Chapter 1: The Ten Stages of the Mortal Realm

The morning mist had not yet dispersed within the “Wanxiang Gardens” of the inner manor of the Fang family—the premier aristocratic house of Longyuan Province in the Great Li Empire. A group of Fang family disciples had already begun their morning martial arts practice.

The head of the Fang family was the Governor of Longyuan Province. A hundred years ago, the Fang ancestors hailed from the Feathered Ascension Sect, one of the ten great immortal sects, and subsequently followed the Martial Emperor, the founding father of the Great Li Empire, to pacify the world.

Longyuan Province and its Hidden Dragon Abyss had originally been the capital of the previous dynasty. After the founding of the Great Li Empire, the intention was to establish the capital here, but because the “water energy” of Longyuan was too heavy, the idea was eventually abandoned.

The Great Li Empire was founded on the “Virtue of Fire,” and the Li trigram belongs to fire. Being suppressed by water, it was deemed unsuitable to set the capital in Longyuan; thus, the capital was established in the southern “Li City.” However, the imperial court entrusted this ancient capital to the Fang family, demonstrating the immense trust placed in them.

Because of this, the Fang family was illustrious, their estate spanning a thousand acres. Within the walls stood a forest of courtyards and countless gardens; an ordinary person entering would surely lose their way. One could see this from the name of the inner manor’s garden: “Wanxiang,” meaning “all-encompassing.”

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The wind from their fists whistled, and the air vibrated.

These disciples moved with agility—like fierce tigers hunting sheep, lions pouncing on bulls, eagles striking rabbits, or cranes standing atop pine peaks. Their movements integrated the waist and hips, sharp and fierce. In particular, their four limbs and spine acted in unison; between movement and stillness, they were like five fully drawn bows. Their punches flew like arrows and landed like the wind, showing a solid foundation.

However, at this moment, a pair of eyes was peeping at their every move from the darkness of a group of artificial rockeries in the distance.

He was secretly learning their martial arts.

The owner of these eyes was a fifteen-year-old youth. With delicate features and dressed in a grey cap and clothes, he was clearly a stable boy or a lowly servant.

“A month ago, I discovered a sewer pipe that leads directly to the silt beneath the inner courtyard rockeries. If not for that, I wouldn’t have been able to enter the inner court to steal their martial secrets. If I’m caught, it’s a death sentence… but I, Fang Han, cannot be a servant for a lifetime.”

Fang Han carefully observed the movements of the Fang disciples, imprinting every posture and expression into his mind.

That was right; he was stealing martial arts.

Fang Han was a minor slave of the Fang family. His father had been a servant of the house, so from birth, he was destined to be a slave of the Fang family. His children and grandchildren, for generations to come, would serve the Fangs. For a lowly servant to sneak into the inner manor and steal the family’s true martial inheritance was an act of extreme audacity, bordering on a death wish.

“He’s here!”

In Fang Han’s vision, a middle-aged man wearing a large purple robe appeared on the training grounds. Fang Han immediately froze.

This purple-robed man was eight feet tall, towering and majestic. His back was straight as a sword or a spear, pressing down like a high mountain. Although they were far apart, Fang Han almost wanted to stop his own breathing.

This was a master of the Fang family, “Giant Spirit Hand” Fang Tong! His fame echoed throughout the lands, and he had come to teach the Fang disciples advanced martial arts.

“To be an official, there are eighteen ranks! From the First-Rank Prime Minister down to the local inspectors! And we who cultivate the mortal body classify it into Ten Stages! Stage One: Nurturing; Stage Two: Strength Training; Stage Three: Forms; Stage Four: Hardness and Softness; Stage Five: Divine Strength; Stage Six: Breath; Stage Six: Internal Strengthening; Stage Eight: Divine Valor; Stage Nine: Psychic Connection; and Stage Ten: Divine Transformation!”

The moment the purple-robed Fang Tong appeared, all the Fang disciples stopped their movements and stood straight to listen to his lecture. Fang Han also pricked up his ears, listening intently.

“If you train the body to the Tenth Stage, Divine Transformation, five horses cannot dismember you! Years ago, an ancestor of our Fang family was captured by enemy forces and sentenced to death by being pulled apart by five horses. But our ancestor exerted the full strength of his body, pulled the five horses down, and ran away. This is the power of the Tenth Stage!”

Fang Tong’s voice was like a great bronze bell, carrying immense weight. It made Fang Han’s eardrums throb with pain, as if they were about to burst.

“Five horses couldn’t pull him apart! How powerful must that man have been? Can the human body really reach such a level?” Fang Han was secretly shocked.

“However!” Fang Tong shouted. “Do not think the Ten Stages of the Mortal Realm are the limit; this is only the beginning. Our Fang ancestors once received teachings from the immortals of the Feathered Ascension Sect. Unlike other families, we know that above the Mortal Realm lies the Mystic Realm of Supernatural Powers! Only by shedding the shackles of the flesh and stepping into the Supernatural Realm can you truly roam the world, match the status of princes and marquises, and bring glory to the Fang family!”

