Chapter 35: The Path of Divinity and the Path of Martial Arts

Sanbao Temple.

This is one of the largest and most popular temples established by the Matriarch Sect. The entire complex spans three hundred and thirty-three zhang in both width and length. Within the main hall, where the Buddha Mother is enshrined, countless candles have burned for over a century without ever flickering out. It is said that one could gallop a horse inside the hall—though, of course, no one has ever dared to try, leaving it an enduring mystery.

The Matriarch Sect’s popularity only truly surged in recent decades, thanks to the recognition of Emperor Yongan. For centuries prior, the sect was viewed with suspicion; not only did it originate from the Western Regions, but its practitioners were known for their supernatural ability to manifest bandages wrapped around their bodies, accompanied by a faint scent of decay—a mysterious, unsettling presence that deterred ordinary folk.

The Jialan Temple, by contrast, represented the orthodoxy of the Great Wei. However, once the Matriarch Sect began to flourish, its influence became unstoppable. After all, while the Jialan Temple concerned itself with the afterlife and the atonement of sins, the Matriarch Sect was far more pragmatic: it dealt with the physical ailments of the living. Whenever commoners suffered from mysterious or incurable maladies, they flocked to the Matriarch temples. If a physician could cure it, the sect could too—and they could cure what the physicians could not.

Though many still whispered that these were evil arts with dire side effects, the allure was too strong for those who had experienced their efficacy firsthand. Nevertheless, the sect’s reputation suffered somewhat because its disciples, upon reaching "perfect merit," would often liquefy into a pool of blood on the spot—a far less graceful end than the peaceful passing of the Jialan monks.

The abbot of Sanbao Temple, known as Yaoshi (Pharmacist), is one of the eight protectors of the Matriarch Sect and a true core figure of the organization.

In the backyard, as soon as Qingjian arrived, Yaoshi handed her a ring and said gently, "Attendant, please inspect the contents. These are the items requested by the Saintess."

He wore a snow-white cloak and was wrapped in bandages, his face obscured by a golden mask adorned with lotus patterns. Qingjian took the ring, scanned it with her divine sense to verify the contents, and nodded. She tucked the ring away, looked at Yaoshi, pursed her lips, and retrieved a medicinal prescription from her robes, handing it to him.

Yaoshi paused, took the paper, and read it. "This is... the formula for the Jade Refining Pill?"

Upon hearing this, Qingjian knew the formula was genuine and felt a wave of relief. Protector Yaoshi was a master of alchemy, just one step away from becoming a grandmaster. Yet, the recipe for the Jade Refining Pill had been lost for ages, and even Yaoshi had been unable to reconstruct it. To think that guy actually possessed the real thing.

Qingjian nodded. "I require the materials listed here. Could you assist me in refining them?"

Yaoshi pondered for a moment. "I shall do my best, but... why does the Attendant not ask the person who provided the formula to refine it?"

Qingjian found it difficult to explain the complexities of the situation. She had been sent by Princess Bores to serve as Gu Fangchen’s maid, which was, in reality, a surveillance assignment. Although Gu Fangchen gave her the formula without explicitly stating his intentions, it was clear he had an ulterior motive. She could repay the favor of the formula by tending to his injuries, but asking him to refine the pill would mean incurring a debt of gratitude that left her feeling deeply uneasy. It felt as if she were betraying the Princess.

Furthermore, it remained to be seen whether Gu Fangchen was even capable of refining such a high-level pill. Others might not know, but having spent a day in such close proximity to him, Qingjian—a master of the Divine Path—had seen through him completely. His actual cultivation was negligible. Alchemy required precise control of divine sense, and Gu Fangchen was simply incapable of that.

Qingjian lowered her eyes and said calmly, "That is not for you to worry about, Protector."

Yaoshi smiled helplessly and tucked the prescription away. "The Jade Refining Pill is of a very high grade. I fear my success rate will be less than one percent. Please forgive me if I fail."

Qingjian shook her head. "No matter."

She took the ring and transformed into a streak of light, returning to the Prince’s manor. As soon as she entered the east wing, a thought struck her; her divine sense detected an extra trace of consciousness in the room. No, it wasn't an extra one—it was Gu Fangchen’s divine sense, having left his body.

