"Phenomena..." Jack Young recalled how, when Princess Embroidered Jade unleashed her Bright Jade Technique, it was as if an ice flower garden bloomed all around her. He hadn't seen such strange and beautiful phenomena from the Silverblade King or Lady Simone. Of course, he never witnessed Embroidered Jade's own phenomenon firsthand. When Embroidered Jade exerted her full power, a moonlit shadow would appear behind her, like a glowing halo—truly awe-inspiring.
But Jack thought of another exception: "I've seen the Golden Blade King in action. When he draws his blade to kill, it's as if the world is shrouded in blood. Is that a phenomenon too?"
Yan Taixu nodded. "Even among the Innate Realm, the Golden Blade King stands out. His cultivation in the third stage of Innate isn’t especially high, but his martial spirit is exceptional—enough to create the beginnings of a phenomenon. He’s truly a genius. Though only at the third stage, his fighting spirit is at the Heavenly King level. That’s why people call his blade technique the 'Heavenly King Ghost-Slaying Blade.'"
"So that’s how it is." Based on his own experience, Jack felt the Golden Blade King was indeed much stronger than Lady Simone. He’d been injured in just one exchange, and the blade energy tangled with Embroidered Jade’s cold Yin energy for ages with no clear winner—proof of his power.
"What's the realm above Heavenly King?"
"The seventh layer of Innate is called the Sacred Origin Realm. In martial circles, there’s talk of the Four Sword Saints: 'True Sword Saint' Su Huan, 'Illusion Sword Saint' Luo Qianhuan, and 'Solid Sword Saint' Wan Qingshi—all at this level." Yan Taixu said, then laughed at himself, "Only I, the 'Phantom Sword Saint,' am just a phantom in name."
Jack just smiled politely—there was really no way to respond to that.
Yan Taixu only joked for a moment before continuing, "The eighth layer is called the Limitless Realm. The ninth is the Great Limit Realm. Each of these last three stages is like ascending to a new heaven—every step is tough beyond belief. Especially the ninth, the Great Limit Realm. You need both talent and relentless effort, plus some unbelievable luck. It’s just too hard."
Suddenly Jack remembered—one of the blades in the Heavenly Weapon Manual was called Great Limit. He repeated the name to himself, "Great Limit?"
"Exactly. A person's destiny is at most 150 years—one hundred fifty years of cultivation is the Great Limit. Masters at this stage are perfected, far above everyone below."
"Are there any now?"
Yan Taixu hesitated for once, then shook his head. "Not yet, as far as I know. The top experts today are all at the Limitless Realm. Great Limit Realm is extremely rare throughout history—each one is a legend that shines forever."
Jack thought of Xu Zhu—his life was already pretty wild: three elders poured their cultivation into him, he had a stash of secret martial arts manuals, married a princess, and inherited a fortune from the previous generation. Forget being fate’s favorite, he was practically fate’s trophy husband.
But even Xu Zhu never reached 150 years of cultivation, only stopping at a little over 140. That shows how tough the Great Limit Realm is. Maybe only ancient masters like the Freewind Ancestor, Dugu Qiubai, or Bodhidharma ever made it.
"Is there a realm above Great Limit?" Jack lived up to his name—his curiosity was off the charts. "What’s beyond the ninth level of Innate?"
Hearing this, the red-clad woman Hong’er couldn’t help but laugh and tease, "People in the Innate Realm are like gods—nine heavens high, and the ninth is the Great Limit, the highest heaven. Beyond that? How could there be anything higher? There’s nothing above the sky!"
Jack just shook his head and ignored her, waiting for Yan Taixu’s reply. He believed the path never truly ends—there’s always something beyond.
Yan Taixu thought for a moment, then nodded seriously before shaking his head. "Just like Hong’er said, nine heavens high—the ninth is the highest. But is there a heaven beyond the heavens? No one can say for sure. I’m certain no one has ever broken through the Great Limit Realm, but I can’t deny the possibility. There are still mysteries left unsolved."
