High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

This was a dangerous act.

The distorted force field generated by the collision of Star Realm energy and realspace was extremely corrosive to the spirit. If one’s Power of Heart Image slipped out of control, they could easily suffer a backlash.

But Xu Wuyi was cautious.

He only extended his perception to about ten meters from the force field and went no further. Instead, as if touching the surface of water, he carefully sensed the chaotic fluctuations.

Space was tearing, energy was surging, and Rules were distorting...

In this extreme environment, many details of the Rules, normally imperceptible, became surprisingly clear.

For example, Gravity.

Xu Wuyi could feel that the Gravity Field around the Rift was chaotic.

Some areas had abnormally strong Gravity, while others were weaker. There were even brief moments of anti-gravity.

This was not a natural formation, but a distortion of the Rules caused by the tearing of space.

’If I could simulate this kind of distortion...’

A thought flashed through Xu Wuyi’s mind.

The Profound Nether Celestial Spear’s Gravity Manipulation was currently limited to the level of ”changing direction” and ”increasing or decreasing intensity.”

But if he could simulate this effect of ”localized chaos,” his enemies would find it even harder to adapt in battle.

He closed his eyes and tried to construct a model in his mind.

But he quickly discovered it was too difficult.

The chaos in the Gravity Field was a byproduct of space tearing. The level of Rules involved was too high for him to simulate with his current understanding.

Forcing it would only cause his Power of Heart Image to spiral out of control.

Xu Wuyi decisively gave up and instead focused his attention on the areas of ”intensified Gravity.”

In these areas, the direction of Gravity hadn’t changed; its intensity had merely increased by two to three times. Compared to the chaos, this simple intensification was far easier to understand and imitate.

He slowly raised his hand, the Power of Heart Image gathering in his palm.

He tried to simulate that feeling of ”condensed Gravity.”

Once, twice, three times...

Time ticked by.

Xu Wuyi was completely immersed in his comprehension, forgetting everything around him.

Until, at a certain moment, he felt an impulse. He suddenly stood up and took out the Liaoyuan Long Spear.

He didn’t practice any specific Techniques, but just casually thrust, lifted, swept, and chopped.

His movements were slow, each strike of the spear carrying a unique rhythm.

The Gravity Field around the spear’s shaft fluctuated slightly with his movements, sometimes intensifying, sometimes returning to normal.

The air let out a low hum, and the dust on the ground was flattened by an invisible force.

Xu Wuyi didn’t notice that about fifty meters behind him, a white figure had appeared at some point.

Grandmaster Ren Bai watched Xu Wuyi practice with his spear in silence. A trace of surprise flashed in his eyes, which then gave way to faint approval.

He didn’t make a sound to disturb him, simply watching.

Xu Wuyi practiced for about ten minutes, then suddenly stopped.

He felt a kind of ”stagnation.”

It wasn’t a lack of stamina, nor was it insufficient Power of Heart Image. It was a bottleneck in his understanding of the Gravity Rules.

He knew how to intensify Gravity and how to change its direction, but he always felt like something was missing.

”You’re missing the ’essence.’”

A calm voice came from behind him.

Xu Wuyi’s body jolted. He spun around, and upon seeing Grandmaster Ren Bai, he quickly withdrew his spear and bowed. ”Grandmaster Ren.”

”No need for formalities.” Grandmaster Ren Bai walked to his side, his gaze shifting to the Rift in the distance. ”I saw your practice just now.”

”Your direction is correct, but it’s too ’solid,’” said Grandmaster Ren Bai.

”Too ’solid’?” Xu Wuyi was confused.

”Gravity is a Rule, not a physical entity,” Grandmaster Ren Bai said slowly. ”You’re trying to use brute force to ’grab’ it, to ’twist’ it. It’s like trying to catch flowing water with your hands—the tighter you grip, the faster it flows away.”

Xu Wuyi fell into thought.

”Rules are like water. They can change shape and flow with the current,” Grandmaster Ren Bai said, raising his hand, palm up. ”What you need to do is not to grab it, but to merge with it, to guide it.”

The space around his palm suddenly distorted.

It wasn’t a violent distortion, but a gentle, natural bending. Light passing through that area was slightly refracted.

Xu Wuyi could feel that the Gravity Field there had changed, but he couldn’t say exactly what kind of change it was.

It wasn’t an increase, nor a decrease, and certainly not a change in direction.

But a kind of... ”fluidity.”

”This is...” Xu Wuyi’s eyes widened.

”Just a little trick.” Grandmaster Ren Bai lowered his hand, and the space returned to normal. ”My understanding of Gravity is also limited. This is a path you must walk on your own.”

He paused, then added, ”If you have time, you can look up Grandmaster Xie Tang’s courses on the Battle Network.”

”Grandmaster Xie Tang?”

”A Gravity Grandmaster from a hundred years ago. He has already passed away,” said Grandmaster Ren Bai. ”The video recordings he left behind contain explanations of the Gravity Rules. Although the era was different and the level of technology at the time was limited, his ideas are very enlightening.”

”He once said that when Martial Artists cultivate Rules, they shouldn’t be too confined by real-world physics. The four fundamental forces are too microscopic. Trying to grasp their essence is a difficulty that far exceeds cultivation itself; it’s like climbing a tree to catch a fish.”

Grandmaster Ren Bai looked at Xu Wuyi. ”The cultivation of a Heart Image is not about pursuing a ’correct’ understanding of the Rules, but about having your own understanding.”

Xu Wuyi was stunned.

’My own understanding?’

”Just like your Golden Crow Burning Heart’s flame,” Grandmaster Ren Bai offered as an example. ”The essence of fire is a rapid oxidation reaction, but does the flame of your Heart Image need to follow that essence?”

It didn’t.

The flame of Xu Wuyi’s Heart Image was, in essence, a manifestation of the Power of Heart Image—a burning on the spiritual level.

It didn’t need oxygen or fuel. It didn’t even produce heat—or rather, the ”heat” it produced was aimed at the soul.

”Gravity is the same,” said Grandmaster Ren Bai. ”You don’t need to understand general relativity or know how mass curves spacetime. What you need to do is establish your own perception of ’Gravity,’ and then use that perception to drive your Power of Heart Image.”

Understanding dawned on Xu Wuyi.

He had been stuck in a misconception, always trying to understand Gravity in a scientific way, to simulate a real Gravity Field.

But the Power of Heart Image was never something science could fully explain.

It was an extension of the spirit, a manifestation of the will.

”I understand now.” Xu Wuyi bowed solemnly. ”Thank you for your guidance, Grandmaster Ren.”

”Go on.” Grandmaster Ren Bai waved his hand. ”In the cultivation of Martial Arts, don’t blindly believe any single point of view, including my own.”

Xu Wuyi nodded. He didn’t say anything more, just bowed again.

He already understood this principle. Everyone’s perspective was biased. Even the cutting-edge science hailed as truth in the current era could be completely overturned a few hundred years later.

What he had to pursue was not something correct, but something that was his own.

...

Back in his dorm, Xu Wuyi didn’t immediately begin his cultivation.

He sat on his bed, mulling over Grandmaster Ren Bai’s words.

’My own understanding...’