Incredible Insight: Cultivating Immortality at Eight, Astonishing Zhang Sanfeng

Chapter 34 – Master and Disciple Discuss the Dao

As Mo Shenggu thought, their previous spar was a close match, but technically speaking, Ning Changge had a slight advantage. Zhang Sanfeng’s Tai Chi defense was impeccable, but he couldn’t withstand Ning Changge’s overwhelming spiritual power and ferocious sword energy attacks. After a short while of continuous strikes, Ning Changge voluntarily withdrew his Red Heaven Sword. After all, Zhang Sanfeng was his beloved master, not an enemy that he had to fight to death.

Through this exchange, Ning Changge also gained a better understanding of his own combat abilities. He was undoubtedly one of the top experts among the Transcendent Realm masters. As for the Land Immortals, he hadn’t encountered any yet, so he couldn’t say for sure. However, the spar with his master was just that, a friendly exchange, so many of their techniques and skills were left unused.

Hearing Zhang Sanfeng’s sigh, Ning Changge chuckled, “Master, you’re only in your prime, how can you call yourself old? If you hadn’t gone easy on me, I probably wouldn’t have performed so well.”

Zhang Sanfeng took a sip of the spirit tea, feeling the fragrance on his lips and teeth. He had sensed that his slightly tired spirit was revitalized.

“Good tea!” he exclaimed.

This tea came from a part of the Wudang’s backyard where Ning Changge had found and cultivated some spirit tea leaves. He had been researching how to grow spirit tea, as it had a calming and concentrating effect, making it a precious treasure.

“You rascal, you just gave your master a good thrashing, and now you think you can get away with it by offering some good tea?” Zhang Sanfeng laughed heartily. “I’ll need enough to last for several months at least!”

Ning Changge smiled and said: “Don’t’ worry master, I will cultivate this spiritual tea in a while and will take care of it for you.”

Ning Changge and his master sat facing each other, sharing a hearty laugh. Zhang Sanfeng’s mood was extremely pleasant. He had been rather lonely on Wudang, as he could rarely find someone who truly understood his level of knowledge and expertise. Ning Changge was different; he was not only a disciple but also a peer.

“Changge, you’ve certainly achieved something extraordinary by delving into the path of Immortality. Whether in terms of combat or longevity, you will surpass the realm of martial arts. Your vitality is tremendous, and I suspect you might even outshine the Land Immortals,” Zhang Sanfeng said.

Although he lost the spar, Zhang Sanfeng wasn’t the least bit disheartened. He was genuinely happy for Ning Changge’s success.

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Ning Changge replied with a nod, “Thank you, Master. Let me share with you the essence of the Immortal Path I’ve comprehended.”

For Ning Changge, sharing his insights with someone like his master, who had deep knowledge and experience, was invaluable. They were about to have a meaningful discussion.

Zhang Sanfeng’s eyes brightened as he eagerly prepared to listen. In the exchange just now, he had also learned much from his disciple.

Ning Changge’s voice resonated as he began, “The foundation of the Immortal Path is called spiritual energy. It exists between heaven and earth. In martial arts, when one reaches the Transcendent Realm, they can command the Grand Circulation of Heaven and Earth, which essentially means manipulating the spiritual energy to form the heavenly and earthly forces or, as you’ve mentioned, the power of Heaven and Earth.”

“If I’m not mistaken,” Ning Changge continued, “in the Transcendent Realm, martial artists can invoke the power of heaven and earth, receiving its blessings. Their might surpasses that of Grandmasters, with unmatched strength in every move. However, the realm of Land Immortals should go even further. It’s possible they can establish a certain level of resonance with spiritual energy, thus harnessing even more of the power of heaven and earth.”

Ning Changge started with martial arts to provide context for his insights. He was curious about the Transcendent Realm and Land Immortal levels, which was why he explained it in this way.

However, Zhang Sanfeng was struck as though by a thunderbolt.

