Essence Devouring Art

「Half an hour later.」

THUD!

With his skull crushed, "Wu Dalang" collapsed to the ground, blood gushing like a fountain.

"The Divine Desolate World..."

Wu Dao, now with a preliminary understanding of this world, casually wiped the blood from his hands. He tilted his head back to look at the gloomy sky, a wicked smile spreading across his lips.

Though "Wu Dalang" was merely a Four Seas Gang grunt, his identity as a native had provided Wu Dao with a great deal of useful information.

First, he could confirm that this world, named the Divine Wilderness, was indeed an Extraordinary World where power was openly displayed and cultivation thrived.

Among the Human Race alone, there existed more than one Path of Transcendence!

The Martial Dao, the Immortal Dao, the Military Dao...

Though their systems differed, every Great Dao led to immortality.

However!

No matter the path, every single one had innate "hardware" requirements!

The Martial Dao requires a Qi Sea Dantian, the Immortal Dao needs a Purple Mansion and Spirit Root, and the Military Dao demands a Yellow Court Soldier Embryo...

Only by possessing these innate "organs" could one truly break from their cocoon, transcend the mundane, and embark on the path of Divinity Transformation—a true Life Transition.

And such gifted individuals...

...were one in a hundred, perhaps even one in a thousand, among the teeming masses.

The vast majority still lived out ordinary, mediocre lives, never able to glimpse the scenery above the highest heavens.

This was a world where innate lineage determined one’s achievements. Compounded by the real existence of demons and monsters, it was a world extremely hostile to the common person!

Even with boundless perseverance.

Without those innate "organs" to help, you could cultivate until death and remain a mere mortal, forever barred from the threshold of the Great Dao.

Take Meng Qingshuang, the Young Master of the Four Seas Gang.

He was at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm of the Martial Dao, with his Divine Power at Great Success. To ordinary people, he was a majestic and untouchable figure who could rally hundreds with a single call.

But in reality, he was nothing more than a pitiful worm on the Path of Transcendence.

The reason was simple.

He had no Qi Sea Dantian!

On the Martial Dao path, after reaching the Divine Power Realm, further advancement required using the Innate Primordial Qi within the Qi Sea Dantian to scour the body of impurities. Only by this refinement could one break their cocoon, be reborn, and raise the body’s upper limits.

The same principle applied to the other Paths of Transcendence.

If the container doesn’t become stronger...

...it naturally can’t hold more Power. A very simple principle.

It was a dead end decreed by the heavens, a hope severed at its very root. No amount of effort in this life could change it.

Unless one stopped being human!

As it happened, the Four Seas Gang was exceptionally inhuman, and Meng Qingshuang himself was ruthless enough to follow that path.

To break the shackles placed on him by the heavens...

...he chose to merge with a demon, transforming his mortal flesh into a Demon Body. He traded his humanity for greater power, carving a path forward through vicious slaughter.

This kind of behavior...

...could be viewed differently from different angles.

Perhaps he was a heretical, unforgivably evil madman.

Or perhaps a warrior who refused to accept his fate and rose up to fight against it.

But from Wu Dao’s perspective, it perfectly aligned with the law of the jungle—the strong devour the weak, and all things strive relentlessly to better themselves.

Of course.

He had no interest in "not being human" himself.

’The prerequisite to mastering power is to first master oneself.’

’A Life Transition should be a continuous shattering of shackles. After the transformation, I am still I.’

’It isn’t about relying on some Alien Species, becoming a twisted thing that’s neither human nor ghost, and losing one’s true self in the process.’

’So it’s all about bloodlines, huh?’

As he digested this information, Wu Dao’s eyes narrowed. He focused his mind, calmed his breath, and used the method "Wu Dalang" had taught him to sense his own body.

"Heh..."

A moment later, he opened his eyes again.

Finding none of the three extraordinary "organs" within himself, he couldn’t help but sneer.

In his past life, before creating the Essence Devouring Art, his own pursuit of the Dao had been fruitless. From the very marrow of his bones, he loathed these sorts of extraordinary paths that were all about bloodlines.

Whether in myths, fantasy worlds, or sectarian traditions...

...all information related to the extraordinary...

