Chapter 1102: Perfect Human Body Cultivation?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 1102: Perfect Human Body Cultivation?
Barely half a month had passed.
Beneath the Void Rift in the former Dark Elf territory, a teleportation base had already been erected, driven by the exhaustive efforts of the United Club.
From a distance, it looked like a massive city nestled between the jungle and the mountains. The architecture rose in a stepped fashion, extending upward until the entire structure resembled a gargantuan pyramid.
The Void Rift in the sky sat directly above this colossal building. Numerous complex structures floated around the rift, stabilizing the passage torn through space.
The United Club had given this base, built in just two weeks, a name: the "Ladder of the World."
The meaning was blunt and literal: a long ladder connecting worlds.
Even before the Ladder of the World was fully completed, the Three Top Academies had already called for a joint discussion regarding the subsequent cooperative development of the Emerald Forest world. This happened exactly one week after Teaching Assistant Xiao Han left the Emerald Forest.
That week was the time they needed to digest their fear.
"Cooperative development."
It sounded like a win-win proposal, but in reality, it was merely a stepping stone used to jockey for individual interests.
During these two weeks, another Void Rift had opened in the Elven territory. Unsurprisingly, following that meeting, Aphhemi Academy had moved in to occupy it. As for what exactly was discussed during those negotiations, likely only the Three Top Academies and the Witch Academy knew for sure.
However, judging by the twisted, agonizing expressions on the faces of those leaving the meeting, the concessions they had been forced to make were truly painful.
As for the prisoners taken in the Emerald Forest? They had already been "exchanged" as bargaining chips during the negotiations.
The details of this matter were never leaked to the public. After all, exposing such a thing would be far too humiliating.
* * *
The Expansion Realm.
The Witch Branch Academy established in the Expansion Realm served as the premier training ground for the members of the United Club’s various combat sequences. Because the Main World Great Weakening Spell did not suppress this area, the power and effects of spellbooks could be unleashed to their fullest potential.
Technically, one could achieve the same in the Emerald Forest, but the frontline exploration camp established there wasn't yet stable. Furthermore, the initial merging of worlds inflicted a slight "World Curse" on those from the Main World, which currently hindered exploration efforts in the Emerald Forest.
Since the Branch Academy in the Expansion Realm had plenty of vacancies, it was the perfect place for the combat sequences to conduct their training.
Despite this, many clubs within the United Club still chose to have their combat sequences continue pioneering work within the Emerald Forest. Only the Zero Special Combat Sequence remained at the Branch Academy to train.
Even so, no one dared to claim that the Zero Combat Sequence wasn't pulling its weight or was unworthy of resources. In fact, the other combat sequences preferred it if this special sequence stayed put; once they moved, there would essentially be nothing left for anyone else to do.
If anyone felt slighted, they only had to remember who had contributed the most to the capture of the Emerald Forest.
During this period, I remained here in the form of my Life Clone, cultivating alongside everyone else.
Calling it "cultivation" was a bit of a misnomer; in essence, it was constant sparring—mastering power through practical application. After all, academic research provides accumulation, but actual combat provides combat power.
One cannot exist without the other.
Previously, I had viewed the two as separate entities, but having tasted the fruits of practice, I realized they had to be integrated. "The unity of knowledge and action"—that was likely the best way to describe it.
For nearly half a month, I had been constantly sparring with members of the combat sequences using only the power of Body Cultivation. I used no direct magical power boosts, relying entirely on physical strength, while my opponents were free from the suppression of the Great Weakening Spell.
In the beginning, I nearly fought my opponents to a draw.
After all, I had placed restrictions on my power, refusing to use "cheating" abilities like my time sense, space sense, or domains. Engaging in pure martial arts against long-range magic artillery was indeed difficult.
However, I adapted quickly. After only a few matches, I was easily crushing my opponents.
Eventually, I transitioned from a streak of total victories to a streak of draws.
This wasn't because I was getting weaker, but because I was further adapting to my power. Winning or losing held no inherent value in these repeated battles; the value lay in what could be learned. I wasn't suppressing my power; I was learning to dominate it through a process of constant adaptation.
I started with the Five Senses Body Cultivation I had first encountered.
