Chapter 19: The Ghost Immortal and the Human Immortal

"What do you mean by that, Fox King?" Xu Xuan toyed with his wine cup, his eyes bright and piercing as he looked at the Fox King.

"Young Master Xu, to speak frankly, the Old Ancestor Black Cloud possesses profound powers. This muddy water is not yours to wade through; if you do, it would only bring you harm." The Fox King sighed, his gaze sincere. "My fox clan is not made of wicked demons. We understand reason, know right from wrong, and feel gratitude. You once saved Xue’er—how could I let you endanger yourself?"

"So that's the reason. Fox King, your worries are unfounded. Since I have chosen to help your clan through this tribulation, it means I have the means to do so. Now, I’ll go nowhere; I’ll simply wait for this Old Ancestor Black Cloud’s wedding procession to arrive. If they dare to act out of line, I’ll slay each one who comes—if they come in pairs, I’ll slay them both, and if a hundred come, well, that just makes for a full banquet table."

"…"

"…"

Fox King and Tu Shan Xue stared at the domineering Xu Xuan in utter disbelief. He looked fair and refined on the surface, scholarly and genteel, yet his methods were anything but those of a scholar—more like a reckless fool.

Seeing Xu Xuan’s determination to help the fox clan, the Fox King’s heart was filled with joy. With Xu Xuan’s support, perhaps this crisis could truly be resolved with ease. As the saying goes: the gentle fear the tough, the tough fear the reckless, and the reckless fear those who fear nothing. Judging by Xu Xuan’s demeanor, he was every inch the fearless madman. Moreover, with the City God backing him, even the Old Ancestor Black Cloud had to tread carefully.

"Fox King, to know oneself and one’s enemy is the only way to win a hundred battles. Tell me about this Old Ancestor Black Cloud—his origins, so I may be prepared. And also, your demon clan’s cultivation realms seem different from those of humans. Please enlighten me."

Old Ancestor Black Cloud was, after all, a thousand-year-old demon, a renowned ghost immortal. As long as his soul remained intact, he could reincarnate endlessly; such a great demon was no easy foe.

"Old Ancestor Black Cloud’s true form is an ancient pagoda tree. It is said that a celestial relic was once buried beneath him, granting him spiritual awareness and allowing his cultivation to progress by leaps and bounds. In merely three hundred years, he obtained a millennium’s worth of cultivation, became a great ghost immortal, and ruled over Black Cloud Mountain."

"As for the cultivation realms among my demon clan, in truth, we merely imitate the methods of human cultivators. Humans are Heaven’s favored children, blessed with endless wisdom. There are countless paths of cultivation in the world, but ultimately they fall into two major categories: one focuses on refining the spirit and soul, known as the Daoist arts; the other is tempering the physical body, called martial arts. Demons are born with formidable bodies, gifted by nature, so we rarely need to cultivate our bodies—most focus solely on Daoist arts, though many do practice both."

"In human cultivation, there are nine great realms: Settling the Spirit, Out-of-Body, Night Wandering, Day Wandering, Manipulation, Possession, Forming the Core, Ghost Immortal, and Crossing Tribulation."

"In the end, cultivation is cultivating oneself. Some great human scholars never practice a day in their lives, yet with sudden enlightenment, can step into the Ghost Immortal realm in a single leap—truly Heaven’s favorites." At this, envy flickered in the Fox King’s eyes.

Human lives are only a scant hundred years, yet their cultivation is blessed by nature—decades of practice can rival centuries of a great demon’s arduous efforts. For demons to attain immortality, the tribulations are far greater than those faced by humans; such is fate, unchangeable by any.

The Fox King went on to explain the demon clan’s own cultivation realms, which were similar to those of humans, though not identical. For a demon, the first step was to awaken their spirit; only by gaining intelligence could they begin to cultivate, else they remained mere beasts. Once enlightened, a demon would often need a hundred years to form their Yin Spirit, attain human form, and send their spirit out of their body.

When the Yin Spirit could leave the body, the demon had reached the Night Wandering realm. To wander in daylight—easy for humans—required demons to cultivate for another century. Only after two hundred years could a demon enter the Day Wandering realm. To manipulate objects, three hundred years’ cultivation was required, and to possess bodies, five hundred.

To condense a demon core took seven hundred years, and to become a Ghost Immortal, a demon needed a full millennium. Of course, cultivation and age did not always match—some demons, through extraordinary fortune, could gain a thousand years of power in just a hundred years, stepping into the Ghost Immortal realm with ease. Old Ancestor Black Cloud, for example, was but a three-hundred-year-old pagoda tree, yet already possessed a thousand years of cultivation and had entered the ranks of ghost immortals.

Cultivation is ultimately a matter of fate, insight, and luck—when the time is right, a carp may leap the dragon gate and become a dragon.

Though Xu Xuan was only eighteen, he had mastered the Great Sun Sutra, a legacy of his late master’s chance encounter. By meditating on the sun and cultivating his spirit, his innate yang energy was abundant, and at such a young age, he had already attained the Manipulation realm. Moreover, his power was imbued with the essence of the sun—making him a bane to all spirits and ghosts.

Though there remained a great distance between Xu Xuan and the Ghost Immortal realm, he possessed a wealth of magical treasures. At times, such treasures mattered more than one’s cultivation—a suitable artifact could enable one to utterly crush their peers. It was like a child fighting an adult, but if the child held a gun, the stronger adult would surely perish.

Such was the source of Xu Xuan’s confidence. With so many treasures, he had no fear of facing the Old Ancestor Black Cloud. Of course, Xu Xuan practiced both Daoist and martial arts—while mastering Daoist techniques, he never neglected his martial training.

Martial arts, too, were divided into nine great realms: Cultivating Qi, Training Flesh, Strengthening Bones, Divine Power, Harmonizing Hardness and Softness, Internal Fortification, Shaking the Marrow, Changing the Blood, and Piercing the Orifices.

The first step was cultivating qi. If the breath was not smooth and the body was weak, forced training would do more harm than good. Thus, it was said that the poor studied literature and the wealthy practiced martial arts—for martial training, nutrition was indispensable. Cultivating qi was the foundation, and such practitioners were called "Martial Apprentices."

Training flesh meant exercising all muscles, enhancing strength and reflexes, enabling one to face two or three opponents—this was the "Martial Student" stage. Strengthening bones hardened the skeleton, making one tough as iron, able to withstand heavy blows and fight a dozen men—such were "Martial Warriors."

Divine Power came from tempering bones and sinews, greatly enhancing one’s explosive strength and agility, granting the might of a thousand pounds—reaching this realm made one a true expert, known as a "Martial Master."

Harmonizing hardness and softness was the practice of integrating techniques and inner strength, greatly increasing power and stepping into the innate realm—these were "Innate Martial Masters." Internal Fortification was the training of the organs, making stamina inexhaustible and the body resilient, able to face a hundred men and move like a galloping horse—these were called "Grandmasters."

Shaking the Marrow meant martial skills had penetrated to the bone, granting immense might and the ability to slay a thousand foes—"Martial Lords." Changing the Blood was the next step, refining blood after strengthening the marrow, cleansing the body and remaking oneself. Such individuals could charge into armies at will—these were known as "Martial Sages."

As for Piercing the Orifices, this was the cultivation of all the body's acupoints, forging an impeccable body and attaining a physical form akin to an immortal—with the strength to move mountains and fill seas at a gesture. Such a one would be called a "Human Immortal."