Chapter 314 - 302: Where Do Body Cultivators Come From?
Chapter 314: Chapter 302: Where Do Body Cultivators Come From?
The disciple in blue was tall and slender with fair skin. His two sharp, sword-like eyebrows gave him an imposing air, even without any sign of anger. He stood out starkly among the other disciples in their light-colored robes. Zhao Lin had only just noticed him, as the crowd had previously blocked his view.
’Sword Cultivators always stand out from the crowd. That must be him.’
Zhao Lin’s intuition told him this was the Sword Cultivator. He activated his Qi Observation Skill and fixed his gaze on the disciple in blue.
’One, two, three... four!’
When cultivators entered the Qi Refining Realm, the Spiritual Qi in their bodies would naturally dissipate, forming white pillars of qi around them. Each pillar represented one layer of cultivation.
Above the shoulders of the disciple in blue were four pillars of qi, wide at the base and narrow at the top, their sharp peaks resembling unsheathed long swords.
’It really is a Sword Cultivator, at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer.’
Zhao Lin studied the man carefully as rumors about Sword Cultivators came to mind.
Sword Cultivators were known for their outstanding combat prowess and their unrestrained, free-spirited nature. However, not just any Magic Cultivator could walk this path. It required two important qualities.
First, the purer one’s Spiritual Root, the better; a single Spiritual Root was considered ideal.
Sword Cultivators specialized in Sword Intent and didn’t need to practice a wide array of Magic. A purer Spiritual Root was more conducive to cultivating Sword Intent.
The second qualification was not physical, but temperamental.
To become a Sword Cultivator, one had to possess a personality that was upright, frank, and dauntless. A person who was gentle and humble, or lazy and undisciplined, could never hope to be a Sword Cultivator.
Only by meeting both of these conditions could one hope to condense Sword Intent and walk a cultivation path unlike any other.
The disciple in blue had a unique aura that made others unconsciously keep their distance.
Zhao Lin glanced at the long sword at the man’s waist. ’He’s at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer, so he probably hasn’t forged his life-bound flying sword yet,’ he thought. ’I wonder if that sword is for decoration or for combat.’
Having found the Sword Cultivator, his next target was naturally the Body Cultivator.
There were about 150 disciples from the Western Ox Continent. Body Cultivators possessed tyrannical physiques, so they naturally wouldn’t be frail or slight of build, and it was also highly unlikely for one to be female.
Zhao Lin quickly scanned the crowd. Fewer than ten disciples had a physique that suggested they might be a Body Cultivator. Using his Qi Observation Skill on each of them, he soon found the one he was looking for.
’It’s him!’
It was somewhat unexpected. The Body Cultivator was a young man of seventeen or eighteen, tall and powerfully built. He had the sharp, heroic features often described as a "swallow’s jaw and tiger’s head," though his face still held a trace of youthful immaturity.
The outward signs of a Body Cultivator’s cultivation were different from those of a Magic Cultivator. Their Spiritual Qi was fused with their flesh and blood. Only their abundant vital energy would gather into masses above their shoulders, with each mass corresponding to one major stage of cultivation.
The young man had four such masses of qi above his shoulders, and his every movement exuded a fierce and powerful aura.
Zhao Lin’s gaze hardened. ’A Body Cultivator at the Muscle Refining Stage,’ he thought. ’He’ll be a tough opponent, too!’
A Body Cultivator’s Body Tempering Realm was divided into nine stages: Flesh Refining, Skin Refining, Bone Refining, Muscle Refining, Membrane Refining, Organ Refining, Viscera Refining, Blood Refining, and Marrow Refining.
The fourth stage of the Body Tempering Realm was Muscle Refining. At this stage, one’s muscles and bones could stretch and contract at will, granting ferocious explosive power and allowing them to cross mountains and leap over ravines as if on level ground. It represented a qualitative leap in strength.
The first time Zhao Lin had heard of Body Cultivators, he’d felt they were very similar to Martial Cultivators. After learning more, he discovered this was no coincidence, but entirely intentional.
The Cultivation Realm originally had no Body Cultivators. The path was developed by cultivators who, inspired by mortal Martial Cultivators condensing their own Spiritual Roots, painstakingly figured out a method of Body Refining.
At the start of their journey, when cultivators consumed a Meridian Opening Pill to enter the Qi Refining Realm, most could unblock several acupoints in one go.
Someone with an Earth Spirit Root, like Lin Chaoran, could directly unblock fourteen acupoints and enter the Qi Refining Second Layer. As for cultivators with high, middle, or low-quality Third Grade Spiritual Roots, they could also unblock anywhere from two or three to seven or eight acupoints.