Although this type of Body Cultivation didn't inherently derive direct power, it was a systematic transcendent path. It reminded me of when I first learned about the classification of the Spirit Vision talent. Spirit Vision itself granted no power, yet it had helped me solve the dilemma of using high-consumption spellbooks with a simple Fireball Spell.
The Five Senses were the same. Spirit Vision could be seen as a "pioneer trial version" of the visual sense. The derivations of these five sensory pathways could achieve almost anything!
Visual Sense: One can see the use of mental power, foresee the flow of mana, understand the ritual framework of a spell, and observe the trajectory of an attack's effects.
Hearing Sense: One can hear the opponent's heartbeat, the noise of their movements, the stirrings of spellcasting, and the conversion of elements.
Smell Sense: One can smell the scorching of fire, the attributes of elements, the unique scent of an opponent...
Taste... Touch...
These were all pieces of information existing in the material world that the Five Senses could perceive.
If one went a step further, they would have to delve into Real Time.
But just when I thought that was everything, after I employed Emotion Body Cultivation, I discovered... no! It wasn't.
When I closed my eyes and "smelled" the scent of "fear" through my sense of smell, it felt as if I had pushed open a brand-new door!
Fear... a subjective manifestation that exists neither in material space nor in Real Time, yet I had "smelled" it!
Was it possible? Of course!
Could the visual sense, one of the five senses, not "see" an opponent's fear?
This served as a revelation to me. Once things become habitual, they are often completely overlooked. All five senses can perceive emotion, which by extension means all five senses can be deceived.
A person can fake fear, using expressions and movements to trick the eyes, but they cannot fake fear well enough to deceive the other four senses.
This discovery made me realize that the extension of the Five Senses held immense developmental potential. Once developed to a certain point, I had an "illusion"—that the final result would be nearly identical to the "Sixth Sense: Heart Sense."
Especially regarding the perception of emotion.
However, this also proved that the Sixth Sense and the Five Senses shared the same source. Emotion Body Cultivation had suddenly expanded from the realm of the Sixth Sense into the domain of the Five Senses!
This wasn't meaningless. Developing the Five Senses didn't replace the function of the Heart Sense; whether it was five senses or six, they were all sensory channels. The importance lay in the fact that this research lowered the threshold for practicing Emotion Body Cultivation on a cognitive level!
Can you imagine the scene?
Through the Five Senses, a mere look could make an opponent laugh, and a single touch could make them feel terror... If the opponent wasn't human but an Alien Beast, I could use my sense of smell or taste to perceive their emotional state by "tasting" or "eating" them.
I could even secrete a pheromone to subconsciously make enemies or strangers lower their guard... and all of this was built upon the foundation of the absolute dominance over one's own body granted by Awakening Body Cultivation.
With emotion as an example, I extended this to another concept.
Through the Sixth Sense of Body Cultivation, I hadn't just birthed the path of Emotion Body Cultivation; I had also used Heart Sense as a foundation to explore the domain of Affinity. The difference was that I had utilized the power of emotion to develop Emotion Body Cultivation, whereas the path of Affinity was something I had set aside before traveling very far.
At this point, I finally realized something.
Within Body Cultivation, the Sixth Sense: Heart Sense was a truly unique sensory channel.
It balanced "sensory channel" with "understanding and application." Using Heart Sense as the dividing line, the first five senses were sensory channels, while the subsequent Seventh Sense (Time Sense) and Eighth Sense (Space Sense) were the understanding and application of power.
However, the emotions derived from Heart Sense taught me that the Five Senses weren't purely for perception. It was foreseeable that the senses following the Sixth Sense weren't purely for the application of power either.
They were all part of the Body Cultivation power system—a path that constantly trended toward perfection.
It was hard to imagine what it would look like when a living being's sensory system was developed to its limit. One must realize that no matter how flashy various transcendent systems were—be they runes, rituals, or techniques—they all revolved around a single concept:
Mental power.
A powerful sensory force originating from consciousness, it served as both a sensory channel and a bridge between the individual and the transcendent. No matter how powerful a transcendent force was, it essentially used mental power as the medium for dominance and guidance.
And what about Body Cultivation?
It started with the Five Senses—five sensory channels!