“Mortal Realm, Supernatural Realm!”

Hearing these words, Fang Han felt as if a door that had never existed was opening before him. Though he peeped every morning, he had never heard this. The ten stages Fang Tong described clearly laid out a set of stairs to ascend.

“What is the Supernatural Realm?” one Fang disciple asked.

“Supernatural power means breaking the laws of the world as commoners know them!”

As Fang Tong spoke, a solemn look appeared in his eyes. “For example, when martial arts reach the limit, you can tear tigers and leopards apart or lift a thousand-pound tripod. But can you grab your own hair and lift yourself off the ground?”

“Lifting yourself up… how is that possible? It defies logic,” another disciple said quickly.

“It is impossible. No matter how much strength one has, lifting oneself up is impossible,” Fang Han thought silently.

“Doing the impossible is exactly why it’s called a ‘Supernatural Power’! Otherwise, what would it be?” The middle-aged man’s voice was like a thunderclap.

“Breaking the world you commoners perceive—that is Supernatural Power! Lifting yourself up is the watershed of stepping into the Supernatural Realm! Beyond that, there are all sorts of powers: spitting fire and water, walking on air, controlling lightning, and killing with flying swords—these are all the means of the Supernatural Realm.”

“Then, Uncle Tong, have you reached the Supernatural Realm?” the disciples asked.

“The Supernatural Realm is no small matter. Those who step into it are all geniuses of unparalleled talent. Currently, I have only reached Stage Eight of the Mortal Realm: Divine Valor. If any of you reach the Supernatural Realm, I can guarantee that the position of Fang Family Head will be yours! Even the Great Li Empire would grant you a high title to win you over!”

“Moving from the Mortal Realm to the Supernatural Realm is harder than climbing to heaven! If you can reach Stage Five, Divine Strength, within three years—drawing a thousand-pound bow and running like a horse with the strength of a stallion—that would already be a joyous event for our family. Enough; I tell you these legends today to broaden your horizons and give you confidence in your grueling training! To let you know that the glory and wealth ahead are limitless!”

Fang Tong barked: “Now, begin practicing the Pine-Crane Longevity Fist! This is a high-level body-refining technique our ancestors received from the immortals. You must grasp its intent and rhythm, and I will explain it one by one! Remember, you must train the body to its limit to step into the Supernatural Realm. Our ancestors said that Supernatural Power is a mysterious energy produced by the brain called Mana! As the saying goes, ‘Supernatural powers are vast, and mana is limitless!’ Only when the body is strong to the limit can the heart pump a massive amount of blood and nutrients to the brain to produce mana. If the body is not strong, any supernatural power is out of the question.”

“Pine-Crane Longevity Fist…”

Fang Han suppressed his excitement and continued to watch. In less than half an hour, as he listened to Fang Tong’s explanations, he suddenly synthesized a month’s worth of stolen experience and understood the logic of body refining.

Mortal cultivation was divided into ten steps:

1. Nurturing: Using regular, good diet and sleep to keep the body full of energy.

2. Strength Training: Using running, weightlifting, jumping, hitting sandbags, kicking, and various other methods to make the muscles of the limbs and abdomen full and powerful.

3. Forms: Practicing various moves to link the strength of the limbs and torso together, aligning the bones and evening the breath into a single whole.

4. Hardness and Softness: Linking the power of the bones, spine, and joints into one flow. Being soft or hard at will, combining both. Agility and coordination reach the limit, becoming as flexible as a cat or an ape.

5. Divine Strength: After integrating hardness and softness, the constitution becomes stronger and stronger, possessing the strength of a horse. Every part of the body moves like a well-trained army, swift and decisive. Thunderous sounds echo within the muscles and bones.

If one reached Divine Strength, they would basically be considered a figure of some note. As for the later stages—Breath, Internal Strengthening, Divine Valor, Psychic Connection, and Divine Transformation—Fang Tong did not elaborate, and Fang Han was in no hurry. He had learned enough logic to begin his own training.

“I have mastered the steps and the secrets. I will work hard in secret. One day, I will shock everyone and escape my status as a servant!” Fang Han knew his month of risk had finally paid off with a chance to change his fate.

“Oh no! I forgot, the Second Miss is going out hunting this morning! She needs the ‘Thousand-Mile Snow’ horse I’m tending!”

Lost in his trance of learning, Fang Han suddenly remembered his duties. He no longer had the heart to eavesdrop. He quietly crawled through the darkness of the rockery back into the sewer, leaving the inner manor. Fortunately, he was not discovered.

This was also because Fang Tong had not reached Stage Nine, Psychic Connection. Otherwise, he would have had a subtle sensing of any gaze, and Fang Han would never have escaped his notice.

End of 1