...hammered home the same points: bloodlines, innate talent, aptitude, pedigree...

’A mere mortal should just behave, live out a mediocre life, and become a pile of bones after a century. Don’t get any wild ideas!’

’What a load of fucking bullshit!’

’I refuse to believe that shit!’

At that time, Wu Dao truly harbored such resentment in his heart, and it was this resentment that drove him.

Tireless and obsessive, forgetting to eat or sleep, he worked like a man half-mad. And at the age of forty, he created the Essence Devouring Art—a Breathing Technique that tore apart the Creator’s shackles and unleashed the full potential of the human body.

’If the heavens forbid it, the great theft never ends!’

’Steal from heaven! Steal from heaven!’

’If you won’t give it to me, I’ll steal it! Even in a mortal body, I can become Extraordinary and ascend to Sainthood!’

"I thought that after transitioning through time and space, there would be no more shackles in this world. I didn’t expect them to be even worse than in my past life."

Wu Dao’s expression remained impassive, but in his heart, he had already utterly shattered any yearning for this world’s Paths of Transcendence, leaving not a shred of longing or regret.

’If they won’t give me a path...’

’...then I’ll carve one out myself!’

’Fierce winds reveal strong grass; a wildfire cannot be truly extinguished!’

’The strong are always strong. Only losers blame fate and complain about others!’

WHOOSH~

A cool breeze swept past, refreshing his mind and spirit!

Wu Dao sighed lightly, his gaze falling upon the two mangled corpses on the ground. After a brief search, he held two books in his hands.

"Spiritual Snake Fist"

"Overlord Whale Fist"

Two Fist Technique manuals, one new and one old. Their source was likely the legacy of Meng Qingshuang, the Young Master of the Four Seas Gang.

If not for the unexpected appearance of Wu Dao.

Perhaps in a few years.

Two young experts armed with the ultimate skills of the Four Seas Gang would have emerged from some dark corner.

A pity there are no "what ifs."

"Martial Arts?"

Wu Dao felt a flicker of interest. Ignoring the flesh and blood scattered all over the ground, he sat down and began to flip through the two fist manuals.

Regarding the methods of martial combat...

He had studied them in his past life, dabbling in everything from modern fighting styles to traditional martial arts, but he had eventually discarded them all.

Because in his opinion...

...the essence of combat is a contest of physique. An overwhelming advantage in Power, speed, and reflexes surpasses all technique.

Of course, that was relative.

If two opponents have physiques of the same level, technique becomes the key to victory.

However.

That rule had been of little use to him in his past life.

In his previous life, as the creator of the Essence Devouring Art...

...his physique had always stood at the apex of the food chain. He lived by the principle that "absolute power breaks all techniques," so he never cared for skill and naturally didn’t waste energy studying martial arts.

But times were different now.

The scale of extraordinary power in this world far surpassed his last, so its martial arts were naturally more refined.

He didn’t have to look far.

In the life-and-death struggle just moments ago, Meng Qingshuang’s bizarre, insidious, and inescapable Snake Form Fist had put considerable pressure on him.

The way it mobilized the body’s power was on a level of sophistication far beyond any martial art Wu Dao had learned in his previous life, making it difficult to counter move for move.

If not for the snake eggs in his body constantly healing his wounds, creating a crucial information gap...

...that made Meng Qingshuang mistake him for some unkillable monster and lose his cool, the outcome of the fight would have been hard to predict.

His own wings had not yet fully grown; he was a long way from the realm where he could ignore technique and overwhelm everything with raw power.

If he clung to the arrogance of his past life, he was bound to get himself beaten black and blue!

’Although the Spiritual Snake Fist is agile and cunning, it’s too sinister, treacherous, and evasive. It doesn’t suit my bold and domineering temperament. Our auras don’t match; I’d struggle to bring out even half of its full power.’

After flipping through it for a moment.

Wu Dao shook his head, tossed aside the Spiritual Snake Fist Manual, and picked up the one for the Overlord Whale Fist.

RUSTLE, RUSTLE...

The pages flipped rapidly, words and cultivation diagrams imprinting themselves swiftly into his mind.

This was no shallow skim-reading.