Compared to mental power, the threshold for the Five Senses was much lower, and they lacked the quality of being a medium to communicate with transcendent forces. But once the Five Senses underwent metamorphosis—transforming from pure sensory channels into a medium between the individual and transcendent power—a Body Cultivator would possess at least four more dimensions of power dominance than a pure Magic Cultivator!
The disadvantage was also clear: the threshold for a Body Cultivator to achieve multi-dimensional sensory suppression over a Magic Cultivator was incredibly high. It was easy to learn but difficult to master.
However, if one studied Body Cultivation before Magic Cultivation, the results would be twice as effective for half the effort—for instance, the assistance Spirit Vision provided in my spell research. Spirit Vision was essentially the "trial version" of the visual sense from the Five Senses.
Even now, I continued to battle the students.
Facing a sky-blotting barrage of spells, I moved to the weakest point of the magical coverage, using my body to tank the damage.
The moment the blazing spell effects exploded, they tore my limbs apart, only for them to regenerate instantly. To others, this was a manifestation of my Undying nature, and that was indeed the truth.
But the difference was that this Undying nature was a repair process completed under the dominance of my Awakening Body Cultivation. The distinction was like the difference between an uncontrollable passive skill and an active skill under my total command.
I could even choose not to repair a wound, or... control the recovery process to use the residual energy from the attack to slowly strengthen my body.
Body Cultivation didn't mean avoiding transcendent energy. If Magic Cultivation relied on mental power to pour out transcendent energy, then Body Cultivation relied on the physical body to "refine" that energy into one's own power.
This process was tedious and painful, requiring immense willpower and persistence to grow stronger. But even then, most could never achieve my level of direct, subjective utilization of energy to grow.
Theoretically, a spell's attack could be "absorbed" by me. Even if it was just a tiny bit, it was still subjective utilization. Therefore... basking in the sun was also a way to grow stronger, though the effect was almost negligible.
I found that the more I developed the power of Body Cultivation, the more "monstrous" my understanding of power became. This method of strengthening exceeded the comprehension of a Magic Cultivator, and similarly, it exceeded the comprehension of an ordinary Body Cultivator.
I used to comfort myself with the excuse that "other Body Cultivators just haven't thought of it," but eventually, even I stopped believing that.
I was gradually walking a path that was neither that of a Magic Cultivator nor a pure Body Cultivator.
Yet, I was certain that the path I walked was a broad highway of infinite possibilities. A form of Body Cultivation that did not take "strengthening the physical flesh" as its ultimate goal had been forged by me.
In the beginning, it was Sister Bai who led me onto the path of Five Senses Body Cultivation.
But now, everything was different.
When I first learned of Body Arts, I thought of them as pure combat techniques centered on killing. And Body Cultivation, with Body Arts at its core, had largely adhered to that philosophy, giving birth to Physical Body Cultivation.
From its inception, Body Cultivation was a transcendent system designed for killing and combat. Yet, I was using it to explore the transcendent.
Perhaps that was the difference between me and other Body Cultivators.
The path of exploration is destined to be lonely and without reference, but the deeper one delves, the more miraculous the methods that emerge.
It was just like the realization I had earlier:
"Academic research provides accumulation, but actual combat provides combat power."
The transcendent system of Body Cultivation had been accumulating combat power since its birth, but it lacked the accumulation of deep research. I, however, had been exploring and accumulating.
When the foundation of this research and accumulation was applied to actual combat, the resulting combat power exploded exponentially.
This gave me a unique epiphany.
The path of Body Cultivation I walked was causing me to undergo a constant metamorphosis. Those abilities were pushing me toward a higher level, turning me into a monster that was theoretically near-omniscient and omnipotent!
When nothing is unknown to your sensory channels...
When nothing is impossible for your practical techniques...
Is that not omniscience and omnipotence?
Would such an existence not be a monster?
No... calling it a monster isn't accurate.
This kind of life, which exists only in theory, is something even the "Gods" described by the transcendent cannot reach.
However... there is a perfect description for it within the Life Sequence.
The Perfect Human.
So... could the Perfect Human, a lifeform that supposedly cannot exist within the Life Sequence, be an ultimate existence that can be birthed through cultivation?
For example... a Perfect Human Body Cultivator.