115: Talking about martial arts and philosophy

Chapter 115: Discussing Martial Arts and the Dao

“Good tea.”

“It is indeed good tea. Although it has no medicinal effects, this Xinfeng Tea was cultivated by me specifically to my taste.”

Lin Xinfeng narrowed his eyes and smiled.

After a slight pause, he changed the subject.

“Let’s talk about martial arts. Although you are young, and your Realm is only Tier 2, your martial arts are extraordinary.”

“The Protective Aura within your body is like a brilliant galaxy, melting the Concept of countless stars into one furnace, harmonious and precise, truly an eye-opener for this old man.”

“If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, this old man would never believe that this is a martial arts Cultivation Technique you could create at your age.”

“But having seen it with my own eyes, this old man knows that you are absolutely a heaven-sent genius.”

“Li Qidao and Zhao Chengqi, despite their great reputations, are not as good as you.”

“You are destined to become a Tier 5 Martial Artist, and perhaps even the true Number One Under Heaven.”

Hearing Lin Xinfeng’s praise, which was not just praise but a statement of fact,

Bai Xuan replied with a smile:

“What Senior said is too absolute.”

“How can there be anything destined in this world?”

“Things are impermanent, and fate is unpredictable.”

“Only facts can be certain.”

“Let’s talk about the future in the future.”

“Since we are discussing martial arts today, let’s discuss it.”

“The Cultivation Technique I created is called ‘Star Dou True Art’.”

“It takes universal gravitation as its core, manipulates the power of the stars, uses Ziwei Dou Shu as a template to condense the Concept of the fourteen main stars, and takes the Ziwei Star as its center to derive the changes of the Star Dou.”

Bai Xuan introduced it simply.

And listening to Bai Xuan's introduction, Lin Xinfeng also showed a thoughtful expression.

After a moment of thought, he said:

“Such a conception is truly ingenious.”

“However, have you ever considered that in myths, every star represents a deity, and your ‘Star Dou True Art’ could have even more variations?”

“For example, you could refer to Form and Will Boxing.”

Bai Xuan understood Lin Xinfeng's meaning. The core of Form and Will Boxing lies in imitation.

It can imitate animals, and it can also imitate deities.

If the ‘Star Dou True Art’ incorporated content imitating star gods, it would naturally become more perfect and more powerful.

Lin Xinfeng's line of thought was not wrong.

But he underestimated Bai Xuan too much.

Bai Xuan would not imitate star gods, because Bai Xuan wanted to imitate the Heavenly Emperor.

Imitate the Five Directional Heavenly Emperors, and finally surpass the Five Directional Heavenly Emperors, transforming into the Supreme Heavenly Emperor!

“What Senior said, I have already considered.”

“The Universe is vast, stars are numerous, and star gods are even more countless.

“Therefore, trying to refer to Form and Will Boxing and imitate the various star gods is too complicated.”

“It’s better to directly imitate a deity who controls the stars, thereby simplifying the complex.”

After receiving Bai Xuan's reply, Lin Xinfeng nodded, then shook his head.

“It makes sense, but there are also problems.”

“The deities who control the stars are too powerful. How can a Mortal imitate them?”

“Although a Martial Artist is not a Mortal, the essence of Form and Will Boxing is the unity of Spirit and form.”

“It is difficult for a Martial Artist to imitate the form of a deity who controls the stars, and even more difficult to grasp their Spirit, let alone achieve both Spirit and form, or even reach a state of Perfection.”

Bai Xuan replied in agreement.

“Senior makes a good point.”

What Lin Xinfeng said was not wrong.

Ordinary people would naturally find it difficult to imitate the Emperor of the Arctic Purple Star.

But Bai Xuan was no ordinary person.

Bai Xuan’s main body was a Tier 5 lifeform.

He had even mastered the powerful skill [Supreme Heavenly Emperor · Supreme Heavenly Court].

