C24 Level of the Ancient Martial Arts
Hanyu Xiaotian heartily devoured the fragrant meal before him, his words muffled as he spoke, "Hmm, I'm onto something. The timing is perfect with the Scripture Pavilion opening soon. I'll test my luck there—maybe I'll make it work."
"Oh, not finding a way is okay, just don't lose heart. There's always a chance... What! What did you just say? You've found a way?"
Xia Xiaodie, in the midst of serving her son, froze, her mouth agape as if to fit a duck egg. "No, I said I'm onto something," Hanyu Xiaotian clarified.
"How can that be?... What kind of method did you discover for martial cultivation?"
"It's not about cultivation, per se. I can't be certain of the details just yet. I'll fill you in after I emerge from the Scripture Pavilion. By then, I should know if it's viable."
"Hmph, the kid's learned to be secretive. Fine, I'm curious to see what you've come up with." Xia Xiaodie eyed her son's composed expression with a mix of skepticism and intrigue.
"By the way, Mom, do you know the exact times the Scripture Pavilion opens and closes? What's the situation inside?"
"Yes, your father briefed me before he left. It opens at noon tomorrow, timed to the Pavilion's unique formation requirements. As for closing, that's less predictable—sometimes three or four days, other times a week or more. It varies with the time needed for the individuals inside to assimilate their martial techniques. The longest recorded opening was nearly two hundred years ago; the current Hanyu Family Chief, Hanyu Qingtian, spent twenty-eight days inside, eventually mastering the family's esteemed supermartial arts—the True Qi of Qing Tian and the Great Luo Heaven Scroll!" Xia Xiaodie's voice took on an involuntary note of reverence.
"Ah? The family's supermartial arts? Both of them?" Hanyu Xiaotian felt a surge of excitement.
Since the rise of Ancient Martial Arts, generations of practitioners in China have categorized them into five tiers:
One-star is the most accessible, with techniques like Arhat Fist and Bone Forging Fist. Easier to master, they're still beyond the reach of most ordinary Martial Cultivators, who typically practice arts that don't even make the scale.
Five-star represents the pinnacle, with arts like the Nine Suns Divine Art, the Spiritual Art of Darknorth, and the Sky Devil Policy. These are not only incredibly challenging to master but also exceedingly rare, held tightly by the most powerful factions. High-ranking experts usually train in four-star martial arts or lower.
It's worth noting that some Chinese forces have significantly enhanced Ancient Martial Arts through advancements in biological and genetic technologies, increasing their potency and even creating entirely new disciplines.
Top-tier lineages have dedicated generations to developing supermartial arts that far surpass the power of conventional Ancient Martial Arts.
This has propelled Martial Arts to an unprecedented golden age and solidified the Chinese Lineage as a formidable presence within the Human Federation.
Based on Hanyu Xiaotian's current assessment, Hanyu Qingtian is undoubtedly a Heaven Rank master. The supermartial arts wielded by someone of his caliber would be nothing short of awe-inspiring. While not quite on the level of altering the fabric of reality, they could certainly turn the world on its head.
He recalled a time when he was seven years old, and his father, Hanyu Zhan'an, took him through a vast canyon stretching over a hundred miles, radiating an intense heat that seemed to scorch the very air. Curious about its origin, he had questioned his father, who explained that the canyon was carved by a martial arts master wielding the Flame Blade technique. At the time, he was skeptical, but reflecting on it now, he realized that such a force, capable of altering the natural landscape, must indeed be the work of a Heaven Rank expert.