He couldn’t help but mutter: “Spiritual energy, the power of heaven and earth! Land Immortals … invoking the resonance of heaven and earth …”

His eyes became incredibly bright. It was as if, from Ning Changge’s words, he saw the gates to the realm of Land Immortals swinging wide open to him.

Ning Changge was elaborating on martial arts from the perspective of Immortal Dao, and it was undoubtedly profound.

Zhang Sanfeng’s white beard trembled with excitement, and he repeatedly exclaimed:

“Changge, continue! Please, continue!”

Ning Changge continued: “In my opinion, the reason why martial arts are said to have a limit in the realm of Land Immortals lies in this point. Regardless of how much one’s connection with the power of heaven and earth grows, it’s still external power. Ultimately, there’s a limit to how much it can enhance oneself. This is what you, Master, said back then. Land Immortals have limited lifespans, yet boundless strength. In essence, it comes down to who can connect with more power of heaven and earth.

“In my opinion, Land Immortals have limits because of the constraints of the physical body. Once the resonance with the power of heaven and earth reaches a certain point, it becomes difficult to increase it further.”

Ning Changge was becoming increasingly clear about his own ideas, and his thought process was remarkably lucid.

“But Immortal Dao is different from this. It starts by directly refining the power of heaven and earth to incorporate into oneself. Not only does it grant a long lifespan and the hope of immortality, but the strength continues to grow without limits. The stronger one’s spiritual energy, the more tremendous their control over the energy of heaven and earth.

“According to my deductions, Immortal Dao can be divided into stages like Qi Refinement, Foundation Building, and Golden Core, among others. Right now, I’m in the first stage of Immortal Dao, the Qi Refinement stage, which means refining spiritual energy. With just this, I already have a lifespan of a few centuries.”

“…”

“…”

Ning Changge elaborated on the differences between martial arts and Immortal Dao, using the concepts of the Transcendent Realm and Land Immortal Realm as references.

Zhang Sanfeng listened attentively, and his mind seemed to be struck by flashes of lightning. He felt like a new world’s gate was opening before him.

A stick of incense later, Ning Changge stopped with a smile.

“I see, I see!” Zhang Sanfeng couldn’t help but applaud. He looked at Ning Changge and sincerely praised, “My disciple, you indeed possess extraordinary insight!”

The first time he understood what Immortal Dao truly was from Ning Changge’s mouth left him in awe. It was difficult to express the level of shock he felt. This was akin to telling him that martial arts Land Immortals were just guarding a treasure mountain without being able to enter it, only crudely using spiritual energy as a weapon.

However, soon, he chuckled and said, “Changge, now that you have a lifespan of a few centuries, it seems Master also has to work hard to strive for promotion to a Land Immortal. That way, I can accompany you for a longer part of your journey, so you won’t feel lonely.”

Ning Changge was surprised. He hadn’t expected that Zhang Sanfeng’s thoughts would go in this direction. He was moved inwardly and said, “Master, there’s no need to worry about that. When I gain deeper insights into Immortal Dao, regardless of whether you can ascend to become a Land Immortal or not, we can both practice Immortal Dao. With your talent, achieving a lifespan of over ten thousand years in the future is not an unattainable goal!”

Ning Changge was confident about this.

Zhang Sanfeng shook his head and said, “We’ll talk about the future when it comes. If I can ascend to become a Land Immortal, I can certainly offer you more guidance. I’ve benefited greatly from listening to you just now. But don’t think that Master is old and useless.”

He then sipped his tea with a smile.

“As your Immortal Dao is in its early stages, it’s the time when you need lots of references. Just now, when I was listening, I felt that the insights I’ve gained into the Tai Chi Dao during this time will also be of some help to you. So listen carefully.”

Zhang Sanfeng was also an extraordinarily gifted individual. He realized that both the Transcendent Realm and Land Immortal Realm involved the use of spiritual energy, and perfecting Immortal Dao would certainly be beneficial for his young disciple.