that old daoist.

He looked kindly at Chen Chao and said with a smile, “Young one, the cultivation that this penniless daoist condensed over my whole life, passing it on to you offers boundless prospects. Why are you still unwilling to part with your own cultivation?”

“To exchange Nepenthe for the end of Nepenthe?”

Chen Chao muttered to himself.

The old daoist smiled and said, “On the path of martial arts, you may only ever reach the end of Nepenthe in your lifetime. But if you had this penniless daoist’s lifetime of cultivation, immortality might be within reach.”

Chen Chao shook his head and smiled. “I don’t want it.”

The old daoist was stunned. “Why not?”

“I can’t bear to give it up.”

Chen Chao smiled and said, “The cultivation I painstakingly built up, one day at a time, one drop of sweat at a time, no matter what I’m offered, I won’t trade it.”

A trace of anger appeared on the old daoist’s face. “This penniless daoist’s lifetime cultivation, is it not as good as your measly little Nepenthe martial cultivation?”

Chen Chao shook his head. “Senior, your daoist techniques may reach the heavens, and perhaps you are unmatched in this age. But so what? If it’s something I don’t want, no matter how good it is, what does it have to do with me?”

“Rotten wood!”

The old daoist’s expression turned ugly, daoist power surged all over him, and the entire immortal tower behind him began to tremble violently.

Chen Chao placed his hand on his saber hilt and smiled. “Senior, just because you cannot give it away, are you going to fly into a rage out of humiliation?”

The old daoist said calmly, “I’ll ask you one more time, will you exchange it or not?”

Chen Chao did not answer, he just drew his saber as his reply.

Cloud Mud was unsheathed in an instant, and he delivered a slash forward!

No matter if you were some great daoist sage, or an old senior of the Myriad Heaven Palace, if you tried to force me to make a choice I don’t want...

That would not do.

And if you really insisted, then ask my saber whether it agrees!

There was a thunderous crash.

The immortal tower above the sea of clouds collapsed before his eyes, and the immortal cranes scattered in panic.

The old daoist did not fight back. He merely gave Chen Chao a strange look, and then dissipated along with the immortal tower.

That final look seemed to be gratified?

An immortal realm, at this moment, seemed to have turned into a wasteland.

......

......

”Cough...”

Chen Chao coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood, his complexion looking much worse.

The daoist reached into his robes, took out a medicinal pill, and tossed it into Chen Chao’s mouth. Then he placed his hand on Chen Chao’s back, a pure daoist qi flowed into Chen Chao’s body. After a moment, the daoist withdrew his hand, looked at the young martial artist before him, and frowned slightly.

But he said nothing.

After adjusting his breathing for a short while, Chen Chao came back to his senses and looked gratefully at the daoist.

The daoist asked bluntly, “How is it?”

Chen Chao said, “On the top floor, I received a jade talisman gifted by that old senior. Just now, when you, Senior, were explain the scripture, it activated the talisman. A strange phenomenon appeared within my body. It seems that old senior wanted to use his lifetime cultivation represented by that talisman in exchange for this junior’s martial cultivation. This junior didn’t agree. The old senior didnt seem to force it either.”

The daoist let out a long breath, looked deeply at Chen Chao, as if pondering how to phrase things. In the end, he simply let out a sigh and said frankly, “I won’t hide it from you. If you had chosen that senior’s lifetime cultivation, you truly might have become a great daoist sage. But from that point on, trying to make any further progress in your cultivation would be very difficult.”

”But you truly are unexpected. I imagine very few people could withstand such temptation as you have.”

Chen Chao was indifferent, “I never even considered it, so I didn’t feel anything.”

At most, he had just thrown back the legacy that old senior had tried to bestow upon him. What was there to care about...

But just as that thought crossed his mind, Chen Chao sensed something unusual. He introspected within his body again, only to discover that the jade talisman had not dissipated after all. It was still quietly suspended in one of his acupoints.

Moreover, in his mind, a scripture lingered.

It was the Jade Court Scripture...

Chen Chao furrowed his brows.

This...

He looked toward the daoist, who asked, “What is it?”

Chen Chao took a deep breath and opened his palm. With a thought, an extremely faint strand of daoist aura surged from his hand, condensing into a droplet of water in his palm.

To the daoist, this single droplet of water was so weak it could hardly be weaker, but he understood all too well what it signified.

The young martial artist before him had not only refused to abandon his martial cultivation, he had somehow produced daoist aura within his body and could now use daoist techniques.

The daoist remained silent.

A most baffling thing.

After a moment, he said softly, “It must be that the old senior’s legacy still remains within your body. Otherwise, how could you possibly use a magic spell?”

Though he said this, Chen Chao did not agree. He still remembered what that immortal medicine he encountered back at Rongshan Sect had once told him, that martial artists were originally capable of cultivating daoist techniques.

That was the true path for martial artists.

Yet in this era, it was nearly universally accepted that martial artists could not cultivate daoist techniques. Even the Clearwater Mountain Lord whom he had previously encountered, had only used heretical methods to forcefully grant himself daoist techniques. It was not an orthodox path.

Originally, Chen Chao believed he would only comprehend such mysteries after reaching the end of Nepenthe.

But unexpectedly, climbing this tower seemed to have opened a path ahead of time.

Perhaps, from now on, he could study daoist techniques while also delving into martial cultivation.

But, Chen Chao shook his head.

Even if it were possible, he did not want to walk such a path.

He glanced at the saber at his waist.

Sword cultivators possessed pride, ignoring all of heaven and earth, relying solely on the sword at their waist.

Why should he, Chen Chao, not rely on his martial arts alone to stand at the pinnacle of the world?

As for the road after Nepenthe, though he could draw on the strengths of a hundred schools, the path he would tread would still be the martial path!

And at the very moment Chen Chao formed that thought, the jade talisman in his acupoint instantly shattered, transforming into countless snow-white fragments that melted into the white mist flowing within his body.

Chen Chao exhaled a turbid breath.

The daoist exclaimed in shock, “Why is the daoist aura within you dissipating so quickly?!”

Chen Chao smiled without answering, his eyes gleaming with brilliance.