Invincibility Begins with Mastery of Fist Techniques-Chapter 96: Jade Body

Dai Yisheng left the arena through the tunnel. Zhou Yuanjue was declared the winner, and the surrounding audience broke into an uproar.

Hardly anyone in the audience could understand what had just happened in the match.

All they could really see was the two men standing opposite each other. Dai Yisheng lifted his hand slightly. Zhou Yuanjue's muscles suddenly swelled as he entered his Wishful Size state. Then, they saw Dai Yisheng abruptly take a few steps back, turn around, and concede.

Excluding the time they spent talking, the actual exchange lasted no more than two seconds. There was no physical contact between them whatsoever, yet Dai Yisheng had simply conceded.

Had Dai Yisheng not displayed such incredible abilities in his previous fights, and had Zhou Yuanjue not also been a powerful Martial Artist, everyone would have thought it was a fixed match.

"Senior Brother... what in the world just happened?"

In the control room, Zhou Yuanjue's "loyal spectator," Ji Yunzhou, was watching the match through the glass window with several arena management personnel.

Hearing the men's questions, Ji Yunzhou couldn't help but frown.

He had clearly perceived Zhou Yuanjue unleashing a powerful Heart's Desire Bursting Out. But as for what Dai Yisheng did, he hadn't sensed a thing. He only seemed to detect a flash of white light, and suddenly a third of Zhou Yuanjue's spiritual manifestation was cleaved away. 'That must be some kind of extremely powerful Heart Intent Martial Arts,' he thought. 'Perhaps you can only truly understand it by facing it yourself.'

Down in the ring, Zhou Yuanjue remained with his head bowed in contemplation. He didn't snap out of it until the staff entered the arena to clean up and prepare for the next match.

As he left the arena and returned to the training room in his villa, his mind kept replaying that brief scene.

'A hundred acupoints gleam with golden light, forging a Glazed Jade Body. Then, Spiritual Will gathers in the palm... a gentle push, a flash of white light... the Flying Sword, swift as a dancing pellet, locking onto a soul from a thousand miles away...'

'Clearly, Dai Yisheng's purpose was similar to Zhang Ling Heng's and Wei Fengyi's. It's just that this old man didn't seem quite so willing to teach me everything he knew. He was just going through the motions; how much I could comprehend was entirely up to me.'

Back in the training room, he sank into contemplation, recalling the old man's "Flying Sword."

That technique... it was the childhood dream of so many. Zhou Yuanjue himself had fantasized as a boy about commanding a Flying Sword, soaring about unrivaled.

His will condensed and focused as he entered the Lamp Burning Realm. In this state, he attempted to manipulate his Spirit and forge it into a Sharp Sword.

But no matter how he tried, even though he could just barely stretch his Psychic Power into the shape of a Flying Sword, it completely lacked that unstoppable, sharp intent. It was limp and weak; if he sent it out, it would probably do little more than make a dog yelp.

The phenomenon manifested by a Heart's Desire Bursting Out is inextricably linked to a Martial Artist's Fist Technique, intent, will, and worldview. It's a hallmark bearing the unique stamp of an individual and their school, cultivated through years of training and refinement. It isn't something one can just imitate at will.

'This move... it doesn't seem to have any intrinsic connection to the "Flying Sword."'

'Perhaps the Martial Dao secret Dai Yisheng wanted to show me wasn't the Flying Sword Skill itself. The Flying Sword was merely the expression, the "move," not the "Inner Power."'

'The real question is how, at eighty-six years old, he could unleash a strike with such a powerful spiritual impact.'

'Was it because of that so-called "Sword Technique"?'

He then recalled what Dai Yisheng had said before the fight began.

'If the resonance between mind and body approached one hundred percent, would the body's restrictions on manifesting Psychic Power also be reduced to a minimum?'

'If so, that would explain how he could still launch such a Spiritual Attack at the age of eighty-six.'

'It's because his body's restrictions on his mind were minuscule. His Spirit could easily manifest through his body without any loss of power from physical aging.'

'The greatest secret hidden in his strike was actually a method for achieving a closer, more efficient resonance between mind and body.'

'That old fox... he hid the true essence and mystery behind the dazzling, captivating Flying Sword Skill. He was testing my ability to see past the illusion and find the truth.'

"Hundred Acupoints Return to the Origin..."

Zhou Yuanjue recalled the name of the technique Dai Yisheng had used. He connected it to the points of light that had gradually illuminated the Acupoints all over the man's body just before he struck. He was beginning to understand the secret.