Qingjian looked expressionless as she watched that trace of consciousness darting around the room with great vitality. With a single thought, she could snuff it out instantly. This guy was truly audacious. But then, her pupils constricted. Before she left, Gu Fangchen had clearly been at the threshold of the Ninth Grade. How, in the blink of an eye, had he reached the Eighth?

It had been less than a day! Even the greatest geniuses in the history of the Divine Path had never reached such an absurd level. To advance one grade in a day—was he even human? Qingjian frowned, her expression grave. "How on earth did he do that?"

This was beyond her understanding of cultivation. A recognized waste whose dantian had been shattered for years had seemingly become a once-in-a-millennium prodigy overnight. Could it be... that what Gu Fangchen said was actually true? Was he really a genius?

Qingjian took a deep breath, trying to calm her thoughts. Not necessarily. Perhaps he had used some evil method to force his growth. Besides, even if he advanced a grade a day, he was still only Eighth Grade—he couldn't possibly refine the Jade Refining Pill!

She shook her head, flickered, and appeared inside the room.

...

Gu Fangchen floated in mid-air, looking around with curiosity. His perspective was still a bit blurred, as if the surroundings were viewed through a soft-focus filter, and his range of perception was only slightly larger than the room, barely reaching the neighboring courtyard. He was not a semi-transparent ghost; he had no body at all.

Divine sense at the Shell-Exiting stage was truly just a thought. It felt like dreaming, providing a third-person perspective. He was no longer constrained by physical objects; he could pass through walls and see through things, discovering information that would normally be hidden. Only at the Seventh Grade, the Wandering Spirit stage, would his divine sense condense into a concrete form.

Don't be fooled by the flashy effects of the top-three-grade masters—the world-shaking skills and the ability to kill from thousands of miles away. The early development of a Divine Path practitioner was remarkably plain. Apart from easily passing willpower checks, solving traps in secret realms, or occasionally gaining extra information in conversations with NPCs, they were not much different from ordinary people.

In the lower three grades, Divine Path practitioners were essentially "glass cannon" mages. If they couldn't strike first, they would be dead the moment a Martial Dao practitioner launched a skill. Therefore, one generally had to prioritize defense, exercise extreme caution, and develop stealthily. The Divine Path focused on the late game, and since most "experience books" came from high-level Divine Path experts, leveling up was not difficult. More importantly, the higher a Divine Path practitioner’s cultivation, the harder they were to kill. Even if the physical body died, they could be resurrected as long as they found a new body within a certain time. They could even survive without one.

As for the Martial Dao, it held a huge advantage in the early stages, but after reaching the middle three grades, the speed of advancement slowed significantly, and the resources required grew exponentially. A Martial Saint like Ding Xingfeng could not be cultivated by talent alone; it required the full power of an entire sect, or even a nation. This was one of the reasons why, even after his reputation was ruined and he lived in seclusion, Ding Xingfeng never considered betraying the country. Because, truthfully, without the Great Wei and Emperor Yongan, he would still be an unknown soldier in the ranks. Conversely, his frustration was also due to this very reason.

This difference between the Martial Dao and the Divine Path was clearly reflected in their titles. A Martial Dao practitioner could be called a "Grandmaster" at the Fifth Grade, while a Divine Path practitioner needed at least the Fourth Grade and a certain level of prestige in their field.

Ultimately, there were only these two paths of cultivation in the world, focusing on the physical body and the spirit, respectively. The first six realms of both paths had different names, but they converged at the top three grades. Other disciplines like the Sword Path, Formation Path, Weapon Path, or Fate Path were merely specialized skills.

Gu Fangchen circled the room once before his vision began to blur and a sense of dizziness washed over him. He estimated that only about the time it took to burn a stick of incense had passed.

"I just advanced, and without an Upper Dantian as a foundation, my divine sense is even more unstable than that of an ordinary practitioner," he thought. "I must solve the problem of my physical body, or my Divine Path cultivation will be affected."

Gu Fangchen clicked his tongue. He knew that only at the Seventh Grade could his divine sense affect physical objects. This would provide a safety net when crafting puppets, but to solve his problems completely and stop being hindered by his body, he needed to reach at least the Fifth Grade, the Freedom stage. As the name suggested, at this realm, one could be completely at ease even without a physical body.