Therefore, it was too simple for Bai Xuan’s Number One Clone to imitate the Emperor of the Arctic Purple Star. Bai Xuan could not only grasp his Spirit and form, but also achieve both Spirit and form, reach a state of Perfection, and even transcend into a god!

“However, there is no such thing as an easy path in martial arts.”

“To simplify the complex, one must ultimately pay a price.”

“There is no martial arts Cultivation Technique in this world that is easy to Cultivate yet incredibly powerful.”

As Bai Xuan's words fell, the admiration in Lin Xinfeng's eyes grew even stronger.

“To understand such a principle at such a young age, excellent, excellent, truly worthy of being a favored child of heaven.”

“Indeed, there is no martial arts Cultivation Technique in this world that is easy to Cultivate yet incredibly powerful.”

“Even if we Martial Artists continuously research, continuously optimize, improve the strength of martial arts, and reduce the difficulty of Cultivation, its effects are ultimately limited.”

“To become a truly strong person, to create extraordinary and unparalleled martial arts Cultivation Techniques, one must ultimately pay a price. There is gain only with loss, and gain only with sacrifice.”

“Just like my created ‘Twelve Du Tian Demon Transformations’, which can be considered among the top thirty martial arts Cultivation Techniques in this world, it also has numerous serious side effects and an extremely high Cultivation difficulty.”

“After I refined it, I had to eliminate these side effects one by one before I possessed the powerful combat strength I have today.”

‘Twelve Du Tian Demon Transformations’

Bai Xuan had seen a brief introduction to this martial arts Cultivation Technique online.

And through personally observing Lin Xinfeng, Bai Xuan also gained a certain understanding of this Cultivation Technique.

It was a powerful Cultivation Technique, with great reference value.

“Senior, you are a Tier 5 Martial Artist, a Senior and role model for many Martial Artists in Yan Country.”

“Since this Junior has already spoken about my martial arts.”

“Why don’t Senior tell me about the martial arts Cultivation Technique you Cultivate?”

“You, Junior, are truly impatient.”

“Don’t worry, this old man is not a stingy person.”

“Just listen carefully.”

Next, Lin Xinfeng began his lecture.

And Bai Xuan listened with rapt attention, gaining much.

The core of ‘Twelve Du Tian Demon Transformations’ was very simple.

It was to imitate demons, obtain the power of demons, and then melt the twelve kinds of demonic power into one furnace, turning them into one’s own power.

But how to imitate was a huge problem.

First, the form of the demon.

To imitate the form of a demon, you must understand the form of a demon, understand the skin, flesh, tendons, bones, and internal organs of a demon – their detailed physiological structure, physiological Cultivation Technique, genetic Bloodline. Lin Xinfeng dissected a large number of demons and conducted decades of research before thoroughly understanding the form of demons.

Being able to imitate the form of a demon was just a prerequisite.

Next, you also had to Cultivate a true art that could simulate demonic power, enabling your martial True Qi and martial True Essence to simulate demonic power.

Imitating the form of a demon, simulating the power of a demon, only then could one transform into a demon, derive infinite wonders, and wield great demonic power.

However, this was still not enough; it was merely superficial, lacking the Spirit.

To imitate the Spirit of a demon, that was even more difficult.

Contemplating demons, self-hypnotizing, imagining oneself as a demon, and the demon as oneself.

After mentally transforming into a demon, one still had to maintain one's original heart.

Otherwise, one would suffer from Spirit schizophrenia, lose oneself, and transform into a demon.

Imitating the form of a demon, simulating the power of a demon, wielding the Spirit of a demon.

Only after fulfilling these three requirements could one refine the ‘Twelve Du Tian Demon Transformations’.

Of course, during the process of Cultivating the ‘Twelve Du Tian Demon Transformations’, a large amount of medicine was also needed for assistance, otherwise, the Cultivator would also find it difficult to fully imitate the form, power, and Spirit of a demon.