Acupoints are crucial nodes throughout the body, intimately connected to the circulation of qi and blood, bodily functions, organ capacity, and more.

If the body were a kingdom, the Acupoints would be its most important cities, linking the entire body into a cohesive system.

In other words, if you could conquer these cities, you could control the entire kingdom.

Use the Spirit to enter the Acupoints, and use the Acupoints to nourish the Spirit, making them a crucial link between body and mind. When the Spirit has complete control over every Acupoint in the body, body and mind will perhaps become tightly integrated, minimizing any loss during conversion.

'What an incredible Secret Technique. It's a secret teaching of the Martial Dao that allows one to take a more solid step toward Saint Awakening. It must be a guarded secret of his school; no wonder the old man was being so cagey.'

His mind focused, like a candle flame being lit within his heart.

'First, let's see what happens when I try a full-power Heart's Desire Bursting Out.'

Zhou Yuanjue's Psychic Power erupted. The burning candle flame suddenly flared, its light spreading rapidly toward the Acupoints all over his body.

SCREE!!

Simultaneously, as his Heart's Desire Bursting Out activated, the giant Firebird manifested behind him.

Under his control, within the state of mind-body fusion granted by the Heart's Desire Bursting Out, the light from his Lamp Burning Technique began to ignite the Acupoints on his body.

One, two, three...

One hundred, two hundred...

Ultimately, seventy percent of the Acupoints on his body lit up. They were densely packed, spreading across him like a field of Star Fire.

'Seventy percent... is that my limit for now?'

He now understood the current degree of resonance between his mind and body. During the conversion process, at least thirty percent of his Psychic Power was likely being wasted.

The entire Heart's Desire Bursting Out lasted for about two minutes, after which he felt a wave of fatigue and exhaustion. That was likely the longest he could sustain it at present.

The fiery light in his Acupoints gradually faded, and his body returned to a state of calm.

Although he had ignited his Acupoints, he hadn't nurtured them yet, so the duration of his Heart's Desire Bursting Out wouldn't be very long. However, if he could take some time to nurture them and infuse his Spirit into his Acupoints, the duration would be greatly enhanced.

Eventually, every single movement would carry the power of a Heart's Desire Bursting Out, and his mind and body would be in near-perfect harmony.

Legend had it that only a Saint Awakening Powerhouse could achieve perfect harmony between mind and body. At that point, one's body became a Golden Body, a Dharma Body, and a Jade Body.

After seeing Dai Yisheng use the Hundred Acupoints Return to the Origin, his spiritual intuition perceived the man's body as if it were radiating a jade-like glow. Now, he truly understood the meaning of "Jade Body."

Mind and body as one, translucent as jade.

'However, Dai Yisheng hadn't achieved perfect harmony between mind and body either. Otherwise, he would have already broken through the boundary and achieved Saint Awakening long ago.'

'Thinking back, Zhou Yuanjue realized that although the man's entire body glowed like jade, there had been a distinct black spot at the center of his brow. That was the imperfection.'

That was the location of the Niwan, the seat of the mind. Legend says that when the wise ancestors of old reached enlightenment, their Niwan Palace would open, like a third eye capable of perceiving Celestial Secrets.

He tried it and found this to be true. His Heart Fire could ignite any Acupoint on his body, but the most crucial one of all, the "Upper Dantian"—the Niwan Palace—remained completely dark, shrouded in a dense fog that he could not illuminate.

'Perhaps this is the final shackle. The key to overturning life and death.'

At this moment, he fully understood the mysteries of Saint Awakening.

'Seventy percent... When my Heart Fire has ignited every Acupoint in my body, leaving only the Niwan Palace dark, my 'Guardian Dao' should be considered complete, right?'

Zhou Yuanjue made his assessment.

The remaining thirty percent wasn't an insurmountable amount. After all, just over half a month ago, he had only just become Holy and Bright. Back then, he probably couldn't have lit even ten percent of his Acupoints, but now he could already light seventy percent.

Perhaps in his next battle, under intense spiritual stimulation, he could complete the rest of his Guardian Dao path, bringing the resonance between his mind and body to near-perfection.

"When I've finished infusing my Spirit into my Acupoints, it seems it will be time to see the view from the grand stage."

Zhou Yuanjue muttered to himself, his eyes downcast, his expression as calm and still as an ancient well.

By defeating Dai Yisheng and advancing to a Level 5 Martial Artist, he now had the qualifications to challenge those on the grand stage.