He organized his thoughts and continued, "Emperor Tang, who overthrew the Zhou and founded the Shang, was a Great Limit master. He was invincible and a human emperor—he should’ve lived out all 150 years. But in reality, he died at ninety-five, which left a huge question mark in history. Great Limit masters have perfect minds, so plots and schemes rarely work. Tang definitely didn’t die from external causes. He secluded himself, then suddenly passed away. No one knows why. Maybe he glimpsed something beyond the heavens, tried to break through, and failed—his body and soul vanished."
The conversation wound down here. It was getting late, and Yan Taixu, being physically weak, couldn’t stand the night breeze. So today’s martial arts discussion ended. Yan Taixu said he really enjoyed talking with Jack—it felt totally different from chatting with others about martial arts, like discovering a whole new world. He’d be staying in Eight Directions City for a while, and if Jack wanted, he could come find him any day during daylight hours.
"I’ve got nothing else going on—sparring with Brother Jack is a real pleasure." Yan Taixu was warm and friendly, the very picture of a good mentor and friend. Jack felt the same, having learned a lot, and promised he’d visit often.
"I might bring my apprentices next time. They’re total newbies—would you mind if they listened in?"
"Of course not! Newcomers have a fresh perspective. I’d be delighted to have them."
As the sun set, Yan Taixu escorted Jack to the gates of Linglong Temple. After saying goodbye, he even sent a blade attendant to escort Jack home. Bathed in orange twilight, Yan Taixu sat at the temple entrance watching Jack’s silhouette fade into the distance. He sighed softly, "It’s been more than a hundred years since our homeland fell. The thousand-mile Buddhist nation is now just sand and wind. Hardly anyone can recite the 'Ten Buddha Names' anymore. That alone makes me ninety percent sure he’s one of our people."
Hong’er spoke quietly, "But Master, from what I sensed in our duel, his internal technique is definitely a Xia lineage skill from the Central Plains—not a Hua clan technique."
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"No matter. Our Hua clan has scattered everywhere, intermarrying and having children with other lineages. He might be mixed-blood. Besides, it’s not impossible for a Hua to master Xia techniques—it’s just harder. No martial art is truly impossible to learn, so technique alone doesn’t prove anything." Yan Taixu sighed. "In the end, your heart decides your path. Where your heart belongs, that’s your people—bloodlines don’t matter. For our clan to produce someone like him, the heavens must be watching. Qin Qi passed the Way of Weapon Forging to him—he chose well."
"Master, the wind’s getting chilly. Let’s head inside." Hong’er pushed the wheelchair back toward the temple, still puzzled. "He is a bit unusual, but is he really that strong? I didn’t see it."
"Hong’er, your perspective isn’t broad enough yet." Yan Taixu shook his head. "There are a million ways to compare martial artists, but it all comes down to one thing: spirit. The greater your martial spirit, the greater your achievements. His boxing is profound, but he’s still new to internal techniques—that’s his weakness. Overall, I’d say his martial realm is about Heavenly King level."
"Heavenly King Realm—" Hong’er was a bit unwilling, but finally nodded. "Yeah, he’s definitely above me. If he weren’t, how could he have fought me for so long without weapons, with less internal power and no brute force?"
"His realm may be high, but his martial spirit is even higher. That’s a mysterious thing, hard to put into words, but I’m sure he won’t stop at Heavenly King. Whether he reaches Sacred Origin, Limitless, or the Great Limit—I can’t say. Maybe even..."
"Maybe even what?"
"Hmm... Never mind, it’s too soon to say." Yan Taixu shook his head and dropped the subject.
"Oh." Hong’er nodded obediently, then asked curiously, "But if his martial spirit and realm are so high, why isn’t he Innate yet? By all rights, he should have everything he needs—his true energy should’ve already transformed into Innate energy."
Yan Taixu smiled wryly, like a big brother next door. "Honestly, I don’t get it either. Maybe there’s a knot in his heart, blocking his Innate Dao Heart. But once his true energy transforms, he’ll open the Small Heavenly Cycle and pierce the Bridge of Heaven. Then his physical issues will fade, and his progress will speed up. He’ll understand internal techniques much faster, and I bet in less than a year, the martial world will have another peerless master. I’m looking forward to it—a real firework in the making."