More importantly, after Cultivating this Cultivation Technique to Perfection, one would be able to grasp its ultimate Profound Truth—the Twelve Du Tian Evil God Formation!

After reaching the Perfection of the Tier 5 Divine Nature Realm, one could manifest twelve primordial demon Dharma Idols and set up this Formation. Within the Formation, a world of its own would form, with rules completely overturned, space-time chaotic, Yin and Yang inverted, and Evil Qi annihilating everything. It was the ultimate manifestation of proving the Dao with power, capable of suppressing and killing powerful enemies.

This martial arts Profound Truth made Bai Xuan think of the Twelve Du Tian Evil God Formation, one of the Four Great Killing Formations of the Primordial Era. The names of the two were identical, and their basic frameworks were also identical.

However, the Twelve Du Tian Evil God Formation, one of the Four Great Killing Formations of the Primordial Era, was far more powerful than Lin Xinfeng’s martial arts Profound Truth.

The Twelve Du Tian Evil God Formation was the ultimate trump card and Body Integration skill of the Twelve Ancestral Witches of the Primordial Era.

Its core power lay in condensing the power of the Twelve Ancestral Witches, summoning the true body of Pangu, proving the Dao with power, and tearing apart the Primordial Era. This Formation did not emphasize any techniques or Laws; it was purely the manifestation of extreme power, representing the Peak of the “Law of Power.”

Legend has it that after Pangu opened up the heavens and earth, he died of exhaustion, and most of his essence blood transformed into twelve Innate deities, namely the Twelve Ancestral Witches.

Their Physical Bodies were incomparably strong; they did not Cultivate the Primordial Spirit, only revered Pangu, and each controlled a Law of heaven and earth, such as metal, wood, water,

fire, earth, time, space, weather, rain, thunder, lightning, and wind.

They were both independent entities and part of Pangu.

The Twelve Ancestral Witches, through a mysterious Formation position and Bloodline resonance, condensed their respective powers into one.

This combined power reached a qualitative change threshold, enough to temporarily summon the true body of Great God Pangu. This true body of Pangu possessed the supreme power to open up the heavens and earth, and its power level far exceeded that of a Saint.

Once this Formation was unleashed, its power was enough to shake the entire Primordial World, redefine earth, water, fire, and wind, and tear apart the Universe and stars. Any Defense appeared pale and powerless before it; the saying “one force conquers ten skills” was its best portrayal.

When the Great Formation operated, it would gather the most Origin blood Evil Qi and Chaos energy from heaven and earth, forming a destructive Domain that could corrode the Primordial Spirit and defile Magic Treasures. Ordinary Cultivators, once caught in it, would instantly turn to ashes.

Although the Twelve Du Tian Evil God Formation was infinitely powerful, it also had fatal weaknesses.

Theoretically, this Formation had to be set up by the Twelve Ancestral Witches themselves. Because they possessed the purest Pangu essence blood, they were the indispensable “keys” to summoning Pangu’s true body.

Once an Ancestral Witch fell, the Great Formation would be incomplete, its power greatly reduced, or even unable to form.

Moreover, the Ancestral Witches did not Cultivate the Primordial Spirit and could not perfectly deduce heavenly secrets or control Formation details like Saints. The Great Formation was purely driven by instinct and power.

In addition, operating such a powerful Great Formation consumed a huge amount of the Ancestral Witches' own energy.

“Twelve Ancestral Witches, twelve demons—”

“Formations are good things. The strongest Profound Truth of my ‘Emperor of the Arctic Purple Star Scroll’ is also the Zhou Tian Star Dou Great Formation.”

“Of course,”

“The Zhou Tian Star Dou Great Formation of the ‘Emperor of the Arctic Purple Star Scroll’ is also inferior to the Zhou Tian Star Dou Great Formation, one of the Four Great Killing Formations of the Primordial Era.”

“But I believe that as my strength grows stronger and stronger, the pirated version will also be able to surpass the original.”