The Essence Devouring Art didn’t just unlock the body’s potential; it also developed the Brain Domain. His information processing speed was faster, and he grew more intelligent with his progress. A photographic memory was only natural.

"Whale Waves Hitting the Shore"

"Whale Leaping Star River"

"Whale Shark Pounds the Isle"

"Long Whale Kicking the Moon"

"Hanging Whale Technique," "Whale Hammer Technique," "Supporting Whale Technique," "Whale Splitting Technique"

"Overlord Whale Heart Method"

...

Move by move, diagram by diagram.

Refinement techniques, nourishing techniques, combat techniques, theory, experience...

SNAP!

Three minutes later, the book snapped shut.

Wu Dao closed his eyes slightly, activated the Essence Devouring Art, and cleared his mind of all stray thoughts, entering the perfect learning state of "Unity of Heaven and Man" and "Taming One’s Own Heart."

In an instant.

The various profundities of the Overlord Whale Fist flowed through the sea of his mind. Within his Brain Domain, simulations ran, and virtual figures moved and practiced the forms. It was like having the knowledge poured directly into his head, allowing his theoretical understanding to graduate at lightning speed.

The reason people are foolish, unable to learn or master things...

...is twofold: one is the influence of their innate brain development, but another major factor is their environment and the nagging vexations that prevent them from quieting their minds.

But a Heaven Stealer has none of these worries.

In the Celestial Human State, every Heaven Stealer can ignore the gaps in innate development, forcibly eliminate stray thoughts, condense their Essence, Qi, and Spirit into one, and push their brain’s learning functions to the absolute limit, becoming a genius among geniuses!

Huuuh~

A few minutes later, Wu Dao exhaled slowly and opened his eyes. A wise light flowed within them; he had already thoroughly digested all the theoretical and experiential knowledge of the Overlord Whale Fist.

The Overlord Whale Fist was a lost art from the Giant Whale Sect, which had been at its peak in Guangqing Prefecture fifty years ago. Its creator had conceived of it after observing an Ancient Barbaric Whale roaming the vast ocean, comprehending its form and intent.

A hundred thick pages of knowledge.

But the core was its eight techniques and one heart method.

The techniques were the form, encompassing refinement methods, combat methods, and various power-generation skills.

The heart method was the intent, the core method of nourishing the spirit, and also a breathing method.

Without the heart method to temper the Spiritual Will and the breathing method to train the body’s tissues, both internal and external, no amount of hard work would be of any use.

If one’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit are not in harmony, the fist technique is just a dead fist—all form and no substance, empty inside. It would be no different from flailing wildly, just an empty display.

The Overlord Whale Fist has four levels in total:

Barbaric Courage, Form, Ever-Changing, and Meticulous.

They correspond respectively to the stages of the Martial Dao’s Foundation Establishment Realm: Nourishing Power, Hard and Soft, Inner Strength, and Divine Power.

But it must be noted that just because you reach the Divine Power Realm doesn’t mean your fist technique will automatically reach the Meticulous level.

Rather.

When your fist technique reaches the Meticulous level, even if you are only in the Hard and Soft Realm, you can possess martial power comparable to, or even surpassing, a Divine Power Martial Artist!

Not all in the Divine Power Realm have reached the Meticulous level, but all who have reached the Meticulous level possess the power of the Divine Power Realm.

This is related to one’s Comprehension.

If you resolve to train your body, your physique will definitely improve. But there are some things the brain just can’t learn, no matter how hard you push yourself.

The difference between the two is roughly this: one is the growth of the spirit, and the other is the growth of the body.

If you advance on both fronts, reaching the Meticulous level with your fist technique at the same time your Martial Dao cultivation reaches the Divine Power Realm.

Then congratulations. You will be essentially unrivaled within your realm, and even fighting those in higher realms will be no problem. You could call yourself a genius, and no one would dare to disagree.

’Clearly, Meng Qingshuang was no genius.’

Wu Dao caressed the book cover, thinking back to the Spiritual Snake Fist Meng Qingshuang had used. Recalling its essence, he estimated it was only at the Form level.

In this world, cultivation techniques for fists, feet, and weapons had four stages at the start.

But the latter two stages were what truly separated the experts from ordinary people!