But for a cultivator with a Mortal Spirit Root, just opening their meridians was a major hurdle; unblocking any acupoints at the same time was nearly impossible.
If they followed the cultivation path of a Magic Cultivator, they would never reach Foundation Establishment. Their hopes of even reaching the Late-stage of Qi Refining were slim.
There was no shortage of exceptionally talented and intelligent individuals among those with Mortal Spirit Roots. ’Since mere mortals can condense a Spiritual Root, and we are cultivators, however low-ranking, why can’t we just copy them and condense a mid-grade Spiritual Root for ourselves?’
Based on this idea, countless cultivators with Mortal Spirit Roots threw themselves into the effort, one after another, and gradually perfected the path of the Body Cultivator.
Flesh Refining, Skin Refining, Bone Refining... all these cultivation steps were copied directly from the martial path.
Of course, they couldn’t copy it exactly. After all, the Cultivation Realm had Spiritual Qi, an excellent resource that had to be used.
Body Cultivators used Spiritual Qi to temper their physical bodies, and thus their first great realm was established: Body Tempering.
This single realm was equivalent to completing all three martial path realms—the Power Realm, Qi Realm, and Blood Realm—and resulted in strength far greater than that of any mortal martial artist.
The second realm for a Body Cultivator was called Foundation Origin.
It imitated the Primordial Realm and Innate realm of the martial path, with the ultimate goal of condensing a mid-grade Spiritual Root.
Upon reaching the third great realm, a Body Cultivator could finally command large amounts of Mana and fly through the air. Hence, this realm was named "Sky Soaring."
The fourth great realm for a Body Cultivator was the Golden Body.
Because Body Cultivators followed a path of cultivation that progressed from the outside in, it was impossible for them to switch back to the path of a Magic Cultivator. They had no choice but to continue cultivating their physical bodies.
However, upon reaching the Golden Body Realm, their strength was comparable to that of a Golden Core cultivator, though very few ever managed to achieve this.
This showed that while becoming a Sword Cultivator was an active choice, becoming a Body Cultivator was often a path taken out of necessity.
Magic Cultivators could cast Magic, fly through the heavens, and travel through the earth. In contrast, the training of a Body Cultivator was incredibly arduous. Unless forced, most cultivators were unwilling to choose that path.
Therefore, Body Cultivators were mostly those with Mortal Spirit Roots, or cultivators with poor aptitude among those with low-grade Spiritual Roots.
On the other hand, the path of a Body Cultivator also demanded extremely high physical aptitude, as well as a tenacious temperament capable of enduring immense hardship.
For these two reasons, Body Cultivators were a niche group within the Cultivation Realm.
Dong Lingcheng noticed Zhao Lin seemed a bit distracted and asked in a low voice, "Junior Brother Zhao, what are you looking at?"
"I found the Sword Cultivator and the Body Cultivator."
Zhao Lin gestured with his eyes.
"A Sword Cultivator, a Body Cultivator, and a Martial Cultivator. Interesting! Tomorrow’s competition is going to be quite a show."
Dong Lingcheng squinted in their direction, raising an eyebrow with a smile.
"I’ve heard a saying that goes: Sword Cultivators counter Body Cultivators, Body Cultivators counter Martial Cultivators, and Martial Cultivators counter Sword Cultivators."
"How so?"
It was the first time Zhao Lin had ever heard this. He was stunned for a moment before asking.
"It’s just hearsay."
Dong Lingcheng paused in thought before explaining, "Sword Cultivators counter Body Cultivators because Body Cultivators have formidable bodies that aren’t afraid of Magic or magical artifacts. They often have the upper hand when fighting Magic Cultivators."
"But a Sword Cultivator’s flying sword is incomparably sharp, something even a Body Cultivator can’t withstand. Their tough physique is rendered useless, so they’re at a disadvantage."
"That makes sense."
Zhao Lin thought for a moment, then asked, "And Body Cultivators countering Martial Cultivators?"
"Well, both excel at close-quarters combat, but a Body Cultivator’s physique is fused with Spiritual Power, making them a cut above a Martial Cultivator. They have a natural advantage, hence the saying."
"As for Martial Cultivators countering Sword Cultivators, it’s because Martial Cultivators are masters of various Body Techniques. A Sword Cultivator’s flying sword can’t touch them, and once a Martial Cultivator gets in close, the Sword Cultivator is at a disadvantage."
Dong Lingcheng finished and then added, "But don’t take it as gospel. Just something to consider. It’s like how among the five elements, Metal overcomes Wood, but if a Wood Element Magic is used skillfully, it can overcome a Metal Element Magic in return."
Zhao Lin nodded. "I see the logic. I understand."