For Gu Fangchen, he needed to improve his physical state as much as possible before reaching the Fifth Grade, so it wouldn't drag down his Divine Path progress. He centered his thoughts and his divine sense flew back into his body. During the process, he felt a clear resistance, like moving through water. This was the consequence of staying out of his body for too long; if he stayed out any longer, his body might reject him, and he would never return—a state known as brain death.

He opened his eyes, let out a long breath, and looked over to see the cloaked Attendant Xiyin standing quietly in the corner.

Qingjian reached out, a ring resting in her fair palm. "Young Master, the items you requested."

Gu Fangchen stood up, took the ring—which was covered in countless tiny spiritual patterns—and examined it. In this world, there were no ready-made "storage rings." Formation masters inscribed the "Small Heaven Cave Formation" onto a container, and that container could then serve as a storage space. Naturally, the quality of the container mattered. This formation was a mandatory lesson for players because it was essentially their inventory slot. If you didn't draw it yourself, the prices charged by NPCs were exorbitant.

Gu Fangchen was intimately familiar with the "Small Heaven Cave Formation." A quick scan of the details revealed the inscription style—it was clearly the work of Yaoshi from the Matriarch Sect. He looked up and smiled. "Did you manage to get the ingredients for the Jade Refining Pill from Yaoshi as well?"

Qingjian was shocked. How did he know?! Gu Fangchen had only asked Princess Bores to gather the materials; he hadn't specified who to go to. Sanbao Temple wasn't the closest Matriarch temple, but the materials Yaoshi provided were undoubtedly of the highest quality—a sign of the Princess's prioritization. Given the Princess's attitude, Qingjian had expected her to get the materials from anywhere. How could he have known it was Yaoshi? Unless he was certain.

Thinking back to how Princess Bores had suddenly decided to slay the Grass-Sword herself, it must have been related to Gu Fangchen’s list. She had seen the list too, but couldn't make heads or tails of it. It must have contained information only the Princess could decipher. Qingjian’s gaze turned grave; leaving aside his cultivation, his ability to manipulate others was top-tier.

"Yaoshi couldn't refine the Jade Refining Pill," Gu Fangchen sighed heavily, a smirk playing on his lips. "If you ask me now, you might still save some medicinal materials. If you wait until later, it will cost you extra."

Qingjian remained silent. Gu Fangchen didn't mind. He stretched, released the materials from the storage space, and counted them. "Keep watch; don't let anyone in."

He spoke casually, then recalled the process and began preparing the guiding materials. The formation for the "Demonic Refining Art" had to be carved directly onto his body, so no container was needed. The most important items were the 108 Demon-Suppressing Nails and the formation itself. The rest would rely on sheer endurance. As long as he passed the physical and willpower checks, everything would be fine.

Gu Fangchen tinkered for a long time, his intense concentration nearly causing him to faint. This art concerned his own body, so he couldn't be as lax as he had been with the "Returning Wave Formation." Besides, he had possessed the [Heavenly Mandate] buff before, but he didn't now. He had to be extremely cautious!

By nightfall, Gu Fangchen exhaled, his expression grave. He laid out the Demon-Suppressing Nails, which were inscribed with the formation, and couldn't help but twitch his mouth. These nails were three inches long. There were 108 of them, originally used as torture devices to seal cultivation and inflict pain. Now, they were all to be used on his own body... or rather, on Qingjian’s.

Gu Fangchen felt a sense of awkwardness. He looked at his own clothes, feeling stumped, and beckoned to Qingjian. "Come here."

Qingjian approached, and heard Gu Fangchen say calmly, "Help me take off my clothes."

Qingjian froze, a flicker of indignation rising in her. Was he really treating her like a maid? Gu Fangchen looked at her, feeling truly helpless—he really didn't know how to remove these ancient garments. The original owner had been someone served by others his entire life and lacked any knowledge in this area.

Qingjian, expressionless, pursed her lips, stepped forward, and reached out to slowly remove Gu Fangchen’s outer robe.

...

"You mean, by the time you arrived, the Grass-Sword was already dead?"

Inside a thatched hut, a one-armed, tower-like giant over two meters tall crouched down, staring at the corpse of the Grass-Sword with a grim expression. Magu knelt on the floor, shivering.

"Yes."

The one-armed giant narrowed his eyes and sneered. "Is this Gu Fangchen really so hard to kill? I don't believe it. In this world, there is no death that we of the 'Death Path' cannot bestow."