Chapter 45: Celestial Circulation, Heaven and Man

After about ten minutes, the battle on the field finally came to an end.

Xue Lie held his sword in one hand, his body trembling slightly. He had survived.

Nearby, Bao Yi lay on the ground, not yet dead. It was unclear what kind of sinister cultivation technique he practiced; despite his body being riddled with holes, he still clung to life. However, it was nothing more than mere existence. Had it not been for Xue Lie forcing all the opponents to remain on the defensive during the latter half of the fight, Bao Yi would likely have been reduced to ashes by the Demon-Quelling Guards' flames.

Yet, Xue Lie was Xue Lie, and he had survived.

Shen Chang'an walked over slowly, his gaze cold as he looked down at Xue Lie and Bao Yi.

"Huff... huff... huff..." Xue Lie breathed heavily, his eyes filled with complex emotions as he looked at Shen Chang'an.

"If you want to make a move... now is the best time," he panted, continuing without pause. "The others, as expected... could not kill me... but you... you are different."

Xue Lie dropped his sword and lay flat on the ground, speaking slowly. "You said your sword... had no name. I... I didn't believe it at first... but now, I do."

"That sword has no meaning, no mission, and no shackles whatsoever."

"Therefore, whatever you want to do, you can do. If you want to kill me, you can kill me. Fate, destiny—they cannot bind you."

Shen Chang'an remained silent, simply watching Xue Lie.

Xue Lie let out a soft, mocking laugh, then suddenly added, "You are reluctant to kill me. If you had wanted to kill me, you wouldn't have let me... *cough, cough*... let me speak."

Shen Chang'an sighed, eventually saying, "I thought you were a Celestial Being. Now it seems you have yet to step into that realm."

Xue Lie exhaled a long breath and said languidly, "If I had reached the Celestial Realm, it wouldn't have been the Southern Garrison Army sent to kill me."

"What is your actual level of strength?"

Shen Chang'an had wanted to ask this for a long time. Among those he had encountered, their strength was either too low, or they were powerful enough to ignore him entirely.

He had only heard from Wu Youzi that there were three great realms of cultivation: the Circulatory Realm, the Celestial Realm, and the Earth Immortal Realm.

The Circulatory Realm meant one could circulate their inner energy through their body for a full cycle; achieving this meant one had truly entered the path of cultivation. Following that, being able to perceive the heavens and earth, align with the natural Dao, and achieve the unity of heaven and man was the Celestial Realm. Above that were the Earth Immortals, possessing unfathomable, god-like powers.

These three were the primary stages of cultivation. While it was known that the Celestial Realm was superior to the Circulatory Realm, and Earth Immortals were stronger than Celestial Beings, one could only truly gauge an opponent's strength within these realms through combat.

Hearing Shen Chang'an's question, Xue Lie smiled suddenly. "So that's it. Taoist Shen, you really don't know this? I suppose I can enlighten you."

"The cultivation methods in this world are myriad and strange, each with its own path. The levels and tiers within each method differ, and it is only in these three great cultivation realms that a unified standard exists."

"Therefore, there has never been a set standard for classifying strength. Only by fighting, by crossing blades, can you know if the other person is truly strong. But if I had to say, my own strength, within the Circulatory Realm, would barely count as a second-rate expert."

"Second-rate?" Shen Chang'an was surprised; he had assumed Xue Lie was at least first-rate.

"Second-rate. But don't look down on being 'second-rate.' There are countless cultivators in this world. How many can truly squeeze into the ranks of the second-rate? While it sounds unimpressive, in reality, these are experts chosen from among ten thousand."

"Otherwise, how do you think I could have managed to incite a rebellion?"

Shen Chang'an nodded. He was about to ask why the Great Qian Empire hadn't sent someone to kill him if he were only second-rate, but then he thought of Black Wind Mountain and realized the reason was likely much the same. The Great Qian Empire had too many holes in its walls; they could only patch the most critical ones, and as for the smaller issues on the periphery, they simply lacked the resources to manage them.

If Xue Lie hadn't obtained the divine sword *Bingxian*, he likely would have been ground to dust by the Southern Garrison Army long ago.

"I also want to ask: how far are you from the Celestial Realm?"

Xue Lie raised an eyebrow, pondered for a moment, and then said, "I don't really want to disclose that. Consider it me keeping some cards close to my chest. I ask that Taoist Shen not press further."

Shen Chang'an mused for a moment, then asked, "Then what must one do to enter the Celestial Realm?"

Xue Lie paused, looking at Shen Chang'an with some confusion. "Taoist Shen, do you have no master or sect?"

Shen Chang'an shook his head. "My sect is too small, and my master's cultivation is not even as high as my own, so there was no way to learn these things."

"So that's how it is. Then I shall explain."

"There are many ways to enter the Celestial Realm."

"The simplest is to find a rare treasure of heaven and earth and consume it; one can step into the Celestial Realm in an instant. It is rumored that some cultivators have eaten Vermillion Fruit and immediately grasped the Dao of the Heavens, entering the realm."

"Of course, such treasures are hard to find, and most cultivators follow the standard path. For an ordinary cultivator, entering the Celestial Realm requires nothing more than the method of filling one's true energy and perceiving nature."

"Filling one's true energy?" Shen Chang'an asked, puzzled.

Xue Lie nodded. "Filling the true energy is essentially completing one hundred and eight cycles of the circulation—a 'Grand Cycle.' When your energy flows smoothly and the circulation is uninterrupted, you have met the requirement."

Shen Chang'an pondered this. He practiced the Shangqing Induction Method to move his mana, but even with the aid of the Nine Breaths Qi Regulation, he could only manage a little over thirty cycles at once. He was still quite far from this requirement.

"Once the true energy is full and the Grand Cycle is formed, the next step is to perceive the nature of heaven and earth and comprehend your own Dao. That is when you step into the Celestial Realm."

Shen Chang'an frowned slightly. "Comprehending one's own Dao? That is far too vague."

Xue Lie waved his hand. "There is truly no other way. Comprehending the Dao relies entirely on one's own insight; it cannot be clearly explained. Once your circulation reaches a Grand Cycle, you will naturally be able to connect with heaven and earth. At that point, it depends entirely on your own aptitude."

Shen Chang'an was half-skeptical of Xue Lie's words and intended to ask others later. However, there was no immediate rush; his own circulation was not yet complete, and the Celestial Realm was still a distant goal.

Just then, Shen Chang'an heard a faint sound. He turned his head and saw that Bao Yi's bag, which lay on the ground, had split open at some point.

A slim, small figure was slowly crawling out from within.

Shen Chang'an was stunned as he watched a beautiful young girl with horns growing from her head slowly emerge from the bag.

A Dragon Maiden!