“So, the Dao of Formations still needs to be continuously researched.”

Bai Xuan and Lin Xinfeng discussed martial arts and the Dao, and their conversation eventually turned to Formations.

What is a Formation?

A “Formation” is a Concept originating from ancient military and culture, but it has been greatly enriched and interpreted in Wuxia novels, fantasy literature, and video games.

In real history, Formations were not magic or supernatural powers, but a scientific and efficient way of organizing and fighting for armies.

Core Definition: A Formation refers to the strict and standardized arrangement and combination of troops adopted by an army when engaging in battle, based on factors such as terrain, enemy and friendly strength, and weapon configuration. Its fundamental purpose is to maximize the advantages of group combat and prevent soldiers from falling into chaotic and disorganized individual skirmishes.

Main Features and Functions:

1. Exerting overall strength (1+1 > 2): Through strict Formations, the strength of individual soldiers is integrated to form a powerful collective impact force or Defense. For example, a pike square can effectively resist cavalry charges.

2. Rational allocation of resources: Different arms (such as infantry, cavalry, archers) are arranged in the most suitable positions, leveraging strengths and avoiding weaknesses, and cooperating with each other. For example, archers are placed behind the Formation, protected by heavy infantry in front.

3. Unified command and coordinated action: All soldiers follow unified orders (flags, drums, gongs, etc.) to advance, retreat, and change Formations, making the army act as a whole, moving in unison.

4. Confusing the enemy and demoralizing them: Unpredictable Formations can prevent enemy commanders from judging our intentions, and complex Formations can also create psychological pressure on the enemy visually.

5. Reducing weaknesses: Good Formations can protect the flanks and rear, preventing the army from being infiltrated, divided, and surrounded by the enemy.

In Wuxia novels, Xianxia stories, myths, and games, Formations are greatly mythologized and artisticized, endowed with capabilities far beyond their realistic meaning.

Core Definition: This is a combat System that integrates supernatural elements such as philosophy, Laws, Internal Energy/magic power, and Qimen Dunjia. The Formation setter uses specific Magical Artifacts, Talismanic Incantations, techniques, and positions to draw upon the energy of heaven and earth, forming a Domain or space with special Laws.

Main Features and Functions:

1. Producing supernatural effects: Within the Formation, illusions, fog, lightning, snow, gravity fields, etc., can be generated to directly attack or trap enemies. For example, the “Nine Bends Yellow River Formation” in “Investiture of the Gods” can cut off the three flowers on a person’s head and close the Five Elements Qi in their chest.

2. Energy amplification and sharing: Common in the Wuxia world, such as the “True Martial Seven Intercepting Formation,” where seven people working together are equivalent to sixty-four experts attacking simultaneously, connecting and amplifying the Internal Energy of the Formation members.

3. Creating special Domains/barriers: Within the scope of the Formation, the Formation setter is “God,” who can set the rules, weaken enemies, and strengthen themselves. For example, in a certain Formation, an enemy’s sight and hearing may be disabled.

4. Based on metaphysical theories: Many artistic Formations originate from traditional culture such as the “I Ching,” Eight Trigrams, Five Elements, and astrology. For example, the famous “Eight Trigrams Formation” (derived from Zhuge Liang), said to be arranged according to the principles of the Eight Trigrams, changes endlessly and can resist a hundred thousand elite soldiers.

5. Requiring specific methods to break (“Life Gate”): “Breaking into” a Formation often cannot be done by brute force; one must find the Formation eye or follow specific sequences and methods (such as entering through the “Life Gate” and exiting through the “Scenery Gate”) to break the Formation.

In summary, the term “Formation” has evolved from the rigorous military wisdom of the cold weapon era into a cultural symbol full of mystery and infinite imagination in Eastern culture, reflecting the ancients’ ultimate pursuit of order, cooperation, and power.

And in this world, the essence of martial arts Formations is also like this: the Martial Artist’s ultimate pursuit of order, cooperation, and power.